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Mayor-MNA tussle hots up
IT raids at Graphic Era University offices
CBI probe sought into forest land purchase by top cop
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Movie on tigers screened
Sikhs seek restoration of gurdwara at Har-ki-Pauri
Kempty residents hail
tehsil status for Nainbagh
Samajwadi Party pitches for alliance with UKD
Rudrapur riots: BJP legislator declared absconder
Wynberg school captains present book to Governor
Sachin obliges fans with photos, autographs
Rs 3,000 cr to be spent on repair of damaged roads
Power, Panchayati Raj depts record sluggish growth
SP rath yatra on Mulayam’s birthday today
Dr HS Dhami
Bharat Ratna awardee Rao to visit Gangolihat
Firm launches care skin programme
Kumaon University VC to focus on research
KV IMA, Doon Public School enter football finals
Hilton School, GRD Academy, Asian school in basketball semis
ITM clinch T-20 cricket title
Inter-house judo meet conducted
Pro and anti-Ramdev protests in Haridwar
Ramdev's effigy burnt, his arrest sought
Take journalism as a mission, students told
Inter-house debate on Food Security Act
Village girls keen to make it big in the world of glamour
30-day mushroom training programme launched
18-year-old girl alleges doc kept her confined
STF nabs wanted criminal from UP
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Mayor-MNA tussle hots up
Dehradun, November 21 MNA Ashok Kumar had earlier suspended the amount sanctioned for the repair of the 22 vehicles collecting the garbage. In the letter written to the Senior Health Officer Dr RK Singh, the MNA had said that the money being taken out of the DMC treasury for the repair of vehicles was illegal and against the rules. "If the money is spent on the repair, than being considered as a financial irregularity the money would be recovered from these officers," the letter read. Reacting sharply to the objection raised by the MNA, the Mayor issued a memo asking the MNA to get the vehicles repaired at the earliest. It was also mentioned that the decision of the DMC spending money, approximately Rs 10 lakh, on repair of the vehicles was taken during a meeting held on November 13. The Mayor said there was no point in objecting to the sanction as the MoU had already been signed. “The company had expressed its inability to get the vehicles repaired as a result of which the garbage disposal was becoming a problem in the city. We have agreed to get the vehicles repaired and whatever money will be spent would be deducted from the fees being paid to them,” he added. The MNA has, however, refused to budge from his stance. Maintaining that the DMC was not liable to pay for any repairs of the private vehicles, Ashok Kumar said: “Why should the DMC pay for the repairs of the vehicles which do not even belong to us. As far as spending money from the exchequer is concerned, it is not authorised and against the law. However, we will see if something can be done from the emergency funds,” he added.
Claims/Counter-claims
* MNA Ashok Kumar has suspended the amount sanctioned for the repair of the 22 vehicles collecting the garbage. He said the money being taken out of the DMC treasury for the repair was against the rules. *
The Mayor has issued a memo asking the MNA to get the vehicles repaired at the earliest. He said the decision concerning the DMC spending money, approximately Rs 10 lakh, was taken during a meeting held on November 13.
