People of state ecstatic over Harish Rawat’s elevation 
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 28
Today’s Cabinet reshuffle by Congress-led United Progressive Alliance has brought cheers to people of Uttarakhand, with the elevation of Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Agriculture Harish Chandra Rawat to a full-fledged Cabinet rank portfolio of Water Resources Minister.

Many point out that the elevation was long overdue. Harish Rawat had to toil hard for more than three decades of political career.

Born in Mohanari village near Chaunalia in Almora district on April 27, 1947, to parents Rajendra Singh Rawat and Devaki Devi, Harish Rawat has been a party loyalist working as a party cadre of Sewa Dal, volunteer wing.

After getting involved in the local village-level and student politics, Harish Rawat made his foray into parliamentary politics in 1980 when he contested from Almora parliamentary constituency.

He won his maiden Lok Sabha election by defeating veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi, then current Almora MP, bagging 1,08,530 votes and winning by a whopping margin of 50,000-plus votes.

Replicating the feat, Harish Rawat won again the home seat in 1984 general election, amassing votes against Murli Manohar Joshi once again, but this time with a bigger margin of 1,40,332 votes.

Such was the grip among the voters of Almora of Harish Rawat that Murli Manohar decided to leave Almora seat to seek brighter political future in Allahabad segment, where he won three times.

Making a hat-trick of wins from Almora in 1989 parliamentary election, Harish Rawat won comprehensively against heavyweight politicians like Kashi Singh Airi, veteran leader of regional outfit Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, though he contested this election as an Independent candidate, and against current Rajya Sabha BJP MP from Uttarakhand Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

But the lady luck waded as after mid-term parliamentary elections in 1991, owing to falling of the coalition-led Janata Dal government spearheaded by the then Prime Minister Viswananth Pratap Singh, Harish Rawat lost his first Lok Sabha election to BJP candidate Jeevan Singh by a slim margin of 29,145 votes.

In 1996, Bachi Singh Rawat contested for the first time from Almora, giving Harish another defeat by 56,906 votes.

The 12th Lok Sabha election saw Harish Rawat facing a hat-trick of defeats from BJP candidates as Bachi Singh again trounced him with 81,903 votes.

Subsequently, in the mid-term election of 1999, Harish Rawat got his third defeat at the hands of Bachi Singh and fourth overall by just 12,000-odd votes.

Dejected by the defeats, Harish Rawat decided to skip the 2004 general election and put forth his wife Renuka Rawat in the political ballot field against his nemesis Bachi Singh Rawat.

But despite bagging 2,15,690 votes, Renuka lost the election making it five losses for the Rawat family.

Post 2000, since the creation of a separate Uttaranchal state, Harish Rawat took active part in state politics and was elected as Pradesh Congress Committee chief in 2002.

Despite the Congress state unit contesting election in his command, the party high command instead of nominating him as Chief Minister opted for veteran Narayan Dutt Tiwari.

To pacify Harish Rawat, the party decided to send him to the Rajya Sabha, where he served till 2008.

But his long wait of the Lok Sabha drought ended in 2009 general election when he decided to leave his home constituency of Almora-Pithoragarh and opted for the Haridwar Lok Sabha constituency.

Turning all odds, Harish Rawat won by a record margin of 1.25 lakh votes, winning the confidence of voters of this pilgrim city. By this victory while he ended his political wing drought since 1989, he also did the same for the Congress, which had not won the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat since 1989, when Congress candidate Mahavir Tyagi had won the seat.

Owing to his record win and political stature, he was inducted into the PM Manmohan Singh-led Cabinet as Union Minister of State for Employment and Labour, and was later given the charge of Agriculture and Food Processing Ministry. In the political Cabinet reshuffle on July 12, 2012, he was allocated the Parliamentary Affairs portfolio, too. Later during the Anna Hazare agitation, he was given the additional charge of MoS for Parliamentary Affairs, owing to his vast political experience.

See also page 4

 CM thanks PM, Sonia
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 28
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has welcomed the elevation of Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Food Processing and Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat as Union Minister of Water Resources today.

Reacting to the Union Cabinet reshuffle, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said Harish Rawat was a senior Congress leader of the state and an able administrator. Congratulating him on his elevation, Bahuguna said it was indeed an honour that Harish Rawat had been promoted as a Cabinet minister.

He hoped that along with Harish Rawat, both would work towards the development and betterment of Uttarakhand. Thanking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, he further said their roles would be complimentary for the betterment of the state.

