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Rs 104 lakh project report submitted to ADB for Asan Wetland
Domestic Violence |
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Start acquiring land for House in Gairsain: Airy
Subhash reviews development works
Outreach campaign of Union IT Ministry starts today
Govt working on policy that rewards specialist doctors
Bahuguna, Dhumal mourn death of Nishank’s wife
Need to set up institute for Himalayan meteorology stressed
Fringe forests crucial for economic well-being
Asia Pacific Scout Conference
Endolite prosthetic centre opened
Give priority to welfare projects for SC/STs: CM
17 DSPs transferred
Ayush geriatric clinic
7-day autumn festival begins
Hunters kill man-eating leopard
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Rs 104 lakh project report submitted to ADB for Asan Wetland
Dehradun, November 22 Spread across 444 hectares, Asan Conservation Reserve shares border with Himachal Pradesh and keeps much of an importance for the birdwatchers from across the country. The reserve’s significance as an important bird area has been backed with the fact that the wetland is located in the North Western part of the country and serves as a key halt for the Trans-Himalayan migratory birds and receives waterfowl migrants that are rare elsewhere. The DPR entails steps to provide better habitat for birds apart from weed eradication for the Asan Lake and coming up with necessary infrastructure linked to eco-tourism. Weeds like hyacinth that stand as a major challenge at Asan are to be removed from 15 hectares with the estimating cost of Rs 2 lakh. Further, Rs 42 lakh for the development of children park, Rs 28.50 lakh for constructing patrolling hut and watch tower, Rs 22.80 lakh for interpretation centre, Rs 5 lakh for the creation of mudflats and Rs 9 lakh for a parking zone are part of the DPR. It also calls for traffic regulation on the main Chakrata Road highway that criss-crosses Asan. It suggests for setting up of speed breakers and signage, keeping a provision of an amount of Rs 50,000 for the construction of five speed breakers on the highway. The Conservator of Forests, Yamuna Circle, RN Jha, said Asan Conservation, which had been identified as an important bird area of the country, would get a major fillip in terms of bird conservation and eco-tourism with the ADB’s assistance. Meanwhile, with the onset of winters, migratory birds like Rudeey Shellduck and Northern Shoveller have already started flocking Asan. Among other migratory birds that are expected to arrive in the coming days at Asan include barheaded goose, grey leg goose, grey heron, purple heron, comman golden eye, painted sthork comman parakit, commona myna, eurasian wigeon, house crow, black kite, rive lapwing, spotted dove, green send piper, cattle egreate, comman sendpiper, intermediate egreat, pallas' fish eagle, Indian ponds heron, little cormorant, great cormorant, little grebe, great crested grebe, comman morhen, gadwall, red crested pochard, comman pochard, feuguies pochard, comman teal, tufted duck and comman coot. The bird count in Asan is held every winter to assess the total number of arriving migratory birds to the wetland. Altogether, more than 150 species of migratory birds have been recorded from here, which includes both globally threatened and near-threatened
ones. DPR includes
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Domestic Violence
Dehradun, November 22 These cells continue to function in an ad hoc manner in the absence of a provision for a separate office, services of a counsellor and a security officer. Though women officers have been given the dual charge of protection officers in all districts, far from being independent, they are at the mercy of their offices. Of late, Dehradun district protection officer Ramindri Mandarwal, who is also officer on special duty (OSD) in the Uttarakhand Federation, faces threat of eviction. She has been told by her department not to use the office to discharge duty as protection officer, as it is creating inconvenience. Mandarwal took charge as district protection officer in early October and since then the women victims of domestic violence had been meeting her at the Uttarakhand Federation office. As no separate room has been assigned to her, Mandarwal has been using the office of the Uttarakhand Federation as OSD. Sources claim the trouble began when the officials objected to her using the office for other purpose. Mandarwal had faced problems earlier too when she was heading the Dehradun cell from 2009 to 2011. But the problem then was not of the office but of budget. “During that period also the government had failed to allocate budget. It did not appoint a counsellor and the cell was run with the support of the cooperative office and Mandarwal’s own efforts. Unless the government allots permanent places to these cells, the problem will persist,” said Geeta Gairola, Project Director, Mahila Samakhya. “Of Rs 50 lakh assigned under the Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act, Dehradun received Rs 50,000 just a few days ago. It is unlikely that the full amount will be spent as the financial year is drawing to an end,” said an official of the Department of Child and Welfare. According to the Act, each cell is expected to have a security officer, a legal adviser, who could also double as a counsellor, and a data operator. But none of these provisions have taken shape in Uttarakhand. |
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Start acquiring land for House in Gairsain: Airy
Pithoragarh, November 22 Talking to mediapersons here after the announcement by the Chief Minister at Almora that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had been invited for stone laying ceremony of new Vidhan Sabha bhawan at Gairsain, Airy said besides inviting the UPA chairperson, the party should also prepare a road map on the issue. “The government should start acquiring land meant for the Vidhan Sabha building first and should let people know the place where the House will be built,” said the UKD leader. The UKD leader said if Gairsain could not become the permanent capital of the state, it meant the concept of having a separate state was wrong. “We have seen much politics on the issue during the Dikshit Commission drama, the tenure of which was extended for seven times due to lack of political will on the issue of permanent capital by both Congress and BJP,” said the UKD leader. Reacting over the reported statement of ND Tiwari on disagreement over the hill town for the capital, Airy said Tiwari had right to express his opinion on the matter but the UKD did not agree with his opinion. |
