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Green bonus hopes of state dashed to the ground
BJP: Budget will get economy back on track
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It’s old wine in a new bottle: Cong
Budget pragmatic, extensive: CII
Harish Rawat flays NDA for ignoring state
Budget to boost state’s free drugs for all scheme
ACSs given addl charge
Kunwar Singh is BJP block pramukh candidate
Many gram panchayats short of quorum
Risk looms as widening work moves at snail’s pace
dangerous proposition: Schoolchildren pass through the road being widened near Nainbagh by the National Highways Authority of India on Thursday.
A tribune photograph
Residents seek area councillor’s resignation
UDCF to package Ganga water
NSUI team protests admission on merit
‘Spirituality imperative for overall growth
Dr Harbans Singh Chugh, chairperson of the Haridwar Roorkee Development Authority, along with Sister Meena during a spiriutal discourse at Brahma Kumari Ishwariya Vidyalaya in Haridwar on Thursday. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur
Russians moved by Indian spirituality
Residents face power cuts
DEC to start by year end
Residents seek restoration of transport, ration facilities
Doon club drub BSC Boys 12-0
Theft at Doon railway station
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Green bonus hopes of state dashed to the ground
Dehradun, July 10 The only solace for the state comes in the form of announcement for setting up of the Himalayan Study Centre in the state. With an aim to promote Himalayan studies, the Budget has proposed to set up a National Centre for Himalayan Studies in Uttarakhand with an initial outlay of 100 crore. The centre is expected to further encourage Himalayan studies in the region. It has been assured that the centre would work for beautification of river front at Kedarnath shrine. As part of the initiative geared towards development of ghats and beautification of river fronts, a sum of Rs 100 crore is proposed for ghat development and beautification of river front at Kedarnath, Haridwar, Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Patna and Delhi in the current financial year. The Budget has announced setting up of a “National Adaptation Fund” for climate change. As an initial sum, an amount of Rs 100 crore will be transferred to the fund. Uttarakhand being a state affected by climate change, it is bound to be benefited in the process. The Budget also dashed hopes of Uttarakhand as some of the state’s pertinent concerns were totally ignored. Green bonus continues to be one of the state’s key demands raised time and again. Uttarakhand, since the days of the UPA Government, has been seeking green bonus in the form of financial compensation in lieu of safeguarding of forest and environment wealth. Chief Minister Harish Rawat recently sought green bonus to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore. In a recent letter to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Rawat requested him to award green bonus to Uttarakhand. He had stated that Uttarakhand had 64.8 per cent of its area under forest cover, which was protected at the cost of development. Rawat said that the state even faces the challenge of man-animal conflict and has recently increased ex-gratia payment to victims of man-animal conflict and rates of payments to owners of agricultural land ventured into by wild animals have been increased to up to 10 times the earlier rate. Similarly, Uttarakhand failed to get any package or fund for patronising industries. The state has been seeking special incentives for setting up of industries in largely industry-less Uttarakhand, that is in dire need of creation of employment opportunities.
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BJP: Budget will get economy back on track
Haridwar, July 10 The BJP women cell expressed happiness over the Union Budget. Sweets were distributed and the budget was hailed as a landmark one. Setting up of a crisis management centre and setting aside of Rs 150 crore for safety of women in metros were hailed as progressive measures. District unit president Sanjana Sharma said the budget had kindled a hope for restructuring of the ailing economy. Activist Reena Tomar said raising of the tax exemption limit from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh for ordinary citizens and to Rs 3 lakh for senior citizens besides raising of the tax exemption limit for home loans from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh were welcome steps that would cater to the common man’s savings. |
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It’s old wine in a new bottle: Cong
Haridwar, July 10 The activists, led by district working executive women president Kiran Singh and women state general secretary Santosh Chauhan, also burnt an effigy of the Central government at Shivalik
Nagar square. Kiran Singh alleged the Rail Budget and the Union Budget had exposed the hidden agenda of the Centre, which had also failed to cater to the poor section of society. She said no special scheme for the uplift of the women folk had been announced in the first Budget of the Narendra Modi government. City Congress president Vimla Pandey said the hike in the prices of the essential commodities, foodgrains, vegetables and milk had hit the common man hard. Various other party leaders, including Anju Dwivedi, Rajeshwari Sharma, Rashmi Gupta, Sunita Saini, Moorti Devi, Usha Sarkar, JP Pandey and Meera Raturi, also expressed their displeasure at the BJP’s first Union Budget. |
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Budget pragmatic, extensive: CII
Dehradun, July 10 Addressing the members during a discussion held on the Budget here
today, Irani appreciated the efforts of the new government to give impetus to
the manufacturing sector, which is critical for employment generation.