 Display of fireworks in Dehradun
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 28
Congress workers celebrated the elevation of senior Congress leader and Union Minister of State Harish Rawat as Union Cabinet Minister at Congress Bhawan here today.

A large number of Congress leaders and workers burst crackers, offered sweets and danced on the drum beats to celebrate the occasion.

Surender Aggarwal, party spokesperson, thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for elevating Harish Rawat.

Among those present on the occasion were Rajiv Jain, former Dehradun Mayor Manorama Sharma Dobriyal, Ram Kumar Walia, Gulzar, Yameen Ansari, Kamlesh Raman and Anil Gupta. Meanwhile, Suryakant Dhasmana, vice-president of the Uttarakhand Congress, has also welcomed the elevation of Harish Rawat.

 Cong workers rejoice in Mussoorie
Our Correspondent

Mussoorie, October 28
Congress workers from Mussoorie had something to cheer about with Harish Rawat, MP from Haridwar, was elevated as Union Cabinet Minister in the reshuffle conducted by the Prime Minister in New Delhi today.

Harish Rawat was earlier assigned the task of Minister of State for Agriculture, Food Processing and Parliamentary Affairs. Now he has been elevated as Minister for Water Resource, an important ministry in context to the state.

Congress workers gathered at Picture Palace and burst crackers, distributed sweets and raised slogans in support of Harish Rawat this noon.

Senior Congress leaders from the state thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Many political analysts believe that with this move, the Congres has tried to bring the feud between Vijay Bahuguna and Rawat to a standstill. He had aired resentment on the induction of Vijay Bahuguna as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, on several occasions and had been critical of his works in the past. 

 Uttarakhand has given many politicians to Union Cabinet
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 28
Apart from producing brave soldiers, the land of Uttarakhand has also given the nation statesmen-politicians who showed exemplary political and leadership capabilities during their tenures as Union Cabinet ministers in the Indian government.

The first son of the soil from this hilly region to don the Union Ministry colours was Gobind Ballabh Pant, who was made Union Home Minister in the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet.

Later, he was also accorded the Bharat Ratna, and remains the lone one from Uttarakhand to be conferred the highest civilian award of India.

His son Krishan Chandra Pant, too, followed in the footsteps of his father by becoming Union Minister for Defence in the Rajiv Gandhi -led Congress government from 1987 to 1989.

KC Pant served as Union Minister for Finance, Steel, Mines and Home Affairs in various stints in the Congress government. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha during 1979-80 period.

Heavyweight politician from Pauri Garhwal Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna showed his ability as Union Petroleum Minister duringthe Morarji Desai-led Janata Party government from 1977 to 1979.

Later when Chaudhari Charan Singh was made Prime Minister fora brief stint, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna was made Union Finance Minister.

Fellow state mate Narayan Dutt Tiwari served in various capacities in Union Cabinets.

Tiwari became Foreign Minister of India in 1986 in Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's Cabinet prior to being Union Petroleum and Heavy Industries Cabinet Minister.

He was also Union Finance Minister of India from 1988 to 1989.

Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi served as Union Minister for Human Resources in Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance government.

During AB Vajpyee's first stint as Prime Minister for a short stay of 13 days, Murli Manohar Joshi (16th May-1st June 1996) was made Union Home Minister.

Another Pauri Garhwal MP Major General (retd) Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri became Union Minister of State Highways and Surface Transport in the NDA government where he envisaged a Rs 60,000 crore golden quadrangualar road project.

Now its the turn of Harish Rawat to take a leaf out of these previous Cabinet ministers from Uttarakhand to usher in development and visionary approach in the Water Resource Ministry to sign among the above-mentioned political titans from the hill state.

Current Pauri Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj (Minister of State for Railways), former Tehri Garhwal MP Brahm Dutt (MoS, Petroluem ), Swami Chinamayanand (MoS Home Affairs),MP from Pauri Garhwal in 1951 Bhakt Darshan (Deputy Education Minister of State) and Bachi Singh Rawat (Minister of State for Defence and Science & Technology) are among those who have served as Ministers of State in respective Union Cabinets who hail from Uttarakhand.

 Intl Poplar Commission session begins in Doon tomorrow 
To be attended by 100 foreign delegates from 25 countries 
Tribune News service

Dehradun, October 28
VK Bahuguna, Director General, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, along with PP Bhojvaid, Director, Forest Research Institute (FRI), today informed that elaborate arrangements had been made to host the 24th session and 46th executive committee meeting of the International Poplar Commission on poplars and willows to be held from October 30 to November 2, 2012, here.

