Uttarakhand: The Chief Secretary met senior officials of various ministries including the Union Finance Secretary in Delhi

Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan met Union Finance Secretary Ajay Seth, Expenditure Secretary Dr. Manoj Govil, and Additional Secretary Sanjan Singh Yadav to ensure cooperation from the Central Government towards development, strengthening and empowerment of infrastructure in the state and sought special assistance and grants for the state. Also, met Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Ministry V. Umashankar and discussed the DPR of Dehradun Outer Ring Road. This project is about 51.59 km long, which will be connected to Delhi-Dehradun Expressway in future, the Chief Secretary requested additional assistance for Manaskhand Mandir Mala Mission, grant for upgradation and conservation of temples, and early action on pending proposals sent by the state government.

Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan also met Union Civil Aviation Secretary V. Vulnam and requested to expedite the expansion work of Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun and to start the facility of night landing flights at Dehradun and Pantnagar airports soon, so that air connectivity in the state can be further strengthened. He also informed that Air Traffic Control (ATC) facilities have been arranged at Kedarnath and Sahastradhara, so that helicopter services can be operated more safely and smoothly during the Chardham Yatra. He said that the state government is constantly striving to promote air connectivity in the state.

The Chief Secretary met Skill Development Secretary Atul Tiwari and discussed about providing better employment opportunities to the youth of Uttarakhand abroad under the Prime Minister Skill Development Scheme. He said that providing employment opportunities to the youth in the country and abroad is in the interest of the youth of the state so that the skilled youth of the state get recognition on the global platform and they can become self-reliant. The youth of the state are skilled in various technical and professional fields and it is necessary to provide appropriate guidance and opportunities to get their skills recognized at the international level.

The Chief Secretary also met Foreign Secretary Arun Kumar Chatterjee and discussed about providing employment opportunities to the youth of Uttarakhand abroad through the recruitment agencies of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India. He said that this will give the youth options for a better career. The Chief Secretary met Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal and requested to improve network connectivity in Tanakpur area and increase the number of mobile towers. He also requested to speed up the implementation of BSNL 4G service in the state.