Shimla, Dec 27 (IANS): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday appreciated the efforts of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur for the achievements of his government in the last three years.

Virtually addressing the state-level function held at the Peterhoff here to mark the completion of three years of the state BJP government, Rajnath said the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was a great gift of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the programme has proved a boon to mountain states like Himachal Pradesh.

He congratulated Chief Minister Thakur for making the state the second best in the country in effective implementation of the PMGSY.

The Defence Minister said the Atal Tunnel dedicated recently by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not only facilitate the people of Lahaul-Spiti district but was also of strategic importance.

He termed Himachal Pradesh as "Vir Bhumi" (land of warriors) as almost every family of the state has a serving soldier or an ex-serviceman.

The message of BJP chief Jagat Prakash Nadda was also read out on the occasion.

Addressing the function, the Chief Minister said three years of the government were dedicated towards welfare of every section of society and overall development of the state.

The state government during this period took several initiatives to make the state the most developed in the country. He said the coronavirus pandemic has forced the government to organise this mega event with utmost simplicity by strictly following health protocols.

Thakur said the state was providing social security pension to 5.70 lakh people. The Jan Manch and the Chief Minister Sewa Sankalp Helpline 1100 were started for speedy redressal of the public grievances.

He said the HIMCARE Scheme was launched to provide healthcare to the poor under which 1.25 lakh families have been benefitted with an outlay of Rs 121 crore.

He said the Sahara Yojana was launched to provide a financial assistance of Rs 3,000 per month to the families with chronically-ill patients.

The Grihini Suvidha Yojana was launched under which 2.90 lakh free gas connections have been provided to the families and this scheme has made the state the first 'smoke-free state' of the country.

The Chief Minister said pacts worth Rs 96,000 crore were signed during the Global Investor Meet organised last year in Dharamsala and within a month, groundbreaking of projects worth Rs 13,500 crore was performed.

Out of this, work on projects worth Rs 10,000 crore has already started.

He said under the Prakritik Kheti Khushal Kisan Yojana to promote natural farming, one lakh farming families have been enrolled so far.

Thakur said the state was marking the golden jubilee of its statehood on January 25, which would be a celebrated in a befitting manner.

The Chief Minister thanked the Defence Minister for sanctioning a battalion of the National Disaster Response Force for the state, besides One Rank One Pension.

He said the Rs 3,300-crore Atal Tunnel was indeed the biggest gift of ex-PM Vajpayee to the people of the state. He said the AIIMS at Bilaspur and three medical colleges were sanctioned during the tenure of Nadda as Union Health Minister.

Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur, while addressing the event virtually, said several schemes have been launched by the state to ensure the left-out beneficiaries of the Centre's welfare schemes get the benefits.