ONGC gives longevity incentive to retired staff
CMD-at-Home function held amid boycott by some former employees
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 25
Amid boycott by a section of its retired employees, the ONGC today announced longevity incentive for its retired employees above the age of 70 years while assuring redressal to their pension concerns.

At the CMD-at-Home function held at the ONGC headquarters in Dehradun today, CMD, ONGC, Sudhir Vasudeva announced to give one-time cash incentive to the retired employees above the age of 70 years.

Those reaching the age of 70 years will get one-time cash of Rs 20,000 whereas those further attaining 75 years of age will get another one-time cash of Rs 25000.

Moreover, those achieving the age of 80 years will get one-time cash of Rs 25,000. Thus an employees, who surpasses all three age milestones will be end up getting a total cash incentive of Rs 70,000. Vasudeva said this incentive was aimed to inculcate a spirit of better health among employees.

As part of its commitment for the city, Vasudeva said it would provide adequate financial assistance for the modernisation of Dehradun Railway Station and beautification of the Clock Tower to the ONGC headquarters stretch of Chakrata Road.

Earlier in the day, as part of Corporate Social Responsibility, Sudhir Vasudeva handed over 1,000 blankets costing Rs 4 lakh to Manorama Dobriyal Sharma, Chairperson of the NGO, National Local Self Governance Institute, Dehradun, for the people affected by the natural calamity in Uttarkashi.

The presentation was made at a simple but impressive function held at Tel Bhavan.

Vasudeva said the ONGC had always been contributing to social causes wherever possible. Also a former Mayor, Manorama Sharma, appreciated the CMD for the ONGC's contribution to various social causes.

The ONGC had sent a medical team for eight days in the wake of the natural calamity which affected Uttarkashi. The team provided medical assistance and medicines.

NGO launches drive for elephant protection
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 25
United Kingdom’s biggest funder for the endangered Asian elephant ‘Elephant Family’ has launched ‘Blood on the tracks’ campaign, encouraging its supporters to express their concern directly to the Indian Ministry of Railways over the recent incidents of elephant deaths on railway tracks across the country, including the Rajaji incident.

Elephant Family is an NGO known for saving many elephant lives alongside railway tracks in the country.

Taking into account the death of as many as 13 elephants in three train incidents, including at the Rajaji National Park that led to the death of two elephants, Elephant Family has expressed a serious concern over the mishaps. It has made an appeal to the wildlife sympathisers across the globe to send letters to the Indian Ministry of Railways, urging the Railway Minister to take prompt measures to save elephants. Significantly, more than 100 letters have already been sent to the minister, urging him to ensure that trains observe speed restrictions.

“Despite repeated requests from the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests and other conservation organisations, the Railways refused to slow down trains passing through the elephant habitat. The trains in the recent mishaps in Odisha, West Bengal and Uttarakhand were exceeding the speed restrictions. Till the time an action is taken in this regard, elephants deaths will continue to take place,” said an Elephant Family source.

It is noteworthy that Elephant Family is already in partnership with the Wildlife Trust of India, making efforts in the Rajaji National Park. Such measures include running night patrols to monitor elephant movements, workshops on the issue for train drivers and other Railways’ staff, installing warning signs and improving visibility along the tracks.

With the increasing infrastructure of Railways in the country, Elephant Family has also expressed apprehension that with more of tracks and faster trains coming into operation, the trains may further push into elephant habitats, thus creating more of such accident hotspots. Elephant Family has made an appeal to the people to participate in the campaign in a big way by sending the letter of concern to the Union Ministry of Railway.

Elephant Family funds a total of 12 projects across Asia, prominently including India. It aims to protect habitat, prevent conflict and reconnect the forest homes of the endangered Asian elephant.

Animal service

• Elephant Family, the United Kingdom’s biggest funder for saving the endangered Asian elephant, has launched ‘Blood on the Tracks’ campaign
• The NGO took note of the death of 13 elephants in three train incidents, including one at Rajaji National Park in which two elephants were killed
• It has made an appeal to the wildlife sympathisers across the globe to send letters to the Indian Ministry of Railways and urge the Railway Minister to take prompt measures to save elephants
• The NGO fears with the increasing infrastructure of the Railways and faster trains coming into operation, elephant habitats may further be compromised and more accident hotspots may be created

Norms to ensure scholarships reach OBC students
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 25
After the post-matric scholarships for OBC students got stuck due to inflated numbers against the allotted funds, the Uttarakhand Department of Social Welfare is preparing guidelines to ensure that such scholarships reach the beneficiaries.

