Fourth General Body Meeting of Doon Library and Research Centre organised, Chief Secretary gave instructions to open library on Sunday too

Dehradun: Fourth General Body Meeting of Doon Library and Research Centre was organised in the Secretariat on Friday under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan. During the meeting, various topics related to Doon Library were discussed. The Chief Secretary said that Doon Library can be kept open on Sundays so that maximum number of children can take advantage of it.

The Chief Secretary said that programmes for learning foreign languages ​​can be run regularly in Doon Library. He talked about exploring possibilities for this. He said that the state government is continuously working towards providing employment abroad to the youth of the state. There is a need for Doon Library to make efforts towards teaching foreign languages ​​to the youth of the state. He also talked about organising special programmes in Doon Library during the Silver Jubilee Week from 1 to 9 November on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee Year of the state.

During the meeting, it was told that various programs were organized for the children on topics like language knowledge, drama, story, environment, culture and for the youth on topics like environment, literature, language, history and culture. Along with this, programs have also been organized for the general public on topics like society and mental state, women empowerment, consumer protection and law, architecture and change, destruction of farming in the mountains etc.

On this occasion, Prof. B.K. Joshi, Subhash Kumar, S.K. Mattoo and N. Ravishankar along with other dignitaries were present.

Deliberations on Financial Self-Reliance of Local Bodies, Practical Suggestions from State Finance Commission Dehradun: Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, along with the Chairman and members of the 6th State Finance Commission N. Ravishankar, held detailed discussions on enhancing the financial self-reliance, administrative capacity, and overall contribution of municipal bodies (Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats) and Zilla Panchayats to the state economy. The meeting highlighted that despite multiple opportunities for financial independence, local bodies are not achieving the expected level of self-reliance due to administrative and policy gaps. Constraints include limited local revenue sources, traditional slow work culture, lack of clear bylaws, inadequate land management, and excessive political centralization. The Chief Secretary urged the Finance Commission to provide practical, timely, and implementable suggestions to strengthen the financial capacity of urban and district local bodies. The Commission recommended interventions in land management, revenue-generating bylaws, work culture, adoption of innovations, and effective execution. It also suggested shifting district plan allocations from a distribution-based approach to a need-and-outcome-based model. Commission members P. S. Jangpangi, M. C. Joshi, Secretary Nitesh Jha, Dilip Jawalkar, and Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar, along with relevant officials, attended the meeting.