'Uttarakhand will become leading state in India,' asserts CM Pushkar Singh Dhami

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday asserted that his government is consistently working towards making Uttarakhand one of the leading states in the country. He stated that the state is in its "youthful stage today".

CM Dhami pointed out that the state is “doing well on growth indexes” and there is ground to believe it will be among the most advanced states in the Nation in the near future. The CM also declared that the government has decided to distribute free tablets to students of standards 10 and 12, keeping in mind the current online education norms.

Government successful in fulfilling its poll promises: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami

Chief Minister Dhami stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government has been successful in fulfilling its poll promises. Dhami was speaking at an event held at the Vidhan Sabha in Gairsain, the summer capital of the state, on the occasion of India's 75th Independence Day. "We are working consistently towards making Uttarakhand a leading state. We are fulfilling promises that we made to the people. A master plan for the reconstruction work at Badrinath on the lines of Kedarnath. The restoration is almost complete and operations will start soon," CM Dhami informed.

The CM also hoisted the Tricolour at the event in the presence of Assembly Speaker Premchand Aggarwal. The Chief Minister later paid tributes to the freedom fighters and said that being the son of a soldier himself, he is aware of the struggles the families of those in the armed forces go through. The Chief Minister while extending his regards to the people of the Uttarakhand recollected the heroics of those who laid down their lives during the struggle for freedom. 

Speaking on a possible third wave of COVID in the state, the Uttarakhand Chief Minister said the state government is fully prepared to deal with it. Dhami said the state government will achieve the goal of 100 percent COVID vaccination within the next four months. 

"Package worth 200 Cr for those whose livelihood depends on Chardham Yatra" 

The Uttarakhand Cabinet has recently allocated a package of Rs 200 crore for people in the tourism industry and those whose livelihood depends on the Chardham Yatra. Addressing a press conference in Uttarkashi, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami had stated that due to the COVID pandemic, businesses of people working in the tourism sector and those engaged in making arrangements for the Chardham Yatra have been most adversely affected. 

The Uttarakhand government, keeping in view the second wave of the pandemic had suspended this year's Char Dham Yatra in April. The announcement came a day after the Uttarakhand High Court criticised the state government for organising the Kumbh Mela despite the pandemic.

Rishikesh – Karnaprayag Railway Line project underway

Notably, the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) has undertaken work for the construction of the Rishikesh – Karnaprayag Railway Line project in Uttarakhand. The project which is under construction, after completion will be a 125.2 km single-track railway line with 12 stations built by multiple contractors such as L&T, HCC, NEC, and Megha, etc. The project cost is estimated to be Rs. 16,200 crore which is also aimed at generating more than 2000 jobs. The project will reduce the travel time between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag from 7 hours to just over 2 hours. it is considered to be of national strategic importance and is being tracked on the Central Government’s PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) portal. When ready, it will help improve connectivity to the Char Dham shrines of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath, and Kedarnath in the Garhwal region of the Himalayas. Along its route, it will consist of 35 bridges and 17 tunnels including a 15.1 km tunnel, one of the longest in the country, between Devprayag and Lachmoli.