All villages with up to 250 population in the State will be linked by road by 2019, said Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. He said this while addressing the gathering at the historical Dadamandi Gend Mela being held in Pauri district for 134 years.
Rawat said that to turn the bane of pine into a blessing, talks have been held with Indonesia for making pine products. In the near future, 10 experts will be sent to Indonesia for technical training.
About 143 different products can be made from pine which can turn out to be an economic game changer for the State. The CM, further, said that despite limited financial resources of the State, the State Government has decided to facilitate zero interest agricultural loan for farmers. This scheme will be initiated from January 26.
Rawat went on to state that the Government is also making efforts to link all villages in the State with the internet by July 2019. This will also enable provision of facilities like telemedicine and tele-radiology in hospitals located in remote areas.
Stating that his aim is to provide good governance and corruption-free administration, Rawat said that the secretariat and Chief Minister’s office have been rid of middlemen.
The implementation of various governmental schemes has also been expedited. During about 20 months of his term as the Chief Minister, various policy decisions had been taken to take the State ahead on the developmental path, he averred.
He referred to the investors’ summit held in October last year in which memoranda of understanding worth Rs 1,25,000 crore were signed.
Reiterating his commitment for eradicating corruption, the CM said that more than 60 persons involved in corruption had been sent to jail during the past 20 months. Referring to the Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana, he said that with the launch of this scheme, Uttarakhand had become the first state in India to provide a universal health cover scheme for its residents.
He also announced making the Gend Mela a state fair, Rs 38 lakh for improvement of Dadamandi ground and Rs 29 lakh for making of lake on Matiyala Khoh river.
He also announced financial provisions for various schemes related to health services, education, potable water supply, roadworks and electricity supply in the region.
The Sintali bridge which links Pauri and Tehri districts will be connected to the all weather road and work on it will be executed under the Asian Development Bank. Yamkeshwar MLA Ritu Bhushan Khanduri also expressed her views on the occasion.