Uttarakhand Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami met Union Power Minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar in New Delhi today and discussed several important issues for the state.

The Chief Minister requested the Central Government for cooperation on issues related to infrastructure development and housing schemes in view of the upcoming Kumbh 2027 in Rishikesh, Haridwar and other pilgrimage areas.

The Chief Minister thanked the Union Minister for approving the DPR of ?547.83 crore related to undergrounding and automation of HT/LT power lines in the Ganga Corridor of Rishikesh under the RDSS scheme. He also requested for early approval of a similar proposal of ?315 crore for the Haridwar Kumbh area by including it in the RDSS scheme.

The Chief Minister informed that private developers are not showing interest in the projects due to Whitelisting and Redeemable Voucher System under the guidelines of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). He requested to re-implement the earlier 40:40:20 phased payment system so that the implementation of the scheme can be expedited.

The Chief Minister informed that under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), construction of 15960 residential units is in progress under the AHP component in the state. Out of these, 15281 units have been allotted to the beneficiaries. But due to unorganized income and low CIBIL score of the beneficiaries of EWS category, they are not able to get loan facility from leading banks. He requested the Central Government to issue special guidelines in this regard to banks, NBFCs, SLBC and RBI so that maximum beneficiaries can take advantage of the scheme.

The Chief Minister informed that the state government is developing Rishikesh-Ganga, Haridwar-Ganga and Sharda Riverfront at Tanakpur as world class religious and cultural places. He requested a contribution of ?100 crore from THDC's CSR fund and said that this effort will not only strengthen the "Namami Gange" program but will also promote sustainable tourism and local livelihood.

The Chief Minister expressed confidence that with the expected support from the Central Government, Uttarakhand will achieve new heights in the field of housing and infrastructure development along with organizing the upcoming Kumbh in a grand, safe and environmentally sensitive manner.

Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar assured all possible cooperation.

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