Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday discussed the necessity of Uniform Civil Code for the state. He stated that the UCC is not only essential for Uttarakhand but for the entire country as it promises equality to all. He declared that the government’s committee is working closely with the stakeholders and taking feedback before making the draft, soon after which the law will be implemented
While addressing the India News Manch Conclave, CM Dhami thanked the people of Uttarakhand for breaking the seesaw pattern in the state politics. For many years, Congress and BJP used to rule the state in alternative tenures but in 2022, BJP was re-elected in power.
Dhami, on being asked about his way of interacting with people, said, “In my opinion, we are the representatives of the common people but as we step into politics, generally, a gap occurs between us. So, discussing issues with the people by visiting them gives crucial feedbacks. I am a firm believer of the idea that one can only represent the people by being among the people. We take the feedbacks and try to resolve the common issues as closely as possible.”
He further briefed on the steps the Uttarakhand government is taking to improve the growth of the state’s tourism industry as it is one of the major part of the economy. Dhami said, “We are constantly promoting home-stays and till now more than 4000 home-stays have been registered. This is one of the major sources of living for us. People of other states living in our home-stays will also help them connect with our culture. For better tourism, we are constructing better roads. Under the guidance of PM Modi, connectivity of Uttarakhand with nearby states is improving. Various bypasses and all weather roads are being constructed and the air connectivity is improving.”
CM Dhami denied the Opposition’s claim of Uttarakhand’s declining economy and said, “Opposition needs to say something or the other; we are constantly improving. State’s growth rate has jumped from – 5 to 7.5, that too after Covid. We are gradually succeeding and we aim to be one of India’s most successful states by 2025.”
Detailing the government’s efforts in the field of education, he said, “Our cabinet has decided to issue free books to the students of class 9th -12th. We are among the first few states of the nation to implement the new education policy. We know the importance of education as it will create the future of our youth therefore we are working precisely on the betterment of education opportunities.”
Talking about the challenge of managing the crowd of people as the Char Dham Yatra was reopened after two years; he said that the government is constantly working in the field of health, medical emergency, road connectivity, etc to ensure a better experience for the people.”
He opposed forced religious conversions and said that less educated people easily get brainwashed in such incidents. In Uttarakhand, several such cases came to the light. The government is working on the issue and trying to introduce a law against this. He also ensured the government’s strict actions against love jihad.
Dhami further commented on Kharge’s derogatory comment on PM Modi and said that there is a competition in the opposition on who can use the most derogatory words for PM and it shows their culture. He termed Rahul Gandhi’s comment on soldiers as crime.