Complimenting the Finance Minister Arun Jaitely for integration of services
of all Central Government ministries and departments under e-biz platform,
Irani said that it is expected to greatly help in easing of doing business in
the country. “From a long time, CII has been advocating for enhancing the FDI
limit in certain sectors to attract foreign investments. In this regard, CII
welcomes the government’s move to enhance the FDI limit in defence
manufacturing and insurance sector to 49 per cent. In addition, provision to
allow manufacturing units to sell products through retail including, e-commerce
platforms, without any additional approval is indeed a welcome initiative,”
said Irani. “CII appreciates the Finance Minister’s roadmap of sustained
growth of 7 – 8 per cent or above within the next 3 – 4 years, which is
really commendable in the backdrop of macro-economic challenges faced by the
nation. The thrust is on reviving growth in manufacturing sector and adequate
infrastructure development,” he added. Speaking about the fiscal
consolidation plan, Irani welcomed the announcement of attaining the fiscal
deficit of 3.6 per cent for FY16 and 3 per cent for FY17. “To achieve this
goal, the Finance Minister proposed setting up of Expenditure Management
Commission to review the allocative and operational efficiencies of government
expenditure to achieve maximum output.” “Understanding that Goods and
Services Tax (GST) is very critical for streamlining of the tax administration,
the Budget indicates finding a solution within this year. CII believes that
introduction of GST will add about 1.0 – 1.5 per cent to the national GDP. On
the other reforms related to taxation, the move towards providing a stable and
predictable taxation regime with commitment of not bringing in any
retrospective amendments in the current regime is a welcome step,” said Irani.
Speaking about the infrastructure sector and its inclusion in the Union
Budget, Shreekant Somany, Deputy Chairman, CII Northern Region, said:
“Setting up ‘3P India’, an institution to provide support to
mainstreaming Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), development of new airports
in Tier I and II cities, target of completing 8,500 km during the current
financial year, work on select expressways around the industrial corridor will
beef up the infrastructure.” “These initiatives are very important from
the northern region point of view, as the northern region is landlocked.
Therefore, there is great need for port connectivity and speedier development
of industrial corridors, road and highways. We are happy to note that the
Finance Minister has announced for expeditious completion of the master plan of
the Amritsar – Kolkata industrial corridor,” Somany further added. Manu
Kochhar, Chairman, CII, Uttarakhand State Council, said that with its thrust on
creation of enabling infrastructure – power, roads, ports, gas grids, smart
cities —- the Budget proposals will definitely boost growth. Welcoming the
measures announced to boost tourism, including e-visas, Kochhar said that in
the context of Uttarakhand, the proposals related to the setting up of sports
academy, institute of Himalayan studies and the ghat development will directly
benefit the state. |
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Harish Rawat flays NDA for ignoring state
Dehradun, July 10 Rawat lamented that the Union Government had not sanctioned Rs 4,000 crore for rehabilitation and reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure in the disaster-hit areas of the state. The economic condition of the state would have improved if the Union Government had sanctioned a Horticulture University. Uttarakhand would have become the best option for organic farming and renewable energy, he added. He said the government had neither given any monetary benefits nor sanctioned any schemes to improve the infrastructure in the remote villages of the state. Rawat added that the government had failed on all fronts. It had not taken any efficient steps to control inflation in the country. Kishore Upadhayay, state president of Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee, said the Union Government had not announced any schemes for the state. The government should have sanctioned special industrial packages to improve investment in the state. Surendra Kumar, media in-charge of Uttarakhand Chief Minister, said the Centre had completely ignored Uttarakhand in the budget. He added that the union government had completely neglected the state in both rail as well as
