Dehradun, Oct. 5 -- Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the cabinet meeting held on Sunday in Banbasa, adjoining the India-Nepal international border in Champawat district, was an initiative to take governance to the state's remote and border areas. It was the first cabinet meeting to be held in Champawat. "Border areas are not merely the geographical boundaries of the state but an important link to our security, culture and development," Dhami said. He said the government's priority was to connect people living in border areas with the mainstream of development by strengthening basic infrastructure, employment opportunities, tourism and connectivity. "The aim is to take governance closer to the people. Holding cabinet meetings in different parts of the state will help the government understand local conditions, public expectations and development needs and take decisions on them," the chief minister said. Reacting to the move, state Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal said : "The government can hold cabinet meetings anywhere, but people will ask questions on burning issues and the government should answer them. What benefit did the people of the state get from giving its resources to mafias? What benefit did people get from the sale of jobs in the state? The government should answer these questions."htc...