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Danguntha, Uttarakhand’s remotest polling booth

By
Tania Saili
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1
Polling party

Dehradun, As the country readies itself to celebrate Democracy with it first round of polling around the corner i.e. 11th April, the polling team for the furthest polling booth at Danguntha in Dehradun District left for their station today early morning.

The first to leave the Election Office gates and the last to return, the Danguntha polling team has an uphill task set out for them. Danguntha polling station falls under the Tehri Lok Sabha seat in Chakrata region of the State.

Nodal officer for transport Vipin Kumar updated the media stating, “Danguntha is some 240 kms from the Maharana Pratap Sports College in Raipur, Dehradun which also happens to the Election Office for the Lok Sabha elections. Once the polling team leaves from here today morning it will take them good ten hours to reach their destination.”

Adding more Mr. Kumar stated, “568 vehicles have been made available for polling teams to reach their respective booths. Other than that 767 vehicles have been kept in reserve. Some 250 vehicles have been made available to the Police Force along with 450 vehicles which have been designated to Sector Zonal Officers.”

83 vehicles, all tanked up with fuel are ready to ferry polling teams to and fro from polling stations in far off places like Chakrata and Tyuni region alone.

Giving a run-down of the furthest polling booths from road-heads, most hill districts topped the list.

Furthest Polling Booths from Road-heads:  

Dumka Chamoli 20 kms
Dansal Tehri 19 kms
Pilang Uttarkashi 18 kms
Nauliya Pithorgarh 18 kms
Kotkendri Champwat 18 kms
Bor Balda Bageshwar 15 Kms

Mussoorie Farmers Market: A must-visit

By
Tania Saili
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2

Mussoorie, This coming Sunday i.e. the 14th of April,  the hill-station of Mussoorie is all set to play the perfect hostess to it very first edition of Mussoorie Farmers Market,  at Brentwood Hotel, Mussoorie from morning to noon.

The walk-in event from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm is open to visitors, tourists and residents who wish to be part of this unique endeavour.

Vivek Benipal, the man behind the scene, tells us more, “The Mussoorie Farmers Market is a growing community of Uttarakhand based farmers, naturepreneurs, organic start-ups, and health enthusiasts, inspiring everyone to buy local produce. It is also an attempt to bring the community together to support indigenous produce by offering farmers a platform to not only showcase but also sell their produce to the buyers directly.”

There is more to the fest. You can also satisfy your taste buds with some culinary delicacies specially prepared from locally sourced ingredients from in and around the hill-station.

An interesting cocktail of stalls of various items such as vegetables, pulses, spices, beverages, gardening, local crafts, handmade & natural products along with a GreenLife Exhibition showcasing a variety of eco-friendly products for personal and household use will also be on display for those who wish to buy.

 

Rajat Kapoor of Brentwood Hotel who are also venue partners and co-host of the event adds, “we want to make this a regular calendar event in Mussoorie where the community gets together and get to buy indigenous produce directly from the farmers from the periphery of the town.”

These eco-friendly products are all made-in-India and rest assured, will be readily available online for future purchases as well, so you aren’t at a loss once you run out of the product purchased at the Mussoorie Farmer’s Market.

Those who happen to be in town or plan to visit Mussoorie, do mark your calendar and make sure you come visiting to encourage local growers and enjoy this community event.

Rising Mercury leads to Forest Fire incidents

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun: Two months on. Close to a dozen incidents of forest fire in Garhwal and Kumaon region. 15 hectares of forest cover lost and adding to that, an economic loss of rupees 26, 475 to the ex-chequer. And this is just the beginning of a scorching summer up ahead, leading to increasing instances of forest fire.

Leading from the front, District Haridwar has to-date witnessed four forest fire incidents since 15th of February when the Forest Fire Season officially begins in Uttarakhand. The season comes to an end on the 15th of June, just when monsoon comes knocking.

Ranjan Misra, Chief Forest Conservator assures us, “We have taken preventive measures such as controlled fire-lines and rotational burning of grass and shrubs, we have been successful in controlling forest fires thus far.“

Long spells of dry weather; low lying land winds and rising mercury have in the past been the perfect recipe for disaster. 2016 summer, Uttarakhand witnessed raging infernos turning everything in its path to ashes. Last year too  i.e. the summer of 2018, 4,480 hectares of forest cover were affected by 2,150 forest fire instances alone.

Leaving no stones unturned, the Forest Department has divided forest areas into sensitive and highly-sensitive sectors and dedicated a mobile no: 7900577999 for anyone willing to share information regarding forest fires in their area. Along with that, the Forest Survey of India has registered 2229 for sms fire-alerts as well.