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IT raids at Graphic Era University offices
Dehradun November 21 The sources said Income Tax Department was getting regular complaints regarding tax evasion by the university. It has been learnt that the raids have revealed a host of irregularities. The team of Income Tax Department has also seized documents related to various financial transactions in the university. The raids reportedly commenced in the morning with almost six teams of Income Tax Department’s investigation wing reaching different offices of Graphic Era University. The house of the university’s director Kamal Ghansala was also raided. Requesting anonymity, one senior income tax officer told The Tribune, "Income Tax raids are being carried out at two groups - Graphic Era University and its associate offices along with one real estate company in Rishikesh.” The scale of the raid may be widened and more people might also come under its radar if new facts are revealed in the raid, said one income tax officer. One senior district police officer said, "As many as 15 sub-inspectors and 77 constables accompanied the income tax investigation teams in the raids." "The raids are still on and exact details of the recovery and of tax evasion, if any, would be clear once the teams are done with their work", said an income tax officer. |
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CBI probe sought into forest land purchase by top cop
Dehradun, November 21 Uttarakhand forest employees union leader R R Painuly today said they were demanding a probe either by the CBI or by a retired judge and if this demand was not accepted they would be forced to ask other employee organisations to join and show their solidarity with the cause. On other hand, a team of Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers from the state a day earlier met Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna to put forward state forest department's point of view in the matter. IFS officers, who met the Chief Minister, submitted necessary records pertaining to the land in question. They also held that the forest authorities were acting as per the Forest Act and there was nothing wrong in it. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand police had recently arrested a forest contractor and two labourers on the charges of unlawful felling of trees on Director General of Police BS Sidhu's 3.86 acre plot of land at Old Mussoorie road. |
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Movie on tigers screened
Dehradun, November 21 Zaara Kidwai, project officer, WWF-India, said the programme started with a written round of questionnaire as pre-assessment, which was followed by the screening of the movie. “The questionnaire round was also carried out after the movie screening, which estimated the amount of knowledge acquired by the students from the movie,” she added. She said the students also had interactive sessions. |
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Sikhs seek restoration of gurdwara at Har-ki-Pauri
Dehradun, November 21 The protesters pitched a tent outside the main gate of the park and started reciting 'Sukhmani Sahib'. As the protest did not have the permission of the administration, the police removed the tent but allowed the protesters to continue with the prayer. The protesters belonging to the Guru Singh Sabha, Dehradun, threatened to intensify their agitation if state government did not hand over the gurdwara site at Hari-ki-Pauri in Haridwar to the Sikhs. One of the protesters, Brijendra Pal Singh, also alleged that both the Congress and the BJP in Uttarakhand were ignoring the Sikhs. The Uttarakhand Police had thwarted an attempt by Sikh organisations to enter the state in the form of a procession from Kulhal bordering Himachal Pradesh a few days ago. |
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Kempty residents hail
tehsil status for Nainbagh
Mussoorie, November 21 The Youth Congress president from Kempty, Vijendar Panwar, said with the formation of Nianbagh as a new tehsil the nearby villagers would find it easy to interact with government officials on a daily basis. "The villagers faced problems in reaching the existing tehsil at Dhanaulti during snowfall,” added
Panwar.
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Samajwadi Party pitches for alliance with UKD
Haridwar, November 21 He was in the city to monitor "Mulayam Sandesh Yatra" to be carried out in the state as part of the 75th birthday celebration functions of the party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav tomorrow. Sachan said the UKD and other outfits like Raksha Morcha should come together to pave the way for a strong Third Front in the hill state as both the Congress and the BJP have been tested by the voters twice without any positive result. “The UKD should also take a pragmatic assessment of the political scenario in the state. I agree that they have a good base in the state but it's not enough to uproot the BJP or the Congress. Come, join hands. We welcome to initiate a Third Front that involves all secular and like-minded parties. Along with the Communists, the Samajwadi Party and the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal will have a major share in the 2017 state Assembly election if this front comes up strongly," Sachan said. He made it clear that for the Lok Sabha seats, the party would contest on its own as it has already declared its probable candidates for all five parliamentary seats - Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Almora-Pitthoragarh, Nainital-Uddham Singh Nagar and Haridwar. Mulayam