Shimla, March 29 -- The Himachal Pradesh assembly on Saturday witnessed a heated exchange between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP over the allocation of projects under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). While the opposition accused the government of favouring Congress-held constituencies, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu maintained that funds were being distributed for "balanced development". Leader of opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur accused the state government of working with "political vendetta". He said while the state frequently alleges discrimination by the Centre, Himachal has received nearly Rs.47,519 crore in central assistance over the past three years. Jai Ram alleged that central funds were selectively channelled to Congress MLAs, citing the CM's home constituency, Nadaun, which received 11 schemes. "The government's own reply proves the Centre is providing adequate support. The Congress is making baseless allegations regarding a lack of aid," Jai Ram said. Nachan BJP MLA Vinod Kumar and Paonta Sahib MLA Sukhram Chaudhary also alleged that their constituencies were being overlooked despite available project limits. Chaudhary claimed that proposals for his segment remained unapproved despite a Rs.70 crore limit. Refuting the charges, CM Sukhu said that most central funds arrive through centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) and are distributed fairly. He countered the bias charge by pointing out that Rs.78 crore was approved for Jaswan-Pragpur and Rs.38 crore for Balh, both constituencies represented by BJP legislators. Sukhu lashed out at the previous BJP regime, alleging that development was previously restricted to Dharampur and Seraj (Thakur's constituency). "Our priority is equitable development. There would be no shortage of funds if the BJP stopped lobbying in Delhi to obstruct the state's budget," the CM said. He clarified that infrastructure projects, including those under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), are distributed without discrimination. Sukhu announced that the state proposes to enhance the NABARD funding ceiling for MLAs from Rs.200 crore to Rs.225 crore to expand rural development. Debate on the HImcare continued between Congress and BJP, with Jai Ram ram objecting to the statement by CM Sukhu. The BJP leader asserted that the CM's facts regarding the Himcare scheme are inaccurate, specifically addressing the issue of bills related to "hysterectomies performed on men." He said that the medicines in question are actually used in the treatment of cancer patients and added that investigation into the matter revealed these medications had indeed been utilized for the treatment of patients suffering from cancer. He further alleged that the information being provided by the CM's health advisor is incorrect. BJP MLA Rakesh Jamwal on Saturday raised concerns over the state government's plans to introduce robotic surgery in Himachal Pradesh, questioning the preparedness and availability of basic healthcare infrastructure. The state government, in reply, said that information is being collected with an assurance that the same will be tabled in the house on March 30. Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the assembly session, Jamwal said the government must first assess whether adequate facilities and resources are in place before moving towards advanced surgical procedures. "Today, the discussion is about introducing robotic surgery, but the question is whether we have sufficient infrastructure for it. We do not have adequate facilities at present," Jamwal said. He alleged that the condition of healthcare services in the state is deteriorating, pointing out gaps in essential medical infrastructure. Citing specific examples, Jamwal said that even basic equipment is not operational. "If I talk about my area, the MRI machine has not been made functional for the past three years," he added. He questioned the government's priorities, saying, "The government should first improve basic healthcare services before moving towards advanced technologies like robotic surgery," he added....