Dehradun, Aug. 23 -- Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday met Union power minister Manohar Lal Khattar and sought central assistance for infrastructure and housing projects in view of the upcoming Kumbh 2027 in Haridwar, Rishikesh and other pilgrimage centres. During the meeting, Dhami thanked the Union minister for approving the detailed project report (DPR) of Rs.547.83 crore for undergrounding and automation of HT/LT power lines in the Ganga Corridor of Rishikesh under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). He also urged the Centre to expedite approval of a similar Rs.315 crore proposal for the Haridwar Kumbh area under the same scheme. Raising concerns over the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), the CM said private developers were reluctant to participate due to the current whitelisting and redeemable voucher system. He requested a return to the earlier 40:40:20 phased payment model to speed up housing projects. Dhami informed the minister that construction of 15,960 housing units under the Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) component is underway in Uttarakhand, with 15,281 units already allotted. However, beneficiaries in the economically weaker sections (EWS) were facing difficulties in accessing loans due to unorganised income sources and low CIBIL scores. He urged the Centre to issue guidelines to banks, NBFCs, SLBC and the RBI to facilitate credit access for such beneficiaries. Dhami also highlighted the state's efforts to develop the Rishikesh-Ganga, Haridwar-Ganga and Sharda riverfronts at Tanakpur as world-class cultural and religious destinations. He sought a contribution of Rs.100 crore from THDC's CSR fund for these projects, saying the initiative would strengthen the Namami Gange programme and boost sustainable tourism and local livelihoods. Dhami expressed confidence that with central support, Uttarakhand would be able to host Kumbh 2027 in a "grand, safe and environmentally sensitive" manner. Officials said the Union minister Khattar assured the chief minister of all possible cooperation from the Centre. On Thursday, Dhami also met Union youth affairs and sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi to discuss proposals for sports development. He requested funding for several projects, including: High Altitude Centre in Almora, a state-of-the-art sports facility in Dinapani to support athletes in high-altitude training; multi-purpose sports halls, ice skating rink in Dehradun at Maharana Pratap Sports College, adventure training centre in Shivpuri and an indoor rock climbing facility at the Women's Sports College in Champawat....