Chief Minister inaugurated projects worth Rs. 54.91 crore

Dehradun:Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna inaugurated various development projects under Rajpur Constituency worth Rs. 3.46 crore and laid foundation stones of several others worth Rs. 4.55 crore at MDDA Complex near Clock Tower on Monday.

 Chief Minister Bahuguna said that Dehradun was the pride of Uttarakhand and the State Government was committed to develop it to a model city. He said that the government was trying its best to provide basic amenities to general public despite growing population. He said that to realize the dream of 'Green Doon' the State Government had banned use of polythene. All citizens of Doon should extend their cooperation, he said.

 Describing power crisis in the state, Mr. Bahuguna said that power worth Rs. 900 crore has been purchased in past four months. He said that it would be the endeavor of the State Government to complete all uncontroversial hydro-power projects at the earliest. Besides, attention was also being given to alternative power resources. He said that the government was trying to provide all possible relief to the disaster affected people and the relief amount was reasonably enhanced.

 The Chief Minister inaugurated projects worth Rs. 54.91 crore under annual maintenance for 3.73 km long Raja Road, internal roads and renovation of Paltan Bazar Road. The other projects inaugurated by him included 3.80 km long Race Course main road worth Rs. 72 lakh, water reservoir with capacity of 2200 KL at Sanjay Colony worth Rs. 131 lakh, water reservoir of 1450 KL capacity worth Rs. 88 lakh at Tagore Villa and multi storey Parking Lot for newly constructed commercial building near clock Tower.

Mr. Bahuguna also laid foundation stone of various projects including reconstruction of 2.60 km long internal road at Jhanda Ward worth Rs. 87.82 lakh, 2.75 km long internal roads at Shivaji Marg worth Rs. 91.71 lakh, widening of Chakrata Road worth Rs. 94.43 lakh, 1.30 km long Neshvilla Road worth Rs. 58.55 lakh, repairing work of road between Pathriyapir Bridge and Kalidas Road worth Rs. 45.85 lakh, renovation of 2 km long Race Course-Circular Road worth Rs. 32.20 lakh, repair and renovation of 2.51 km long Subhash Road worth Rs. 64.60 lakh, 2.52 km long EC Road worth Rs. 67.32 lakh, beautification of Rajpur Road and water drainage system at Dalanwala area.

Also present on the occasion were Rajpur MLA Rajkumar, State Vice President Suryakant Dhasmana, SDO to Chief Minister Anand Bahuguna and other dignitaries.

Centre would provide Rs. 1 crore assistance for Sheep and Wool Improvement

Dehradun: With the assistance of Central Government, a Skill Development Scheme will be introduced in Uttarakhand's Dehradun, Roorkee and Haldwani under Union Textile Ministry and a Spice Parks would be set up at Sitarganj and Majrigrant. Permission has also been granted in-principle for a Textile Park. The Central Government would promote Organic Food items produced in Uttarakhand on priority basis.

 Union Textile, Industry and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, after a high level meeting, told news persons here at CM Residence on Saturday that 15,000 youths would be imparted training in next five years under Skill Development Scheme by Union Textile Ministry at Dehradun, Roorkee and Haldwani. It would incur an estimated budget of Rs. 100 crore of which 75 percent would be borne by the Central Government.

 Mr. Sharma informed that Spice Parks at Sitarganj in Udham Singh Nagar District and at Majrigrant in Dehradun would be set up with the estimated cost of Rs. 15 crore which would entirely be borne by the Centre. The State Government would provide 15 hectares of land for the Park in Sitarganj and 10 hectares at Majrigrant.

          The Centre would provide Rs. 1 crore assistance for Sheep and Wool Improvement Schemes in Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag districts under which arrangement would be made for breed improvement, immunization , health and medicine for about one lakh sheep. In addition, high-tech machines would be introduced for wool processing and spinning.

 On the proposal made by the State Government for a Textile Park, the Union Minister gave approval in-principle and said that the Centre would extend financial assistance of 40 percent or maximum of Rs. 40 crore for the proposed project.

          On the request made by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna for setting up of International Trade and Convention Centre at Pantnagar, Mr. Sharma assured him of considering the proposal under PPP mode in which Central Government, State Government and Private sector would have joint stake. He also assured of taking up the matter of railway over bridge at Pantnagar with Railway Ministry.

 Union Minister Sharma said that Uttarakhand had immense potential in the field of food processing and agriculture. He observed that 35 percent of the perishable produce get destroyed owing to lack of proper management and the farmers were deprived of its profit. He asked the State Government to forward a proposal to the Centre for setting up of cold storages and pack houses under APDA. He also promised financial assistance of upto Rs 10 crore for the same.

The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Dr. Indira Hridayesh, Revenue Minister Yashpal Arya, Small Scale Industry Minister Harish Durgapal, Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain, Advisor State Planning Commission Indu Kumar Pandey and other senior Central and State officers.

Rs. 800 crore approved for various projects in uttarakhand

 Dehradun: A meeting of a Committee constituted for selection of projects worth Rs. 800 crore approved in Annual Plan 2012-13 under Special Plan Assistance (SPA) was held on Saturday chaired by Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain. A consensus was reached in the meeting on proposed projects in various departments including Tourism, Hydro-power, Corporation, Food, Irrigatio, Drinking Water, PWD, Urban Development, Education, Medical Education, IT, Sports and Animal Husbandry amongst others.

Decision was taken to sanction Rs. 35 crore to Jal Vidyut Nigam for construction of a 4 metre high safety wall at Maneri Bhali II, Rs. 10 crore to Irrigation Department for Koshi Barrage in Almora and Rs. 30 crore for various flood control projects, Rs. 30 crore would be sanctioned to Peyjal Department for completing 14 pumping projects in rural areas, while, Rs. 15 crore would be given for improvement in drinking water facility.

It was decided to sanction Rs. 70 crore each for the construction of fly-over bridges at ISBT, Balliwala and for construction of Railway Over Bridge at Bhandaribagh to PWD. Consensus was reached to provide Rs. 50 crore for widening various roads and constructing crash barriers, Rs. 1 crore for Garud Chatti Bridge and Rs. 4 crore for Chauras Bridge. In addition, the PWD would also be provided Rs. 12 crore for Kashipur-Thakurdwara Road, Rs. 4 crore for Nagla-Kichha Road, Rs. 10 crore for Jollygrant Road and Rs. 5 crore for construction of IT Building and Data Centre.

