Army to help U’khand to check migration from border districts

The Uttarakhand government has decided to take the help of Army and Army veterans in checking migration from the hills, particularly from the border areas with China. The state government plans to run several programmes in this regard with help from Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat who himself hails from the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.

The Indian Army would chip in to help the state government in a number of projects with an aim to check migration from the hill districts of the state which has alarmed security experts. The state has been suffering from large-scale migration from the hill districts due to a variety of reasons. Lack of employment opportunities, poor health and educational facilities, geographical difficulties are some of the reasons behind the mass migration.

The Army has decided to encourage ex-servicemen in the state to participate in the ‘homestay project’ which aims to not only encourage tourism but also to provide economic sustenance to locals. The Army will appoint an officer in the state to coordinate with ex-servicemen regarding the homestay projects. The state government hopes to involve ex-servicemen in the project who are trained and disciplined and could be helpful in reviving abandoned villages through community tourism.

Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj had met Army Chief General Bipin Rawat in this regard in New Delhi recently.

The 2011 Census mentioned that 1065 villages of the state are deserted. The migration from the hilly regions accelerated after the 2013 natural disaster in which more than 5,000 people were killed and private and government infrastructure was nearly destroyed. “There is an immediate need to do something positive to help people stay in their villages,” said Dr Anil Joshi of Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation (HESCO) who undertook the “Gaon Bachao Yatra” across the the state last year.

With health facilities in the mountain regions in a dismal state, the state government has also decided to involve Army in the upkeep of the Srinagar Medical College, which has been suffering from staff and faculty shortage since its inception in 2008. It has been decided to appoint retired Army doctors in the state to overcome shortage of doctors. According to officials, 102 retired Army doctors have applied for jobs in the state.

The Army has also decided to help the state government to plant four lakh walnut trees in the border district of Chamoli to check migration. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had met the Army chief and sought his cooperation in the programme. The Army and ex-servicemen would be involved in planting four lakh walnut trees and upkeep for two years. Later, the plants would be handed over to locals who could earn profits from walnuts which command premium prices in the market. The state government has already identified a site near Gauchar in Chamoli district for the pilot project.