Dehradun, 18 February (HS): Today, the budget session of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly started with the Governor's address. Congress MLAs protested and boycotted the address. Governor Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh continued the address even after the opposition MLAs protested.

In the address, the Governor said that many new dimensions have been established in the financial year 2024-25 to achieve the goal of making Uttarakhand the leading state of the country in the series of making India a developed nation by the year 2047. The Governor listed the important achievements of the government in the address. He said that Uttarakhand is the first state to implement the Uniform Civil Code, where the rights of the mother power have been protected. The Governor said that the government has implemented three new criminal laws in the state from July 1, 2024. The Public and Private Property Damage Recovery Act 2024 has been implemented in Uttarakhand. He said that under Operation Smile Abhiyan, missing children are being traced and under Operation Mukti Abhiyan, begging children are being admitted to schools and special efforts are being made to deal with cyber crime in the state.

The Governor expressed his gratitude to the Indian Olympic Association for giving the opportunity to host the National Games and for ensuring that the National Games are conducted successfully. He said that Uttarakhand has created a new record by winning more than 100 medals in the 38th National Games. While talking about the Planning Department, the Governor said that the State Institute for Empowering and Transforming Uttarakhand Setu has been formed on the lines of NITI Aayog in the resources available for rationalization of planning. He said that the government has achieved success by organizing the International Overseas Uttarakhandi Conference and Overseas Conference. The Governor said that the AYUSH Department has organized the World Ayurveda Congress and International Expo in 2024, which have been important efforts towards improving health facilities. He discussed the provision of reservation in government service to the identified agitators of the Uttarakhand State Movement and their dependents by the Department of Personnel and Vigilance. He said that the Social Welfare Department is honoring skilled Divyang employees. The Governor discussed the Tehri Acro Festival organized for the first time in Tehri by the Tourism Department.

The Governor enumerated the achievements of the state government in his one-hour speech.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar