Shimla, July 8 -- Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday said that the State Government is making concerted efforts to strengthen the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department, recognizing its pivotal role in the holistic development of rural Himachal Pradesh.

Presiding over a departmental review meeting here, he said that vacant posts in the department are being filled on a priority basis to enhance administrative efficiency, adding that more recruitments would be undertaken in the coming period, a release said.

The CM reiterated that the discontinuation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and the implementation of the VB-G- RAM-G scheme are not in the interest of the State.

He poin...