Sandesh Yatra will be covering, in initial phase, the districts of Tehri Garhwal, Haridwar and Nainital. In the second phase, it will traverse Almora and Pauri Garhwal districts. Lashing out at the Congress-led Vijay Bahuguna government, Sachan said on different fronts like flash flood disaster, rescue and rehabilitation operation, government employees problems, granting OBC status to Uttarakhshi-Jaunsar Bhawar region and employment issues it had failed miserably. He also lambasted the BJP for failing to address the issues concerning both plain and hill segments during its previous five-year state tenure which saw three Chief Ministerial terms of Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. Sachan also referred to the connection UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had with Uttarakhand. His wife Dimple Rawat Yadav hails from Pauri Garhwal district. |
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Rudrapur riots: BJP legislator declared absconder
Dehradun, November 21 On October 2, 2011, riots took place at Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar district, resulting in the death of four persons. The CB-CID probe into the riots held BJP MLA Rajkumar Thukral, Nathulal Gupta, Virma Koli, Gajendra Mistri, Pankaj Kalra, Salim and Khaliq responsible for the riots. The police arrested Virma Koli, Gajendra Mistri and Nathulal Gupta. Thereafter, Khaliq also surrendered before court. But the rest of two, MLA Rajkumar Thukral and Pankaj Kalra, absconded. On the court orders, notices were pasted at the houses of Thukral and Kalra yesterday, declaring them as absconders. |
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Wynberg school captains present book to Governor
Mussoorie, November 21 The two captains, namely Aryan Chawala and Ashveen Kaur after presenting the book said the Governor was pleased to now that the school completed 125 years of existence and wished them a bright and prosperous future. Kurian Arackle accompanied the students during the book presentation function. |
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Sachin obliges fans with photos, autographs
Mussoorie, November 21 He obliged his fans, who had assembled at Char Dukan in the early morning, and let them click photographs with him as he signed autographs. Sachin also drove a snow bike in the morning around Sister Bazaar in a relaxed mood. He met Joel Khan, an artist from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh. Khan was here specially to sketch a portrait of Sachin with cricket bat in his hand. Sachin praised Khan on receiving the sketch from him. Khan later told mediapersons that he had earlier painted Sachin Tendulkar on 15 metre wall of his room. He said he had a dream to present his sketch in person and was glad that he got the opportunity today. Sachin, along with his wife Anjali, also had meal at the Clock Tower Cafe, owned by his friend Sanjay Narang. A crowd gathered outside as the news of Sachin sitting in the Clock Tower Cafe spread like a wild fire. The police had a difficult time in controlling the people who shouted “Sachin, Sachin”. Children followed his vehicle on his return to Rockby Hotel to catch a glimpse of the cricketer. Dehradun District Magistrate (DM) BVR Purshotam along with municipal council (MC) president Manmohan Singh Mall and trader’s association president Rajat Agarwal also met Sachin at the hotel and discussed problems faced by the people after the mid-June natural tragedy struck Kedarnath shrine and other areas in the state. Agarwal said Sachin extended his heartfelt condolences to the families who had lost their near and dear ones in the calamity. He said Sachin looked concerned after hearing experiences of Dehradun District Magistrate. Sachin said the tragedy was a wakeup call for every one. He called it a global warning instead of global warming. Purshotam and Manmohan Mall also invited Sachin to inaugurate the Winterline Carnival to be held from December 27-30. They said this would remove fear among tourists who stayed away from the state since the mid-June disaster. Responding to the invitation, Sachin said he would think over it and cooperate in all possible ways. He said Mussoorie was his favourite tourist destination and he would like to visit the town frequently. However, he was tight lipped on his plans to settle down in the town. The DM and MC president also presented a shawl to Sachin on the occasion. Sachin later returned to Bothwell Bank and enjoyed the one day match between India and West Indies at the residence of his friend Sanjay Narang. |
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Rs 3,000 cr to be spent on repair of damaged roads
Pithoragarh, November 21 Subhash Kumar, Chief Secretary, said the state PWD would be allocated Rs 2,500 crore for the construction of damaged roads in the disaster-hit areas and the BRO would be given Rs 600 crore for the construction and repair of roads. “We are also taking help from the World Tourism Organisation, the ambassadors and the high commissioners of different countries in rebuilding the damaged tourism infrastructure of the state so that tourism trade could be put on track again,” said Subhash. He said over 70 per cent families would be given monthly rent. Nearly 700 pre-fabricated houses would be provided for permanent residents in the next three months. “We have shifted the disaster-hit victims of Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi and Bageshwar districts from tents to government building,” he added. He said Rs 1,800 crore of the sanctioned Rs 3,000 crore was spent , that were released by the government in October last year. Whereas, Rs 2,150 crore had already been spent this year out of the sanctioned Rs 4,000 crore for the works in these areas. “Besides, we have sanctioned Rs 9,000 crore at the state level for the construction of basic infrastructure, especially in the disaster-hit areas,” he said. |
