students’ elections
Show of strength by NSUI contestants
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
After filing nomination papers for different posts for which the students’ union elections are being organised, contestants, along with their supporters, took out a rally on the DAV College campus here today.

Candidates tried to woo student voters, promising them effective steps for speedy redressal of their grievances if they are voted to power.

They requested students to vote in their favour for a clean and better college administration.

The model code of conduct was implemented in DAV College on September 1.

The contestants filed nomination papers on September 3 and 4. The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is September 6.

Candidates under different banners and who are members of various organisations — National Students’ Union of India, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Arya group, Pattu group etc took out rallies to woo voters.

ABVP sweeps DBS students union poll
Tribune News Service

ABVP candidate Himanshu Kumar, who won the students union poll at DBS College in Dehradun on Friday. Tribune photo: Abhyudaya Kotnala

Dehradun, September 5
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad has swept the DBS PG College student union poll, results of which were declared on Thursday evening. The ABVP won the prestigious post of president and its supported candidates registered victories on various other posts.

Vipul Gaur, an independent candidate, won the general secretary post while Anup Anthwal bagged the vice-president post. 

Researchers to gather at Almora from tomorrow
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
As many as 80 research scholars from 12 states across the country will participate in a three-day seminar in Almora from September 7 to 9. The seminar is jointly being organised by the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development and the Switzerland Embassy.

Director of GP Pant Institute, Dr Pitambar Dhyani, said the seminar was being organised with an aim to bring together the researchers from various Himalayan states of the country to facilitate the research.

“We are hopeful that the shortlisted candidates will provide valuable inputs to the research work from different areas of expertise in the study of Himalayas. The main aim of organising the seminar is to help these scholars in expanding the horizon of their research so that they would compete and contribute in national and internal-level researches,” said the Director.

“A panel of renowned researchers and scientists will impart training to scholars during the seminar. Those who are a part of the panel includes Prof AK Kaul, Prof RR Rao, Prof SP Singh, Prof Gopal Rawat, Dr Upender Dhar, Dr Rajesh Thadani, Dr Sarnam Singh and Dr Pughkin Fartyal,” he added. 

Road repair: Vasant Vihar residents meet Rawat 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
Demanding the construction and repair of roads, a delegation of Doon Valley Officers Cooperative Housing Society, led by Uttarakhand Congress vice president Suryakant Dhasmana met Chief Minister Harish Rawat here today.

Informing the chief minister about the pitiable conditions of the roads in Vasant Vihar, deemed to be one of the posh areas of the city, Dhasamana said that no repair works have been carried out in a long time.

“There is heavy traffic on the roads of the enclave and as a result the roads have been heavily damaged. Further, a private company has damaged the roads for laying the cables and sewer lines in the area. Former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna had given written orders for the repair of damaged roads, but no action has been taken by the concerned departments,” he added.

The leader further requested the chief minister to accept the detailed project report prepared y the PWD for the construction and repair of the roads in the area so that the problem can be resolved. Those who were part of the delegation included Lt Gen Y S Tomar (retd), Brigadier S.K. Shukla (retd), A.P Kumedi, IG S.S. Kothiyal (retd) along with several others. 

Body of pilgrim found
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
The body of 62-year-old Ratan Singh, who had gone missing from the Nanda Devi Raj Jaat Yatra on August 29, was recovered from a gorge in Kulinga area of the district. The deceased was a resident of Langasu area of Chamoli Garhwal. The Chamoli district authorities pulled out his body from the gorge here.

On the other hand, according to disaster management authorities, all key highways of the state- Rishikesh-Badrinath, Rishikesh-Kedarnath, Rishikesh-Gangtori and others were opened to traffic.

Mild rain took place at Kedarnath today. The water level of the Ganga at Tiloth bridge in Uttarkashi district stood at 1,119.07 meters.

The water level of the Ganga in Haridwar touched 291.25 meters, which was a few meter below the danger mark. The water level in the Sharda in Champawat was at 219.10 meters level.

Tributes paid to Dr Radhakrishnan on Teachers’ Day
Students’ performances keep teachers spellbound
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
Students presented colourful programmes to celebrate Teachers’ Day at various schools here today. At Lucent International School, students presented Guru Vandana, followed by a feet-touching ceremony. Later the students presented a group dance on ‘Maiyya mori main nahi makhan khayo’.

