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BJP Executive Meeting
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UPA not fair to BJP-ruled states: Chufal
Dr DK Singh, Associate Professor, Agronomy College of Agriculture, GB Pant University of Agriculture, Pantnagar, makes a point.
Pitthoragarh mourns Pandey’s death
Cong puts 7 questions to CM
Nigam staff threaten to launch stir
Farm officials get training
on organic farming
Meena Murder Case
Members of Parivartankami Chhatra Sangathan sit on hunger strike in Dehradun on Wednesday.
A Tribune photograph
Senior citizen falls into open manhole, suffers injuries
DMC initiates campaign against polythene, garbage
150 units of blood collected
Mall Road portion caves in
3 leopard skins seized, three arrested
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Industrial package tops agenda
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, July 7 Held at a makeshift venue of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Auditorium in Dehradun, state BJP executive passed proposals condemning the Congress-led Centre for its step-motherly attitude towards extending the industrial package to the state. A proposal also took the Centre to task for specifically scrapping projects initiated by the state government. Spokesperson for the state BJP Mukesh Mahendra said the Congress-led Centre had deprived Uttarakhand of the industrial package, which was being a determent to industrial investments in the state. On hydro-power projects, Mahendra said while the central projects were being promoted, while the Centre had shelved state projects. Referring to the Forest Conservation Act, he said the executive committee had sought relaxation on the Forest Conservation Act as it was providing to be a big stumbling block in the development of the region. He said the committee was of the opinion that more simplification was the need of the hour. Ban on quarrying by the Centre was also taken up during the meeting. On economic proposal at the meeting, the executive committee criticised Centre for failing to curb inflation in the country. Earlier in the day, state BJP president Bishan Singh Chufal addressed the opening session of the meeting followed by former Chief Minister Major-Gen BC Khanduri (retd). Both laid stress on conveying the development initiatives being done by the BJP for the state. He called the party workers to make people understand that how the BJP under trying circumstances had carved out a separate state. BJP national Vice-President BS Koshiyari underlined the need for going aggressively to people and putting forward all ills of the Central government vis-à-vis Uttarakhand. Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and former president BS Rawat were other prominent speakers at the meeting. The meeting also passed a condolence proposal over the death of innocents in Naxal attack. The meeting will conclude tomorrow with the BJP national president Nitin Gadkari slated to address the meeting. Gadkari visits Doon today
National BJP President Nitin Gadkari will be in Dehradun tomorrow. The BJP president will attend the concluding day of the state BJP executive meeting followed by an address at the Janakarosh rally on the Parade Ground. According to state party general secretary Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, over 550 vehicles carrying party workers will be reaching Dehradun from all over the state. Dr Rawat said Gadkari would be reaching Jolly Grant Airport at 10 am, from where he would head for the executive meeting. After the conclusion of the meeting, Gadkari would address the BJP Janakrosh rally at 4 pm. The rally aims to expose the Congress-led Central government over the denial of industrial package to the state.
Gadkari will be interacting with mediapersons here on Friday morning. |
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UPA not fair to BJP-ruled states: Chufal
Dehradun, July 7 Chufal so far has succeeded in ensuring the leadership struggle at the top level does not percolate down to lower rungs and keeping the morale of the party cadre high. The state BJP president talks to The Tribune a day ahead of BJP’s Janakrosh rally in Dehradun which is aimed to expose Congress-led United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA) step-motherly treatment being meted out to Uttarakhand. Q. Uttarakhand has been denied special industrial package by the Centre despite the state BJP government’s insistence on the same. What’s now left for the Uttarakhand government? We, from the day one, have been demanding a special industrial package for Uttarakhand. Backwardness in the state was the primary reason behind the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government mooting such a package for the state. The Uttarakhand region lacked industries and the incentives in the package were aimed at bringing industries to this region providing employment opportunities for the youth of the state. Q. Do you think the Congress has intentionally denied Uttarakhand this package? Yes! Definitely. The Congress-led UPA has been adopting a step-motherly attitude towards BJP-ruled states and Uttarakhand certainly is no exception. A package for the state will have given a boost to employment in the region. We will take the special package issue to the people. The Congress will have to answer. Q. What about factionalism in the party. Is factionalism growing in Not at all. The BJP in Uttarakhand stands united and there is no question of factionalism of any sort. We stand together and it is basically the rumour mongers who are spreading such misinformation. Q. The Uttarakhand BJP has completed three years in office. Two years from now, you will be contesting the Assembly elections. Where does the party stand today in the state electoral politics? The state BJP government has given a new meaning to development. We are ensuring development of most backward regions of the state even while fulfilling statehood agitationists’ aspirations. The development work being done by us is being recognised and that is the reason we won the Vikasnagar byelection. People’s faith in the BJP is growing each passing day. Q. A major accusation against the BJP has been made regarding the proposed allotment of minor hydro projects. Did the BJP not get a bad name over the hydro project? The Congress today has no issues and is making unnecessary hue and cry over the hydro power project allotment issue. No such scam has taken place. It is just a false campaign unleashed by the Congress, and people of Uttarakhand are mature enough not to fall prey to it. The previous Congress government has itself been an instrument in selling out the state hydro power projects at throwaway prices. Q. After staging the Bharat Bandh, you plan the Janakrosh rally against the Centre in Dehradun for July 8. The reason behind two
big protests in quick succession? The Bharat Bandh was a Central initiative aimed at highlighting the inflationary policies of the UPA
government and now the Janakrosh rally, which had been planned much before the bandh call, will also take up the issue of special
industrial package apart from inflation. National BJP President Nitin Gadkari will be addressing the Janakrosh rally. The presence of
Gadkari will also be a big moral booster for the BJP and will re-energise the party cadres. |
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Cooperatives can help boost organic farming: Expert
Dehradun, July 7 Involving the development of organic packages and practices for different crops in different situations in the state, it can be promoted through cooperatives. Small and marginal farmers can form cooperatives to cut costs and make it more economical. Though once the system is in place, it begins to pay off as everything is within the reach of the farmer, except for the market. Demystifying organic farming, Dr DK Singh, Associate Professor, Agronomy College of Agriculture, GB Pant University of Agriculture, Pantnagar, said, “The system involves the right kind of crops to be sown, nutrients for crops, composting and, above all, post harvest technique that allows farmers to keep their crops fresh so that they can fetch better prices in the market. Basically, these are inputs that have to be in close proximity of the farmer”. Predicting great potential for the state, Dr Singh said the state could become a role model in organic farming and these practices could be successfully promoted in the hills and the Terai region through cooperatives. “Organic farming has shown good results for certain crops like basmati rice, fruits like pineapples, grape, pulses and strawberries, in which the yield is good in the beginning itself, while for mustard and other crops the yield is less initially and increases substantially with the passage of time. One requires 99 per cent input for resource development, most of these resources are generated directly to the farmer,” said Dr Singh. The state has extended subsidy to farmers for buying bio-fertilisers and under the aegis of GB Pant University, organic farming project was started in 11 hill districts in 2004-20009. So far, 12,000 hectare has been certified by the organic commodity board in the state. |
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Pitthoragarh mourns Pandey’s death
Pitthoragarh, July 7 People in his home town Pitthoragarh came together, cutting across party lines, to condemn his killing. “Pandey might be a follower of the Leftist ideology, but the way he was brutally killed needs to be investigated. I have written to the Home Minister to pursue the investigation,” said Prakash Pant, Uttarakhand Parliamentary Affairs Minister and MLA from the town. Mahendra Singh Lunthi, president of the District Congress Committee, also condemned the killing of Pandey and remembered days spent with him in a local PG college from where Pandey did his postgraduation and was active in student politics. “He was a suave, calm and soft-spoken student leader and never indulged in any short of violent activity during the time,” said Lunthi. Uttarakhand Kranti Dal leader Kashi Singh Array also demanded an inquiry into the affair. “Even if his ideology was different, under what provisions Pandey was gunned down when he was talking or interviewing some persons,” asked Array and demanded an inquiry by the Union Home Ministry. Babita Pandey , wife of slain “journalist”, claimed that her husband was a freelance journalist contributing articles to Nai Duniya, Dainik Jagran and Rastriya Sahara newspapers under the pen name of Hemant Pandey. “Besides, he was also working as a communication officers in a company based in New Delhi which brings a magazine named Chetna,” said Babita, who handed over a memorandum to Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Savita Indira Reddy in Hyderabad. Not only the political party leader, but also human rights organisation and journalist unions in Pitthoragarh district condemned the brutal killing of Pandey. “This has become a general practice with the part of the police to gun down any one who is not tolerable to their political bosses. Hem Pandey became a victim of this tendency in Andhra Pradesh,” said Rajet Pandey, president of the District Human Rights Organisation.
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Cong puts 7 questions to CM
Dehradun, July 7 However, he maintained that the state unit of the Congress itself went to the Centre seeking extension of the industrial package. On the hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas, Uniyal said the Centre was giving a subsidy of Rs 53,000 crore, while the state government was earning crores of rupees by charging high VAT rate of 9 per cent. “Why doesn’t the state government offer VAT free?” he asked. Uniyal termed the claims of the state government of getting step-motherly treatment by the Centre as completely false. He said the state government got Rs 68,000 crore of the Annual Planning Budget from the Centre and Rs 20,000 crore from the Finance Commission and asked why it was not being used for development in the state. He also questioned the BJP government over the alleged Seturia land scam, besides asking why the Chief Minister was hesitating from a CBI probe into the alleged scam of crores of rupees during the Kumbh mela at Haridwar.
