Pantnagar, June 19
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank has once again asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for extension of the Industrial Package given to the state.

Speaking at the 26th convocation of the Gobind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology here today, Nishank said the state had tremendous development potential and a little help from the Centre could help it realise this potential. “I have given a letter to the Prime Minister asking for the extension of the Industrial Package,” he said.

Much to the surprise of those present at the venue, Nishank chose to deviate from the speech which was supposed to be read out by him on the formal occasion and instead went on to launch an impassioned plea.

His speech led to a delay in the programme by about 10 minutes. His speech began with his trademark of repeated references to Uttarakhand being Bharat ka Bhal (India’s forehead), the dedication with which Sparsh Ganga Abhiyaan has been launched and the state being the land from where the mythological Sanjeevni Booti had been taken by Hindu god Hanuman.

He then went on to claim that the state was registering a fast rate of development and the per capita income rising to Rs 42,000 from a mere Rs 15,000 at the time of the creation of the state.

The Chief Minister then pointed that if Uttarakhand had tremendous challenges to face, it also had tremendous opportunities that needed to be tapped. He called upon the scientists of Pantnagar University to come up with a plan so that optimum utilisation of the natural resources available could be done. He said scientists must evolve new techniques to promote floriculture, horticulture, medicinal and aromatic plants along with mushroom cultivation.

Nishank also said in several parts of Uttarakhand organic farming was being done. Farmers practising it must be made aware and a mechanism to provide market for their produce needs to be developed.

He said his government was aware of the need for modernisation of mandis and distribution of agriculture produce at local level is one of the key priorities of his government.

Dehradun, June 19
A newly identified species of orchid has been named after a Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientist. Pecteilis rawatii, sp. nov. (Orchidaceae), a new orchid species of India, was discovered recently in Sikkim by a WII researcher working with the Department of Habitat Ecology, who named it after his guru Dr Gopal Singh Rawat, a professor and scientist at the department.

Pecteilis rawatii (Orchidaceae), a new species of orchid from India.

The discovery has been published in Gardens Bulletin Singapore 2010, a credible international floral journal.

Dr Pankaj Kumar, who introduced this new orchid to science, asserted that Dr GS Rawat has been a source of inspiration for him and he found it the best to honour his guru by naming the new orchid species after him.

“Prof Dr Gopal Singh Rawat of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is one of the leading phytotaxonomists and ecologists of India and is widely identified as Uttarakhand’s orchidman,” Pankaj Kumar added.

The species in question (now called Pecteilis rawatii) was earlier described and compared to its nearest ally P. triflora. But the two have distinct identities.

Leaves in Pecteilis rawatii are densely placed, apex acute but not sharply pointed while leaves of P. triflora are scattered on the stem, many, apex sharply pointed.

In the flowers, in case of rawatii, sepals and petals are widely spread, each with two lateral veins on each side of the midrib and the base of lateral sepals oblique. In contrast, P. triflora sepals and petals form a hood, each with three lateral veins on each side of the midrib and base of lateral sepals truncate.

Dr GS Rawat has been working on orchids, both in the North-East and western Himalayas, for long. He had successfully led the Wildlife Institute of India project on survey, collection, identification and preservation of orchids in Uttarakhand and Jharkhand.

The project - All-India Coordinate Project on the Taxonomy of Orchids - was initiated in June 2003 and concluded in December 2008. It came out with important orchid-linked informations.

Dr GS Rawat, a principal investigator for the project, had located more than 130 species of orchids in Uttarakhand during the survey. This apart from coming up with Geodorum attnuatum Griff (Orchindaceae) that was added to the flora of India from Jharkhand.

Significantly, orchids continue to be high in demand for decorative purposes in the international market. These are also utilised in the preparation of medicines. But then, there could be no great honour for both the WII and Uttarakhand to have a orchid named after Dr GS Rawat.

Dehradun, June 19
Using multifarious mediums like wood, plaster of Paris and mud to create models and objects of art, artiste and social activist Raju Raj’s mission is to raise awareness about the ill effects of development.

When people were migrating en masse with their belongings from old Tehri town, he collected mud from his farmland along with his neighbours as a souvenir and ferrying it to New Tehri, created Manav Sewa Sadan Asha Ashram Vatika.

The vatika stands as a reminder against the devastation caused by the dam building activity in Uttarakhand.