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Subhash reviews development works
Dehradun, November 22 He obtained information about the Tanakpur-Jauljivi road, the Tanakpur-Tavaghat road and the Ghatiyabagad-Lipilekh road from Brig MS Sodhi of the Border Road Organisation (BRO). Brig Sodi apprised Subhash Kumar of the problems being faced in the construction work of the roads for which officials of the Centre and the state government should convene meetings time to time. Kumar also inspected the 250 km-long Tanakpur-Tavaghat road. He was told that after the completion of the road, the distance between Tankpur and Dharchula would reduce by about 100 km. The Chief Engineer, PWD, said the department would forward the DPR of the Tanakpur-Jauljivi road by December. Kumar congratulated BRO officials on the completion of the 40 km-long double lane of the Tanakpur-Chalthi section on the Tanakpur-Tavaghat road, the 12 km-long Tanakpur-Kakralighat road and the 65 km-long Munshyari-Milam road. During his visit to Champawat, Kumar inspected newly-constructed District Hospital and also inspected under-construction Navodaya Hospital. He directed the Managing Director of the KMVN for better maintenance of tourist spots. He also reviewed works of district sector and state sector and instructed the officials concerned to expedite the development projects. |
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Outreach campaign of Union IT Ministry starts today
Dehradun, November 22 The outreach campaign is scheduled to be flagged off by the District Magistrate, Haridwar, on November 23. In phase-I, the campaign will be rolled out in 11 states- Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West
Bengal, covering over 1,343 CSCs. The CSCs are web-enabled kiosks set up in rural areas of the country that are providing various government as well non-government services to the citizens like certificates (birth, death, domicile, caste, income etc), MNREGA payments, DOEACC’s CCC courses and non-government services such as bank account opening, withdrawal/deposit, loan document, online railways and airline ticket booking, DTH recharge etc. The CSCs is a mission mode project under the National e-Governance Plan and is spearheaded by the DeitY. The National e-governance (NeGP) is a major initiative of the Government of India for ushering in e-governance for improving the quality of basic governance on a massive scale in the areas concerning the common man. The outreach campaign is a van-based mobile exhibition unit on a branded caravan coupled with audio visual and infotainment activities. The exhibition van will provide hands-on experience about various public services available through these centres to the citizens. Additionally, the campaign will have a team of trained members who will educate people through announcements, leaflet and brochure distribution, poster and banner display as well as interactive activities such as nukkad nataks, quiz showsa and films to educate them about the convenience of services available through the CSCs. |
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Govt working on policy that rewards specialist doctors
Dehradun, November 22 Since coming to power 11 months back, the Uttarakhand government had announced a hike in the salaries for contractual doctors and raised their contract period to three years. Now, the government has shifted its attention towards improving working conditions of government doctors. The Uttarakhand Health Minister, SS Negi, has already given approval for the draft DACP rule so that it could be taken up during the upcoming Cabinet meeting. “Implementation of the DACP rule has been our long-standing demand. It remains to be seen how the government actually formulates it. Once implemented, it would ensure timely promotion of doctors,” said BC Ramola, president, Provincial Medical and Health Services (PMHS). On the other hand, the Health Department is also drafting a new transfer policy that would automatically ensure promotion to those doctors who have served in the remote areas in the early part of their careers. “For the first time promotion will only be granted if the government allopathic doctors have served in the remote areas,” said Piyush Singh, Additional Secretary, Health. On the other hand, to improve working conditions for the specialists, the new transfer policy is expected to deploy them at the level of district hospitals. “During our meetings with the Chief Secretary, the thrust on district hospitals and equipping them first with specialists has been emphasised again and again. We would now restrict the services of specialists to district and sub-district hospitals only,” said Singh. While it is early to predict the outcome of the hike in salaries for contractual doctors, the government's recruitment drive for contractual doctors received a lukewarm response. Out of the 67 doctors selected, only 26 managed to join. Now with efforts to improve the working conditions of regular doctors, it remains to be seen how well it is accepted by the medical fraternity. Bare facts
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Bahuguna, Dhumal mourn death of Nishank’s wife
Dehradun, November 22 Both these leaders paid floral tributes to his wife who died of cancer recently. They extended their condolences to Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. Yoga guru baba Ramdev along with close aide Acharya Balkrishna also visited his residence to pay their condolences. A large number of political leaders cutting across political lines, officials and common people participated in the ceremony and paid floral tributes to the deceased. |
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Need to set up institute for Himalayan meteorology stressed
