By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 10 Jul: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah and discussed various issues related to the state. The Chief Minister requested the Union Home Minister to free Nelong (District Uttarkashi) and Niti Valley (District Chamoli) from the restrictions of Inner Line Permit to facilitate the people of Uttarakhand. Dhami stated that Uttarakhand had its borders with Nepal and China. The remote areas located in such border areas were being deserted because of lack of economic opportunities in the area. If the Inner Line restrictions were removed, these areas could become tourist hubs and that would be strategically safer too and this would help better border management, Dhami urged.

The CM also said that Uttarakhand be treated at par with the North-Eastern states which were special category states and that the expenditure on the deployment , administration of Central Security Forces, for the festivals and fairs in Uttarakhand be supported by the Centre in the ratio of 90:10. He further urged the Home Ministry to provide a rebate on an amount of Rs 47.29 crores due to the Centre for deployment of security forces in the state and also waiver of the penalty for delayed payment.
Dhami discussed the preparations of the State Government, Char Dham Yatra, its preparedness for a possible third wave of Covid. He also reminded the Union Home Minister of the vulnerability of the state for natural disasters and urged him to provide two Air Ambulances and also sought Central aid for relocation of disaster prone villages in the hills that had been identified as highly vulnerable to disasters.
On this occasion, Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, Additional Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan, Secretary Shailesh Badoni were also present.
Later the CM also paid a courtesy call on Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and greeted him on the occasion of his birthday.