New Delhi, 18 Jan: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here today. On this occasion, the Chief Minister presented products based on copper crafts made in Bageshwar and materials prepared by women self-help groups of Uttarakhand to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister appreciated the hard work of the women of the state and expressed his gratitude to them on this occasion.
Expressing his gratitude to the Prime Minister for promoting Uttarakhand as a wedding destination, the Chief Minister said that after his appeal, a large number of people from the country and abroad are booking weddings in Uttarakhand and claimed that this will provide employment opportunities to the people of the state. Dhami also informed Modi that investments worth Rs 150 crore have also been received for developing wedding destinations in Uttarakhand.
Narendra Modi by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami
during their meeting.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s help in speeding up the work being done by the Border Roads Organisation on the Karnaprayag-Gwaldam route, which is very useful for tourism and military traffic and the general public; on the 189 km Kathgodam-Bhimtal, Dhyanachuli-Mornola-Khetikhan stretch. He also sought cooperation of the PM in notification of the Lohaghat-Panchestra motor road as a national highway and for approval of Rs 1,000 crores for 20 routes connecting Manaskhand temples under the Manaskhand Temple Mala Project. The Chief Minister said that it is necessary to upgrade the roads connecting Garhwal and Kumaon to encourage the travelers and tourists coming on Chardham Yatra in the state to visit the Manaskhand Temple Mala.
Dhami informed the Prime Minister that, out of the 48 temples identified under the Manaskhand Temple Mala Mission, infrastructure development work has already been started in 16 temples. A master plan of Rs 150 crores has been made for Jasgeshwar Dham. For the promotion of Manaskhand temples, the CM also asked the PM for operation of a Bharat Gaurav Manaskhand Express’ train from various places of the country to Kathgodam and Tanakpur railway stations of Uttarakhand. He informed Modi that under the Manaskhand Mandir Mala Mission, an action plan for the development of Sharda Corridor is being prepared to develop the famous Purnagiri Dham located in the Kumaon region. A master plan is also being prepared for the development of the famous Kainchi Dham located in the Kumaon region. Another master plan has been prepared to develop the frontier village Gunji (Adi Kailash area) located in Pithoragarh as an international tourist destination. In the first phase, development of Sadhana Kendra, Eco Trail, Resource Centre, Heritage Village and adventure activities are proposed in Gunji under Swadesh Darshan Yojana-2.0. A survey has been conducted by the state government to provide Heli services for Gunji, Adi Kailash and Om Parvat.
The Chief Minister informed the PM that the work on developing Haridwar-Rishikesh Ganga Corridor on the lines of Kashi-Vishwanath has been planned to be done by the newly formed Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure Board (UIIDB). To promote tourism in the state, it is proposed to build seven heliports in PPP mode, out of which land has been identified for two heliports. In the initial phase, heliports are proposed to be built in Haridwar and Dehradun.
Reminding the PM that the brand ‘House of Himalayas’ was inaugurated by him (Modi) as an umbrella brand for processing, packaging and branding of local products of the state, Dhami informed that national and international investors have shown enthusiasm to join House of Himalayas. In the first phase, Millets, Rajma, mountain pulses, red rice, Haldi, mountain salt, honey, aromatic and herbal tea, Nainital candles, Aipan, Pichhoda have been shortlisted as major products to be marketed under this umbrella brand and that all the GI products of the state are being specially focused under the House of Himalayas brand.
The Chief Minister said that in the roadmap for accelerated development of the state, a target has been set to double the GSDP of the state in the next five years. To achieve this goal, a comprehensive increase in the infrastructure of the state has been proposed, which will attract investment mainly in the areas of industrialisation, service sector including tourism related infrastructure and agriculture and forestry and education, etc., are also included.
Dhami said that a sharp increase in the demand for electricity is expected in the near future in view of the rapid industrialisation. He pointed out that as a result of the delay in the construction of hydro power projects under construction in the state due to environmental reasons, the difference in power/availability relative to the demand for power in the state is continuously increasing, which will increase in future due to the above mentioned reasons. The Chief Minister requested the Prime Minister to permanently allocate 400 MW additional power from coal-based plants of the Central Pool to the state. The Chief Minister said that the rivers flowing in Dhauliganga and Gauri Ganga areas of Pithoragarh region are different from the Ganga and its tributaries flowing within the state. The Chief Minister also requested the Prime Minister to grant approvals to the hydro power projects of the said area, Boukang Beling (330 MW) and Selauthig (202 MW).
Pushkar Singh Dhami also informed the Prime Minister that after the disaster that occurred in the state of Uttarakhand in June 2013, due to the order passed by the Supreme Court in 2013, and the decision given by the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, hydropower projects on river Ganga and its tributaries have been affected. Development and construction of proposed 44 hydro power projects with total capacity of about 4800 MW has been postponed. To meet the electricity needs of the state, Uttarakhand has to purchase energy worth about Rs 1,000 crore every year from the open market, which puts an additional burden on the financial resources of the hill state. Therefore, to meet the growing needs of the state, it is necessary to immediately take positive action to construct the proposed projects in other river valleys in a phased manner.
Dhami also requested the Prime Minister to give appropriate instructions to the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, for granting permission for rapid development and construction of projects located on river valleys other than Ganga and its tributaries in the state of Uttarakhand.
The Chief Minister said that under guidance of the Prime Minister, Uttarakhand is continuously developing in the field of ease of doing business, investment promotion and start-up and is continuously getting the best category in the rankings issued by the Government of India.
The Chief Minister also informed the Prime Minister that special efforts are being made by the state to ground the agreements reached at the Investor Summit.
