Shimla, Dec 26 (IANS): Himachal Pradesh was amongst the first states to launch a food security scheme that is benefiting 37 lakh people, its Congress government said on Saturday on the occasion of completing three years in office.

Under Rajiv Gandhi Ann Yojana, about 37 lakh people were being provided three kg of wheat and two kg of rice a month at Rs.2 a kg and Rs.3 a kg respectively for each member of a family, said a statement issued by ministers Vidya Stokes, Kaul Singh, G.S. Bali, Mukesh Agnihotri and Sudhir Sharma.

Their statement comes a day after two-time chief minister and BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal slammed the government for its poor performance.

It was the Congress government which had started the scheme to provide three 'dals', two edible oils and iodized salt at subsidized rates to all the ration card holders to minimise the impact of price rise during its previous tenure.

"An amount of Rs.457 crore is spent on both the schemes during the last two years and Rs.210 crore has been earmarked for the current financial year," said the ministers.

They said their government was right in deciding against celebrating three years of its formation on Friday in compliance with the election commission's model code of conduct for the Panchayat elections.

On industrialisation, the ministers said 197 projects worth Rs.11,000 crore had been sanctioned which would provide employment to over 21,000 people.

A state-of-the-art industrial area is coming up at Pandoga in Una district at an estimated cost of Rs.122 crore. Another industrial area is being developed at Kandrori in Kangra district by spending Rs.107 crore, they added.