Governor Bandaru Dattatraya on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and thanked the Prime Minister for his acceptance to inaugurate ‘Global Investors Meet’ being organised by the Himachal Pradesh government at Dharamshala.
He said that the state government has succeeded in signing Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) Rs 85 thousand crore so far.
All these efforts would create new employment opportunities in various sectors and bring prosperity in the life of the people of the state, he added.
The Governor thanked the Prime Minister for granting in-principle approval for construction of International Airport in Mandi district and expansion of Shimla, Kangra and Kullu airports in collaboration with Airports Authority of India.
He said that there was a great need for expansion and strengthening of railway services in Himachal Pradesh.
The Shimla railway line should be upgraded and urged for cooperation in completing the work of the strategically important Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri-Leh railway line.
Dattatraya said that there is immense potential for tourism in Himachal Pradesh and the state government has taken several steps to promote tourism activities.
He apprised that he has proposed to start Himachal Tourism Centers in the states of Telangana and Karnataka so that tourism could also play a major role in connecting northern India with the south.
Governor also apprised that the state was vulnerable to natural disasters like flash floods, cloudbursts, forest fires, droughts, cold waves and avalanches and therefore there was a need for enhancing the size of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and SDRF be funded 100 per cent by the Central Government.