Interacting with mediapersons, they said that the IPC was a technical statutory body of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). It was founded in 1947 by nine European countries and now comprises 37 member countries in Northern Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. The IPC undertakes to promote the study of scientific, technical, social and economic aspects of poplar and willow cultivation to facilitate the exchange of ideas and material among research workers, producers and users, to arrange joint research programmes, and to stimulate the organisation of congresses and study tours.

Through these activities, the IPC has had an important role in the past 65 years in the development of national forest sectors of many poplar and willow-growing countries. Walter Kollert, Secretary, IPC, FAO, was also present during this curtain-raiser event. All Deputy Director Generals and Director (International Cooperation) from the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education were present during the event.

India is a long-term member of the International Poplar Commission, which was founded in 1947 with a view to supporting the reconstruction of rural and industrial economies. It became a statutory body of FAO in 1959 and has since increased it's membership to the current number of 37 countries. For the past 65 years, the IPC, through National Poplar Commissions and it's working parties, has provided a bridge linking research of poplar and willow cultivation, conservation and utilisation with development policies, planning and implementation practices. The IPC through it's member-countries has also promoted the organisation of international conferences and meetings combined with field-study tours on poplar and willow culture. In recent years India has undergone a remarkable economic transformation and has become a significant international player in sustainable natural resource management with the capacity and capability to share the knowledge and technology through established networks around the world.

Poplars and willows are two of the major fast-growing and short-rotation species cultivated worldwide which play critical roles in rehabilitation of degraded lands (agriculture and forestry), combating desertification, raw material supply to industries and recreation. Poplars and willows are providing wood and fibre for a wide range of forest products (panel products, pulp and paper and other products). Poplar is one of the most important commercial agroforestry species grown in North India, and it's wood is used for plywood, board, matchstick and paper, besides more than 30 other products. Willow is used for making cricket bats, baskets and furniture and other utility articles. India has planted more than 300,000 hectares of poplar plantations, many of which are owned by smallholders and farmers, and which have become an important economic factor in forestry, agroforestry and agriculture support in the country. These trees supply valuable raw material, enable the development of a diversified wood industry for plywood, composite boards, matches, paper and sports goods, often in small-scale, family-owned businesses, and create numerous jobs, often for women, in less-developed rural areas.

Poplars and willows account for more than 95 million hectares of natural and planted forests globally. They have become a significant forest resource that supports communities, smallholders, farmers and companies towards socio-economic development and sustainable livelihoods in many parts of the world, particularly in rural areas. India is in fact a magnificent example on how the cultivation of poplar trees can contribute to sustainable livelihoods, food security and poverty alleviation. Since long, poplars have been favoured by Indian farmers for their fast growth, easy propagation, adaptation to poor soils, easy cultivation and for the broad range of possible uses.

In Northern India, in the Terrai regions and in middle Himalayas, poplars and willows are grown as an important agro-forestry crop. About a million families are linked to poplar and willows in North India. With the intervention of ICFRE, the poplars have been successfully introduced in Vaishali bistrict of Bihar. I

Previously, the 23rd Session of the IPC was held in Beijing, China, in 2008. The 24th session of International Poplar Commission on poplars and willows shall be inaugurated by Vijay Bahuguna, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, on October 30. The theme of this session being held is “Improving Lives with Poplars and Willows.”

To facilitate coordination amongst the host institution and FAO, an IPC-FAO secretariat has also been established at ICFRE. The session is being attended by experts from India and abroad, including about 100 foreign delegates from 25 countries which are engaged in poplar and willow growing. Leading international experts on poplar-based industry, Ian McIvor, New Zealand, and Joris Van Acker, Belgium, will be present, besides experts from the host country. Officials from FAO have also reached to deliberate on the issues. It is expected that various scientists and experts from Sweden, Canada, China, New Zealand, Belgium, Russia, Argentina, Uzbekistan, Germany, United Kingdom shall be attending the session.

 dehradun Diary
Harish Rawat's promotion will bring solace to CM

THE elevation of senior Congress leader and Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Food Processing and Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat as a Union Cabinet Minister has again stirred the politics of the ruling Congress in Uttarakhand.

