Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami laid the foundation of and inaugurated 160 development schemes worth Rs 415 crore in Tehri district on Tuesday. The chief minister launched the developmental schemes at the ‘Beti-Bwaryun Ku Kauthig’ programme at Bauradi. The works launched by Dhami included 44 schemes worth Rs 201 crore which were inaugurated and 116 schemes worth Rs 214 crore for whigh the foundation stones were unveiled. He also inaugurated the grounding of memoranda of understanding worth Rs 2,400 crore out of the Rs 3,900 worth MoUs signed for Tehri district during the recent Global Investors Summit.

Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that the work of the double-engine government is clearly visible in Uttarakhand in the form of development. He said that ensuring the development of every area in the State is the priority of the government. Dhami said that India is moving ahead with women development and is now talking of women in leadership roles. “The work being done for women empowerment under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership across the nation is presenting a great picture of a new India. Women in the villages too have been linked to basic facilities like homes, toilets, cooking gas, electricity and water while the government is also working diligently on education, health, nutrition, vaccination and other necessary requirements of daughters,” the CM said.

Dhami said that currently there are about 70 lakh self help groups in the nation in which about eight crore women are involved. In Uttarakhand too, members of women self help groups have done commendable work in various sectors. The CM said that honouring the women of the State, the State government has provided 30 per cent horizontal reservation for women in government jobs. In addition to this, various schemes like the Mukhyamantri Nari Sashaktikaran Yojana, Mukhyamantri Mahalakshmi Yojana, Lakhpati Didi Yojana, Mukhyamantri Aanchal Amrit Yojana, Mukhyamantri Swarozgar Yojana, Nanda Gaura Matrivandana Yojana and Mahila Poshan Abhiyan have been started by the government.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister in-charge of the district, Prem Chand Agrawal said that various development schemes of the State government are being executed under the CM’s leadership. Interest-free loan of upto Rs five lakh is being provided to women self help groups to make them self reliant. The government is also working to develop Uttarakhand as a wedding destination, he added.

Expressing his views on the occasion, cabinet minister Subodh Uniyal said that the State government is successfully executing various schemes to make the women self-reliant. Various public representatives and officials were also present on the occasion.