|
|
|
|
Politics over industrial package hots up
Man-eater leopard trapped; 2 cubs found dead
|
|
|
Nishank Speak
Lecture series on biotechnology soon
Grammy winner Vishwa Mohan charms audience
Career launchers expect more aspirants for law courses
Kumbh: 22 disabled couples tie knot
It’s traffic jam all the way in Haridwar
Falling Credit-Deposit ratio
Ajmer’s sizzling 78 sails Ajabpur Youngsters to victory
Himalaya Cricket Academy win T20 title
IMA Rafting Expedition
Hot shot
|
|
Politics over industrial package hots up
Dehradun, March 29 Realising that Nishank has cornered the Congress, Uttarakhand Congress leaders today woke up to the ground reality and met party president Sonia Gandhi to demand an extension of the industrial package. Uttarakhand Congress chief Yashpal Arya, Tehri Garhwal MP Vijay Bahuguna, Leader of Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly Harak Singh Rawat, deputy leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Tilak Raj Behad and Congress general secretary in charge RK Dhawan went to Sonia Gandhi and told her about the tirade launched by the state BJP government on the issue. They reportedly pleaded that despite giving several projects, including the IIM at Kashipur, NIIT at Pauri Garhwal, Central university status to HNB Garhwal University, one-rank-one-pension benefits to ex-servicemen and Rs 400 crore as Kumbh assistance, the state BJP government started a vicious campaign against the Union government and the Congress in particular on the issue of extension of industrial package. They also argued that being a nascent state, Uttarakhand need extension of the industrial package till 2013. Yashpal Arya claimed Sonia Gandhi sympathetically listened to their demand and also assured the delegation to take up the issue with the Prime Minister. Uttarakhand was given a special industrial package in 2003 for 10 years by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Industries commencing production before the expiry of the package were eligible for concessions. The concessional period was modified initially to 2004 when the United Pogressive Alliance (UPA) government came to power in may 2004 and then further extended up to March 31, 2007. After a hue and cry, the period was further extended up to March 31, 2010. Nishank launched a tirade against the Central government on the issue and had been demanding the extension of the concessional period till 2020 for the state. He wrested the initiative from the Congress by making the issue as a case of discrimination against the state. He realised that by taking the issue to such a pitch, he and his party would stand to gain. If the Central government concedes his demand than he would emerge victorious as getting a major concession from the Central government directly linked with the industrial investment in the state and the resultant industrial growth that in turn would provide employment to the local unemployed youth. On the other hand, if the Centre failed to fulfil the demand, he would be making it a political issue in the 2012 scheduled Assembly elections in the state. With nothing to lose, the Chief Minister has gone on the offensive. Waking up to the political reality staring them in the face, faction-ridden Uttarakhand Congress leaders gathered to do some damage control. “We have also sought an appointment with the Prime Minister to apprise him with the demand. But, we are sure that Sonia Gandhi would not let us down,” hoped Arya.
|
|
Man-eater leopard trapped; 2 cubs found dead
Pitthoragarh, March 29 “A female leopard, which supposedly had killed an eight-year-old girl at Chamali village last week, has been caught alive in a trap installed by the Forest Department in that area,” said Nishant Varma, District Forest Officer (DFO), Pitthoragarh. The leopard has been brought to the district headquarters and will be sent to a rehabilitation centre. Two badly rotted bodies of leopard cubs that had died some days ago were also found in the vicinity of the forest near the Police Lines. “The leopard cubs aged below one year seem to have died either of starvation or might have been killed by some other wild animal,” said the DFO. He said the nails and moustache of the dead animals were missing, indicating that the villagers were aware about the death of these cubs. “With the finding of three leopards in a single day, it is apparent that the carnivores are facing a crisis in the area due to a lack of prey. “The trapped female leopard and the two cubs found dead near the human habitation might be in search of food which they could not find in the forest,” said the DFO.
|
|
Nishank Speak
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has been assured by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he will talk to Union Finance Minister Parnab Mukherjee on the issue of industrial package extension in the state.
