Dehradun, May 25 -- Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday requested for a special national level plan to develop a sustainable drainage system in urban areas, at the 10th governing council meeting of Niti Aayog chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. "Rapid urbanisation in the state has turned drainage issues in cities into a serious challenge and requested a special plan be formulated at the national level to develop a sustainable urban drainage system to address the problem," Dhami said. He also requested the inclusion of lift irrigation in the guidelines of the "PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana". "Due to Uttarakhand's unique geographical conditions, only about 10% of the mountainous region is currently irrigated. Special efforts are underway in the state to conserve rainwater by linking glacier-fed rivers with rain-fed rivers under the River Linking Project, along with the construction of check dams and small reservoirs," he said. Dhami said that in 2026, Uttarakhand will host the "Maa Nanda Raj Jat Yatra", also known as the Mountain Mahakumbh, and in 2027, the Kumbh Mela will be held in Haridwar. He sought support to make both these events "grand and divine." Dhami emphasised on the importance of demographic dividend in building a developed India. He said that it is necessary to harness this dividend within a limited timeframe, and "the coming 10 years are extremely crucial for the state to fully benefit from this advantage". Keeping this in mind, special focus is being given to promoting self-employment at various levels in the state, he said. The chief minister said that although the primary sector contributes only 9.3% to Uttarakhand's GDP, about 45% of the population is engaged in this sector. "To address the issue, the state has started various projects to encourage farmers to shift from low-value agriculture to high-value agriculture, including the Apple Mission, Kiwi Mission, Dragon Fruit Mission, Millet Mission, and promotion of aromatic farming," he said. He further said that under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is moving rapidly toward becoming a developed and self-reliant nation by 2047. The CM said in this mission, the Uttarakhand government is also working with full determination while maintaining sound financial management and fiscal discipline. "In the last three years, the state economy has grown by approximately 1.5 times. In the 2023-24 SDG ranking released by Niti Aayog, Uttarakhand secured first position, and in the CARE Ratings report published this year, the state ranked second among small states in governance and financial management. Under the Prime Minister's guidance, Uniform Civil Code (UCC) law has been implemented in the state. In the last three and a half years, over 23,000 youth in the state have secured government jobs," he said. Dhami said the 38th National Games held in Uttarakhand were organized under the theme of "Green Games," in line with the Prime Minister's Net Zero vision. He said the success of the winter tourism initiative under the Prime Minister's guidance has benefited the state's tourism sector significantly after PM's visit to Harshil and Mukhba....