Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth nearly ₹40 crores in Rudrapur on Monday.
This included launching seven schemes valued at ₹10 crores and laying the foundation for seven more projects worth ₹30 crores, according to an official statement. He also participated in a grand roadshow in the city.
Dhami’s roadshow, which started from Galla Mandi and proceeded through Main Bazaar to Gandhi Park, saw an enthusiastic welcome from the people of Rudrapur, local organizations, and public representatives, who greeted him with flower showers and garlands. Upon reaching Gandhi Park, the Chief Minister inspected a large multipurpose and medical camp focused on public service, organized to mark three years of governance under his leadership.
During the event, he distributed keys to shops for 15 underprivileged vendors in the vending zone and flagged off nine Jan Seva Prachar Raths, which will spread awareness about government schemes across nine assembly constituencies until March 30. Dhami also visited various stalls at the multipurpose camp and even churned curd to extract butter. While inaugurating the Rudrapur Vending Zone and Hans Sports Academy, he played a round of badminton.
Paying tribute to the activists who fought for Uttarakhand’s statehood, the Chief Minister reiterated his commitment to realizing their vision. He stated, "Our government is living up to the trust with which the people of the state entrusted the responsibility of the state to us three years ago. In these three years, with the guidance and support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our government has tried to write a new saga of 'service, good governance, and development' in the state. During our tenure, on one hand, we have tried to connect cities to remote villages through roads, and on the other hand, we have strengthened the air connectivity of the state by starting heli services for about a dozen cities through the 'Udaan Yojana'. Similarly, we have continuously worked towards strengthening the infrastructure of all major sectors including education, health, drinking water, and sports in the state."
Highlighting initiatives to curb migration and boost employment, he mentioned over 30 new policies in various sectors, including industry, tourism, AYUSH, and food processing. He also pointed out self-employment schemes like Home Stay Scheme, Lakhpati Didi Scheme, and Solar Self-Employment Scheme, which are transforming lives across Uttarakhand.
Discussing the welfare of the underprivileged, Dhami said, "Efforts are also being made to improve the lives of lakhs of poor families in the state by reaching the last person of the state through several decisions and schemes such as building concrete houses for them, distributing free ration, providing three gas cylinders per year, and increasing old age pension, as well as providing pension facility to both husband and wife."
He also emphasized his government's commitment to farmers, saying, "Today, on the one hand, more than 8 lakh farmer brothers of the state are getting financial support under the Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, while on the other hand, the increase in the income of the farmers is also being ensured by giving them increased MSP on all major crops. Along with this, milk production, honey production, agriculture, horticulture, cultivation of aromatic plants and flowers as well as coarse grain cultivation are also being promoted in the state."
Dhami further highlighted agricultural benefits like interest-free loans of up to ₹3 lakhs, free canal irrigation, and 80% subsidy on purchasing agricultural equipment under the Farm Machinery Bank Scheme.
Addressing a long-standing issue faced by the Bengali community in Udham Singh Nagar, Dhami noted that many displaced persons from Bangladesh resided in the region. He said, "It was unfortunate that the caste certificates of the people of this community used to be written as 'displaced from East Pakistan'." He reaffirmed his commitment to equality and added, "We decided that the words 'displaced from East Pakistan' will not be written in their caste certificates."