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WWF commends India’s efforts to save tigers
CII invites CM to ‘Invest North’ conclave
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57 nurses shifted; Doon Hospital to benefit
Food testing lab to have more staff, better equipment
Cong MP from state KC Baba possesses gun
Restructuring of DMC sought to tide over staff shortage
Enforce ban on polythene bags, Chief Secy tells DMs
100 cadets selected for Army camp
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WWF commends India’s efforts to save tigers
Dehradun, August 2 The report has provided a green rating to India for undertaking committed efforts to curb trade in wildlife species of tigers, elephants and rhinos. While tigers and elephants are evenly spread across the country, rhinos are prominently found in the Kaziranga sanctuary in Assam. The wildlife crime scorecard of the WWF has categorised the countries in three groups — red, yellow and green. While red depicts total failure to check trade in wildlife, yellow marks partial failure and green reveals progress in checking this illegal trade. China, Thailand and Vietnam are among the nations that have shown least commitment to conservation of the three endangered species. These countries are known for trafficking in parts of wild animals, particularly tigers. Significantly, Nepal also shares a green score with India for making sincere efforts towards checking trade of body parts of elephants, tigers and rhinos. The WWF report has taken up a large number of Asian and African countries for rating and assessed their efforts towards curbing trafficking of parts of rhinos, tigers and elephants. The report has pointed out that while poaching of elephants is rampant in Central Africa, the existence of rhinos is under threat in South Africa. Vietnam got a red score for failing in its commitment to safeguard rhinos and tigers. Even China has been asked to take effective steps and check the trade in parts of wild animals. Wildlife conservationist Hem Singh Gehlot attributes India’s green rating to efforts undertaken by the country towards conservation of wildlife, particularly tigers and elephants. The reports of two tiger censuses undertaken in the country have revealed an increase in the number of tigers. Similarly, the management and evaluation report of the National Tiger Conservation Authority linked to 39 tiger conservation reserves of the country has also revealed its commitment towards conservation of tigers. Further, Project Elephant has also been recognised internationally. “All these efforts have been recognised by the WWF,” Gehlot said. Conserving wildlife
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CII invites CM to ‘Invest North’ conclave
Dehradun, August 2 The delegation invited the Chief Minister to address the conclave and also asked for the state's participation. The conclave would provide a platform to the state to attract fresh investments and thereby help sustain the growth momentum. While the northern states offer many investment opportunities, including those in agribusiness, infrastructure, manufacturing – auto and auto components, electrical and electronic goods, textiles, cement, steel, pharmaceuticals etc and services sector – biotechnology, IT & ITeS, education, healthcare, tourism etc, they have not aggressively sought investments by showcasing themselves. “Invest North”, an investment meet, aims to bridge this gap. The CII delegation comprises Rakesh Aggarwal, chairman of the CII, Uttarakhand chapter, and past presidents Rakesh Berry and Rakesh Oberoi. |
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57 nurses shifted; Doon Hospital to benefit
Dehradun, August 2 The nurses, who have been transferred to Doon Hospital, include Sushila Devi from SPS Hospital, Rishikesh, Rakhee Chauhan from Base Hospital, Srinagar (Pauri) to Doon Hospital, Shyamlee from Community Health Centre (Tharali) to Doon Hospital, Agnesh Satyam from District Hospital Uttarkashi to Doon Hospital, Asha Charles from Community Health Centre, Udham Singh Nagar, to Doon Hospital, Shivani Singh from Primary Health Centre, Mori, to Doon Hospital, Kavita Ishtwal from SPS, Rishikesh, to Doon Hosptial, Megha from Community Health Centre, Kriti Nagar, to Doon Hospital, Meena Kukreti from District Hospital, Borari (Tehri), to Doon Hospital, Naina Garg from Community Health, Champawat, to Doon Hospital. Most of these nurses had opted for Doon Hospital on personal request that is entertained as part of the transfer policy. Out of 57 staff nurses, another 25 have been transferred to hospitals around Dehradun (Raipur, Vikas Nagar, Doiwala and Rishikesh). Similarly, Haridwar district will get 14 nurses. In Almora, five nurses have been transferred with none being replaced. |
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Food testing lab to have more staff, better equipment
Dehradun, August 2 “As the Food Safety Act (2006) lays importance on testing, the laboratory at Rudrapur would be strengthened by hiring manpower and equipment. In fact in the coming days the vacant posts in the Food Safety Commission would be filled and complete structure of the commission in Uttarakhand would be set up,” said Ranvir Singh. He was speaking today at the three-day workshop for the implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 for designated and adjudicating officers. He also said that as the Act envisaged a role for a consumer wherein he could directly submit samples of food for testing for possible adulteration, and if proven, get a refund. “We need to spread awareness about the Act so that consumers are educated about the procedures to follow while collecting samples and then submitting them for tests,” said Singh. While Joint Food Commissioner Piyush Singh said that for the implementation of the Act, a steering committee headed by the Chief Secretary had been constituted and since the Act came into effect in the state, fines of Rs 1,19,000 have been collected by the adjudicating officers. The commission has collected a total of 669 food samples, out of which 93 samples were found unsafe and in 61, cases have been filed in the court of adjudicating officers. |