During his meeting with the Prime Minister in New Delhi, Nishank told him that the special industrial package was initially given to the state by the previous NDA government for 10 years till 2013 but was cut short by the UPA government till March 31, 2010. He alleged that it was a grave injustice to the new state as it had never happened that a concession once given had been withdrawn. He said the package for the North-East and Jammu and Kashmir had been extended while Uttarakhand with similar geography and conditions had been denied the concession. Nishank demanded that the package be extended till 2020 and should also include the hilly areas so that a uniform industrial development could take place in the state. Nishank told the Prime Minister that industrial investment worth Rs 30,000 crore was in the pipeline and non-extension of the industrial package would have an adverse effect on this investment which in turn would retard the pace of economic development and employment generation. He hoped that with the proposed industrial investment, more than two lakh youth would get employment in the state. Nishank emphasised that 66 per cent of the land of the state had been under forest cover and the state shares long international border with China and Nepal. He said migration from the border areas would increase which would have a negative effect on the security of the country if the pace of economic development was retarded. He also informed the Prime Minister about the resolution passed unanimously by the state assembly on the issue.
|
|
Lecture series on biotechnology soon
Dehradun, March 29 Amit Kapoor, Director of the college, said though the strength of the auditorium was 600, this year they had expanded it to 800 seeing the response of the students. He said more than 200 students of Beehive College were participating, while the rest were from other institutions of Dehradun. Eminent guest speakers who would be there at the lecture series include AK Mishra, Director of Project Directorate on Cattle, ICAR, Meerut, Dr CB Gena, former Vice-Chancellor of Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Bikaner, Prof GS Randhawa, IIT, Roorkee, Dr Ajay Thakur, scientist of Tissue Culture Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Dr AK Sharma, Assistant Director of the Department of Bio Fertiliser, Bio Agriculture, Pant Nagar, and Dr Sk Gupta, scientist of the Department of Animal Ecology and Conservative Biology, WII, Dehradun. The students after the lecture series will give a presentation on “Environmental Biotechnology” theme. A competition will also be held on the basis of the theme.
|
||
|
Grammy winner Vishwa Mohan charms audience
Haridwar, March 29 Today, it was Grammy award-winner and noted exponent of Mohan Veena Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt who mesmerised the audience. Bhatt, who is known in the musical world for his fusion music, innovation and pan-cultural collaborations, let the audience take dip in the melody of the Mohan Veena. True to his name (as in Hindi “Vishwa” means the “world” and Mohan the “charmer”) Vishwa Mohan Bhatt really charmed the audience with his stellar performance on the Mohan Veena, a musical instrument that Bhatt has himself invented. With a mesmerising speed and spell-casting versatility, Bhatt, also a Padma Shri awardee, showed that in this field his expertise is surely
incomparable. Bhatt perfectly combined his Mohan Veena slide with Rajasthani folk dance and song presentation, which has got him international recognition. The combination was such that it seemed that the Mohan Veena and Rajasthani folk compliment each other better than any other dance or instrument. These Rajasthani folk artistes from Barmer district Magnayar clan dipped the evening in their colours with their first stage presentation itself with a spectacular performance on folk song “Padharo mahre desh…”. And then they presented many songs that have been adapted by Hindi movies like “Nimbuda-nimbuda…”, “Dholna...” among others and as Pandit Mohan joined in the performance touching a notch higher with the audience joining in by constant
clapping. Not many know that Bhatt is a disciple of another legendary musician Pt Ravi Shankar and has all praise for his guru. He said music needed devotion, hard work, enthusiasm which he imbibed from
his guru. While performing in the Maha Kumbh, the legendary slide player feels it’s an honour to be in Haridwar and the serene-religious atmosphere only adds to one’s performance. Bhatt got international fame in 1994 when he, along with Ry Cooder, won the Grammy award under the World Music Album category for “A Meeting by the River”. From the United States to the Gulf, Europe to Down Under, Bhatt has been popularising Indian classical music and culture with his Mohan Veena. He has also to his credit Sangeet Natak Academy award, Musical Scientist award, Rajasthan Shree award besides getting honourary citizenship of several countries as a recognition of his contribution to world music. “He (Bhatt) is a legend and it is his versatility that makes our joint performance a unique one besides his electrifying performance, natural talent and incorporating newer ideas is what sets him apart,” voiced fellow Rajasthani artistes Anwar and
Barkhat Khan.
