State seeks bail-out package on scholarships from Centre
Neena Sharma/TNS

Dehradun, July 14
Burdened with a pending scholarship amount of Rs 72.77 crore to be disbursed among OBC students between 2008- 2012, as part of the Centrally-sponsored post-matriculation scholarship scheme, the Bahuguna government is increasingly looking towards the Centre to bail it out of the mess created by the erstwhile BJP government.

Under the existing scheme, the Central assistance was released to the state government depending primarily on their notional allocation, and the state was expected to meet any additional requirement out of it's own resources. But since 2008 the erstwhile BJP went out of budget limits, enrolling beneficiaries that far outstripped the financial allocation.

The scholarship scheme was launched to encourage OBC students to pursue higher studies and arrest the declining interest towards higher education, but with the scholarship amount hard to come by, many students have been forced to drop out, thereby defeating the purpose of the scheme. While the Social Welfare Department termed high literacy rate in Uttarakhand as the main reason for the large number of beneficiaries, there are others in the government who say the beneficiaries should have been verified as the OBC population is concentrated mainly in the Terai region, bordering Uttar Pradesh, and there were chances of students taking benefits in both the states.

"The number of beneficiaries should have been properly verified; limited budget efforts should have been made to reward meritorious and poor students. This way the purpose of the scholarship would have been served better. The state government has not set up any parametres for selecting students under the scheme. If the Central government refuses to waive the amount, we would be forced to adopt these measures," said B.R Tamta, Additional Secretary, Social Welfare.

Significantly, Uttarakhand Social Welfare Minister Surinder Rakesh is hopeful that the Central government would transfer the pending liability into committed liability at the end of the Five Year Plan., Department of Social Welfare and Empowerment (GOI) has already conveyed to Uttarakhand that between 2008 and 2012 the Central assistance released to it has been substantially high than it's total notional allocation.

Use Central funds: Maharaj
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 14
Pauri Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj has directed the officials to ensure immediate redressal of public problems.

Presiding over Pauri District Monitoring and Review committee meeting today, Maharaj also held that budget sanctioned by the Centre must be utilised. He said District Magistrates must make efforts towards benefiting maximum number of people through Centre-sponsored schemes.

He said it must be ensured that construction agencies complete work well in time. He expressed concern over the slow progress in implementation of schemes under the MNREGA.

He asked the Chief Development Officer to review from time to time the progress made in the schemes.

He directed for the speedy conduct of works linked to the construction of sanctioned roads. He said quality in the the construction of roads must be maintained at all costs.

On drinking water schemes, Maharaj said number of villages in the region were facing the problem of acute water shortage and alleged that the department officials were not doing the needful. He asked the officials to bring a change in their attitude and take up the redressal of drinking water problems of the people in priority.

Referring to health facilities in the district, Maharaj asked the Pauri Chief Medical Officer to ensure availability of medicines in the hospitals of the district.

He even asked the District Tourism Development Officer to work towards identification of new tourism spots in Pauri and work for their development.

On education, the MP asked the district education officer to bring an improvement in the quality of education in the government schools.

Rain all over U’khand

Dehradun, July 14
Uttarakhand today experienced moderate rain with some parts of the state also being witness to heavy rainfall.

According to Dr Anand Sharma, Executive Director, Dehradun Meteorological Centre, rains will continue in the state for the next 24 hours. He said Dehradun today experienced a good amount of rainfall.

Meanwhile, capital city of Dehradun was witness to another round of heavy rainfall today. Motorists had a tough time negotiating on the roads due to collection of rain water in a number of places in the city. — TNS

Cultural events mark investiture ceremony
Tribune News Service

Students of Nirmala Inter-College, Mussoorie, during the investiture ceremony on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

Dehradun, July 14
Nirmala Inter-College, Barlowganj, Mussoorie organised an investiture ceremony here today. DIG (ITBP), Dehradun, Jackson was the chief guest on the occasion.

A cultural programme, including dance, group song and Jaunsari dance, presented by students held the audience spellbound. Students’ council members were given batches by the chief guest and Brother Christopher, Principal, St George’s College, and Brother KJ Antony, Principal, Nirmala Inter-college.

In his address, the chief guest appreciated the school management and various achievements in different fields.

He urged the students to be committed and dedicated to the true spirit of the school and keep up to the expectations of the school by wearing these badges.

Brother KJ Antony thanked the chief guest and the special invitees. The programme was coordinated by Uma Deopa.

Revised norms for Ayush doctors
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 14
Along with attending their day-to-day duties, ayurvedic, homoeopathic and unani doctors working in Ayush wings created at primary health centres (PHC) and community health centres (CHC) under national rural health mission would now be entrusted with the responsibility of taking up emergency cases and also running national programmes.

A total of 172 doctors are working in Uttarakhand under the Ayush wings and have so far been discharging OPD duties now with the revised guidelines. These doctors, too, would have to prepare MPRs of national programmes and also treat patients for diseases that have been categorised under the national programmes.

Similarly, the pharmacists deployed at these Ayush wings, too, would have to take up emergency duties and perform tasks usually assigned to nurses.

However, the new directives have not gone done well with the doctors, who are planning to lodge their protest.

Indian culture drawing foreign nations, says Sports Minister
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 14
Uttarakhand Planning, Information Technology and Sports Minister Dinesh Agarwal said personalities like Mahatma Gandhi and Vivekanand gave Indian culture a new identity at the global level.

Addressing a national seminar at the Deendayal Auditorium of DAV (PG) College, Dehradun, Dinesh Agarwal said Indian culture had its own importance in the world today. He said the world had become a global village and countries across the world were getting attracted towards Indian culture.

