Pitthoragarh, November 19
Geologists from India and Australia have started studying the climate of the Himalayan region during past 20,000 years making Himalayan caves the study models for the projects.

In this connection, a team of geologists from Bangalore, Kumaon University, Nainital, and University of Melbourne, Australia, reached Pitthoragarh and started taking samples of a cave situated in Chandak Mountain near the town.

“We started this project in 2007 in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir to find symptoms of climate change during the past 20,000 years in Himalayan region where these secrets of the ancient climate lie hidden in these caves,” said Dr BS Kotlia, a geologist in Kumaon University, Nainital.

Dr Kotlia said that, at present, an Indo-Australian project on Speleothems in the Himalayan region is on. In it, besides Indian geologists, Prof Mike Sandifort from Melbourne University, Australia, is also a member.

“Besides this recent project to study Himalayan caves, two other projects - one funded by the German government named ‘Study of Climate in the Past 5,000 years in Eastern Kumaon,’ and another funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, named, ‘High-resolution climatic changes in Uttarakhand using cave research’ are also running at present” informed Dr Kotlia.

According to Dr Kotlia, the caves in Pitthoragarh district in the Kumaon region and at Chakrata in the Garhwal region have been taken up mainly for the study because these caves are made of limestone. Wherever lime is in abundance in the Himalayas, these types of caves emerge in the due course of time and different shapes inside them are erected in these caves on which sometimes people start religious practices as these shapes resemble some religious deities.

“In Pitthoragarh district, there are more than 30 caves which can be an ideal model to study the rainfall, dry season, earthquakes, landslides during the past centuries as the layers inside the caves indicate these symptoms,” said Dr Kotlia.

Dehradun, November 19
Shakti Kapoor is known for playing villainous and comic roles - both he had played with equal ease. His wicked roles have won him accolades as have the comic ones, but now he wants to play a female character.

“I have lived all types of characters, but now I feel like playing a role of a woman now,” he told The Tribune.

The actor was in the state capital to choose the participants for the Prince and Princess of North organised by Yograj Cinevista Film Acting Institute. The grand finale of the same will take place in December and the winner will get to play the lead role in a Bollywood film.

On being asked what speciality they are looking for in youngsters being auditioned, Kapoor said, “Both the sexes need to be equally talented. Girls have to be as innocent as a flower.”

On why they have chosen Dehradun for auditions, he said, “The state has lot of talent and the producer of the film is based here, thus we thought of giving a platform to newcomers residing in this part of the country.”

With a career spanning over three decades, Kapoor has overcome the trauma caused to him by a TV channel on the issue of the casting couch a few years back. “I am here to select talented persons and its better that you do not spoil the mood. It is better that you talk to me on the relevant issue,” he stated.

Kapoor is nowadays enjoying doing more of comic roles as he says with his witty smile, “Comedy is ruling the roost in Bollywood and I am focusing on the same. It is easier to make one cry, but difficult to make them laugh.”

About his visit to Dehradun, the Bollywood baddie said, “I used to visit Mussoorie with my parents and it is like a homecoming for me.”

Kapoor will be soon seen in “No Problem”, slated to release this December. Besides this, “Bhatti on Chutti”, “Naughty at 40” and many more films are lined up for release next year.

He is also working in three untitled films to be directed by Navneet Kaushik, who hails from Dehradun and produced by Yograj of Yograj Institute.

Having witnessed a sea change in the film industry, the actor said the industry is flourishing like never before. “We as actors were paid not more than Rs 10 lakh, but today, crores are being paid. A budget of Rs 35 crore is a common thing,” Kapoor mentioned.

Kapoor started his career as a hero in “Zakhmi Insan” which bombed at the box office. After the failure of first film, he tried his hand at negative characters which made him popular in no time.

He once bagged the Best Comedian award for his performance in David Dhawan's film “Raja Babu”.

The actor has featured in more than 800 films and has under his kitty, many successful films such as Aasha, Khiladi, Aankhen, Judwaa, Hungama, Hulchul, Malamaal Weekly and Bhool Bhulaiya.

Now his two children - son Siddhanth and daughter Shraddha - are trying to make their mark in the film industry. While Shraddha has made her debut with “Teen Patti”, Siddhanth is waiting for a big break.

