Uttarakhand wants Niti Ayog to provide special financial packages and development models for the Himalayan states.

Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will raise this demand in the Niti Ayog meeting of the chief ministers on Saturday citing the difficult terrains of the hill states leading to high construction costs.

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The Uttarakhand chief minister will demand from Niti Ayog special financial assistance packages for the hill states, a separate development model and increased allocations to the Himalayan states in Centrally-sponsored schemes.

State government officials informed that the demand for a separate financial package assistance and development model is based on the fact that cost of construction in the hills is substantially high compared to plains. Apart from, this Dhami will raise the resumption of halted hydropower projects in Niti Ayog meeting of the chief ministers.

According to the state officials, more than 20 hydropower projects located in Mandakini, Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers valleys are kept on hold for want of clearances. The situation remained the same for more than 10 years immediately after the 2013 natural disaster in Uttarakhand. Although the ban imposed on these projects by the Supreme Court was lifted, these projects are still stuck in the wrangling of the Union Jal Shakti Ministry.

Apart from these, Dhami will demand from the Ayog separate developmental master plans for Yamunotri and Gangotri pilgrimage centers in tune with the plans of the Kedarnath and Badrinath. Dehradun-Mussoorie rail project is also in Chief Minister Dhami’s kitty

Dhami has been raising these issues with the Centre from different platforms and now decided to take them up with Niti Ayog as well.