Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday announced that stipends for both Senior and Junior Resident doctors in the state have been raised significantly from approximately Rs 75,000 to over Rs 1 lakh per month.
Speaking to the media after the State cabinet meeting in Banbasa, CM Dhami added that around 25-26 decisions were taken during the meeting.
He noted that the deadline for regularising 'Class B' lands in key regions, including Dehradun, Lalkuan, and Bindukhatta, has been extended by one year.
"We have increased the stipends for our Senior and Junior Resident doctors; the amount, which was previously around Rs 75,000, has now been raised to over Rs 1 lakh. Additionally, we have extended the deadline by one year for the regularisation of 'Class B' lands in areas like Dehradun, Lalkuan, and Bindukhatta. Many other decisions have also been taken, particularly concerning these border regions, totalling around twenty-five or twenty-six decisions," he said.
He added that the Cabinet thoroughly deliberated on managing major state events and seasonal pilgrim traffic.
According to the Chief Minister, the Cabinet held discussions on ensuring smooth operations, strict travel management, and maintaining optimal road conditions across pilgrim routes amid the ongoing Char Dham Yatra.
"The Char Dham Yatra is currently underway, and we discussed ensuring its smooth management and proper arrangements, including maintaining good road conditions," he said.
He added, "We also deliberated on managing the traffic flow at Kainchi Dham, where the volume of visitors has surged significantly. Furthermore, we discussed the ongoing 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan."
He emphasised that Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed 25 years of governance on October 7th and programs across all districts will be held to mark the occassion.
Furthermore, the Chief Minister underlined that the State government is putting efforts in the region based on the vision of an 'Adarsh Champawat' (Model Champawat), with all the departments working cohesively here.
"We have initiated efforts to ensure the government reaches even the remote border areas. This region, comprising Banbasa and Tanakpur, falls under the Champawat district, where work is progressing based on the vision of an 'Adarsh Champawat' (Model Champawat). All departments are actively working here; the entire Cabinet, along with officials from various departments, has arrived today. This will undoubtedly provide fresh momentum to the region's development and inspire the local people," he said.
Highlighting the military cantonment and BSF deployment, CM Dhami said that the region shares a neighbourly relationship with Nepal, with similar attire, culture, and modes of worship. So, the government has initiated the practice of reaching out to the people before taking major State-level decisions.
"There is a military cantonment here, and a large number of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel are deployed in the area. This is a region bordering Nepal, and we share deep, age-old ties, often described as 'roti-beti' (bonds of food and kinship/marriage) with our neighbours there. The culture across this region is uniform, and the modes of worship are similar; consequently, the government has initiated a practice of reaching out directly to the people to make major state-level decisions. We will continue to take significant decisions in the future," he remarked.
Notably, this marks the first time a State cabinet meeting is being held outside the capital city of Dehradun, in Banbasa along the Indo-Nepal border.