Since 2008, the department has not been able to dispense the Central Government scholarships among beneficiaries for want of funds. The scheme has been designed for limited students, but in 2008, the then BJP government had raised the number of students without making adequate financial allocation.

While the numbers kept increasing, the required funds did not come from the Centre.

“We are expected to receive around Rs 5 crore for the scheme under which only 20 per cent of the students would be covered. The scheme has been designed in such a manner. But if we select genuine students, our purpose of disbursing scholarships would be realised. As a matter of fact, we are preparing guidelines for selecting beneficiaries so that there is no deviation in norms. Students would be selected on the basis of merit-cum-means and students belonging to the creamy layer would not get the benefits,” said Principal Secretary S.Raju, Department of Social Welfare.

He said that the government was studying the guidelines made by governments of Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi for framing it’s own guidelines.

For 2012-2013, the government is planning to disburse the scholarships to only those students who seeking admission in government colleges.

The government is hopeful of sorting out the issue of pending scholarship amount that has to be disbursed among students who were selected since 2008.

The scheme is intended to promote higher education by providing financial support to OBC students studying at post-metric/post-secondary levels, including Ph.D. degrees.

The scholarships are awarded through the state government. Under the Scheme, 100 per cent Central assistance is provided to state governments/UT administrations over and above their committed liability.

Governor: Ready to support initiative for children’s welfare
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 25
There is a need to enhance the funds of the Uttarakhand Child Welfare Council, organise health camps for children in remote hill villages, make the adoption policy more efficient and create more awareness regarding the issue of female foeticide.

These issues were discussed at a meeting of the Uttarakhand Child Welfare Council, which was presided over by Governor Aziz Qureshi at Raj Bhavan last evening.

The Governor said he was ready to support any initiative for the welfare of children, especially underprivileged children. He said the corpus fund of the council should be strengthened with the support of people and organisations and the interest obtained on this amount would help the council to carry on its activities.

In keeping with the Governor’s directions, a special vaccination camp will be held in hill areas to protect children from Hepatitis B. Five border villages of Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh districts will be identified and developed as model villages, where health and education facilities will be provided to children.

The Governor said a super-speciality hospital for children should be set up. He said a proposal should be prepared and sent to the Central Government.

The meeting also set up a committee of five members to give its recommendations in three months regarding making the child adoption policy more efficient. The members are Sushil Dobhal (chairperson), BK Maheshwari, Ramindri Mandarwal, Solomon Prakash and Saraswati Singh.

JC Pant has been again made senior vice-chairperson of the council. Dr IS Pal and Sushil Dobhal are vice-chairpersons, Dr Pushpa Manas general secretary, Solomon treasurer and KP Bhat is joint secretary.

Madhu Berry, Dr DP Khanna and Bhupesh Joshi are members, besides three co-opted members.

The Governor invited the council to hold its “Aao milkar rehna seekhein” programme at Raj Bhavan and assured them of financial support from the Governor’s discretionary fund for the Bal Mela at Bal Bhavan.

Dr. Pushpa Manas presented the points of the previous meeting as well as an outline for the future programmes. Principal Secretary to the Governor Ashok Pai, Additional Secretary Senthyl Pandian, Principal Secretary S. Raju, Secretary Manish Panwar, CS Gwal (Director, Secondary Education), JC Pant, Vice-Chairperson IS Pal, Joint Director KP Bhatt and Pushpa Manas were also present.

Kejriwal: BJP, Cong misusing probe agencies to suit interests
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 25
Anti-corruption crusader and convener of Aam Aadmi Party Arvind Kejriwal today accused both BJP and Congress of misusing probe agencies in the country to suit their political interests.

Addressing a press conference in Dehradun, Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal said both BJP and Congress were in the habit of misusing probe agencies in the country to suit their political interests. He said the recent utterances made by outgoing BJP president Nitin Gadkari against the Income Tax officials probing irregularities in his companies amply proves that parties in power misuse probe agencies in the country.

Kejriwal said the Aam Aadmi Party was fast spreading its wings in Uttarakhand and the party organisation was already in place in nine out of 13 districts of the state. He said the party would soon take its organisation up to the block level and asserted that the party was fully prepared for 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

When asked of his differences with his mentor and Gandhian Anna Hazare, Kejriwal simply said that Anna Hazare was in his native village Ralegaon and was probably the right person to comment.

He, on the occasion, released an open letter to Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries Limited, asserting that there was no point on sending defamation notices to news channels that covered "our Reliance exposé press conferences in October 2012 and November 2012." “If any such notice was to be sent, it should have been rather served to me and Prashant Bhushan, who did the press conferences,” he pointed out.

