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Jairam tells Uttarakhand to speed up works under PMGSY
Eco-sensitive zone no bar in development: Ramesh
Another tiger found dead in Terai West
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MLA Dhami released on bail
Finmin launches e-payment facility
Man killed by elephant;
kin to get Rs
3-lakh relief
3 Cong leaders get show- cause notices for anti-party work
AIIMS opened
Face of week
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Jairam tells Uttarakhand to speed up works under PMGSY
Dehradun, June 1 He asked the Bahuguna government to accelerate the pace of development in the implementation of the PMGSY and emulate the Rajasthan government in constructing the Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendras in 95 blocks of the state. At a press conference here today, he said, "At the rate at which the projects are being prepared under the
PMGSY, it will take at least 12 years to achieve rural connectivity under the
yojana. For this reason, I have asked the Uttarakhand Government to send detail project reports to link 600 habitations by the end of 2013-2014."
Jairam Ramesh said the target of rural road connectivity for 2,000 rural habitations should be completed during the ongoing five-year plan. At the insistence of the minister, the state government declared appointing a full-time chief executive officer and two chief engineers in the State Rural Road Development Agency by June-end for giving pace to the implementation of the
PMGSY. The minister also reiterated that the hilly state of Uttarakhand, too, could avail concessions for transferring up to 5 hectares of forest land at the state level, thereby bypassing the Department of Forest. "This arrangement exists for 82
Naxalite-affected areas and we could take up the matter with the Central Government for allowing a similar arrangement in the state. This would speed up work for taking up the construction of primary schools, anganwari centres and toilets," he said. The minister had made these suggestions during his visit last year too, but it seems the state government did not pursue the matter. The minister pointed out at the lack of initiative on the part of the state government to avail funds for setting up Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendras which are single window for providing skill development facilities to the rural poor. The Central Government is giving Rs 25 lakh at the block level and Rs 10 lakh at the gram panchayat level for building sewa
kendras. For the benefit of farmers, the minister announced that marginal and small farmers could get the benefit of wages in labourer component for levelling irrigation and other works in their fields under the
MGNREGA. For promoting women thrift banks under self-help groups, the minister said under the Rural Livelihood Mission, at least one woman from the poor family should become a member of a SHG in five years. He announced the slashing of bank loan rates for SHGs from the existing 14 per cent to 5 per cent and Rs 500 crore aid under the Integrated Watershed Management Programme for one-crop farmers. Further, under the Indira Aawaas
Yojana, the per unit cost in hill areas for the BPL has been revised from Rs 48,500 to Rs 75,000. |
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Eco-sensitive zone no bar in development: Ramesh
Dehradun, June 1 "A propaganda has been orchestrated that the eco-sensitive zone declared by the government would impede development. On the contrary, development projects could be taken up in a regulated manner," said Jairam
Ramesh. The minister was asked to explain his stand on the issue as during his tenure as Union Minister of Environment, the proposal for declaring the 100-km stretch from Gomukh to Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand was drafted. Elaborating, the minister said development activity could be taken under the framework of the eco-sensitive zone that calls for drafting a master plan and for regulated activity
only. "These activities have not been defined and the locals have to finalise them under permissible activities," said the minister. He was also of the opinion that measures such as thses had to be taken before things turned serious. In
Uttarakhand, while union minister Harish Rawat, too, has aligned himself with the Central government's decision by calling for a middle path, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna had expressed his government's resentment on the issue and has urged the Central Government to implement the gazette notification with some modifications. |
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Another tiger found dead in Terai West
Dehradun, June 1 The latest tiger death took place in Ampokhra range of Terai West Forest division, falling adjacent to Dhela range of Corbett Tiger Reserve. Forest guards came across the decomposed body of the tiger during patrolling today. The exact reason behind the death will be know after the post mortem report. On May 29, the carcass of a six-year-old tiger was recovered from the Terai West Forest division. The carcass was also three to four days old. Terai West authorities had then asserted that the death could have been due to a fight with another tiger. On May 27, the carcass of a tigress was found at a water hole in the Dhela range of Corbett Tiger Reserve. While conservationists had then alleged that it could be a case of poisoning, Corbett authorities had asserted that pugmarks of another tiger were found at the site. But wildlife conservationists are questioning the claims of wildlife authorities as in all the three cases, the bodies of tigers were decomposed and in close vicinity. The conservationists assert that these tiger deaths could be a result of poisoning. “All three deaths have taken place near water holes. Its summer time and tigers spend most of their time near these water bodies. There is a big possibility that the water could have been poisoned, leading to the deaths of these tigers”, Rajendra Aggarwal, Uttarakhand Head from Wildlife Preservation Society of India, said. He has sought a through probe into the tiger deaths. Gauri Maulekhi, member secretary, People for Animals, Uttarakhand, alleged that in all the three cases, tiger bodies were found in badly decomposed state, proving that the forest authorities were not doing regular patrolling of the sensitive zones of Corbett Tiger Reserve and adjoining territorial divisions. She said the possibility of these tiger deaths being revenge killings by Van Gujjars could not be ruled out. Maulekhi has sought immediate intervention of the Uttarakhand Chief Wildlife Warden in the matter. Uttarakhand has witnessed nine tiger deaths so far this year. In 2012, 15 tiger deaths took place whereas in 2011, there were a total of 24 tiger causalities. |
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MLA Dhami released on bail
