Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat laid the foundation stone of Dhikwal Gaon Khirsu Gram Samuha drinking water pumping scheme at block headquarter Khirsu in district Pauri on Thursday. The villagers from nearly 110 villages kept demanding it over the past 30years. The project got the State Government’s sanction thanks to the initiatives of Srinagar Garhwal MlA Ganesh Godiyal. The project would cost Rs2757.69 lakhs.
Chief Minister Harish Rawat stressed that the water scheme will fulfill the demands of the villagers who had remained deprived of water for decades. He said that while the State provides water to others our own people are ironically grappling with water scarcity. He laid emphasis on the conservation of water. Those working in water conservation will be given bonus money. The Khals were once important in Garhwal and Kumaon. But now perceptions are changing. We have achieved progress in certain arenas in terms of development.
Here the per capita income is Rs115178 and it is among five most advanced states in the country. Efforts will be made to stop migration from the mountainous areas in three years. In five years, the people will come back. The villagers should work on agriculture, particularly vegetable production. They may also plant fruit trees or other trees used for animal feeding. After three years, the Government will pay Rs300 to those who plant animal feeding trees. To protect agricultural production from wild animals like beer, preventive walls would be constructed in the villages in three years. The shelter of monkey will be established across three hector land in Haridwar and Almora, he added.