The press conference also saw an lot of commotion due to internal bickering among Aam Aadmi Party workers. Social worker and regular participant to Aam Aadmi Party agitations in Dehradun Puja Bahukhandi alleged that some of party activists were even preventing him from meeting Arvind Kejriwal.

IGP Meena to be awarded President’s Police Medal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 25
IGP, Crime, Law and Order, Ram Singh Meena will be awarded President’s Police Medal for distinguished services on the occasion of Republic Day this year. DIG, Dehradun Range, Sanjay Gunjiyal; DIG/ Additional Secretary, Home, Amit Kumar Sinha; DSP, Lakayukt Office, Dehradun, Ranjeet Singh; DSP, Tehri Garhwal, Surender Singh Chinwan; DSP, Almora, Kishan Singh Hayanki, and Surat Singh Rawat have been selected for Police Medal. The Fire Services Second Officer will be conferred with President’s Medal for meritorious service. Ashok Kumar, IPS, who is on deputation and serving as IG, Administration, in the BSF, Delhi, will be awarded President’s Medal for distinguished services.

Ram Singh Meena, who has served mostly in crime-infested districts, has an excellent track record of handling all types of challenging situations. He carries a reputation of a committed officer with strong conceptual knowledge of policing. For his outstanding service and hard work, he was also awarded the Police Medal for meritorious service on Republic Day in 2005.

Beaming with smile, Meena said getting a prestigious award for a brilliant track record would indeed serve as morale boosting and an inspiration to others to contribute more to society.

Sanjay Gunjiyal, an IPS officer of the 1997 batch, was awarded the Prime Minister’s Police Medal for saving life in 2008. He is known for his dexterity in cracking ticklish criminal cases and performing duties well. An elated Gunjiyal said, “It is difficult to maintain a non-controversial career graph in the police service for the kind of challenges involved in it. But I am happy that I have been able to do that so far. An award like this certainly encourages one to perform harder and better in the job.”

ICFRE revises rules for awards of excellence
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 25
The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) has revised the rules for national awards of excellence in forestry. The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education had started a scheme for cash awards for institutions, scientists and staff in the year 1992 for their notable contribution in the field of forestry research education and extension. These awards aim to recognise practical research-oriented performance, which leads to public welfare and to encourage researchers, scientists, foresters and non-foresters who have outstanding contribution in scientific research, education and extension.

Director General, ICFRE, VK Bahuguna, desired that the cash award scheme needed to be revised keeping in view the present-day challenges and developments in the field of forestry research.

The ICFRE has revised the rules for national awards of excellence in forestry. The DG, ICFRE, VK Bahuguna, discussed the rules, which were being revised with all senior officers and scientists of ICFRE, and obtained their views before the final notification.

In total 20 awards have been proposed in different areas of works.

The cash awards shall be open to the ICFRE individuals, group of individuals, non-ICFRE individuals, institutions, organioations, including NGOs, and society certificates of excellence, recognition and appreciation. An award has also been proposed for young scientists' category having a maximum of 40 years of age.

The Director General, ICFRE, emphasised that non-ICFRE individuals, institutes and organisations will be given due considerations for awards, who adopt ICFRE technologies. He also desired that these ICFRE officers, scientists and staff awarded should be given due weightage in promotions as per rules and will be considered for deputing in international training and workshops for skill upgradations.

RLEK hails SC judgment on hydropower project
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 25
The Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK) along with other citizens and villagers has hailed the verdict on Vishnughat Pipalkoti hydropower project on the Alaknanda by the Supreme Court of India by a bench of Justices H L Dattu and Ranjan Gogoi.

The court has virtually echoed the stand of the RLEK that delay in construction of any projects accelerates the cost which goes from the poor man's pocket and also the suffering of the delayed power production.

A bench of Justices H L Dattu and Ranjan Gogoi said, “The moment a power project is to start, litigation is filed in court. Deprecating this practice, the bench said, “If initially the project cost is Rs 1,000 crore, it goes up to Rs 10,000 crore over the year and tax-payers money is wasted.”

The best example is of Tehri project which was initially to cost Rs 300 crore but because of protest, its cost went up to Rs 10,000 crore.

"Only the contractor like JP Company became richer at the cost of poor man's money and also the only benefit went to the opponents of hydroprojects as their names along with the photographs were published in national and international newspaper. This resulted into the sufferings of local people thus the economic and social development also got delayed" says Padma Shri Avdhash Kaushal.