The Forest Department has set up 40 control rooms in Dehradun, an Information Technology and Geo-Information cell which co-ordinates with 1,437 crew-stations along with 174 watch-towers keeping a vigilant eye on any untoward incident.

As mercury rises, garlands of fire are visible at night from a distance. In the day, billowing tendrils of smoke rise as our forests fall prey to rising flames, a growing threat to Uttarakhand’s 3,400 sq km of green forest which comes under threat each fire season.

Uttarakhand matra-shakti : A bridge too far

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun, Traditionally, women of Uttarakhand have been the backbone of all environmental, social revolution the hill-state has ever witnessed. From Chipko Movement for Greener Himalayas, anti-liquor prohibition or a fight for separate statehood. Even when it comes to sending Minister of Parliament to the Center from here, a whooping 3,711,220 women voters out of the total 77,65, 423 voters play a pivotal role.

Between Dehradun and Haridwar, the plains of Uttarakhand have the highest women voters with the District of Dehradun topping at 6,71,645 followed by Haridwar at 6,16,865. On the other hand, the hill district of Champawat has the lowest number of women voters at 92,453.

A graph of women franchise from Rudraprayag shows how women voters will be the deciding factor here and not their male counter part: 

Rudrapryag: Male: 92,497; Women: 93,889            

Since its very inception, when it comes to distribution of political tickets for Vidhan Sabha or Lok Sabha elections national political parties like the Congress and the Bhartiya Janta Party sideline the much-talked about Matrashakti of the hill-state. Out of the five MP seats, BJP has fielded a repeat candidate Mala Raja Lakshmi Shah from Tehri, the sole women representation from the State at the Centre since 2014, and the Congress, none.

Neha Joshi, a young, dynamic BJP worker and National media coordinator for BJYM feels that her party is grooming women leader to contest future elections, ‘change has to come from the bottom upwards and leaders have to be groomed, and my party is consciously working on those lines. They are trying to inculcate leadership qualities and groom more women leaders. We are being prepared for future elections and this mere tokenism of giving tickets to empower women is not going to work.”

On the other hand Congress Spokesperson Garima Basauni states, “Congress doesn’t abstain from giving women equal opportunity. We have had the first woman Prime Minister, President, Speaker, AICC President.   This time the scenario is different, its about winning elections and each and every single seat counts.”

So for now, the women of the hill-state have to find consolation in the fact that in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections they can make a difference through their collective franchise, that is the power of Democracy.

Women Voters District-wise:

Dehradun: 6,71,645

Haridwar: 6,16,865

Bageshwar: 10,3,859

Uttarkashi: 10,8,831

US Nagar: 5,63,815

Nainital: 3,52,487

Pauri: 2,73,369

Almora: 2,59,312

Tehri: 2,44,667

Pithoragarh: 1,86,476

Chamoli: 1,43,552

Rudraprayag: 93,889

Champawat: 92,453

PEN-India School news session begins with a Voter Awareness Rally

By
newspost
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0

Dolwala, An awareness rally was organised by PEN-India School to make people aware about the importance of their polling rights. School students and their parents participated in the rally and made an appeal to the general public to cast their vote and also encouraged new voters to participate in the upcoming general elections. The theme of the rally was “Cast your Vote, Don’t become an April Fool”.

Dr Prakash Keshaviah, the patron of the PEN-India Foundation said, “PEN-India School aims at imparting free and quality education to the underprivileged students. The Foundation also aims at the overall development of the children which will help them in becoming responsible citizens in future. Further adding, “each and every vote is important for democracy.”

Mr Anoop Rawat, the Founder and President of PEN-India Foundation said, “the new session of the school started today with an awareness rally to make people aware about their voting rights and the importance of their votes. If we do not want to become a fool, we all should practice our right to vote and hence the theme of today’s rally was “Cast your Vote, Don’t become an April Fool”.

Mr Santosh Budakoti, the Director of the foundation stated how, “ we all should cast our votes as this gives us an opportunity to bring about a change and to get heard. To vote is every individual’s national responsibility to maintain and strengthen the democracy of our nation.”

His Father’s Son: Manish Khanduri

By
Tania Saili
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0

Pauri, This Lok Sabha election, out of the MP seats which fall within the preview of  Uttarakhand, the one worth looking out for is the Pauri Lok Sabha seat.

Here a rather interesting battle for legacy between a son and a disciple will be played out.

After much speculation of ‘will he / wont he’ on the 16th of March at a rally addressed by AICC Chief Rahul Gandhi in Dehradun, 51 year old Engineering Graduate, Manish Khanduri joined the Congress party. The fact that Manish Khanduri is former Chief Minister and Senior BJP leader Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri son and will be contesting from Pauri on a Congress ticket made it headlines.

As for his rival, BJP selected National Secretary Tirath Singh Rawat, considered a close aide of veteran leader BC Khanduri himself. Elevated to the post of BJP’S State President in 2013, Tirath had none other but his “political guru” B C Khanduri to thank for.

In a recent interview to the press Manish stated, “BC Khanduri is my father and I have his blessings. My fight is ideological,”

And Manish doesn’t feel new to the Congress ideologies. His paternal grandmother, Durga Khanduri was a Senior Congress pioneer from Uttarakhand while his maternal uncle Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna was a veteran Congress front-runner from the hill-state as well.

A fact that BC Khanduri himself reiterated in the media, “My son is an educated person who can do whatever he desires. I fail to understand why questions are being raised in this regard. Politics is not some family business that he should follow me.”

Since Pauri is considered to be stronghold of the BJP, it will be nothing less than an uphill task for the new entrant Manish to woo voters. Whether his father’s goodwill over the years will flow into his kitty, across party lines or will his people take time to be won over personally by the dint of his own sweat and toil, will be made clearer on counting day i.e. 23rd of May 2019.

Pure milk and dairy products at your doorstep

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun, There is good news for Dehradun residents who are on the constant look out for that ‘elusive’ unadulterated cow milk and dairy products being delivered at their very doorstep, your search ends here.

Established in 1937, the Uttarakhand Livestock Development Board recently shifted focus to Red Sindhi Breed of cow under the guidance of Trivendra Singh Rawat when he was Minister of Agriculture, Uttarakhand. With milk not being their primary nor secondary but tertiary source of income, the institute focuses on its livestock being healthy & disease free. A2 milk is being auctioned from this very source and being marketed in the valley now.

In early January, Manish Kukreti started the initiative of procuring 450 litres of pure, unadulterated milk directly from ULDB and selling dairy products under the label ‘Annapoorna Stuti.’

The most popular of all dairy breeds, six hundred Red Sindhi cows are being reared in over an area of 110 acres devoted exclusively for green fodder around the year. The dung from the livestock is used to enrich the soil keeping in mind the plastic free, organic environ for the cattle.

Three months into the business and Manish has repeat clients who cant get enough of his products. One such client, Neeraj Karanwal tells us, “not only is this milk pure, the intake of milk has increased immunity in our children as well.”

Trying to make inroads into a highly fragmented & competitive market, Manish is offering an introductory price of Rs. 60 per litre for milk. While using traditional principles of making wholesome ghee, this delightful product is being sold at rupees 2,700/- per kg. While many people may raise their eyebrows at the seemingly high cost of the products, but given the purity and quality, rest assured this is value for money.
Similar products made from native Indian breed Cows milk are being sold at a much higher premium in Delhi NCR region. Ghee for upwards of Rs. 4000 / kg, curd upto Rs. 320/- per kilo and butter-milk upto Rs. 130/- per litre are available in limited quantities and to a lucky few.

To further lower their carbon footprint, this milk is home delivered in reusable glass bottles, as it is one of the most secure, non-responsive and non-poisonous materials for packaging.

Dr. MS Nayal of Uttarakhand Livestock Development Board, Kalsi, Dehradun is full of praise for Manish and his initiative, “Manish has done a commendable job in marketing dairy products in such a way that in the days to come it will be a game-changer for all dairy farmers in the State and will aid in building up a good cliental base for their products as well.”

For now Manish is looking for an outlet for his products to be displayed and sold from, but until then, for those who want to order can email Manish: [email protected] or contact him at +919810611211.

The Impressions: Bridging the bollywood gap!

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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1

Dehradun, Over the years Uttarakhand has become a popular destination for film units from Bollywood making a beeline to shoot in its picturesque locale.

And assisting these film units are Dehradun’s young, passionate men who have been working in this field for the past six years. Termed as ‘Line Producers’ in the filming lingo, ‘The Impressions’ group has left an indelible impression on big and small Bollywood banners who have come to town Dharma Production, Fox Star, Viacom, Yashraj as well as Balaji Productions to name just a few.

The brain-child of friends Mayank Tiwari, Mayank Singh, Atul Painuly and Pulkit Grover,  the idea of assisting film units in every which way possible to make film shooting seamless in the State was the idea behind the set up. Mayank Singh tells us, “we wanted to do something for our State and make a difference by involving local people. We have video and stills of all locations in Uttarakhand which we send to production homes in Mumbai trying to attract various film units.”