|
|
Career launchers expect more aspirants for law courses
Dehradun, March 29 The career launcher company provides entrance test preparatory classes for hotel management, business management, mass communication, law, fashion and CA. The institute has three of its centres in the Doon valley with a large number of students enrolled for various programmes. The company also conducts weekend batches on Saturday and Sunday only for ICFAI students while it has its one of the centres at the Dehradun Institute of Technology (DIT), exclusively for the students of the institute. The fee structure for CLAT is fixed around Rs 14,500, Rs 8,500 for BBA, and Rs 9,000 for BBA plus HM. At a seminar organised by the career launcher on career counselling of the students who had just appeared for their class XII board examinations. Eminent career guru and speaker Rishabh Nayar, director of the Genesis Institute of Business Management, enlightened aspirants.
|
|
Kumbh: 22 disabled couples tie knot
Haridwar, March 29 From various issues like global warming, girl foeticide and untouchability to curing of ill, several individual saints, organisations and NGOs are utilising the Kumbh to the fullest. One such organisation is the Narayan Seva Sansthan of Udaipur that has long been associated with physically challenged people nationwide. In the Kumbh, the organisation conducted the marriage of 22 physically challenged couples giving them a new lease of life and necessary support for the rest of the life. In Haridwar at the Bairagi Camp, a mass marriage of the disabled couples was organised which saw people from various sections of society and saints from akhadas and other prominent religious organisations give blessings to the newly wed couples. All these couples belonged to Rajashtan’s tribal belt. Their marriage was performed as per rituals and the whole camp area was decorated. Musical bands enlivened the whole atmosphere. Twentytwo ‘vedis’ were set up and the couples took seven circles around it as people showered flowers and petals on them. Among those who blessed the couples were Akhada Parishad national head Shri Mahant Gyandas, Chidanand Muni, Ram Kumar Das, Soham Baba, Ram Snehi, Shyam Sundar Das, Ram Prasad Maharaj, Pilot Baba and Jaggan Nath Das besides hundreds of people. According to Narayan Seva Sansthan founder Padma Shri recipient Kailash Manav, marriage of such persons is a noble cause and by this both persons get a life-long love, affection and support which fills their life
with happiness. He urges people to come forward and contribute to this mission. The sansthan has till date seen nearly 700-odd physically challenged couples getting married with religious rituals. Received as contributions from people, the sansthan has given Rs 50,000 each to the newly wed couples as a gift to help them settle their lives. The couples felt the marriage had redeemed their self-esteem, given them a new lease of happiness and hope. Without Dr Kailash’s efforts, this couldn’t have been possible, they added.
|
|
It’s traffic jam all the way in Haridwar
Haridwar, March 29 Sunday witnessed a mega traffic jam which was the biggest in the three-month tenure of the Maha Kumbh since the fair started on January 1. Today also people, whether coming from nearby areas or outer states, had to face jams not only on national highways, but also on inner roads. Such was the situation yesterday, due to a religious procession and the visit of the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister entourage at various places in Haridwar, that traffic coming from Dehradun via Bhaniawala was diverted to the Rishikesh-Chila route. But this only backfired, as the one-lane Chila forest route was filled with vehicles from both sides and a massive jam was witnessed. “Normally it takes 75-80 minutes from the capital to reach Haridwar, but today it took more than 4 hours to reach Haridwar and that too when buses and four-wheelers were stopped way before the city bus stations. There was no alternative arrangement done. Are these the facilities during the Kumbh the state government boasts of?” said a perturbed Jaya Adlakha, a housewife, who was coming with her small children to Haridwar from Dehradun. But from today evening itself the entry of heavy vehicles has been totally prohibited in the mela zone due to tomorrow’s third Shahi Snan. Traffic plan specially envisaged for Shahi Snans has been put in place and from late nght itself even the entry of two-wheelers will be prohibited from Doodhadhari Chowk to Shankaracharya Chowk. Meanwhile, DIG Alok Sharma has informed that tomorrow the zero zone relaxation and restriction will be varied as per the flow of crowd and even special passes, vehicle passes will be deemed void in such situations.
