Proposal passed to name Sanskrit University in Devprayag after Gen Rawat
Friday, 10 December 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
Glowing tributes were paid to Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat by the members of Uttarakhand assembly on the first day of the winter session on Thursday. A condolence motion on the death of General Rawat was the only agenda of the house on the first day of the session. The leader of the house, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that death of General Rawat is a big loss not to the Uttarakhand from where belonged but a major setback for the country. He said that General Rawat was a specialist on many subjects concerning security. Narrating his personal experience with him, the CM said that when he met him for the first time after becoming the CM, the CDS told him that CM’s father was in Mahar regiment and requested that he should visit the war memorial in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh. Dhami said that Rawat always remained concerned for Uttarakhand and played a major role in approval of the Tanakpur- Bageshwar rail project.
The Leader of Opposition (LoP) Pritam Singh said that the death of the CDS is a great loss for the country. Singh remembered Rawat’s bold approach in execution of Army’s operation inside Myanmar and surgical strike on Pakistan. The Parliamentary Affairs minister Banshidhar Bhagat termed Rawat as a master strategist and brave soldier. The BJP state president Madan Kaushik said that General Rawat was known for his clarity of concept and candid views. He was the role model for the youth of Uttarakhand. Kaushik suggested that the government should either name the upcoming Sainya Dham in Dehradun after the General Rawat or should name one university on him.
Paying glowing tributes to General Rawat, former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat said that he had met General Rawat 18 times and found him a very simple but strong person. He said that Rawat always remained concerned about migration and spent an entire day in the Raibar programme on the issue. He said that General Rawat had suggested that walnut trees should be planted on a large scale in the border districts of Pithoragarh and Chamoli to increase the income of residents and stop migration. He said that the CDS had even engaged the eco task force in preparing a nursery of walnut saplings and had taken a target to distribute 10 lakh saplings of walnut trees. He said that Rawat was working on setting up a tri-services theatre command for the country.
The deputy leader of the Congress legislature party Karan Mahra said that General Rawat was probably second most revered general after Field Marshal Manekshaw and he believed in the policy of ‘attack is the best form of defence’.
Cabinet Minister Satpal Maharaj said that the name of General Rawat would be written in golden letters in the history of the armed forces of the country. Cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi said Rawat promptly accepted his request to reduce the minimum height criteria for the youth of Uttarakhand in the armed forces. Joshi became emotional while stating that Rawat had plans to settle in Dehradun after retirement. “ When I asked him about his post retirement plans he said that I will teach students during the day and play golf in evening after settling in Dehradun,’’ Joshi said.
Devprayag MLA Vinod Kandari presented a proposal to name the proposed Sanskrit University in Devprayag after General Rawat which was passed by the house.
The members of the house also observed a silence of two minutes as a mark of respect for General Rawat.
Earlier in the day the Speaker Prem Chand Agarwal, CM Dhami, cabinet ministers and the members offered floral tributes on the picture of Gen Rawat.
