Uttarakhand CM Dhami says students’ suggestions will be considered in government policies

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday said suggestions and ideas put forward by school students would be considered for inclusion in government policies, as he interacted with students from across the state under the Chief Minister Yuva Vidyarthi Manthan programme.

Dhami also launched the “Chief Minister Yuva Vidyarthi Manthan” portal and an essay competition on “My Dream Uttarakhand: My Vision for a Developed State”. The information was contained in a Uttarakhand government press release.

More than three lakh students of Classes 11 and 12 from 2,828 government and private schools participated virtually in the programme, according to the release.

Students raise issues around sports, education and environment

During the interaction, students suggested increasing opportunities for sports and holding sports periods four days a week in schools. They also spoke about strengthening higher education in the state, promoting tourism and giving priority to environmental protection alongside development, according to the government.

Dhami noted the suggestions and directed officials to prepare an action plan based on them. He said the suggestions made by students would also be considered in government policies.

The chief minister told students that they would be among those leading Uttarakhand and the country in the future. He advised them to focus on understanding subjects rather than concentrating only on examination marks and encouraged them to approach studies as a means of building their future.

Dhami also spoke about the use of artificial intelligence. According to the release, he advised students to first use their own judgement, reasoning and thinking abilities and seek guidance from teachers before turning to AI when required. He said technology should support, rather than replace, their ability to think and learn.

140 students to receive support for competitive exams

The essay competition launched under the programme will be based on the theme of a developed Uttarakhand and students’ vision for the state.

The government will honour 140 students who perform best in the competition, the release said. For the selected students, the state government will bear the cost of coaching for competitive examinations including NEET, JEE, CLAT and SAT, along with other necessary fees.

Dhami also spoke about the importance of sports alongside academics and referred to the state’s existing Mukhyamantri Udyaman Khiladi Unnayan Yojana.

Separately, the chief minister held a virtual meeting with district magistrates to review the monsoon situation, Char Dham and Kanwar yatras, disaster management, road conditions and other administrative matters.

Dhami sets October 15 deadline for pothole-free roads

During the meeting, Dhami directed officials to keep the disaster-management system on alert during the monsoon and ensure that officials remain accessible. District magistrates were asked to prepare details of roads damaged by heavy rain, blocked routes and problems with drainage systems.

The chief minister directed officials to begin a state-wide campaign to make roads pothole-free after the monsoon and prepare district-level action plans for the work. He set October 15 as the deadline for making all roads in the state pothole-free.

Dhami also directed officials to accelerate “Jan-jan ki Sarkar, Jan-jan ke Dwar” camps after the monsoon in areas where they have not yet been held. He asked officials to regularly review the 1905 Chief Minister Helpline and speed up verification drives for government schemes.

Officials were also directed to identify ineligible beneficiaries under schemes including ration cards and Ayushman cards and take action according to rules.

The chief minister further directed officials to identify roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana that have completed five years and are in poor condition, assess their condition and prepare plans for resurfacing and improvement.