Dehradun, Nov 6 (IANS) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday said the government’s scheme to make one lakh youth ‘CM Young Entrepreneurs’ is bearing fruit with many being trained in new fields like nature guide, drone pilot, and wildlife photographer.

Speaking at Jan Van Mahotsav, CM Dhami highlighted the government’s measures for wildlife conservation and job creation and said satisfactory progress has been made to achieve the target to make one lakh youth ‘CM Young Entrepreneurs’.

Pointing to sustainable development as a key focus area of the government, the Chief Minister said, “Today’s Jan Van Mahotsav is a symbol of the unbreakable bond between us and nature. Development is only meaningful when it is harmonised with nature. Balance between ecology and economy is essential.”

Taking credit for taking the state closer to the dream of its founders, the Chief Minister said, “On November 9, 2000, at the time of state formation, a dream was envisioned of a state where nature, development, and culture would be in balance. Today, more than 70 per cent of the land area is covered by forests. Today, as we complete 25 years of state formation, it is a matter of pride to see that Uttarakhand is moving forward in the direction of realising its initial dreams.”

“Our government is continuously working for wildlife conservation and will continue to do so in the future. To ensure that nature is not harmed, the forest department is being provided with modern facilities, so that the protection of wildlife can be improved,” he said.

“Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are working to establish a balance between ecology, economy, and technology while pursuing development alongside the conservation of natural resources. Our efforts have led to an encouraging increase in the population of rare wildlife,” he said.

Seeking public support for the government’s efforts, he said, “I appeal to the tourists that when they go on jungle safaris or to religious sites, they should pay special attention to cleanliness. Our small effort will prove to be a big step towards environmental conservation.”

Highlighting the BJP government’s people-oriented steps, he said, “We have increased the compensation amount provided in human-wildlife conflict from 6 lakh to 10 lakh. Forest fires occur more frequently during the summer season. One major reason for this is pine needles as well. We have increased the collection rate of pine needles.”

“We have established a modern rescue centre in Corbett National Park. It can also be called the ICU for wildlife. Treatment of animals is being done here using modern equipment,” he said.

–IANS

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