Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the office of the Rural Development and Migration Commission, formed to stop migration from the villages to the cities and the towns, in Pauri on Friday. Following the inauguration, the maiden meeting of the commission was held which was presided over by the CM. Rawat said that the main objective behind the constitution of the commission was to stop the exodus through massive development of the rural areas of the State. “We are sure that the commission would help evolving ways to stop the exodus,” CM said.
He further said that they would go full throttle at ensuring that the development being undertaken now would bring about a reverse migration in the villages which have been emptied out of their population due to the migration. “The commission would study things in details and recommend to the state government on the steps we must take to take things to their logical conclusion,” CM said.
He said that the effect of the State Government’s step to introduce NCERT books in the schools should be included in the study of the migration pattern. “The state government is now developing Naya Panchayat as the growth centres and we are sure that this would herald the reverse migration in due course,” he said.
He stressed on the places being studied in the context of the agricultural and horticultural production they are known for. “ For instance, Kritinagar in Tehri is known for production of mango and ginger while Tonse valley is known for high yield of tomato. This area-specific production pattern must be boosted adequately while ensuring that the wild animals do not harm things in any way,” CM said.
The vice- chairman of the commission, Sharad Singh Negi said that the website of the commission has started operating prior to the inauguration of the commission’s office. He claimed that the commission has already completed its survey of all the villages of the state. “The inputs we have collected from the villagers are now being fed on the computers and the final would be published shortly,” he said.
Among others present during the inauguration were the state higher education minister Dhan Singh Rawat, Pauri MlA Mukesh Koli, principal secretary Manisha Panwar, additional secretary S Bansal, additional commissioner RC Pokhariya, district magistrate Sushil Kumar and SSP Jagat Ram Joshi.