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CM on inauguration spree in Nainital
Kalraj for Army intervention to check Naxal activities
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State fails to utilise 20 pc of plan money
CPI, CPM hold protest, allege corruption in Nishank govt
Panchayati Raj Institutions
Governor visits oldest church in Mussoorie
BJP stages dharna over inflation
Chancellor Shastri retires after 42 years of service at Gurukul varsity
30 tribesmen get passes for border trade
State to have Khadi Gramudyog markets soon
Ayurvedic docs meet CM
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CM on inauguration spree in Nainital
Nainital, June 30 These projects have been completed at a cost of Rs 15 crore and include a bridge on the Kosi river that leads to the temple of Garjia Devi, a tehsil building, a bridge on the Dhela river at Maldhan and another one on the same river to reach Tumariya Dam. Addressing a public meeting at MP Inter College, Dr Nishank said works to the tune of Rs 100 crore were already underway in the region which included the construction of a road network at a cost of Rs 40 crore. He also underlined the other development works done in the region and claimed that the number of tube wells for enhancing water supply had now gone up to 21 from six. He also went on to repeat his claims that have now become a known aspect of his every speech, namely an increase in the development rate of the state since its inception to 9.31, increase in per capita income from Rs 14,000 to Rs 42,000 and also his attack on the Centre for withdrawing the industrial package given in 2003. He also talked about the establishment of the already cleared bus depot at Ramnagar and construction of a bridge on the Kosi barrage at a cost of Rs 19 crore. He said the government was mulling over the construction of the bridge through the public private partnership (PPP) mode. He said even if no private party showed interest in its construction, the state government would go ahead with its construction. He also promised to develop Ramnagar as a tourist destination and to open a sub-trading centre at Kotabag. Nishank also had a dig at the opposition by saying that he is surprised to hear that there is no development in the state and claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has brought about more development in the past three years than what the Congress had done in its five-year tenure. He asked the Opposition to develop a constructive approach for the development of the state. Nishank’s visit was also marked by a protest by activists of various wings of the Congress. A large number of activists were rounded up while they were on their way to meet the Chief Minister to hand over a memorandum to him and to register their protest.
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Kalraj for Army intervention to check Naxal activities
Dehradun, June 30 The BJP leader, who was in Dehradun today to participate in the party’s anti-price rise protest, said the growing Naxal menace was a threat to the nation and called for decisive action against them. He said the Centre needed to work out a strategy against the Naxals and called for stern action against them, not ruling out the possibility of Army intervention to counter the problem. “The Naxals are resorting to guerilla warfare and an effective strategy is the need of the hour,” he said. He said the recovery of Chinese arms from the Naxals evidently revealed the involvement of China in Naxal activities. “The Centre must take up the matter with China,”
he asserted. On the issue of rising inflation in the country, the senior BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh said the Congress-led Centre had virtually brought the entire nation to the brink of an economic civil war. He said prices of essential commodities had soared to an all-time high under the UPA rule. He reminded that pulses and sugar imported by the government some time back were dumped at ports even while the nation continued to reel under food crisis. “It looks that the Congress wants to promote poverty for obvious reasons as a poverty-ridden society suits its vote bank politics,” Kalraj pointed out. He also accused the Centre of using the CBI for arm-twisting parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal for ensuring themselves
support against the BJP-moved cut motionin Parliament. Responding to queries, he said while BJP-ruled states had taken initiatives to check hoarding of food items, states with the
Congress government were on the contrary promoting inflation. Uttarakhand BJP President Bisan Singh Chufal, state party spokesman Mukesh Mahendra and Ajendra Ajay were present at the news conference. Work selflessly, BJP leader tells workers Haridwar, June 30 Boosting the moral of party workers, national Vice-President of the BJP Kalraj Mishra has voiced that a stronger BJP can turn the tables in the next Parliamentary elections if workers work for the party rather vye for party executive positions. Mishra was speaking in a district party convention wherein he was the chief guest and dwelt more on making the party stronger at the grass-root level, citing examples of party leaders who worked first for the party, then for themselves. Referring to the party’s failure in the Parliamentary elections, Mishra said the time of upheaval, internal feud, was a thing of the past with a bright future for the party with a new setup within the party paving the way. He said the party workers were the base root of any organisation with their selfless work being the pillar on which party stood. Nishank’s state government also got appreciation from the party vice-chief who termed it as role Relating to his long association with Haridwar, Mishra said young party workers should take a leaf from veterans who worked for decades for the party, but never went after premier posts or even cabinet berths. Adding to this, mela authority vice-president Ashok Tripathi too cited examples, including himself who was involved with the BJP since its inception in ’80s. At the meeting, Haridwar division party leaders expressed happiness over the working of the party unit in the state and urged the workers to work hard to bring the BJP again to power in the state in the next Assembly elections scheduled to be held in 2012.