Kapoor is not planning to don the cap of director or producer any time soon as he says, “It may happen later in life, but currently, I am enjoying my acting,” he signed off.

Dehradun. November 19
With their houses damaged and after being completely left out of the compensation pie, residents of Kafnaul, a remote village in Uttarakashi district, are forced to lead a peripatetic existence.

Almost at the mercy of friends and relatives, the villagers are angry with the revenue police for failing to list their village as calamity hit. “The need of the hour is complete rehabilitation of the 22 families whose houses have been damaged due to landslides, but the revenue police ignored the claims of the villagers. Only three families were granted ex-gratia, and their houses are not even landslide affected. They have an allegiance to the party in power, which has resulted in the grant,” said Sarupna Devi, resident of Kafnaul village.

Several houses have developed cracks, while the road leading to the district headquarters too has been completely washed out forcing the villagers to make a make-shift path so that connectivity can be maintained. Those belonging to SC/ST classes are the worst affected as most of them have very few means to rebuild their lives.

“The entire village is in a danger zone, as small landslides keep happening. There is no stability, the houses are cracking and can cave any moment endangering the lives of people. The government has failed to make any alternative arrangement for us,” said Prem Pancholi, a social activist.

Amidst claims by the villagers, district officials said compensation to villages was being distributed as per norms and a report about the 46 villages that were extensively affected by the recent natural disaster has been submitted to the government. “It was for the state to recommend a survey to geo-scientists to ascertain the extent of damage and then the listed villages were relocated. Kufnaul does not figure in the list,” said Hemlata Dhondiyal, District Magistrate.

She said Rs 1.50 crore had been given as ex-gratia amount to those whose houses had been categorised according to the extent of damage. “Some houses may not have fulfilled the norms laid by the government, other relief too has been disbursed in the district,” said Dhondiyal.

Pitthoragarh, November 19
A two-day state-level Children’s 
Science Congress will be organised at Government Inter College, Kotdwar, on November 26. More than 200 students and teachers from all over the state are expected to participate and 150 science models would be presented.

Dr Ashok Pant, state convener of the Congress spoke to mediapersons here today. “The Congress would be inaugurated by Dr Rajendra Dobhal, Director of the Uttarakhand Council Of Science And Technology (UCOST), and Dr DK Pandey, senior scientist with the Department Of Science And Technology Government Of India, would be the guest of honour,” Pant said.

The theme for the Congress is “Land Resources: Use For Prosperity, Save For Posterity”. The models from the participating students would be on this theme. “Six other topics along with the main subject have been provided to the students. These include, Know Your Land, Quality Of Land, Anthropogenic Interference In Land Resource, Community Knowledge On Land Resource, Function Of Land And Sustainable Use Of Land Resource,” Dr Pant added.

According to the convener, the evaluation of research papers and models presented by child scientist in the congress will be evaluated by a panel of 24 scientists drawn from soil laboratories, agriculture sciences, FRI Dehradun and academic streams of various universities.

According to the Congress convener students have been provided three months to conduct research on these topics and present their models and research papers after doing completing their field studies.

“Almost all participants, who will be presenting their models and research papers have completed their homework. The National-Level Children Science Congress will be organised on same topic at SRM University, Chennai o December 27- 31, 2010, the President Of India, Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, will inaugurate the National Children Science Congress,” Pant said.

Nainital, November 19
A two-day national seminar on “Gender and Development in the World of Work” began here today with the Uttarakhand Governor Margaret Alva pointing that the response of policy makers, administration and extension workers is not what it should be towards the issue of women, particularly those working in rural areas. She spoke at length on how even the efforts made towards women empowerment have not been able to deliver the desired results.

In her address at the seminar that is being organised by the Women Work and Health Initiative here, Alva pointed that although reservation in panchayats has been a positive step, but it has not been sufficiently effective.

She asserted that women need to be given land ownership as all the credit being given by various institutions depends on it. “Women should have ownership rights and documents to prove it,” she said while pointing that it is in the absence of such documents that they are compelled to seek credit from informal channels that are highly exploitative.

