Himachalis are rich but the state is under debt

SHIMLA: The bank deposits of Himachalis stood at about Rs 50,000 crore but the state is under huge debt, according to a state Finance Ministry official.

The per centage of people keen on increasing their savings was 75 per cent in the state while it was 33 per cent in the country, the official said.

The increase in income of farmers from Horticulture, off season vegetables, milk, animal Husbandry and poly houses and fat salaries of the employees contributed mainly to savings.

There are more than 2.5 lakh state government employees and taking into account the central and public sector employees, the number crosses 3.5 lakh mark.

The state government employees are the highest paid and saving money is habit with them.

The off-season vegetable production and the income from this sector has surpassed income from Horticulture and has become mainstay of farmers who earn much more than teyspent, the official said.

Himachal Pradesh is estimated to have total debt of over Rs 25,000 crore.