Uttarakhand CM Dhami announces statewide cleanliness drive during tours

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has introduced a new initiative to reinforce the message of cleanliness across the state.

Under this drive, a cleanliness campaign will be mandatorily organized in every area he visits or stays overnight. The campaign aims to amplify the message of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Mission and extend its impact to every street and village of Uttarakhand.

The Chief Minister has issued strict directions to all municipal bodies, gram panchayats, and District Magistrates to treat this initiative as a mission-mode activity and prioritise cleanliness efforts locally. He has also encouraged active participation from citizens, especially the youth and voluntary groups, in making the initiative successful.

“It is our resolve to take Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Mission to every village and every street,” CM Dhami said. “Wherever I go or stay overnight, a pledge of cleanliness will be taken there. This is not just cleanliness, but a movement of social awareness.”

Further emphasizing administrative accountability, the Chief Minister also informed District Magistrates that he might make unannounced visits to Tehsil Diwas events across the state to review administrative functioning and ensure that citizens’ issues are being promptly addressed.

The campaign is expected to not only strengthen sanitation systems in Uttarakhand but also help transform the Swachh Bharat Mission into a true people’s movement.

In addition, a cabinet meeting chaired by CM Dhami approved several important proposals. These include amendments to the departmental framework of the Uttarakhand Biotechnology Council, which will now maintain integrated cadre posts at the Haldwani Headquarters and Dehradun Centre.

To enhance disaster readiness, approval was granted for the creation of 18 new posts in the Geology and Mining Department to address land subsidence incidents.

The cabinet also cleared the final notification for flood plain zoning along both banks of the Asan River—from Bhatta Fall to the Asan Barrage—with some construction activities being placed in the permissible category.

The Uttarakhand Infrastructure and Industrial Development Board (UIIDB) has been authorised to monetise the operation of five Public Works Department inspection buildings located in Ranikhet, Uttarkashi, Duggalbitta, Harshil, and Rishikesh under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Additionally, the formation of the Uttarakhand State Allied and Healthcare Council has been approved in accordance with the National Allied and Healthcare Professions Commission Act, 2021.

The cabinet has also decided that the fund collected through cess on foreign liquor and beer sales will be utilised under the Chief Minister's Women and Child Multipurpose Assistance Fund (Corpus Fund).

This fund will support schemes benefiting women and children, as well as initiatives for orphaned children, destitute individuals, and elderly women affected by disasters.