The budget session of the Uttarakhand assembly started in Gairsain, the summer capital of Uttarakhand on Monday with the address of the governor Baby Rani Maurya. As soon as the governor started the address, the opposition Congress boycotted the house in protest.
Highlighting the achievements of the Trivendra Singh Rawat government during its four years in office so far, the governor said that the objective of the government is to bring Uttarakhand in the category of a developed state by adopting the principle of decentralised development. She said that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state is Rs 2,53,666 crore and the per capita income is Rs 2,02,895. On the pandemic of Covid-19, the governor said that five dedicated Covid hospitals, 12 Covid health centres and 420 Covid care centres were set up in the state. To combat the pandemic 528 ICUs, 570 ventilators were installed and 214 new ambulances were purchased. The government appointed 378 doctors, 113 nurses, 32 pharmacists and 27 technicians to treat the Covid-19 pandemic. She said that three new medical colleges in Haridwar, Rudrapur and Pithoragarh have been approved. The Uttarakhand government has digitised all the ration cards and 94 per cent of ration cards have been linked with Aadhaar.
The government has implemented the ‘one nation, one ration card’ scheme in the state. She said that a total of 5.88 lakh families were given employment under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MNREGS) and 1.06 lakh migrants who had returned during the pandemic were given employment by creating 1663700 man days. She informed that 105 child development schemes are operational in the state and 1.7 lakh children are given fortified milk in the Anganwadi centres. In the Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme, two bananas and two eggs are being given to the students twice a week as additional supplement. The governor said that the process of setting up two Atal Utkrisht Vidyalayas in every block of the state has started. The process of appointments to 571 posts of lecturers, 1,431 Licensed Teachers (LT) and 400 primary teachers is underway. She said that the Uttarakhand government has increased the ex-gratia payment to the dependents of the martyrs of armed and para military forces from Rs 10 Lakh to Rs 15 lakh. Under the Sports Policy- 2020, the state government has decided to provide government jobs to the medal winners.
Area specific sports hubs would be set up in the state and Khel Vigyan Kendras would be set in the state. For preservation of the culture and folk arts, a cultural centre would be set up in Satpuli town of Pauri district. To prevent migration from the mountainous areas, 2,551 home stays have so far been registered. The governor said that the state government has entered into a bipartite agreement with Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL) for exploration of minerals in the state. She said that the state government has declared a new start-up policy for promoting start-up ecosystems in the state. In ease of doing business the state is among the top states of the country.
The governor added that proposals for setting up 104 growth centres have been approved in the state. In Haridwar one more pharma-city would be developed in 75 acre area. The state has also constituted an aerospace and defence policy to attract investment in the defence sector. The governor said that the state government has constructed 2,522 kilometres of new roads, reconstructed 2,700 kilometres roads and constructed 241 bridges. She also informed about the progress achieved under the Char Dham road project. Under the Deendayal Upadhyaya cooperative farmer welfare scheme, loans to 4.86 lakh individuals and 1,330 Self Help Groups have been provided.
Tuesday, 02 March 2021 | PNS | Bharadisain