The memories of submerged Tehri town still haunt him and the first thing he did was to make replicas of places that defined the town.

“Our entire routine was conditioned by the loud ringing of the clock at the tower centrally located in old Tehri town informing us about the passage of time. The news that the entire town will be submerged left us numb. The first thing I did was to make a small model of the Clock Tower with Deodhar wood,” said Raju.

Now, he is concerned about the receding glaciers and the devastation wrought by developmental activities around Gangotri glacier.

“I have seen the ill effects of climate change. The tree line area is sparse and forest area denuded. On many trekking routes, tourists, who camp there, leave behind plastic waste,” said Raj.

Hailing from Hari Nagar town in Haldwani, Raju Raj’s family migrated to Tehri several years ago, little knowing that the family will be uprooted again from their place of birth.

“I will be happy to build a museum dedicated to Tehri. With a little assistance from the government, I will be able to re-create Tehri town,” emphasised Raj.

His grandfather was a skilled craftsmen, making farming and other implements for villagers. Now, his grandson, using the same medium, is promoting environmental concerns.

Dehradun, June 19
Major entrance exams conducted on an All-India basis have just ended and qualified candidates are geared up to pursue the next step - counselling sessions.

Interestingly, a large number of students in the state have also showcased their calibre in the combined entrance exams, and to help students, Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU) will conduct an online counselling session this year for admission.

The decision was taken by board members of the university to facilitate students residing in far-flung areas of the state.

Students will not have to visit colleges for counselling, but can speak to the counsellors through the Internet facility sitting at home or at some cyber café. The facility is only being offered at private engineering colleges of Uttarakhand.

Last year, the UTU, along with the polytechnic, had conducted the entire process of admissions at 10 places in the state. This required lots of manpower and incurred a lot of expenditure. To reduce cost, the university has gone for online counselling this time.

These sessions are conducted with an aim to assist students identify their professional goals and other future curricula.

Besides the technical university, counselling for BEd course in management quota is also starting in the state from June 30.

The admission for the management quota of the BEd course will be based on merit while the conducting university will also release a cut-off list.

Sunil Aggarwal, secretary of Self-Financing Colleges Association, said, “BEd counselling for students will be conducted for three colleges - Beehive College, Blue Mountain College and BSM Mahila College, Roorkee. Counselling sessions will help clear students’ doubts about their professional choices”.

According to the official of the university, the three colleges have 300 seats in government quota for the BEd course. Counselling for 150 seats for the management quota will be on June 30. For arts and commerce streams, there will be 57 seats in general category, for OBC 13, for SC 17 and three seats for ST. For BEd in science, the available seats are 38 for general, eigh for OBC, 11 for SC and three for ST.

Pitthoragarh, June 19
A two-day seminar on the latest trends in Hindi poetry was organised by a literary organisation run by school teachers here today. The seminar discussed the pro-people commitment to the Hindi poetry referring the contribution of Kedar Nath Singh and Baba Nagarjun, who were the modern Hindi poets, in this direction.

Editor of fortnightly magazine, Samayantar, Pankaj Bisht said inherent trends of voicing words of resentment were weaning in Hindi poetry and it was going to be more submissive towords the centres of power. “It has been the basic tendency of literature that it lives and will remain vital among masses. The writers having submissive tendency are not real writers and poets in a true sense of literature,” said Bisht.

Referring to the development of Hindi literature after Independence, Dr Ram Singh, noted Hindi writer of Uttarakhand, said Hindi literature had been witnessing two main tendencies of freedom of women and Dalits. “But all measures suggested by Hindi writers are mere safety valve in a direction to bring these two exploited classes into the main stream because until we change the mental makeup of men and the system on which the Hindu society depends, we cannot bring the changes in the lives of these two classes,” he said.

Dr Kapilash Bhoj, noted Kumaoni poet, said some Hindi writers had done remarkable work in writing after Independence. “Faneswar Nath Ranu wrote ‘Maila Anchal’, which is the best depiction of rural life of Bihar, whereas fiction ‘Jhutha Sach’, is the best picture of human tragedy of Partition,” said Bhoj.

A programme of recitation of poetry by young poets and an exhibition on the history of Hindi poetry after Independence was also held on the occasion.

Dehradun, June 19
Fathers Day is not just about buying clothes, shoes or usual beer mugs for your father. Try and gift something elegant that remains forever with him and adds a royal touch in the house. Buy him crystal wine glasses or a photo frame (made out of crystal) with a family picture in it, which will remain close to his heart forever.

