Honorarium of Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, midday meal cooks and guest teachers to be increased
Cabinet committee to be constituted to resolve issues of statehood activists
Development of Uttarakhand in accordance with the dreams of statehood activists is the government's priority: Chief Minister
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attended a programme organised at the Assembly premises in Bhararisain (Gairsain), Chamoli district, on Monday on the occasion of Uttarakhand State Foundation Day.
Congratulating the people of the state on the 26th anniversary of Uttarakhand's formation, the Chief Minister paid tribute to the struggle, sacrifice and dedication of the statehood activists. He said that building a strong, prosperous and self-reliant Uttarakhand in accordance with the dreams of the statehood activists was the government's highest priority.
The Chief Minister paid tribute to brave soldiers who had made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation and expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in natural disasters. He also paid homage to former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had paved the way for the creation of Uttarakhand.
Dhami said Uttarakhand had achieved several milestones during its 26-year development journey. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government was working with the resolve to make the third decade of the 21st century the decade of Uttarakhand.
The Char Dham Road Project, Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway project, and the ropeway projects to Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib would give fresh momentum to connectivity and pilgrimage tourism in the state. Under the Vibrant Villages Programme, work was being undertaken on approximately 200 schemes in 51 border villages.
The Chief Minister said work was underway towards establishing a cancer institute in Haldwani and an AIIMS satellite centre in Kichha to expand healthcare facilities. More than 63 lakh cards had been issued under the Atal Ayushman Yojana. Virtual classrooms had been introduced in approximately 1,300 schools, while 226 schools had been developed as PM SHRI schools.
He said the stringent anti-copying law had ensured transparency in recruitment processes. More than 35,000 young people had been provided government jobs over the past five years. Women had been given 30 per cent reservation in government jobs and 33 per cent reservation in cooperative management committees. More than three lakh women in the state had become Lakhpati Didis.
The Chief Minister said the ex-gratia amount for the dependants of soldiers who laid down their lives had been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh. Construction of the Sainik Dham was almost complete. A provision had also been made for 10 per cent horizontal reservation for Agniveers in designated uniformed posts and for statehood activists and their dependants.
He said athletes from Uttarakhand had enhanced the state's pride by winning 103 medals at the 38th National Games.
Dhami said the state's economy had grown from approximately Rs 2.55 lakh crore in 2022 to around Rs 3.82 lakh crore. The state budget had exceeded Rs 1.11 lakh crore. Uttarakhand had secured the first position in the NITI Aayog Sustainable Development Goals Index 2023-24. Decisions such as the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code, a stringent land law and the anti-copying law had been taken in the public interest.
During the programme, the Chief Minister honoured statehood activists and the family members of renowned folk singer late Gopal Babu Goswami by presenting them with shawls. He also inspected the parade and took the salute. The parade was led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Trivendra Singh Rana. Contingents of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), police, women Home Guards, women police personnel and the National Cadet Corps (NCC), among others, participated in the parade.
The Chief Minister honoured individuals for their outstanding work in agriculture, horticulture, self-employment and sports, as well as beneficiaries of various government schemes.
In the agriculture and horticulture sectors, grants were provided to Jawahar Singh, Geeta Devi, Vandana Devi, Mohan Singh and Anand Singh.
Under Mission Kiwi, cheques of Rs 2.10 lakh each were given to Anand Singh and Gambhir Singh, while Dayal Singh received a cheque of Rs 4.20 lakh. Jagdish Singh was provided Rs 2 lakh for the construction of a mushroom hut.
Under schemes of the Industries Department, subsidies of Rs 1 lakh were provided to Yogendra Singh, Rs 1,48,611 to Trilok Singh, Rs 2,07,500 to Rajeshwar Singh and Rs 1.50 lakh to Himanshu Singh.
Self-help groups were given assistance of Rs 4 lakh each for Farm Machinery Banks. Farmers were also provided power weeder subsidies and honoured with Kisan Bhushan and Kisan Shri awards.
Beneficiaries of the Mahalakshmi Kit, Lakhpati Didi and Atal Awas schemes were also provided benefits. The Chief Minister honoured sporting talents Arushi Negi, Mahek Rawat and Harshvardhan Bisht.
Dhami said the resolve to build a developed Uttarakhand was a collective commitment of every resident of the state. The government was continuously working towards public welfare, employment generation, expansion of infrastructure and preservation of folk culture and traditions.
Chief Minister's 13 announcements on State Foundation Day
1. The honorarium of Anganwadi workers and helpers will be increased with effect from December 1, 2026.
2. The honorarium of ASHA workers will be increased with effect from December 1, 2026.
3. The honorarium of midday meal cooks will be increased with effect from December 1, 2026.
4. Lakhpati Didis will be provided incentive amounts in two instalments to expand their businesses and undertake new self-employment activities.
5. People injured in attacks by wild animals will receive additional financial assistance, over and above the existing assistance, for expensive medical treatments such as plastic surgery.
6. Two modern digital libraries and reading rooms will be established in municipal areas separate from the district headquarters in every district.
7. All revenue villages currently receiving electricity through other sources will be connected to the power grid.
8. The process of purchasing land will be simplified for migrants who wish to invest in the state.
9. The Apuni Sarkar portal will be made simpler and more effective in every district to provide government services at people's doorsteps, particularly for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and residents of remote areas.
10. The surcharge imposed on delayed electricity bill payments by small farmers and electricity consumers will be waived.
11. The Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman will be conferred posthumously on Gopal Babu Goswami and Chandra Singh Rahi for their notable contributions to the preservation of folk culture and folk languages.
12. The honorarium of guest teachers in the state will be increased soon.
13. A Cabinet committee will be constituted to address the demands and problems of statehood activists. The committee will make recommendations on issues including relaxation in identification rules, dual pensions and issuance of certificates to dependants. Positive action will be taken in cases of statehood activists appointed during 2013-14 that fall within the purview of the Act.
Chamoli district in-charge Minister Bharat Singh Chaudhary, MLAs Anil Nautiyal and Bhupal Ram Tamta, Nagar Panchayat Chairman Mohan Bhandari, District Cooperative Bank Chairman Gajendra Singh Rawat, Minister of State (rank-holder) Ramchandra Gaur, Harak Singh Negi and Balbir Ghuniyal, Block Pramukh Durga Devi, Arun Maithani, Vinod Kanwasi, District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar, Superintendent of Police Surjeet Singh Panwar and Chief Development Officer Dr Abhishek Tripathi were present at the programme, along with statehood activists, public representatives, officials and local residents.
