By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 18 Mar: Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today claimed that his government had managed to curb corruption during the past three years. He was speaking to media persons on the occasion of completion of 3 years in power. The CM also claimed that the government was well on its way to fulfillingthe promises made to the people of the state before elections.
On this occasion, the CM along with several other party leaders also released a booklet titled ‘Vikas Ke Teen Saal: Work More, Speak Less’. The booklet, published by the Information and Public Relations Department on the completion of three years of the state government’s tenure, lists the “achievements” of the government during these years.
The CM listed declaration of Gairsain as the summer capital of Uttarakhand, investment proposals worth Rs 1.25 lakh crores, establishment of the Devasthanam Board for management of the Char Dham and related shrines and infrastructure projects as the major achievements of his government. He claimed that, while MoUs worth Rs 1.25 lakh crores had been signed following the Investors’ Summit in the state, projects worth Rs 21,000 crores had already been brought on the ground, which would provide employment to more than 56,000 persons.
Speaking about the Char Dham Devasthanam Board, the CM claimed it was a major reform which would help the pilgrims coming to the state. The Char Dham Yatra would now be undertaken under the management of this board.
He said the government was committed to providing access to medical facilities to all the families of the state, therefore the ‘Atal Ayushman Golden Card project’ had been launched under which medical cover to the tune of Rs 5 lakhs per annum was provided for treatment to each family.
He said that the BJP had promised to provide good governance and corruption-free governance. This was being done now that many major steps were undertaken to curb corruption at all levels. The rule of the middlemen and the mafia in the administration and the secretariat was a thing of the past, he claimed. For transparent governance, initiatives like e-office, CM helpline, CM dashboard, etc., had also been launched and these services were fully operational now.
Rawat added that the impact of the double and triple engine governance was quite obvious in Uttarakhand. Infrastructure projects worth Rs 94,000 crores were currently in progress in the state with the help of the Centre. These included the All Weather Road project, Rishikesh-Karnprayag Rail Project, National Highway projects, Bharatmala, Tehri Dam, Projects for Urban Development including the Smart City project, Improved Air Connectivity, Jamrani, Song, Mussoorie Drinking Water Scheme, etc. Rawat stated that drinking water projects worth Rs 1200 crores had been approved which would significantly improve availability of potable water in the state.
The CM further stated that the Rural Development and Migration Commission was formed not just to prevent migration but to reverse it. The Commission had submitted its report after a detailed study.
He said that, in order to boost tourism, 13 new destinations were being developed, one each in every district and the home stay scheme was being aggressively promoted. Home Stay owners were being provided water and power connections at domestic and not commercial rates. A separate department was being formed for adventure tourism. Adventure tourism would be an important area in providing employment to the youth.
Growth centres were strengthening the rural economy. The state was moving towards green energy. Solar energy and Pine Needles based energy projects worth a capacity of more than 203 MW had been approved, which would give employment to local people in the hills. Air connectivity had also expanded in the state. Dehradun was now connected to major cities of the country and the Dehradun Airport was being upgraded into an international airport. Chinyalisaud and Gauchar had also been connected via air services. Uttarakhand had become the first state to start heli-services under the Udaan scheme. A major initiative had also been taken in organic farming.
On this occasion, Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik, District Panchayat President Madhu Chauhan, Dehradun Mayor Sunil Uniyal ‘Gama’, MLAs Harbans Kapoor, Ganesh Joshi, Munna Singh Chauhan, M Khazan Das and Director General, Information, Meharban Singh Bisht were among those present.
