Our highest priority is to end corruption: Uttarakhand CM

Stating that his highest priority is to end corruption, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today said if the menace is controlled, the hill state will develop automatically.
The chief minister, who was attending a program of ex-servicemen here said that relationship between individuals must not come in the way of stopping corruption.
He said the state government is resolved to appoint a Lokayunkta and the post of chief minister will also come under the ambit of anti-corruption ombudsman.
Patriotism runs deep in the blood of Uttarakhand natives, he said, adding that anti-national elements never found a place in the hill state.

Our existence totally depends on the country's existence, he said while appealing to always maintain this feeling.
The migration of youths from the state is worrisome from a strategic viewpoint and a state of helplessness must not trigger this phenomenon among the young population, he said. A committee has been set up under cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj to tackle this problem, he added.

Apart from employment opportunities, the youth also need social security, so the government has decided to form a separate ministry for job creation and skill development, he said.
The chief minister said that after getting a massive support from the people of the state, mass expectations have also increased. The government will try its best to live upto these expectations, he said.

Besides a framework to bring transparency into the system, we have also started with administrative reforms. At present, the files have to go through seven levels. We are trying to restrict this system to three levels, he said.
On the ex-servicemen's demand of reducing the price of liquor available through CSD canteens, Rawat sought the opinion of women present on occasion. He said the state government's policy is to discourage the consumption of liquor.
We will develop our income resources and gradually reduce our dependency on liquor for the state revenue, he said.