Page 19 - Uttarakhand

Ahead of polls, Indo-Nepal border sealed, movement closed: U'khand CEO

This time, we have got around 60 companies of paramilitary forces for elections. And we believe that we will conduct peaceful elections

Lok Sabha polls: Garhwal's women voters laud BJP's 'pro-women' schemes

The passage of the women's reservation bill and the "pro-women" schemes might help the BJP's fortunes, but the delay in rehabilitating victims of the Chamoli disaster is concerning, women voters in Uttrakhand's Garhwal region have said. The high rate of unemployment in the region, the rising prices of essential commodities and the Agnipath scheme were some of the other troubling issues for the women voters ahead of Lok Sabha polls in the state. Rashmi Nautiyal, a resident of Chamoli district, said the participation of women in politics has increased over the last few years and they are learning to take a stand for themselves. "We have seen several women-oriented schemes being launched by the government here. As a result, women are getting a sense of participation in the polls," Nautiyal said. "Earlier, women used to follow male members of their family, however, now they are taking a stand for themselves," she added. According to official data, the Garhwal region has more than five

Agnipath scheme likely to dent BJP's electoral prospects in Uttarakhand

People in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand say the Agnipath scheme and the Ankita Bhandari case would have a bearing on the electoral prospects of the BJP here since the youth is not happy for the last couple of years. Ankit Negi, a resident of the Chamoli district, said that choosing the Army as a career option was the primary choice of every youth here, especially those from the hills or rural areas. Eight years (from 17 to 25) are crucial for every youth who decides where they will head in life. It decides the future of the person and his family as well. However, after the introduction of this scheme, the youth is deeply agitated. The youth of hill areas are known for their physical strength. Every youth here used to be very enthusiastic about choosing the Army as their career option. The BJP is not focusing on this issue and it is also not in their election manifesto, due to which most of the youngsters here are not in favour of voting for the party, Negi said. Abhinav Patwal,

FIR registered against 2 Delhi govt officials after Uttarakhand court order

On March 2, the court admitted a complaint by an NGO, Pleasant Valley Foundation, against the officials and asked the revenue police to register a case against them and investigate the charges

Thomas Cook launches 'helicopter darshan' to Adi Kailash, Om Parvat

Targeting the surge in demand for spiritual tourism, Thomas Cook India and its group firm SOTC Travel have partnered with the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board to offer aerial darshans to Adi Kailash and Om Parvat, the company announced on Wednesday. The five-day spiritual tour has been launched at a price of Rs 90,000 per person -- subsidized by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board. The base camp for the tour will be Pithoragarh, in Uttarakhand. The darshans will start from the second day onwards. On the day-2 of the trip Manokamna temple darshan will be organised and on day-3 onwards there will be Adi Kailash & Om Parvat darshan. Each batch of the five-day spiritual tour will consist of 14 persons. Thomas Cook and SOTC's data indicates a significant demand of 100 per cent YoY for Spiritual Tourism. The tour includes two helicopter darshans to Adi Kailash and Om Parvat, an ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) for journey to the Parvati Sarovar temple and all meals (vegetarian), ...

Lok Sabha polls: Uttarakhand govt declares public holiday on voting day

The people of Uttarakhand will cast their votes in a single phase on April 19, according to the Election Commission of India

Not scared of Oppn: PM Modi vows stronger action on corruption in 3rd term

Lok Sabha elections: PM Modi, during a rally in Uttarakhand, said that he is not scared of the Opposition's abuses and will act on their alleged corruption with greater force in his third term

LS polls: Congress targets PM Modi on issue of development in Uttarakhand

The Congress on Tuesday said the Modi government has "failed" to make any meaningful improvements in Uttarakhand, claiming the state has been plagued by rampant unemployment, unprecedented out-migration, crumbling infrastructure, and a deteriorating law and order situation in recent years. The opposition party's attack came ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis rally in Uttarakhand. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh noted that PM Modi is visiting the city of Rudrapur in Uttarakhand on Tuesday. "We hope that the PM will take this opportunity to address three key questions about why his government has failed to make any meaningful improvements in the state," Ramesh said and listed the questions on X. "The BJP government has been disappointingly ineffective in addressing Uttarakhand's biggest challenges of unemployment and migration. In 2021, an RTI revealed that 5 lakh people have migrated out of the state in the last 10 years - and the rate of migration is only increasing,"

Lok Sabha polls: 55 candidates left in fray for five seats of Uttarakhand

One independent candidate from Almora has withdrawn from the contest leaving only 55 candidates in the fray for the April 19 Lok Sabha polls in Uttarakhand. Arjun Kumar Dev, the independent candidate from Almora, withdrew on the last date for withdrawal of nominations on Saturday, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Vijay Kumar Jogdande said. Dev was the lone candidate to withdraw, he said. There are now a total of 55 candidates in the fray for the five Lok Sabha constituencies in the state which go to polls in the first phase on April 19. There are 11 candidates in the fray for Tehri seat, 13 for Pauri Garhwal, 7 for Almora, 10 for Nainital and 14 for Haridwar, Jogdande said. The additional chief electoral officer said that publishing and broadcasting of exit poll results will be completely prohibited during the entire election process as per the Election Commission's instructions. Jogdande said that there will be a ban on the publication and telecast of exit polls from 7 am on A

ED issues fresh summons to Uttarakhand Cong leader Harak Singh Rawat

Rawat is a former forest minister of the state who quit the BJP ahead of the 2022 Uttarakhand assembly polls and joined the Congress