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Power, Panchayati Raj depts record sluggish growth
Dehradun, November 21 By October, around 68 departments managed to spend around 51.62 per cent of the sanctioned budget. A total of Rs 4,179.32 crore was sanctioned in 2013-2014 against which the expenditure incurred was Rs 2,157.44 crore. During the past couple of years, the total budget provisions have been on the higher side due to the carry forward of unspent funds from last year. Though the outlay for 2013-2014 under the annual plan was Rs 8,500 crore, the total budget provision was Rs 1,2010.19 crore. Uttarakhand has been rather slow in spending the annual plan budget for some past years. The state government has directed the Chief Secretary to monitor activities of various departments to find the reason for slow spending of the allocated budgets. “This year efforts were made to prepare the annual plan in advance and get it released early so that the departments could streamline their spending. Most of the departments show robust spending at the fag end of the financial year or park the funds in the Public Ledger Account. This year, despite our preoccupation with the disaster, the spending has been sound, but we need to buck up to achieve our targets,” said Chief Secretary Subash Kumar. However the departments of Panchayati Raj, Power, Information Technology, Agriculture, Urban Development continue to be way behind their normal targets. For example, even in an election year, the Department of Panchayat Raj has not been able to spend much. Against the budget provision of Rs 9,675.82 lakh (Rs 96.75 crore), Rs 872.23 lakh (Rs 8.72 crore) was sanctioned and expenditure of Rs 430.49 lakh (Rs 4.30 crore) has been incurred. Significantly, the annual plan outlay has witnessed a jump every year. The last year plan outlay was Rs 8,200 crore, while this year's outlay is Rs 8,500 crore. This points to increase of 3.66 per cent in plan outlay in comparison to last financial year.
Disaster impact
* By October this year, around 68 departments managed to spend around 51.62 per cent of the sanctioned budget. A total of Rs 4,179.32 crore was sanctioned in 2013-2014 against which the expenditure incurred was Rs 2,157.44 crore *
The state government has directed the Chief Secretary to monitor activities of various departments to find the reason for slow spending of the allocated budgets.
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SP rath yatra on Mulayam’s birthday today
Dehradun, November 21 Addressing a press conference here yesterday, state SP president SN Sachan said the yatra would be called “Mulayam Sandesh Yatra” for which a committee had been formed under the leadership of Alok Rai and would include the party’s Lok Sabha candidates from the five constituencies of Uttarakhand. “While the first phase of the yatra will cover Tehri, Haridwar and Nainital, the second and final phase would include Almora and Pauri. During the yatra the wrong doings of the Congress government in the state would be showcased along with the communal politics being practised by them,” he added. “The ideology of the Samajwadi Party is capable of taking the country on the road to success. Ever since the Congress has come to power at the Centre and in the state, corruption has increased manifold and so has inflation. The BJP has been playing politics of religion that has greatly impacted the progress of the nation besides threatening the peace and harmony,” added Sachan. |
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Awareness campaign on pulmonary disease
Haridwar, November 21 He called COPD a non-communicable lung disease that was quite lethal as it slowly impacts the patient’s breathing system. Dr Mohit said almost 20 to 25 per cent of the people did not know that they were affected with this lung disease. “Often early stages of this disease go unrecognised. Hence one needs to be careful about symptoms like chronic cough. These may look normal but in fact can lead up to COPD. So prevention and getting tested for this disease is vital," added Chauhan. Nowadays in market a simple breathing test facility via spirometry is available and pharma company Cipla is providing this testing facility in various cities of Uttarakhand on regular basis. Every year worldwide about 3 million deaths are reported due to COPD. “It is high time that we look to this disease with preventive vision.” |
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Bharat Ratna awardee Rao to visit Gangolihat
Pithoragarh, November 21 “Dr Rao, who is running a science outreach programme for schoolchildren, had visited the district in April this year. In next April also, he will address students in this remote area of the country,” said Dr Ashok Pant, scientific adviser, Pahal, an NGO.
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Firm launches care skin programme
Mussoorie, November 21 Manager of the company Tara Sharma outlined the importance of saving the skin from the attack of cold conditions. He said a pure skin programme was being launched from their outlet to tell the consumers ways to use herbal medicines to enhance their face skin conditions. She said the herbal products of the company using natural ingredients would go a long way in saving the skin from disintegrating, especially during the winter.
