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CM Rawat calls for collective efforts to conserve water

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Uttarakhand Chief Minister  participated in a programme to mark the rebuilding of government primary school, Talla Banas in Yamkeshwar block,Pauri District.

In a programme organized by Shrimadbhagvad Mahapuran and Bhandara Saimiti, Talla Banas , Chief Minister  Rawat appealed to the people to make collective efforts for water conservation and plant more trees in the surroundings.

Expressing concern at the depleting forest wealth, Chief Minister said that depleting forest wealth is directly affecting the water resources which in turn in is adversely affecting human life. The Chief Minister expressed concern at depleting natural water resources and water level in the rivers. He said that if the water resources continue to dwindle at the present rate the days are not far when there would only be pipelines in the homes without water.

Chief Minister said that the state government has prepared a work plan to plant record number of saplings. He announced that in the month of July large scale plantation activity will be undertaken by the state government. Besides, the people will also be encouraged to do voluntary plantations. He also praised the efforts of “Maiti Andolan” in plantation. He appealed to people to adopt plantation on the pattern of “Maiti”

Chief Minister termed MANREGA scheme important for self-employment and to meet the water shortages in the hills. He said that solution of all the problems of rural areas is possible through MANREGA.

He also talked about giving encouragement to home stay scheme, making bio-fuels from ‘Pirul’, essence from roses, production of cannabis for self-employment. He also stressed on adopting Kenova farming as it takes less water and less time to fructify and gives good returns. He also talked about adopting voluntary land consolidation and growing lemon grass and putting check dams to conserve water.

Before the programme, Chief Minister Mr. Trivendra Singh Rawat also inspected the training given by Hill Mail Foundation. The people of Banas Talla and Malla and other surrounding villages apprised the Chief Minister about the problem of water scarcity and motor road in the Rajaji National park area. Chief Minister Mr. Trivendra Singh Rawat assured to get a water scheme prepared for Banas.

Uttarakhand’s Goat Villages beckon all

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Pic Courtesy: Nitish Walia

In the darkness that followed the after wash of the Kedarnath floods, a host of volunteers, self-help groups and NGO’s  turned their light  on what could be done for these hills. Among these is the Green People Organization. In 2014, Rupesh Rai along with a team of eight to ten members have redefined hospitality in some of the abandoned villages, by simply putting these places on the map for  off-beat tourist destinations.

pic courtesy: Nitish Walia

Branded as ‘Goat Villages’ that are merely a four-five hour  drive from  Dehradun but within a radius of some 50-55 kms from each other. Come to villages like Nagtibba, Kanatal and Dayara Bugyal to get a flavour of what life is like for the goat herders who have lent their  name.

Speaking to Newspost, Vandana Rai of Green People tells us more about this unique concept:  “Ghost villages have been revived and re-structured as eco-tourism destinations as part of the goat rearing tradition.” She adds: “Tourists stay in refurbished homes that once lay  abandoned. This is where they get  Garhwali cuisine to get  a flavour of the hills.  Locals are taught hospitality skills to play the perfect host as they double up as mentor to the visitors who flock here.” 

bakri chaap

Those who stayed on,  flourish in these  abandoned homes that have a few more creature comforts. The key is a subtle balance between ancient and modern ways.  Natural, organic, home-grown products such as pulses, herbs and crop are being packaged and sold all over under the label ‘Bakri Chaap.’  Goat milk is also  packaged and sent off to the plains, as a part of micro-farming. This comes as a boon for those who are unfamiliar with modern marketing skills. Slowly but surely this novel approach is changing the lives of those to whom these mountains are more than just a home. Meanwhile, the visitor finds himself soaking up a life of  agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, art and culture as a part of a complete-package.

In our times these Goat Villages have created a fourth destination. The core object is to reverse the Male Exodus from the hills. It is a fond hope that this attempt will see the possibility of reverse-migration for those who want to return to their home in the hills.

Film Appreciation Course begins for IAS Officers in Mussoorie

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Mussoorie, A 3-day Film Appreciation course (June 21-23  by Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Pune began at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand,today.

This is the first time FTII is organising a Film Appreciation Course at LBSNAA, a premier Academy reputed for training India’s key policy makers.

