Dhami invites PM Modi to attend National Games in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and invited him to attend the National Games to be held in the state from January 28 to February 14.

Uttarakhand is hosting the event for the first time.

Dhami also presented a shawl made by the artisans of Malari in Chamoli district and a replica of Narayan Ashram to the prime minister during the meeting in the national capital, an official statement released here said.

He informed the prime minister about the development work being carried out in the state and thanked him for providing constant guidance and support.

Work is going on at a fast pace on the first phase of the Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail line project. The survey work of the Tanakpur-Bageshwar rail project has also been completed, Dhami said during his meeting with Modi.

Dhami also urged Modi that the Tanakpur-Bageshwar rail line project be approved and its full cost be borne by the Centre.

The old railway station of Rishikesh should be closed and all trains should be operated from the new Yoga Nagari railway station in the town. The rail track on the land of the old station can be used for the new road system, which will improve traffic, Dhami suggested.

While giving information about the progress of the Jal Jeevan Mission in Uttarakhand, Dhami urged the prime minister to direct those concerned to release the remaining amount of the central contribution allocated for the mission soon.

The chief minister expressed gratitude to him for selecting Rishikesh as an iconic city in river rafting and requested for providing resources from the Centre for the Haridwar-Rishikesh Ganga Corridor and Sharda Corridor project in view of the limited resources of the state.

He informed the prime minister that an MoU is proposed in collaboration with the Iceland Embassy for the exploitation of geothermal energy in the state. The necessary no-objection letter has been received from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India on this MoU.

Dhami sought all technical and financial support for the project so that Uttarakhand could play an important role in achieving the goal of zero carbon emission by the year 2070.

The chief minister also sought the clearance of the proposals sent to the Ministry of Road Transport including Rishikesh Bypass, Haridwar Bypass (Package 2), Dehradun - Mussoorie Connectivity, Dehradun Ring Road, Champawat Bypass, Lalkuan, Haldwani and Kathgodam Bypass and Manaskhand Project.