Draw of lots held for allotment of liquor vends
Dehradun, March 29
A total of 29,267 applications have been received for the allotment of 66 liquor vends and two beer shops in Dehradun and Mussoorie for which a draw of lots was held today.

Iceland President to visit Doon on April 1
Dehradun, March 29
President of Iceland Olafur Ragnar Grimsson will be on a three-day visit to the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, beginning April 1.

Dehradun, March 29
Handicapped by the shortage of teachers, more so after the appointment of 2,253 teachers in elementary schools in accordance with the Right to Education Act (RTE) was held up, the Department of School Education is now planning to approach the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development seeking relaxation in the fulfilment of the pupil-teacher ratio beyond March 31.

The state was expected to deploy teachers in the ratio of 1:40 in elementary schools as ordained in the RTE Act by March 31 this year, but its plans came a cropper after the Centre made compulsory that all elementary school teachers should either be National Teacher Training ( NTT) qualified or possess a B.Ed degree. As a result, the appointment of 2,253 teachers that were Basic Training Certificate ( BTC) qualified was held up. “Earlier, the state government was recruiting teachers who had cleared the BTC exam, but this eligibility test has been de-recognised by the Centre once the RTE Act came into place.

Some of the teachers have gone to court while we are now urging the BTC teachers to clear the NTT exam; this will take time. In view of this, we would be writing to the Centre to give us relaxation,” said Mantri Prasad Naithani, Uttarakhand Minister for School Education.

The RTE norms state that the teacher-pupil ratio must never exceed 1:40 but in 15,000 elementary schools across Uttarakhand, there is a shortage of teachers and it is difficult to implement the ratio. “In order to fulfill the norms laid under the RTE, we require around 13,000 trained teachers for 15,000 elementary schools in the state. For this reason we are seeking relaxation,” said Naithani.

Besides, in each district there are over 70-80 schools being run by a single teacher (single teacher schools). The Department of School Education has to ensure that the education of the wards is not disrupted at the same time ensure compliance of the pupil-teacher ratio according to the RTE norms.

The government has so far spent Rs 285.91 crore for providing qualitative education and upgrading infrastructure under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

Dehradun, March 29
Qualified teachers of Basic Training Certificate (special) staged a demonstration in support of their demands here today. Hundreds of teachers assembled at the Parade Ground and then marched towards the residence of Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna. However, the protesters were stopped by police force at the Hathibarkala barricade. They jostled with policemen but were prevented from moving further.

The protesters then staged a dharna at the police barricade raising slogans in support of their demands and against the state government. They said 2,250 BTC teachers were sent to government schools in remote areas for training on a monthly pay of Rs 7,300. However, neither they were paid nor appointed as regular teachers.

In a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister, the teachers threatened to intensify their agitation if their genuine demand for appointment as regular government teachers was not accepted immediately.

Dehradun, March 29
The proposed Doon medical college project was held up due to the non-availability of land at one place during the pervious BJP government rule.

The Department of Medical Education has again decided to redraw the proposal after deciding to upgrade the existing Doon Hospital. Now, the medical college will come up at Dehra Khas (Kargi) while the existing Doon Hospital will be used for teaching and OPD services.

The department plans to start the MBBS course in 2014 for which it has to clear confusion regarding the medical college.

A total of 150 students will be admitted in the first year.

Minister for Medical Education Harak Singh Rawat at the last meeting had finalised the proposal for using the existing Doon Hospital, the Women’s District Hospital and the land on the former jail premises for the proposed medical college, but the land was not sufficient according to the MCI guidelines.

“According to the MCI guidelines, we require 20 acres for the construction of the teaching department. The district administration undertook measurement and found the identified land insufficient for the purpose,” says a senior official.

Besides, the department maintains that in the long run it will be advisable to have a medical college in an area where further expansion was possible. “We have ample land at Dehra Khas (Kargi) where the proposed Doon medical college could come up. The existing Doon Hospital could provide teaching and OPD support to the college. In future we could even think of conducting postgraduate classes,” he says.

The department now plans to use the land allocated to it at Dehra Khas for building the proposed college, hostels etc. The medical college and the hospital will now be within a radius of 10 km.

The college project has been hanging fire since 2009 due to lack of sufficient land.

The Department of Medical Education is already in possession of seven acres on the old jail premises on the Haridwar road that it managed to get from the Department of Law. 

Dehradun, March 29
President of Iceland Olafur Ragnar Grimsson will be on a three-day visit to the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, beginning April 1.

Dehradun District Magistrate BVRC Purshottam today presided over a meeting of officials to oversee arrangements in view of his visit to the city. He said the Iceland President would reach the Jolly Grant Airport on April 1. Subsequently, he would attend the fourth Environment Summit at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology the same day.

Grimsson would meet Governor Aziz Qureshi at Raj Bhavan On April 2. Later in the evening, he would attend a programme at Doon School, Dehradun. He would leave Dehradun on April 3.

Purshottam directed Additional District Magistrate Jharna Kamthan to prepare a car and accommodation plan and ensure a timely deployment of officials in lieu of the President’s visit.

Dehradun, March 29
The Christian community organised prayers on Good Friday here today. Prayers were held in the churches of Dehradun. At Morrison Memorial Church, Pastor Sunil Luke said Jesus Christ had sacrificed his life for redemption of the mankind on this day. He further held that forgiveness of sins and eternal lives were possible only through sacrifices.

“Jesus Christ had preached selfless love and had taught that one should help one’s neighbours,” he said.

JP Singh at Saint John’s Church reminded the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the emancipation of the mankind. “On the third day which was Sunday, he resurrected himself. This is the reason why the Sunday following the Good Friday is celebrated as Easter. By resurrecting himself, he accomplished victory over death,” he said.

Pastor Sunil Luke later also said the Christian community in Dehradun would be felicitating the Minority Commission Chairperson and members on Easter. Chairperson of the State Minority Commission NS Bindra, state Minority Commission members JP Singh and Satish John and Vice Chancellor of the Uttarakhand University of Horticulture and Forestry Matthew Prasad will also be felicitated on Easter. Congress vice-president Surya Kant Dhasmana will be the chief guest on the occasion.

MUSSOORIE: Members of the Christian community assembled at various churches across Mussoorie today to attend Morning Mass on Good Friday. Many non-Christians, too, participated in the mass services and prayed for universal peace and prosperity.Special prayer services were held at Christ Church, Library Bazaar, Central Methodist Church, Kulri, Hebron Church at Picture Palace, St Peter's Church at Landour Bazaar and St Paul's Church at Lal Tibba.