Celebrations in Doon today as Dhami govt marks 4 yrs

Dehradun: State govt is gearing up to celebrate four years of the Pushkar Singh Dhami govt at an event in Parade Ground in Dehradun on Monday. Dhami has emerged as the longest-serving BJP chief minister of Uttarakhand and is closing in on the record held by ND Tiwari, who served for five years and five days. Dhami's current term has seen the rollout of several key laws, including the Uniform Civil Code, making Uttarakhand the first state in independent India to implement such legislation. Other measures include anti-conversion, anti-cheating, land and anti-riot laws, along with 30% reservation for women in state govt jobs.The govt has also undertaken administrative and development initiatives, including the formation of a minority education authority to phase out madrassas from July this year and action against encroachments, freeing over 12,000 acres of govt land. Infrastructure projects worth over Rs 2 lakh crore are currently underway.Among major infrastructure initiatives, the Centre has approved a 12.9-km ropeway project from Sonprayag to Kedarnath Dham worth Rs 4,081 crore, and a 12.4-km ropeway from Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib costing Rs 2,730 crore. Additionally, Badrinath is being developed into a smart spiritual town under projects valued at Rs 255 crore.Welfare measures include increased pensions for statehood activists and higher compensation for families of martyred soldiers from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh, while recipients of Param Vir Chakra will now receive Rs 1.5 crore, up from Rs 50 lakh. Additionally, youth recruited under the Agniveer scheme will receive 10% horizontal reservation in state govt jobs.Dhami said the past four years have focused on "service, good governance and public welfare," citing improvements in infrastructure, connectivity, and economic indicators. "We have taken several major steps in the last four years. We are among the top-ranked states in various sectors," he said, adding that the state govt has acted tough against the encroachers.He pointed out that Uttarakhand has come up with several stringent laws, which have brought a positive change. "We were first to come up with UCC. Besides, we have introduced stringent laws to check forceful conversion and copying in competitive exams. A high number of arrests have been made to check corruption and other wrongdoings," said Dhami.However, the opposition has sharply criticised the govt's record and termed Dhami's tenure a "complete failure", alleging shortcomings in education, healthcare, employment and migration control. Congress state chief Ganesh Godiyal said, "There is no check on crime. Mining mafia, land mafia and liquor mafia are extremely powerful, and corruption is at its peak."