Agarwal reminded that families in India earlier had a culture of joint family, which is now fast eroding and was certainly a matter of concern. He, however, said he still was very optimistic that the young in the country will work towards upholding the values in the Indian culture.

Dr Sudha Pandey, Vice Chancellor, Sanskriti Vishvavidhyalaya, expressed concern over rising influence of western culture in Indian society.

Dr Devendra Bhasin, Principal, DAV (PG) College, expressed gratitude to the participants of the seminar. He said the seminar that took up culture as the subject for discussion was much importance in the present day scenario of the country.

CPI (ML) concerned over HC decision on reservation
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 14
The state unit of the CPI (ML) has expressed concern over the recent Nainital High Court decision to ban reservation on promotion of employees belonging to the SC and ST communities.

In a statement issued here today, CPI (ML) state secretary Rajendra Pratholi said the decision should be reconsidered, as it would have adverse impact on the betterment of the SC and ST communities.

Pratholi said the issue must be taken up for discussion both at Parliament and the Uttarakhand State Assembly. He said it was surprising that the state Congress had not reacted to the court’s decision so far.

He appealed to all organisations committed to social justice to stand in support of the deprived sections of society.

7th batch of Kailash Mansarowar yatris clears medical test
Our Correspondent

Pilgrims of the Kailash Mansarowar yatra cross a stream during their trek to Tibet; and (below) the fourth batch of yatris in Pithoragarh

Pithoragarh, July 14
All 55 members of the seventh batch of the Kailash Mansarowar pilgrims were declared fit by ITBP doctors during the second medical test held at Gunji today, according to Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) officials. The pilgrims would enter the Chinese territory on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the 55-member fourth batch of the pilgrims today reached the Jageshwar camp for the night stay. The batch would return to Delhi on Tuesday. “While three batches have completed the pilgrimage, the fifth and sixth batches are in Tibet,” said BR Arya, a KMVN official at the Dharchula base camp.

Vineeta Aggrarwal, liaison officer of the fourth batch that returned to Jageshwar today, said, “They enjoyed the pilgrimage and did not face any difficulty, thanks to the Indian and Chinese authorities.”

STF to hold first workshop on human trafficking in Doon
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 14
With the cases of human trafficking on the rise across the country, the special task force (STF) will be organising a three-day workshop on human trafficking in the city for the first time on August 7.

Representatives of the STF, the police, judiciary, NGOs, Health, Women and Child Development, Labour, Social Welfare and Rescue and Rehabilitation Departments will deliberate on the issue.

SSP of the STF Sweety Aggarwal said the cases of human trafficking were on the rise across the country and it was important to handle the issue with great caution and understanding. She said anti-human trafficking units had already been established in Champavat, Haridwar and Haldwani and the special task force had been made its nodal agency.

The SSP said representatives of other departments had also been involved in their fight against human trafficking. However, she expressed dissatisfaction with the approach of the departments towards human trafficking-related issues.

She claimed that “whenever such case comes to light, the police makes all efforts to arrest the accused at the earliest and send the victim to shelter home. But the response of other departments remains slow in this direction. The role of the Social Welfare, Women and Child or the Rescue and Rehabilitation Department is larger than the police. NGOs in the state are also not doing remarkable work in this direction.”

Janmanch to oppose Uma Bharti’s Ganga yatra
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 14
Uttarakhand Janmanch today announced opposing BJP leader Uma Bharti if she comes to Uttarakhand as part of her Ganga yatra.

Uttarakhand Janmanch general secretary Rajan Todaria today said Uma Bharti from the beginning had been opposing hydropower projects in the state. He said Uma Bharti was against development in Uttarakhand and had always rather served the interests of Uttar Pradesh.

Todaria said Uma Bharti needed to reply to the people as to why only projects that were solely being constructed by the Uttarakhand government were being scrapped.

He said people of Uttarakhand would no more fall in the trap of so-called religious leaders.

Redress public grievances, says Bahuguna
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 14
Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna gave a patient hearing to the problems of the people who had come from far-flung areas for janta milan at his residence here today.

Some of them requested the Chief Minister for widow pension, old-age pension, disability pension, medical treatment and financial assistance for their daughters’ marriage.

Bahuguna granted permissible amount to them from the Chief Minster Discretionary Fund.

The Chief Minister who ordered the officials to ensure immediate redress of the probles of the visitors. He said the state government was committed to the welfare of every community in the state and directed the officials concerned to ensure that public grievances were redressed at the tehsil and district levels.

Apheresis blood bank unit inaugurated
Tribune News Service

Vijay Dhasmana, Vice-Chancellor of the Himalayan Institutre Hospital Trust, inaugurates a new apheresis blood bank at the hospital at Jolly Grant, near Rishikesh, on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

Dehradun, July 14
A new Apheresis blood bank unit was inaugurated today at Rishikesh-based Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT) to mark the conclusion of the world blood donation month.

Inaugurating the unit, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Vijay Dhasmana, said the unit would help in making jumbo packs, which are six times more useful than the blood made through normal machine.

“Aheresis is a blood donation method where the blood is passed through an apparatus that separates one particular constituent and returns the remainder to the donor. Usually the component returned is the red blood cells, the portion of the blood that takes the longest to replace,” he said

He said with the new technology mega packs for platelets could be made, which prove useful for patients diagnosed with blood cancer, malaria and dengue, where requirement of blood is high. The machine is also helpful for carrying out therapeutic plasma exchange that proves useful in cases of JB Syndrome and mycethemia (fungal infection in blood) detection.

Later, Dean of the university, V Chauhan, CMS of HIHT Hospital, SL Jethani, expressed their views on the necessity of voluntary blood donations and how regular blood donation keeps the person fit.