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State fails to utilise 20 pc of plan money
Dehradun, June 30 Making these observations today, Niranjan Pant, Director-General (Local Bodies) and Comptroller Auditor General (Government of India), said: “Haryana had shown 0 per cent shortfall in budget spending, Himachal Pradesh 10 per cent but Uttarakhand had failed to utilise more than 20 per cent of the plan budget allocated last year by the Central government”. Similarly, he said there was less fund utilisation under NREGA, adding that for a small state like Uttarakhand allocations by the Central government could prove handy. In Dehradun for an audit of the Panchayati Raj Institutions, Pant said for greater transparency the information regarding fund utilisation should be made public. He expressed surprise at the inability of the Directorate of Panchayati Raj Institutions to come up with a website. “It is difficult to understand why the directorate has no website. It needs to digitise records at the gram panchayat level and install user friendly websites that can even be used by illiterate women members,” Pant said. Stressing that electronic accounting proves useful for checking out disbursement of funds. It also brings in necessary information sharing between village panchayats provided there is interconnectivity. “The Kerala formula of information sharing wherein each gram panchayat has its own website is the way to go forward,” he pointed out. He also expressed surprise at the lack of initiative by the government in filling posts of panchayat secretaries and village development officers for greater accountability and efficiency. At present a panchayat secretary is made in charge of seven or eight gram panchayats. It is quite an arduous task for him taking under consideration the difficult geographical areas of Uttarakhand villages. The job of the panchayat secretaries is to oversee execution of works at the district panchayat level.
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CPI, CPM hold protest, allege corruption in Nishank govt
Dehradun, June 30 Protesting in front of the Gandhi Park, both parties ranted out slogans against him. Vijay Rawat, state secretary of CPM, said the Nishank government had by-passed rules and regulations in favouring Sterdia Developers to make residential colonies by using land of Situria Bio-chemicals in Rishikesh. Similarly, the distribution of 56 hydro-electric projects of 964 MW also led to suspicion of foul play in the backdrop. Most of them were handed over to liquor companies which had no know-how of hyro-electric field. Not only this, seven projects of 175 MW too were given to one single family, he said and added that this raised questions on the resources of the state and their future. Samar Bhandari, state Secretary of the CPI, too slammed the government for hiding the massive exchange of under-the-table money in organising the Kumbh. He also questioned the quality of work in creating temporary and permanent infrastructures for this big event. He also talked of an independent MLA and a Panchayati Raj minister who misused MLA funds to indulge in the distribution of money for illegal purposes and creating fabricated panchayats. They also did not spare the leader of Opposition for being under scanner for land scams.
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Panchayati Raj Institutions
Dehradun, June 30 Speaking at the capacity-building programme of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) here today, Niranjan Pant, Director-General, Local Bodies, Office of Comptroller and Auditor General, held at Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), said: “Simplified accounting procedures will usher in greater transparency. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has developed a user-friendly software PRIA, reducing hassles of manual accounting”. He further said for achieving decentralisation through the Panchayati Raj Institutions, social organisations could play a key role in ensuring that District Planning Committee meetings are regularly held. While Praveer Pandey, Accountant General, Uttarakhand, sought the cooperation of the EWRs for the proper maintenance of accounts and auditing at the gram panchayat level. The delegation of the Auditor and Controller General of India suggested solutions to the problems faced by the pradhans in auditing. The training programme had sessions on overview of Sakshar Bharat and its implementation at the gram panchayat level, planning for NREGA and budgeting at the gram panchayat level.
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Governor visits oldest church in Mussoorie
Mussoorie, June 30 Alva arrived, along with her ailing husband, around noon and was greeted by the priest of the church Peter Rawat . Alva’s husband was also presented a hillsman cap on the occasion. The priest read out verses from the holy Bible and prayed for the health of the couple and their family. Following that, the couple prayed in the peaceful and serene environment of the church located at Lal Tibba, Mussoorie. Alva prayed for the peace and prosperity of the state and nation. Father Peter Rawat informed the duo about how the church was restored with the help of generous donors from the town. According to local historian Gopal Bhardwaj, the church was established in 1828 AD for Irish soldiers serving the British who were predominantly Roman Catholic. The Governor left after half an hour of prayers and worship at the oldest house of the Lord in Mussoorie. Pankaj Agarwal, Beena Aggarwal and others were present on the occasion.
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BJP stages dharna over inflation
Dehradun, June 30 Addressing the agitators, Mishra accused the Congress-led Central government of fueling inflation in the country. He said people of the country wouldn’t tolerate anti-people policies of the Central government for long. Uttarakhand BJP President Bisan Singh Chufal too criticised the Centre for its inflationary policies. He said inflation had touched an all-time high in the country and the Central government was acting as a mute spectator. Mahanagar BJP President Puneet Mittal coordinated the dharna proceedings. Goverdhan Baradhwaj, Sunil Uniyal Gama, Mukesh Mahendru, Mussoorie Municipality Chairman OP Uniyal, Sanjay Gupta, Nitin Malik and Sanjeev Verma were prominent participants at the dharna. The dharna programme was part of the nationwide protest of the BJP against the Centre government for its policies fueling inflation.
