NITI Aayog meet: Uttarakhand CM calls for policies specific to Himalyan state's needs

New Delhi, July 27 (IANS) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Saturday that the state is continuously working towards fulfilling the goal of 'Viksit Bharat'. He was speaking at the 9th NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting in the national capital. 

Highlighting the fact that the hilly state was prone to disasters and natural calamities, he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making a special financial provision in the Union budget. He also called for policies specific to the Himalayan state's needs.

He said that Uttarakhand has secured first position in the recently released Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Index ranking, which is a matter of pride for the state. He also spoke about Uttarakhand becoming the first state to pass the Uniform Civil Code Bill.

The CM said that there was a pressing need to work on water conservation and increasing the ground water given the drinking water crisis in many cities.

“A Spring and River Rejuvenation Authority has been formed in Uttarakhand, which is working on the project of water conservation and reviving water sources and connecting snow-based rivers with rain-based rivers,” he said and requested for special financial assistance and technical support from the Central government.

Dhami said that for a 'Viksit Bharat', there was a need to promote entrepreneurship in the rural areas, for which cluster based incubation centres and growth centres will prove to be important. Two rural incubation centres and 110 growth centres have been established in Uttarakhand as a pilot project.

He also requested the Centre for technical and financial support in setting up incubation centres. To meet the energy shortage, the Chief Minister asked the states to allow the implementation of hydropower projects of less than 25 MW capacity and to implement the proposed 24 percent capital subsidy for the construction of small hydropower projects in the Himalayan states along with the northeastern states.

The CM said that everyone needs to pay special attention to important issues like global warming and climate change. .

He added that in any developed nation, its urban areas make a special contribution as a growth engine. It becomes difficult to provide basic facilities in these cities due to excessive population. To solve this problem, 'counter magnet areas' will have to be developed between different cities of the country.

He also brought to the attention of the top policymakers the fact that in the eighth meeting of NITI Aayog last year, some proposals related to the development of Himalayan states were put forward. He urged the Centre to facilitate specific policies on those proposals, for the development of the Himalayan states.