Friday, 28 October 2022 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that with its difficult geographical conditions, the Himalayan State of Uttarakhand has a border with Tibet-China in the borth and with Nepal in the east. Considering this, the State is strategically very important from the viewpoint of national secutiry. Dhami said this while attending the meeting of Home ministers chaired by the Union Home minister Amit Shah in Haryana on Thursday.
Dhami said that honouring the spirit of Article 44, the expert committee formed for facilitating the implementation of Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand is currently preparing a detailed report. After the receipt of the expert committee’s report, the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code will benefit followers of all religion in the State. There will also be a qualitative improvement in the lives of women of different faith, he said.
Dhami said that the migration of people from border areas in the State has been a matter of serious concern. Special focus has been laid during the past five-six years on developing infrastructural facilities in such areas to prevent migration.As part of such efforts, 13 roads totaling to 600 kilometres in length are under construction in Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi and Chamoli districts with the construction of four roads with 150 kilometres length having been completed. The CM said that he had recently unveiled the foundation stone for a bridge in Charchum area bordering Nepal in Pithoragarh district. Construction of this bridge will facilitate convenient movement of locals in this border region.
The CM said, “Border villages are the first guardians of the nation and it is our duty to ensure their complete development. To maintain security in such areas and prevent the migration of local residents, the State government is working on facilitating medical facilities, drinking water, education, employment and other facilities on top priority. With motivation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, efforts are also underway to link the youth of border areas with National Cadet Corps. Similarly, the State government is working on the Him Prahari scheme under which 10,000 ex-servicemen and youth will be trained in security related aspects and posted in the border districts. A monthly assistance of Rs five crore is expected for this purpose from the Centre,” said the CM.
Dhami further said that to encourage tourism in border regions from the security point of view, the State government has requested the Centre for relaxation in the inner line permit restrictions. Along with border security, the State is also working effectively to address the challenges related to internal security. Many important and sensitive central institutions and offices of the nation are situated in Uttarakhand and the primary responsibility of ensuring their security also rests with the State government. The State government is also responsible for the safety of the crores of pilgrims and tourists from across India and abroad who visit the State regularly. Due to the efforts of the State, about four crore people visited Uttarakhand during the Kanwad Mela and about 45 lakh people have visited the Char Dham shrines. The State will need the assistance of the Centre consistently for this purpose too, he said. The CM said that the State government is keeping an eye on the illegal activities of various organisations and taking effective action against them. The State government has also effectively clamped down on religious extremism and Maoist elements in Uttarakhand, he said.Dhami also stressed on the need for a disaster management research institute to benefit not only Uttarakhand but also other States for better disaster management. He said that the Centre providing a helicopter to the State Disaster Response Force will be very helpful in times of disasters and forest fires.