Rituraj, a college student, bought wine glasses for his father. “The shape of the glasses is very beautiful. These can be used for drinking and for decoration as well,” he said.

Crystal items have become popular because of their availability and affordability. Functional crystal items include stemware that can be used for serving water, wine, champagne and other cocktails.

One can also find an array of serving bowls in crystal which are ideal for gifting purpose. Such a gift brightens a dinner table and adds a royal touch in the ambiance of any house. The cut and polished crystal idols, bowls, showpieces, candle stands, ice baskets, glass vases, picture frames, tumblers, decanters, Ganpati idols, lotus, birds, dancing couple or crystal lamp base are also catching eyes.

A crystal vase is something that everybody would love have in their collection. It comes in many shapes and sizes and can be used for decorating flowers. The vase is used as a utility as well as decorative item.

Crystal, because of its lead content, is softer and more pliable than glassware. It has a weight to it that glass does not, giving it a solid look. The range of crystal products starts from Rs 35 and can go up to Rs 50,000.

According to Mahesh Mahendru, proprietor of Queen 16-The Home Affair, “Our sale for crystal product is around Rs 10,000 every day. People normally demand for photo frames or decorative flower vases. The price starts from Rs 130 that suits every pocket. These all are branded products, RCR or Bhomia, and we import them from the agents in Delhi”.

Arun Kr Gupta of Gifts-A Brass Affair said all crystal items at his shop were imported from Italy, Germany and Japan. “Japanese stuff is more in demand as the rates are reasonable and fit every pocket. The prices of products from Soga company starts from Rs 135 and goes up to Rs 1,500. Objects from Italy are considered the best, but are very costly,” he said. “The objects by DecOrium and RCR Company provide the best material. The shine of gold-plated crystal remains unchanged forever,” Gupta maintained.

He added that he also delt with Chinese showpieces, which started from Rs 30 and went up to Rs 5,000.

Mussoorie, June 19
Tourists had to face a harrowing time due to the weekend rush in Mussoorie. The tourists were greeted with acute traffic jams at Kingraig on their way to the Library Bazar and Gandhi Chowk. They could reach their hotels only after a wait of two hours. CO, Mussoorie, Shweta Chaubey and station in charge MC Joshi had to assist the traffic proceedings to clear the bottleneck.

Hoteliers, who were ruing the fact that the tourism season was not taking of this year, were smiling all the way to their coffers as the tariff sky-rocketed with each passing hour. By evening Mussoorie was packed and no vacant rooms were available.

Some lucky tourists, who checked in early morning, found time to stroll on the Mall Road and clicked pictures in local dresses. Rakesh, a tourist from Delhi, said this year the roads were cleaner. He said they always got their children photographed in local Garhwali dresses so that they were aware of the prevalent culture.

Corn and popcorn sellers said the rush was alright, but due to the scorching heat, work only picked up after the sunset. Savita, a corn seller, said this year the tourist inflow had decreased due to unknown reasons.

The sudden rush now was due to the fact that school vacation was coming to an end. Many more vehicles were trickling in till the filing of the report.

Dehradun June 19
“No ESPN + No Star Sports = No FIFA World Cup 2010”, reads hoardings that have been put up by the sports channels in Dehradun. The public display through the message depicts that the dispute between local cable operators and the sports channel, ESPN, has come out in the open.

The channel has displayed hoardings at some of the main areas of Dehradun making an appeal to football enthusiasts to assure the telecast of the FIFA matches from their cable operators. The message in the hoarding is issued in public interest by the channels stating, “To catch the biggest soccer spectacle, call your cable operator now and demand ESPN and Star Sports. It’s your right”.

The difference of opinion between the cable operators and the sports channel has occurred with the commencement of the Football World Cup 2010. The discussions between the two have heated up due to the monthly payment.

According to a local cable operator, ESPN is asking for 25 per cent growth in the monthly package of the sports channel during the grand extravagant sports event. With the display of the hoarding on the roads, ESPN, along with Star Sports, are trying to pressurise subscribers to demand that the channel telecast the matches and finally make the local cable operators to agree on the monthly package growth. The operators in the capital feel blackmailed by the channel, which is making the dispute grow for a longer time.