The Course, conducted under FTII’s countrywide film education outreach initiative SKIFT (Skilling India in Film and Television), was inaugurated by Ms Divya Dutta, National Award winning actor in the presence of Ms Upma Chawdhry, Director, LBSNAA, Bhupendra Kainthola, Director, FTII and Sankalp Meshram, Course Director.

178 officer trainees of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and 3 from Royal Bhutan Civil Service (RBCS) will be attending the Film Appreciation Course besides teachers and staff from the Academy.

At present, the officers are attending the IAS Professional Course, Phase II (2016 batch) which is a 6-week training the officers undergo after 1 year of district or state-level training. The key aim of the Professional Course is to equip the officer trainees with knowledge, skills and attitudes to effectively occupy field positions such as Sub Divisional Magistrates (SDMs), District Magistrates (DMs) , Executive Officers of Zilla Parishads in the near future and key policy making positions later in their career.

Sankalp Meshram, FTII alumnus and Course Director is a five-time National Award winner. He studied Law and then Film Editing at FTII. He is working as a Film professional in the Mumbai film & television Industry since 1994.

The valedictory session on 23rd June will see eminent film and stage actor Naseeruddin Shah,FTII alumnus and his actor-wife Ratna Pathak Shah address the audience before presenting participation Certificates to them.

In Uttarakhand, FTII has so far conducted Film Appreciation courses in capital Dehradun, at HN Bahuguna Central University in Srinagar, Hardwar, IIT Roorkee and Nainital.

Government is committed to clean rivers by 2020: CM Rawat

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Inaugurating the Sewerage Drain Re-Mediation Project constructed courtesy Parmarth Niketan in Chandreshwar Ghat located in Rishikesh, Chief Minister said that,”the common people’s cooperation is very essential in making Ganga clean, and the government is committed to clean the rivers by 2020.”

Chief Minister said that the technology imported from Holland is being used by Parmarth Niketan to clean the sewerage water is capable of making the water clean at low cost. This technique will be used on experimental basis to clean the sewerage going into Ganga through the Chandrabhaga River. When this technique will prove to be effective, it would also be installed in other sewers connected with Ganga, made clean by 2020 that.

Chief Minister said that along with general masses, other organisations will also have to come forward for the cleaning of the 2500 KMs long world famous river Ganges. CM said that Rishikesh has been established as the capital of world Yoga, which is a matter of pride for our state and country. It is the moral responsibility of all of us to keep this world famous beautiful city clean in which the cooperation of various institutions is expected. The work of officers associated with the Ganga cleanliness will be reviewed continuously. On this occasion, Swami Chidanand Ji Maharaj said that Ganga is the heritage of this country and it is the moral responsibility of all of us to keep it clean.

On the occasion, Vidhan sabha Speaker  Premchand Aggarwal, Swami of Parmarth Niketan Chidanand Ji Maharaj, Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh, Director General Namami Gange Rajiv Ranjan, Secretary, Arvind Hayanki besides other officers and public were present.

Shruti Maheshwari: The Perfect Cake-Smith

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Haldwani, Individual efforts of reverse migration to Uttarakhand rarely makes it to the headlines. But there are one youth who have given ‘reverse-migration’ an entirely new tag, as many have gone onto make their janmbhoomi their karmbhumi  as well.

In this league, we talk about Shruti Maheshwari a trained baker from abroad who has given the art of baking a whole new meaning in Kathgodam.

27 year old Shruti studied in Nainital and then did her Graduation in Business from Indraprastha College in New Delhi. A lady with a flare to bake, Shruti took off to Le Cordon Bleu College in London to pursue her passion for baking and did a diploma in patisseries.  Armed with her diploma degree Shruti returned to India and then worked in Trident, Mumbai for a little over a year, where she had the opportunity to bake cakes for many Bollywood celebs including Sushmita Sen.

With everything going for the young baker, Shruti took a decision which would ,’change her life for the better‘, as she puts it and returned to her home in the hills. Today the young lady runs her own full-fledged bakery from home ‘Cake Smith by Shruti,’  the one-stop-shop/bakery in Kathgodam, Haldwani for all your bakery needs. Talking to Newspost Shruti tells us, “I have my parents and Chef Lalit Manral and Chef Albert Anthony to thank for being my constant guiding angels.” Shruti takes orders for cakes, cupcakes, cake in a jar, muffins, chocolates, cookies, granola bars and many more mouth-watering delicacies on her FB/instagram/whatsapp in advance to avoid any wastage.

