23rd Meeting of Central Zonal Council
By Our Staff Reporter
Bhopal/Dehradun, 22 Aug: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today participated in the 23rd meeting of the Central Zonal Council organised under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Bhopal. The Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh participated.
At the meeting, CM Dhami requested the Centre to give due importance to eco-system services in allocation of resources and to keep in mind the floating population while allocating financial grants for the states.
Dhami stressed on the need to launch a special campaign for the rejuvenation of natural water sources in Uttarakhand in collaboration with the Centre. He also demanded that due importance be given to eco-system services being provided by states such as Uttarakhand while allocating budgets for various projects in the states. During the allocation of budget and funds, the floating population visiting the states across the year ought to be also kept in mind. He also sought cooperation in the installation of an advanced weather forecasting system with Doppler Radars in Uttarakhand. Apart from this, he further requested the Centre to hold the upcoming meeting of the Central Zonal Council in Uttarakhand. Expressing gratitude for the cooperation of the Union Government in the development of the state, he cited several ongoing projects which have been funded by the Centre.
The CM said that the state government is moving forward in the direction of implementing a Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand. He said that, keeping in mind the inaccessible geographical conditions of the state, in determining the centrally funded schemes, the central schemes be customised and tailor made as per the requirements of the states. Uniform schemes might not be suitable for all the states. Central schemes based on tourism, horticulture and aromatic plants would benefit the state. Projects for rejuvenation of natural water sources in the mountains would not only benefit the state of Uttarakhand but the entire nation. The Chief Minister also suggested starting a special campaign for the rejuvenation of natural water sources in the mountainous region with the help of the Government of India. He also requested the cooperation of Centre for the early implementation of the disrupted hydroelectric projects of Uttarakhand. There is also a need to conserve the glaciers. He reminded the gathering that, according to a study by the Indian Institute of Forest Management in Bhopal, the annual value of these ecological services has been estimated at a minimum of Rs 95,000 crores. He also requested giving importance to these ecological services in the allocation of resources among the states.
He claimed that establishment of a new airport in Chaukhutia area, located between Kumaon and Garhwal region, and near the summer capital of the state is very necessary from the economic and strategic point of view. He said that under the Bharat Net 2 project, connectivity should be provided to 5942 gram panchayats which are currently without mobile and internet connectivity.