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Nigam staff threaten to launch stir
Nainital, July 7 A meeting of KMVN employee leaders, along with their counterparts from the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), was held here yesterday and it was announced that they would resort to a statewide agitation if the genuine demands of the employees were not met with by the government. Terming the government policies as anti-employees, they said the employees would oppose the move to appoint a second vice-chairman for the KMVN. They demanded that a full-time managing director be appointed for the KMVN at the earliest. The post had fallen vacant with the death of Haritash Gulshan, who had brought about major reforms in the functioning of the KMVN and had not only brought it out of the red, but had also helped it record substantial profits. His tenure at the KMVN was marked by the corporation registering an increase of 30 per cent in its profits. He had helped his employees get the benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission. Known as a hard task master, he had introduced the fingerprint attendance machines in the KMVN headquarters to check absenteeism amongst employees. The paying guest scheme was launched by him to primate the tourism and is turning out to be popular amongst entrepreneurs. Since his demise, the KMVN has had District Magistrates of Bageshwar and Nainital as Managing Directors for whom running the KMVN has been an additional responsibility.
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Farm officials get training
on organic farming
Dehradun, July 7 He was speaking at the training programme on different aspects of organic farming for horticulture and agriculture officials hailing from Mizoram, Meghalaya and Uttarakhand. It was organised today by Clover Organic Pvt Limited. “By virtue of land holding being small and fragmented and 80 per cent land being rainfed, farmers have no option but to go for organic farming,” Agarwal said. Further he said by simply naming a product as organic did not ensure market for it. It too would be dominated by the same rules of demand and supply.“Unless there is demand for the product, it will not sell, and farmers have to adopt better technology, better seeds and other aspects so that their product comes out better and it is not difficult to achieve,” said the CEO. He citied the example of organic tea that fetched a premium of 400 per cent a few years ago, but now dropped to 50 per cent as supplies from India and other countries had gone up. The Dehradun-based company is actively providing packages for farmers in Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim. It is also actively involved in eco-sanitation project in Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu.
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Two sangathan members start indefinite fast
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, July 7 The sangathan also staged a dharna pressing their demands to seek justice from the state government in the murder case. The demonstration was led by Anil, central president of the association, and other members who raised slogans in support of their demands. Many social associations also have supported the protestors in seeking justice in the murder case of Meena. Nitin Mudaipi, general secretary of the sangathan, said the dharna aimed at pressurising the state government to register a case of murder, rather than making it a case of encouraging suicide against the deceased person’s relatives. Meena, a resident of Jaspur in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand, was murdered on October 4, 2009. It is alleged that killers hired by her very own relatives murdered Meena.
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Senior citizen falls into open manhole, suffers injuries
Mussoorie, July 7 According to Mishra, on a routine morning walk at the Camel’s Back Road, he fell into a 2-ft-deep manhole which was without any lid. He incurred injuries in the chest and hand and was assisted by a senior SP leader and rushed to the Community Hospital for treatment. “Any injury at this age is painful and takes a long time to heal,” added Mishra. Senior BSP leader Mahavir Bahuguna said many devotees of the Nirankari Mission had also suffered grievous injuries by falling into the same manhole in the past. Despite several reminders, the Nagar Palika has not placed a lid on it till now. Bahuguna lamented the fact that it seemed that the Nagar Palika was more interested in scams rather than addressing the grievances of people.
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DMC initiates campaign against polythene, garbage
Dehradun, July 7 The DMC has also tightened its noose against those people who throw garbage outside dustbins under the same drive. It has fixed a fine up to Rs 500 for first day. While announcing of its drive, Mayor Vinod Chamoli said, “Polythene clogs the drains and creates big problem during rains. Similarly, the garbage thrown in the open do the same harm and get washed away all around. We have initiated a common campaign to sort both these problems”. He added saying, “Soon the state government is going to impose a ban on polythene. Our step will set the preliminary
ground for it”. In the next stage after a week, he said supervisors would be given a challan book and target to
achieve on the lines of the police system.
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150 units of blood collected
Dehradun, July 7 The camp was organised from 8 am till 4 pm at the Vidhi Bhawan that witnessed the presence of Manmohan Kandwal, president of the Bar Association. After the inauguration of the camp, he said blood donation played a significant role in the lives of human beings as every year it saved numerous lives that died due to its shortage. The camp collected around 150 units of blood, which later was donated to the IMA Blood Bank. The association organises blood donation camps every year. Present at the camp, along with association president, were secretary Rajeev Sharma, Rajeev Raturi, Satya and
many others. |
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Mall Road portion caves in
Mussoorie, July 7 The side walls could not bear the burden of torrential rains and slid down breaking the old side
wall today. According to shopkeepers of the area, they woke up to loud sound of boulders falling from the side wall of the road and as they rushed out, it began sliding down towards the newly constructed shopping mall. They alleged that neither the Palika nor the PWD had come to assess the damage. They further said if the road was not repaired immediately, it could lead to further damage and hinder the traffic flow in the town. Eminent social activist said chaotic construction in the town had created a few vulnerable spots and with more rains predicted the damage could increase, if remedial measures were not taken soon. Palika and PWD officials were not available
when contacted. |
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3 leopard skins seized, three arrested
Dehradun, July 7 According to Rajendra Aggarwal, Coordinator, WPSI, acting on a tip-off, the Anti-poaching Cell personnel apprehended three persons and seized three leopard skins from them. Forest officials were further investigating the matter. Leopard deaths in Uttarakhand state have touched the figure of 65 this year. These deaths have taken place due to various reasons. |
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