By Our Staff Reporter
Rudrapur, 19 Nov: A review meeting of the Aspirational District Programme was held in the Collectorate Auditorium under the chairmanship of Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles, Government of India, Pabitra Margherita here today. While reviewing the work being done under the Aspirational District Programme, he said that the current figures of the district are quite impressive and the district is moving towards continuous development. Praising the work being done by the district administration and various departments, he said that soon Udham Singh Nagar district will be included in the category of developed districts from the category of aspirational districts.
Before the meeting, Chief Development Officer Manish Kumar welcomed Pabitra Margherita by giving him a flower bouquet. The Union Minister of State was informed about the work being done in the district under the Aspirational District Programme. The CDP claimed that special efforts are being made in the areas of education, health and nutrition, agriculture and irrigation, skill development and basic infrastructure. He further shared that the overall score of the district has increased as compared to previous years and on the basis of the ranking released in March 2024, Udham Singh Nagar is ranked 22nd among 112 aspiring districts. In the field of agriculture, farmers have been made aware and are being discouraged from cultivating summer paddy (Jayad season) and are being encouraged instead to cultivate maize and sugarcane. The minor irrigation area has increased in the district. The Chief Development Officer also informed that the percentage of vaccinated animals in the district is 99.78 which is the highest.
The Union Minister was informed that there are more than 2000 Anganwadi centres in the district, and that more than 200 model Anganwadi centres have been built in 7 blocks of the district. He was also informed about the work being done under various schemes including Deendayal Upadhyay Skill Development Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Scheme, under the skill development programme and under basic infrastructure.
When Pabitra Margherita sought information about big and special projects, the CDO informed him that the Pantnagar Airport is being expanded in the district, for which a 3,000 metre long runway is being prepared. The industrial estate in Khurpiya of Kichha, AIIMS Satellite Center in Kichha and Medical College are being built by the state in Rudrapu. Along with this work is also being done on setting up a Forensic University. With the help of European Bank, work is also being done for drainage, sewage and water supply project in Kashipur and Rudrapur. It was shared that the daily wage of workers is more than that of MNREGA, due to which there are practical problems in getting work done under MNREGA. The products made from Munj grass in the district are very attractive, to promote it, there is a need to provide showrooms in big cities like Delhi, so that the objective of Local for Global gets promoted, the CDO informed the Minister.
During this, on World Toilet Day, Margherita presented certificate of Jal Shakti Ministry, Government of India to Deepa Kandpal Gram Pradhan Jawahar Nagar and Nirmala Singh Gram Pradhan Kiratpur Rudrapur for working in the creation of sustainable cleanliness and healthy society. A large number of district level officers from various departments were present on the occasion.