|
|
Falling Credit-Deposit ratio
Nainital, March 29 as compared to last year, District Magistrate (DM) Shailesh Bagauli has asked the authorities of the State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank to initiate steps to reverse the trend. At a meeting of the District-Level Reconciliation Committee and the District Co-ordination Committee, it came to light that the CD ratio in December 2009 had come down to 36 per cent as compared to 46 per cent in the previous year. Speaking at the meeting, Bagauli said the receipt certificates received at tehsil level must be tallied properly and promised all help to the banks from the administration in making long-pending recoveries. While taking stock of the performance under the district plan for the current financial year, it was found that although 72 per cent of the targets had been achieved with regards to the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, the target achievement in case of agriculture had come down by 2 per cent. In order to improve the performance in this sector, the DM has called for providing loans to farmers who want to take up the cultivation of medicinal plants. He also called for providing credit cards to all farmers in the district. The Chief Agriculture Officer has been asked to conduct a survey to find out how many farmers in the district are yet to get a credit card. Referring to the Swarna Jayanti Shahri Rozgar Yojana, Bagauli asked the officials to improve their performance in Kaladhungi and Ramnagar. Chief Development Officer Pankaj Pandey asked the bankers and officials attached to his department to work in co-ordination.
|
|
Ajmer’s sizzling 78 sails Ajabpur Youngsters to victory
Dehradun, March 29 Probhjot Singh (23) also played a valuable knock for his side and he seemed in full form but got run out. For Ajabpur, Manish and Yujvender captured two wickets each. While Chanderpal, Arvind and Navnish pocketed a wicket each. Batting second, Ajabpur’s opening batsman Ajmer Singh removed all tension of his team. He smashed 78* in 68 balls to ensure his team’s win and was also the Man of the Match. Allrounder Chanderpal played a useful knock of 36* in 31 balls and remained there at the pitch with Ajmer till the time team registered a win. Ajabpur scored 166 runs in 26.3 overs losing four wickets. Varender Singh, Rahul Rana, Sarabjeet and Sanjeev Kumar were the wicket takers for JJ team. All of them pocketed a wicket each.
|
|
Himalaya Cricket Academy win T20 title
Dehradun, March 29 The Rajendra Sports opted to field first after winning the toss. The HCA took the full advantage of batting first and gave a big target of 174 in 20 overs to its rival. Vijay (52) was the principal scorer for his team. Srishti Sharma (22) and Varun Negi (22) also chipped in. The bowling side gave as many as 30 runs as extra in this T-20 final. Vickey and Imran Sheikh took two wickets each. Deepak and Imran got success with one wicket as well. In reply, Rajendra Sports got all out in 193 overs for 163 runs. Ballu (50), Islam (32) and Ritesh (28) were the main scorers for the team, but couldn’t save the team from defeat. For the HCA, Rahul and Vijay bowled superbly bagging three wickets each in just four overs they bowled. Gajender, Shekher and Varun Negi took a wicket each.
