Dehradun, July 11
Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank exhorted the youth, women and social organisations to spread awareness about population control and health services in the state.

Speaking at a function to mark World Population Day today, the Chief Minister said stability in population could ensure the all-round development of the state. “An unrestricted growth of population will put pressure on meagre resources that can even lead to tensions and violence,” said Dr Nishank.

He also asked the gathering to shun the desire for having a boy and cooperate in making the family programme a success. “Side by side, we need to focus on good education, both for men and women, so that they can make wise choices,” the Chief Minister added.

Within two months the government will start a school education programme in all schools of Uttarakhand. The Chief Minister also quizzed schoolchildren present among the audience on population and other issues.

Along with the Chief Minister, State Health Minister BS Bhoriyal, DG (Health) CP Arya, CMS RK Pant and Secretary (Health) Uma Kant Pawar were also present.

Dehradun, July 11
The response to the male sterilisation programme continues to be poor in the state with 4.9 per cent 5 per cent of the men adopting family planning procedures. The Health Department has set a target of reducing the fertility rate from 2.55 per cent in 2008-2009 to 2.45 per cent in 2010-11.

“The sterilisation programme has hit a rough patch because of lack of awareness as most men think that they will become weak after the procedure, which is not the case,” said Dr Asha Mathur, Additional Director of the Health and Family Welfare.

The local voluntary groups and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers make arrangements for the operation of sterilisation camps. The patients get Rs 1,100, while the promoter (ASHA) receives Rs 200 for the laproscopy operation held on the camps.

However, both the state and National Family Programmes have significantly improved the status of women, involving them and empowering them to bring about a change in their communities. This contribution is important because of the way in which the deeply entrenched inferior status of women in many communities in India negates official efforts to decrease the fertility rate.

When women choose to be sterilised, financial inducements, although helpful, are not the principal incentives. On an average, those accepting sterilisation already have four children, of whom two are sons.

All district male hospitals and district hospitals cater to family planning programmes, while district female hospitals, CHCs and first referral units (FRU) conduct female sterilisation programmes. 

Haridwar, July 11
With India’s burgeoning population touching newer heights and almost set to upstage China in the coming decades and the negative impact it’s having on the development of the country, the need of having mass awareness about its control assumes a greater significance. Besides, the mindset and various wrong notions attached with birth control methods need to be shed off if the common man is to be involved in large numbers in birth control programmes.

These were the views of medical experts speaking at various functions held in the city as part of Population Control Week that kicked off today. Various seminars, programmes, sterilisation camps, exhibitions and street plays will be organised throughout this week.

At the Mela Hospital, a programme was held wherein State Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik presided as the chief guest.

A mass awareness camp is being organised wherein non-governmental organisations working in rural and semi-urban areas are informing people about the works being carried out by them. Also people are being informed about birth control methods, prevention from HIV and other contagious diseases.

Speaking on the occasion, Kaushik said it was high time that population control be seriously taken up as it was hindering the development of our country as the resources were less in caparison to population surge. He said the slogan that used to be associated with population “Hum Do, Hamare Do” needed to be modified in view of current situation as “Hum Do Hamare Ek”. Then only the population explosion could be controlled in the country.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) BK Gairola opined that even if we were able to put population growth in a stable condition and if not bring the birth rate down then also it would be a major success as the population is rising alarmingly.

Shedding light on various projects being carried out by the Mela Hospital, the CMO said in Haridwar and Roorkee sterilisation programmes were being carried out wherein as a motivational aid Rs 1,100 was being offered for men going for sterilisation while for women Rs 600 was being given apart from facilitation of birth control methods like copper T and condoms at the hospital. Also medical counselling in this regard was available for free of cost.

Pointing out that of the total global population, India and China jointly account for a whopping 40 pc share, State Employees Joint Councils’ Union district president JP Chahar urged all to take pledge to see that population didn’t get in way of development of our country.

“Population can be controlled if we make our minds and shed centuries-old inclination towards having a larger family and mostly son-oriented, besides propagating various schemes run by the government in far-flung areas,” said Chahar who also coordinated the programme. Medical experts at the seminar also termed high infant mortality rate as one of the major causes of population surge in the country.

Notably, as per the latest report by the Janasankhya Sthirtha Kosh (National Population Stabilisation Fund) being operated under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it has been predicted that population in India is expected to surpass that of China by 2050.

Dehradun, July 11
The 415th birth anniversary of the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind, was celebrated in various gurdwaras here today.

Shabad kirtans and langar marked the occasion. The main function of Guru Parkash Utsav was held at the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara at Arhat Bazar where Uttarakhand Governor Margaret Alva was present. She greeted the Sikhs and other residents of the state on the occasion.

