E-Paper
Dhami announces plan to increase honorarium for sanitation workers in Uttarakhand
At a Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti procession in Dehradun, Dhami said a meeting would be held soon to discuss an increase in the honorarium of sanitation workers.
Prefer HTon Google
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday said the state government would soon take steps to increase the honorarium of sanitation workers, known as Paryavaran Mitras, working across various departments. He said a meeting would be convened at the earliest to discuss the proposal.
Dhami was speaking at a procession organised by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation to mark Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti. The event brought together representatives of the municipal administration, public representatives and members of the community.
Paying tribute to Maharishi Valmiki, the chief minister said the sage had introduced the world to the life and ideals of Lord Ram through the Ramayana. He said Valmiki's life demonstrated how good thoughts and actions could inspire others, adding that a person's identity should be defined by knowledge, work and contribution to society.
Dhami said Valmiki's teachings encouraged the creation of a society without discrimination. He also highlighted the values of truth, duty, sacrifice, equality and fraternity reflected in the Ramayana.
Dhami highlights dignity, equality and Valmiki's teachings
The chief minister said the Ramayana teaches people to follow the path of righteousness while respecting love, equality, fraternity and human dignity. He said a person's worth should not be judged by caste or social status, but by their thoughts, actions and commitment.
Referring to India's cultural traditions, Dhami said they had consistently emphasised respect, social harmony and mutual goodwill. He said the state government was working to strengthen cultural heritage while ensuring that opportunities for development reached all sections of society.
Dhami also referred to the efforts being made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership to combine development with cultural heritage. He said the country was witnessing renewed attention to its roots, history and cultural identity. The chief minister cited the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya as an example of this approach.
He said the presence of Maharishi Valmiki, Nishadraj and Mata Shabari in the Ram temple complex reflected social harmony and India's cultural traditions. Dhami also noted that the international airport in Ayodhya had been named after Maharishi Valmiki.
The chief minister said central government schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, Jal Jeevan Mission and free ration programme, had provided support to millions of families. He also referred to legal provisions aimed at protecting the rights of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and addressing atrocities against them.
State schemes for education, housing and social welfare
Dhami outlined several initiatives undertaken by the Uttarakhand government for students and families belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities. He said students from these communities were being provided scholarships from Class 1 to Class 12.
The state, he added, was operating 15 free hostels, five residential schools and three Industrial Training Institutes for these students. Free coaching facilities had also been arranged to help young people prepare for competitive examinations and pursue opportunities in education and employment.
The chief minister said the government had restarted the Atal Awas Yojana, under which financial assistance of ₹1.20 lakh was being provided to homeless families from Scheduled Caste communities to construct houses.
He also referred to financial support intended to encourage social harmony. Under the arrangement cited by him, an incentive of ₹50,000 is provided when a person from a Scheduled Caste community marries someone from another caste. A separate assistance of ₹50,000 is also provided for the marriages of daughters from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families.
Dhami said the government's objective was to ensure that no section of society was left behind in the development process. He described Uttarakhand as a state shaped by the traditions of sages, religious centres and its cultural heritage, and said the government was working to preserve these traditions while expanding development opportunities.
He expressed confidence that the ideals of Maharishi Valmiki would continue to guide efforts towards building a developed Uttarakhand.
Dehradun mayor Saurabh Thapliyal, National Commission for Safai Karamcharis chairperson Bhagwat Prasad Makwana, Mahanagar BJP president Siddharth Agrawal, Shyam Agrawal, Ashok Verma and municipal commissioner Alok Pandey were among those present.
