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Union minister for synergy among Himalayan states
‘Make best use of central schemes’
CM’s 100 Days in Office
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Gharat link between U‘khand, Sikkim
Kiran Bedi launches Mission Safer India
Roorkee reels under power cuts
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Union minister for synergy among Himalayan states
Dehradun, October 4 Dr Joshi said as the Himalayan states shared similar geographical settings and these could become a crucible for future innovations in rural technologies. The minister said rural technologies could play a big role in providing livelihood to the youth, thereby arresting the trend of rural people migrating to urban areas. To ensure that these age-old technologies remain relevant, they need to be linked with employment. “The Ministry of Rural Development is keen on giving the status of a mission to region-specific technologies, so that their propagation and implementation can be carried out urgently,” said Dr Joshi. On a visit to the city at the invitation of the Himalayan Environment Studies and Conservation Organisation (HESCO), the minister also inspected three water mills at Dakara near here. Technologically advanced gharats (water mills) have become models of development in rural areas, encouraging traditional gharat operators not to abandon their ancestral water mills. Dr Joshi said the propagation of rural technologies through self-help groups had given them a new lease of life. “Ideally, the technologies are best suited for reducing workload among villagers and even removing redundancies by creating a demand for jobs,” Joshi stressed. Replying to a question on the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme in Uttarakhand, the minister said: “Though the Centre had released funds worth Rs 200 crore for the works to be undertaken under NREGA, only works worth Rs 100 crore have so far been carried out. We were told that works at certain places could not be carried out as these comprised forest areas and needed clearance. The matter is being looked into,” stressed the minister. Dr Joshi said under a component plan, the central government provided 40 per cent assistance that could go forward only if respective state governments took lead in identifying their needs. “The Centre and the state have to together work as a unit to take forward the process of development and we will continue to assist Uttarakhand.” States have been asked to give greater powers and responsibilities to the Panchayati Raj Institutions in true spirit of the Act, Dr Joshi said, adding “we are encountering problems as the devolution of power at the grass-roots level at times may be slow”. When told that Uttarakhand did not have its on Panchayati Raj Act, the minister said the matter would be taken up through appropriate channels.
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‘Make best use of central schemes’
Dehradun, October 4 Addressing “Rural Development of Himalayas”, a workshop held under a joint initiative of the Himalayan Environment Study and Conservation Organisation (HESCO) and Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, the minister asked the Uttarakhand government to adopt an innovative approach for extracting the best from the rural development schemes. He laid emphasis on a sustainable development of the Himalayas through rural development. He said employment was subject to opportunities and that the rural development must be used to create new opportunities. Earlier, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank sought a separate policy for the Himalayan states. He called for doling out more concessions in rural development schemes taking into account geographical and other adverse conditions faced by the hilly areas. The Chief Minister said an unstable Himalayas, whether on environment or security front, could not be to nation’s interests. He asked the Rural Development Minister for strengthening Uttarakhand to serve the larger interest of the country. Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana disputed Uttarakhand Chief Minister’s claims that the Centre was not doing enough for Uttarakhand. In his address, he said people’s interests needed to be kept foremost in mind while framing development policy for the hilly areas. He said it was certainly a matter of introspection as to why the locals in the past few decades had started distancing themselves from forests. Dr Anil Joshi, founder president, HESCO, said rural development in the Himalayas was a matter of urgent concern and need to be taken up on a priority. He said while the Himalayas was a water storage house of the country, most of the water that emanated from Himalayan rivers rather went to the benefit of those living in plains. The two-day workshop will witness addresses by Dr RBS Rawat, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Uttarakhand, Dr Madan Kimothi, Director, Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, Dehradun, Dr MC Nautiyal, Dean (Hill Campus), GB Pant University for Agriculture and Technology, Rani Chauri, and Dr Mahendra Kunwar and others.
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CM’s 100 Days in Office
Dehradun, October 4 Interestingly, the presence of Bhagat Singh Koshiyari at the birthday celebration of his bete noire BC Khanduri on October 1, speaks volumes about frustration among senior party leaders at the success of Dr Nishank. Underdog Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has shown that he did well than his peers and predecessors on all fronts. He, after taking over reins of the state from Major-Gen BC Khanduri (retd) in June this year, passed the first acid test by performing well on the floor of the state assembly and getting a tax-free budget passed. For the past several years, the Uttarakhand assembly had become a battleground for scoring brownie points than being a forum of serious debate on public issues and law making. It just became mandatory for the Opposition to disrupt proceedings on one demand or the other as the ruling benches refused to oblige them forcing them to boycott the proceedings. The official business was then transacted without participation of the Opposition and completed within hours. However, the Chief Minister soon after taking over gave more room to the Opposition than his predecessors and there were more useful discussions this time in the state assembly after a long long time. The Chief Minister also proved lucky and got the entire annual plan size that he proposed to the Planning Commission. In the administration also, he conducted surprise checks and took action against erring employees and officials, giving a message that he meant business. He also allocated districts to his senior “babus”, including Principal Secretaries, and directed them to hold regular “Janata Darbars” in remote and hilly areas to listen to the grievances of common persons. “I have completed 100 days in office but it was the continuation of the two and half years of the rule by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state,” he said humbly. He reiterated his resolve to work on the priority sectors of tourism, Ayurveda, including herbal potential of Himalayas, and harnessing hydroelectric potential of the state. Before going to the national Capital to attend a crucial Ganga River Basin Authority meeting, Dr Nishank said work on the Kishau dam on the Yamuna, which had been hanging fire for the past 33 years, would be started soon as Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal had also given his consent for the 600-MW project that would cost Rs 10,000 crore. “Since 12 villages of Himachal Pradesh would be submerged, the consent of Himachal Pradesh was a must,” he added. Similarly, he was able to make a headway in the Jamrani dam project coming up near Haldwani and the Song dam near Dehradun, as both these projects would benefit large populations in Dehradun and Haldwani. But, it was the political acumen of Dr Nishank that had even baffled his bitter critics. A win in the Vikasnagar assembly byelection was a glittering moment in his political career. When none, including RSS bosses and senior party leaders, give any chance of a win in a constituency having more than 20 per cent Muslim population, Dr Nishank showed his managerial skills by winning over the community in a suttle manner. It has became a matter of great debate and discussion not only among BJP and RSS circles but also in Opposition Congress that considered Muslim votes as its own, on how the Chief Minister worked hard to hand over a defeat to confident Congress and register his first electoral win.
