Chief Secretary Radha Raturi apprised the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog about the efforts made by the Uttarakhand government in public interest and various demands
Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand Radha Raturi informed the Commission about the innovative efforts and achievements made by the Uttarakhand Government in public interest in a meeting held at the Secretariat on Saturday under the chairmanship of Honorable Vice Chairman NITI Aayog Suman Beri, Government of India. Along with this, Chief Secretary Radha Raturi placed the required points before the Commission in the context of the special circumstances of the state of Uttarakhand. Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that the state of Uttarakhand has got the first place in the country in the SDG India Index 2023-24 released by NITI Aayog.
For the revival of water sources and rivers of the state, SARRA (Spring and River Rejuventation Authority) has been formed and till now 5428 sources have been revived by conserving and enhancing water, while 228 small and big rainy season rivers have been revived by catchment treatment. The state government is preparing an ambitious project to link the snow-based rivers (Glaciel River) with rain-based rivers (Rainfed River), its long-term results will prove to be a game changer, which will benefit not only the state but also the neighboring states. A huge amount of money is required for the implementation of such a very important “River Linking Project”, for which technical support is required from NITI Aayog, Government of India.
Technical and financial support expected from the Government of India to establish Incubation Centre
Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that to promote maximum entrepreneurship in rural areas, two Rural Incubation Centres have been established initially as a pilot project to establish Cluster Based Rural Incubation Centres in rural areas, which have yielded promising results. In the second phase, we are going to establish Rural Incubation Centres in all the districts. Technical and financial support is expected from the Government of India to establish Incubation Centres on a large scale.
Need for more decentralization, planning and policies – Chief Secretary
Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that since the centrally funded schemes run by the Government of India are based on the concept of One Size Fit for All, there is a need for more decentralization, planning and policies along with changing the prescribed standards of the schemes and providing relaxation. In view of the formation of National Skill Council and Sector by the Government of India, we need technical assistance from NITI Aayog for Green Skilling as well as Eco-Tourism Activity in the state. The state government has started working through “State Institute for Empowering and Transforming Uttarakhand” (SETU) formed like NITI Aayog. The State Support Mission sponsored by NITI Aayog will get strength in the operation of SETU. At present, appointments are being made by advertising for advisors, domain experts, research associates, internships for effective policy planning in SETU Commission, Uttarakhand.
Role of UCC in removing gender inequality
Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that by implementing the Uttarakhand UCC Act to reduce gender inequality, women will get the right to gender equality. Along with this, Uniform Civil Code, strict anti-cheating law, anti-conversion and anti-riot laws have been implemented in the state. Similarly, keeping gender equality in mind, 30 percent reservation for women in government jobs and 33 percent reservation for women in cooperative management committees has been ensured. As a result of the implementation of strict anti-cheating law in the state, there has been 100 percent transparency in all types of examinations, due to which various examination results in the state have been released in the stipulated time and trust in the system has been established among the youth.
Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that about 25 investment-oriented policies (Investor Friendly Policy) have been made by the state government to attract more and more investors in the state. Under which, after laying the foundation of investor-centric policies of the state, investment in infrastructure, availability of skilled manpower and good governance in the year 2023, till date, grounding of investment of Rs. 75000 crore has been done in comparison to MoU of Rs. 3.56 lakh crore in the Global Investment Summit. For effective participation in the goal of developed India by the state government, special focus is being laid on energy, school education and higher education, tourism, wellness and hospitality and horticulture.
Request to include Uttarakhand state in the category of 24 percent capital subsidy like the states of the Northeast
Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that in view of the difficult geographical conditions and disasters of the state, promoting helicopter service is very important not only from the point of view of tourism but also from the point of view of traffic. Regarding the construction of small hydropower projects, she requested that the cooperation of NITI Aayog, Government of India is required to include Uttarakhand state in the category of 24 percent capital subsidy like the states of the Northeast.
Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that by granting permission to the State Government for approval and implementation of projects of less than 25 MW capacity under hydropower schemes, about 170 MW additional power generation capacity in the state will be used as soon as possible and the use of up to 3000 MW power capacity will also help in achieving the goals of Net Zero by producing clean energy under the vision of Developed India @ 2047.
Request to include Lift Irrigation in the Guidelines of “PM Krishi Sinchai Yojana”
Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that for other options of irrigation for horticulture development in the state, there is a request to consider including Lift Irrigation in the Guidelines of “PM Krishi Sinchai Yojana” funded by the Government of India. There has been unprecedented improvement and progress in the direction of water supply in the state through Jal Jeevan Mission Yojana. For this, keeping in mind the gradient of water sources of the mountainous region, it is requested to include Source Augmentation in the guidelines of Jal Jeevan Mission. For the strong possibilities of making a high quality “Planting Material Hub” in Uttarakhand, cooperation is expected from the National Horticulture Board and National Seed Corporation, so that the state can become a Planting Material Hub and provide Planting Material to other states as well. In this regard, the state aspires for cooperation from the central government.
