Saturday, 08 October 2022 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The State government has allocated Rs 15 crore as the first installment of budget for the construction of the proposed science city at Jhajhra in Dehradun. With the State administration completing the budget related formalities on Friday, the construction of the science city project is expected to begin in the near future.
The Uttarakhand State Council of Science and Technology (UCOST) director general Durgesh Pant said that the establishment of the science city is a major project of UCOST aimed at facilitating the popularisation of science. With the joint involvement of both the Central and State governments, this project will now be executed on the ground. He said that this project will prove to be a milestone in further enhancing the presence of the State on the national and international map. Pant thanked chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami who also handles the science and technology portfolio, for clearing the budget which had been pending since the previous financial year. He said that the proposed science city will be such a place for the State where students will be able to learn science in interesting ways through exhibits. It will also help encourage the development of scientific thinking among the general public, he said.
Pant expressed hope that the project will be completed in the next few years and that the fifth science city of India in Dehradun will also attract tourists and also boost the economy of the State. He also thanked the State administration for the sub regional science centre which is slated to start operating soon in Almora.
According to officials, the total budget for the science city project in Dehradun is Rs 173 crore which is to be shared in the 60:40 ratio between the Centre and State respectively. The project comes under the National Council of Science Museums, Ministry of Culture.
