Haridwar, Dec 20 (IANS) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for passing the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB- G RAM G Bill, 2025 in Parliament, hoping the scheme will multiply employment opportunities in villages.
Inaugurating a Mushroom Village in Haridwar, Chief Minister Dhami recalled the Congress-era difficulties faced by beneficiaries under central welfare schemes.
“One of the Congress leaders and former PM had once said that out of rupee 1 sent by the Centre for the welfare of people gets reduced to paise 15 by the time it reaches the beneficiary. But the time has changed, and PM Modi has ensured that DBT eliminates there is no pilferage and the entire rupee 1 reaches the beneficiaries,” he said.
Promising to eliminate corruption, the Chief Minister said even the big sharks and highly placed officials are facing action in the state.
“Recently, we freed up 10,000 acre land from encroachers, and action will continue to check any change in the state’s demography,” he said.
Dhami highlighted PM Modi’s pledge to double the income of farmers and generate self-employment opportunities for youth and women self-help groups (SHGs).
Addressing the audience, Chief Minister Dhami said this Mushroom Village offers a model which can inspire the state government’s agriculture department also to generate self-employment opportunities.
“Under PM Modi’s Viksit Bharat vision, nearly 11 crore farmers in the country are getting financial help under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi. As many as 9 lakh farmers from Uttarakhand are benefitting from the scheme annually,” Dhami said.
Highlighting the increase in MSP for crop and the benefits from the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the Chief Minister said, “Scientific inspection of agricultural soil is also benefiting farmers in a big way.”
He said under the guidance of PM Modi, the Uttarakhand government is offering Rs 3 lakh interest-free loans to farmers, and it has sanctioned Rs 200 crore for polyhouses used in farming.
“It is a matter of pride that with a funding of Rs 115 crore, nearly 350 polyhouses have already been set up in the state,” he said, adding that the sugarcane procurement price has also been increased by the state government by Rs 30 per quintal.
Dhami said the state government, with a funding of Rs 1,200 crore, is promoting apple, kiwi and dragon fruit farming.
At another event, Chief Minister Dhami said, “Our Planning and Settlement Commission has been continuously working on the reverse migration issue. Many people who had returned in previous years are now being assisted. In the coming time, this will benefit everyone, including the residents of the state and those who want to work within the state.”
Talking about the use of IT tools for governance, Dhami said, “This is an initiative through which people from remote areas previously had to travel to district headquarters or offices, spending time and resources and facing many difficulties. Therefore, we have decided to organise camps in every Nyay Panchayat where all 28 administrative departments will be present at one location.”
–IANS
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