Dehradun: A meeting of the Rural Development and Migration Commission was held at the Chief Minister’s residence on Friday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. The meeting discussed in detail the status of migration from the hill regions, measures to encourage reverse migration, increasing self-employment opportunities, and providing better markets for local products.
During the meeting, the Rural Development and Migration Commission presented information to the Chief Minister about the Pravasi Panchayats, migration-prevention initiatives and self-employment awareness programmes being conducted in various districts. Commission members also offered several suggestions for increasing employment and self-employment opportunities in the hill regions and accelerating reverse migration.
The Chief Minister directed officials to seriously consider all the suggestions received during the meeting and prepare an effective action plan. He said all departments should work in a coordinated manner through their respective schemes and activities to promote reverse migration in the hill regions. He also stressed ensuring that the benefits of departmental schemes reach as many people as possible.
The Chief Minister said information about self-employment and livelihood-related schemes should be provided to people in rural areas in a simple and effective manner. To ensure that people do not have to make unnecessary rounds of government offices and banks to access benefits, he emphasized simplifying procedures and ensuring that information about schemes reaches the village level.
He said Uttarakhand’s hill regions have immense potential for self-employment. Concrete efforts should be made to connect local resources, traditional knowledge and skills with employment opportunities and provide young people with livelihood opportunities in their own villages. He also directed officials to promote local products on a wider scale, focus on their quality and branding, and provide better market access.
The Chief Minister said reverse migration cannot be achieved merely by providing employment; better livelihoods, facilities and opportunities must also be developed in villages. All departments will have to work in coordination and focus on results so that people in the hill regions can find better employment and self-employment opportunities in their own villages.
Vice Chairman of the Rural Development and Migration Commission S. S. Negi, members Anil Singh Shahi, Dinesh Rawat, Suresh Suyal, Ram Prakash Painuly and Ranjana Rawat, Secretary Dheeraj Garbyal, Dr. Shridhar Babu Addanki, C. Ravishankar, Ahmed Iqbal, Additional Secretary Saurabh Gahawar, Anuradha Pal and Santosh Badoni, along with other officials, were present at the meeting.
