Officials of the Tourism and Culture departments need to improve their style of functioning as at present there is no progress in the departmental works.
The State Tourism, Culture, Pilgrimage Management, Religious Fairs and Youth Welfare minister Dinesh Dhanai said this while chairing a meet to review departmental works.
Dhanai said that files are being delayed at the administration level which is creating various problems in execution of the planned works.
Reviewing works of the Culture Department, the minister asked officials to work for encouraging bi-lingual newspapers simultaneously published from Garhwal and Kumaon regions.
The department should encourage use of native tongues and culture.
Process should be started without delay for filling the vacancies in Culture Department, he said.
Directing officials to organise the Religious Affairs and Fairs department he directed that units of this department should be developed in the districts. Officials informed that the Culture Department has an approved budget of Rs46 crore with Rs16 crore being released of which Rs14 crore has been spent on works.
Dhanai was informed that out of the Rs5.30 crore to be released under the State plan, about Rsone crore is to be used on construction of a State level auditorium at Garhi Cantt in Dehradun.
Out of the Rs11.25 crore to be received from the 13th Finance Commission, about Rs7 crore is to be paid for land acquired.
Tourism department officials informed the minister that the department had an approved budget of Rs345.51 crore of which Rs26 crore has been released.
A sum of Rssix crore has been released by the Finance department in view of the disaster. A sum of Rs24.35 crore has been kept in the supplementary demand and is expected to be received by November 15.
Dhanai said that a considerable amount of about Rs80 crore is to be received by the Tourism department from the Central Government.
He directed officials to provide utilisation certificates soon so that the Government of India may release the funds.
Tourism and Culture secretary Dr Umakant Panwar pointed at the need for improvement in the departments.
He directed the joint secretary to make a chart about the time taken to dispose works in the Tourism department and inform the minister also about it.
Additional secretary, Tourism, Shailesh Bagauli, Culture director Beena Bhatt, additional director, Tourism, Arun Dwivedi and others were also present in the meeting.