Shruti, at present is honing her skills by using dates and honey to bake cakes and pastries for diabetic patients who want to indulge in some goodies to satisfy their sweet-tooth,  “I want to bake items for my diabetic customers as well and want my cakes to be readily available not only in Haldwani but nearby hamlets as well.”

Shruti’s handcrafted bakery-delights are putting smile on the face of her customers. Her detail-oriented and artistic baked goods have everyone craving for more as the young lady ‘Rises and Shines,‘ on her own mantel.

CM meets South Superstar Mahesh Babu

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Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat took part in the Muhrat of South Indian Telugu film produced by “S.V.C. Productions 30” at Summer Valley School,” at Dalanwala today.

The film will be shot in Summer Valley School and FRI. Renowned South Indian film actor Mahesh Babu and actress Puja Hegde are in lead roles. Chief Minister said that, “this is the sixth film in the last seven months, which is being shot in Uttarakhand, with support of FTII, Pune, Film Appreciation Course has been started in Uttarakhand.”

Chief Minister said that, “the number of tourists coming to Uttarakhand has witnessed a speedy increase. Religious and adventure tourism has also increased. With the shooting of the films, the prospects of tourism in Uttarakhand will also increase.”

Krishan Kuriyal: Bringing the Past into the Present

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Forty-six year old Krishan Chandra Kuriyal and a handful of artisans from the Yamuna and the Tons Valleys have been working to preserve and bring into our times the vanishing art and architecture of Garhwal Region. Student of Doon School, Dehradun and then an IIT Architecture Graduate from Roorkee, Krishan worked in Delhi for three years and then returned home to be in Uttarkashi with his mother back home (having lost his father early) and there has been no looking back.

On his return, Krishna found that the architectural glory of the region were perilously close to oblivion.  The wood and stone structures of the Rawain and Jaunsar area were threatened with extinction.

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When modern concrete structures replaced traditional homes, these artists and their art were almost forgotten. Krishan set out to revive Uttarakhand architectural heritage. The first step? Look for these masters of their craft.

Speaking to Newspost, Krishan tells us, “When we were studying architecture in IIT, we were taught about the forts of Rajasthan and the temples of South India. There was little or no mention of Uttarakhand architecture in our books. Professor Shankar in IIT inspired me to work on Garhwali Architecture and that is how I ended up doing what I know today.”

What started off as a passion 17 years ago, has today become a model for others to follow. In the beginning Krishan and his team of dedicated workers revived the Naagdwaar and the Mahasu temples of Jaunsar. This was followed by restoration of some 30 or 40 temples. Tinged with nostalgia, Krishan sighs: “These restorers have no time for anything else. They are working on the Uttarkashi Museum, Government Buildings, Resorts and are also part of the Kedarnath rehabilitation project along with the Garhwal Regimental Center in Landsdowne. They have their hands full and are doing a great job.” 

krishna kudiyal

Glumly he adds: “Uttarakhand has no architectural identity unlike other Himalayan States like say Kashmir, Himanchal, Nepal, Sikkim or Bhutan. Even today, important State Institutional buildings like the Gairsain Vidhan Sabha and Uttarakhand Bhawan in Delhi, do not reflect  our traditional architectural heritage,which is heartbreaking.” 

But Krishan Kuriyal’s hard work, dedication and vision has paid off. Today, Krishan Kuriyal has become synonymous with revival and restoration of Uttarakhandi Architecture. He and his skilled craftsmen have not only given employment to many but their undying patronage to this unique art, has given it a fresh lease of life.

Mera-Gaon, Swachh-Gaon Campaign arrives in Mana village

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Mana/Chamoli,  ‘Mera-Gaon,Swachh-Gaon‘ a cleanliness campaign which started in Kandara Village in Chamoli, has today traveled far and wide. Making its way slowly from village to village in Chamoli,  spearheaded by Engineer Bhuwan Singh Rawat, it has now found place in the hearts of the hill-folks of Mana village.

The Campaign came to town, when there were locals and tourists celebrating the annual Jaith Puja Fair. Speaking to those gathered, Bhuwan Rawat reiterated, “We should not be dependent on the State Government for all our needs, we should rise above this mentality. Without spending a penny we too can be part of the cleanliness drive and serve our country well.”