The function also saw a host of dance performances based on Gujarat, Garhwal, Orissa, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jaunsar. A patriotic play titled ‘Deshvashi’ was also staged.

Addressing the gathering, chairman of Lucent International School Bhupesh Kumar said a teacher-student relationship was similar to that between a parent and a child. “The child is like a soft mud and it is up to the teacher to shape him or her into a good human being and responsible citizen of the nation,” he added. An auditorium screen was also set up in the school for the live relay of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on the occasion. Saudagar Saleen Khan, Ehsaan Siddiqui, Atul Sinha, Sanjay Sharma, Tanvi Arora, Sangeeta Barthwal and Rajesh Maulashi were present at the function.

At Unison World School, Teachers’ Day was celebrated with much fanfare. The teachers enjoyed a musical and dance performance presented by students who were clad in electric neon colour clothes. The students expressed gratitude towards their teachers and commended their efforts in shaping their future. After the programme, the staff and the the students proceeded to the seminar hall to listened to the Prime Minister’s speech.

At The India Academy, students of Class I and II presented a cultural programme. A fancy dress competition based on the theme, unity in diversity, was also held to mark the day here today. Earlier senior students played teachers and held classes. Yashmin Yadav spoke about various aspects of the life of S. Radha Krishnan and his role in the field of education. Later, Ayushi Dobhal spoke at length about various qualities of teachers and how they make the future of students The school choir sang ‘Thank you teachers’ while the girls of class X danced on the song ‘O Re Chiraiya’, throwing light on girl child and highlighting their importance. Deepa Khanduri was the chief guest of the function. Principal Neelam Sharma, headmistress Snehi Mamgain, Nishant Tyagi, Suchita Butola and Manisha Semwal were present.

At The Asian School, an inter-house dance and music competition was organised. Students felicitated their teachers, displaying their skills in co-scholastic subjects at White House Court. Pt. Kaushal Naresh, Rita Sinha and Kalpana Grover judged the performances of the students belonging to the four houses, namely Ranjeet, Shivaji, Ashoka and Arjun. The events included tabla, vocal (classical), western choir and folk dance. In tabla, Shivaji House stood first, Ashoka House second while Ranjeet House was third. In singing (classical), Arjun House stood first while in western choir Shivaji House was first. Ranjeet House students displayed a fabulous Marathi folk dance. Later a video interaction of the Prime minister with students and teachers of different regions of the country was telecast. Amarjeet Juneja, Director Madanjeet Singh, Principal AK Das, Vice Principal Anant V.D. Thapliyal, Mukesh Nangia, Middle School coordinator and headmistress 
Kalpana Grover were present at the function.

At Kendriya Vidyalaya, FRI, students celebrated Teachers’ Day with zeal and fervor. The programme began with the lighting of a lamp by the Principal Dr Charu Sharma. Shakshi, a student of class XII, spoke on the importance of the day.

Rajesh Kukreti, English teacher, threw light on the life of Dr Sarvpalli Radhakrishnan, touching upon different stages of his life as a teacher, philosopher, scholar, author, statesman, first Vice President and the second President of the country. This was followed by a variety of entertainment programmes, including introduction of teachers. Teachers also participated enthusiastically in the activities as suggested by the students. Thereafter, the school staff and the students listened to live telecast of the Prime Minister’s speech at the ICFRE auditorium. 

Students remain glued to live telecast of PM’s address
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, September 5
On the Teachers Day’, a majority of schools in the district provided live video address of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Manickshaw auditorium, New Delhi, today. Government and private schools witnessed a good attendance of children as they heard the live address of the Prime Minister.

Students remained glued to the live telecast at various schools and colleges, including Hari Ram Intermediate College, Mayapur, Bhalla Interemediate College, Doon Cambridge School, Delhi Public School, Shiv Dale Public School and DAV Public School.

Various cultural programmes were held on the Teachers Day’ to mark the birthday of second President of India Dr Sarva Palli Radha Krishnan. A special felicitation programme was held to felicitate distinguished teachers by local citizens. Haridwar Parliamentarian Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank greeted teachers on the occasion.

