In its first, Opposition BJP allowed the Governor to complete his speech — marking the commencement of the State Assembly’s Budget session — without glitch. This is unprecedented in the history of Uttarakhand since it came to exist in 2000 as a State. Despite threatening disruption during the speech to expose the State Government rolling out falsehood, the BJP MlAs refrained from acting on it. However, they created uproar before the Governor started his speech. Things calmed down once the head of the State started reading the speech, scripted by the State Government. The speech went on for 56 minutes with the saffron MlAs being found listening in rapt attention.
However, as the speech ended they returned to belligerence, saying the speech amounted to a bunch of lies. After the National Anthem was sung the Governor started reading out his speech. Uproar was witnessed as the Opposition MlAs rose and yelled that the speech had nothing but falsehood.
Given the belligerent mood discernible in the Opposition camp, it seemed they would not allow the Governor to read out his speech. However, the Governor looked mentally well-prepared for the eventuality, given the state’s records. Peace descended once he started reading out his speech that ran into 23 pages and things remained cool till he completed.
The Opposition members keeping quiet surprised the treasury bench. Some of the Cabinet Ministers were heard saying they would leave the house on the assumption that the Opposition would disrupt the proceedings.
In his speech, the Governor cited a host of achievements of the State Government, including free travel facilities in Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) buses given to the accredited journalists and those meant for the Statehood activists and their direct dependents.
The State Government is now working on the procedure to set up Biotech Park and Excellent Research & Development institute. It is framing its Excise Policy to ensure the locals get direct employment and also to enforce alcohol prohibition policy effectively where it is in force. State Government has established Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi academies in the State. To ensure better output, the State Government is boosting micro irrigation under which Gool (cemented pond), water tank, hidrum, handpump, boring/pumping set are being set up in the State.
The State Government is promoting devolution of power under which administrative units are being divided into smaller ones like Tehsil and sub- tehsils. Non- ZA lands are being used to rehabilitate the landless, BPl families and disaster- affected families. Under Right to Service Act, the state Government is providing caste certificates, residential certificates, capacity certificates, character certificates and the like. Other forms of assistance like natural disaster & financial help are being provided. Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF) is also coming handy.
State government has executed horticulture card distribution programme successfully. To help the peasants erect fencing to protect their standing crops from wild life, state government is providing financial help. The Chief Minister patronises horticulture development schemes, national agriculture development schemes and national vegetables initiative schemes. The state is also promoting silk development, tea development and herbal development. To provide drinking water facility, state government has provided water to 1100 inhabitants by installing 1453 hand pumps, 42 mini boring, 29 deep boring and renovated 892 rural drinking water schemes and 30 urban drinking water schemes. Besides, 12 new urban drinking water schemes have been started.
On the count of literacy, state gross admission rate is 101.64 per cent- 93.53 per cent in upper primary and 86.62 per cent in middle school level. Now, the state is making all -out efforts to take the figure to 100 per cent, taking both levels together. To promote Sanskrit education, the Government has declared Sanskrit as the state’s second language. The state would give scholarship like Mahakavi Kalidas scholarship to the Sanskrit students.