Women and children of the village turned out in in large numbers wearing their traditional attire to pledge their support to the campaign. The cleanliness campaign laid stress on how one could recycle and reuse oil canisters as dustbins to collect garbage in public spaces.  The reuse of plastic cold-drink bottles for making bird-baths was taught to the eager audience who found it  a doable alternate.

For his contribution to making our hills clean and green, Engineer Bhuwan Singh Rawat was felicitated by the village elders and an oath was taken by those present to ensure that they too would do their bit in cleaning not only to their homes but also their surroundings.

Travelling to Heaven amongst National Geographic finalist

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Rishikesh. National Geographic Magazine yet again threw a challenge, like in the past, to photographers across the globe. The ‘Travel Photographer of the Year 2018’ Contest set no limits as to age, gender or number of pictures a contestant deemed fit to submit.

It took more than just sheer luck for one of the ten pictures selected for the final round that has come from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. This spiritual town, has made it onto the International map for more reasons than one. A place that has come to be associated with spirituality, yoga and now for this one stunning picture which has brought new found fame not only to its 19 year old photographer Trikansh Sharma who is pursuing his Graduation in Computer Application but also his passion of being an ace photographer from his home-town Rishikesh.

The photograph has been chosen as the final 10 as part of the ‘Travel Photographer of the Year 2018‘ contest held by the National Geographic Magazine. Speaking about his picture a happy Trikansh tells us, “I braved Rishikesh’s wintery mornings for days on end, armed with my Canon-1300D Camera and a 8-55mm lens, setting up base on the banks of the Ganges, to capture this picture.”

Aptly captioned “Travelling to Heaven, the picture chosen is that of a lone cyclist, who, as luck who have it, happened to ride across the town’s trademark Ram Jhulla on a wintery morning while making his way to the other end of town. Wrapped in mist, the bridge seems to have no end.

This image, chosen by the magazine for Travel Photographer of the Year is one amongst ten. Others range from wild-horses in Iceland to futuristic cities across the planet. Soon the winner will win a hefty cash-prize as well as the coveted title of ‘2018 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year.

Increase in the amount of compensation on damage to humans by wild animals

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Dehradun, the compensation amount pertaining to damage caused by wild animals to the humans has been increased in the State. This decision was taken in the meeting of Uttarakhand State Wildlife Board held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister. Compensation amount has been increased from Rs. 3 lakh to 5 lakh if killed by wild animals, whereas for seriously injured, the compensation amount has been increased from 50 thousand to Rs. 2 lakh. In principle agreement was expressed on the people displaced from the parks and settled at other places be given land rights, the proposal for this will be brought in the cabinet.

Chief Minister said that participation of locals should be ensured in the management of forests. The support of villagers is essential for conservation of forests. Work on concept of green tourism should be done, so that forests are conserved and local villagers also gets livelihood. Permission has been granted to Elephant Safari in the buffer zone of the Corbett and Ramnagar forest division. It was also decided that 100 percent revenue from the tourism in Rajaji Tiger Reserve will be deposited in the fund of Rajaji Tiger Reserve Conservation Foundation. Some part of this will be used for community activities.

Chief Minister said that the meeting of the Uttarakhand State Wildlife Board held once a year will be held every six months. Detailed reports should also be attached with the points presented in the meeting. If any case is concerned with the public, before presenting it in the board meeting, it should be studied that what are the possible benefits and disadvantages of it.

No permit for angling in the buffer zone in reserve forest and tiger reserve would be given. Chief Minister instructed that information about the mountain climbing teams, which are given permission by the forest department, should also be given to the police as well. So that in case of any exigency, the trapped climbers can be rescued.

Forest Minister Dr. Harak Singh Rawat stressed the need for early completion of necessary formalities on the Kandi road. He said that this is a very important route for connectivity of Garhwal with Kumaon. With its construction, the direct connection route from Garhwal to Kumaon would be there, which will reduce the travel time by approximately 3 hours. On his directions in the meeting, Wildlife Institute of India presented the feasibility survey done on the proposed Kandi road. On his suggestion, it was decided to constitute an executive committee in connection with the Kandi route.