The Uttarakhand Government has sanctioned Rs 84.25 crore expenditure for the district plan for the year 2017-18. The said amount for the previous financial year was Rs 102 crore.
The meeting of district plan committee was held in the district headquarter Pauri on Thursday for allocation of funds under the plan for different departments. The meeting was chaired by Cabinet Minister and minister in charge of Pauri district, Yashpal Arya. The district Panchayat president and members demanded that the budget for the development work under the Public Works Department should be raised.
Minister Arya stressed that the officers and public representatives should take notice of the development works. The department officials should ensure that the allotted budget is utilised efficiently with focus also on the quality of construction work by means including physical verification. Arya further said that the intention of the state government is that the minister in charge of the district should stay in each tehsil of the district to redress the problems of the public at the spot, so the camps should be organised at tehsil level where the presence of public representatives and government officials should be mandatory.
The District Panchayat president Deepti Rawat expressed dissatisfaction at allotment of fund to Kaljikhal block under BRGF and demanded that the district Panchayat should be allotted Rs 10 crore for the construction work. Durinng the past three years the district Panchayat received limited fund for the development works, she added. In response, the minister assured that Rs two crore would be sanctioned for the district Panchayat.
Cabinet Minister Satpal Maharaj said that the focus should be ensured on efforts to boost religious tourism and adventure tourism in the district, while the State Minister for higher education, Dhan Singh Rawat said that arrangements were being made to provide furniture to all scools through SIIDCUl.
Pauri MlA Mukesh Koli, Yamkeshwar MlA Ritu Khanduri Bhushan, lansdowne MlA Dalip Singh Rawat, district Panchayat vice president Suman Kotnala and others including District Magistrate Sushil Kumar, CDO Vijay Jogdande and nodal officers of various departments were also present in the meeting.
