Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], January 29 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday reviewed various schemes related to agriculture, animal husbandry, tourism, and industry at the Secretariat, directing officials to focus on connecting people with employment and self-employment opportunities through government initiatives.

He emphasised that complete information on these schemes should be provided to the public through the 'Jan-Jan Ki Sarkar, Jan-Jan Ke Dwar' campaign so that as many people as possible can benefit.

The Chief Minister instructed officials to place special emphasis on youth skill development and to work effectively to provide them with maximum opportunities for self-employment.

He said, 'All departments must ensure that eligible beneficiaries receive the full benefits of schemes in a timely manner. At the same time, it should be ensured that the allocated budget achieves its intended outcomes.'

Dhami also directed that the minutes of high-level meetings must be mandatorily uploaded on the Unnati Portal, a release said.

While reviewing the High-Density Apple Plantation Scheme, the Chief Minister said, 'This ambitious scheme should be implemented effectively to achieve the set targets within the stipulated time and to provide maximum incentives to farmers.'

He further stressed that payments related to farmers should be made on time and instructed officials to expedite efforts to promote kiwi production in the state to ensure better prices for farmers' produce.

The Chief Minister highlighted Uttarakhand's potential in honey production, saying, 'More effective efforts should be made under the Honey Mission to promote honey production. Organic certification of honey produced in the state must be ensured.'

He also directed that teams of officers and experts be sent to states that excel in horticulture and beekeeping to study best practices.

During the meeting, officials informed that 29 products from the state have received Geographical Indication (GI) tags, of which 18 are related to agriculture and allied sectors. This year, 25 more products have been identified for GI tagging.

Under the State Millet Policy, being implemented at a cost of 134 crore, crops such as mandua, jhangora, ramdana, kauni, and cheena have been included. In the first phase, 24 development blocks covering 30,000 hectares have been selected; in the second phase, 44 development blocks covering 40,000 hectares have been selected. Over 5,000 villages have been covered in the first phase, benefiting approximately 1.5 lakh farmers.

A total of 216 procurement centres have been established for the purchase and sale of millet crops, and a revolving fund of 20 crore has been created under the Cooperative Department. Against a target of 5,000 metric tonnes for the current financial year, 5,386 metric tonnes of millet crops have already been procured.

It was further noted that under the Chief Minister Self-Employment Scheme and Chief Minister Self-Employment Scheme 2.0, against a target of 32,000 beneficiaries over four years, 33,620 beneficiaries have received financial assistance totalling 202.72 crore. A target has been set to benefit 9,000 people in the upcoming year.

Under the Tourism Department's Deen Dayal Upadhyay Homestay Scheme, 780 homestays have been established over four years with financial support of 188.58 crore.

Under the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Tourism Self-Employment Scheme, more than 1,000 people have benefited over four years with financial assistance exceeding 105 crore.

Additionally, under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, 17,450 people in the state have gained direct and indirect employment in the fisheries sector. (ANI)