Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Pays Tribute to Heroes of Khatima Firing Incident

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid tribute to the soldiers by garlanding their statues at Shaheed Sthal in Khatima. He expressed the state’s gratitude, saying, “These great souls have sacrificed both their present and future for our better future; the people of Uttarakhand will always be indebted to these heroes.”

Dhami highlighted the significance of the Khatima firing incident, which played a crucial role in the creation of Uttarakhand as a separate state. He said, “Even today, the hearts of the people of Khatima, including the people of the entire Uttarakhand, tremble remembering the Khatima firing incident.”

The Chief Minister emphasized the state’s commitment to development, mentioning the implementation of a strict anti-copying law to support the youth. He also paid tribute to the martyrs of the Khatima firing incident, including Bhagwan Singh Sirola, Pratap Singh, Rampal, Salim Ahmed, Gopichand, Dharmanand Bhatt, and Paramjeet Singh.

Dhami outlined various initiatives for the state’s development, such as strengthening infrastructure, education, health, and tourism. He mentioned new policies like the logistics policy, startup policy, and service sector policy. The government is also working on water, forest, and land conservation while balancing ecology and economy.

He announced a 10% horizontal reservation for state agitators and their dependents, and a 30% horizontal reservation for women. Families of martyred agitators receive a pension of Rs 3000 per month, while jailed, injured, and active agitators receive Rs 6000 and Rs 4500 per month, respectively. Free education and travel benefits are also provided to the children of state agitators.

Dhami highlighted efforts to protect the state’s demography, including a strict anti-conversion law and freeing 5000 acres of government land from illegal encroachment. He also mentioned the implementation of an anti-riot law and uniform civil code.

Uttarakhand has secured the first position in the Sustainable Development Goals ranking by NITI Aayog. Dhami credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for inspiring new development dimensions, including the establishment of an Industrial Smart City in Khurpiya of Udham Singh Nagar, which will create new employment opportunities.

In the last three years, the government has provided jobs to over 16,000 youth. Under disaster management, Rs 25 crores have been released for disaster-affected people, with Rs 12 crore 68 lakh already distributed. Dhami thanked the Prime Minister and Home Minister for their support in disaster management efforts.

The Chief Minister concluded by reaffirming the government’s commitment to making Uttarakhand the state of the agitators’ dreams with the mantra of “Vikalp Rahit Sankalp.”