PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Chief secretary Anand Bardhan said Uttarakhand has an important role to play in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve to make India a developed nation by 2047, and called for building a “developed Uttarakhand with a developed India”.
Speaking at the Independence Day event in the secretariat, Bardhan said a developed Uttarakhand should not be measured only by big cities and large projects. “A developed Uttarakhand will be one where mountain youth can find respectable employment while living in their villages, women are economically self-reliant, every child receives quality education and every citizen gets timely and quality healthcare. Villages must be connected by roads, internet and modern facilities, and development and environment must complement each other,” he said.
The CS said that Uttarakhand’s 25-year journey since statehood is an opportunity for introspection and to chart the future course. While significant progress has been made in education, health, roads and electricity, he added that challenges such as migration from mountain areas and creation of adequate employment opportunities still need focused work. He stressed the need to link millets, local agricultural produce, horticulture, medicinal and aromatic plants, handicrafts, organic products and traditional knowledge with modern markets.
Citing the work of women’s self-help groups, he said they should now be developed as centres of rural entrepreneurship rather than being limited to livelihood groups. Bardhan said the goal should be to make the youth of Uttarakhand job creators, not just job seekers. He called for developing new opportunities in startups and innovation, so that young people do not have to look only to Dehradun, Delhi, Chandigarh or Bengaluru for employment. “Employment and entrepreneurial opportunities must reach the mountains and talent should find opportunities here rather than migrating from the hills,” he said.
Bardhan also exhorted all officers and employees of the secretariat to make dedication, transparency, innovation and sensitivity the basis of their work culture and to ensure that every decision will be in the interest of Uttarakhand.