 The Sports Department would be sanctioned Rs. 20 crore for modernization of sports complex, while, the Animal Husbandry Department would get Rs. 4 crore for polyclinic.

The Committee also decided to sanction Rs. 15 crore to Tourism Department for construction of multi-storey Parking Lot in Mussoorie. To ensure transparency in Public Distribution System, the Committee agreed to sanction Rs. 26 crore for computerization of the entire system.

Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain directed the officers concerned to include in SPA only such projects which would help develop the infrastructure and improve the State's economy and living standard of its people. He laid emphasis on selecting new projects which had not been financially aided by any other resources.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretaries DK Kotia, S Raju; Secretaries SS Sandhu, Umakant Panwar, Manisha Panwar, Radha Raturi, AK Dhaundiyal, Subardhan and other senior officers.

Standard of Education in Government and Private Primary Schools

The steps being taken by Government to improve the standard of education in primary schools include sanction of 19.14 lakh teacher posts, setting up of 2,01,943 primary schools and 1,56,792 upper primary schools, construction of more than 18 lakh additional classrooms, over 7 lakh toilets and 2 lakh drinking water facilities for government schools under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). Besides, 30 day induction training to newly recruited teachers 20 day in-service training to the teachers, distribution of free textbooks and uniforms and financial support for context-specific quality improvement interventions are some other steps being taken for this purpose. 

Section 12 (1) © of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, inter-alia provides that an unaided private school shall admit in class 1 ( or pre primary class, as the case may be), to the extent of at least twenty-five per cent of the strength of that class, children belonging to weaker section and disadvantaged group in the neighbourhood and provide them free and compulsory elementary education till its completion. Some states have notified norms for classifying disadvantaged groups and weaker sections and initiated the admission of such children in the private un-aided schools and also mechanisms to monitor such admissions. 
This information was given by Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr. D. Purandeswari in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today. 

Teaching of Indian Culture and Hindi in Schools

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has taken the following measures to promote Hindi and Indian Culture in the schools affiliated to it: 
• Hindi is offered in all the schools from class I to XII being compulsory from class I to VIII, 
• At classes IX & X level, CBSE provides an option to take Hindi as one of the two languages or as the sixth additional subject. Hindi could be offered as one of the five main elective or as a sixth additional subject at the Senior School level, 

• Hindi is offered at different levels like Course-A, Course-B, Elective and Core so as to facilitate the learning of the language in non-Hindi regions also. 
• The Board has initiated an elective titled “Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India” for classes XI-XII in the schools affiliated to CBSE from the current academic session i.e. 2012-13 on pilot basis to provide a broad overview of Indian knowledge traditions which are continuous, cumulative and intrinsically polycentric. 

Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) is providing 100% financial assistance to non-Hindi States for appointment of Hindi Teachers for promotion of Hindi Language. 
Education, being a subject is the concurrent list of the Constitutions, and the majority of schools and colleges being under the jurisdiction of the State Governments, it is for the respective state Governments to take appropriate decision in the matter 
This information was given by Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr. D. Purandeswari in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today. 

Personality tests for Geologists’ Examination, 2011

The Union Public Service Commission will be conducting Interviews/Personality Tests for Geologists Examination, 2011 from 27-08-2012 to 07-09-2012 in the Commission’s office at New Delhi. Summon Letters for PT/Interview to all the eligible candidates are being issued and if any candidate has not received the same, he/she may contact on Tel.No.011-23386267 or can send message on Fax No.011-23387310. The eligible candidates may also contact UPSC Facilitation Counter near Gate “C” of its campus in person or over Telephone Nos. 011-23385271/23381125/23098543 on all working days between 1000 hrs to 1700 hrs. The Schedule of Interviews/Personality Tests is also available on Union Public Service Commission Website at http://www.upsc.gov.in

NIA Files Chargesheet Against Five Maoists

National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge-sheet against five Maoist Cadres in Kolkata NIA Special Court. The NIA took over the investigation of the Case No. 138/2012 of Jorasanko PS, Kolkata, West Bengal and re-registered as Regular Case No.01/2012/NIA/New Delhi under Sections 120B, 121, 121A, 122 of the IPC, Section 25 1(A) of the Arms Act 1959, Section - 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and Sections 18,20,40 (1) (b) (c) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 as amended by Act 35 of 2008, against the accused persons 1.Sadula Ramakrishna 2. Dipak Kumar 3. Sukumar Mondal 4. Sambhu Charan Pal and 5. Bapi Mudi and others for entering into a criminal conspiracy to
wage war against the Government of India, being members of the banned terrorist organisation CPI (Maoist). In furtherance of their conspiracy, they collected explosive substances, prohibited ammunition, huge amount of money and made efforts to manufacture area weapons etc. in a concealed manner. 
Several incriminating items recovered from the accused which included Cash of Rs. 96,66,755/- as the Proceeds of Terrorism, Prohibited Ammunition, Explosive Materials, Maoist Literatures, Several Diagrams and Literature on Rocket Launchers and on other area Weapons, Documents connected with the transport of components and assembly tools and materials to Raipur, Chhattisgarh from Kolkata and Mumbai, and several finished components of Rocket Launchers and other area weapons including sixty nine wooden crates at a godown in Raipur and the recoveries from a workshop established by the accused in Kolkata. 
During the investigation, it was revealed that a conspiracy was hatched by the CPI (Maoist) (then known as the CPI(ML) PW which is also banned under the UA(P) Act) in or around early 1990’s to develop sophisticated arms and ammunition including area weapons like Rocket Launchers and others for use by its armed cadres against the armed forces of the State, to intensify the war against the Government of India. Initially a Technical Development Committee (TDC) of Regional Committee status was formed by the CPI(ML) PW in 1994 to coordinate the technical units producing light articles outside the field/combat zone. The accused Sadula Ramakrishna was instrumental in formation of Technical Development Committee (TDC). 
Investigation revealed that in pursuance of the said conspiracy, after the formation of the Central Technical Committee (CTC), from 2002 to 2006 technical units were established at several places like Pune, Rourkela, Indore, Bhopal and Bhubaneswar in the close supervision and guidance of accused Sadula. Recoveries and arrest of CTC members had been made from Bhopal and Rourkela in January, 2007. 
From 2008 onwards Sadula using a false name Swagat Kasturi established CTC teams in Kolkata and in Thane near Mumbai, Maharashtra, and, with the assistance of team members, started procuring raw materials and finished components of weapons. Some of the components were processed in local workshop established for that purpose by the team members, while others were processed in local workshops by mechanics and workmen who were provided with designs and detailed diagrams or samples of certain parts. The finished products, assembly tools and related items were being regularly sent to Raipur, Chhattisgarh. From Raipur, Chhattisgarh they were being further transported to the forests of Dandakaranya / Abhujmaad where they were reportedly assembled into complete arms by the mobile assembly units of the CPI(Maoist). 
Investigation has established that the accused Sadula and Deepak Kumar were operating under false/fake names in Kolkata and Mumbai and had also made certain documents in fake names to establish their fake identities. Both were found to be staying in a Flat purchased by them at Ayodhyanagar, Birati, Kolkata. 
The assistance of the Kolkata Police, Maharashtra Police, Chhattisgarh Police, Andhra Pradesh Police was taken during the investigation. The investigation regarding others who are part of the conspiracy would continue.

