Friday, 10 November 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The leader of opposition (LoP) in the Assembly Yashpal Arya has said that Uttarakhand is reeling under the load of debt which is now about Rs one lakh crore. In a statement on the State Foundation Day on Thursday, Arya said that when the State was created it was believed that the tourism, horticulture and hydro power sectors will provide an impetus to the economy of the State but after 23 years the State is way behind the targets in the three sectors and the participation of natives of the State is decreasing in these key areas.
Arya said that in the year 2016-17 the State had a debt burden of Rs 40,000 crore which included the Rs 11,000 crore debt the State had at the time of creation. He claimed that in the last eight years the debt burden of the state has increased to about Rs one lakh crore. The government is making no attempt to increase the sources of revenue. Arya said that the revenue growth rate was 19.50 per cent in 2016-17 which has now decreased to 10 per cent. The per capita income which increased from Rs 71,000 to 1,73,000 from the year 2014-15 to 2016-17 has now become almost static at Rs two lakh per year. Arya said that the unemployment rate in Uttarakhand is very high and the Agnipath scheme has given a major setback to the aspirations of the youth. The district plan is consistently decreasing and the government lacks a concrete strategy to prevent migration from the mountainous areas.
Arya further said that haphazard development is creating many social, economic, cultural and political problems.
The LoP added that the decline in the quality of education and research in the universities is very unfortunate and alarming. The recruitment scams have put a question mark over functioning of the recruitment commissions and agencies.
Arya said that Uttarakhand has the best manpower and its people have leadership skills. There is not even a single sphere where the people of this small State have not made their presence felt.
