Almora: A key meeting regarding the structure of the District Plan for the current financial year was held at the Vikas Bhawan Auditorium under the chairmanship of District In-charge Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat. The meeting approved a total budget of ₹7475.70 lakh for the financial year 2025-26, which includes ₹5715.70 lakh under the general sector, ₹1737.30 lakh under SCSP, and ₹22.70 lakh under TSP.
The meeting began with District Magistrate Alok Kumar Pandey welcoming the minister with a bouquet. Chief Development Officer Divesh Shashni presented the department-wise allocation and highlighted various provisions under the district plan. He also gave an overview of innovations and achievements from the previous year.
Key departmental allocations include:
Water Institute: ₹1320.47 lakh
Public Works Department: ₹1053.47 lakh
Home Guard and Youth Welfare: ₹507.45 lakh
Tourism Department: ₹450 lakh
Medical and Health: ₹320 lakh
Drinking Water Corporation: ₹540 lakh
Agriculture Department: ₹320 lakh
Education Department: ₹370 lakh
Animal Husbandry: ₹386 lakh
The minister emphasized timely and quality implementation of all proposed projects. He instructed that all proposals from public representatives be included without bias, and that departments must maintain coordination and respond to correspondence from public representatives.
Public representatives raised various issues concerning their constituencies and demanded prompt action. The District Magistrate instructed officials to resolve public issues swiftly and ensure that calls from citizens are answered without fail.
He also informed that this year’s district plan includes new tourism initiatives such as developing Jata Ganga’s origin point as a pre-wedding destination and the nearby Airavat Cave as a yoga and meditation site. Additionally, model schools will be developed in every block in coordination with local MLAs.
Foundation Laid for Arts and Science Faculty Building at SSJ University
Before the meeting, Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat laid the foundation stone for a new Arts and Science Faculty Building under Soban Singh Jeena University, with a total cost of ₹26 crore. On this occasion, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Satpal Singh Bisht, Registrar Devendra Singh Bisht, and student union representatives were present.
MLAs Madan Singh Bisht (Dwarahat), Dr. Pramod Nainwal (Ranikhet), Mohan Singh Mehra (Jageshwar), representatives from Salt, MP representatives, Mayor Ajay Verma, and District Planning and Statistics Officer Renu Bhandari were also present along with all key departmental officials.