LT. Gen. Ranbir Singh to be New DG Assam Rifles

Lt. General Ranbir Singh, AVSM, SM, Bihar (Infantry) has been appointed as Director General, Assam Rifles on deputation basis in the pay scale of Rs. 75,000-80,000/- for a period of two years or till his superannuation from Army or until further orders, whichever is the earliest. 
Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, AVSM, SM was commissioned in 1975 in the BIHAR Regiment and in his career spanning over 37 years has a coveted career profile both in command and in staff appointments.
He commanded an infantry battalion in Jammu & Kashmir, a mountain brigade in Sikkim and an infantry division at Meerut. On staff assignments, the General Officer has tenanted the important assignments of Brigade Major, Colonel General Staff, Brigadier General Staff and Major General General Staff at HQ Eastern Command. 
The General Officer is an alumnus of Lawrence School, Sanawar and prestigious defence institutions such as Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and National Defence College. He has been an instructor at the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, the Infantry School, Mhow and the Indian Military Training Team, Bhutan. He has also represented the country as the Defence Attache at the Indian Embassy, Beijing, China. 

Resolution against Sri Lanka in the UNHRC

India voted in favour of the resolution ‘Promotion, Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Geneva on 22 March 2012. The vote was in line with the Government’s consistent stand to advance the objective, namely, the achievement of a future for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka that is marked by equality, dignity, justice and self-respect. 
India enjoys close, cordial and friendly relations with neighbouring Sri Lanka with whom it shares historic, civilisational and cultural links. Today, India is Sri Lanka’s largest trade partner overall and Sri Lanka is
India’s largest trade partner in South Asia. India has emerged as the largest foreign direct investor in Sri Lanka. India also contributes to the largest number of tourists arrivals in Sri Lanka. The close relationship has been further strengthened by high level visits, including those of the Minister of External Affairs in January 2012; Joint Parliamentary Delegation in April 2012; Minister of Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation in July 2012; Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles in August 2012; and Minister of Culture in August 2012. 
The Minister of State in the Ministry Of External Affairs Smt. Preneet Kaur provided this information in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today. 

Attack on Sikh Shrine in USA

A gunman shot and killed six people and injured three others in a Gurudwara at Oak Creek, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States at 10.15 AM (local time) on 5 August 2012. The dead included four Indian and two American citizens. The gunman was later killed reportedly through a combination of police firing and self inflicted wounds. 
The Indian Government conveyed its concerns to the U.S. Government about the shooting and the general security of the Indian community in the United States through the diplomatic channels immediately after the incident. Further, the External Affairs Minister Shri S. M. Krishna spoke on telephone to US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton on 6 August 2012 to convey the country’s shock at this tragic incident, and to request the US Government to take all steps to ensure the security of the Indian community in the United States and their places of worship. Prime Minister also conveyed the same to US President Obama, when latter called him on 8 August 2012. 
President Obama, in his public statement, expressed sorrow over the incident, conveyed his condolence for the victims, highlighted the rich contribution of the Sikh community to the United States and assured all support for the investigations into the shooting. He assured Prime Minister that the U.S. is determined to make sure that it does not happen again. Further, President Obama issued a proclamation ordering the US flag to be flown at half-staff from 6 August until sunset, 10 August 2012, as a mark of respect for the victims of the Gurudwara attack. The U.S. Attorney General visited Oak Creek and met the families of the victims. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also joined the investigation into the incident. 
The Minister of State in the Ministry Of External Affairs Smt. Preneet Kaur provided this information in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today. 

PMO statement on social media

The Prime Minister's Office had requested Twitter to take appropriate action against 6 persons impersonating the PMO. When they did not reply for a long time the Government Cyber Security Cell was requested to initiate action. Twitter has now conveyed to us that action has been taken stating "we have removed the reported profiles from circulation due to violation of our Terms of Service regarding impersonation." 

IIT Roorkee would conduct environmental assessment

Water and Soil Conservation Authority will be established in the State. Sub Stations of 132 to 400 KV capacity will be set up at Sitarganj, Pithoragarh, Satputli, Roorkee, Dehradun, Haridwar and Srinagar, while, interest would be waived off if the domestic consumers pay their due electricity bills.

 The aforesaid decisions were taken in a review meeting of Energy and Horticulture Departments chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna at Secretariat on Thursday.

Later talking to the media persons, Chief Minister Bahuguna said that the Water and Soil conservation Authority would undertake rainwater harvesting, prevention of soil erosion and water conservation. Stating that the State was undergoing power crisis, power costing Rs. 193 crore had been purchased so far. He said that owing to silt flow in power stations they were not able to generate power as per their capacity. The State Government was trying to complete non controversial hydro-power projects at the earliest. He revealed that Byasi Project was expected to generate power by 2016 and Lakhwad Project, by 2017. The State would get 420 MW power from these projects, he said. Besides, Maneri Bhali-2, after its capacity augmentation, would generate additional 34 MW power by 2014.

Chief Minister Bahuguna said that IIT Roorkee would conduct environmental assessment of identified small and micro hydro-power projects within coming three months after which tenders would be invited and projects allocated with full transparency, afresh, as per the norms. He said that these projects would expectedly generate 3400 MW power.

Mr. Bahuguna disclosed that payment of Rs. 230 crore from domestic consumers was outstanding for recovery of which camps would be organized. The consumer paying their dues would be exempted from the interest on their dues. He said that decision has been taken to cancel bills that had been raised even after closure of factories or consumers not using the electricity. This amount stood at Rs. 400 crore. The loan of Rs. 435 crore on UPCL would also be converted into equity, he said.

