The fiscal deficit of Uttarakhand which was merely Rs. Two to four thousand crores in 2002-2004 has in the last twenty one years galloped to staggering Rs. 70 thousand crores, even more or equal to the state’s budget. When the new state comes into existence twenty five years are more than enough for it to prove its outstanding capacity and capability to create or generate its own sources of income thus bridging the fiscal deficit as well as add to development of the state. Unfortunately during the last twenty five years the BJP and Congress governments which has ruled the state alternatively with BJP breaking this myth and continuing for the second term since 2022 couldn’t generate sources to create its own resources of income except taking large credits from various international agencies paying thousands of crores as interest every month or year at the cost of the public exchequer, though those in the higher echelon of political Power including the bureaucracy are enjoying the fruits of luxury and vulgar ostentation to the hilt. To be very honest the new state of Uttarakhand achieved at the cost of forty six invaluable lives of young boys, men and women with thousands going behind bars and losing their near and dear ones etc has actually proved to be a winning lottery ticket for the politicians of both the national parties who have allegedly not only minted and amassed tremendous wealth and enhanced their status the people of the state are still reeling under abject poverty, overburdened with the weight of skyrocketing inflation, massive unemployment, zero health facilities in the interiors of the rural Uttarakhand, their lands sold extensively at the hands of the outside land sharks and whatever is left has gone to winds after families being spoiled due to massive spread of liquor network in the interiors of Garhwal through massive opening of liquor outlets at the decentralised levels including in grocery shops. The state government prefers to collect more than Rs.4000 crores annually from massive liquor sales in entire Uttarakhand spoiling millions of families , their health and character.Today Uttarakhand is symbolised as ” Suraj Asth Uttarakhand mast “. Shame on US. It may be recalled that since the chief ministership tenure of Trivendra Singh Rawat in 2016 and under the present CM Pushkar Singh Rawat number of much hyped and publicised foreign investment summits took place in Dehradun Uttarakhand with chief minister and ministers acknowledging outstanding welcome in UK, USA and European countries assuring of several thousand crores of foreign investment. Several hundred crores were spent on high profile foreign tours, publicity hype and today nothing is being talked about these two high level foreign investment summit as the state’s fiscal deficit gap goes on multiplying. Has any CM previous and precent ever given any feedback as to how many thousands of crores of foreign investment has come to Uttarakhand regarding which they were so outstandingly vociferous while speaking to media for chief publicity. The massive migration from Uttarakhand to cities , township and metropolises with over three thousand schools going empty and more than thirty lakhs people making rural Uttarakhand peopleless including three thousand villages becoming ghost villages itself speaks the story of the apathy, negligence, vision less leadership of the state. Apart from this the finder of SDC and renowned social activist, environmental expert Vinod Nautiyal has posted a picture of good number of liquor bottles found in Rishikesh, the pious township writing in X : This photograph of #Rishikesh with empty liquor bottles has gone viral on social media. Several influencers with large following are saying that don’t come to #Uttarakhand and #Himachal this summer and that Maa Ganga does not need this empty liquor bottles and all sorts of trash. What do you think? Asks Anoop Nautiyal to the government of Uttarakhand. Even the former Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal criticized the BJP Uttarakhand govt for corruption saying that in its 3 years of achievements, the Dhami government has raised the flag of corruption. “Made four into eight and did the trick”. A senior journalist and news editor with The Tribune Daily ( English, Hundi) Chandigarh Ishwar Prasad Dhyani too is very much concerned about the degrading services in Uttarakhand. He says : Uttarakhand was carved out of UP for hill people so that they could earn their livelihood in their areas and also live there. Unfortunately, what has happened in 25 years is contrary to this motive. All industries, SEZs and job opportunities were created in plains that I could never understand why they were included in Uttarakhand.
Where are we today after twenty five protracted years ? The people want an answer.
