No demand for caste census in Haryana, says CM Khattar
Khattar's response came a day after the outgoing Congress government in Rajasthan announced to conduct a caste census in Rajasthan on the lines of Bihar.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that there is no such demand of caste census in Haryana and the BJP never supported the caste-based politics, but the key objective of the saffron party is the welfare of the poor and deprived without any bias.

“There is no demand of caste-based census in Haryana because the BJP-led government already working for the welfare of the poor and needy people and it’s above the caste census,” the chief minister said when asked whether the Haryana government will also conduct a caste census in the state.
Also read: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar regularises 303 illegal colonies
His response came a day after the outgoing Congress government in Rajasthan announced to conduct a caste census in Rajasthan on the lines of Bihar.
Khattar accused the Congress party of promoting 3Cs - corruption, crime and caste-based politics. “But caste-based politics was never on the agenda of the BJP as the party was already working to provide benefits to the poor and downtrodden for which the caste census is being conducted in several states. In Haryana we are working on the agenda of Haryana Ek-Haryanvi Ek,” he added.
Khattar, who attended a programme of party workers in Karnal, said that the BJP has a strong strength of “panna pramukhs” in the state and they have strengthened its base in at the booth level in Haryana, whereas the Congress has failed to appoint its district-level office-bearers.
“We have deputed a huge force of panna-pramukhs at booth level in all 90 assembly segments of the state and the party’s organisation is working hard at the ground to ensure the party’s victory with a thumping majority in the coming elections,” he said
“But on the other hand, the Congress have failed to appoint its district presidents and the appointment of the HPCC president was also marred by controversies and they had to appoint four working presidents to strike a balance”, he added.
Replying to a question about the SYL Canal issue the chief minister reiterated that the Supreme Court’s verdict is clear and now it is a matter of execution of the orders by the Punjab and the Centre. But the Punjab government’s objection related to the distribution of water is a separate issue and it will be decided by the Water Disputes Tribunal.
Khattar reduces timber market fee by 1% for plywood industries
Ambala Accepting the long-standing demand of plywood factory operators, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday announced a reduction in the market fee on the purchase of lumber from the current 2% to 1%.
This decision, officials said, is likely to yield an annual profit of over ₹8 crore for the plywood factory operators that have time and again highlighted the burden primarily due to losses following the pandemic.
The chief minister made this announcement while addressing his “Jan Samvad” programme at Dussehra Ground in Yamunanagar, the first such event held under the limits of any municipal corporation.
Later a delegation of the plywood association met Khattar with school education minister Kanwar Pal and MLA Ghanshyamdas Arora to thank him.
Arora said that the industry will directly benefit from the announcement and improve its condition that is struggling with the market fee.
Khattar said that his government is planning to conduct a survey of old colonies in the state, some of which have legal status, while others remain unauthorised and the goal is to legalise these colonies within the next 4-5 months.
He said that a physical survey will also be carried out for families grappling with high electricity bills due to their business activities, based on which appropriate facilities will be extended to these families and those working in various occupations such as auto drivers, washermen, ironworkers, barbers, and carpenters, will also receive support.
Highlighting the progress in providing essential services to the public, the chief minister said that the number of below poverty line (BPL) cardholders in Yamunanagar district has increased from 55,693 in December 2022 to 71,388 at present, with approximately 16,000 new cards issued in just seven months.
He announced that all BPL cardholders would now receive 2 liters of mustard oil, removing the previous ₹12,000 per month electricity bill threshold for BPL families.
Moreover, the chief minister also announced approvals for the construction of 15 roads in the assembly constituency with work underway on eight of them and tenders set to be issued for the remaining seven.
During the programme, he also handed over pension certificates to 11 individuals aged 60 or above, whose income was less than ₹3 lakh, offering his congratulations.
Meanwhile, Yamunanagar Police didn’t allow a few of the residents including four leaders from Aam Aadmi Party to enter the venue.