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Chancellor Shastri retires after 42 years of service at Gurukul varsity
Haridwar, June 30 Acharya Shastri is highly regarded as a father figure in the university circle and was given a befitting farewell at the university hall today. In his speech, Prof Shastri shed light on his initial years in late ’60s and early ’70s. He said he always felt honoured to be associated with the Gurukul Kangri University which had its own distinct place among world universities. “Besides learning, teaching, I never compromised with traditions, ideals and disciplinary rules of the university which I owe it to effect of the Almighty, my teachers and the regular rituals of yagya-hawans being carried out in the university,” said Professor Shastri in his speech. Presiding over the function, Dr Ramnath Vedalankar, given the title of Ved-Moorti, pointed on the role essayed by the Chancellor in mixing modern education with the traditional Gurukul Arya format-based education. Urging the to-be Acharyas, Dr Vinod Chandra Vidyalankar said they should follow in the footsteps of Ved Shastri to make sure Gurukul’s traditions, moral values and education system remained intact despite the western, professional influence in our educational system. Swami Divyanand gave blessings to the outgoing Acharya, while Ved Muni, Dr Buddhdev Sharma, Mukesh Ranjan Verma, Prof Mahavir Aggarwal, Dr Jayendra Shastri, Sompal Arya, Dr Gyan Prakash Shastri, Registrar Prof AK Chopra and Mohar Singh Meena too spoke on the occasion. Incidentally, today too Assistant Registrar of the university Mahendra Singh Negi too retired and was also given a grand farewell by teaching and non-teaching employees.
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30 tribesmen get passes for border trade
Pitthoragarh, June 30 “The first batch of the traders are likely to reach Tibet after July 15. The batch has been left for Gunji, the Indian mart for the trade, from Dharchula today, where they will gather goods for the trade and set for Tibet via the 17,500-ft-high Lipulekh Pass, where they will remain till October 31,” said Pandey. He said according to the demands of the traders, the district administration had written to the Government of India to create quarantine facility at Gunji so that the traders could import livestock from Tibet. “This is a long-standing demand of the traders after 2005 when the import of livestock from Tibet banned resulting 50 per cent downfall in the border trade,” said Pandey. The Trade Officer said more than 350 trade passes were still lying with the Trade Office and viewing the demand of the trade this year, no new set of trade passes would be required from the Government of India. |
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State to have Khadi Gramudyog markets soon
Dehradun, June 30 Stating this at a review meeting here yesterday, Minister for Khadi Gramudyog Matbar Singh Kandari said a permanent centre would provide a year-round market for village-based products. “Similar centres will be established in other districts as well in close proximity of tourist attractions and talks are also underway for establishing a centre in New Delhi solely dedicated to Uttarakhand,” said Kandari. The minister also directed the officials to raise honorarium rates for women engaged in spinning activity. Further the minister said the Social Welfare Department had sanctioned a sum of Rs 60 lakh for various welfare programmes underway for SC and ST communities members. |
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Ayurvedic docs meet CM
Dehradun, June 30 The delegation urged the Chief Minister to give them benefits of the Tickoo Committee recommendations and reorganisation of the Ayurvedic Department. The Chief Minister gave a patient hearing to their demands. The delegation comprised regional vice-president of the sangh Dr JN Nautiyal, Dr KS Aswal, Dr Narender Rawat, Dr Harish Gunwant and others. The Chief Minister also met several people at his residence and hear their problems. He also gave Rs 1.50 lakh for Harishankar Shukla, a resident of Timli, Vikas Nagar, who is undergoing treatment at Himalayan Institute (Jolly Grant), Rishikesh. |
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Launching an inauguration spree in the district, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank while promising a whole set of new schemes dedicated some of the recently executed projects to the people of the Ramnagar region today.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national Vice-President Kalraj Mishra has sought Army intervention for checking the rise in Naxal activities in
the country.
Dehradun, June 30
Uttarakhand Governor Margaret Alva was on a brief private visit to St Peter’s Church in Mussoorie yesterday. The Roman Catholic Church is the oldest in Mussoorie and dates back to 1828 AD.Alva arrived, along with her ailing husband, around noon and was greeted by the priest of the church Peter Rawat . Alva’s husband was also presented a hillsman cap on the occasion.
It was a day of pride and emotions for Chancellor Prof Ved Prakash Shastri who got retired today from the renowned Gurukul Kangri University office after serving the institution for 42 years.Acharya Shastri is highly regarded as a father figure in the university circle and was given a befitting farewell at the university hall today.
