Dehradun, Aug 22 (PTI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami made a strong pitch on Monday for a special drive with the help of the Centre to rejuvenate the natural water resources in the mountainous region, giving due consideration to ecosystem services and floating population in the allocation of financial resources among hill states.
Dhami made the point while participating in the 23rd meeting of the Central Zonal Council chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Bhopal.
He also sought help from the Centre in developing a strong weather forecasting system and infrastructure equipped with Doppler radars in Uttarakhand.
The Chief Minister said the Uttarakhand is providing important eco-system services to the nation by conserving its forests, bushes and glaciers. According to a study by the prestigious Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, the annual value of these ecological services is at least Rs 95,000 crore has been estimated.
He requested to give importance to these ecological services in the allocation of resources among the states.
The Chief Minister said that a large number of pilgrims and tourists from the country and abroad travel to the state. The population of Uttarakhand is about 1.25 crore, but every year about six crore people come to Uttarakhand in the form of floating population. In this way, the state government has to make arrangements for infrastructure facilities for about 1.25 crore people.
Therefore, in view of the limited resources of the state, this important fact of floating population should also be kept in mind in the allocation of financial resources by the central government, he said.
The Chief Minister also suggested that centrally funded schemes should be allocated to the state keeping in view its difficult geographical conditions instead of pursuing one scheme fits all policy.
For Instance, tourism, horticulture and aromatic plant based central schemes will be highly beneficial for a state like Uttarakhand, he said.
He also thanked the Centre for its help in major ongoing development projects in the state including Kedarnath reconstruction, Badrinath Masterplan and Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Rail link on which work is in progress on a war footing. PTI ALM RCJ
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Source: The Print
