Cabinet hikes honorarium of panchayat officials
State’s trainers and coaches will also benefit
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 13
Along with increasing the honorarium of three-tier panchayat raj officials, undertaking upward revision of honorarium of state sports trainers coaches and referees, the Uttarakhand Cabinet today also decided to increase the strength of mobile health hospitals, renaming these as Atal Sachal Chiktsa Sewa. At a media briefing today, Chief Secretary Subash Kumar said the honorarium of the chairmen of the zila panchayats had been raised from Rs 4000 to Rs 5000. They are 13 in number in the state. The honorarium of members of the zila panchayat has been raised from Rs 300 to Rs 400. The honorarium of block pramukhs has been raised from Rs 3000 to Rs 4000 and gram pradhans from Rs 600 to Rs 750. He said the hike would impose a burden of Rs 2 crore annually on the government.

For the first time trainers, coaches and referees in the state, too, are expected to benefit from the government’s largesse. The referees, trainers and coaches would receive a diet allowance of Rs 150 per day, house allowance of Rs 100 per day and the expenditure on purchase of sports equipment has been raised from R 1000 to Rs 2000.

With the aim to providing medical services to 50 per cent of the population in the state, the Cabinet today gave a go-ahead for increasing the strength of mobile health hospitals to 12 each year. “The yearly increase would help us cover 50 per cent of the areas in the state, where there is acute shortage of doctors,” said Kumar.

Adding a new category of beneficiaries who would receive government pension, the Cabinet approved the inclusion of women abandoned by families and in unsound mental condition. “We would be extending a helping hand by sanctioning a pension of Rs 400 per month. A total of 50 women would be selected in the 13 districts,” said Kumar.

The government also fixed the minimum requirement of 45 per cent for the candidates in the general category, 45 per cent for the candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and 35 per cent for those belonging to the SC and ST communities for group C posts, for which examinations are not conducted by the State Public Service Commission.

In addition the Cabinet also approved the absorption of the remaining 343 shiksha acharyas who had resorted to protracted strikes. The government has already absorbed 780 acharyas.

It also approved the change in nomenclature of the five private secretary-level posts of the secretariat and also decided to the bring an amendment in the rule pertaining to use of land as envisaged in the Private Universities Act. The state government has been vested with powers to over-rule the directives of the University Grant Commission (UGC).

Nod to slum policy

Dehradun, December 13
The state Cabinet on Tuesday approved the State Slum (Malin Basti) Policy which has been aimed at providing ownership rights to the residents of 583 identified regulated slums in the state.

According to the policy document, the inhabitants of the slums earmarked for relocation or in-situ development would be entitled to a piece of land measuring 800 sq ft or a house with an area of 300 sq feet, depending on the situation.

At a media briefing held here today, Chief Secretary Subash Kumar said the policy not only talked of improving the infrastructure of such places but also giving ownership rights to the slum dwellers with a rider. “The owners who will be allotted land or houses on lease for a period of 10 years will be able to make their possessions freehold after a period of 10 years, provided they do not break the agreement,” said Kumar. The Principal Secretary, Urban Development, Dr Ranbir Singh, said besides checking unregulated growth, the policy seeks to provide solution to the slums existing on river beds that face water-logging problem during monsoon. “We will be looking at different solutions for rehabilitation and relocation of slums in the state. Besides, the inhabitants will be able to access facilities of drinking water, streetlights, sewerage, parks and community halls. All the inhabitants of the slums will also be issued identity cards,” he said. The slum policy also envisages encouraging private builders to reserve 25 per cent of houses for the economically weaker sections of the society. “The Central Government’s Basic Services to the Urban Poor plan envisages setting aside 25 per cent of the houses for the urban poor, similarly the private builders in the state will be asked to reserve 25 per cent of the houses for the people from the economically weaker sections. In turn they will be entitled to earn extra floor space index for taking up the slum-rehabilitation project,” said Singh. He said the state government would also bring landlord friendly Model Rent Control Law which is expected to encourage landlords to offer houses on rent and also make compulsory provisions for single and double servant quarters built in houses with an area of 500 square metre and above and 1,000 square metre and above. “In the long term, all these provisions will stop the mushrooming of slums,” Singh said.

