Mandi, March 30 -- Leader of the Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jairam Thakur accused the Congress-led state goverment of displaying a pattern of defamation and closure of schemes started under the previous BJP-led government, referring to the debate around the HIMCARE scheme as an example.

Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Thakur said, "Ever since the Congress came to power in Himachal Pradesh, there has been a continuous sequence of defaming and shutting down the schemes of the BJP government. More than 2000 institutions have been closed. First, they tried to tarnish the HIMCARE scheme by levelling allegations against it, and then announced its closure."

Under the HIMCARE scheme, eligible families can access up to Rs.5 lakh in annua...