Chief Minister Harish Rawat met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday and sought Rs 13,000 cr special package for the State from the Union Government for the relocation and resettlement of residents of 352 villages vulnerable to disaster.

Among the requests for Central budgetary provision under various categories amounting to thousands of crores of rupees, the CM sought a 'green bonus' amounting to Rs 4,000 crore annually. He also requested early approval of detailed project reports related to  12 areas in Uttarakhand costing about Rs 707.60 cr under the Namami Gange national mission for clean Ganga. Rawat also invited the PM to visit Kedarnath.

Under the special reconstruction package approved by the Cabinet committee on Uttarakhand (CCU), Rawat sought Rs 380.94 cr apart from early release of Rs 400 cr under special plan assistance and formal approval to 189 DPRs of works costing Rs 990 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

Rawat said that 352 villages are located in areas vulnerable to disaster according to  a survey conducted by the Geological Survey of India, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology and other institutions. Citing the State's limited resources and the seriousness of the situation, he sought Central assistance for relocating such villages to secure locations at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore. The State Government had also in the past requested the Union Minister of Home Affairs in this regard.

He said that a parliamentary committee had recently recommended seismic safe constructions in all schools of the State considering the greater threat of earthquake in Uttarakhand. This will require a special package of Rs 1,000 cr.

The State Disaster Response Force was formed following the 2013 disaster with three companies of SDRF being active at present.

 Twenty five acre land has been allocated near Dehradun for SDRF with the State in need of Rs 170 cr assistance from the Centre. Submitting the Rs 578 cr requirement for  DPRs of 12 areas under the NMCG, Rawat  said that provision has also been made for biodigesters and sewage treatment plants apart from which DPRs have also been prepared for upgradation of the seven existing STPs at a cost of Rs 57.77 cr and should be approved soon.

Rawat requested Central approval for the 300 MW capacity lakhwad hydro electric project and the 660 MW capacity  Kisau HEP. Thanking the Union minister of Road Transport for approval of various projects, the CM requested that  approval be granted soon to the State's proposal for construction of new highways. The CM also submitted the State Government's varied proposals including the one on construction of metro rail in Dehradun city.