Chief Minister Harish Rawat said that the State Government is going to launch the universal health security scheme in Uttarakhand from October 2 this year.
The CM also exhorted Congress workers to work hard to ensure the party's victory in the 2017 assembly elections.He was addressing a gathering of party workers at a programme held to mark the launch of the Congress State membership campaign 2014-17 on the occasion of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary here on Wednesday.
Speaking about the former PM, Rawat credited Rajiv Gandhi for facilitating 50 per cent reservation for women in Panchayats, empowering the Panchayati Raj institution,initiating effort for cleaning river Ganga, enacting a law for improving the condition of slum dwellers and facilitating the information technology revolution in India.Regarding the implementation of national food security scheme in Uttarakhand, the CM said that the State government had followed the Act but the Central Government had recently placed the condition of the scheme being fully computerised in order for the State to receive Central assistance.
"However, till the computerisation is completed, we have decided to use the State's resources to provide cheap ration to the Antyodaya and BPl card holders. We will also launch the universal health security scheme in the State from October 2 and have decided to provide pensions to farmers. We will also ensure that senior citizens, handicapped persons and widows are accorded the right to pension," said the CM while also expressing dissatisfaction at the performance of the officialdom in execution of various Government schemes.
On the occasion, the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Kishore Upadhyaya got the CM to fill a membership form to launch the State membership campaign. Referring to the campaign, Rawat exhorted party workers to ensure that the party's membership is strengthened in Uttarakhand. The party workers should be committed to enroll 25 members each in the party, he said.
Addressing the gathering, the PCC chief recalled the various works initiated by Rajiv Gandhi as the PM of India. MlA from Raipur Assembly constituency, Umesh Sharma 'Kau' informed the CM about the problems faced by disaster affected families and submitted a list of measures sought from various departments in the constituency.
PCC vice president Suryakant Dhasmana, Congress State chief coordinator Jot Singh Bisht, PCC spokesman Dhirendra Pratap who had resigned a day ago from the post of the State Congress membership campaign coordinator and media coordinator Surendra Singh Arya, among others, were present on the occasion.