Aspirations behind statehood movement form core of govt policies: U'Khand CM

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Thursday said that the aspirations behind the statehood movement, one of which was to take development to the hills, continue to be at the centre of his government's policies.

"One of the main aspirations, that drove the Uttarakhand statehood movement, was taking development to the hills and it continues to be at the centre of our policies," Rawat said at a conclave organised in Almora.

Named 'Mere Yuva Meri Shaan' the conclave is part of the week-long statehood day celebrations by the state government.

Rawat said the focus was on tapping the state's unique potential in sectors like organic farming and commercial cultivation of aromatic plants and hemp which have a big market both inside the country and abroad.

Rawat said the youth should develop an attitude of entrepreneurship to avail of the opportunities available in these sectors.

Underlining the need for the Himalayan states to work in close co-operation with each other he said the recently held Himalayan Summit in Mussoorie was a step in that direction.

"It provided a platform to the Himalayan states to share their experiences with each other and fine-tune their development strategies," he said.

He said the younger generation should overcome the old mindset of running after government jobs which are limited.

"It needs to think out of the box and make the most of the self employment opportunities at hand," he said.

Union Minister of State for Youth and Sports Kiren Rijiju said efforts are being made to catapult India among the top ten countries of the world in sports by 2028.

"We are giving the best diet and best training to our promising sports persons to help them realise their full potential and bring medals for the country at international events," he said.

Getting government help in case of an illness has become much simpler for sportspersons now, he said.

"If a sports person has represented the country at an international event and happens to be ill, he does not need to meet me to get financial assistance from the government. He can do so just by tagging me on the social media, " he said.

Uttarakhandi youth who had distinguished themselves in different fields were also honoured at the conclave. Prominent among them are actor Dipak Dobriyal, hotelier Dwarika Prasad Raturi, international sprinter Vinay Sah, Lt Commander in Indian Navy Payal Sagar, mountaineer Poonam, Karate champion Pragya Joshi and mountaineer Devyani Semwal.