Dismissing the petition filed by Vimal Bhai of the Matu Sangathan, the bench found no ground to entertain the plea that the project lacked a cumulative impact assessment (CIA). The bench observed, "We really wonder people in this country say we don't want hydroelectric plant or nuclear power plant, but everybody wants bijli (electricity)”.

The petitioner had earlier approached the National Green Tribunal which refused to hold fault with the permission granted to the project.

SSP, DM inspect R-Day arrangements
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 25
The District Magistrate, the SSP and the Vice-Chairman, Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority, inspected Republic Day arrangements at the Parade Ground yesterday. DM BVRC Purushottam gave directions to the Culture Department to present better programmes on the day. Nine tableaux will be presented, including those related to Department of Forests, Health, Agriculture, Tourism and Horticulture.

Purushottam asked the officials of various departments to complete flag hoisting ceremonies in their premises by 9.30 in the morning and register their presence in the Parade Ground thereafter. Later, in the evening, a poetry session will be held in the auditorium of Survey of India, which will have the presence of noted poets such as Surender Sharma, Wasim Barelvi and Naseem Devbandi.

Routes of buses changed

The routes of buses and vikrams (shared autos) have been changed around Parade Ground on the day. The buses plying on Cantt-Rajpur Road will operate on Rajpur Road-Orient crossing. The buses plying between Claimentown and Rajpur will not go via Lensdown Chowk but Darshan Lal Chowk.

The Raipur-Maldevta-Sahastardhara bus will operate from Chunabhatta Raipur. Vikrams will not enter the Parade Ground but pick up commuters from Darshan Lal crossing. People can park their vehicles at Rangers Ground, Pavilion Ground and Mangladevi College.

FDI-supported procurement centre demanded
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, January 25
Farmers in the Terai area have demanded an FDI-supported procurement centre for farmers’ produces at Udham Singh Nagar district. According to the farmers, if an FDI-supported purchase centre is established in the Terai market, the hitherto exploited farmers will get good prices for their produces. The Introduction of such a centre in the Terai region will also strengthen farmers’ belief in agriculture, said Col Pramod Sharma (retd), a farmers’ leader at Kichcha village of the district.

The Terai farmers had been suffering for centuries as traders or owners of private mandis had the monopoly over purchase and sell of their agriculture produces, said Col Sharma.

He added though the government had stepped in to check the exploitation of farmers by traders and introduced APMC and the Essential Commodities Act, but these laws deprives the farmers of the option to sell their produces in competitive markets. “Though the government later amended the Act, even these provisions were not helping the farmers to continue agriculture as their occupation. This is posing a threat of unemployment to a population of more than 500 million of the country,” said Col Sharma.

“Delegations of farmers from the Terai region have met the Chief Minister and various government officials on several occasions in this connection,” he said.

Col Sharma has presented many research papers on the topic of farmer’s exploitation at several forums, including the IIM, Lucknow. He said the notion that the FDI would wipe out local traders was a foolish talk. “If farmers can sustain despite exploitation for centuries, why cannot the traders survive,” he added.

Minister unhappy at poor show under rural job scheme
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 25
Minister for Rural Development Pritam Singh today expressed unhappiness at the tardy progress in achieving financial targets under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. He ordered the Commissioner, Forest and Rural Development, to take action against erring officials.

He said due to delay in feeding records through the Management Information System, progress reports could not be presented in time. This resulted in delay in the allocation of funds by the Central government and failure to achieve targets.

The minister reviewed the progress of the scheme at the Vidhan Sabha office and said the progress in Almora, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, Dehradun and Nainital districts was slow. He demanded a monthly progress report from the officials concerned.

The minister also reviewed the progress under the Indira Awas Yojana and said eligible beneficiaries under the scheme in Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar should be allotted houses without delay.

Pritam took serious note of irregularities in the disbursement of funds under the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana and demanded details of repair work carried out under the scheme without calling tenders.

'Set up indicator to check environment degradation'
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 25
The patron of the Himalayan Environment Studies Conservation Organisation (HESCO), Dr Anil Joshi, said today that the government should work towards setting up a new indicator based on environment.

Speaking with the students, most of whom are heading student organisations, Dr Joshi said the new indicator based on environment would be able to check the environment degradation.

“The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is unable to give us the true picture while giving primacy to economic activity. Instead the gross environment product should be evaluated for all progress and development,” said Joshi.

He also exhorted the youth to work for the development of the state and the country.

“The youth take active interest in the happenings around them and should raise their voices against injustice from time to time,” he said.

