Canada to give super visas to Indians

Chandigarh, November 23
Going by the claims of Parm Gill, member of parliament, Brampton, Springdale and Canada, the Canadian government in a bid to facilitate Indian immigrations will provide 25,000 super visas this year as compared to an average of 17,000 last year.

Gill along with Jagvinder Singh Virk, senior member, Liberal Party, Australia visited Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran, today apprised students about the latest benefits being offered by the government to attract Indian students and residents for immigration. The benefits of this visa will not only allow holders a 10-year long multiple entry visa but will also extend benefits to the near and dear ones of the visa holders.

Brahm kamal faces extinction: Researcher

Brahm kamal (Saussurea Obvallata)

Courtesy ecological degradation and excess exploitation of this variety

Pithoragarh, November 22
The existence of Brahm kamal (saussurea obvallata), the state flower of Uttarakhand, is in crisis due to the worldwide ecological degradation and the excess exploitation of this high-Himalayan variety after the creation of the state, claimed Dr Naveen Joshi, an Ayurvedic doctor and researcher on this flower.

According to Dr Joshi, due to religious uses in the Himalayan region and accessibility of the villagers to the areas where it grows, the exploitation of this flower has increased in the recent years leading it to its possible extinction. The height of 11000 feet at which this flower starts appearing is now accessible and as a result, the specific variety of ‘Kasturi Kamal’ cannot be found,” said Dr Joshi.

He said due to its aphrodisiac and aromatic values in Tibetan medical system, the oil of Brahm Kamal is being extracted in a large quantity in Tibet.

“The handbook of traditional drugs cites 174 formulations of this rare flower in Tibet,” said Dr Joshi.

”Not only in Tibet, but in the Chinese medical system a number of perfumes are prepared out of the oil extracted from this flower, which are used for aphrodisiac purposes in that country. Due to this increased use, the Chinese are purchasing this flower from the Tibetan nomads,” said Dr Joshi.

He said in the Indian Ayurvedic system, the Himalayan flower is known as ‘Kooth’ in Ayurveda, which has described its 64 varieties in the Himalayan region. ”In Ayurveda, the uses of Brahm Kamal are meant for antiseptic medicine, medicine to be used for paralysis,

asthma, cholera and many other skin diseases,” said Dr Joshi, who has been researching on the medicinal uses of this flower for a long time.

“But the flower found in the Himalayan glaciers from Yangon in Myanmar to western China on both side of the Himalaya in 62 varieties, including all 36 varieties in the Indian Himalayas, is in a bad shape as the Tibetans are extracting its oil for medicinal uses and the Indian villagers are using it for religious purposes,” said Dr Joshi.

The special variety of this flower, named Kasturi Kamal, known in Ayurvedic as the king of Himalayan flowers, is found at heights of more than 16000 feet, especially in the areas of the Chiplakedar and Hiramani glaciers of Uttarakhand, are in danger of being extinct as the villagers are recklessly extracting these flowers in large quantities to offer it to the goddesses of Nanda and Sunanda in September every year.

”Until this tendency of indiscriminate plucking of this flower is not checked, the state flower of Uttarakhand will be in danger,”’ cautioned Dr Naveen Joshi.

REMARKS AGAINST UP’S DIVISION

Statehood women activists burn Mulayam’s effigy

Haridwar, November 22
Women who had faced police bullets, atrocities and manhandling from the Uttar Pradesh Police on the Rampur Tiraha-Muzaffarnagar border on October 2, 1994, during the Uttarakhand statehood movement, took to streets today protesting against Mulayam Singh Yadav against his anti-small states’ remarks.

Under the aegis of the Uttarakhand Rajya Andolankari Manch, these women statehood activists blamed Mulayam for the mass atrocity on tens of thousands of Uttarakhand activists, who were going to New Delhi to participate in a statehood rally but were violently stopped by the UP Police.

The women activists said Mulayam was always against smaller states, particularly against the formation of Uttarakhand, as he always had bias against hilly people.

Led by women cell chief of the UKM Meera Raturi, dozens of such activists gathered at Bhagat Singh Chowk and took out a procession on the inner roads.

Raturi said while Mayawati had proposed the division of Uttar Pradesh into four new states, its only Mulayam who was against this step, which will usher in development into these regions.

Reacting sharply to Mulayam making similar comment about the creation of Uttarakhand while on a visit to Dehradun last week in the presence of former Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari, veteran manch activist Deveshwari Gairola termed it deliberate attempt by Yadav to put salt on the wounds of those who got affected during the Rampur intersection police firing.

“Tiwari despite being the first CM of Uttaranchal should have objected to Mulayam’s comments, neither did BJP leaders condemn his statement. This is the sad part of people of this hilly state. We fought on ground, but its only politicians who gained from this statehood,” said Nafeesa.

These activists burnt the effigy of the leader seeking a public apology from the people of Uttarakhand for allowing the police to first stop and then fire on the innocent statehood activists at the Rampur intersection.

UK Cabinet nod to madarsa board

OTHER DECISIONSn Separate directorate for minority affairs to be formedn Area of spending under the MLALAD fund increasedn The Uttarakhand Urban Street Vending and Business on Pavement (Regulation and Management) Rules, 2011, approvedn Nagar panchayat status to Purola and Gairsainn Free bus travel for girls in government busesn Award of Rs 50,000 for students getting admission to prestigious medical, management and engineering institutions

Dehradun, November 22

At the third Cabinet meeting held in November, the Uttarakhand Government gave its approval to the creation of a madrasa board, a separate directorate for minority affairs, an increase in the area of spending under the MLA local area development (MLALAD) fund along with the Uttarakhand Urban Street Vending and Business on Pavements (Regulation and Management) Rules, 2011.

At a press briefing held last night, Chief Secretary Subash Kumar said the Muslim Education Mission would be merged with the new board. This would sort out the problem of 500 madarsas and their issue of affiliation. The board would comprise a total of 13 officials, including the director, chief registrar and the accountant.

The government also gave its approval to the creation of a separate minority affairs directorate that would play a role in the implementation of the minority welfare schemes. The main office of the directorate, which is to be located in Dehradun, would have the services of 11 officers, including the director.

The Uttarakhand Urban Street Vending and Business on Pavement (Regulation and Management) Rules, 2011, approved by the Cabinet call for demarcating separate space for vendors and also allowing them to do business legally. It will be implemented in three Municipal Corporations of the state.

Now, under the MLA LAD fund, the MLAs would be able to allocate Rs 10 lakh towards equipping yoga centres and fitness centres by the Yuva Mandal Dals as also towards providing office furniture for the Mahila Mangal Dals.

In another important decision, the Cabinet also gave its nod to according the nagar panchayat status to Purola and Gairsain and also gave approval for making “nazul” land free hold on the basis of the rates that prevailed in 2000.

The Cabinet approved the populist announcements made by Chief Minister BC Khanduri in early November, including free bus travel for girls in government buses, award of Rs 50,000 for those students getting admission to the prestigious medical, management and engineering institutions.

To further improve the government’s image and usher in transparency, the Cabinet also gave approval to signing an agreement between the government and the parties undertaking supplies and other works to ensure no bribes are taken.