At Gurukul Kangri University, Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, Dr Bhagwan Das Adarsh Sanskrit Maha Vidyalya, Shravan Nath Math Jawaharlal Nehru College, Chinmay College of Science, Dev Sanskriti University, students wished teachers and sought their blessings on the occasion.

Literati Vice-Chancellor Uttarakhand Sanskrit University Professor Mahavir Aggarwal said in earlier times, teachers were given due respect equal to the parents, but with changing times and values, teachers lost that coveted status.

Govt teachers stage protest
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
Expressing their resentment on the occasion of Teachers’ Day over the non-fulfilment of their demands, a large number of government teachers under the banner of Rajkiya Shikshak Sangh staged a protest demonstration outside the office of the Education Directorate here today.

Addressing the protesters, Karnail Singh, president of the sangh, said that even though the state government had accepted their demands, nothing has been done to implement the same. “The indifferent attitude of the state government towards the teachers has caused widespread resentment amongst the fraternity. The strike would continue till September 18. In case the demands are not met by then, the teachers would continue to boycott work on September 19 and 20, ” he said. 

3 teachers felicitated by Lions Club
Tribune Reporters

Mussoorie, September 5
Three teachers of Central School for Tibetans, Mussoorie, Renu Shukla, Ram Kumar Mishra and Manjeet Singh were awarded by theLions Club, Mussoorie, for their meritorious services in the field of education on the auspicious occasion of Teachers’ Day today.

Tanuja Joshi, Principal of Oak Grove School, also received a letter of appreciation from the Central Board of Education.

The members of the Lions Club along with others gathered on the occasion paid tributes to late Dr S. Radhakrishanan, the former President of India, who dedicated his birthday to the teaching community. Several distinguished speakers threw light on the life of Dr Radhakrishnan and made an appeal to all the teachers to continue their noble deeds with full dedication and devotion, and stressed on the fact that teaching was not a profession but an endeavour to prepare the responsible citizens of tomorrow.

At Central School for Tibetans in Happy Valley, the day started with the chanting of “Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara. Guru Sakshath Parambrahma,Tasmai Shri Gurave Namaha” and offering of floral tributes and holy scarf on the portrait of Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan by the Principal Anita Narula and the Rector Ngodup Norbu and all the staff members of the school.

The students presented saraswati vandana which was followed by a colourful cultural programme presented in honour of the teachers by the students of the cultural unit.

A message of the Prime Minister received by the school was read out to the teachers during the assembly of the teachers. As per a circular of the HRD Ministry, the school arranged a special assembly of the teachers and students from 3 pm to 5 pm to listen to the address of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. The students enjoyed the speech with full admiration.

Teachers’ Day was also celebrated with fervour at Oak Grove School, Wynberg Allen School and Mussoorie Public school here.

Students, teachers honoured at Pithoragarh

Pithoragarh: As many as 26 teachers and 50 students were honoured by a local MLA at SDS Intermediate College in a function organised on the Teachers’ Day by the district administration here today.

Addressing the function, Pithoragarh District Magistrate HC Semwal said being nation builders, teachers should be sensitive towards every new thing which comes into their contact. “We have to learn from the life of Dr Radha Krishnan, who emerged as a great teacher and philosopher,” said the DM.

Pithoragarh MLA Mayukh Mahar, who was the chief guest at the programme, lauded the efforts of school principal in increasing the enrolment of students in the college, despite having a tough competition with private colleges in the vicinity.

“The college, which was established in 1942, has seen many ups and down in the past 70 years and has won the confidence of people once again under the leadership of Dr Ashok Pant,” said Mahar.

Teachers’ Day was also celebrated at Didihat, Munsiyari and Gangolihat schools. “We had made elaborated arrangements to listen to the speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at selected schools in the district,” said Ashok Jukaria, district education officer of Pithoragarh district.

University board members oppose extension to HoDs
Parwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
Irked at Vice Chancellor Mathew Prasad’s move to give extension to 12 heads of departments of GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, flouting the norms laid down by the university, the board members of the university have shot off a letter to the Uttarakhand Governor demanding the quashing of the orders.

