Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 1 Sep: A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan was held at the Secretariat here today with NITI Aayog members M Srinivas and KV Raju along with senior state officials to deliberate on Uttarakhand’s development opportunities and challenges. The discussions focused on innovation, employment generation and sectoral growth, with departmental presentations outlining ongoing work and future strategies.
The Chief Secretary mentioned vast potential in horticulture, floriculture, fisheries and the honey production, stressing on the need to strengthen these sectors through modern technology, better market linkages and value addition. He said high-density apple farming, kiwi and dragon fruit cultivation are being promoted to enhance farmers’ income. He requested NITI Aayog to share project proposal report formats to make schemes more effective and result oriented. Bardhan emphasised that sustainable and inclusive development requires harnessing local opportunities while addressing grassroots challenges, and assured that the suggestions of NITI Aayog members would be incorporated into state policies.
Srinivas emphasised on the importance of expanding the reach of the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) ID to strengthen digital health records and ensure continuous healthcare services. Raju stressed that skilling local human resources should be a top priority, suggesting the use of online apps and digital platforms to provide training and connect workers with employment opportunities.
The meeting also discussed enhancing industry involvement in the aroma sector, linking production to market demand and improving grading and traceability systems. Environmental and social challenges such as human-wildlife conflict, crop damage by monkeys and wild boars, and forest fires were identified as major concerns, with emphasis on developing scientific, technological and local solutions.
Among those present included senior officials including Principal Secretaries RK Sudhanshu and R Meenakshi Sundaram, NITI Aayog adviser Neelam Patel, Secretaries V Shanmugam and SN Pandey, Shridhar Babu Addanki, Jyoti Yadav, Dhiraj Singh Garbyal, Ranjana Rajguru and Additional Secretary Narendra Singh Bhandari.