general Budget. Suryakant Dhasmana, vice-president of Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee, also condemned the Budget. The union government should have sanctioned green bonus for the state, he said. He lamented that the Union Government was unable to control inflation in the country. Shilpi Arora, state spokesperson of Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee, has condemned the Union Government for not announcing any beneficiary schemes or projects for the welfare of women in the country. The government had not declared the steps it was going to take to control inflation, she added. Arora claimed that the Union Government had completely ignored Uttarakhand. The government should have sanctioned monetary benefits to the state for reconstruction of damaged infrastructure in disaster-hit areas. Teerath Singh
Rawat, state chief of BJP, has welcomed the general Budget. He said the Union Government had announced to fulfill agendas mentioned in the party’s manifesto. He said the Central Government was focusing to improve social-economic status of Scheduled Castes, minority class, women, and weaker sections of the society. He welcomed the Union Government’s decision to sanction Rs 37,580 crore for highways in the country. Teerath Singh said the Union Government had sanctioned Rs 3,600 crore for supply of potable water in rural areas of the state. |
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Budget to boost state’s free drugs for all scheme
Dehradun, July 10 The Uttarakhand Department of Health, Medical and Family Welfare had announced the free drugs scheme last year but after the Narendra
Modi-led NDA government came to power at the Centre the state was forced to keep the scheme in abeyance. “In his Budget speech, the Union Finance Minister announced the government’s resolve to provide free diagnostic services and generic drugs to all. We will have to await for the directives from the government,” said Dr GS Joshi, Director General, Medical Health and Family Welfare. He said the Department of Medical, Health and Family Welfare had already begun preparing the inventory of generic medicines that would be made available to all free of cost. “The previous UPA government had promised to bear the cost of the free drugs for all scheme. We are already providing free medicines to patients belonging to the BPL category. These things are yet to be cleared by the NDA government,” said Surinder Singh
Negi, Health Minister. In anticipation, the Health Department had already framed a policy for distributing generic medicines and that also called for opting for a Procurement Information Management System to spread awareness on the availability of medicines, their expiry dates and their condition. Further, the Centre’s decision to start a national programme to fight malnutrition is expected to boost the efforts of the state that had set up a clinic in Haridwar to check malnutrition among mothers and children. Hence, the decision to push for establishing new drug testing laboratories in the country. “As of now, Uttarakhand has just one laboratory in Rudrapur that is also facing a manpower crunch,” said a senior official. |
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ACSs given addl charge
Dehradun, July 10 Meanwhile, Additional Secretary (Finance) C Ravishankar has been relieved of his charge and appointed as the Uttarkashi District Magistrate. Sridhar Babu, the present DM of Uttarkashi has been given the charge of Additional Secretary (Finance and Planning). Additional Secretary (Social Welfare) Sushil Kumar has been given the additional charge of Managing Director, Multipurpose Finance Corporation.
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Kunwar Singh is BJP block pramukh candidate
Mussoorie, July 10 Two candidates from the party had staked claim for the post of block pramukh candidate from Jaunpur but Kunwar Singh emerged as the unanimous choice in the end. The BJP block level president Naryan Singh Panwar said after the meeting that Kunwar Singh who won as panchayat sadasya from Routon Ki Beli gram panchayat emerged as the first choice as the block pramukh candidate for most of the party workers here. Bhola Singh Panwar, the panchayat sadasya from Manglodi gram panchayat, was also in the race but had to drop out due to lack of consensus among the party leaders for him. The MLA of Dhanaulti Mahavir Singh Rangad, BJP state vice president Khajan Das, senior BJP leader Narayan Singh Rana and others were also present on the occasion. The panchayat sadasya elected during the recently concluded elections will be voting for the block pramukh soon.
