Haridwar, May 22
Being the third largest party in terms of legislators in Uttarakhand, the Bahujan Samaj Party is pinning its hope on Mayawati’s magic and good governance in Uttar Pradesh to see it sail through in the coming state assembly election.

This was categorically stated by BSP supremo Mayawati when she urged party workers to gear up for the election from today asking voters to vote for the party due to its pro-poor approach and development-oriented governance in Uttar Pradesh which could be replicated in Uttarakhand too if the party came to power.

She was in Haridwar today to address a one-day party convention of all assembly segments of Uttarakhand at Rishikul in which more than 15,000 party workers participated giving a fillip to the party’s prospect in the state.

Mayawati urged them to do more ground work, increase the party base, strengthen organisational structure and refrain from publicity as eventually their work would speak and the Elephant (Party Symbol) would climb the hills (hinting the hilly regions of the Uttarakhand).

Refuting speculations of any tie-up with the BJP or like-minded parties in Uttarakhand, Mayawati dismissed any such prospects saying that her

party would be contesting elections both in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh on their own as both 
BJP-Congress were anti-commom man.

Meanwhile, on the national level, Mayawati lashed at the Congress and the BJP for maligning the BSP’s pro-farmers image over the ongoing controversy in Bhatta Parsaul. She said the media was also being used by these parties to send out a wrong message but it’s the farmers themselves who know that the BSP government had always been 
with them.

Dozens of politicians and social activists joined the party in the presence of party supremo, Uttarakhand in charge Ram Achal Rajbhar, Uttarakhand party chief Meghraj, legislator Mohammed Shahzad, district panchayat chairperson Anjum Begum among others. 

Nainital, May 22
The Central Government is all set to launch a National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE). The framework for the mission has been finalised and it will be executed soon under the Department of Science and Technology.

This was revealed by Dr RK Pachauri, who has served as the chair of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and is also the head of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) during the deliberations at the conclave of Indian mountain states organised by the Central Himalayan Environment Association (CHEA) here.

Dr Pachauri disclosed that under the mission, a Centre for Glaciology was to be established at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology at Dehradun. He underlined, “Our view is that there needs to be proper networking among various organisations and institutions working on the issue”.

He further disclosed that the mission also proposed to have 10 new centres in existing institutions across the Himalayan belt for sustaining Himalayan ecosystem. In addition to this, a separate National Centre for Himlayan Glaciology was also to be established. Dr Pachauri said,”This should in fact be a national programme.” The NMSHE had been cleared by the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change on October 26, 2009. This is the fourth mission under the National Action Plan on Climate Change on evolving suitable management and policy measures for sustaining and safeguarding the Himalayan glacier and mountain eco-system.

The mission envisages that there is a need to establish an observational and monitoring network for the Himalayan environment to assess fresh water resources and health of the ecosystem.

This mission aims to understand the complex processes affecting the Himalayan Ecosystem and evolve suitable management and policy measures for sustaining and safeguarding the Himalayan glacier and mountain ecosystem.

Referring to the controversy over the IPCC’s report on glacial melting last year, Dr Pachauri described it as a “stupid error” and qualified it by stating that the report has otherwise helped in generating a lot of awareness on the issue of climate change. He further stated that there was a need to take up climate modeling on a large scale and TERI has made a small beginning in the direction.

Dr Pachauri also underlined the need for India and its neighbouring countries coming together on the issue of saving the Himalayan ecosystem. He said,”Mere Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) do not help. There has to be a good working relationship between scientists and researchers.”

Dehradun, May 22
The Uttarakhand chapter of the People for Animals has welcomed the Animal Welfare Board of India’s (AWBI) decision to ban the use of starvation to force egg-laying hens into a moult phase.

Starvation force moulting, widely practised on egg production facilities throughout India, deprives egg-laying hens of food to rejuvenate their reproductive tracts and stimulate additional cycles of egg production.

The AWBI has recently ordered all poultry farms to immediately discontinue starvation force moulting regimes, stating that the practice is in the violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and a punishable offence. The AWBI has directed local animal welfare organisations to work alongside law enforcement to ensure that the ban is implemented. It has further directed the state governments to issue notifications to poultry farmers in this regard.

In a letter to the Uttarakhand Secretary, Animal Husbandry, People for Animals, Uttarakhand, member secretary Gauri Maulekhi informed the Uttarakhand Government regarding the ban and requested the Secretary to issue a government order to reinforce the same so that the practice may be discontinued in the state with immediate effect. She said PFA volunteers would continue to visit poultry farms in Uttarakhand on a regular basis and assist the government in implementing the ban.

Under starvation force moulting regimes, food is often withheld for up to 14 days and may be combined with one or two days of water deprivation.

During a force moult, hens suffer greatly and may lose up to 35 per cent of their body weight. This practice of food withdrawal has been widely questioned throughout the world and is already prohibited in countries like Australia and the US.

Dehradun, May 22
People at Ghansali in New Tehri district threw stones at policemen and smashed the furniture of the police post today while giving vent to their anger on the death of 40-year-old Sarop Singh Bisht in the police custody.

Rajiv Swarup, Superintendent of Police, New Tehri, said, the post-mortem of the body was conducted by a panel of doctors which

was videographed as well. He said, “A policeman had been suspended for concealing the information about the incident. The SHO had also been punished and sent to the police lines. All this was done much before the people and family members of the deceased raised hue and cry suspecting it to be a custodial death, whereas the deceased died after he felt acute pain in the chest when he was being taken away to a hospital following clashes he had with a few people in an inebriated condition.”

Meanwhile, many organisations such as the Uttarakhand Lok Vahini, the Uttarakhand Mahila Manch, the Chetna have demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the widow and a inquiry into the matter. 

Mussoorie, May 22
The spiritual head of the Nirankari sect Baba Hardev Singh Maharaj, speaking to a congregation of devotees in Mussoorie, today said for keeping mind serene, pious and beautiful, it was important to focus it on God that is formless.

He further said human beings were aware of worldly achievements but when it came to remembering God, they fell short in their efforts. “All seers and saints have inspired people not to forget God as it is the stream that provides solace to all human beings”.

Baba Hardev Singh Maharaj was of the view that devotion is the key factor in providing restlessness and peace to the mind. Baba Hardev Singh Maharaj also said the importance of the body is till it has soul and once the soul leaves the body, it loses its importance and people are ready to cremate the body as soon as possible.

The baba appealed to devotees to shed away the thoughts of hatred and prejudice as they could only provide solace to the body but the mind would remain restless. Emphasising on the importance of focusing mind on God, he said it was only then that mind would become steady and won’t be easily disturbed even by adverse events. “Always do good and be content in what you receive in life” added Hardev Singh Maharaj during his discourse here. — OC

Dehradun, May 22
To create awareness about female foeticide, 200 students of government and government-aided schools organised a rally here today.

The rally was conducted under the aegis of the Udayan Care, Dehradun Chapter, in collaboration with the Kusuma Trust and the All-India Women’s Conference (AIWC). Carrying placards, participants from Dehradun, Rishikesh and Haridwar conveyed the message to stop female foeticide.

The rally started from a government school on Rajpur Road and after passing through Orient Chowk, Gandhi Park and Clock Tower, it culminated at the school.

Later, a seminar was also organised where Madhu Marwah and Krishna Khurana, members of the AIWC, encouraged students to promote equal rights for men and women. They emphasised on motivating people to accept the girl child.

The speakers also informed the participants about pre-natal diagnostic tests, provisions mentioned in the PNDT Act and gave them information on domestic violence and its adverse effects.