E-governance system implemented in state
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 13
The Uttarakhand Government has taken another significant initiative by implementing the E-governance system, where all types of tenders will now be available online.

Chief Minister BC Khanduri inaugurated the E-procurement system at the E-tender portal, http://uktenders.gov.in, at the Secretariat here today.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the system would directly benefit the common man and the users of the tender portal.

He directed that training programmes be conducted for departmental employees and make them proficient in the use of this system. He said the system would come in handy in fostering a culture of good governance, clean and transparent administration and accountability.

Additional Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain said the tender portal had come about as a result of a comprehensive exercise under which a government order was issued in July to implement the E-procurement system in the state to bring about transparency and cleanliness in the government and the administration.

Under the provisions, all procurement of goods and service for Rs 5 lakh and above and all work contracts for Rs 1 crore and above for all departments and Rs 2 crore and above for the PWD would be dealt through the E-procurement system.

The departments identified under the first phase include the Irrigation and the Minor Irrigation, Secondary Education, Medical and Health, Forests, Rural Engineering Service, the Uttarakhand Peyjal Nigam, Power, the GMVN, the KMVN, Tourism, Animal Husbandry and the PWD.

The Finance Department has been made the nodal department for implementing the E-procurement system in the state while the NIC is the nodal implementing agency.

The portal is funded by the Centre as the mission mode project under the E-governance programme. The state government had no financial commitment. The software was according to the provisions of the Uttarakhand procurement Rules 2008, Jain said. A toll free number, 1800 266 2277, is provided in help desk for users in the portal.

Udham Singh Nagar plan outlay Rs 55 crore
Directive to provide job avenues to unemployed
Tribune News Service

Nainital, December 13
The administration in Udham Singh Nagar district has approved an annual plan outlay of Rs 55 crore for the next financial year 2012-13. The administration has announced that the annual plan implementation would be coupled with introduction of several new welfare schemes.

Addressing a meeting held to approve the plan at Vikas Bhawan in Rudrapur, District Magistrate PS Jangpangi asked officials of various departments to begin introduction of schemes during the routine functioning of their departments, which would help in generating more employment avenues and help in enhancing the socio-economic level of living of the people.

He particularly asked officials of the Irrigation Department to ensure that new tubewells are installed and old ones are repaired so that there aws no dearth of irrigation facility for the farmers. At the same time Jangpangi asked Chief Development Officer (CDO) Balakrishna to prepare a proposal for the construction of a circuit house on a vacant piece of government land in Rudrapur. A new circuit house in Rudrapur is required as the town witnesses a high incidence of VIP movement. A sum of Rs 2 crore has been provided in the proposed plan to the Public Works Department (PWD).

Jangpangi asked the officials of the Agriculture, Horticulture and Dairy Development Departments to introduce combined schemes for the benefit of the small and marginal farmers. He also asked the personnel of the Fisheries Department to build small ponds in the farm lands and take the help of professionals from Gobind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology for promoting fisheries in the district.

He called for approval and execution of various schemes for which proposals are pending before the Model Code of Conduct is implemented, as no new construction activity would commence once the code comes into effect. This would mean surrendering of funds allocated for various developmental works.

The officials of the Power Department have been asked to initiate a special drive to generate awareness amongst consumers with regard to the growing instances of short circuits on account of overload during the winter months. At the same time, the officials of the Fire Department have been asked to keep fire tenders and other equipment in working order to deal with any eventuality.

The proposed allocations were made during the meeting for various departments for the next financial year.

NRHM schemes: District Magistrate pulls up officials
Tribune News Service

Nainital, December 13
Pulling up the officials at a review meeting held in Nainital on Tuesday, District Magistrate Nidhi Mani Tripathi has ordered that the schemes being run under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) be implemented in a completely transparent manner in letter and in spirit.

She expressed particular concern over the health centres that are being opened in slum areas of the district, particularly in the towns of Haldwani, Ramnagar and Lal Kuan. She has ordered that more centres should be opened on the lines of those that have been opened in Rajpura, Kidwai Nagar and Indira Nagar localities in Haldwani so that the residents of slums could avail the benefits under the programme.

Tripathi has also ordered the officials of the Health Department to prepare a roster of the mobile dispensaries and to ensure that these vehicles visit every approachable area. The officials have been asked in particular to spread awareness about these dispensaries and their schedule so that the maximum number of people can avail health care facility at their doorstep.