The ’Student of the Year’  a debut movie for main lead Actor Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra was also ‘The Impressions’ first baby as Line Producers.

Founder member Mayank Tiwari tell us, “We had our share of teething trouble when we started in 2012. Finance was an issue and so were cultivating contacts. But when Dharma Production liked our work and it earned us a letter of appreciation from Karan Johar, that was our turning point.”

Today with over fifty movies under their belt, the group boasts of taking film units to shoot in the interiors of the Uttarakhand other than Mussoorie and Dehradun per se. Batla House, Shivaay, Parmanu, Student of the Year, NetFlix series Noble Man, Bournvita, Maruti Ertiga, Maruti Zest, Nexon, Nestle have shot in Uttarakhand with the assistance of ‘The Impressions.’

Other than movies, various Television advertisements and documentaries have been lured to shoot in the hill-state thanks to the efforts of ‘The Impressions’. Today, the group not only sells prospective locations but also, “makes available junior artists, spots boys along with other endless needs of film units.“

These days these men are busy tying up loose ends for Sajid Nadiawala’s upcoming project which will soon begin filming in Uttarakhand. We wish them all the very best.

Choose wisely: Herbal over synthetic colours this Holi

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun, The Chemistry Division Lab at the Forest Research of India in Dehradun is buzzing with activity. The unit here has been busy preparing around ten kilograms of herbal gulaal for its in-house consumption coming Holi, for the past one week. This annual ritual by the Forest Research of India is to ensure that the festival of colour remains not only colourful but also safe for their near and dear ones.

Lab assistants are working diligently creating yellow and light orange gulaal from a simple procedure of mixing plant extract dissolved in pure alcohol with maize starch, and what you get 12 hours later is your dry, soft, natural herbal gulaal ready for use.

With lab procuring most of the raw material for creating these different colours from natural dyes of trees, plants and flowers, they lend the main ingredient i.e. maize starch not only their colour but hue as well.

Talking to us, Dr. Vineet Kumar of Forest Research Institute tells us, “Herbal gulaal is soft to use, eco-friendly and soothing to the eyes. It is also non-toxic because we use natural ingredients.”

On the other hand, synthetic colours made from industrial dyes and inorganic, toxic chemicals have flooded the Indian market as they are inexpensive yet harmful to use, but finds many buyers as well.

But it is heartening to see how a large population has shifted to herbal gulaal over the years, despite being a bit expensive and not easily available in the market is being preferred over synthetic, chemical colours making Holi, the festival of colours, not only more colourful but fun and safe for all ages to play with.

Maa-App, a blessing for mothers-to-be

By
Tania Saili
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2

Rudraprayag, Oft it has been said that there are no medical facilities in the hills of Uttarakhand, but statistics state otherwise. Maternal mortality rates are highest in the plain districts of Haridwar, Udhamsingh Nagar and Dehradun compared to the hill-districts.

And there is good news there too! Rudraprayag District has become the first district in the hill-state to boast of an App dedicated to ‘would-be-mothers’. This ‘Maa App’ comes with a complete medical kit equipped with a Digital BP Machine, Stethoscope, weighing scale for mother and child along with a smartphone with sim.

Officially launched by MLA Bharat Singh Chaudhry and DM Mangesh Ghildiyal a week back, the App has over forty-five pregnant women registered on it. Tailor-made for mothers- to-be it assists them during pregnancy and ensures mother and child care.

Sharing more details about ‘Maa App,’ District magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal adds, “The geographical terrain of the district makes it difficult to monitor regular health check-ups of pregnant women. With this App, high-risk pregnant cases will be identified way in advance and will be monitored by medical practitioners from time to time ensuring safe delivery of child and pre and post natal care.”

Funded by the Hans Foundation, 81 kits were distributed amongst Auxiliary Nurse Midwife deputed by the Health Department in villages dotting the district. Being termed as a welcome move by the district administration, the App will go a long way in bringing down fatalities of high-risk pregnancy cases.

Adding further, DM highlighted the fact that, “Sms alert is sent to ANM’s, Asha Workers, CMO when a woman’s due date is near. Medical help within the district is alerted and the woman is brought to Pratyasha a ten-bed, home-care facility fitted with television sets along with free food and lodging for mothers-to-be.”

Considered a blessing for both would-be-mother and child, the ‘Maa App’ has found many users in the district within a very short span of time. ‘Maa App’ will further ensure that maternal mortality rate is soon a passé in the hill-district of Rudraprayag, for starters.

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