In a controversy that erupted during the university’s management board meeting on September 2, the members alleged that acting against the rules laid down by the university, the Vice Chancellor had given an extension to the HoDs at the end of their five year tenure.

In a letter written to Governor Aziz Qureshi, the Chancellor of the university, Virender Singh Lather, member of the board of management of the university and an eminent agronomist of the country said: “Many of deans/ directors/ HODs have completed their five years tenure period on 31.5.2014 but illegally allowed to continue on these administrative posts without the approval of the board of management by seriously violating the provisions of the Acts and statutes of the university.”

The letter further citing sections of the University Act said: “The Section-28 (1) of the Act states that subject to the provisions of this Act, the members of the staff of the university shall be appointed by the board on the recommendation of the Kulpati.” Further, the statute of the university in chapter XIII (Appointment of staff), Section 6 (8) (13) (2, 3, 4b, 4c) stated that “the term of the deans/ directors/HODs shall be of five years and and the term of Deans/ Directors/ HODs can be extended for a further period of 5 years.” Also, chapter VII (Deans of the faculties) Section 17 4 (4) (7) 2 (b) states that “in case, however, the absence of deans for a period beyond three months, the arrangement shall be made by the Vice Chancellor with the approval of the board of management” and the same applied for directors/ HODs.”

Alleging that the board members were kept in the dark over the extensions, Dr Lather said that no approval has been obtained from the BOM despite the two meetings of the board held in the months of July and September. “This has made the extensions illegal and any official orders, if issued, will be illegal,”Lather said.

Speaking to The Tribune Rajinder Singh, a board member, said that they have sought the intervention of the governor. “We want the illegal extensions to be quashed and proper appointment process be followed. It was in his complete ignorance and incompetence that the VC took a decision that was against the norms. Even though the extension letter states that the HODs would be holding their offices till further orders, it does not mention the specific time limit. This has caused widespread resentment amongst the board members,” he added.

Despite repeated attempts Dr Mathew Prasad could not be contacted for his version on the controversy. 

Plea to Governor

• The Section-28 (1) of the University Act states that subject to its provisions, the members of the staff of the university shall be appointed by the board on the recommendation of the Vice Chancellor.
• Further, the statute of the university in chapter XIII (Appointment of staff), Section 6 (8) (13) (2, 3, 4b, 4c) states that the term of the deans, directors, HODs shall be of five years and the term of deans, directors and HODs can be extended for a further period of 5 years.
• The university board members say the Vice Chancellor gave extension to head of departments without the approval of the board
• In a letter written to Governor Aziz Qureshi, Chancellor of the university, Virender Singh Lather, a member of the board of management of the university, has said many deans/ directors/ HODs completed their five years tenure on May 31, 2014, but were illegally allowed to continue on the administrative posts without the approval of the board of management.

BJP workers celebrate Narendra Modi govt’s 100 days in office
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, September 5
The Haridwar district BJP unit has hailed the 100 days of Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre as full of hope, vision, development and maximum governance.

The youth wing of the party held a programme at the Shiv Moorti square here today and distributed ladoos to celebrate 100 days of the NDA government that provided corruption-free governance and brought inflation under control.

BJP city women’s cell representative Reena Kashyap said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lived up to the expectations of the people be it the Union of Railway budget, relations with neighbouring countries, his recent visit to Japan, and providing corruption-free governance for 100 days.

“Earlier during his stint as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi had put that state on the top on count of development and good governance. Now, India is progressing on the same path. The NDA has completed just 100 days in office and it will prove to be the best government since Independence,” said Neha.

District women’s cell president Kamla Joshi expressed happiness over the working of the NDA government at the Centre. BJP divisional president Vikas Tiwari said what the UPA government failed to do in its two terms, Narendra Modi-led government wouldl do it in one year.

Population of disabled falls in state: Census
The rate of disability is higher among males
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
There has been a decrease in the number of disabled persons belonging to both genders in Uttarakhand from 2001 to 2011 in contrast to a slight increase in the number of disabled persons at the national level, according to the census report of 2011 on disability released by the Directorate of Census Operations, Uttarakhand, here today.

In 2001, the disabled persons were 2.29 per cent of the total population, while in 2011 they constituted 1.84 per cent of the total population. The disabled male population in 2001 was 2.62 per cent of the total population, while it stood at 2 per cent of the total population in 2011. The disabled female population in 2001 was 1.96 of the total population, while in 2011 it constituted 1.67 per cent of the total population.

