Dehradun: Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat periodically hosts parties featuring local products and fruits. Everyone from party workers to leaders of the ruling and opposition parties is seen attending. This time, Harish Rawat’s Malta competition has made headlines. On Saturday, Harish Rawat organized a Malta party alongside the Gairsain Malta competition at a wedding venue on Haridwar Bypass Road. Congress state president Ganesh Godiyal, former minister and Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat, along with several Congress leaders and workers, attended.
Harish Rawat said that Congress members and workers were treated to Malta brought from remote areas like Gairsain, Mehalchauri, Didihat, Mohanri, Gangolihat, Rai Agar, Bhimtal, and Tejam, along with guavas from Rudrapur and Dehradun, jaggery from Haridwar, and ginger tea from Jaunsar. On this occasion, he honored those who ate the most Malta in two minutes in a Malta competition. Three Malta Queens and three Malta Kings were selected. Explaining the purpose of organizing the Malta competition, he said that the economy of the high Himalayan central region of Uttarakhand has become very important for the state.
If we do not improve the economy of those areas, it will disrupt the social system there, which will have adverse effects on the entire state. To boost the economy of those areas, we can not only protect the environment but also the surroundings by appropriately adding value to the products there. These efforts can improve the economy of the residents there. The British nurtured these areas by growing Malta oranges. During the then Congress government, we greatly encouraged the citrus variety known as Yellow Gold, and similarly launched missions for Kiwi, Apple, Apricot, and Chulu. Unfortunately, the Congress government lost power while the Malta Mission was being launched.
Therefore, if Malta is promoted, it can bring about a significant qualitative change in the economy of the Central Himalayas. The government has fixed the purchase price of Malta at ten rupees and lemon at seven rupees, but the price is lost in transportation to get these products to market. Therefore, through a competition today, we have launched the slogan, “Nothing less than twenty rupees per kg lemons and twenty-five rupees per kg Malta, there’s no point in seven rupees per kg lemons and ten rupees per kg Malta.” Ganesh Godiyal and other leaders have also accepted this slogan. The Congress Party will work with this approach in the future. The quality of this fruit is steadily declining, which needs to be stopped. It is essential to give this fruit a better place like other fruits.