It was pointed out that there were 1,071 rural health sub-committees that could be used for executing awareness programmes in the area. In addition to this these committees can be used for maintaining sanitation in the villages, cleaning up water sources and helping patients reach road heads in case of medical emergencies. These committees have been provided a sum of Rs 10,000 each for this purpose. Tripathi said these committees could avail themselves of more money after submitting a utilisation certificate of the money provided to them.

Tripathi laid particular emphasis on holding health check-up camps in schools so that every child is covered under them. She has asked the officials of the Health and the Education Departments to coordinate on this issue and make sure that the camps are organised according to the guidelines laid down by the Union Health Ministry.

Congress padyatras vs BJP nukkad sabhas
Sandeep Rawat/TNS

Haridwar, December 13
With the Assembly elections not too far away, the BJP has started holding to nukkad sabhas (street meetings) while the Congress has launched padyatras as part of their campaigns ahead of the elections. And if the response to these padyatras are any indication, then the Congress surely has an upper hand over its arch rival.

Leading the pack in Haridwar district is Anupama Rawat, daughter of Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat. Under Anupama’s leadership, there is no factionalism in the district Congress, which has boosted its campaign ahead of the elections. Talking to The Tribune, Anupama stressed the need for having a direct conversation with the voters, saying that despite abundance of communication tools the public’s woes are better understood on the ground. “My father always tells me to be easily accessible to the public otherwise they will make you inaccessible when the election time comes,” said Anupama, who is also general secretary of the Women Congress.

She claimed there was a wave in favour of the Congress in the state. The public of Haridwar had reposed its faith in the Congress first by electing Harish Rawat with a record 1.15 lakh votes and then voting for the party candidates in the three-tier Zila Panchayat elections earlier this year. These victories are a clear indication of the public mood, said Anupama who declined that she is in the race for the Assembly ticket from Haridwar. Mukkaram Ansari, a probable candidate from Haridwar (rural), who was the convener of today’s pad yatra on the Jwalapur-Bahadrabad stretch, said the Congress was the only party having secular credentials and the interests of the minorities and Dalits were safeguarded only in Congress governance.

Harak Rawat accuses govt of befooling public

Dehradun, December 13
Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Harak Singh Rawat today accused the BJP government of befooling public in the name of announcements.

Addressing a press conference here today, Rawat alleged that since the BJP government had came to power in the state, only 33 per cent of the announcements made by it had been fulfilled.

Rawat also accused the BJP of defaming the Congress in the name of scams. “During the last elections, the BJP had alleged that the Congress was involved in 56 scams. However, not even a single scam has been proved by it so far,” he said, adding that the state had put unnecessary burden on the state exchequer by setting up various commissions to probe these scams. — TNS

Assembly Poll
Left to contest 20 seats
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, December 13
Three communist parties namely the CPI, the CPM and the CPI (ML) will contest 20 Assembly seats in the state in the coming elections and the allocation of seats will be decided between these three parties according to the area of influence of each party, said Raja Bahuguna, state in charge of the CPI (ML) here today.

“If the third front gets going in the state, and if it contests all the 70 seats, then the Communist parties can reduce their demand of seats from 20 to 15,” said Bahuguna while briefing media persons.

“If we do not reach an agreement with the other parties, then three Communist parties will come together to issue a joint appeal and joint election manifesto,” he said.

The CPI (ML) leader challenged Chief Minister BC Khanduri’s announcement that the Lokayukta Bill passed by the state Assembly was transparent and had brought the Chief Minister’office in its ambit. “When Article 18 of Chapter 6 of the Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill says that the Chief Minister and the Cabinet ministers cannot be subjected to investigation unless all the members of the Lokayukta agree to it. Then why the Chief minister is fooling people,” asked Bahuguna.

His party is in favour of a strong Lokpal Bill which could have not only the Prime Minister but also the media, corporate, non-government agencies and the Army as well in its ambit. “Such a Lokpal Bill is possible only after a wide spread public movement is initiated in the country,” said the CPI (ML) leader.

A two-day state-level convention of the CPI (ML) will be held at Pithoragarh from December 14.

