Uttarakhand Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Marahaj attended the pre-budget consultation meeting chaired by the Union Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the national capital on Friday.
Referring to the Kumbh Mela to be held in Haridwar in 2021, Maharaj reiterated the State’s request for Rs 5,000 crore Central financial assistance to the State while stressing on the need for swift approval for permanent works to ensure timely completion of the same.
He said that the State will also be hosting the 38th national games in 2021. To ensure the successful organisation of this event, Rs 682 crore should be made available in 2019-20 for infrastructural development. Citing the costlier transport of construction material in mountainous regions, he said that the financial assistance under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana should be raised in Himalayan states from Rs 1.30 lakh per beneficiary to Rs two lakh. Citing the same factor, he said that the labour material ratio under MNREGA in mountainous states should be changed from 60:40 to 50:50 which will help in construction of quality permanent structures.
The minister also said that under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, the villages with more than 250 population are eligible for inclusion. Considering the geographical conditions and varying population densities in mountainous regions, this criterion should be changed to 150 population.
He also suggested that PMGSY should be renamed Pradhan Mantri Sampark Sadak Yojana so that it can also benefit the ropeway sector. The heavy rush of tourists in mountain states during the summer raises the chances of traffic jams and pollution. Stating that ropeways can be a good mode for transporting goods and people in mountains while decreasing travel time and mishaps, he requested the Government of India to launch a separate central assisted scheme for ropeway from Gaurikund to Kedarnath, Govindghat to Hemkund and in Nainital.
He also informed about the budgetary requirement for construction of Panchayat buildings in the state. Maharaj pointed out that Uttarakhand shares international borders with China and Nepal but due to lack of infrastructural and other facilities in the border regions, the people are migrating away from such areas.
Stating that this is bad also from the strategic point of view, he also sought an increase in the allocation for the Himalayan state under the border area development programme. He also spoke of the State’s requirement in the education sector.