To develop Uttarakhand as a Knowledge Hub
Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that the Service Sector Policy 2024 has been promulgated by the State Government to develop Uttarakhand as a Knowledge Hub. Under the Service Sector Policy, special focus has been laid on education, IT, data center, wellness, AYUSH, sports etc. The state has had excellent education system in Mussoorie, Nainital and Dehradun since the beginning. At present, there are 23 private universities, 12 state universities, one central university and 4 institutes of national importance functioning in the state. To develop the state as a knowledge hub, attractive provisions have been made under the service sector policy to establish K-12, national and international level institutes. There is a provision of 25 percent capital subsidy for K-12 schools on projects worth more than Rs. 25 crore in hilly areas and Rs. 50 crore in plain areas. Whereas for institutions of higher education, there is a provision of more than 25 percent subsidy (maximum Rs. 100 crore subsidy per project) on projects worth more than Rs. 50 crore in hilly areas and Rs. 100 crore in plain areas. Keeping in view the relationship between entrepreneurship and industries, Centre of Innovation, Incubation, Entrepreneurship has been established in Dehradun universities at a cost of Rs. 25 crore. Similarly, Central Instrumentation Facility has been established at Sridev Suman University to promote skills, entrepreneurship and research at a cost of Rs. 66 crore. State Instrumentation Centre, Himalayan Medicine Plant Excellence Centre and High Altitude Sport Training Centre have been established at Kumaun University at a cost of Rs. 209 crore.
Himalayan Ecosystem and Climate Resilient
Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that the Himalayan ecosystem is one of the most fragile and biodiversity-rich regions in the world, which provides water, biodiversity and ecosystem services to a large population. To make the Himalayan ecosystem Climate Resilient, a holistic approach is needed that integrates environmental protection, sustainable resource management, disaster preparedness and community participation.
Climate change has led to an increase in disaster-related incidents such as floods, landslides, cloudbursts, forest fires, etc., which are adversely affecting agriculture and livelihoods and traditional agricultural practices. Climate Responsive Rainfed Farming Project is being run with the help of World Bank to restore and conserve watersheds and reduce the adverse effects of floods and soil erosion. Nainital and Ranikhet have been registered in the Carbon Registry with the help of JICA with the aim of increasing carbon finance in forest panchayats and reducing carbon emissions. Under the Paris Agreement of Climate Change Treaty, State Action plan for REDD+ has been prepared in Uttarakhand with the help of Forest Research and Education Council (ICFRE) and International Centre for Mountain Development (ICIMOD). With the aim of promoting organic farming, crop diversification and agroforestry, Green Agriculture Project (2018-25) is underway in Uttarakhand with the help of United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Global Environment Facility (GEF). Regular monitoring and long-term water management strategies are being developed for monitoring and conservation of glaciers.
Eco tourism
Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that several steps are being taken to promote eco-tourism in the state. These include certification of homestays and lodges etc. that follow environmentally friendly standards like effective waste management, energy efficiency and water conservation by Swachhata Green Leaf Rating (SGLR). 79 homestays of Nainital and Dehradun have been awarded Green Leaf Rating. Through Deendayal Upadhyaya Griha Awas Yojana, financial assistance and training is being provided to local people to set up eco-friendly homestays, which is increasing the income of local people. With the cooperation of the AYUSH department, 184 homestays are being developed as wellness stays, which are promoting wellness tourism. With the aim of promoting rural tourism, 18 villages have been identified for thematic development. Under the Vibrant Village program, master plans are being prepared for Gunji in Pithoragarh and Mana village in Chamoli. Similarly, model village development plans are being prepared by the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi for Baghori in Uttarkashi and Sari village in Rudraprayag. Strict rules have been implemented to reduce the loss of biodiversity at places like Jim Corbett National Park and Valley of Flowers. Areas like Kedarnath and Badrinath have been declared plastic free. There is a plan to expand this campaign to other tourist places as well.
Vibrant Village Program
Chief Secretary Radha Raturi said that under the Vibrant Village Program, a total of 51 villages from 5 development blocks of three border districts Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Pithoragarh have been selected. For the development of the said villages, mainly tourism development, livelihood generation, energy, road construction, skill development and strengthening of social conditions are being done. As per the directions issued by the Government of India, after approval in the State Level Empowered Committee (SLSC) meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary at the state level, a total of 523 schemes worth Rs. 520.13 crore have been sent to the Government of India, against which 140 schemes worth Rs. 195.76 crore have been approved. Under the Vibrant Village Program, 43.96 km road construction has been approved and DPR has been prepared for the construction of 21 bridges. Construction of rain shelters, arrival plaza entrance gates, check posts etc. is in progress in various villages. Gunji Manela is being developed on the theme of Shiv Nagari and DPR has been approved for the construction of a tourist facility center.
On this occasion, Vice Chairman of Uttarakhand Bridge Commission Rajshekhar Joshi, Additional Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Principal Secretary R.K. Sudhanshu, State Advisor NITI Aayog, Government of India Sonia Pant, Secretary R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Shailesh Bagauli, S.N. Pandey, Additional Secretary Vijay Kumar Jogdande, ACEO of CPPGG Dr. Manoj Pant were present.
