CM Dhami meets Union defence minister, animal husbandry minister in New Delhi
The Uttarakhand CM also requested Singh for the transfer of four acres of NRTO (National Technical Research Organisation) land for the expansion of Jolly Grant Airport Dehradun. He said the state government is ready to provide alternative land to NRTO
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday met Union defence minister Rajnath Singh. He also met Union fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying minister Parshottam Rupala in New Delhi on Sunday.
Dhami said he has requested Union defence minister Singh to dissolve the Cantonment Boards in Ranikhet and Lansdowne and transfer the areas outside the military stations to the state administration, while he has urged Rupala to release the remaining funds for livestock insurance under the National Livestock Mission scheme in the state.
“Ranikhet and Lansdowne are not strategic cantonments, so they should be dissolved on priority. Dissolution of Cantonment Boards and transfer of civil areas in these cities to local municipalities/district administrations will benefit the local population. It will also help in unlocking the tourism potential of such areas,” Dhami said.
Expressing gratitude to Singh for recommending the opening of an Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) centre for ex-servicemen and their dependents in Rudraprayag district, Dhami requested the defence minister that a CSD canteen should also be set up for ex-servicemen and their dependents on the premises of the polyclinic at ECHS centre.
The Uttarakhand CM also requested Singh for the transfer of four acres of NRTO (National Technical Research Organisation) land for the expansion of Jolly Grant Airport Dehradun. He said the state government is ready to provide alternative land to NRTO.
Dhami also requested the Union defence minister to allow the Uttarakhand government to use Joshimath and Dharchula Army helipads for operating Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) services.
Dhami said Union defence minister Rajnath Singh assured him of all possible cooperation on these issues.
Dhami, who met Union animal husbandry minister Rupala on Sunday, said they discussed issues related to animal husbandry and the dairy sector in the state.
In the meeting with the Union animal husbandry minister, Dhami urged to release of the remaining funds for livestock insurance under the National Livestock Mission scheme and to make available the services of mobile veterinary vehicles operating in the state in the remaining 35 development blocks.
Expressing gratitude for the cooperation in the development of Uttarakhand, Dhami said that schemes related to animal husbandry have an important place in various employment schemes being run in the state.
Livestock insurance is being operated by the government of India under the National Livestock Mission Scheme for the cattle herders of the marginal hilly and plain areas of the state.
In 2022-23, an amount of ₹14 crore was received against ₹40 crore approved under the scheme, in which the Centre’s share was ₹8.67 crore and the state’s share was ₹5.58 crore. Against the target of livestock insurance in the state, a total of 1,45,451 animals have been insured under the scheme.
The chief minister requested the Rupala to make available the remaining funds of the approved budget to achieve the goals of the approved scheme.
Dhami said that in Uttarakhand, 60 mobile veterinary vehicles are being operated with the aim of providing medical facilities of modern technology at the doorstep of cattle rearers in the state. “Through these, the treatment of 58,392 animals has been done at the doorsteps of the cattle rearers”, he said.
The CM urged the minister to provide ₹7.86 crore for similar services in the remaining 35 development blocks of the state.
Dhami said that to ensure the health of the sheep and goats of the state, the PPR (Peste des petits Ruminants or Goat Plague ) eradication scheme is being implemented with the help of the Centre. “For the ambitious vaccination plan to make the state PPR free by 2030, 14 lakh doses of vaccines are needed in Uttarakhand”, he said.