Uttarakhand is a very important State from the strategic point of view. Being a Himalayan state, there are unique problems here. Considering the international borders with China and Nepal it is necessary to develop basic facilities in the border areas of the State, said the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. He said this while speaking in a meeting with the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog member Bibek Debroy, director SS Meena and advisor JP Mishra at the secretariat here on Tuesday.
During the meeting the problems being faced in execution of schemes and solution to the problems were discussed. The Chief Minister said that due to the mountainous geography of the state, the possibility of natural disasters is ever present. At the same time, various developmental works also keep getting affected by disaster scenarios. About 70 per cent of the State’s total geographical area is under forest cover due to which issues are faced in securing approval for varied developmental projects. Due to the existence of eco-sensitive zone, many schemes of the State Government have been on hold, he said. Rawat went on to state that considering the vulnerability to natural disasters, it is necessary to make the compensation more practical in cases of loss of crop and damage to life and property. Due to being located in disaster vulnerable areas and due to multipurpose hydro electricity projects, about 395 villages have to be relocated and for this task a considerable budget is required. For this purpose, financial and technical assistance should be provided to the state, demanded the chief minister. He further said that considering the conditions in Uttarakhand, amendments should be made in the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and ropeways should also be brought under the purview of the scheme. Budget should be provided to the state under special component plan. Stating that migration is a very serious issue in the mountainous areas of Uttarakhand, Rawat said that due to army, forest area and eco sensitive zone the approval for developing basic facilities in such areas is not being granted. The state should receive cooperation in developing roads, rail connectivity, employment and basic facilities in such areas, he said. Approval should be granted soon for strengthening fundamental facilities in such places, stressed the chief minister. The NITI Aayog representatives assured all possible support to the State.
Uttarakhand chief secretary S Ramaswamy spoke of formation of a separate cell in the NITI Aayog for mountainous states. For all the small and big projects, the funding pattern should be in the 90:10 ratio. He said that floating population is also a major issue in the state. Due to pilgrimage and Kanwad Yatra, traffic facilitation also becomes a very big issue, he said. The chief secretary sought technical and financial assistance for the state for resolving such major issues. The potable water secretary Arvind Singh Hyanki informed that the state’s rural area had been decalred completely open defecation free (ODF). For keeping it ODF it is important for new projects to secure approval. However, the centre is not according its approval to new projects, stating that the projects started earlier should be completed first. Work is underway to complete projects started earlier but to keep the rural areas ODF, it is necessary for new projects to be approved too, he said. Principal secretary Umakant Panwar and secretary Radhika Jha were also among those present in the meeting.