The elevation move is seen as a balancing act by the party high command to placate Harish Rawat who raised a banner of revolt against the decision of the party high command to nominate Vijay Bahuguna as Chief Minister of the state following the state assembly elections earlier this year.

Harish Rawat, one of the seniormost Congress leaders of the state who was hoping to get the top post in the state after the elections in March, was again ignored for the second time.

It was in the first-ever state assembly elections held in February 2002 that Harish Rawat as state Congress chief had led the party to a resounding electoral victory but that time its veteran Congress leader ND Tiwari, who found favour with the party high command, was nominated as the Chief Minister much to the chagrin of Harish Rawat and his supporter legislators.

However, at that time, Harish Rawat was placated by giving him a seat in the Rajya Sabha in 2003. His Rajya Sabha term expired in 2009. Harish Rawat, whose Lok Sabha constituency of Almora was reserved, shifted to Haridwar and he won the election in 2009 to become a Union Minister of state. However, he continued to nurture his lifelong ambition of becoming the Chief Minister of his home state of Uttarakhand.

But again after the state assembly elections in 2012, despite having the support of more than 15 Congress legislators he was ignored and Vijay Bahuguna, who also had good relations with the Gandhi family, was asked to become the Chief Minister.

Harish Rawat and his supporters revolted and started a dharna at his New Delhi residence against the decision of the party high command. He relented after a lot of persuasion and cajoling. One of his trusted legislators Govind Singh Kunjwal was made Speaker of the assembly while another close person Mahendra Singh Mahra was given the Rajya Sabha ticket.

His supporters legislators were also made ministers. It was believed that he was given an understanding that during the next Union ministry reshuffle, he would be elevated as a Cabinet minister.

The development could give temporary reprieve to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna who was already feeling the heat of Harish Rawat's opposition in the state Congress politics. After the defeat of Saket Bahuguna, son of Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna in the Tehri Lok Sabha byelections, Harish Rawat had started building pressure on the Chief Minister. He publicly announced that the result of Tehri byelections could have been different had the party listened to his advice.

He also publicly criticised the decision of the Chief Minister to start the second phase of the industrial estate of SIDCUL at Sitarganj in Udham Singh Nagar district. Harish Rawat had also been demanding a change in the state Congress leadership after state Congress chief Yashpal Arya was made a minister in the Bahuguna ministry.

Since Yashpal Arya belong to the Bahuguna camp, he has been aiming to have his own man as state party chief to control the party organisation before the general elections scheduled in May 2014. He has argued that the party needed to be strengthened before the crucial Lok Sabha elections.

The move by the party high command to elevate Rawat as a Union Cabinet minister is also aimed at bringing a truce between the warring factions of the state Congress.

It is believed that with his elevation, his demand to have his own supporter as state Congress chief will get diluted. It is believed that senior Congress leader Satpal Maharaj, who has been against Harish Rawat, will put pressure on the party high command to get his demand accepted and may be made the state Congress chief.Satpal Maharaj has better relations with Chief Minister Bahuguna as his wife Amrita Rawat is a Cabinet minister in the Bahuguna government. With Satpal Maharaj as state Congress party president, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna could breathe easily. —SMA Kazmi

The move by the party high command to elevate Rawat as a Union Cabinet Minister is also aimed at bringing a truce between the warring factions of the state Congress. It is believed that with his elevation, his demand to have his own supporter as state Congress chief will get diluted. It is believed that senior Congress leader Satpal Maharaj, who has been against Harish Rawat, will put pressure on the party high command to get his demand accepted and he may be made the state Congress chief.

 Reshuffle can't hide inflation, corruption, says Rajnath
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 28
Former BJP national chief Rajnath Singh today lashed out at the Congress-led UPA government over the latest Cabinet reshuffle. In Haridwar here today, Rajnath Singh said be it last Cabinet reshuffle prior to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections or second last, the verdict of public was clear which had been shown in the just concluded Tehri Garhwal by byelection.

The veteran BJP leader said burning issues like inflation, corruption and ill-governance couldn’t be veiled by the Cabinet reshuffle.

Lashing out at Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, particularly over their silence over mass corruption cases involving Cabinet ministers, Rajnath said their silence would prove costly for the Congress in the 2014 general elections.

Alleging the UPA Cabinet as the worst bunch of corrupt ministers,Singh said in no way, the UPA-I or II stood near the National Democratic Alliance Cabinet led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

On allegations imposed on BJP national chief Nitin Gadkari,Singh said the party was open to this issue and any inquiry or investigation by a neutral agency was welcomed by it.