On the occasion, Bhuvan Pathak, a social activist, said there were around 250 villages still without water and electricity supply in the state and efforts should be made to ameliorate their conditions.

Students from DAV, DBS, MKP and SGRR were among those who met Dr Anil Joshi at Shuklapur.

Awareness rally on National Voters’ Day
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, January 25
A special awareness drive was organised by the District Election Office on the occasion of National Voters’ Day today. Under the guidance of District Election Officer Sachin Kurwe, a mass awareness rally was organised from Pt Gobind Ballabh Pant Park, Devpura, in which students took part. Kurwe said with changing time people were becoming aware about their voting rights and the high voter turnout during the recent Assembly elections in Uttarakhand testified this fact.

Chief coordinator of the rally Dr Naresh Chaudhary said the Election Commission of India was constituted on this very day in 1950 and since 2011 it was being celebrated as National Voters’ Day.

Additional District Electoral Officer Arvind Pandey urged the people to be vigilant about their voting rights and voter identification cards. He added that till date 65.60 lakh voters had been enrolled in Uttarakhand.

While in-charges of NSS in Anandmayi School Sarita Parihar and Geeta Kumari of Jwalapur Girls School said the students urged the local people and their family members to procure voter identity cards and cast their votes in elections diligently. Students of Mata Vaishno Devi College, Dr Hari Ram Arya Inter College, DAV Centenary School and Bhalla Inter College participated in the rally.

Four youths held with leopard skin in Askot
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, January 25
The Pithoragarh police yesterday arrested four youths in Askot town near the Indo-Nepal border and seized leopard skin from their possession. The skin was being taken to Nepal for sale.

“The youths, all residents of Baijnath in Bageshwar district, have extracted the skin after killing a leopard six months ago. They were going to sell the skin in Nepal,” said Mangal Singh, in charge of the Askot police station.

According to the police, after been arrested under the Wildlife Protection Act, the youths were produces before a magistrate today. They were then sent to judicial custody.

In another case related with the wildlife trade, district and session judge of Nainital today rejected a bail plea of an accused who had been arrested with a leopard skin on December 30 last year.

“Madan Ram, who was going to sell a leopard skin in the Pithoragarh market, was arrested on the instance of the Ranger of the Fatehpur range of the Haldwani forest division on December 30 last year,” said DGC (crime) Susheel Sharma, Nainital.

Training on science entrepreneurship
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 25
A 10-day training programme titled ‘Science and technology-based entrepreneurship development’ started at Government Girls Inter College, Lakhibagh, Dehradun. The programme is being organised by the Uttarakhand Council of Science and Technology (UCOST).

Inaugurating the programme, Additional Director, Industries, Uttarakhand, Sudhir Chandra Nautiyal, said the youth must take to self-employment rather than just depending on government jobs. He called upon the youths in the state to showcase their entrepreneurial talent.

Dr Arun K Kuksal, senior scientific officer, UCOST, said such training programmes were also proposed to be held in Rudraprayag, Tehri, Pauri, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts of the state. Dr Prashant Singh, district coordinator, UCOST, said 40 women trainees were taking part in the programme. He said the participants would be imparted training in phenyl manufacturing and paper conversion.

It is being provided technical support by Multidisciplinary Training Centre, Khadi and Gramodyog Ayog.

Fair price shops, schools without ration
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, January 25
Lack of supply of ration in fair price shops for the past 3 months, Maulekhal villagers in Salt subdivision of Almora district held a demonstration before the subdivision office last evening demanding the immediate release of ration for the fair price shops and local schools.

“More than 50 villages and 25 primary and secondary schools have not received their quota of ration since October last year, affecting the mid-day meal scheme in these schools for the last three months,” said Sundar Singh, a fair price shop owner and participant in the demonstration.

According to the villagers, after a supply inspector died on January 4 this year, ration have not been distributed since. “We have given an ultimatum of 10 days to the local administration, if the ration is not made available to these shops, the villagers will be compelled to launch an indefinite agitation at the subdivision,” said Dinesh Mahara, leader of demonstrators.

New list of gram panchayats published
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 25
District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam today said a new list of gram panchayats after reorganisation and delimitation had been published where with addition of 18 new gram panchayats the total had risen

from 403 to 421. But since the Timli gram panchayat of the Raipur block was merged with the Man Singh gram panchayat, the total number of gram panchayat is 420 now.

He directed all Block Development Officers to display the list on the notice boards of their offices.

He also directed them to receive objections to the list for four days. The objections would be sent to the Zila Panchayat Officer on January 30.