New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in the 10th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog held in New Delhi on Saturday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During the meeting, CM Dhami highlighted the serious issue of drainage systems in rapidly urbanising regions of Uttarakhand and urged the Centre to develop a sustainable national drainage policy to address this growing challenge.

He requested that “lift irrigation” be included under the guidelines of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), citing the unique geographical conditions of Uttarakhand, where only 10 per cent of the mountainous terrain is currently irrigated. He also stressed the need to link glacier-fed rivers with rain-fed rivers through the ‘River Linking Project’ and emphasised the construction of check dams and small reservoirs to conserve rainwater.

The Chief Minister mentioned two major upcoming religious events — the ‘Maa Nanda Raj Jat Yatra’ in 2026 and the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar in 2027 — and sought support from the Centre to organise them in a grand and divine manner.

Stressing the importance of leveraging India’s demographic dividend, CM Dhami said the next 10 years are crucial for the state. The Uttarakhand government is working actively to promote self-employment to make the most of this opportunity.

He pointed out that while the primary sector contributes only 9.3 per cent to the state’s GDP, around 45 per cent of the population is dependent on it. To address this, the government has initiated various high-value agriculture missions like the Apple Mission, Kiwi Mission, Dragon Fruit Mission, Millets Mission, and Aromatic Agriculture Promotion.

CM Dhami noted that under PM Modi’s strong leadership, India is progressing rapidly towards becoming a developed and self-reliant nation by 2047. The Uttarakhand government is committed to this goal, ensuring sound financial management and discipline. The state’s economy has grown approximately 1.5 times over the past three years.

In the NITI Aayog SDG Index for 2023-24, Uttarakhand secured the top rank, and it also secured the second position in the CARE Ratings report among small states for good governance and financial management. The state has implemented a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and provided over 23,000 government jobs to youth in the last 3.5 years.

He also highlighted the successful hosting of the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand, themed as ‘Green Games’, in alignment with the PM’s Net Zero vision. Over 4,000 medals were made using recycled electronic waste. To promote tourism, the state has launched a comprehensive policy focused on adventure tourism, eco-tourism, and high-end tourism, with groundwork already in progress.

–IANS

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