DEHRADUN, Aug. 22 -- Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday directed departments to work in coordination to promote reverse migration to Uttarakhand's hill areas and ensure effective implementation of schemes aimed at creating employment and self-employment opportunities in rural areas. Chairing a meeting of the rural development and migration prevention commission at the chief minister's residence, Dhami reviewed the migration situation in the state's mountainous regions and discussed measures to encourage reverse migration, expand livelihood opportunities and provide better markets for local products. During the meeting, officials of the commission briefed the chief minister about the Pravasi Panchayats and migration prevention and self-employment awareness programmes being organised across various districts. Commission members also put forward suggestions for increasing employment and self-employment opportunities in the hill areas and accelerating reverse migration. Dhami directed officials to seriously consider the suggestions made during the meeting and prepare an effective action plan. He said all departments should work in a coordinated manner through their respective schemes and activities to encourage people to return to their villages and create sustainable livelihood opportunities. The chief minister stressed the need to make information about self-employment and livelihood schemes easily accessible to people in rural areas. He directed officials to simplify procedures so that beneficiaries do not have to make unnecessary visits to government offices or banks to avail themselves of scheme benefits. He also called for greater efforts to take information about government schemes to the village level, saying their benefits should reach the maximum number of eligible people. "Uttarakhand's mountainous areas have immense potential for self-employment," Dhami said, adding that local resources, traditional knowledge and skills should be linked with livelihood opportunities to enable young people to earn a living in their villages. He directed officials to promote local products on a wider scale, improve their quality and branding and ensure better market access for them....