Before concluding his Uttarakhand visit on Monday, union minister Dr Jitendra Singh had a meeting with Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, during which, among other issues, he emphasised his concern with the CM to promote agritech startups, since the state had a vast potential for it. He also updated Dhami about the Aroma Mission launched by Council Of Scientific And Industrial Research (CSIR).
The two leaders also discussed the implementation of various Centrally funded schemes in the state and the current affairs related to the state.
Dr Singh urged Dhami to promote agritech startups in the state to arrest the large-scale migration of youth and promised all help from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India.
The union minister said that the geography and climatic conditions in Himalayan states like Uttarakhand favour the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants and these can be developed into agritech and aromatic enterprises. Referring to the huge success of CSIR supported Aroma Mission in Jammu and Kashmir, the minister said, the same can be replicated in a big way in Uttarakhand.
The chief minister also proposed to Dr. Singh setting up of new scientific institutions in the state and extending the services of the existing Indian Institute of Petroleum at Dehradun.
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Dr Jitendra Singh offered support for providing free quality planting material and an end-to-end technology package on cultivation, processing, value addition and marketing of the lavender crop to the farmers. He said, CSIR would provide comprehensive handholding from product development to marketing to the willing youth and farmers. The minister said, as large numbers and area is under small and marginal holdings, appreciable economic outcomes could be achieved by pooling resources for Aroma Mission.
Dhami also discussed a wide range of state-related issues ranging from development to placement of All India Services officers with the union minister. He brought to the notice of Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also minister in-charge in the Department of Personnel & Training (DoP&T), some of the issues related to deputation and placement of IAS officers in Uttarakhand. In response, Dr Jitendra Singh said, he would ask the department to give due consideration to all these issues and examine what best could be done.
The chief minister also urged the union minister to follow up with the Central government on the progress of some of the other proposals of projects in Uttarakhand. The Union Minister in return said that his office would take due cognizance of this.
