Shimla, Nov 16 (TIWN) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday presided over the launch of the Rs 1,010.60 crore second phase of the Himachal Pradesh Crop Diversification Promotion Project supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Dharamsala town.

Thakur said the state was committed to the development of rural areas as more than 90 per cent of the total population lives in these areas and nearly 70 per cent was dependent on the agriculture sector for livelihood.