Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday chaired a Cabinet meeting in Banbasa in Champawat district, marking the first such meeting to be held in an area close to the India-Nepal international border.
Speaking about the significance of holding the meeting in Banbasa, Dhami said the state government’s objective is to take governance closer to the people and ensure that policy decisions are informed by the issues and development needs of different regions.
The Chief Minister said the government is making efforts to hold Cabinet meetings in various parts of Uttarakhand instead of limiting them to the state capital Dehradun. Such meetings, he said, provide an opportunity to understand problems being faced by people at the local level, assess development possibilities and formulate decisions accordingly.
Taking to X after the Cabinet meeting, Dhami said, “A cabinet meeting in Banbasa, Champawat, near the India-Nepal international border, marks the beginning of a new initiative in the state. Our effort is to ensure that cabinet meetings are not confined solely to Dehradun, but are held in various districts of the state, so that local problems, possibilities, and development priorities can be understood more closely and effective decisions can be taken.”
“Ensuring equitable development in every sector and reaching the government to every individual is our priority,” he added.
Dhami underlined the strategic and developmental importance of Uttarakhand’s border regions and said that areas along the state’s international borders should not be viewed merely as geographical boundaries.
The Chief Minister stated that border areas are “vital links in our security, culture, and development”, highlighting the need to give greater attention to the people and infrastructure in these regions.
“The government’s priority is to integrate the people living in border areas into the mainstream of development while further strengthening basic facilities, employment, tourism, and connectivity,” he said.
He emphasised that balanced and inclusive development across every region of Uttarakhand remains a commitment of the state government. According to Dhami, development should reach all parts of the state at a similar pace, from villages located along the international border to the plains.
The Chief Minister’s remarks came as the Cabinet meeting was held outside Dehradun, with the government seeking to underline its focus on decentralised governance and region-specific development priorities.
Dhami said that taking important government meetings to different districts would help the administration gain a closer understanding of local challenges and the possibilities available for development in each area.
He also reiterated the government’s focus on strengthening basic amenities, creating employment opportunities, promoting tourism and improving connectivity in border areas, while ensuring that residents of these regions remain closely integrated with the state’s broader development process.
(IANS)