Expressing his resentment on the incidents power thefts, the Chief Minister directed the officers concerned to take stringent action against defaulters. He asked them to lodge FIR against affluent people engaged in power thefts and to take stern action against the respective workers or officers of the department. He stressed on finding measures to reduce loss of electricity incurred through transmission and distribution. He instructed the officers to inform general public about the place and time of roasting through appropriate medium. He also laid emphasis on adopting online system for billing process.

The meeting was attended by Horticulture Minister Amrita Rawat, Advisor State Planning Commission Indu Kumar Pandey, Chairman UJVNL Subhash Kumar, Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain, Principal Secretaries Om Prakash, DK Kotia; Secretaries SS Sandhu, Radha Raturi, SS Rawat; Additional Secretaries Dr. Nidhi Pandey, Dilip Jawalkar and other senior officers.

Employment Fairs in Employment Exchange offices

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna reviewed Labour, Employment and Dairy Development Departments at his residence on Thursday. He directed the departmental officers to prepare regulation relating to unemployment allowance and present it in next Cabinet meeting. He also asked them to maintain coordination with industrial units and organize Employment Fairs in Employment Exchange offices. Mr. Bahuguna also laid emphasis on online registration in the employment exchanges and also registration through IT Department's 2200 Citizen Service Centre so that the youths from remote areas do not have inconvenience in registration.

Reviewing Labour Department, Mr. Bahuguna said that the State Government was committed towards welfare of workers. He said that the decision to raise minimum wage would be implemented very soon. He said that a dormitory building be constructed for the workers of SIDCUL area. He said that 250 acre land has been allocated for proposed medical college in Haridwar under Employees State Insurance Scheme. He asked the officers to sent proposal to establish dispensaries at Tehri, Almora, Srinagar and Uttarkashi.

 Reviewing Dairy Development Department, Mr. Bahuguna stressed on extension of fodder development programs under which grass and fodder trees be planted in Van Panchayats located near Dairy Committees. He also laid emphasis on deputing Para-vets and setting up primary vet health services on milk routes. He directed the officers to constitute cluster Dairy Committees to reduce the expenditure in dairy production. He also instructed them to provide loan and grant to dairy producers for purchase of 2 to 10 cattle. Mr. Bahuguna said that marketing network for dairy product be strengthened and private participation encouraged. Looking into the shortage of fodder in hill areas, Mr. Bahuguna said that plantation of 25 percent trees of fodder species  by Forest Department be made mandatory. He also instructed the officers to prepare proposal for the land to construct dairy booths in urban areas to encourage marketing of dairy produces.

 The meeting was attended by Labour and Employment Minister Harish Chandra Durgapal, Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain, Principal Secretaries DK Kotia, S Ramaswami; Secretary Finance Radha Raturi, Additional Secretary Dairy Development RK Sudhanshu, Damyanti Dohre and other senior officers.

MLAs of allied parties had donated Rs. 25 lakh each

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna inaugurated Administrative and Residential buildings of Haldi (Pantnagar) Thana on Friday. He laid emphasis on equipping the buildings with modern facilities and said that upgradation of police thana would help police personnel carryout their duties and investigate cases more effectively which would in return curb criminal activities and peace would prevail in the area.

Chief Minister Bahuguna mentioning the natural calamity that hit the State said that he was grateful towards all the political parties for their support in mitigating this

crisis. He said that MLAs of allied parties had donated Rs. 25 lakh each from their MLA Fund in Chief Minister Relief Fund. He called on the general public to extend their support to disaster hit people.

Mr. Bahuguna said that the decision to pay Sugarcane farmers and workers of Sugar mills in time would yield good result. The State Government would ensure that interest of workers was not compromised while running Sugar mills on PPP mode.  He said that owing to non-existence of sugarcane areas decision has been taken to close down Gadarpur Sugar Mill. However it would be ensured that the people working in this Mill were adjusted in other mills. Chief Minister said that it would be ensured that their employment, salary and service conditions were not affected.

Earlier, Irrigation and Revenue Minister Yashpal Arya said that with new Administrative and Residential buildings coming into existence the long due demand of the area was fulfilled. He said that State Government was committed to develop basic infrastructure. Cabinet Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani said that the way government had performed in its five months tenure; it has generated strong belief amongst common people.

It may be noted that both the buildings were constructed with the budget of Rs. 76.82 lakh by Rural Engineering Service in the area spread in 2.36 acre.

Also present on the occasion were MLAs Rajesh Shukla, Rajkumar Shukla; former cabinet minister Tilakraj Behad, KMVN Chairman Kiran Mandal, Chairman Mandi Parishad Dr. Shailendra Mohan Singhal, Congress District President Narayan Singh Bisht, DGP Vijay Raghav Pant, DIG Deepak Jyoti Ghildiyal, DM Brijesh Kumar Sant and SSP Neelesh Anand Bharne amongst other.

Rs.10 lakh for library of High Court Bar Council.

 Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna announced Rs. 10 lakh for library of High Court Bar Council. He also asked the office bearers of the council to forward proposals for residence and chambers for advocates as per the available land. Meanwhile, the Bar Council presented draft of Rs. 1.25 lakh to Mr. Bahuguna for Chief Minister Relief Fund.

 Chief Minister Bahuguna speaking as the Chief Guest of a program organized by High Court Bar Council on Friday said that Bar and the Bench were complimentary to each other hence it was necessary to maintain coordination between both. Stating that

interest of litigants were most important, he said that early justice to them would always prove beneficial to them. Describing importance of library in the work of advocates, he called on the young advocates to visit library as much as they could. Narrating some of the incident of his days as advocate, Mr. Bahuguna wished them for bright future. Stating that advocates belonged to the section of intellectuals, he called on them to contribute in the development of the State. He said that they could approach him directly or through mail and phone to discus issues pertaining to their welfare and grievances.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr. Indira Hridayesh said that Bar Council of the High Court had great significance hence the advocates working here ought to get the requisite facilities.  

Also Present on the occasion were Cabinet Minister Yashpal Arya, area MLA Sarita Arya, President of Bar Council Prithviraj Chauhan, advocates UK Uniyal, Dr. Mahendra Pal, DK Sharma and Qurban Ali.