Referring to the problems emerging in Andhra Pradesh on account of private players entering into the micro-finance institutions and resorting to lending at exorbitant rates, she called the phenomenon “a disgrace”.

She pointed that some years back, she had recommended setting up of a National Women’s Bank that would give credit on six to eight per cent to women’s groups. “If that had become a reality, all these wheeler dealers would not have benefited at the cost of poor women,” she said.

The Governor also lamented that even in schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), it is men who are benefited since only one member of a family gets employment under the scheme and most of the times, it is the males who get the opportunity.

She also pointed at the various paradoxes being witnessed in India. She said that despite the Indian economy looking up, gender disparity persists on a large scale. She pointed that on the one side, the list of Indian millionaires and billionaires is growing and on the other, the country fares badly on the human development index of the world where it stands at the 138th position.

Alva pointed that the role of women in the agricultural sector continues to be unpaid and unrecognised. She said, “Women in agriculture need to be given their due place if agriculture and food security mean anything to this country.”

Noted women and child rights activist and an expert on gender issues Padma Seth pointed that planners do plan policies and allocate funds but detailed infrastructural plans are not there in the country.

Referring to a recent study on six states, including Uttarakhand, she said that women are facing several hurdles just to get access to healthcare. “Health and hygiene have been a total casualty,” she pointed while talking to The Tribune.

Professor Girijesh Pant, who is the Vice-Chancellor of Doon University, spoke on the dimensions of the phenomenon of ‘feminisation of Indian agriculture’. He pointed that with more and more males moving to urban areas to pursue their economic needs, women are facing problems in the shrinking space of the rural economy.

He pointed that while the women are becoming more vulnerable as they have to step out in the rural areas to do all the agriculture work besides their other daily chores, at the same time, these women are now redefining the policy agenda. “The patriarchy is now being contested,” he said.

He also spoke on the need to make technology non gender biased, the need to grant asset ownership to women and on the breaking stereotypes in urban areas like working women gaining acceptance by the day on account of economic compulsions.

Dehradun, November 19
A delegation of the Students Federation of India (SFI) met Principal of DAV College BL Nautiyal to discuss the talks they held on November 16.

Rajbir Singh, senior leader of the SFI, claimed the principal had assured them the appointment of Charu Shrisvastav as general secretary, who was earlier appointed as the assistant secretary, but had not fulfil his promise. He further alleged the Principal was taking the college to stage where he kept on changing his versions.

While Charu claimed the Principal was trying to demoralise the fairer sex, which was the reason he moved away from his words.

Dehradun, November 19
The Uttarakhand Nimbu-Amla Festival was organised to commemorate International Biodiversity Year 2010. The aim of the festival is to increase awareness regarding biodiversity and towards the cause of environment.

The emphasis is on citrus fruits, particularly, nimbu and amla. Presenters drawn from various fields highlighted the medicinal and religious value of these fruits.

The Human Service Development Association, in collaboration with its partners iCARE - Bringing People Together, THDC, Ped Panchayat, Gantaya, SASA, PRAMUKH, Karuna Social Association, Sacred Social Society, AGAPE, Anugrah Rehabilitation Trust, Shri Siddhartha Degree College (Aligarh) celebrated the Festival.

Harbans Kapoor, Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha, inaugurated the festival. Also present were Ramendri Mandarwal Deputy Cooperative Registrar and Neelam Sehgal Vice President of the Bal Vikas Board, Utttarakhand.

Speaking on the occasion, Harbans Kapoor said, “It is heartening to see the support of so many young boys and girls. It is our responsibility, stake-holders, to give the youth a fair chance to salvage whatever is left.”

The organisers honoured Sheweta Gaur, Surjeet Singh Khaira, Yudhishter Puran Singh and Dr Vikrant Bhandari for their role in conservation of trees. They were awarded with the prestigious Priyadarshni Vriksh Mitra.

Yudhishter Puran Singh, founding member iCARE, “I thank the members of the organising committee for considering me worthy enough to be awarded with the Priyadarshni Vriksh Mitra. This award is dedicated to my parents and my fellow colleagues at iCARE, without whom it wouldn’t have been possible.”

Surjeet Singh Khaira, also a proud recipient of the award said, “Today’s generation understands the seriousness of the situation but needs encouragement from people all around is required to be given. I urge my fellow friends to stand up and support the youth in their bid to create a beautiful and sustainable tomorrow.”

