Centre to frame policy for hill states: Kiran Rijiju

Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, February 9

Union Minster of State for Home Affairs Kiran Rijiju during a brief visit to New Tehri today said the Union government was working towards formulating a separate policy for the hill states for speedy development.

Rijiju stated this while addressing a gathering of public representatives at the district administration auditorium at New Tehri. He said the Centre had directed its ministers to review the works in two parliamentary constituencies in the country and he had been assigned the task for Tehri Garhwal and Amritsar seats.

The Central minister stressed the need to strengthen the electricity distribution and communication system in the border states of the country. He said all Himalayan states were sensitive to natural disasters and both Union and state governments should work jointly to mitigate the effects of disasters. Both National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were working in coordination and playing an important role in disaster management, he added.

Rijiju said the Union government releases disaster funds at the start of the financial year to be used by the state government. District BJP president Sanjay Negi apprised Rijiju about the difficulty in travelling on the road constructed over the Tehri Hydroelectric Dam. The minister assured the BJP leader of doing the needful. He said the Union government would address the problem of rehabilitation of the people affected by the Tehri dam construction and due to disasters.

He directed the officials concerned to ensure that every eligible person was able to open a bank account under the Jan Dhan Yojna of the Union government. District Congress president Shanti Bhatt demanded a Central government job for one person from each family affected by the Tehri dam construction. He said additional development blocks should be created in the Pratap Nagar and Bhilangana areas.

Tehri Garhwal MP Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah, district panchayat president Sona Sajwan, Municipal Council president Umesh Charan Gusain and New Tehri Traders’ Association president Dinesh Dobhal were present on the occasion.