Manufacturing Sector Performance

The quarter-wise figures of manufacturing growth during 2011-12 are given in the table below: 

Table: Manufacturing Growth during 2011-12 (based on growth rate of Index of Industrial Production (IIP), Base 2004-05) 

Period	Manufacturing	Overall IIP
April-June	7.7	7.0
July-Sept	3.4	3.2
Oct-Dec	1.1	1.2
Jan-Mar	0.3	0.6
2011-12	3.0	2.9

            The quarterly growth of manufacturing measured in terms of IIP has registered a decline from 7.7% in first quarter to 0.3% in the last quarter of 2011-12.

            Government has already taken confidence building measures for improving the industrial climate and manufacturing in the country.  Government had approved the National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) in October, 2011 with the objectives of enhancing the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25% by 2022 and creating additional 100 million jobs.  One of the instruments in the NMP is the creation of National investment and Manufacturing Zones (NMZ) as planned integrated industrial townships.  Nine NMZs have been announced, eight of which are along the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC).  Other measures include the promotion and facilitation of industrial investment including promotion of foreign direct investment through consolidation of press notes into a single document; development of industry relevant skills, regular meetings with industry associations and stakeholders to fast track implementation of industrial projects etc. 

This information was given by the Minister of State of Commerce and Industry, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

DMIC Project: Concept Note Ready for Eastern Corridor

The Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project aims to create new industrial cities with manufacturing as the key economic driver. It passes through the 6 States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The preparation of the Perspective Plan for the overall DMIC region is complete. Land acquisition process has been initiated by all the DMIC States, except Uttar Pradesh. Financial and Institutional Structure for development of the industrial cities in DMIC has been approved by the Government of India on 15th September, 2011. 
The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor being constructed by the Railways is targeted for commissioning in March, 2017. 

A Concept Note has been prepared by the Ministry of Urban Development for inclusive economic development along the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor of Railways. 
This information was given by the Minister of State of Commerce and Industry, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today. 

Notices under BIPA

The Government of India has received notices, under the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (BIPAs), from foreign investors such as Sistema Joint Stock Financial Corporation, Vodafone International Holdings BV, Devas Employee Mauritius Pvt. Limited, Children’s investment Fund Management (U.K.) LLP etc.
The notices are handled under the provisions of the applicable BIPAs, including, inter-alia, through negotiations with the foreign investors for an amicable settlement of the issues.
This information was given by the Minister of State of Commerce and Industry, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today. 

Funds to NABARD

To strengthen the capital base of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and thereby enhance its borrowing capacity to meet its developmental mandate, the Government of India has approved the proposal for augmenting its capital by infusing equity of Rs 3,000 crore. The Government has released Rs 1000 crore in 2011-12. In 2012-13, so far Rs 500 crore has been released. 

The Interest Subvention Scheme is being implemented by the Government of India since 2006-07 to make short-term crop loans upto Rs. 3 lakh for a period of one year available to farmers at the interest rate of 7 percent per annum. Under the Scheme, Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks are being provided refinance through NABARD so as to lend the farmers at 7% p.a. The rate of refinance to Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks was 4.5% in 2011-12. 
This information was given by the Minister of State for Finance, Shri Namo Narain Meena in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

Assessment of Agricultural Loan Burden

In order to provide relief to bank borrowers in times of natural calamities, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued standing guidelines to banks. The relief measures, inter alia, include conversion of the principal amount outstanding in the crop loans and agriculture term loans as well as accrued interest thereon into term loans for period ranging from 3 to 10 years depending upon the frequency of crop failures/intensity of damage to crops; treatment of converted/rescheduled agri-loans as ‘current dues’; non compounding of interest in
respect of loans converted/rescheduled; moratorium period of at least one year, while restructuring; relaxed security and margin norms; fresh crop loans and consumption loans for affected farmers. It has also been clarified that the accounts that are restructured for the second time or more on account of natural calamities would retain the same asset classification category on restructuring. Accordingly, for once restructured standard asset, the restructuring necessitated on account of natural calamity would not be treated as second restructuring, i.e., the standard asset classification will be allowed to be maintained 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Finance, Shri Namo Narain Meena, in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today. 

Notices Issued by Enforcement Directorate to BCCI

Based on the investigation carried out by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the adjudicating authority has issued Show Cause Notices under Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) to BCCI & its officials for the contraventions of the relevant provisions of the said Act as per details below:- 
11 Show Cause Notices issued involving an amount of Rs.1317.20 Crore in the year 2011. 
01 Show Cause Notice issued involving an amount of Rs. 106 Crore in the year 2012. 
The passport of Shri Lalit Modi, former IPL Chairman, was revoked by the Passport Officer on 03.03.2011 under Section 10(3) of the Passport Act, 1967. 
This information was given by the Minister of State for Finance, Shri S.S. Palanimanickam, in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today. 

Criteria for Opening Colleges

The Central Universities are autonomous institutions governed under the provisions of their respective Acts and Statutes and Ordinances framed there under. The Statutory bodies of the Central Universities are competent to develop the criteria for starting a college, provided the respective Act permits it. Section 6 (xiii) of the Central Universities Act 2009, under which the Central University of Kerala has been established, stipulates that the University has the power to establish and maintain Colleges, Institutions and Halls.
Establishment and abolition of Schools/Departments/Centres/Halls/Colleges/Institutions by the University will be governed by the Statutes. 
As far as the Central University of Kerala is concerned, the University has taken possession of land for establishment of its campus only recently and its first priority would be to establish its campus before setting about establishment of colleges. 
Such proposals have to be considered by the Statutory bodies of the respective University in accordance with their Statutes and the Ministry has no role to play in this regard. 
This information was given by Dr. D. Purandeswari, Minister of State for Human Resource Development in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today. 

International Centre for Human Development

An International Centre for Human Development to be set up in India will support efforts by governments of the South to integrate human development approaches to ensure improved development outcomes for poor and marginalized people. As Governments of the South are increasingly dealing with the multiple challenges of changing aspirations of citizens, rapidly globalizing economy, environmental sustainability, and rising inequality, this Center is designed to provide new approaches and solutions.

