PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Chief secretary Anand Bardhan met the managing director and chief knowledge officer of World Bank Paschal Donohoe at the State secretariat on Thursday. In the meeting, discussion on Uttarakhand’s holistic and long-term development, urbanization, climate change, water management, disaster management and the development strategy of the State for Uttarakhand@2047 was held.
The CS told Donohoe that Uttarakhand is striving to become a strong, prosperous, sustainable and disaster-resilient State by the year 2047. He stated that work is underway in every district to revitalize rivers and conserve water sources and requested financial and technical assistance from the World Bank for it.
The CS averred that water, climate change and environmental protection are critical areas for Uttarakhand’s future development. He stated that water is going to become a significant global challenge in the future and therefore, special efforts are being made to conserve rainwater and promote greater rainwater harvesting in the state. The CS added that financial and technical cooperation with the World Bank can be further strengthened in this direction.
The CS said that focus is being made on controlling migration by creating adequate employment and livelihood opportunities locally and encouraging reverse migration.
Discussing the possibilities of World Bank cooperation in the education sector, he said that efforts are being made to improve school education and technical education and to strengthen the education system in accordance with modern requirements. He said that along with education, financial and technical assistance from the World Bank is also needed in the areas of livelihood and migration.
Understanding the State’s development priorities, Donohoe also discussed the possibilities of future cooperation through strategic and flagship projects. He said that the World Bank is committed to provide long-term cooperation and technical assistance for the development of Uttarakhand.
Principal secretary RK Sudhanshu, R Meenakshi Sundaram, senior World Bank official Johannes Jatt and other officers of the State administration attended the meeting.