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Gharat link between U‘khand, Sikkim
Dehradun, October 4 Envisaging interest in technology, MP from Sikkim PD Rai, who is here on a visit with Union Rural Development Minister CP Joshi, has held talks with the HESCO that is responsible for making functional eight defunct water mills around Dehradun. “We do not have these water mills in Sikkim. It has an immense potential in developing into a micro power plan. We are keen on replicating the experiment. In Sikkim, we have Buddha wheel that is used purely for religious purposes,” added Rai. What caught visitor’s attention was the sustainability of the gharats (water mills) that could act as micro hydro-power plants. At Dakra, three water mills are running and sustaining the activities of a women self-help goup. “We have been providing technological enhancement to the local water-mills that are being used to grind wheat regularly as these could not sustain for long and required upgrade,” said Manoj Joshi, a volunteer with HESCO. Existing gharat is capable of grinding around 70kg-80kg of wheat and can run for seven-eight hours a day. It gives roughly six-seven quintals of flour. Nearby a fabrication unit has been established, which is working on the technology provided by HESCO. Along with the MP from Sikkim, Uttarakhand Minister for Women and Empowerment Vijaya Barthwal, Hemanti Gunjyal, Project Director, DRDA, and Dr RS Pokhria, CDO, Dehradun, were present.
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Kiran Bedi launches Mission Safer India
Dehradun, October 4 Launched at Doon International School, the e-complaint website www.saferindia.com endeavours to connect ordinary citizens with the police force. It is part of the India Vision Foundation, founded by Kiran Bedi, which works in the areas of police and prison reforms and women empowerment. Speaking at the launch, Dr Bedi said it was a common compliant against the police about failure to respond to complaints. “We have received numerous complaints from people of the state who wanted a platform to do so. Now by establishing the chapter we have moved in that direction,” said Dr Bedi. She stressed that the organisation would be in a supportive role, without posing any challenge to the police. On being asked the main motivation behind setting up Safer Mission, Bedi said it was for creating greater accountability. “My experience as part of the police force for several years made me realise that there is a greater need for an active redressal system that will not only strengthen policing, but also empower common citizens”. She stressed on the need for vigilant citizenry that was not only aware of its rights, but also duties. “People become more responsive with information sharing and a good redressal system automatically does wonders to the image of the police. If justice at a click away, people’s faith in the system grows,” she stressed. She also announced the nomination of DS Mann, as president of the Uttarakhand chapter of Mission Safer India, along with former cops Ajit Singh and KK Gautam. On the occasion computer training course for children of police personnel was also inaugurated.
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Roorkee reels under power cuts
Roorkee, October 4 The authorities attribute the crisis to a reduction in power generation at the main grid of the state. Flow into the Gang canal has temporarily been stopped till Diwali for maintenance. Owing to stoppage of flow into the canal, there has been no generation at power houses at Pathri and Mohammadpur, which have been built on the canal. However, DGM of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (Roorkee division) MS Chandola said the generation in these two power houses was very less. “The temporary closure of the two power houses does not have a major affect on the power situation. In fact, the main reason behind the roasting of power supply is that we have not received adequate supply from the main grid,” said Chandola. The authorities said in winters the situation was not likely to change much. Meanwhile, farmers, who need water for irrigation for their rabi and barseem season, are upset over the power cuts. “We have been suffering a lot due to unscheduled power cuts. At this time, when the sowing season of rabi and barseem crops is on the cards, much water is needed. We have to purchase diesel to run our tubewells. This is just like a double blow to us,” lamented Rajvi and Shahzad, farmers of a nearby village. The industrial sector is also suffering losses due to unscheduled power cuts. “Owing to power cuts in summer, the industrial production here has come down by more than 50 per cent this year,” said RP Sharma, senior vice-chairman of the Bhagwanpur Industrialists Association. According to the power authorities, Roorkee division has been getting around 90 million units per month against an actual demand of around 100 million units.
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Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Rural Development CP Joshi today called for creating a synergy among Himalayan states in order to bridge economic inequalities and remove backwardness.
No one gave him much weight as he was seen as the one who had managed to get the chair of Chief Minister in the fight between two senior party leaders, namely BC Khanduri and Bhagat Singh
Koshiyari. But, on the completion of hundred days in office, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank could draw satisfaction at his performance during the period.
Dehradun, October 4