Uttarakhand govt to translocate four tigers to Rajasthan, says official

The Uttarakhand government has agreed to translocate four tigers to Rajasthan following a request from the authorities of the western state. The process of selecting the tigers for relocation to Rajasthan has already begun, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Sameer Sinha told PTI on Saturday. The tigers to be sent to Rajasthan will not be captured from the protected forest area but from the buffer zone, according to guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), he said A similar request for the relocation of three tigers to Odisha has also been received and it is under consideration, Sinha said. The requests from the Rajasthan and the Odisha governments for the translocation of tigers were received following the successful operation of the tiger relocation project in Uttarakhand under which four big cats were translocated from the Corbett Tiger Reserve to Rajaji Tiger Reserve, the official said. A fifth tiger can be brought from Corbett to the Motic

Lok Sabha elections 2024: EC orders removal of home secretaries in 6 states

The Election Commission has ordered the removal of home secretaries in 6 states and Director General of Police (DGP) of West Bengal

Majority of millet farmers in Uttarakhand see 10-20% rise in income: Study

Three of four millet-growing farmers in Uttarakhand have seen a 10-20 per cent increase in their annual income owing to the push to millet farming by the Centre and state government, according to a study by the Indian Institute of Management, Kashipur. However, the study -- conducted on more than 2,100 farmers -- found that many of them are still not aware of the increased demand for millet-based products, and are still growing it on a smaller scale for personal consumption only. Greater awareness among millet growers about an increased market demand for their crop could help more and more of them to increase their income, it said. The declaration of 2023 as the International Millet Year has played a crucial role in raising awareness about millet as a sustainable crop worldwide and increased the demand for millet-based products both nationally and globally, the study on "Millet Production in Uttarakhand: An Empirical Analysis of its Socio-Economic Impact and Marketability Challenges

Lok Sabha elections: Key seats to watch in UP, Punjab, Raj, other states

The BJP won all four Himachal Pradesh Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, it is fighting a divided Congress. The seats include these. * Hamirpur: The BJP has fielded Union minister Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur, the Lok Sabha seat he has been winning since a 2008 bypoll. CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri also represent assembly segments in Hamirpur. Five of the six Congress MLAs who recently rebelled against the party were also elected from Hamirpur assembly segments. * Mandi: Members of the region's erstwhile families have tried their luck here. Himachal Congress president Pratibha Singh currently represents the constituency which also sent her husband Virbhadra Singh to Parliament in the past.

Officials asked to shift govt buildings from red zone in Joshimath

Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana on Thursday asked officials to conduct a survey of government buildings and properties in the unsafe red zone in land-subsidence hit Joshimath and shift them to safe locations. The district magistrate gave the instructions at a meeting with departmental officers convened to review reconstruction work related to disaster risk reduction in Joshimath. A survey should be conducted of all the government buildings and assets in the red zone in Joshimath and land in safe locations in and around the town should be identified for shifting them, Khurana said at the meeting. The DM also asked officials to offer all rehabilitation options to the subsidence-affected families falling under the red zone in Joshimath. Drainage, sewerage work, toe erosion, and construction of the GIS sub-centre in Joshimath were reviewed at the meeting. Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti and Joshimath Mool Niwasi Swabhiman Sangathan have opposed the state government's ..

Dhami launches several development schemes worth Rs 229.3 cr in Gopeshwar

The CM said the state government resolves to make Uttarakhand the best state in the country

UCC Bill passed by Uttarakhand gets President's assent, becomes law

The Uniform Civil Code Bill, passed by the Uttarakhand Assembly on February 7, has become a law with President Droupadi Murmu giving her assent to it. Uttarakhand is the first state in the country after Independence to adopt the UCC. "It is a moment of great joy and pride for people of the state that the Uniform Civil Code Bill passed by our government in the Uttarakhand Assembly has been approved by the Honorable President Smt Droupadi Murmu," Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a post on X. The President gave her assent to the Uniform Civil Code, Uttarakhand, 2024 under Article 201 of the Constitution of India on March 11, a gazette notification by the government of Uttarakhand said. "With the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code law in the state alongside providing equal rights to all citizens, the oppression of women will also be curbed," Dhami said. "#UniformCivilCode will play an important role in promoting harmony by proving the importance of social equality," he

U'khand CM Dhami inaugurates, lays foundation stone of development schemes

The chief minister has laid the foundation stone for schemes worth about Rs 7227.36 crore and inaugurated schemes worth Rs 1048.15 crore

11 Himachal MLAs move to U'khand, Union minister says Sukhu govt will fall

Six Himachal Pradesh Congress MLAs who voted against party nominee Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha elections, along with three Independent lawmakers, have shifted to a hotel in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand amid an ongoing rebellion against Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Two BJP MLAs Vikram Thakur and Trilok Jamwal from Himachal Pradesh were accompanying the legislators, who arrived in Rishikesh from Haryana's Panchkula by a chartered flight late on Friday and checked into Hotel Taj. Congress MLAs Sudhir Sharma, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar Bhuttu, Ravindra Thakur and Chaitanya Sharma have since been disqualified for defying the party whip on the state budget. They have approached the Supreme Court for relief in the matter. Three Independent MLAs Hoshiar Singh, KL Thakur and Ashish Sharma were also with them when they arrived. The Congress currently has 34 MLAs in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly while the BJP has 25. The three Independent MLAs had als

Uttarakhand CM Dhami orders inquiry after BJP MLA 'misbehaves' with staff

"Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered an inquiry into the dispute between the BJP MLA and the Municipal Commissioner of Dehradun," officials said