Dehradun, November 22 Giving information about the main recommendations of the annual seminar which focused on Himalayan meteorology, Anand Sharma, Director, Indian Meteorological Department, said that it was also recommended to strengthen the surface, upper air and radar network in the Himalayan region. In view of the high intensity rainfall and cloudbursts in the Himalayan region, X-band and C-band radars and other terrestrial sensors should be installed on priority, especially in the disaster-prone areas of Uttarakhand. It was noted that the data from sattellites has proved to be of great value in weather observation, monitoring and as an input to numerical weather prediction, especially in the data sparse mountain regions. However, it's usage has not progressed much in the mountain regions of Himalayas. Therefore, it was felt that there is a need for ISRO/IMD and other institutions to develop satellite- based products over the Himalayan region for operational use, and satellite data may be developed for numerical weather prediction models. Efforts may be made to develop nowcasting methods using satellite data for heavy rainfall, cloudbursts and landslides. To improve weather forecast over the Himalayas, efforts may be made to improve high resolution numerical weather prediction models catering to the needs of the Himalayan region. It was also felt that there was need to promote the use of 3-D GIS for better visualisation display and appreciation of weather and climate information and it's effective use by various sectoral users. The seminar noted that with a view to developing local expertise on weather and climate science, the universities and colleges in the Himalayan states should be encouraged to take up studies related to local weather and climate and its applications to various sectors such as agriculture, hydrology, tourism and disaster management, which should be supported by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. In order to meet the increasing demand of weather and climate information by the state governments and other users, the meteorological centres in the Himalayan states need to be strengthened and the operational forecasters needed to be continuously updated about the latest tools and technologies of mountain weather prediction through regular training programmes. There is a need to develop all-weather communication system to effectively communicate weather forecasts and warnings. Indian Meteorological Society was of the view that the implementation of the TROPMET-2012 recommendations will require the active support of the Central Government and also governments of the concerned Himalayan states. The Himalayan states/governments should facilitate setting up of observatories and encourage involvement of local administration, academic and research institutes in spreading information about weather observation and dissemination and sensitising the public about the natural hazards, climate variability and climate change. |
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Fringe forests crucial for economic well-being
Dehradun, November 22 Dr Bahuguna explained the importance of forests, which existed on the fringes of populated areas. Dr Bahuguna told the committee members that the forests were mostly degraded and neglected and susceptible to over-grazing, soil erosion, heavy firewood and wood removals and loss of biodiversity. These forests are crucial for the economic well-being of the country as 1,70,000 villages are situated near them and over 30 crore people depend on these for their survival. Proper management of these forests is therefore the key to ensure ecological and livelihood security for the people of the country. Dr Bahuguna suggested that various activities must be implemented with people’s participation and also explained various technological options before the committee. He said implementing the project would not only help the forest ecosystem but would also resolve the agricultural crisis. Dr Bahuguna explained that to revive the rural economy conservation and improvement of 85 million hectare rain-fed areas and 32 million hectare fringe forests is to be done. This will require an annual investment of Rs 1,000 crore per year. The activities such as soil and moisture conservation measures, assisted natural regeneration and proper management of non-timber forest products resources will not only increase job opportunities for poor villagers but will also provide sustainable development solutions to rural India. The committee of cabinet secretariat, Union government, appreciated Dr Bahuguna’s presentation and selected his proposal to be brought before the Prime Minister for approval. |
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Science & IT must for economic development: Bahuguna
Dehradun, November 22 Bahuguna was speaking at the inauguration of the 7th Uttarakhand State Science and Technology Congress being organised by the Uttarakhand Council of Science and Technology (UCOST) in collaboration with Graphic Era University here yesterday. He said Uttarakhand had a great potential in various sectors and it depended on science and technology to decide how natural resources could be utilised for development without harming environment. Bahuguna said climate was an important factor in Uttarakhand as glaciers and rivers located here had an impact on the climate of the entire world. Laying emphasis on giving more attention to research and development, he said the state government was keen on promoting scientific education. Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated an underground subway on the Graphic Era University campus. Science and Technology Minister Surendra Singha Negi, Planning Minister Dinesh Agarwal, and Director General, UCOST, Dr Rajendra Dobhal were present on the occasion. |
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Asia Pacific Scout Conference
Dehradun, November 22 The six-day conference will take place at the famous Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, Dhaka, will be inaugurated by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the presence of Bangladesh Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Education Minister Nurul Islam and Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni. World Scout Committee Chairman Simon Hang Bock Rhee will preside over the conference whereas Jejomar C Binay will present the conference report. Abdullah Rasheed will give its triennial report. Mohammad Abu Hena will deliver the keynote address entitled, “Scouting - Bridging the Gap”. The conference will also hold elections for the Asia Pacific Region Scout office-bearers. State Headquarters Commissioner Uttarakhand Bharat Scouts and Guides Rajeev Sharma has also been a participant to the 21st World Scout Jamboree at Chelmsford, England, in 2007. He also attended the 39th World Scouts Conference from January 10 to 14, 2011, at Brazil as part of the Indian delegation. The last Asia Pacific Regional Scout Conference took place at Kuala Lumpur.
