CM Dhami highlights achievements of 3 yrs; cites UCC, anti-conversion law

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday marked three years in office, highlighting the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), strict anti-conversion laws, and a crackdown on illegal mazars and madrassas as key achievements.

Giving a "report card" on the state government's performance, Dhami said demographic change was a significant challenge his government faced and affirmed that it will continue to take actions like removing encroachments and verification drive to address the issue. 

Dhami said his government has tackled issues that were put on the back burner by previous governments.

"Illegal mazars, constructions, and madrassas across the state were a big problem. We are conducting a drive against them, and action will continue until Uttarakhand is entirely encroachment-free. We won't hesitate to act against anything illegal," he said at a press conference on the eve of completing three years of his second tenure as Uttarakhand chief minister.

The chief minister asserted that his government had taken strict action against "love jihad, land jihad, or spit jihad" but did not associate them with any particular community.

Dhami said his government was preparing for challenges the state might face over the next decade and had asked all departments to propose three to five schemes that could be transformative.

Traffic management, he said, could become a significant issue after the Delhi-Dehradun expressway is operational, reducing travel time to 2.5 hours. A ring road linked to the expressway is being planned in consultation with the Centre to mange congestion, he added.

Dhami, who took oath as the chief minister of the state for the second time in a row on March 23, 2022, said some of the worst disasters hit the state during his tenure and every time he lost no time in reaching ground zero and being in the midst of the affected people.

He gave the examples of the Silkyara tunnel collapse in 2023 in which all 41 trapped labourers were rescued alive after an enormous multi-agency rescue operation that lasted 17 days, the Kedar Valley disaster last year in which lakhs of people were evacuated to safety and the recent avalanche at a BRO camp in Mana village in which the lives of 46 out of a total of 54 workers were saved.

Dhami said he has asked the main departments to come up with "game-changer" schemes to deal with the challenges and realise the state's growth potential over the next ten years.

He said the women of Uttarakhand will play a major role in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a developed India.

Products manufactured by the women of Uttarakhand villages and their impressive packaging under the House of Himalayas brand are being recognised across the country and abroad, Dhami said.

Women of Uttarakhand have been given 30 per cent reservation in government jobs in the state, he said describing it as a major step towards their empowerment.

He said investment MoUs worth Rs 3.55 lakh crore were signed at the global investors summit held in Dehradun in 2023 out of which work on the implementation of MoUs worth Rs 80 thousand crore had begun already.

Describing investment as a thrust area, he said it would generate employment.

Dhami said his government introduced the country's strictest anti-copying law to prevent paper-leak of recruitment examinations. More than 100 people involved in facilitating the use of unfair means at recruitment examinations were put behind bars.

"It has created confidence among job aspirants who prepare hard for their examinations in the fairness of the recruitment process, Dhami said.

The chief minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his constant guidance and support in managing the affairs of the state.

He said the clearance given recently by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs headed by the prime minister to two major ropeway projects from Sonprayag to Kedarnath and Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib will make the yatra for pilgrims especially the old and the elderly extremely convenient.

He also mentioned the expansion of heli services to major tourist destinations and the launch of long-pending projects, including the Lakhwar multi-purpose hydroelectric project and the Song Dam drinking water project.