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Many gram panchayats short of quorum
Pithoragarh, July 10 According to the District Magistrate, the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected panchayat members in the district has been scheduled for July 11 at the headquarters of respective blocks. “The first open general meeting of the newly elected gram sabhas will be According to the DM, a notification has been issued for elections to vacant posts in panchayat bodies and the polls would be held on July 26 in these bodies. “After counting of votes on July 28, the gram sabhas, will have swearing-in ceremonies on the scheduled date,” said the DM. According to information received from Champawat district, out of 313 gram sabhas in the district, over 211 have qualified for oath. As many as 84 gram pradhans are to take oath after fresh elections in which two-thirds of panchayat members' posts will be filled in these villages. |
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Risk looms as widening work moves at snail’s pace
Mussoorie, 10 July Villagers of Naingao, whose land had been acquired to widen the highway, alleged they were yet to get any compensation for that. "We are now forced to move from pillar to post to get our due share," they said. Shyam Singh Chauhan, an affected villager, said they met the officials concerned several times in this regard, but all their pleas had fallen on deaf ears. The locals said if the work was not completed before rains, it could pose a risk to the lives of commuters, including schoolchildren. Balraj Mishra, Executive Engineer, NHAI (Barkot division), said the work was to be completed by April 2015. He said the delay was on the part of the contractor who had been assigned the task. "The contractor has been directed to speed up the work. If he fails to comply with the orders, strict action will be taken against him," he added. |
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Residents seek area councillor’s resignation
Dehradun, July 10 Arun Kumar Sharma, a member of Shail Shikhar, an NGO, said residents of Ward 54 had been requesting the councillor to resolve their issues related to the basic amenities for long. “The councillor does not even know the number of sanitary workers appointed in the ward and that how much they are being paid by the MC. She is also unaware of the MC rules,” he alleged. Sharma said they had even a sent a complaint letter to the councillor on June 23 and sought a reply within 10 days. “In the letter, we had expressed displeasure at
her lackadaisical attitude towards the ward. A meeting with supervisors and sanitation workers was held, wherein they assured us of requisite action. Nothing has been done either by MC or the councillor,” he alleged. He said they were being forced to demand the resignation of the councillor. — TNS
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UDCF to package Ganga water
Pithoragarh July 10 This decision has been taken in a meeting of the federation held at Haldwani. Sources said: “We have decided to conduct a market survey to take stock of demand for Ganga water.” According to UDCF chairman Arjun Singh Rautela, the first mineral water plant in the state under the cooperative sector had been approved by almost every member of the federation at the meeting today.
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NSUI team protests admission on merit
Dehradun, July 10 The NSUI activists requested the minister that the future of thousands of students would be jeopardised if government colleges go ahead with their decision to admit students only on merit. They urged her to intervene in the matter in the interest of the students. According to the NSUI members, the decision of DAV PG College, Dehradun, to make less admissions this year would affect a large number of students of Dehradun and nearby places. Hridayesh assured the students’ delegation of doing the needful to address their concerns. It is to be noted that Garhwal University has given strict directions to all its affiliated colleges to make admissions only on the merit basis and not to cross allotted seats. Resultantly, the student unions like ABVP and NSUI have been protesting against the decision claiming that there are fewer government colleges in the
state and thousands of students will be deprived of higher studies. |
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‘Spirituality imperative for overall growth
Haridwar, July 10 In his address as chief guest during the religious function, Dr Chugh lauded the efforts of Prajapita Brahma Kumari Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya’s efforts in disseminating the knowledge of spirituality, yoga and meditation to people. He pointed out that spirituality is a key element that can transform a person, society and the entire world into one single humanity. Spiritual ideologue Rajyogini Brahma Kumari Sister Meena said no one in the world is oblivious of the Almighty, but we still don’t know the real God within us. She said one should get to know about the Almighty, who is the creator of this universe of which we are a part. “Due to human beings getting distanced from good things, thoughts and acts, there is bound to be distance between God and us. Thus, we need to take the route of spirituality, goodness and knowledge to know about the almighty,” said Sister Meena. “Human beings are wrapped in outer skin, but God is without this skeleton and is omnipresent. Yet we tend to give much stress on our outer appearance and forget to clean the real ‘we’ —inside us, in our thoughts, acts and deeds. We need to broaden our vision and move on from self to all. Only then can we attain the real benefits of spirituality and devotion,” she stated. |