— TNS |
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Endolite prosthetic centre opened
Dehradun, November 22 Ashutosh Burman of Endolite, Dehradun, said Endolite India Ltd. is a joint venture of the International Society for Human Welfare and Rehabilitation (ISHWAR) and Chas A. Blatchford & Sons Ltd., the UK, the number one name in artificial limbs the world over. Endolite has 35 prosthetic and orthotic fitting
centres and over 250 franchisee located in all major cities across India and neighbouring countries. Fitments in these centres are handled
by highly qualified and skilled prosthetists and orthotists. The Endolite range includes microprocessor based prosthetics knee joints like smart adaptive and smart IP and varieties of dynamic yet stable foot pieces such as elite blade, elite VT, echelon, espirit, elite2, navigator and dynamic response foot etc. to provide great degree of freedom to the user. |
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Give priority to welfare projects for SC/STs: CM
Dehradun, November 22 Bahuguna, while reviewing the SC/ST Sub Plan at the civil secretariat here today, instructed the officers to regularly monitor the progress of works undertaken under the plan. He also gave orders to depute nodal officers in all departments for the projects. He maintained that till the benefit of development reached the last man, economic development had no meaning. The Chief Minister told the District Magistrates to fix responsibility for the projects and ensure quality in works. Besides, he stressed on ensuring that the members of the SC/ST communities got the benefits of the projects. Social Welfare Minister Surendra Rakesh, Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain, Principal Secretaries DK Kotia, Rakesh Sharma and S Raju and Secretary Radha Raturi were also present at the meeting. |
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17 DSPs transferred
Dehradun, November 22 Amit Shrivastav has been transferred from Vigilance Department, Nainital, to Dehradun. Arun Kumar Pandey has been transferred from Haridwar to vigilance headquarters; Shahjahan Ansari from Haridwar to CID headquarter; Kamlesh Upadhyaya from Haridwar district to PHQ; Jaya Baluni, trainee, from Uttarkashi to PHQ; Jagdish Chand from 31st Batallion to Dehradun; and Mamta Vohra from PHQ to district
Dehradun. |
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Ayush geriatric clinic
Dehradun, November 22 "On these days they are given special preference and care. They like to talk in detail about the ailment afflicting them and on these days, the doctors have enough time, said JN Nautiyal, Senior Medical Officer, Ayush. The ayush geriatric clinic is providing options to the elderly who are looking for medicines that are gentle but effective. |
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Kunao villagers continue dharna on day 22
Dehradun, November 22 Parvati Devi, Kamala Devi, Damyanti Devi and Dheeraj Payal were prominent among the protesters. Meanwhile, a delegation of Kunao villagers, led by BJP leader Kusum
Kandwal, met former Chief Minister BC Khanduri in Dehradun and sought his intervention in the matter. |
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7-day autumn festival begins
Pithoragarh, November 22 Mahar said the tradition of the autumn festival was quite old. “The festival has not only helped in promoting talent among school students, but also helped in reviving autumn tourism,” he added. The festival this year, which is being organised on popular demand despite economic constraints, has many specific programmes planned. These include a handloom expo being organised by the Directorate of Handloom Promotion and the District Industries Centre,” said Rajendra Singh Rawat, chairman of the parishad and organiser of the festival. UKD leader Kashi Singh Airy, Didihat MLA Bishen Singh Chuphal, Gangolihat MLA Narayan Ram and Dharchula MLA Harish Dhami were present at the ceremony. |
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Hunters kill man-eating leopard
Pithoragarh, November 22 However, sources in the Forest Department said to trace the actual man-eater, the department had so far killed three leopards in Lamgara villages and caged another leopard. “Whether this leopard was man-eater will be known only after a post- mortem of its carcass,” said a forest official. In another incident, the carcass of a leopard was found in Tuprauli village of the Ganai Gagoli area, Pithoragarh, last evening. |
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