The Communist leader blamed neo-liberalism for dearness, corruption and unemployment and suicides by farmers in the country and said the mainstream parties of the BJP and the Congress had been following these policies for the past 20 years and making the day to day life of the common man difficult.

“The new initiative of the Congress government at Centre on the FDI in the retail sector is a mere advancement of their policies that have been in existence for the past 20 years, and it will take the nation towards becoming a colony of international business and industrial houses,” said the CPI (ML) leader.

Religious bodies oppose Matra Sadan stir
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 13
Religious bodies, which had earlier been supporting the anti-quarrying agitation of Matra Sadan, have now opposed the agitation, citing the impact of ban on quarrying on thousands of families.

The Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti (ABSS) has declared the ongoing ban on quarrying in Haridwar as totally uncalled for and supported the pro-quarrying agitation being carried out at Ranipur.

The local outfit Samajik Sena, too, has pitched in with its convener Vinod Maharaj voicing the need for a monitored quarrying. He said quarrying was imperative for natural cleaning of river bed.

District chief of the ABSS Swami Satyavratanand Maharaj today led the members of the samiti and hundreds of workers involved in quarrying to the Matra Sadan ashram at Jagjeetpur to register their protest against its anti-quarrying agitation.

In view of the sensitiveness of the situation, District Superintendent of Police Pushkar Sailal made a heavy deployment of police personnel at Matra Sadan. Huge barricades were put up to stop the agitators from entering the inner road leading to the Matra Sadan ashram.

After a minor tussle with the police personnel, the agitators staged a demonstration at the barricades and raised slogans against the anti-quarrying agitation of Matra Sadan.

Sub-divisional Magistrate Harbeer Singh said no one would be allowed to violate the law.

Meanwhile the fast by the Chugan Samarthak Samiti entered its fifth consecutive day today even as there were reports of deteriorating health of a couple of agitators.

Ajab Singh of the samiti reiterated that they would remain on agitation till the government withdraws its notification of prohibition on quarrying in Haridwar.

Tributes paid to Parliament attack martyrs
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 13
Remembering the sacrifice of the martyrs who laid down their lives while fighting terrorists during the Parliament attack, people paid tributes to them across Haridwar today. Among the martyrs was late Matbar Singh Negi, former security assistant to parliament sercretariat, from Uttarakhand.

At Ranipur, activists of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Pawar) lit candles in the memory of the martyrs and urged the Central Government to make sure that such attacks didn’t occur due to laxity in the future.

Central secretary of the UKD Uday Ram Semwal pointed out that Matbar Singh Negi hailed from Uttarakhand and now his family was based in New Delhi. He said his family was allocated a petrol station four years later, which spoke of the government policy towards our martyrs.

Lalit Mamgain said a special cell should be formed by the government which would look into matters related to the martyrs. It’s our duty to make sure the martyrs’ families are well looked after, he added.

Ex-servicemen held a tribute programme where they highlighted the role played by the soldiers hailing from the hill state be it in World War, India-China or India-Pakistan wars.

“Many soldiers from Garhwal received Victoria Cross in World War and Garhwal Rifles and Kumaon Regiment played a pivotal role in the wars of 1961, 1966 and 1971. In Kargil too 75 (the highest among all the states) Uttarakhandi soldiers laid down their lives. Every time our motherland was in danger, we were there to save it from the enemy” said ex-Sergeant Saukar Singh Rawat who hails from Pauri Garhwal.

Among others who paid tributes to the Parliament attack martyrs were Lalit Mamgain, Sachin, Tarun Kumar, Khem Chand Thakur, Gyan Prakash Pandey, Viki Saini and S Pawar.

Khanduri lays stones of four projects
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 13
Chief Minister BC Khanduri laid the foundations stones of four development projects and dedicated to the people three schemes during his visit to Pithoragarh yesterday.

The four development projects are a sports college, GNM School, a nursing college and Government Polytechnic, Kanalichhina.

Besides, the Chief Minister dedicated to the people three development schemes, a 60-m span suspension bridge on Dhauli River constructed for the gram sabha, a 50-m span suspension bridge and Majia Dhura suspension bridge.

The Chief Minister said the focus of the state government was on the development of the remote and far-flung areas of the state, especially the border districts.

The Chief Minister also highlighted the sacrifices made by the people from the remote border areas of the state for the honour of the country.