Further, the rate of disability is higher among males both at the national and state levels.

According to the census findings, the population of disabled persons in Uttarakhand is 1,85,272, including 82,485 females. While presenting the findings today, Joint Director SS Negi said: “The proportion of disabled males decreased by 0.62 per cent during 2001-2011, while among females it decreased by 0.29 per cent.”

“Significantly, in the census 2011, information on eight types of disability was collected as against the 2001 census in which information on only five types of disabilities was available. Like most parts of India, Uttarakhand continues to reap demographic dividends as percentage of persons in the 15-59 age group has increased by 4.2 per cent in 2011 as compared to 2001,” he added.

Gangolihat MLA to sit on dharna with Mahar 
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, September 5
After Congress MLA from Pithoragarh Mayukh Mahar, Gangolihat MLA Narayan Ram has revolted against his own party government in the state. Narayan yesterday announced that he would accompany Mayukh Mahar at Gandhi Chowk in Pithoragarh when the latter sits on a dharna on October 2 in protest against the delay in the implementation of development projects in his constituency.

“I will sit on dharna with Mayukh Mahar on Gandhi Jayanti as most of the development projects announced by the Chief Minister in my constituency have not been started,” said Narayan.

He added that the departments that Chief Minister Harish Rawat had on August 18 directed to execute the work on a gas godown at Gangolihat and a drinking water project at Berinag had done nothing.

“Besides, the departments concerned have not started work on a building for a degree college at Gangolihat and seven roads despite repeated requests,” said Narayan.

He added despite the Chief Minister’s orders to give information about development works in any constituency to the local MLA, the officers concerned were not following the instructions. 

Centre urged to set up ministry for hill states 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
Dr Anil Joshi, chairman of Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation (HESCO), has asked the Centre to take effective steps to constitute a separate ministry for the Himalayan states for its better conservation.

Joshi, a Padmashree awardee, said an awareness rally and a seminar would be held to mark the Himalayan Day on September 9. He said collective efforts were required to conserve environment.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Joshi said the Centre should take steps to make laws more stringent for preserving the Himalayan ecology. He said awareness among masses, especially those who were living in the Himalayan region, was the only tool to conserve the Himalayan ecology.

He said villagers should be motivated to contribute for environment conservation. Joshi said the save Himalayan drive could be a giant success if every section of society contributes for it.

sports
Adhoiwala, CT Young to clash in final
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
Adhoiwala boys will clash with CT Young in the final of the 5th ONGC – BS Negi Memorial Football Tournament. In the first semifinal played today, Adhoiwala boys beat Uttarakhand Police 4-1. Gopal Joshi, Sachin Kholi, Akash Thapa and Vijaypal Negi scored goals for Adhoiwala boys. For Uttarakhand Police, Dhanveer Rawat scored the solitary goal.

In the second semifinal, CT Young beat Balaji Boys 9-8 in a tie-breaker after both the teams were one goal each at the end of the regulation time.

Cultural evening for passing out forest officers
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
A cultural evening programme, Srijan 2014, was organised at the Central Academy for State Forest Services here yesterday as part of passing out function of Forest Service Officers.

Dr Anmol Kumar, Director General, Forest Survey of India, who was the chief guest on the occasion, appreciated the quality of training imparted to the forest officers at the academy. He lauded the staff at the academy for maintaining high standards of excellence in training.

Dr PP Bhojvaid, Director, Forest Research Institute, and Dr Dharmendra Verma, Director, Forest Education, were other prominent speakers.

Earlier, principal of the academy N. Sonzalian welcomed one and all at the cultural evening hosted for the officers trainees of the 2012-14 and 2014-16 courses. The academy staff and their family members were present on the occasion. 

Rathi group to invest in Uttarakhand
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
Rathi group vice chairman Pradeep Gupta today said with a strong Centre in place, India was set for phenomenal growth. He assured big investments of the group in Uttarakhand in the near future.

