Uttarakhand: Giving detailed information about the departmental projects, Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bahuguna said – Uttarakhand is a fast progressing state in animal husbandry and fisheries

As part of the press conference series of ministers decided by the BJP organization, today Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bahuguna has given detailed information about his departmental projects. Addressing the journalists at the party headquarters, Bahuguna said that under the guidance of Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami, the government with the help of private sector is making the youth skilled and providing employment on a large scale in the country and abroad. Apart from this, Uttarakhand is also the fastest growing state in self-employment generation through many new schemes in animal husbandry, fisheries and dairy industry.

Giving detailed information about the achievements of the Animal Husbandry Department, he said,

It is the first state to make a policy for stray animals and is constructing cow sheds at the divisional level. For their fodder, we have increased it from Rs 5 to Rs 30 and now to Rs 80, which is the highest in the country.

Taking a lesson from the circumstances of the Covid period, we became the first state to give 50 percent subsidy on straw. PM Modi also worried about the lives of animals along with humans and 60 ambulances are running in the state for injured animals, which our government is going to increase to run at the divisional level. Kisan Credit Card

Regarding the milk department, he said that we have increased the average purchase price of milk by Rs 8 to 10 per year as compared to the earlier Rs 2-2.25. By bringing changes in the Ganga Cow Scheme as per the hilly areas, the subsidy given to SC, ST and women was increased to 75 percent and to the general category to 50 percent. Digital technology was also used in milk collection. This is the reason why there has been a record 25 percent increase in milk collection from December to January. He informed that two big bio gas plants are being established in the state and our government is also going to start cow dung procurement soon.

The government is setting up Centers of Excellence in collaboration with the private sector to make ITI students more skilled in the state and for their placement. Under which the results of the 2 ITIs which were given to Tata and other institutes have been excellent and the average starting salary of 11-12 thousand has now become 24-25 thousand. This is the reason why a big Center of Excellence is being established in Ashok Leyland and Sahaspur with 13 ITIs where students will be trained in 9 technology branches. In all these centres, initially 13 percent expenditure is to be borne by the state government and 87 percent by the private sector. He told that the government is giving placement and employment opportunities to its youth in foreign countries, the results of which are coming in and they are going to Japan and other countries on packages of more than lakhs of rupees.

Regarding the Fisheries Department, Bahuguna informed that the state has increased fisheries production by 22 percent. The reason for which is the schemes and subsidies run in trout and other traditional fisheries. We have also made the electricity used in its production as per the agricultural sector, due to which the earlier Rs 6 per unit has now become Rs 2.75 per unit. We are the first state in the country to provide insurance in this area under the Chief Minister Matsya Sampada Yojana. The process of establishing the state’s first aqua park in Sitarganj is progressing rapidly. Apart from this, regarding marketing, especially for trout, the government is preparing a plan in view of the increasing possibilities of production in future so that the fish of Uttarakhand can be transported to Central and South India.

Giving information about the sugarcane department, he said, we are moving forward rapidly in the production of organic sugarcane in the hilly areas, under which we started from Pithoragarh and now this scheme will be taken forward in Chamoli also. In the traditional sugarcane sector, today we have reached a situation when the sugarcane price of most of the farmers is paid during the crushing season itself. So far in 2022, Rs 470 crore has been provided to the farmers by the government. Besides, our government has also created a fund of Rs 25 crore for the modernization of sugar mills.

During this, regarding the questions often raised by the opposition regarding Iqbalpur Sugar Mill, he clarified that after 2019 till now all types of sugarcane payments are being made to the farmers regularly by the government. Prior to this, the government is making continuous efforts to clear the outstanding payment of Rs 119 crore to the sugarcane farmers’ mill because instructions had been given by the High Court in this entire matter and they are also being followed. While answering the questions raised by the party in Nainital Milk Union and other cases, he said that the BJP government led by Chief Minister Dhami works on the policy of zero tolerance towards corruption. All such issues were also taken into consideration by BJP workers and the government has taken strict action against them. Proceedings are pending in the court on some issues, hence it is necessary to comply with them.

In this press conference, state media in-charge Manveer Chauhan, in-charge Rajendra Negi, Sanjeev Verma, state spokesperson Vinod Suyal, Vipin Kainthola were prominently present.