Special efforts will have to be undertaken for improvement in education in addition to which a developmental map will have to be prepared for the State and rising above party politics, all should come foward to work in the interests of Uttarakhand. The state chief minister Harish Rawat said this at the inauguration of a fair at Bagwalipokhar in Dwarahat development block on Tuesday.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister averred that compared to other Indian states, Uttarakhand is moving ahead at a faster rate towards the desired level of development. Rawat said that the Char Dham Yatra has been a success this year with more than 15 lakh tourists having visited the state so far. He added that the state government is aiming at recording the arrival of up to 40 lakh tourists. He spoke about the various pension and other welfare schemes initiated by the state government towards ensuring the welfare of the state’s artisans and craftsmen. As part of such efforts, Purohits and women singers of Shakun Akhar will also be brought under the purview of welfare efforts in the coming one month. Additionally, old persons aged 65 years and above will be provided Rs 500 in addition to the pension amount fixed earlier. Steps are also being taken towards facilitating progress in the sphere of women empowerment. Women who cultivate vegetables on their farms will be registered by the district magistrate as MNREGA workers. Appointments will be made soon to the posts of principals and teachers in 90 per cent of the state’s schools. Further, the people will be encouraged to participate in community farming which will help give a tangible shape to the vision of land consolidation, he added.
The CM also directed that a proposal be submitted for developing the Bagwali Mela here into a state-level fair to the Dehradun-based committee. He said that such fairs should be kept grounded in the native culture and traditions, only then will the value of such events be enhanced. According approval in principle to construction of a water reservoir in Binta, he said that if the district administration arranges land for this purpose soon the work of getting the water reservoir constructed will be done swiftly. To lend a “grand” appearance to the Mela, he said that a ground will be constructed here through the local MlA by the state government. The CM also granted administrative approval for opening of a nursing college/Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) college at Binta. Rawat also announced that the the ITI at Bhadaura will be named after Sher Singh Gandhi. He further said that at present, work is underway on about one thousand roads in the state with a target being set for providing employment to more than 30,000 persons. He also stressed on the need for cataloguing the old traditional art and crafts also for mitigating migration from the mountainous regions.
The State Government had taken concrete measures for achieving development in higher education facilities with more than 100 degree colleges being run across the state at present.