Wednesday, 19 April 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Cabinet approves 21 proposals in its meeting on Tuesday
In a major decision aimed at giving an impetus to the horticulture sector in Uttarakhand, the State government has decided to set up 17,648 polyhouses in the State. This decision was taken by the State cabinet in its meeting chaired by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday. Informing about the decision the chief secretary SS Sandhu informed that a sum of Rs 304 crore has been set aside for the project. He said that the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) would provide 70 per cent of the fund for the project while the remaining 30 per cent would be provided by the State government. Sandhu said that at present there is a waiting list in the districts for the polyhouses and the project would not only remove this waiting list but would ensure construction of thousands of new polyhouses in the State. The farmers get 80 per cent subsidy on construction of polyhouses in the State. The CS said that the production of flowers would get boosted by the project. He said that the horticulture department would soon float tenders for selection of the agencies for construction of polyhouses and after that a panel of these agencies would be made.
The CS claimed that the project would be implemented within a year and it would bring a revolution in the horticulture sector of the State. In another decision the State cabinet approved the plan to bring back the regulations of development authorities on the national highways, State highways and on the roads connecting important tourist destinations. Those planning to construct houses or commercial complexes within a distance of 50 metres in the mountainous districts and 100 metres in the plain districts would have to get the map passed from the authority. The CS said that the decision has been taken to ensure planned growth and with an objective to remove traffic bottlenecks. The State government notified development authorities in the year 2017 but it was taken back in the year 2021 after protests from various quarters.
The cabinet also approved a proposal of the Planning department to bring ordinance for the Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure Development Board. The CS said that the cabinet decided to extend the much acclaimed ‘Bill Lao, Inam Pao’ scheme for one more year in the State. He said that the lucky draw scheme has been launched to increase the tendency of seeking bills among the masses and increase the GST collection.
6.5 km long ropeway to connect Rishikesh & Neelkanth temple
The Uttarakhand government would construct a ropeway which would connect Rishikesh with the Neelkanth temple located in the Pauri district. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the 6.5 kilometre long project was approved by the State cabinet on Tuesday. The CS said that the ropeway would be constructed at a cost of Rs 456 crore and would have four (ISBT Rishikesh, Triveni Ghat Rishikesh, Neelkanth temple and Parwati temple) stations. The Neo Metro Corporation will construct the ropeway.
In another important decision the State cabinet approved the proposal to develop 76 upper primary schools and 603 primary schools as centres of excellence. The CS said that necessary infrastructure and teachers would be provided in these schools which would act as centres of excellence within a periphery of five kms. The cabinet also approved a plan to hand over the Nainisaini airstrip to Airports Authority of India (AAI) till it is taken over by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The cabinet gave its nod to the proposal to create 30 temporary posts in the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC). Sandhu said that workload in the commission. He said that six engineering colleges- Gopeshwar, Dehradun, Tanakpur, Pithoragarh and Uttarkashi- would be brought under the Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU) as campus colleges. A total of 21 proposals were cleared by the State cabinet in its meeting on the day.
