Govt floats bill for 30% domicile-based job reservation to Uttarakhand women

In a surprise move, theUttarakhandgovernment tabled the Uttarakhand Public Services (Horizontal Reservation for Women) Bill, 2022 in the state assembly to provide 30% domicile-based reservation to women in government jobs.

The bill states, “In direct recruitment in public services and posts, in the vacancies to be recruited, 20% horizontal reservation shall be given till July 24, 2006 and 30 % after that in favour of concerned women candidates permanently domiciled in Uttarakhand.”

The Uttarakhand on August 24 stayed the 2006 State Government order that allowed 30% horizontal reservation to women in Uttarakhand Public Service Commission. Following this, the Dhami government approached The Supreme Court, which stayed the high court order.

The women of the state have not been able to achieve the expected social, economic and political status and their representation in the public service of the state is very less. Therefore in order to ensure social Justice, Equality of opportunity, improvement in living standards, Gender Equality in public planning etc., a bill is proposed to provide 30 percent horizontal reservation to the women of state of Uttarakhand in State Services.”

The State Government has decided to take back the contentious Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board Act.

The Act had elicited strong opposition from the Teerth Purohits since it was introduced in the assembly session during 2019 in the tenure of the then Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.

It brought the Char Dham shrines and 51 shrines connected to them under the management of the Devasthanam Management Board.

Dhami announced that based on the final report of the high powered committee headed by Manohar Kant Dhyani and considering the interests and sentiments of all connected to the Char Dham Yatra, the had decided to take back the Act.

Banking, health & education vital to make citizens self-reliant: CM

Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision for self-reliant India can be achieved only when the last person in Society has access to Banking, Health and Education facilities provided by the authorities. The citizen of the nation will become self-reliant only after receiving these facilities, he said. The chief minister said this after flagging off ten motorcycles presented by Utkarsh Small Finance Bank to Champawat Police under its and CSR activities. He also virtually inaugurated the banks Champawat branch on the occasion and presented cheques to various Self Help Groups for joint livelihood loan.

The chief minister stressed on the need for all to adopt Pandit Deendayal Upadhyayas principle of Antyodaya. He said that the efforts being made related to financial Resources in the State are encouraging. There are many people in the society who are also working at the fundamental level, he said. Dhami said, It should be our collective effort to take the society forward. The government is centered on the public and working for development of the State. It is due to PM Modis thinking, Leadership and style of working that the nation is today moving forward as a strong economy. The economy of even the most developed nations staggered during the Covid-19 pandemic but under PM Modis leadership our nation not only faced the pandemic strongly but also developed two Vaccines and provided two to three doses free of cost for the citizens.

The CM said that the State Government is laying special focus on EMPLOYMENT and Entrepreneurship. He asked the senior bank officials to lay special focus on Svanidhi Yojana and make Uttarakhand a model for it. Stating that this effort should not remain a mere formality, he exhorted that work should be undertaken on a mission mode in order to achieve the targets. He said that the attempts by financial institutions, especially banks to focus on rural and semi urban areas in the State have been encouraging. The CM further said that the State government has been leading in undertaking public-centric initiatives for development of Uttarakhand.

PM Narendra Modi to visit Kedarnath on November 5 to inaugurate key infra projects

Prime Minister NarendraModiwill visitKedarnathinUttarakhandon November 5 to inaugurate and also lay the foundation stone of several key projects.
As per a release of the PMO’s office, the Prime Minister will offer prayers at Kedarnath Temple and thereafter inaugurateShri Adi Shankaracharya Samadhiand unveil the statue of Shri Adi Shankaracharya.

“Prime Minister will review and inspect the executed and ongoing works along theSaraswati Ashtapath, PM will also address a public rally. He will inaugurate key infrastructure projects which have been completed, includingSaraswati Retainig WallAshtapath and Ghats,MandakiniRetaining Wall Ashtapath, Tirth Purohit Houses and Garud Chatti bridge on river Mandakini,” it added.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that Uttarakhand is the best destination for setting up industrial units as the atmosphere in the State is perfectly suited for industries. He said this while participating virtually in a programme organised by PHD chamber of commerce and industries on Thursday. Dhami in his address said that the role of industries is of paramount importance in the development and progress of any nation and society. He assured the participants that the issues associated with the industries are being solved and the processes are getting simplified. Dhami asserted that every possible effort is being done to remove problems for the industrial units in the state.

