Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], August 2 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami laid the foundation stone of Gramya Vikas Bhawan to be built at a cost of Rs 58.32 crore here. He also planted saplings on the campus.

The Chief Minister said that this building will prove to be important in the field of rural development.

Dhami said that the state government is promoting local livelihood through the One District, Two Products Scheme and is getting its traditional products recognised at the national and international level through the House of Himalayas brand.

He also informed that work is being done on a plan to export the state's products to major countries worldwide. The government aims to achieve a turnover of Rs 25 crore by 2027, so that thousands of youth, women, and self-help groups of the state can be linked to sustainable livelihoods, a release said.

The Chief Minister said that the economy of the state is getting strengthened through initiatives like the State Millet Mission, Farm Machinery Bank, Apple Mission, New Tourism Policy, New Film Policy, Home Stay, Wed in Uttarakhand and Solar Self-Employment Scheme. Through the Home Stay Scheme, even the remote villages of the state are making their unique identity. Lakhpati Didi Yojana is empowering lakhs of women of the state economically. Self-employment and entrepreneurship have been promoted in rural areas through the Rural Business Incubator Centre Scheme.

Dhami said that the state government has developed various sectors, including religious, adventure, eco-tourism, wellness tourism, agro tourism, and film tourism. He informed that the country's first yoga policy has been launched to establish the state as the global capital of yoga. Four villages of the state, Jakhol, Harshil, Gunji and Soupi, have also been awarded the Best Tourism Village Award by the Union Ministry of Tourism.

The Chief Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, unprecedented work is being done in the rural development sector in the country. Rural areas have been strengthened socially and economically through many schemes like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, MNREGA, National Rural Livelihood Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and Swachhata Abhiyan. Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, the state government is also strengthening the rural economy.

The Chief Minister said that he had adopted the village of Sarkot in the summer capital of Gairsain to make it an ideal village, in which the state government has succeeded. The people of Sarkot are progressing rapidly in the field of animal husbandry, mushroom production, home stay, and millet production.

He said that in the results of the Panchayat elections, 21-year-old Priyanka Negi of Sarkot has been elected as the Pradhan as the youngest representative of the state. He said that soon he will invite Priyanka Negi and will discuss the development of Sarkot and other villages of the state. (ANI)