In fact, people have alleged that cable operators are telecasting live action of the Football World Cup matches on the sly. The secretive telecast of the football matches are aired black and white, blurred and full of interruptions.

When contacted, Navin Gupta, owner of the Blue Sky Network (BSN), denied the accusations levelled by people. He said, “The telecast of the sports channel has been barred till the discrepancies between us are resolved. I cannot comment on the telecast of football matches in a devious manner. No sly telecasts are being practised through our control room. Both parties will again meet today to negotiate on the monthly payments to the sports channel by the cable operators, and it’s quite possible that people will see the FIFA matches on their cable network from tomorrow”. And with the promise to give information in the evening after the meeting, Navin disconnected the phone.

After repeated efforts, none of the three major cable operators turned up to inform about the outcome of the meeting.

Dehradun, June 19
Incredible XI registered a one-sided 229 runs win over the Rising Star during the Uttarakhand Challenger Cup being played at OFD Stadium here today. The winning team set a huge target of 280 runs in 30 overs. Prakash (85) and Rishabh (46) gave good opening to the side. Ashish (53) and Bipin (35) also contributed to the total.

Amit of the Rising Star scalped maximum four wickets. He gave 28 runs in the five overs he bowled. Arvind got three, Rohit and Sidhart took a wicket each. The dismal show of Rising Star continued in the batting as well. The whole team was packed off for a humiliating total of 58 runs in 18 overs.

Amit (16) and Mehboob (11) could only score double figure numbers. Suchit took three wickets for Incredible XI. Zeeshan and Punia got two wickets each. Vaibhav and Akshay took a wicket each. 

Dehradun, June 19
Sachin’s one goal effort led the XI Star to a 1-0 win over Gypsy in the District Football League here today at the Police Lines. The first half went barren with efforts of both sides proved futile. However, Sachin scored in the next half in the 49th minute to change the fate of the game.

Gypsy put up a good competition, but its rival team managed to edge past it. Both teams played an aggressive game.

While in another match no result could come out as Garhwal Boys and Khukhri ended the match 1-1.

Sagar (55th) of Khukhri and Akash (22) of Garhwal Boys netted a goal each for their sides.

The teams desperately looked for an opportunity to score a single goal later but the fate had something else in store. No goal came later on and the match ended in a draw.

Tempers ran high during a match between the XI Star and Gypsy today.

Sudharshan and Sunil Raj of Gypsy manhandled rival team players in an attempt to snatch the football.

They also allegedly pushed down goalkeeper Aayush of the XI Star. The three were shown red cards by the referee.

Dehradun, June 19
Uttarakhand State boys’ and girls’ teams (u-16) stood at sixth and tenth place respectively at the 27th Youth National Basketball Championship held at Tiruchchirapali-Trichy (TN) from June 1 to 8.

The championship was conducted under the aegis of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) by the Tamil Naidu Basketball Association.

The Uttarakhand state girls’ team was lead by Suniana Das and the boys’ team was lead by Arpit Bachchan.

The Uttarakhand girls’ team was placed in Pool “F” with Goa and Gujarat. The state girls’ team trounced Goa in the opening match 32-09 and beat Gujarat comfortably 23-13 to top the pool “F”.

The girls’ team beat Jharkhand in a one-sided affair 41-21 and Haryana where the team got a walk over. However, in the match for the ninth and 10th place the state team lost in a very keenly contested match against Punjab by 39-30 points. Thus, the side stood at 10th position out of the 22 participating states.

Meanwhile, the state boys’ team was placed in Pool “F” with West Bengal, Goa and Gujarat.

After performing well in its pool matches, the state boys’ team beat Delhi 52-46 points in the placing matches for seventh and eighth but lost to Maharashtra by 37-58 points in the placing match for fifth and sixth. The state team created history standing sixth at national championship.

Mussoorie, June 19
Budding cricketers from Mussoorie received valuable batting tips on the second day of the All-India Summer Cricket Training Camp in Mussoorie from the experts in field.

Experts like coach SAI N Sharma taught them the basics of holding the bat with the correct stance on the occasion.

Three matches were also played on the day. The first match was played between Nagpur and Gujarat which was won by Nagpur by two wickets. Gujarat batting first scored 121 runs which were reached by Nagpur losing only two wickets. Kunal and Suresh were the highest scores in the match.

The camp is being organised by the Uttarakhand Youth T-20 Cricket in association with the Mussoorie Sports and Cultural Committee.