Army chief Bipin Rawat to settle at his ancestral village, post retirement

The chief minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat and his government is under explanation from the media as well as its electorates on the pivotal issue of massive exodus of the hill people towards the towns, cities and metropolises of the state and the country with villages of the Himalayan state becoming empty day by day.

As per the latest figures though disputed n denied by the newly founded Migration Commision of Uttarakhand, recently, about 32 lakh people from the villages of Uttarakhand have migrated to plains during the last 18 years after gaining separate statehood and about 3.5 thousand villages are totally vacant with several villages declared as Ghost villages having turned into dense forests.

This is the intra state as well as outside state migration with 80% being the educated and skilled migrants while 20% being unskilled ones’. The people of the state and the media including the intellecuals and socio political activists hold the successive governments responsible for this unending menace, the reason being exisence of visionless chief ministers and lawmakers who’d never implemented the decentralized socio economic, industrial, agricultural, educational and medial development pattern in the state thus resulting in massive unemployment and lack of socio economic security.

Today, Migration to plains has become a key issue and a mojor factor of curse and in the past too it had resulted in the massive defeat of the then ruling parties whether its the Congress of the BJP.

But despite so much of hullabaloo on this issue nothing concrete seems to be in the offing except the formation of a new Migration Commission in Uttarakhand with its headquarter in Pauri Garhwal.

The previous and the present chief ministers of Congress and BJP have in order to please and appease the angered n disenchanted people of the state, started Hito Pahad and Selfie at the Village initiatives, ensuring reverse migration, spending several crores in advertisements thus wasting the tax payers money, but all in vain.

A high profile programme titled RAAIBAAR meaning message was also organised at the chief minister Trivendra Rawat’s residence a few months ago on this pivotal issue asking people to come back but it also unfortunately backfired despite the pivotal presence of high profile dignitories like PM’s Secretary Mr. Khulbe, Army chief Bipin Rawat, CBFC chairman Prasoon Joshi, RAW chief Dhasmana, CM Trivendra Rawat, NSA’s son Shaurya Doval, and many more.

The government of UK running in a staggering fiscal deficit of Rs 44000 crores has no credible and concrete answer to this vexed issue of massive exodus to cities by the rural folks of Uttarakhand.

Though the government seems to be too serious on the subject but have failed at the ground level as lack of employment avenues, good hospitals, quality education and conducive environment are the major factors that discourage people to return . Moreover, on the issue of Gairsain as the permanent capital of Uttarakhand, the govenment have been completely silent and deliberately ignorant giving the unambiguous impression that it’s really not serious on this core issue.

But if we believe in the latest news, and posts circulating in the social media, the Army chief who’d just visited his village a day or two ago at Saina in Pauri Garhwal district has assured the people and media of returning back to his village after his retirement.

He is planning to construct a new house there. What is shocking and surprising is the fact that there is no road to his village Saina situated in Dwarikhal Block of Pauri Garhwal and had to walk on foot alongwith his wife to reach the village.

If it really happens, it will definitely send a strong signal and message to lot of people living in metropolises or plains to follow suit. Surrounded by the tall snow clad Himalayas with serene beauty, Uttarakhand is the best destination to stay put, but lack of primary facilities and job avenues for survival had resulted in massive migration during the last 18 years.
SUNIL NEGI, PRESIDENT, UTTARAKHAND JOURNALISTS FORUM