With a change of guard in Uttarakhand, renewed efforts have been launched to bring chief ministers of three Himalayan states on a single platform here to discuss future plans for agriculture and horticulture sectors.
The Centre had fixed Sept ember 20-21 as the dates for the seminar at Dehradun where chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand along with Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar were to participate.
Initially, the then chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank did not show much enthusiasm due to which formal invites to Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir could not be sent in time. Thereafter, following political upheavals that saw Nishank being replaced by B C Khanduri in the hill state, the seminar was postponed indefinitely, a top official here said. “We have again approached Mr Khanduri for a new date. But there is still uncertainty,” said the official.
Amid growing demand for a separate Himalayan policy, the Centre had launched efforts to prepare an action plan to boost the growth in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. According to Union minister of state for agriculture and food processing Harish Rawat, the Centre had planned a series of such workshops or seminars with an aim to prepare short-term as well long term plans for the overall growth in these states.
All three states were also asked to prepare their own status papers for the development of the horticulture, food processing, animal husbandry and agriculture sectors which he said can be used for the final discussions.
Efforts would also be made to take the final action plan on the agenda of the 12th five year Plan where there is optimism that India can grow at eight to nine percent.