He added that all allegations on Gadkari were baseless and were levelled to divert the attention of people and the media from the Salman Khurshid-Robert Vadra scam exposure.

Singh also attended the concluding rituals of 1008 Shri Ganpati Mahayagna at Bharat Mata Mandir and also sought the blessings from revered spiritual guru Swami Satyamitranand Maharaj.

 Society can gain from wisdom of senior citizens: Qureshi
International Day for the Elderly celebrated
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 28
Governor Aziz Qureshi said today that the wisdom and experience of senior citizens could be of great benefit to society and the country must realise the importance of its older citizens in order to be developed in the true sense.

The Governor was speaking as the chief guest at a walkathon organised by the Ministry of Social Welfare and ‘Anugraha’, a Delhi-based NGO, at Swabiman Kendra set up by Anugraha in the Dehradun cantonment area on the occasion of International Day for the Elderly.

The walkathon and rally were based on theme ‘Safety and security of senior citizens’.

The Governor said people should work to in order to foster empowerment of older persons, give attention to the protection of their rights and ensure their participation in society.

Swabhiman Kendra, set up by Anugraha, has several facilities for the elderly people of the region. Yoga and meditation classes are organized for them. Library, computer and indoor-games facilities are also available at the centre.

Chairman of Anugraha Aabha Choudhary was also present on the occasion.

 Kumaon celebrates Harish's elevation to Cabinet
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 28
Congress workers started celebrations all over the Kumaon region as Haridwar MP Harish Rawat was elevated to a Union Cabinet minister today.

"The elevation of Harish Rawat to the Cabinet rank is not only an act of bestowing honour on the hill state of Uttarakhand, but also fulfilling the vacuum which has been created in the Union Cabinet after KC Pant who was a Cabinet minister last time from the region," said Mahindra Singh Mahra, Rajya Sabha MP and Harish Rawat supporter.

Mahra said Harish Rawat was a symbol of workaholic zeal among new ministers as he had a reputation of increasing the capacity of the departments he held at the Centre.

Congress men in Almora gathered at the Chaudhanpata ground of the town as they learnt of Rawat's elevation and thanked UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for his elevation.

"By elevating Harish Rawat, Congress president has shown faith on the people of the hill state of Uttarakhand for which we will repay her in the 2014 parliamentary elections", said Rajendra Batrakoti, a Congress officer-bearer and Harish Rawat supporter. Besides Barakoti, Almora MLA Manoj Tiwari and district Congress president Bittu Karnatak was also present with the gathering.

In Pithoragarh district headquarters, Congress men led by local MLA Mayuk Singh Mahar gathered at the Siltham chowk and distributed sweets to the people gathered there to celebrate the elevation of their leader.

"Harish Rawat deserved the post as he was not only a loyal Congress worker but also had a track record of a hard worker", said Mayukh Singh Mahar, Congress MLA from Pithoragarh town.

The Congress men also celebrated the elevation of Rawat in Champawat district and raised slogans in praise of Sonia Gandhi and Harish Rawat near the town.

"By inducting Harish Rawat in the Cabinet as full-fledged minister, the UPA chairperson has honoured the common man of the hill region as Rawat emerged from a simple and struggling Pahari family," said Sudhir Shah, chairman of the Champawat Milk Cooperative Federation and Rawat loyalist.

Bageswar Congress men also celebrated the occasion as they busted crackers with a gathering at Kapkot Road this afternoon. Among the presents were former state Cabinet minister Ram Prasad Tamta, and senior Congress leader and former MLA Umed Singh Majhila.

 BJP workers to go on strike today
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 28
Members of the BJP today declared to start an indefinite agitation on October 29 as two of the doctors of the district hospital have been relieved from the hospital without being replaced.

“The Congress MLAs in the district have remained a mute spectator as two doctors, a paediatricians and an anaesthetists have been silently transferred from the district hospital last week,” said Gopu Mahar, district spokesperson of the BJP at the district level.

The BJP leaders have claimed that the act is a deceit in the name of adjustment as the hospital administration had given them an assurance in August that no doctor would be transferred without replacement this year. “We will again start an indefinite agitation until the new doctors join the district hospital,” said the BJP spokesperson.

According to district hospital sources, after the transfer of two doctors from the district hospital, the number of doctors has reduced to 10.