Joshimath crisis handled well with Centre's cooperation: Uttarakhand CM

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday said land subsidence in Joshimath was a challenge for the government but it was efficiently tackled with active cooperation from the Centre.

He also said the state government's budget 2023-24 is based on the BJP's vision document for 2022 assembly polls and will pave the way for building a strong and prosperous Uttarakhand.

Joshimath was a challenge but we got active cooperation from the Centre. The prime minister personally monitored the situation taking regular updates. We have made a provision of Rs 1,000 crore for Joshimath in the budget," Dhami said addressing the assembly during the budget session.

He said a study of the carrying capacity of Joshimath and similar other places, which are not founded on solid rocks, will be conducted.

Taking a dig at the opposition for calling the budget "hopeless" he said, "You have to have hope in your heart to see hope in anything."

"We have recorded an increase of 10 per cent in per capita income and a growth of 32 per cent in GST collection. Provisions made in the budget for polyhouses, millet and apple missions are going to lead to good results, he said.

"We have made an allocation of Rs 302 crore for tourism," the chief minister said.

He said the budget lays emphasis on self-employment, women empowerment and youth welfare.

He said vacancies in government departments are being filled on a war footing but government jobs or posts are limited.

"We have to take the route of self-employment if we want job for every hand," Dhami said.

The chief minister also announced that an Uttarakhand Bhawan will be built in Ayodhya for which the Uttar Pradesh government has agreed in principle to allocate one acre of land.

A grand Ram temple is being built in Ayodhya. The wish of every rashtrabhakt is being fulfilled. An Uttarakhand Bhawan will be built there. Because Ayodhya dham, lord Ram, Baba Kedar and lord Badri Vishal are complimentary to each other," he said.