Considering the geographical conditions of Uttarakhand, for solid waste management projects under Swachchh Bharat mission, the government of India should approve 90 per cent Central contribution. Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat made this request while meeting the Union minister of State (independent charge) Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri in the national Capital on Monday. He also sought a one time grant of Rs 5,000 crore from the Centre for the Kumbh Mela to be held in 2021.
Rawat said that the Kumbh Mela to be held in Haridwar during 2021 is expected to be visited by about 15 crore people from across India and abroad. For the successful organisation of this major event, works have to be done on a large scale for housing, transport, health, security and various infrastructural facilities. The State Government has started preparations for this. All permanent and temporary works are to be completed by October 2020. Rawat requested Singh that considering the limited financial resources of the state, the Government of India should approve a one time grant of Rs 5,000 crore for the Kumbh Mela. He said that he had also requested the Union Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman regarding this.
Regarding the Swachchh Bharat Mission, he informed Singh and the works being undertaken in Uttarakhand. The mission is especially important for maintaining cleanliness and beauty of the state rich in biodiversity and forests. The State Government is also undertaking serious efforts for this with all cities of the state being declared open defecation free (ODF). Rawat said that for solid waste management projects under the mission, only 35 per cent of the total project cost is being provided by the Centre in the form of viability gap funding. Most of the towns in Uttarakhand are located in mountainous regions. Further, the scope for public private partnership in solid waste management is also limited. Considering this, the central contribution in current and future stages of solid waste management projects needs to be raised to 90 per cent. The chief minister also requested facilitation of expansion of the Dehradun airport. The Union minister of State granted his approval in principle to this request.