Dehradun: On the occasion of the 79th Independence Day, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami hoisted the national flag at the state’s main event held at Parade Ground, Dehradun. On this occasion, the Chief Minister honored the family members of freedom fighters and also visited a photo exhibition.
During the event, the Chief Minister honored Additional Director General of Police, Ajay Prakash Anshuman, with the President’s Distinguished Service Medal. Based on service excellence, the Chief Minister’s Commendation Medal was awarded to Mrs. Shweta Chaube, Commandant, IRB Second, Dehradun, Mr. Yogesh Chandra, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr. Vipin Chandra Pathak, Inspector, Civil Police, Mr. Narendra Singh Bisht, Inspector, Civil Police, Mr. Rakesh Chandra Bhatt, Sub-Inspector, Civil Police, Mr. Ajay Prakash Semwal, Leading Fireman and Mr. Sunit Kumar, Head Constable Uttarakhand Police.
For exceptional work, the Chief Minister’s Commendation Medal was awarded to Mr. Shekhar Chandra Suyal, Additional Superintendent of Police, Mr. Rajendra Singh Kholiya, Inspector, Civil Police, Mr. Kailash Chandra Bhatt, Inspector, Civil Police, Mr. Manohar Singh Rawat, Sub-Inspector, Civil Police, Mr. Omkant Bhushan, Sub-Inspector, Civil Police, Mr. Deepak Kumar, Additional Sub-Inspector, Civil Police, Mr. Gopal Ram, Head Constable, Mr. Amarjeet, Constable & Mr. Rahul, Constable.
Athletes who excelled in various sports were also honored by the Chief Minister. These included: Priya Rana, Manisha Chauhan, Rahul Sarnalia, Amisha Chauhan, Visham Kashyap, Amit Belwal, and Mehak Chauhan.
On this occasion, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conveyed greetings and best wishes to all the residents of the state and made six key announcements for the public good:
1. For schools that do not yet have gas cylinders and stoves to cook meals under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, the state government will provide two gas cylinders and one stove each.
2. In the satate Assembly constituencies facing drinking water issues, 10 hand pumps will be installed in each such area.
3. Honorarium for village watchmen and village guards will be increased by ₹1,000.
4. Honorarium for block representatives working under the Department of Sainik Welfare will be increased by ₹2,000.
5. For the comprehensive development and promotion of distance and employment-oriented higher education, the state government will establish special academic centers at the district level, to be operated and coordinated by Uttarakhand Open University.
6. Regular study of Gangotri Glacier and other Himalayan glaciers and their surrounding areas will be carried out. Additionally, the Disaster Management Department will be further strengthened to enable predictive and proactive disaster management.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister remembered the brave martyrs and freedom fighters and saluted all the agitators who dedicated their lives for the establishment of Uttarakhand state. He expressed his condolences to all the families affected by the natural disasters in various areas of the state including Dharali of Uttarkashi. The Chief Minister said that in the difficult circumstances of the disaster, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Army, ITBP, NDRF, SDRF and various departments of the state government carried out relief and rescue work with promptness, dedication and courage, for which he thanked everyone. He said that rehabilitation work in the disaster affected areas will be done with full sensitivity and at a fast pace.
The Chief Minister said that in the glorious journey of 78 years of independence, on the strength of the indomitable courage, unwavering dedication and continuous hard work of the countrymen, our nation is moving forward as a strong and self-reliant nation despite facing many challenges. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is moving on the path of progress at a rapid pace with the resolve to establish itself as a fully developed nation by the year 2047. Today, India’s economy has become the fourth largest economy in the world. The country is working rapidly in every field like defense, science, technology, agriculture, health, education, infrastructure. India is emerging as a strong nation at the global level. Along with boosting the morale of the army under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the country is being made self-reliant in the field of defense. The whole world saw the power and capability of India under ‘Operation Sindoor’.