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Kumaon University VC to focus on research
Pithoragarh, November 21 “I have told the faculty of the university that they will have to prove themselves in the field of research even in adverse conditions as congenial research conditions are easy for every one to work under,” said the VC. Dhami has been appointed the permanent Vice-Chancellor of Kumaon University by the Governor after he had worked as ad hoc VC for nearly seven months. Dhami said the university had to pay Rs 44 crore as salary but it received only Rs 25 crore as grant from the government. This resulted in deep financial crisis for the university. “We would like to be self sufficient on this ground by making efforts to get full financial grant for the university from the government every year,” he said. The VC said he had plans to upgrade research standards of the university by entering into collaboration with foreign universities. Some of these universities had “assured us of status of their faculty in the sphere of nano and bio technology research”. Dhami said the Mahdevi Verma Centre at Ramgarh would be upgraded to international level. A girls’ hostel would be constructed for students who visit Nainital from under exchange programmes. He said, “To streamline the examination system of university will be my next priority. The examination patterns have become frail over the years.” |
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KV IMA, Doon Public School enter football finals
Dehradun, November 21 The first semifinal match between KV IMA and Army School Clement Town proved to be a nail-biting encounter and was decided in a penalty shoot out. Both the teams could not score a goal in the normal 90 minutes of play and in the penalty shoot out, KV IMA defeated Army School by 5-3 score. In a one-sided encounter, Doon Valley Public School trounced Sri Guru Ram Rai (SGRR) Bindal by 4-1 score in the second semifinal match. Sumit Shrestha scored a hatrick for Doon Valley School with scoring goals in the 22nd, 44th and 48th minutes. Kapil Thapa also contributed a goal in the 30th minute. Ghanshyam scored the lone goal in the 26th minute for SGGR. The final match would be played on Friday. |
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Hilton School, GRD Academy, Asian school in basketball semis
Dehradun, November 21 In the first match, Hilton School defeated St Mary School by 42-15 score. For Hilton School, Shibham Solanki and Aditya Panwar scored nine points each and remained top scorer in the match. For St Mary’s, Prabhat Solanki scored six points. The second quarterfinal match between GRD Academy and RMRA proved to be a close encounter with both the teams displaying brilliant skills in the match. In the end, GRD Academy outperformed RMRA and won the match 36-30. Gaurav Lakhera and Ashish Rawat scored 13 and 12 points respectively for GRD. The Asian School defeated Children’s Academy in the third quarterfinal match by a close margin of 41-37. Children’s Academy started the match in dominance and won the first three sets but The Asian School bounced back in the fourth and the last set and won the match. In the last match of the day, Doon International School was given walk over as the opposition team Pestle Weed College did not come to play. |
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ITM clinch T-20 cricket title
Dehradun, November 21 Akash played a good inning of 30 runs and remained lone batsmen to stand till the end and helped his team to surpass 100 runs. In 20 overs, UPES scored 108 runs in the end. Chetan Vats took three wickets for ITM. In reply, ITM also witnessed a bad start with opener Shajad getting out on the first ball of the inning. Shoiab and Chetan Das consolidated the innings and scored 39 and 30 runs respectively. ITM easily chased the score at the loss of five wickets. For UPES, Mukesh took three wickets and Akash took one wicket. Chetan Vats of ITM was adjudged the man of the match for his all-round performance. |
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Inter-house judo meet conducted
Dehradun, November 21 The participants competed in 9 categories in all. The sub junior-level included 30, 35 and 40 kg categories. The junior-level had 44, 48 and 52 kg categories and the senior-level had 52, 56 and open categories. Shreya Agarwal of Aer House won the junior category bouts in 52 kg category. She also brought laurels for the school by winning the bronze medal at the state-level judo meet last year. Priyanka of Terra House and Mahek of Aqua House won in the 48 kg and 44 kg categories respectively. The senior category bouts lasted longer as the girls used defencive techniques judiciously. Abana from Terra House, Varnika from Ignis House and Aman from Aqua House won in their respective weight categories. Jasnoor, Shreya and Aman were chosen as the best ‘judokas’ . They won gold medal in their respective categories.
