CII welcomes Uttarakhand Budget

The cluster-based approach proposed in agriculture is a step in the right direction, says CII Uttarakhand State Council Chairman Prashant Mahadik

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Uttarakhand State Council has welcomed some new schemes announced in the state Budget and also the achievements on the fiscal discipline front.

CII Uttarakhand State Council Chairman Prashant Mahadik said in spite of anticipated lower contributions of the central government to the various central schemes running in the state, the Budget has a revenue surplus. The fiscal deficit has been contained to 2.63 per cent of the gross state domestic product which is well within target of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act.

"CII has been a strong advocate of regionally balanced development , and in that context the measures announced in the Budget relating to tourism, strengthening education and healthcare infrastructure in the hills , promotion of agriculture, especially animal husbandry and dairy, and also of the local crafts are very welcome measures," Mahadik said. CII says these have the potential to address the issue of livelihood creation in hills.
 

He appreciated the initiatives to promote new value chains in horticulture, including walnuts, mandua (finger millet), and Cholai (amaranth).

He said the cluster-based approach proposed in agriculture by the government is a step in the right direction. He also said initiatives like setting up women Base Hospitals at Champawat and Someshwar, Mera Gaon Meri Sadak Yojana to link villages with roads, creation of a corpus fund to provide basic amenities like construction of drains, roads and water supply will help improve the quality of life in the state.

Elaborating on the measures to promote tourism, Vibha Malhotra, director CII Uttarakhand State Office, said the preparation of the Master Plan for the development of Tehri lake, needs to be expedited. This project has the potential to place Uttarakhand on the global tourism map. New initiatives such as developing Dyara Bugyal in Uttarkashi and Kahilyatop in Munsyari will go a long way in developing segments of tourism other than pilgrimage. The proposal to link the interiors of the state with helicopter services will compliment these initiatives well. Declaring 2015 as the year for tourism will also help bring in much needed focus to this sector.

She also said measures to strengthen the transmission infrastructure in the state and also to improve connectivity both within the state - like the metro-like connectivity between cities like Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Rudrapur, Lalkuan, Kicha, Haldwani, Kathgodam and to the state, including improvements in the NH 72 and NH 58 are welcome steps.