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Russians moved by Indian spirituality
Haridwar, July 10 Spending a few months to over four years in Himalayas, Ganga banks and ashrams spread across Haridwar to Uttarkashi in Garhwal Himalayas, more than 30 Russian and Ukrainians have now taken to Hinduism, living an aesthetic and seer-like life to the fore. Chanting ‘Har Har Maha Dev’ to performing ‘yagna-hawan’ with dedication is a unique experience to see as people on daily basis are thronging the Jagjeetpur-based ashram of Air Force officer-turned saint Pilot Baba in Haridwar. Like Radha Giri, a resident of Kiev, who changed her Ukrainian name after taking ‘deeksha,’ is all praise for Indian culture and spiritualism. Talking to TNS Radha did not divulge her initial years of life spent in Ukraine, saying that it was a thing of the past as now she is only Radha,a disciple of the ashram, who came in search of spirituality to India during Maha Kumbh 2010. “India is really a rich country, be it in terms of nature, spirituality, religion, customs, traditions or the element of diversity in terms of area, food or attire. After taking deeksha I feel like real life started then only. Earlier it was a multi pointed life but now its centered on spirituality,religion,karma and ‘dhyan’ (meditation),” stated Radha ,who also stays at Uttarkashi-based ashram. Similarly,Sathiya Giri, another fellow Ukranian, who took to Hinduism, says that she did not miss Ukraine as now they were living a divine life ,as per the guidance of their “guru ji.” She apprised that more than 30 Russians and Ukranians are currently performing the Guru Data Trey Maha Yagna ritual at the ashram diligently. “The ambiance of the ashram is totally different; it rejuvenates you throughout your stay. While yagna purifies the inner and outer atmosphere, now we realise the importance of natural elements like air, water and fire. India and Hinduism are rich in varied aspects and it’s a bliss that we came in touch with this civilisation and are being transformed spiritually,” added Giri. Pointing that not only in Russian region but also in Europe and Latin American countries people are getting attracted to India, Hinduism, yoga, ayurveda and the rich culture, Pilot Baba said. ‘’It is great to see the affection, dedication and inclination of foreign people towards our religion and culture.’’ For this Pilot Baba holds regular spiritual-religious discourses for his followers based in foreign shores and only gives deeksha to those who live life like a sanyasi like Radha and Sathiya Giri. Astrologer expert of the century-old Gurukul Kangri University Pradeep Joshi pointed that the western world is now realising the Indian civilisation’s importance. “Our healthy art of yoga is now being practiced worldwide, while it’s ironic that we are relying on gyms and allopathic therapies. Similarly, our youth is getting distanced from spirituality and religion, while youths from foreign countries like Radha and Sathiya are leaving behind all comforts to attain spiritual peace,” he added. |
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Residents face power cuts
Dehradun, July10 Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) officials said the emergency cut was followed in the Haridwar district. The data provided by corporation officials highlighted that two hours of emergency cut was followed in Roorkee, Laksar, Mangalore, Kotdwar, and Jawalapur. The emergency cut was followed in rural areas as well. Speaking to The Tribune, an official spokesman for the UPCL, Madhusudan, said the department had been continuously working to repair the transmission lines that were damaged in the recent thundershowers in Dehradun. He said that linemen and technical staff were instructed to remove technical snags in order to ensure disruption-free electricity supply to the consumers. The demand of electricity was 36.43 million units against the availability of 36 million units in the state. Corporation officials said 1 million unit electricity would be procured in order to ensure disruption-free electricity to consumers. It is worth mentioning that the state-run hydro power projects are generating electricity at their optimum level. |
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DEC to start by year end
Dehradun, July 10 With focus on detecting early childhood problems, the Department of Health had received sanction for establishing the centre last year. The entire project was being funded under NRHM. “Once the centre begins functioning, we will be able to strengthen the reproductive care and early childhood facilities in the state,” said Dr Bharti Rana, Chief Medical Superintendent, Doon Hospital. A similar centre, run by an NGO, is already functioning at the Doon Hospital.
