In continuing empathy shown to the women, Chief Minister Harish Rawat launched project Bedini on Fridayunder which the State Government would make available medical facilities for the pregnant women, especially for those from the hilly areas. He also laid foundation stones of a string of projects worth Rs 13 crore after he inaugurated agriculture, horticulture and tourism development fare at Gairsain. He sounded displeased over the mushrooming of buildings flouting norms at Gairsain, the place in Chamoli district being billed as the future capital of Uttarakhand. He asked the district administration to regularise things so as to spare the people inconvenience while reiterating commitment to carry on with the infrastructure development spree for the newly developed town.
“We decided to launch Project Bedini after we came to learn about the miserable plight of the pregnant women from the hilly regions. Under the project, the state government would identify pregnant women and roll out medical facilities for them. We are sure that sincere implementation of the project would help bring down the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Mother Mortality Rate (MMR). Most of the villages bereft of the medical health facility, the project would prove beneficial for the pregnant women. The required kits have been distributed among ASHA and ANM workers,” he said.
He further said that the results of the projects having been executed over the past five years have started to become visible on the ground. “We have left behind the anathema of the disaster 2013 and now we are progressing fast. We are in the top six fast developing states list prepared by NITI Ayog. We are now taking on the problems of poverty and mass migration from the hills. The recruitment spree continuing, 30,000 recruitments are underway. Besides, we have started constructing 1000 roads,” he said.
Stressing on the village economy looking up, CM said that crafts must be blended with agriculture. “ To boost agricultural productivity, we have been providing market for local produces like Mandua, Jhangor, Gahat and Kala Bhatt aside from running women empowerment schemes. Now, the woman who cultivates will be considered as labour under MNREGA. I have asked the DM to form more and more self -help groups (SHG) and to get Rs 5000 transferred into their accounts by next month. State is giving grant of Rs 20000 to SHG and Rs one lakh for community farming. Now women are being helped from her birth to old age. For Aaganwadi and ASHA workers, we have made corpus of Rs 55 crore,” Harish Rawat said.
He also dwelt on the pension schemes benefitting several groups of the people. “The number of beneficiaries is highest among the states of the country and we are set to further increase the pension amount so that each pensioner gets at least Rs 1000 per month,” he said, while exhorting the people to participate in the state development.