Uttarakhand News: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Thursday and discussed in detail various important issues related to the state. Congratulating the Finance Minister for the successful implementation of GST reforms, the Chief Minister expressed his gratitude for the support given by the Finance Ministry to the state of Uttarakhand.
The Chief Minister said that population pressure is continuously increasing in the urban areas of Uttarakhand state. There is a great need for improvement and upgradation of the urban drainage system in an ecologically sensitive and heavy rainfall region. For this, DPRs have been prepared for upgrading and improving the storm water drainage system for the 10 most rain-affected districts of the state, the total estimated cost of which is Rs 8,589.47 crore. He requested the Union Finance Minister to approve these projects under the Special Assistance Scheme to the States for capital investment.
The Chief Minister also requested the Union Finance Minister for early approval of Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) of Uttarakhand State. He said that out of the three important projects presented by the state government, Uttarakhand Climate Resilience Development Project has been approved. Along with this, a proposal of Rs 850 crore for the Public Financial Management Strengthening Project and Rs 800 crore for making the water supply system effective has also been sent to the Central Government by the State Government. The Chief Minister requested the Union Finance Minister to get these projects approved soon.
In continuation of the earlier assurance received from the Union Finance Minister, Chief Minister Shri Dhami requested Uttarakhand to give immediate approval to 4 other major projects in addition to the sealing of externally aided projects for the financial year 2023-24 to 2025-26. These projects include Water and Sanitation Urban Infrastructure Development Project worth Rs 2000 crore, DRIP-III worth Rs 424 crore, Uttarakhand Climate Resilient Intra State Power Transmission System Development worth Rs 3638 crore and Uttarakhand Power Distribution Reliability Improvement Project worth Rs 1566 crore.
The Chief Minister said that all these projects will strengthen the state’s infrastructure, water resources management, energy and public service delivery system. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman assured Chief Minister Shri Dhami of all possible cooperation.