He said that the industrial package given by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee resulted in the setting up of a large number of industrial units in Uttarakhand. Dhami said that the entrepreneurs are the real brand ambassadors of the state and they would ensure that more and more industrial units are set up in the state. He asserted that after the successful industrial summit the inclination of the industrialists has increased in the state. The CM said that a message that Uttarakhand is the best destination for industries should emanate and constant dialogue is being set up between the government and industries. He said that PM Narendra Modi has a special affinity for Uttarakhand and the Union Government is providing full support in increasing connectivity in the state. Dhami said that the road, rail and air connectivity is increasing at a rapid pace in the state and the coming time is best suited for industrial development in the state.

The state ofUttarakhandwill deploy women asGypsydrivers and nature guides across all tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. Until now, only men were employed in these wildlife tourism activities.This comes just months after the government had announced in March that women Gypsy drivers referred to as pilots and nature guides would be appointed atCorbett Tiger Reserveafter training them.

Notably, two in Madhya Pradesh Kanha Tiger Reserve-National Park and the Pench Tiger Reserve-National Park have Women guides who accompany tourists to core areas to catch a glimpse of the big cat. But this is not across sanctuaries and does not include pilots.

First Cryptogamic Garden of India Inaugrated in Uttarakhand

With around 50 different species grown, India’s first cryptogamic garden has been inaugurated in the Deoban area of Dehradun in Uttarakhand. The garden is located at the height of 9,000 feet and unfolds over three acres. Located in the district’s Chakrata town, the backyard was inaugurated through social activist Anoop Nautiyal.

Cryptogamae:

Cryptogamae potential “hidden Reproduction” referring to the truth that no seed, no vegetation is produced. Thus, cryptogams characterize the non-seed bearing Plants. Algae, bryophytes (moss, liverworts), lichens, ferns and Fungi are the best-known businesses of cryptogams that require moist stipulations to survive.

Modi govt apathetic to Ukhands development: Mahara

At a time when the BJP government in the State is busy highlighting the developmental achievements of the Narendra Modi government in its nine years tenure in the Centre, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara alleged that the Modi government has remained apathetic to the developmental interests of Uttarakhand.

Citing instances of the Centres apathy towards the development of the State, the Congress leader said that the Modi government has not cleared funds regarding some ambitious development projects of the State which, if implemented, could have provided new means of income for the people. This reveals that the Modi government is the least interested in the development of the State, he said.

Slamming the Centre further, Mahara said that as Uttarakhand has limited sources of income, the externally aided projects can prove instrumental in the development of the State. But the BJP government at the Centre has been sitting on such projects, harming the long-term developmental interest of the state. Even those externally aided projects which were earlier approved are in jeopardy for lack of funds and the funds spent earlier on the projects may go down the drain, he said, adding that as many as 11 Centrally aided projects worth Rs 20,236 crore have remained in pipeline because of ceiling imposed by the Centre and it is uncertain whether they will ever be executed or not.

He further said that the Dhami governments boast of making Uttarakhand a model State rings hollow. The ground reality stands in contradiction to the saffron boast of development, he said.

In a meeting with officials of the State Industrial Development Authority (SIDA) and State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIIDCUL), the Industry secretary Sachin Kurve had directed that self-verification be facilitated for applicants seeking permission from SIDA and SIIDCUL for building construction. This step has been taken to make the process of building map approval easier in the industrial sector. Following Kurves directions, the SIDA chief executive officer and SIIDCUL managing director Savin Bansal issued directions for implementing the provision for self-verification.

The applicant will be able to begin construction of the building on the basis of this certificate. The applicant will have to undertake the building construction within two years. The officials state that there are two direct advantages of self-verification of building maps for approval. Whereas earlier, it used to take about 15 days to secure approval for building map, now the applicant will be able to start the construction directly after getting the self-verification certificate. The applicant will not have to make frequent visits to the authorities.

Cheetah patrolling units in Uttarakhand cities to be armed with handguns

In a bid to modernise the ground units, especially the quick reaction ones,Uttarakhandpolice would soon arm its two-wheeler-borne city patrolling units, known as ‘Cheetah’, with 9mm pistols.

Its in accordance with the ministry of Home affairs initiative of ‘Strict and Sensitive, Modern and Mobile, Alert and Accountable, Reliable and Responsive, Techno-savvy and Trained (SMART)’ policing.