Addressing mediapersons in Dehradun today, Gupta said with a government at the Centre having a mandate, investments in the country were bound to increase. “There was earlier policy paralysis at the Centre for long. But now, decision-making has begun,” he said. He added that infrastructure spending in the country had increased in the past few months, which amply reflected strong governance at the Centre.

Referring to the capital market, he said people could go for investments in the capital market, poised for good growth in the coming three to five years.

He said Rathi group was in expansion mode in Uttarakhand and was particularly eying Haridwar.

Sanjay Mittal, Uttarakhand in charge for Rathi group, was present at the news conference.

NGO solicits entries for media awards

Dehradun, September 5
Dr AL Sharda, Director of NGO — Population First — has solicited entries for the sixth Laadli Media and Advertising Awards for gender sensitivity - northern region. The northern region awards are open to advertising and media professionals or freelancers from Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Sharda said the entries should be published between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014. The last date for the receipt of entries is October 31.

The winners will be chosen by a jury comprising eminent personalities both from the media and social sector and the awards ceremony for the northern region will take place at Raipur.

Dr Sharda said these awards had been instituted to acknowledge, highlight and celebrate commendable efforts undertaken by the print and electronic media and advertising agencies to promote gender sensitivity. — TNS

RIMC hosts Reserve Bank of India quiz rounds
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
The pre-quarterfinals and quarterfinals of the RBIQ (All India RBI Inter School Quiz) 2014 were organised at Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) to raise awareness about banking and finance among school students.

Teams from Wynberg Allen, Mussoorie, Long View Public School, Nainital, Nirmal Ashram Deepmala Public School, The Doon School, Holy Angel Senior Secondary School and Welham Boys’ School from Dehradun were among six teams that made it to the quarter finals.

After several rounds of an intensely competitive quiz, the team of Aditya Vikram Jalan and Saumya Rana from Wynberg Allen Public School, Mussoorie emerged as the winner and qualified for the zonal final while the team of Harshvardhan Singh and Kartikeya Jain from The Doon School, Dehradun secured the runners-up position.

Addressing the gathering, RL Sharma said RBIQ is informative, educational and enjoyable and helps build a connect between RBI and young school students across the country and achieve extensive dissemination of financial literacy. It is also an opportunity for recognising and encouraging bright young students on a national platform, he added.

Col HS Bainsla, Commandant, RIMC, underlined the importance of spreading financial literacy among the student community. He expressed happiness that RIMC had been chosen as the venue of this prestigious event while CP Mohan also appreciated such an initiative by RBI.

The winners of the quarterfinals will now be competing with other winning teams of the north zone at the zonal semifinals on November 7 in New Delhi while the national finals would be organised in Mumbai on November 14.

The event was organised under the guidance of RL Sharma, Regional Director, Uttarakhand, RBI, Dehradun. The event was hosted by quiz master Pradeep Atmaram.

Cigarette-smoking parents bad influence on children
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 5
Cigarette-smoking parents are a bad influence on their children rather than role models for them. According to the Uttarakhand Youth Tobacco survey conducted on students of classes VIII to XII, around 55.3 per cent of them had a parent who smoked and 1.7 per cent of them had picked up the smoking habit from their fathers or mothers. Around 40.9 per cent of the students were exposed to passive smoking from friends, relatives and family members.

The report of the survey conducted in 2013 by the Uttarakhand Tobacco Free Initiative (UTFI), a joint venture of the Uttarakhand government and World Lung Foundation South Asia, was released today. A total of 3,080 students of class VIII to XII were surveyed.

According to the report, in Uttarakhand 20.8 per cent of boys and 0.3 per cent of girls at present consume tobacco products. Other facts that came to light are that 86.3 per cent of the students began smoking at the age of 15 while around 30.6 per cent of the students begun smoking at the age of 10.

The report also pointed out that around 20.8 per cent of tobacco users purchased tobacco products on the school campus or within 100 yards of the government school while 5.3 per cent of them consumed tobacco products in the school.

“Though we have received support of the police in curbing the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products within 100 yards of the school premises, more needs to be done,” said Additional Chief Secretary S Raju. He added sensitisation and awareness programmes could help youths quit cigarette smoking.

The survey report released by Raju and officials of the World Lung Foundation is expected to guide the government and NGOs in chalking out effective strategies for making Uttarakhand tobacco free.