Will balance conservation with development, law to protect heritage structures soon: Rajasthan CM

Jaipur, Dec 24 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Wednesday said the state government was committed to balancing heritage conservation with development, adding that the Shekhawati region would receive adequate Yamuna water and see expanded tourism through preservation of its historic havelis.

Addressing a programme in Ramgarh Shekhawati to mark two years of the BJP government, Sharma said 662 historic havelis in Jhunjhunu, Sikar and Churu districts had been identified for conservation and restoration, with plans to develop them as tourism hubs to strengthen the local economy.

He said a law would also be brought to protect these heritage structures.

Sharma announced development projects worth Rs 539 crore for Sikar and Jhunjhunu districts, including road, health and power sector works.

Projects worth over Rs 155 crore were inaugurated or had a foundation stone-laying ceremony in Sikar district, while Jhunjhunu saw projects exceeding Rs 384 crore.

Referring to water scarcity in the region, the chief minister said work on preparing a detailed project report for the implementation of the Yamuna water agreement had begun. He expressed confidence that Shekhawati would receive sufficient water from the river and also cited progress on the Ram Jal Setu link project.

Sharma said the recently announced Rajasthan Film Tourism Promotion Policy-2025 would benefit Shekhawati, a preferred destination for film shoots, by boosting tourism and creating local employment.

Highlighting welfare initiatives, he said more than 12 lakh women had been made "Lakhpati Didis" after providing training to about 19.45 lakh women, while benefits under schemes such as the Lado Protsahan Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana had been enhanced.

The chief minister also claimed that his government had provided jobs to over 92,000 youths, and that recruitment was underway for more than 1.53 lakh posts, reiterating the target of four lakh government jobs in five years.

Urban Development Minister of State Jhabar Singh Kharra said decisions such as the Yamuna water agreement and Ram Jal Setu project would address Shekhawati's long-standing water needs.

The event was attended by several ministers, MLAs and local representatives. PTI AG PRK PRK