Dhami gives 'report card' on 3 yrs of second term; cites UCC, anti-conversion laws as key achievements

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday said the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will give equal rights to every citizen of the state regardless of their religion or caste and end the oppression of Muslim women.

Addressing the gathering at a function held at Gandhi Park here to felicitate him on the completion of three years of his second term as chief minister, Dhami said his government is living up to the expectations of the people of Devbhoomi, who have given their mandate to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for a second consecutive term.

"The UCC, which was implemented on January 27, making Uttarakhand the first state in independent India to implement the law, will give equal rights to everyone. It will end the oppression of our Muslim sisters," he said.

He also held out the introduction of a strict anti-cheating (use of unfair means) law as a major achievement of the state government. At least 100 people associated with the copying mafia have been sent to jail and more than 20,000 appointments have been made in a fair and transparent manner, the chief minister said.

"Women have been given a 30-per cent reservation in government jobs. A medical college is being built in Rudrapur. An All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is being built in Kichha. The medical college (in Rudrapur) will start operating by 2026. An international-level airport is being built in Pantnatgar. Our government has approved the Jamrani dam under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the water scheme in Terai Bhavar," he said.

Besides, bus stations are being constructed in Khatima and Kichha, Dhami added. An industrial town will be built on an 1,100-acre land in Khurpiya, in which thousands of people will get employment, he said.

The BJP-led Centre has recently approved ropeways to Hemkund Sahib and Kedarnath, he pointed out. The aim of the government is to ensure that development reaches the last person in the society, Dhami said.

Eight lakh farmers in the state are getting the benefits of the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, he added. An emphasis is being laid on the cultivation of coarse grains water for irrigation is being given free of cost to farmers from canals, the chief minister said.

The name of "East Pakistan" has been removed from the caste certificates of the Bengalis living in the Terai region, he said. Earlier, Dhami held a roadshow from Galla Mandi to Gandhi Park to mark the completion of three years of his second tenure.