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Pro and anti-Ramdev protests in Haridwar
Haridwar, November 21 Members of the Bharat Swabhiman Trust, and the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust, students of Patanjali Ayurvedic University along with activists of the
BJP, the VHP and several other organisations demonstrated in support of Ramdev. They termed the probe initiated by the Congress-led state government as politically motivated and being done out of fear that a large following of Yog Guru Ramdev may severely impact the prospects of the Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as well as the ongoing Assembly elections in five
states. Ujjwal Pundit, district head of the Yuva Teerth Purohit Maha Sabha, said Ramdev had done social works worldwide and the Congress should not target him by registering false cases against him. “The yog guru is a world renowned figure. He provides immense yog and ayurvedic knowledge to people. The state government had given him the land being used for various purposes and a Chief Minister telling mediapersons about the registration of cases points towards the political motive,” said Pundit. Meanwhile, Poonam Bhagat, state president of the Kissan Mahila Congress, demanded explanation from Patanjali Yogpeeth for alleged irregularities in land deals and their use, as the land was given to a trust for social causes only. Another Congress leader Sanjay Paliwal asked Ramdev and his aide Acharya Balkrishan to furnish details of the land use as it was allocated to them for social and educational purposes only. Activists of the BJP youth wing held a protest against the Congress-led state government at Bhagwan Valmiki Chowk here. Led by youth wing city representative Kishan
Bajaj, the activists burnt an effigy of the Congress in protest. They said the Congress was fear stuck due to the overwhelming response both Ramdev and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi were getting from
people. Bajaj said if the Congress-led state government further pressured and used such devious tactics against Swami Ramdev or the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust, they would resort to an agitation. |
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Ramdev's effigy burnt, his arrest sought
Dehradun, November 21 In capital Dehradun, Ramdev’s effigy was burnt at Ashley Hall Chowk. Led by Congress district general secretary Arun Chamoli, the Congress leaders also raised slogans against Baba Ramdev and his Patanjali Yog Trust. Addressing the gathering, Arun Chamoli said Baba Ramdev was befooling the people in the name of nationalism. On the contrary, he was indulging in wrong activities. He said apart from illegal possession of Gram Sabha land, Baba Ramdev has been into benami transactions and even resorted to undervaluation of stamp duty while undertaking land purchase, thereby causing loss of revenue worth crores to the state. He also accused the BJP of being hand in glove with Baba Ramdev. Congress leaders Rajiv Mahrishi, Lalchand Sharma and Vipul Nautiyal were prominent among the protesters. Later at another meeting held at Congress Bhawan, Congress leaders welcomed registration of cases against Baba
Ramdev. |
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Take journalism as a mission, students told
Dehradun, November 21 "I call upon the students of journalism to report the happenings with great deal of truth and character," said Govind Singh Kunjwal while speaking at a function organised at Himgiri Zee University where he was the Chief Guest. While speaking with the students of journalism, Kunjwal urged the students that they would be successful if they take journalism as a mission. While presiding over the function, the VC of the University Prof SC Bagdi said the university had been striving to provide good environment to the students by organising debates and seminars. "We need to focus on the all round development of the students and seminars and debates help the students in increasing their knowledge," he said. |
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Inter-house debate on Food Security Act
Dehradun, November 21 Prof FC Garg inaugurated the programme. He motivated the participants of all four houses and shared his views on the topic. The participants of the four houses of the institute, namely Jujhar, Ajit, Zorawar and Fateh showed their debating talents and enlightened the audience by their thought-provoking views. Favouring the Food Security Act, the participants stated that in the present scenario, basic commodities like wheat, rice, flour etc would be in the reach of every individual. While opposing the Act, the opponents reviled its flip-side stating that it was just a gimmick presented by the ruling government to influence the vote bank. The event was judged by Neelam Ojha, Prof GRS Bisht and Prof Maneesh Arora. The first prize was bagged by Sukanya Dixit of Jujhar House. The second prize was won by Naveen Mehra of Zorawar House. The best team trophy was bagged by Sukanya Dixit and Sachin Dimri of Jujhar House. Jujhar House was declared the winner house. The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Sanjam Chandana, student secretary. |
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Village girls keen to make it big in the world of glamour