Pithoragarh, June 1 "Dhami was released by the Magistrate, Udai Pratap Singh, after the he deposed before the court under Section 313 of the CrPC concerning a case which was lodged against him in 2007. He furnished two security bonds of Rs 1 lakh each," said Raghunath Singh Chauhan, counsel for the MLA. Harish Dhami, along with four others, was accused in a case of violence in a match between two groups in 2007 in the Munsiyari area. He was issued non-bailable warrants by the Didihat Munsif court after he did not appear before the court despite repeated summons. The court finally ordered attachment of his property after he did not appear before the court despite the NBW. "Dhami had contended that he had not received the summons from the court," said his counsel. Dhami had called counsel from high court and other places. He was jailed on May 28 after his surrender before the court following its orders. |
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Finmin launches e-payment facility
Dehradun, June 1 The system paved the way for the delivery of monthly salaries of 3 lakh government employees directly into their bank accounts. The initiative will not only help save money but is also aimed at promoting good governance and eliminating corruption. “The effort would help us save paper as we would no longer have to issue six lakh paper cheques and fill lengthy forms,” said RC Agarwal, Director, Treasury and Finance. He said the treasury officers would make online payments by using the State Bank of India corporate internet facility. The e-payment facility would be computerised and internet-based and the customers would be issued alerts about the status of their salaries. The facilitation from paper to paperless payment was made through the joint efforts of the Department of Finance and NIC. Soon, the department would launch the pension module also. |
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Man killed by elephant;
kin to get Rs
3-lakh relief
Dehradun, June 1 The body was sent for post mortem and a compensation of Rs 3 lakh was declared by the Forest Department for the kin of the victim. Puran Chandra Dabral (46) of Nimbuchaur village went to collect fodder yesterday evening in the nearby forests of Lansdowne forest division. When he did not come back till late night, worried family members looked for him with the help of forest officials. His body was found 3 km inside the forests. According to Neha Varma, the Divisional Forest Officer of Lansdowne division, the footprints of an elephant were found near the body of the victim, which was pierced at several places, as revealed by post mortem. She said prima facie evidence suggested that he was attacked by the elephant at the water hole and killed. "The Forest Department has announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh for the kin of the victim”, she said. |
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3 Cong leaders get show- cause notices for anti-party work
Dehradun, June 1 Announcing this at a press conference here today, spokesperson for the state unit of the party Dhirendra Pratap said the leaders had been asked to explain their conduct for violating party directions and acting against party official candidates in the municipal elections within 10 days. Dhirendra Pratap thanked Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna for holding a day-long conference at his residence and paying special heed to the voice of party workers, who had came from distant areas of the state. They also thanked President of the state unit of the Congress Yashpal Arya for advocating the grant of official positions to senior party leaders in the state government. Meanwhile, Dhirendra Pratap also hailed the decision of Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh for granting a help of Rs 1,000 crore for the development of rural areas of the state. |
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AIIMS opened
Dehradun, June 1 The AIIMS had begun providing OPD services from May 27 in 39 departments, including ENT, skin, paediatrics, general physician etc. Prof Rajkumar,Director of AIIMS said the hospital would prove a boon to the people of the state who have been crying for quality health-care. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister BC Khanduri has expressed hope that the coming of AIIMS would prove a milestone in offering state-of- the-art healthcare facilities to the people of the state. People in the state continue to die due to lack of adequate medical care and I am optimistic that the healthcare facilities in the government sector would further improve, he said. |
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CM welcomes Jagdishila yatra
Dehradun, June 1 He said that such yatras united people as they passed through various areas of the state and
also give a boost to tourism. He approved a 13-km stretch of road in Akhauri and Baniyal Gaon and other areas. The Chief Minister said that proper arrangements should be made on the route of this
yatra. Coordinator of the yatra, Education Minister M.P.Naithani, MLA Raj Kumar and former MLA R.S.Verma were
present. |
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Face of week
Dehradun, June 1 A resident of Kargi, Dehradun, Alok Ghildiyal is a lawyer by profession and has been practising in the Dehradun district court for over 18 years. Since his college days in DAV (PG) College, Alok Ghildiyal actively participated in agitations linked to civic issues of the city. He completed his Ll.B in 1993, when the movement of a separate state agitation had started simmering. As a young man then, he actively participated in the statehood movement. And even today, after over a decade of the formation of the state, he is actively working to address the genuine concerns of the Uttarakhandi people. As a legal luminary, Alok has also been a human rights activist for more than a decade now. He is the state secretary of the Uttaranchal Human Rights Association, Dehradun, for 11 years and has been raising the issues of human at various platforms. A former vice-president of the Dehradun Bar Association, Alok is also a legal adviser to the Uttarakhand Ex-Army Officers League,
one of biggest organisations of ex-army officials in the state. Today, in his early forties, Alok Ghildiyal admits that Uttarakhand of the state agitators’ dreams was still to be realised. He said rising corruption and select development was a big issue as state agitationists had thought of a state
that was free from corruption and had developed hilly areas. He believes that Dehradun was today not the same as it was some decades back. Large population pressure on the
city has degraded the environment. Trees are being felled rampantly and the residents of Dehradun are a mute witness to such development. Alok said he has been raising the issue at every platform, seeking stricter environmental laws to save greenery of
Dehradun. |
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Dehradun, June 1
Dharchula Congress MLA Harish Dhami was today released on bail by a magistrate in Didihat where the MLA was under judicial custody from last 15 days.
Dehradun, June 1