The event saw active participation from schools like Dehradun Hills Academy, Jaswant Modern, Him Jyoti School. Students from various schools displayed their paintings, slogans and even planted a few saplings on the campus. Also present on the occasion were nature lovers, gram pradhans, village women folks etc.

Towards the end, Dr SN Mishra from the human service development association thanked the guests, participating organisations, and all those who contributed in making the event a success.

Haridwar, November 19
In view of several problems being faced by senior citizens, despite several welfare schemes made for them, the Federation of Senior Citizen Associations, Uttarakhand (FSCAU), has demanded the state to empower seniors in issues of health, social, economic, security and others making sure the implementation of the welfare schemes was not only in paper but also in action.

The federation has appointed CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank as its principal patron. A unanimous resolution was passed in this regard at the meeting held at Shivalik Nagar in Haridwar. Speaker of the state assembly, Harbhans Kapoor, was also appointed as the chief patron.

The federation, on its foremost agenda, has urged Nishank to implicate the Central run welfare schemes for senior citizens like the National Policy on Older Pensions, Indira Gandhi Old Age Pension 2007 and the likes.

Urging state government to formulate a special welfare cell, which caters to the senior citizens, having some constitutional rights so that the cell looks after their woes and readdresses them, as well as act as a statutory body to chalk out the welfare-developmental schemes.

Speaking to The Tribune, chief of the federation, RS Mishra, said in this regard soon the delegation of the executive members of the federation would meet the CM along with Cabinet Minister of Disaster Management, Khazan Das, and put forward the demands included in today’s meeting resolution.

Federation members cited examples of some states like Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka wherein implementation of the central senior citizen schemes were being fully implemented, benefiting their senior citizens.

When contacted, Khazan Das, said, in state too, the government was serious regarding the problems being faced by senior citizens and was committed to provide its senior citizen residents same facilities as being provided in other states.

About the other proceedings of the meeting federation’s, General Secretary Sarvesh Gupta, said various other committees were formed, which would look after the federation’s day-to-day work.

Present at the executive meeting were Sanjay Kumar, RK Sharma, Yogendra Kohli, TC Jain, UC Shukla, CS Sharma, Bishambher Singh, AS Khuller,PP Khanna, and RC Goyal among others.

Dehradun, November 19
Shri Guru Ram Rai (SGRR) Public School and Stadium Trainees won the sub-junior and junior District Level Handball Championship which was organised by the Sports Department here today.

In the sub-junior boys final, SGRR School beat SBS Club Balawala 10-7. Kuldeep of SBS scored three points for his team while Rohit of the winning team got four points.

In the junior boys final, Stadium Trainees defeated Basketball Boys Club 29-18. Dilbar and Arjun scored seven points each for Stadium Trainees and Basketball Boys, respectively.

The players were given prizes during a prize distribution ceremony.

Dehradun, November 19
Union XI posted a eight-wicket win over Technical at the Inter Departmental Cricket Tournament being played at Ambedkar Stadium today.

In another match between CSD and Tel Bhawan, CSD won the match by 29 runs. Batting first, the CSD team scored 152 runs in 20 overs for the loss of five wickets.

In reply, Tel Bhawan were all out for 123 in the 18th over.

For CSD, Matbar was the top scorer with 15 runs.

Dehradun, November 19
A sport meet was held here today at Kendriya Vidyalaya IIP (both shifts). Arpit, Vinod and Rohit got first, second and third place, respectively, in the boys banana race. In the girls banana race, Akshita, Taniya and Supriya stood first, second and third, respectively.

In the boys frog race, Rohit Sharma, Priyanshu and Ankush got first, second and third positions, respectively. In the girls category, Shalini, Anchal and Kalpana got the first three places.

In the 200m race, Vishal emerged champion. Preetak Kumar and Ankit came second and third, respectively. In the 400m, Ravinder Bhandari, Himanshu and Ravinder got first, second and third places, respectively.

Earlier, chief guest Padam Bahadur Mal opened the meet. On the occasion, Principal Dr Charu Sharma was also present. She encouraged students to take part in sports activities.