Summary:
New Delhi/Dehradun: Anil Baluni, BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Uttarakhand on Friday announced that he has launched a pilot project to repopulate a village in Pauri Garhwal district where most of the families have left. “The problem of migration has acquired horrific proportions as one village after the other is turning empty, and the state's distinctive culture is on the verge of extinction. Such villages are often colloquially referred to as ‘ghost villages.’In a statement, Baluni said a programme has been prepared to bring back residents of these villages and he will “work to provide power, water, road and employment” in Baur village, which he has adopted. Interestingly, the maximum abandoned villages in the state — 186 villages — are in Pauri, which is the home district of Uttarakahnd CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, UP CM Yogi Adityanath and Army chief General Bipin Rawat.Poor infrastructure in terms of absence of health and education facilities and lack of employment have been cited as among the primary reasons for the mass migration from the Himalayan state’s villages. It is therefore our duty that we restore the lost glory of these places,” Baluni said.Elaborating further, the parliamentarian said that as part of the endeavour, many youngsters who left their village to work outside will be given alternative employment so as to create reverse migration opportunities and revive the village.“I will visit migrant families living in different parts of the country and also hold talks with associations representing them so that their concerns can be addressed and they are persuaded to go back to their villages,” Baluni said.A recent survey by the state’s Rural Development and Migration Commission had found that the number of uninhabited villages in Uttarakhand has gone up from 1,034 in 2011 to 1,734 in 2018..