Describing himself as a servant of Devbhoomi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the mountains, especially Uttarakhand, were neglected for decades. Congress governments never had anything to do with the interests of Devbhoomi. For him, Uttarakhand was just a place to get photographed. It is not that earlier the country lacked resources or did not have the capacity. But what was lacking was the vision and willpower of the people in power. PM Modi said this in a special interview given to Amar Ujala. Here are the highlights of the interview...
Villages are becoming vacant in Uttarakhand, which has beautiful and immense natural wealth. The new generation does not want to live in the mountains. The migration is not stopping. What is the plan from the Center for their secure future?
Answer: I have spent a lot of time in Uttarakhand as a spiritual seeker and later as a BJP worker. The people here have lived through the problems of the mountains. Therefore, my view regarding Uttarakhand is very sensitive. As far as the problems of the mountain are concerned, these are not problems that arose in a day. The mountains have been neglected for decades. For the Congress governments, Uttarakhand became just a place for photographs, hence the people here had to demand a separate state. During Atalji's time, the BJP government had created a separate Uttarakhand state with the idea that the focus would be on development here. But, after that, the Congress government was in power at the Center for a long time and even in the state, the Congress kept coming in intermittently. Congress does not have any vision for the development of the people here. Our government is moving forward with a big vision for the development of Devbhoomi. Mountains, nature, environment, water, tourism, we are very serious about every topic. Here we are focusing on increasing connectivity, investment and increasing institutions of higher education, and increasing employment opportunities. This was also the objective behind organizing the Uttarakhand Investors Summit in December 2023.
The main reason for the migration of youth from the hilly areas of Uttarakhand was the lack of opportunities. We are creating new opportunities here. New educational institutions are being established, so that they do not have to go far. Satellite center of AIIMS in Udham Singh Nagar, medical colleges of Pithoragarh, Almora, Haridwar, Sanskrit College of Devprayag, and PMShree schools in various districts... all the institutions will provide education opportunities in the mountains. Manaskhand Mandirmala Mission will create lakhs of employment opportunities along with tourism. Infrastructure projects and homestays are also generating employment.
Air connectivity to remote mountains has strengthened in the last few years. Heli facilities have been provided to Chardham pilgrims and devotees, but the road route is still difficult. When will the rail line and plans till the mountains materialize?
In the last 10 years, due to the efforts of our government, connectivity has expanded not only in Uttarakhand but throughout the country. Now the government has started helicopter services to visit the pilgrimage places of Manas Khand like Adi Kailash, and Om Parvat. Air services have started for Pithoragarh. Due to better connectivity and digital facilities, people's interest in tourism as well as pilgrimage has increased. It is also true that the development work for Uttarakhand has to face huge natural challenges. Therefore, the BJP government is not looking at the development of Uttarakhand from the limited perspective of just building roads and highways. Along with development, we are also working on alternative means of transport. We are also developing heli facilities as well as alternative means like ropeways in sensitive areas.
Construction of ropeway in Yamunotri, Kedarnath, and Hemkund Sahib will provide a lot of convenience. After the completion of the railway line work on the Karnaprayag-Rishikesh section, it will become easier to reach Badrinath and Kedarnath Dham. Jhajhra-Asharodi link road is being constructed in Dehradun for Rs 700 crore. It is not that the country lacked resources, it is not that earlier the country did not have the capacity. What was lacking was the vision and willpower of the people in power.
Now Delhi is not far
With the expansion of connectivity, now Delhi is far neither for Kumaon or Garhwal. For tourism and convenience, helicopter service to many pilgrimage places including Kedarnath, and Hemkund Sahib has also improved. Work is also being done on alternative means of transportation. Under the Chardham project, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri are being connected by a 900 km long highway. With the introduction of the Vande Bharat train facility, the journey from Dehradun to Delhi is being completed in less than five hours.
Uttarakhand has to face frequent natural disasters. Any long-term plan for Uttarakhand, especially the hilly states, which provide security.
India has unprecedentedly expanded its capabilities in disaster management compared to previous governments. Our training, preparation, and methods are of international level. We are making continuous efforts to minimize the damage caused by natural disasters. In the field of infrastructure, be it mega projects like highways or houses being built under PM Awas Yojana, disaster resistance and disaster resilience are being taken care of in both.
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