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Cong MP from state KC Baba possesses gun
Dehradun, August 2 According to a report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW), KC Singh Baba, who was elected from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar parliamentary constituency in 2009, possesses Carl Walther 0.380/9 mm pistol valued at Rs 3 lakh. Eighteen of the 82 MPs who possess guns have criminal cases pending against them, including of murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping etc. However, KC Singh Baba has no criminal charges pending against him. Baba had campaigned extensively for Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna for the Sitarganj Assembly election recently. Baba told The Tribune he had purchased the gun purely for security reasons. “As I belong to the erstwhile royal family of Kumaon, there has been a tradition in my family to acquire weapons,” he said. The report said a total of 756 guns were sold to MPs and VIPs between 1987-2012, and between 2001 and 2012, 82 MPs had purchased guns from the government. Among the 82 MPs who have been allotted guns from the government, Atiq Ahmed from Uttar Pradesh has 44 criminal cases, including charges of murder, attempt to murder etc., followed by Abu Asim Azmi from Maharashtra and Rakesh Sachan from Uttar Pradesh with 7 cases each. Significantly, according to the report, no MP from Himachal Pradesh possesses a weapon. These are guns seized by the Customs Department and then sold to MPs and VIPs on a first come first serve basis. In earlier years these guns were sold well below the market price. Recently, the price was hiked to include tariff. " Why should guns be sold to MPs when they have already police protection? In some cases permission was given for out-of-turn allotment of prohibited guns to MPs and VIPs even when some of them had pending criminal cases against them . Surprisingly, ordinary citizens are not eligible for purchasing these guns,” said Prof Trilochan Sastry, founder-member, ADR. The report was prepared on the basis of an RTI by Ambrish Pandey, an RTI activist. |
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Restructuring of DMC sought to tide over staff shortage
Dehradun, August 2 Even the vacancies in the sanctioned positions have not been filled for several years. In the existing scenario, where the task of sanctioning building maps has been handed over to the DMC, it's requirement for restructuring has become more imminent. Ashok said, “There is an urgent need to restructure the administrative set-up. It is becoming extremely difficult to meet the demand for amenities in a city where the population has expanded suddenly, especially after it became the provisional capital of the state. We have also taken note of the government order of February 14,1990, where the pay and grade, too, have been proposed, which had been revised as per recommendations of 6th Pay Commission and attached along with in our letter as against the proposed positions.” He said the name of the positions in the DMC, which were used as per Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1959, had also been proposed to be changed on the lines of those titles or names adapted by the UP government later through an ordinance in 2003. The title of Mukhya Nagar Adhikari has been proposed to be changed as Municipal Commissioner and those of Additional MNA as Additional Mukhya Nagar Adhikari. There are two sanctioned posts of Up-Nagar Adhikari (UNA), of which only one UNA, Neeraj Pandey, is working. The other post is lying vacant. Similarly, two posts of Sahayak-UP Nagar Adhikari (name proposed as Assistant Municipal Commissioner) are also lying vacant. The DMC has demanded four posts for this slot. Surprisingly, it has asked to cut down on the sanctioned posts of clerk from 60 to 40 and of peon from 61 to 30. The demand has also been placed for a Chief Finance Officer, two Assistant Finance Officers and four accountants. In audits and accounts, the department has asked for one officer, whereas in the section of engineers, as against the existing lean strength of one Executive Engineer (EE) and three Junior Engineers (JEs), the DMC has demanded one Chief Engineer, one EE, one Assistant Engineer (AE) each for civil and mechanical sections. For the health section, one Senior Medical Officer (SMO) , one Medical Officer (MO), two Zonal Security Officers (ZSO), four Sanitary Inspectors (SIs), one Sanitary Supervisor (SS), one Sanitary Sub Inspector (SSI), one EE and an AE have been demanded. At present there is only one SMO, one ZSO and one SS, whilst there is no EE or AE in the health section. |
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Teerth purohits celebrate Rakhsha Bandhan in unique way
Haridwar, August 2 The teerth purohits perform a ritual known as “Shravani
Upakram”, which is done on Raksha Bandhan only. They celebrate the festival by saying a prayer to the Ganga and performing other rituals. They then together take a dip in Brahm Kund at Har-ki-Pauri for two hours. It’s an awe-inspiring sight to see the teerth purohits performing rituals and taking a dip in the Ganga along with pilgrims. The dip in the Ganga has a special significance as the teerth purohits later offer their “janeu” to the river and wear a new one on the occasion. A yajna is also performed at the hawan
kund. The teerth purohits then eat a mixture of panch tatwas. Ujjwal