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Residents seek restoration of transport, ration facilities
Pithoragarh, July 10 The Kuti residents, led by newly elected zila panchayat member, today met subdivisional magistrate of Dharchula and submitted a memorandum concerning their demands. “We have demanded additional supply of ration to each family of Kuti village as all guests will come to attend the festival. We have also demanded repairing of roads in the area,” said the newly elected zila panchayat member from the area. The Gulach festival, organised once in 12 years time, is devoted to worship of Ya Gungari, the local deity, worshipped as one form of Lord Shiva.
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Doon club drub BSC Boys 12-0
Dehradun, July 10 In the second match, Chandrabani defeated Nagar Nigam 4-0. Mohit scored two goals in the 26th and 28th minutes while Anand and Shubham netted one goal each in the 50th and 58th minutes, respectively. Tomorrow, Doon Valley Football Club will play against Yamuna FC while KVS Sporting will lock horns with Thakurpur FC. Adhoiwala Football Club emerge winner
Adhoiwala Football Club defeated Balaji FC 4-2 in a match during the 11th Ram Bahadur Chetri Memorial Football Tournament played at the FRI playground here today. Gaurav Sharma scored two goals in the 18th and 36th minutes for Adhoiwala while Vikas and Vijaypal contributed one goal each for the team. For Balaji, Arpan and Vijaypal scored one goal each. In the second match, Wills Youth FC defeated Nehru Gram 2-1. For Wills Youth, Sittu and Prakash scored one goal each in the 5th and 28th minutes whereas Akash scored the lone goal for Nehru Gram in the 55th minute. In the third match of the day, Dehra Eleven trounced Akranta Football Club 7-6. |
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Theft at Doon railway station
Dehradun, July 10 Shiv Shankar, resident of Gazipur in Uttar Pradesh, filed a complaint in the Government Railway Police
(GRP) station that his bag was cut open by thieves. They made away with cash and jewellery when he reached the Dehradun railway station on Thursday morning via Dehradun Express to meet his son. He has claimed that he checked his bag while alighting from the train in the morning to find his belongings inside it. According to the complainant, there were a 30-gram gold chain, three golden ear rings, two golden rings, two pairs of golden bangles, ATM cards and a pair of lock and key in the bag. Meanwhile, the railway police has registered a case and started investigations.
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The Annual Union Budget has failed to instil enthusiasm in Uttarakhand as the state’s long-standing demand for green bonus remains unfulfilled. The state has been seeking the bonus as compensation for conservation of forests in the state. Moreover, the disaster-ravaged state has not got any package for speedy rehabilitation for rain disaster victims despite repeatedly seeking Rs 4,000 crore for the purpose.
Congress activists termed the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament today as old wine in a new bottle. They alleged the Budget had favoured the corporate sector.
The activists, led by district working executive women president Kiran Singh and women state general secretary Santosh
Chauhan, also burnt an effigy of the Central government at Shivalik
Nagar square.
The slow pace of widening work on Dekhi-Yamunotri Highway 507 near Nainbagh in the Jaunpur development region has irked the locals and highway users. A section of residents said schoolchildren used the route everyday putting their lives at risk due to the continuous falling of boulders.
Spirituality is a key element to know oneself and get connected with the Almighty. This was stated by Haridwar-Roorkee Development Authority chairperson Dr Harbans Chugh at the Brahma Kumari Ishwar Vishwavidyalaya Devpura on Thursday.