|
|
IMA Rafting Expedition
Dehradun, March 29 To promote and foster the spirit of adventure in GCs, the IMA White Water Rafting Club consisting of four teams under the leadership of Major Vipul Deswal SM conducted mountain cycling, hill running, trekking, kayaking and white water rafting in Rishikesh from March 21 to 27, 2010. The activities were designed complementary to each other in the placid stretches. Training was imparted as a precursor to the IMA White Water Rafting expedition, which will be held in May and June. The training was imparted under the Army Aqua Nodal Centre, Raiwala. The Indian Militray Academy White Water Rafting Club was for the first time inaugurated by Commandant IMA, Lt Gen RS Sujlana, PVSM, AVSM, VSM in January this year and is functioning under the guidance of Col Anupinder Bevli. An experience first of its kind for these GCs under the baton of the IMA made it much more memorable for them. Not blurred by the thrill component of the entire package, they were quite aware about the real objective behind holding this expedition. Nishant Thapa said, “The expedition was an extension of IMA ideology. We were there to learn practical aspect of leadership, camaraderie, in addition to physical and mental robustness in times of difficulty”. The first day was meant for practice up to 1 km, but the second day onward, the team rafted for a rough stretch of 16 km, dotted with many heart-wrenching falls. Says Anshul Bhatnagar, “The first-day practice paved our way to confront falls of various degrees. We dealt with all our latent fears on the first day itself, after then nothing could hold us back. We were made to dare the sudden steep fall in swirling waters and get back to our respective boats well in time quite deft fully. The purpose was to prepare GCs to emerge out from actual ‘troubled waters’ with aplomb whenever such a situation arises in future”. Having sharpened their skills in swimming in the IMA, GCs took all the intimatidating challenges pertaining to river rafting on the way. Jumping from as high a cliff as 10 m was one among them. Abhishek Mishra remembers, “The civilians who also came for rafting would see us in awe when we jumped over from the high cliff”. The team also managed four rapids out of total six. Barring the simplest one at first level, they performed the rest three namely Brahmpuri, Double-Triple and Roaster Coaster and the most dangerous
Golf Course. The GCs were also made to undergo 150 km on the state-of-the-art six-geared mountain bikes from the scenic locales along Raiwala, Chila Canal, Rishikesh and Shivpuri followed by trekking and running up the jungle path of Rajaji National Park. Abhishek Mishra said, “We would trek for 8-10 km every day, and take on cycling, cross country, kayaking simultaneously”. Reminiscing about their sojourn at Rajaji Park, Gaurav Gupta said, “Sight of a wild tusker at close quarters gave us an adrenalin rush, but thankfully it passed by us peacefully”. The team also cherished the moments they spent at Rishikesh learning a bit of yoga. The intrepid group also dabbled with spirituality on their way to the Kumbh where the biggest religious congregation of the world, Kumbh Mela is going on. Smitten by the overpowering divinity, the cadets felt little dismayed by the flagrant flow of offerings wrapped up in hazardous polythene bags in the holy Ganga. The GCs who observed Earth Hour in the IMA on their return wants to continue the tradition more emphatically. The aim of this hike to provide the desired impetus to rekindle the spirit which prepares an officer-in-making to overcome all hurdles of life and emerge as a winner seems to have met with its objective.
|
|
Hot shot
Sony India introduces a whole new range of Handycams with a plan to capture 85 per cent market share and achieve 50 per cent growth in the Camcorder segment by Financial Year 2010-11.Taking photo and video clarity to the next level, the new range of camcorders will offer excellent performance and ease-of-use in video photography to the Indian consumer.
According to Masaru Tamagawa, Managing Director, Sony India, "The new range completely embodies everything that today's consumers are seeking in terms of unique design and flawless performance. The new range has been enhanced for user-friendliness and increased performance, letting users easily record high-definition videos and images. Designed to fit every pocket, the models have been introduced at a very attractive price point of Rs. 14,990 so that more people can enjoy video shooting. We have a high investment lined up for this category to keep Sony at the apex position in this segment" The new camcorders offer exceptional 'recording capacity' ranging from 80-240 GB. You can record up to 101 Hrs of High Definition and 183 Hrs of Standard Definition recording with 240 GB HDD. Expanding memory card compatibility, the latest camcorders will additionally feature a single slot that works with both SD card and Memory Stick usage. 60x optical zoom, built in flash light and stamina battery are some of the features which will now be available even in entry segment camcorders. The new line up boasts of exceptional low light performance with "Exmor R" CMOS Sensor" and smoother video recording with the enhanced Optical
SteadyShot.
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Dehradun, March 29
Pitthoragarh, March 29
Haridwar, March 29
Dehradun, March 29
Haridwar, March 29
Dehradun, March 29
Dehradun, March 29
Dehradun, March 29