She listened to the Gurbani and also took langar at the gurdwara. Addressing the gathering, Governor said the politics and spirituality of Guru Hargobind was relevant 
even today.

The Governor was welcomed at the gurdwara by Sri Guru Singh Sabha president Rajinder Singh Rajan and Sewa Singh Mathroo.

A large number of devouts attended the kirtan and took langar. 

Over the past two weeks, Nainital has witnessed a flurry of activities on the administrative front that has surprised officials and other residents of the town. The town, which is also the Divisional Headquarters of the Kumaon region, has been witnessing a series of meetings convened by the top brass of the administration. The crux of all these meetings is the same with emphasis on a time-bound completion of development works.

Imagine two Additional Chief Secretaries descending on the town within a week to chair meetings on the development front. This has even led cynics to sit upright to witness what they claim not to have witnessed over the past three and a half years. The thing being debated is whether the government has finally woken up from its slumber or it is just a pretence to convey to people that it really is serious about development.

Nainital, July 11
People giving false affidavits for getting a birth certificate for their wards will face a criminal charge. This decision has been taken by the local administration in the wake of a large number of instances coming to light of people getting a lower age registered for their wards that are born in remote areas.

According to Registrar of the Births and Deaths Dr HS Ghanela, “It has come to light that people want to get a birth certificate for their children in which the age of the child is lesser than what it is. These people are coming forward with applications that the children were born elsewhere and are seeking birth certificates”.

He said the practice had been brought to the knowledge of the top brass in the administration and District Magistrate Shailesh Bagauli had ordered that a proper criminal case be registered against people indulging in such a practice.

It has also been decided that the Sub Divisional Magistrate will investigate the affidavits being submitted for birth certificates and only after his clearance a birth certificate will be issued in such cases.

The children being delivered by doctors and nurses in hospitals are being issued their birth certificates automatically by the office of the Registrar of the Births and Deaths. “The births are registered in the hospital records, and parents can avail birth certificates without furnishing any affidavit,” said the Registrar.

Meanwhile, a meeting to chalk out the programmes to mark World Population Day was held under the chairmanship of Chief Medical Officer Dr DS Garbyal on Friday. He said the message that would be spread during the programmes was about a small and healthy family with holistic development.

Dehradun, July 11
St Joseph’s alumni in association with the DSI Foundation organised a tree plantation programme at the Race Course gurdwara and Doon Vale School here today.

Uttarakhand Agriculture Minister Trivender Singh Rawat and Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli were chief guests at the programme. Rawat said it was important for the youth to plant trees as the green cover was speedily decreasing in Dehradun. Chamoli emphasised on planting trees and taking care of these as one’s own children.

Rajeev Sachar from the DSI Foundation pointed out the uses of neem, aloe vera, guava, amla, etc.

A total of 125 saplings of tez patta, chandan, bottle brush, jamun and neem were planted. Lemon grass and tez patta saplings were distributed among those who attended the programme, thanks to Aromatic Plants Centre, Dehradun.

Phula Singh, secretary of the Gurdwara Committee, said more and more trees should be planted as they were most necessary for the betterment of the planet’s health.

Anand Sharma, Director, Meteorological Department, Dehradun, Nripen Chauhan, scientist in charge for the Aromatic Plants Department, and Umesh Aggarwal were present. 

Dehradun, July 11
The Nupur Dance Academy is celebrating the onset of monsoon by holding a dance competition, “Sawan-Manbhawan”, on July 31.

Elaborating more about the programme, Director of the academy Nupur Gupta said, “Those who are interested to participate, be it young or middle-aged women, should fill the form by July 17.

They can perform any kind of dance, including semi-classical, Bollywood, folk or western dance, which should be based on the theme of monsoon.

Winners will be given Nupur I, II and III prizes and prepared to participate in a dance show aired on Sony TV channel.”

Chief Dance Director Aradhya Kumar, too, was present on the occasion.

Dehradun, July 11
The concluding day of a seminar on “Hydro Power Development and Environment Issues” held by The Institution of Engineering, Uttarakhand, focused on environmental aspects of development projects where a majority of experts opined that environmental concerns were certainly not deterrent to development projects. It is the lack of political and administrative will which ignores environmental concerns in the very beginning of the planning of projects and compound the problem later on.

Director of Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited RCK Mishra said: “It is wrong to blame the environment for stalling development projects. It is the acquisition of land which has emerged as the biggest problem and a tedious process. It has become difficult to think of raising hydro power projects at low expenses.” He said the nation had technical will and knowhow. It was basically the political and administrative will which had been creating bottlenecks on the way.

“The projects are halted by politicians when a group of people start agitation without bothering to go into the technicalities of the issue. This has to be checked,” he said, suggesting to think of other viable and renewable alternatives such as gas, thermal, nuclear mediums for power generation.

