U’khand seeks Rs 55 crore from Centre for police modernization

Dehradun: The Congress-led Harish Rawat government on Friday decided to send a proposal of Rs 55 crore to the Centre for the modernization of state police and to make arrangements for the Ardh Kumbh to be held in Haridwar in January next year.
The decision came hours after chief secretary N Ravi Shankar gave the go-ahead to the proposal at a meeting at the secretariat.
Talking to reporters on Friday at the secretariat, chief secretary N Ravi Shankar said the state government would begin modernizing the Uttarakhand police force soon after the amount was released by the Centre. He added that a part of the sum sought from the Centre would go towards making arrangements for the Ardh Kumbh.
“We are keen to modernize the police force in view the challenges it faces from different quarters,” a senior official in the state home department said.
Chief Minister Harish Rawat told TOI he would urge PM Modi to release the amount at the earliest. “When I meet the prime minister in January, I will also urge him to clear all proposals the state government has made for financial assistance,” Rawat said.