The Union Human Resource Development Ministry has given in principle acceptance to the State Government’s proposal to built residential schools in 27 blocks of Uttarakhand which are located along International border. The Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat gave this information while addressing media persons after inauguration of Media Centre at the State Secretariat here on Thursday.
He said that these schools are needed in view of the migration from the strategically important border areas of the State. The CM informed that the HRD minister has accepted the State Government’s request to increase the ratio of central assistance in the Right to Education (RTE) compensation to the private schools; the ratio would now be 90: 10 (centre: state).
He said that two campuses of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar and the State Government has given an additional land measuring 125 acre to the institute. The HRD Minister also ordered release of pending payment of `211 Crores under RMSA to the Uttarakhand Government. The CM said that the union HRD Minister has accepted the State Government’s proposal of providing budget to renovation works in the disaster affected buildings of HNB Garhwal central university Srinagar and release of funds for construction of laboratory and up gradation of colleges under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).
The Chief Minister also met the Union railway Minister, Piyush Goyal at Rail Bhawan on Wednesday. The CM said that the final location survey of Rishikesh – Karanprayag rail line has been completed and the process of land acquisition would get be over by July this year. The CM said that the State Government has released a sum of `220 Crores for the land acquisition of Delhi- Deoband- Roorkee rail project. He said that the state government has requested the Railway minister to start special Ganga Darshan and Jim Corbett trains for the benefit of the people of the state. The CM informed that the Haridwar, Kathgodam and Dehradun railway stations would be developed as thematic stations.
The CM also held a meeting with the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely and requested to him take up the issues of the Uttarakhand while preparing the budget. In the meeting with Union Petroleum Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, the CM of Uttarakhand was assured that a CNG pipeline from Haridwar to Dehradun would soon be laid.
The CM also met the Union minister of state for forest and tourism Mahesh Sharma. The Union minister said that a sum of `30 Crore would be provided for setting up a museum in Dehradun. Rawat said that the State Government has earmarked a land at Suddhowala for science city.