Dehradun, November 21 One of the 28 contestants in the ongoing beauty pageant, the final of which will be held in December, Ruksar is a determined girl who wants the title to change the perception of her villagers. Speaking to The Tribune, Ruksar said, “I am the first girl from my village who has stepped out to participate in a beauty pageant. It is considered a taboo to let girls go outside the village to pursue higher studies, let alone participation in any beauty contest. There was a lot of opposition from the villagers but thankfully my family supported me in living my dream.” Ruksar, a fashion designing graduate, recalled the reactions of the villagers upon seeing her picture in a newspaper and said, “When the pictures of our first look were published in the media my relatives and villagers made a lot of hue and cry. Though my parents did not tell me anything about the negative feedback, it was my sisters who gave me the details. Though I was demoralised a little, the objections made me more determined. I am a farmer and never lose hope.” “My only goal is to win the title so that I could change the perception of the villagers towards girls. It will also help other girls in my village to pursue their dreams,” said Ruksar. Named Karishma by her father, this 19-year-old girl with flawless porcelain skin complexion from Pauri Khal village ultimately aims to make it big in the tinsel world. “From childhood I wanted to come on television like a celebrity. Being born and brought up in a small village it was initially difficult to make my parents understand, but later they approved of my mission,” she said. |
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30-day mushroom training programme launched
Dehradun, November 21 While inaugurating the programme, SS Katiyar, Assistant Manager, District Industries Centre informed the entrepreneurs about different programmes being run by the Department of Horticulture. “The government is extending loans to women, members of the SC and ST communities under which 35 per cent waiver is given,” he said. He also encouraged the entrepreneurs to take up the cultivation.“It ensures steady income and farmers can start mushroom cultivation as a subsidiary occupation,” he said. |
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18-year-old girl alleges doc kept her confined
Dehradun November 21 The girl said she hails from Assam and came to Dehradun for work through one agency. She also claimed that the doctor did not give her salary and not allowed her to leave the house. She also said that another two girls were held captive in the doctor's house. The police have started the investigation in the case. |
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STF nabs wanted criminal from UP
Dehradun, November 21 After getting a tip-off, the STF arrested Aftab Alam from Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, where he was allegedly living with a changed name of Rahees. He was also working as lab technician in a drug factory there. On getting information about the possible hideout of Aftab, STF SSP Senthil Abodai Krishanraj sent a team led by Sub-Inspector Santosh Shah. After confirming his identity, the STF finally arrested him yesterday morning from Gautam Buddh Nagar district. Aftab was reportedly sentenced to life imprisonment in 2004 by the High Court under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). On May 4, 2007, he jumped from a moving train while being taken back after being presented before the court in Haldwani.
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between Dehradun Municipal Corporation Mayor and Mukhya Nagar Adhikari (MNA) over the money sanctioned for repair of waste disposal vans got uglier with the former shooting a memo to the officer to get the vehicles repaired at the earliest.
Seeking the restoration of Shri Gyan Godri Gurdwara at Hari-ki-Pauri in Haridwar, members of the Sikh community gathered outside Gandhi Park in Dehradun today and recited 'Sukhmani Sahib'.
The school captains of Wynberg Allen School (girls) and Wynberg Allen School (boys), Mussoorie, presented a book on history of the school to Governor Aziz Quereshi at Raj Bhavan in Dehradun on Wednesday evening. The book titled ‘Excelsior’ which was written by Rakshananand Jalil on the occasion of 125 years of the schhol’s existence (1888-2013).
Former ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on the second day of his visit to the town spent time with his friends and family members. He visited Sister Bazaar, had snacks and coffee at Char Dukan today.
To mark the 75th birthday of Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Uttarakhand unit of the party will be organising a samajwadi kranti rath yatra from tomorrow that will pass through various parts of the state.
A day after state government slapped 81 cases against Baba Ramdev, Uttarakhand Congress today burnt his effigy on all the district headquarters of the state and sought his immediate arrest.
An Inter-house debate competition was held on the premises of Sardar Bhagwan Singh PG Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Research,
Balawala, Dehradun. The topic of the debate competition was -- Will the Food Security Act resolve the problems faced by the poor.
Living a life of hard labour and working in fields with her family of seven, 23-year doe-eyed Ruksar Praveen never let go off her dreams of making it big in the world of glamour. Stepping out of her small hamlet called Kalsi in Vikas Nagar and braving all odds, this village belle is leaving no stone unturned to win the title of Miss
Uttarakhand.