Pandit, head of the Yuva Teerth Purohit Maha Sabha, Haridwar, said this was a rare ritual performed by the teerth purohits during Raksha
Bandhan. Noted academician PS Chauhan said various related rituals were performed during various festivals in
Haridwar. “Every Ganga ghat has its importance and every festival has a specific ritual. These rituals are performed only in Haridwar on various festivals,” Chauhan added. |
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Brahmkumaris tie rakhi on Governor’s wrist
Dehradun, August 2 The Brahmkumari sisters also invited the Governor for the function to be held in October at Mount Abu to mark the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Prajapita Brahmkumari Ishwariye Vishwavidyalaya. Wishing all people on the occasion, the Governor said history was the witness to the spirit of love and trust expressed by this festival. He referred to the bond between Humayun and Karmawati. The Governor said such festivals were above caste and religion and were governed by human emotions alone. |
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Enforce ban on polythene bags, Chief Secy tells DMs
Dehradun, August 2 As per the notification, no person is allowed to use carry bags made of recycled plastic or packaging of food items. Producing, stocking, distributing and selling of plastic of 40 micron or less are prohibited. The use of plastic material in packing of gutkha, tobacco or pan masala is also prohibited. Jain has instructed the Pollution Control Board and the Urban Development Department to implement the provisions of the notification strictly. He also asked the department to constitute a state-level advisory committee. The committee will comprise Secretary, Urban Development, as its chairman and one specialist each from the State Pollution Control Board, an urban local unit, an NGO, the industrial sector and an educational institution. This committee will review the execution of the provisions and submit review and monitoring report to the Environment Department. |
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Radhe Maa becomes Maha Mandaleshwar
Haridwar, August 2 Radhe Maa, who has thousands of devotees with donations accounting in billions of rupees, proclaims herself to be the incarnation of Hindu Goddess Maa Durga. Juna Akhada head Acharya Maha Mandaleshwar Avdeshanand Giri ji Maharaj gave the much-hyped woman saint the coveted post along with performance of related rituals. This function was kept highly secret with even Juna Akhada and other religious saints not knowing of the incident.Immediately after performing of the Maha Mandaleshwar ritual, Radhe Maa left for Mumbai in the wee hours of the morning as per akhada insiders. Popularly known as Mamtamai Shri Radhe Guru Maa, she was born in the village of Dorangla in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, where her father, who now leads a retired life, was an officer in the Punjab government. Losing her mother at an early age, Radhe Maa could study only up to high school, and this incident inclined her mind towards the spiritual aspect. According to her, she gets solace in listening to Gurbani. Radhe Maa also got attached to Hindu religion and started worshipping Goddess Kali and Lord Shiva. She came in touch with Mahant Ramdin Das in 2008, who is the caretaker of the Paramhans Bagh Dera. She followed the dera for a number of years and later attained spiritual bless. Radhe Maa has been, for the past decade or so organising regular darbars and religious meetings. Radhe Maa has also been involved in various controversies, with many claiming her to be a fake saint and comparing her to Nirmal Baba. There are rumours that Radhey Maa provided a large amount of money to get the coveted Maha Mandaleshwar position. She is also alleged to have donated a large sum to various social works being carried out by the akhada. The secret conferring of the title on Radhe Maa by Juna Akhada head Swami Avdeshanand Giri has not gone down well with a certain section of the saint community. Many termed it as an act that has fuelled the doubts about Radhe Maa "banking her sainthood status." During the Maha Kumbh, Ardh Kumbh and other religious fairs, Maha Mandaleshwar has a major saying, getting royal treatment of ride on elephants as they lead ‘peshwayi,’ royal procession during Kumbh. They also get the privilege of the first bath, Shahi Snaan, during Kumbh, as well as recognition from the saint community of the spiritual power that is bestowed by God on Maha Mandaleshwar. |
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100 cadets selected for Army camp
Dehradun, August 2 Lt Dr Shikha Pandey of Military Hospital, Dehradun, visited the camp site and delivered a lecture to the cadets on cancer and AIDS awareness. She also informed the cadets about the Armed Forces Medical College and about the Army Nursing Service Course. Camp Commadant Col M M Uniyal welcomed the dignitaries to the camp and apprised them about the daily activities of the cadets. The cadets from various parts of the Garhwal division are undergoing training in firing, drill, obstacles, map reading, tent pitching, health and hygiene and judging of distance. During the camp, 100 boys and girls cadets have been also selected for an Army camp which will be organised in Nainital and from there onwards the final selected cadets will move to Delhi for the all-India Army competition, which will be participated by cadets from across the country. Besides military training, various competitions are being held during this camp. Some of them are debate, essay-writing competition, volleyball, group song and dance, solo song and dance. Deputy Camp
Commandants Lt Col Ravi Shah and Lt Col Om Prakash are supervising the camp activities. The camp concludes on August 6. |
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