An Agreement to this effect was signed by Shri Peter R deSouza, Director, Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) and Ms. Lise Grande, United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, India. The Agreement was signed in the presence of Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource Development and Minister of Communications and Information Technology; Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Chairman, IIAS and Shri Ajay Chhibber, UN Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Assistant Administrator. 
The Centre aims to provide policy advisory services based on national and international evidence to ensure that human development concerns become integral to planning processes and policy making. The Centre also proposes to focus on moving from human development analysis to action and on adaptation of good practices to local contexts. It will also provide a range of capacity development tools and services with a special emphasis on monitoring and evaluation of human development processes and outcomes. 
“The Centre will provide a range of services to national governments and will be guided by the objective of translating the analysis of human development reporting to policy inputs and practices that can help advance human development” said Shri Peter R deSouza. These include – research and analysis support on the policy dimensions of a human development approach including trade-offs of various people-centered policy measures; policy advisory services that can help translate the human development concept into policies aimed at improving human development at national, sub-national and local levels; developing capacity of national governments, parliamentarians, CSOs and academia to undertake human development-oriented policymaking and advocacy; and monitoring and evaluation support to develop and support decentralized and community level monitoring tools.

State Scholarships

The Ministry of Human Resource Development has launched a centrally sponsored ‘National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme’ in 2008-09 for providing scholarships @ Rs. 500 per month to one lakh new students from class IX every year which are continued upto class XII subject to fulfillment of certain conditions. As per the scheme those students studying as regular students in class VIII in Government, Government aided and local body schools and whose parental income from all sources is upto Rs. 1.5 lakh per annum are eligible to appear in the selection test under the scheme.

The Ministry is considering increasing the rate of scholarships under the scheme. No specific time frame for its implementation can be indicated at this stage as the decision would depend on availability of funds among other issues. 
This information was given by Shri Dr. D. Purandeswari, Minister of State for Human Resource in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today. 

Databank of Teachers

According to the Statistics of School Education (2009-10), the total number of teachers in the country from pre-primary to senior secondary is 67.23 lakh. To meet the Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) norms specified under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the Government has sanctioned 8.17 lakh additional teachers posts between 2010 and 2012 under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) 

The Government has taken several steps for preparing and providing quality teachers. The Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Teacher Education for the XII Plan envisages establishment of District Institutes of Education and Training in all districts created upto March, 2011 and of Block Institutes of Teacher Education for expanding capacity of teacher preparation. The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) grants recognition to institutions for starting programmes of teacher education. Several State Governments have also taken steps to expand teacher preparation capacity. In pursuance of the RTE Act, the NCTE has laid down the minimum teacher qualifications, including the requirement of passing the Teacher Eligibility Test as an essential qualification for being eligible for appointment as a teacher. Under the Sarva Shisksha Abhiyan, financial assistance is provided to the State Governments to enable the teachers of class I-VIII not possessing the minimum qualifications to acquire the same by 2015, and for training of in-service teachers for improving quality. 
This information was given by Dr. D. Purandeswari, Minister of State for Human Resource Development in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today. 

Retirement Age of High Court Judges

The Constitution (One Hundred and Fourteenth Amendment ) Bill, 2010 provides to increase the retirement age of Judges of High Courts from 62 to 65 i.e. at par with the retirement age of Judges of the Supreme Court. Giving this information in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of Law & Justice, said that the Bill was taken up for discussion in the Lok Sabha on 28.12.2011. However, the discussion has remained inconclusive due to adjournment of the Winter Session. 

Reservation to Women in the Legislature

During the years several steps have been taken for empowerment of women and one such step was to provide reservation for women in Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies. The Government put a step forward and introduced a Bill, namely, the Constitution (One Hundred Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008 in the Rajya Sabha on the 6th May, 2008 to provide inter alia for, as nearly as may be, one-third (including the number of seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes) of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election to the House of People and to the State Legislative Assemblies and the Legislative Assembly of National Capital Territory of Delhi shall be reserved for the women. Afterwards,
the Chairman, Rajya Sabha on the 8th May, 2008 referred the Bill to the Departmental Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, and Law and Justice for examination and report. Giving this information in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of Law & Justice, said that the Committee presented its 36th Report on the Bill to the Rajya Sabha/ laid in the Lok Sabha on the 17th December, 2009. The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill on 9th March, 2010. The Bill is to be passed by the Lok Sabha and is also required to be ratified by the Legislatures of not less than one-half of the States by resolution

Sensitising the Police on Juvenile Justice Issues

The Government has said that all efforts are being made to sensitise police on juvenile justice issues. Expressing this intent of the Government in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of Law & Justice said that the National Institute of Public Co-operation and Child Development (NIPCCD) under the Ministry of Women and Child Development has been organising training programmes for police as well as for master trainers managing the juvenile justice system.

Citizenship to Hindus Migrated From Pakistan

The grant of Indian citizenship is a multi-level and multi-agency activity. As per rule 11 and 12 of the Citizenship Rules, 2009, an application for grant of Indian citizenship is to be submitted by the applicant to the Collector/DM/DC within whose jurisdiction the applicant is ordinarily a resident. The Collector/DM/DC after satisfying himself regarding eligibility of the applicant to become a citizen of India, forwards the application to the State Government/UT administration concerned. The State Government/UT administration in turn forwards the application, along with its recommendation, to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Thereafter, the application is processed further as per the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the rules made
there under. Since initial application is submitted to the Collector/DM concerned and a number of agencies are involved in the processing of applications for grant of citizenship, no case/religion based centralized data of such applications is maintained. All cases received in the Ministry of Home Affairs are processed as expeditiously as possible. 1290 applications of Pakistani nationals were received from various State Governments/UTs for grant of Indian citizenship by registration and naturalization during last three years i.e. 2009-2011. Indian citizenship was granted to 764 Pakistan nationals during this period. 
The MEA and State Governments concerned are consulted from time to time. 
This was stated by Shri Mullappally Ramachandran, Minister of State of Home Affairs in written reply to a question by Sh.Bharatsinh Prabhatsinh Parmar and Sh.Parshottam Khodabhai Rupala in the Rajya Sabha today

Plan to Beef up Coastal Security

The Government is implementing the Coastal Security Scheme in two Phases. The implementation of the Coastal Security Scheme Phase – I which provides for 73 Police Stations, 97 Check Posts, 58 Out Posts, 30 Barracks, 204 boats, 153 Jeeps and 312 Motorcycles has been completed on 31.03.2011. 
The coastal States/UTs carried out a vulnerability/gap analysis in consultation with the Coast Guard to firm up their additional requirements for formulation of Coastal Security Scheme Phase –II to further strengthen Coastal Security. Consequently, the Government approved the Coastal Security Scheme Phase-II, which is under implementation for five years with effect from 1st April, 2011, with the provision of 131 Police
Stations and 60 jetties equipped with 225 boats, 131 four wheelers and 242 two wheelers. 
As per available information, there is no proposal to increase the area under ‘no-fishing zone’ around vital installations. 
This was stated by Shri Mullappally Ramachandran, Minister of State of Home Affairs in written reply to a question by Dr. V.Maitreyan in the Rajya Sabha today. 