The Chief Minister said that Uttarakhand is not only Devbhoomi but also Veerbhoomi. The state government is continuously working to make the state prosperous and self-reliant with the mantra of developed Uttarakhand. Work has been done to improve the basic necessities like education, health, road, electricity, drinking water and air connectivity in the state. Many new schemes have been implemented in the state by preparing a detailed roadmap for the all-round development of Uttarakhand through specific policies in more than 30 areas. The state is rapidly emerging as a special hub of the country in the field of religious tourism, wellness tourism, adventure tourism, film shooting destination and wedding destination. MoUs worth Rs 3.56 lakh crore were signed with entrepreneurs at the Global Investors Summit in the state. In one and a half years, we have been successful in bringing projects worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore to the ground. Work is also being done towards developing a smart industrial township on more than a thousand acres of land at Kichha Khurpiya Farm. Along with setting up an incubation center to develop a startup-friendly ecosystem in the state, a venture fund of Rs 200 crore has also been arranged.
The Chief Minister said that the state government is constantly striving to establish Devbhoomi as a sports land. In the National Games organized on the theme of Green Games in the state, Uttarakhand created a new history by winning 103 medals and securing 7th position. To promote sports, the government is also going to implement the Sports Legacy Plan in the state, under which 23 sports academies will be established in 8 cities of the state. A new yoga policy has been implemented in the state with the aim of making the state the global capital of yoga and spirituality. To promote Ayurvedic and naturopathy, yoga and spiritual tourism in the state, one ‘Spiritual Economic Zone’ is being established in Garhwal and Kumaon divisions. The brand “House of Himalayas” has proved to be effective in bringing all the organic products of the state under one roof. Under the “Home Stay Scheme”, the youth of the state have established new dimensions in the field of self-employment. Along with providing interest-free loan of up to three lakh rupees to the farmers, subsidy of up to 80 percent is being given under the “Farm Machinery Bank” scheme for purchasing agricultural equipment. A provision of Rs 200 crore has also been made for the construction of polyhouses to increase the income of farmers. Many important schemes like new apple policy, kiwi policy, ‘State Millet Mission’ and ‘Dragon Fruit Policy’ have been implemented in the state at a cost of Rs 1200 crore.
The Chief Minister said that pilgrimage and tourism is a major pillar of our economy, for this a “new tourism policy” has been made. Work is being done at a fast pace on Kedarkhand and Manaskhand Mandirmala Mission. Along with the Yamuna pilgrimage site at Haripur Kalsi and the Haridwar-Rishikesh corridor, work is also being done on the Sharda Corridor project. Due to various transparent systems like Apunni Sarkar Portal, e-Cabinet, e-Office, CM Helpline, 1905, Anti Corruption Helpline 1064, Digital Uttarakhand App, there has been a qualitative improvement in the work culture. Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, the infrastructure of the state is being strengthened through ambitious projects like Delhi-Dehradun Elevated Road, Vande Bharat Express, Rishikesh-Karnprayag Rail Project, Bharatmala and Parvatmala Project, Amrit Yojana, All Weather Road and Udaan Yojana.
The Chief Minister said that after the implementation of the country’s most effective anti-copying law in the state, more than 24 thousand youths have got government jobs in the last four years. The unemployment rate of the state has come down by a record 4.4 percent. Due to the continuous efforts of the government, the state’s GSDP has increased by 1.3 times and per capita income by 11.33 percent. A historic step has been taken to implement the “Uniform Civil Code” law for the first time in the country. The government is also working with full commitment towards preserving the cultural values and demography of Uttarakhand. A decision has been taken to make the anti-conversion law more stringent. More than seven thousand acres of government land has been freed from encroachment. Through ‘Operation Kalanemi’, strict action is being taken against those defaming Sanatan Dharma.
On this occasion, former Chief Minister and former Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal, Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt, Naresh Bansal, MLA Khajan Das, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, DGP Deepam Seth, secretaries, senior police officers, District Magistrate Dehradun Savin Bansal, SSP Ajay Singh and officers of the district administration were present.