MM Kimothi, Director, Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, also complained of a common tendency among project planners to push environment at the back seat. He said: “It is a pity that issues such as impact of power generation in a particular area are not even mentioned while preparing detailed project reports. Now, when the world is getting sensitive towards environmental concerns we can no longer afford to ignore them. Besides, we must learn the art from foreign countries to carry out development projects by balancing the environmental concerns side by side. In our nation, where we have surplus water and other natural sources, we should not get into unnecessary wrangles and take cues from other countries”.

Rakesh Khare, General Manager, Social Environment, said while making a blue print of any development project, a thorough assessment should be made about the environment impact and thereupon mitigation plan of the causes. “The project should not be seen in piecemeal but as a whole. For instance, before planning a project on the Ganga, the impact the river has been carrying from the Gangotri onwards due to many other small hydro projects built over it at many sites must be assessed.” Khare said once the causes of environment damage and their mitigation were fully understood then the state could create development projects based on natural resources without environmental objections.

Regulation of environment policy since 1972 has been designed to assist development projects, said Ashish Das, Deputy Manager, NHPC. “We need to pay more attention to the social problems which crop up during any development project. The conflict management between development and preservation of environment would never arise then,” he said.

Gaurav Kumar, Deputy Manager, Kotli Bhel Hydro Project, too, echoed similar sentiments. He said: “Whenever a hydro power project is established, the problems such as dumping of silt, catchment area treatment, fish management, rehabilitation and settlement, disaster settlement plan emerge. One can arrest silt or soil erosion by tree plantation and by building check dams and retaining walls. Fish hatcheries for fish management, packages as per national policy for rehabilitation and resettlement, etc, are some of the answers of other problems.”

Haridwar, July 11
Exactly a month ago on June 11, one of the biggest sporting extravaganza XIXth FIFA World Cup commenced in South Africa and since 63 Games later the euphoria that comes with the beautiful game has reached its zenith. The world will see a new World Cup champion in its 80 years of history since first world cup got underway in 1930 in Uruguay.

As the whole world waits for the mega final match between current European champions Spain and Holland, people of Haridwar too enthusiastically waiting to see the new champions of football.

So, apart from male football aficionados, girls too are praying, wishing and siding for their respective sides, with Spain being a hot favourite among the majority. But there is a considerable number of girls who also are terming orange shirt-donned players to make a surprise in the finals too as they had been doing in the whole tournament.

The Tribune asked young girls of the city on their views about the World Cup and favourite team with a majority of them pinning hopes on Spain, while many were depressed after the exit of South American giants Argentina and Brazil.

While Shikha Ohri, a web designing student, is not quite interested in the final match as her favourite two-time champions Argentina suffered a major exit against Germany. “Argentina is still superior in class, total football and mercurial strikers like Messi and Higuain have no match among other World Cup playing nations. But one weak day in defence saw them being ousted from the tournament which made this World Cup over for me at the quarterfinal stage itself,” rued Shikha.

Commerce graduate at Chinmay Degree College and basically hailing from Nepal, Payal is supporting football played by Spain and has decided to hold a party for her friends tomorrow as she is quite confident of her favourite team’s victory. “Spain has seven players who play in the world’s best club Barcelona, have a dominating midfield, attacking forwards and solid defence, besides octopus Paul also forecasting a Spain’s win. Isn’t it enough that Spain will be the winner?” quipped Payal.

Holland is the favourite title contender for Shuchi Gupta, an engineering student, who has reasons for her support.

The Netherlands are one of the fittest squads, besides play a combination of classic and aggressive football and have the wherewithal to sustain 90 plus 30 minutes extra if the game goes in extra time.

Indirani Talukdar, class X student, voiced that whoever wins it doesn’t matter as it’s an all-European clash, but what matter the most is the quality of the final match and the number of goals. “The more the goals, the merrier the final match, and we will also see whether David Villa or Wesley Schneider emerge as the top scorer bagging the Golden Boot award,” said Indirani.

Haridwar’s CBSE class XII topper Shaivya Rastogi, apart from preparing for entrance examinations, is taking time for the World Cup matches and has been glued to the television and newspapers sports page for maximum coverage. She has no favourite since India isn’t in the World Cup and points that the government and sports authorities should do something, “so that we don’t have to root for foreign teams, but our own Indian team”.

Dehradun, July 11
City Young managed to beat Adhoiwala 2-1 here today during the Lala Nemi Dass District Football League being played on the Pavilion Ground.

Tserring (20th) and Punsok (36th) scored a goal each in the win of Cantt Blue. While Rajendra Singh scored a lone goal for the opponent team.

In another match, Doon Star played a goalless draw with BC Milan. Thundup (24th) netted a goal for Doon Star and BC Milan’s Vijay Singh scored in the fourth minute.