Union Minister of State for Development of Northeastern Region, Dr Jitendra Singh, today said that equitable development of all regions of the state tops the agenda of the government.The Minister said this during an event organized to distribute LPG connections among the beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) held at New Community Hall, Udhampur.MLAs, Pawan Kumar Gupta and Dina Nath Bhagat besides Deputy Commissioner Niraj Kumar were present on the occasion.Nearly, 500 new LPG connections were distributed among the female beneficiaries from the BPL families.Speaking on the occasion, Dr Singh reiterated government’s commitment for equitable development of all the regions in the state saying that concerted efforts are being made to implement various developmental plans judiciously.Dr. Singh also emphasized on the 'Give-it-up' campaign launched by the present Government in which many people had voluntarily surrendered their cooking gas subsidies. He said providing LPG connections to BPL households would ensure universal coverage of cooking gas in the country besides empowering women and protecting their health. Regarding covering the left-out under PMUY, he said that PMUY Plus will ensure covering of all such people under the scheme.
Elaborating on the Holy Devika Rejuvenation Project, Dr Singh said that the project is not only important from the environment viewpoint but the religious sentiments of the people of Udhampur are also associated with this project as the river is one of the most pious rivers in the country and is considered as the sister of Holy Ganges.Regarding the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel, the Minister stated that it is one of the major achievements in the field of technology and is a matter of pride for the people of Udhampur as the tunnel is one of its kind in the state and would also provide better connectivity to Kashmir Valley besides promoting tourism. Addressing a long pending demand regarding establishing of radio station at Udhampur, the Minister informed that the project has been approved by the present Government. He directed the Deputy Commissioner to take necessary steps in this regard. Dr Singh further told that various roads under PMGSY have also been sanctioned by the Government for providing better connectivity to the rural and far-flung areas.Later, the MLAs put forth the demands of the people of their respective constituencies.It was also informed that about 38900 households have been identified in Udhampur, of which, seeding of about 12000 families have been accomplished and about 7000 households have been provided the LPG connections under PMUY.Among others, regional manager HPCL Ajay Singh, SP Udhampur Shailendra Mishra, ADC Udhampur Angrez Singh Rana and other district officers were present on the occasion.