Maoist-Hit States to Acquire Helicopters

Under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme, the MHA has ‘in-principle’ approved hiring of one helicopter each by the Left Wing Extremist (LWE) affected States for providing air-support to Anti-naxal operations, subject to the prior approval of the MHA. The State of Maharashtra has hired one helicopter from M/s Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited for Anti-naxal operations. 
This was stated by Shri Jitendra Singh, Minister of State of Home Affairs in written reply to a question by Shri Sanjay Raut in the Rajya Sabha today. 

Kashmiri Pandits

There are 808 families residing in the Kashmir Valley and 59442 registered migrant  families  continue to reside outside the Valley of Kashmir as informed by State Government.

            The status of temples in Kashmir Valley as informed by the State Government, is  given below:

Temples existing before migration	430
Temples intact	260
Temples damaged	170
Temples renovated	90

            In order to mitigate the hardship faced by the Kashmiri Migrants, a Cash relief @   Rs. 1250/- per head per month subject to maximum of Rs. 5000/- per family per month is being provided to the eligible families in Jammu and Delhi.  This scale is effective from 1.7.2009.  Other State/UT’s are providing reliefs to migrants in accordance with the scale fixed by them.

            The return of the migrants to the Valley is voluntary and no roadmap is possible.  To facilitate their return, for those willing to return to the Valley, a comprehensive Package amounting to Rs. 1618.40 crore has been announced by the Hon’ble PM in 2008, which provides for a provision of assistance for repair/renovation and damaged houses, transit accommodation, continuance of cash and rations relief, students’ scholarship, employment in Government and financial assistance for self employment, financial assistance to agriculturists and horticulturists and waiver of interest on loans.

            This was stated by Shri Jitendra Singh, Minister of State of Home Affairs in written reply to a question by Dr. Gyan Prakash Pilania in theRajya Sabha today.

Age relaxation in government service upto 40 years

Dehradun:-The Cabinet on Tuesday approved several decisions taken by the Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna during departmental review meeting. Several other decisions were also taken on the issues pertaining to public interest.

Significant enhancement had been made in the honorarium paid to the doctors and dentists. As per the decision, the honorarium of general doctors had been increased to Rs. 48,000 for easily accessible places, Rs. 52,000 for Diploma holders and Rs. 55,000 for PG Specialists. For doctors serving in difficult places, honorarium has been increased to Rs. 52,000 for general doctors, Rs. 56,000 for diploma holders and Rs. 59,000 for PG Specialists. For very difficult places, general doctors would now get Rs. 56, 000, diploma holders would get Rs. 60,000 and PG Specialists, Rs. 63,000. The contract period for doctors has been increased to three years from existing one year Now the contract would be renewed on Ministerial level every year, while, Cabinet approval has to be taken every three year.

          The age limit for general category in government service has been increased to 40 years from existing 35 years. The age relaxation would be given to other categories as per the earlier norms. The PPP Policy in the State was passed in 2012 and an Empowered Group of Ministers has been constituted to be chaired by the Chief Minister which could sanction the proposal upto the limit of Rs. 250 crore. Besides CM, Finance Minister, Planning Minister, Urban Development Minister, PWD Minister, other ministers nominated by the CM and respective departmental ministers would be its Members. In addition, an Empowered Committee has also been constituted under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary which would conduct preliminary review of the proposals. Any proposal exceeding Rs. 250 would be approved by the Cabinet.

Amendment has been made Uttarakhand Government preliminary Education Service Rules according to which now the recruitment of assistant teachers in primary school would be done on the basis of Block Cadre. After promotion their respective district would be their main cadre.

The Cabinet also approved the proposals of Tanakpur-Pyrnagiri and Jankipatti-Yamunotri Ropeways, while, to promote River Rafting, the Beach Camping Policy too was given a nod. The allocation period would be five years. The allocation within one hectare would be given only to the local residents, while allocation beyond it would be given on the basis of tenders. The currently engaged firm would have first right of refusal.

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Affiliation University would be rechristened Sridev Suman Affiliation University.

Three amendments had been made in Van Panchayat Regulation including 50 percent reservation for women in Sarpanch post, priority to water and soil conservation and power to District Magistrate to extend the tenure of Van Panchayats for three months.

The cabinet endorsed recommendations made by National Sugar Federation to close down Gadarpur Sugar Mill. The workers employed in this Sugar Mills would be reinstated in other mills or given option of Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) on better conditions. The land of Gadarpur Sugar Mill would be transferred to SIDCUL and the amount received in lieu of land would be utilized to pay the dues of farmers. As 90 percent of Sugarcane farming field had finished it was not viable to run the Mill further. Decision was also taken to run Doiwala, Sitarganj, Nadehi and Kichchha sugar mills in PPP mode for long period.

Names of five Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Navodaya Vidyalaya at Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Udham Singh Nagar and Bageshwar would be reverted to Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya. These schools would be run on PPP mode and 50 percent of students would comprise of those selected by the State Government. These students would be given free education.

The contract period of super specialist doctors has been renewed for three years on completion of their present contract period.

The Cabinet also approved Uttarakhand Flood Plain Zoning Bill 2012. Through this Bill the construction works in flood prone areas would be restricted as per the guidelines of Government of India.

The Cabinet also approved in-principal the joint multi-purpose Pancheshwar project of India and Nepal. As some areas of Pithoragarh were included in this 2800 MW project, the State Government has expressed its consent in the project to be constructed in Mahakali River.

Making amendment in Section 39 of Procurement Rules, the limit of works carried out on the basis of Work Order has been increased to Rs. 3 lakh from existing Rs. 2 lakh.

The 13.5 percent VAT imposed on Rubber Process Oil has been reduced to 5 percent.

The Hindu Marriage Registration fee has been increased to Rs. 100 from Rs. 4. It may be noted that no increment was made in it since 1973.

Making improvement in Uttarakhand motor Vehicle Taxation Reform Bill, the diversity in vehicle tax has been scrapped. The Tax on vehicles used in plying students would also be reduced.

