Thakur first CM to visit remote Malana village

Manali: Jai Ram Thakur became the first chief minister to visit remote Malana village of Himachal Pradesh on Friday. No CM has ever visited this village due to its remoteness. The CM reached the village in the morning after an uphill trek of over an hour to meet the 36 families who lost their houses in a fire incident on October 27.
At the village, the CM announced a relief of Rs 1.5 lakh each to the 36 fire-affected families under Mukhya Mantri Awas Yojna and handed over sanction letters to them. He also announced to provide them Rs 40,000 each under MNREGA and Rs 25,000 each to families whose houses were gutted completely and Rs 10,000 each to those whose houses were damaged partially from his discretionary funds.
Malana is one of the remotest villages of Himachal, has limited services and no road connectivity. The CM announced Rs one crore to build a road to the village and also directed the public works department to complete the work within six months. A health sub-centre has also been announced for the village and the CM promised to provide medical staff at the earliest.
“Those families of this village who have lost their houses would be provided all possible help in rebuilding them. They would be provided money under different government schemes. Forest department will sanction timber and fuel wood to these families. A better road will be built to the village, which will not only boost tourism but also help develop the village. The villagers should preserve the rich cultural heritage and motivate younger generation to feel proud of their culture,” the CM said.
Most residents of Malana are illiterate. The younger lot have gone to school but dropped out after primary or middle classes as they have to go far away for higher education. The CM announced to upgrade the government high school of the village to senior secondary school.