Uttarakhand Transport and Civic Infrastructure Cess Bill has been passed to levy sub-cess on vehicle with registration of other states entering the State. Now Rs. 40 to 60 would be charged from public vehicles and Rs 20 to 60 from private vehicles.

Uttarakhand Motor Vehicle Taxation Reform Rules has been made for E-payment in Transport Department.

Nod has also been given to Uttarakhand State Consumer Commission.

Externally aided Integrated Livelihood Support Project (IFED sponsored) has been extended till 2018-19 from 2012 in which total investment limit would be Rs. 793 crore. The working area of this project run for skill development of local unemployed youths has been extended to 30 development blocks from 17.

The approval has been given for Uttarakhand Departmental Promotion Committee for posts outside Public Service Commission. The Committee would comprise of Departmental Head/Appointment Officer as its Head, Additional Departmental Head as its Member and two nominated gazette officers as other Members.

Amendment has been made in the direct recruitment process for Group C. Now the applicants would have to appear only in general knowledge test for short-listing for interview.

The Cabinet took several decisions for the welfare of journalists. The experience required to obtain affiliation for Working Journalists has been reduced to 5 years from 10 years. The outright grace amount has been increased to Rs. 2 lakh from existing Rs. 50,000. Now there would be separate provisions for medical, health and reimbursement.

Old and run-down buses should be immediately removed

Dehradun:- Finance Minister Indira Hridyesh on Tuesday said that a concrete proposal would be made on the model of Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh to establish a better and efficient transport service in the state.

           Ms Hridyesh was chairing a meeting in her office here to discuss the ways and means to make the transport system better and safe in the state, especially in the hill regions, including purchase of new buses for Uttarakhand Parivahan Nigam (Uttarakhand Transport Corporation).

Ms Hridyesh stressed that the old and run-down buses should be immediately removed from the fleet and replaced by new buses to curb the incidence of mishaps caused due to faulty vehicles.

 Speaking at the meeting, Transport Minister Surendra Rakesh referred to his recent visit to Australia and stressed that like in Australia, Uttarakhand must also provide transport at hill regions as essential service for the public welfare, irrespective of whether it was running in loss or profit.

He said that 600 buses were needed to provide smooth services in hill areas. At present the state transport corporation has a fleet of 1127 buses out of which 473 were being run in hills and 654 buses were plying in plains.
He said that in 2011-12 the Corporation earned Rs 264.74 crore while the expenditure was Rs 289.94 crore and expected that the Rs 25 crore annual loss incurred to run the buses in hill region should be borne by the state government.

Secretary Transport, Umakant Panwar briefed the meeting regarding the strategy to minimize the losses of the Corporation. The meeting also discussed the possibility of the state government helping the Corporation to overcome its losses and also bearing the expense of purchase of new buses.
          Finance Minister Hridyesh directed the officials concerned to make a proposal based on the suggestions made in the meeting.
          A number of Uttarakhand Transport Corporation officials, including Managing Director MC Upreti were present in the meeting.

SJVNL had undertaken construction works of 252 MW Devsari Hydro-power Project

Dehradun:- Chairman & Managing Director of Satluj Jal Vidhyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) RP Singh called on Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna at his residence on Tuesday and presented a cheque of Rs. 50 lakh as donation for Chief Minister Relief Fund. Mr. Singh said that SJVNL would extend all possible help to the State Government in its bid to provide relief to the disaster affected people in the hour of distress. 

Chief Minister Bahuguna said that State Government was putting all effort to provide relief to the calamity hit people and all the organizations and every individual coming forward to help them were welcomed. He appreciated SJVNL for its social gesture and hoped that it would work in the field of power to make the state self sufficient. He said that the State Government believed in constructing hydro-power projects balancing both development process and preservation of environment.

Mr. Singh apprised the CM that SJVNL had undertaken construction works of 252 MW Devsari Hydro-power Project, 60 MW Natwar-Mori Hydro-power Project at Uttarkashi and 51 MW Jakhol- Sankhri Hydro-power Project. He said that the Corporation was also engaged in hydro-power projects in Manipur, Himachal Pradesh and foreign countries like Nepal and Bhutan. Also present on the occasion were Director (Civil) RN Mish, Director (Finance) AS Bindra and Director (Personnel) Nandlal Sharma amongst others.

Later, Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited Managing Director GP Patel visited Chief Minister along with Secretary Energy SS Sandhu and discussed about the present condition of power in the State. Mr. Bahuguna stating that there was shortage of power production in the State, laid emphasis on expediting under-construction hydro-power projects. He said that the Centre would be approached for projects delayed due to Forest Act. He said that State Government would extend all possible assistance to agencies working in the field of power production.

UJVNL Managing Director said that owing to natural calamity there was shortage in power production in the state. Nevertheless, he said, UJVNL has produced 5261.825 million unit power as against the set target of 4760 MU in 2011-12 which was highest in Corporation history since inception of the state.

Sharon Bio-medicine Limited donated life saving medicines

Dehradun:Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna flagged of a truck carrying life saving medicines for calamity affected people in Uttarkashi from his residence on Wednesday. Anil Kala, representative of Sharon Bio-medicine Limited donated life saving medicines worth Rs. 10 lakh in Chief Minister Relief Fund.

Chief Minister Bahuguna said that the State Government was putting all efforts to provide relief to the disaster hit people in Uttarkashi. He said that the government was grateful towards organizations and individuals for their support in the hour of distress. He said that industries, besides their commercial responsibility, ought to carryout their social responsibility too.

Also present on the occasion were Mukesh Bahuguna, Naresh Semwal, Vijay Kala and CL Bhatt from Sharon Company.

Reservation in promotion issue

Dehradun:- Cabinet Sub-Committee on reservation in promotion issue has decided that prior to arriving to any decision or conclusion, it would be prudent and in fitness of the thing that the representatives of different government employees associations would also be heard in person so as to enable the Sub Committee to reach on amicable solution to the referred issue.

 The Sub committee also examined the provision of the Constitution of India and also the judgments of the Apex Court and High Court of Uttarakhand.

In continuation of the deliberation, the Sub-Committee resolved to convene next meeting on 29 August. The meeting was attended by Members of the Sub-Committee Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh, Irrigation Minister Yashpal Arya, Agriculture Minister Dr. Harak Singh Rawat, Food and Supply Minister Pritam Singh, School Education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani, Transport Minister Surendra Rakesh and Advocate General UK Uniyal.