IEP Dehradun, September 19, 2022

Uttarakhand Virasat event will be organised on November 5 and 6 in Dehradun this year at Pavillion Ground with performances of several folk singers and artistes playing traditional musical instruments of the State.

The organiser of the event and managing director of Chardham Hospital, Dr KP Joshi informed that Uttarakhand Virasat is being organised to promote the culture of the State and to bring forward the art of playing local musical instruments like Dhol Damau which appears to be disappearing in today’s world. He said that various kinds of handicrafts items made at the village level will also be displayed at the event along with the description and distribution of their products as part of presenting Uttarakhand’s heritage.

He said that their purpose is to provide a platform to the talents of remote villages and small towns of the State and present them in front of a big audience in Dehradun so that they can get employment opportunities through their talent.

Folk singers like Narendra Singh Negi, Pritam Bharatwan, Meena Rana and Sangeet Dhondiyal among others will perform at the event too. They will also be honoured there for their contribution to the State’s art and culture. Joshi said that chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has given his permission to organise this event and would also be the chief guest there. Five MLAs including Vinod Chamoli and Umesh Sharma ‘Kau’ along with cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi have been invited as special guests too, added Joshi.

IEP Dehradun September 17

The birthday of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was celebrated as ‘Sankalp Diwas’ in Uttarakhand on Friday. The CM participated in many programmes organised on the day and accepted the greetings of the people. He flagged off a ‘Sankalp Run’ organised in the morning from the Clock Tower. Speaking on the occasion, he said that his government is committed to the wholesome development of Uttarakhand as per the aspirations of the people of the State. He said that the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is giving full support to the State government in its endeavour for development. Expressing gratitude to the people of the State for the birthday wishes, Dhami said that his government is committed to make Uttarakhand one of the leading states of the country by the year 2025. The Dehradun mayor Sunil Uniyal ‘Gama’, MLA Khajan Das and others were present on the occasion. Earlier in the day the CM offered prayers at the Tapkeshwar temple. Dhami also participated in a programme organised by the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at Seema Dwar on Friday. Here he celebrated his birthday with the Jawans and children by cutting a cake. Speaking at the occasion, he said that the programmes of Jawans and children always fill him with new energy. He said that the lives of the soldiers and their families are full of hardships and the history of our armed forces is full of valour and sacrifices. Dhami said that recently the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was celebrated in the country and we now have entered into the Amrit Kal where the pride of the country has been exalted. MLA Suresh Gadia, ITBP inspector general Neelabh Kishore and others were present on the occasion. Dhami also took time out of his hectic schedule to celebrate his birthday with the differently abled children at National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD). He donated a sum of Rs 25 lakh to the institute. Addressing a gathering there he said that will power and resolve are two such forces by which we can achieve everything. Dhami said that both the union and the State governments are providing every possible help to the Divyangjans. Cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi, NIEPVD director Higmanshu Das and others were present on the occasion. The CM also took part in a programme organised at Shiv temple Barighat Canal Road on Friday. Here he said that the State government has fulfilled its promise of providing three cooking gas cylinders free of cost per year to the poor families. Cabinet ministers Prem Chand Agarwal, Ganesh Joshi and others were present on the occasion.

IEP Dehradun September 17

A section of Teerth Purohits have strongly objected to the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) fixing gold plating on a portion of the wall in the Garbh Grah (sanctum sanctorum) in Kedarnath temple. Alleging that this is against religious beliefs and amounts to tampering with ancient traditions, they have threatened to undertake an agitation if the gold plating is fixed on the walls of the sanctum sanctorum. On the other hand, the BKTC has stated that talk of the sanctum sanctorum being tampered with are part of the opposition’s propaganda. He said that traditions and religious beliefs are being honoured while fixing the gold plating donated by a devotee. For this purpose, the silver plating that was fixed in 2017 has been removed from portions of the wall. The Teerth Purohits in Kedarnath have objected to gold being coated on a portion of the walls, four pillars and other items inside the shrine. President of Kedarnath Teerth Purohit Samaj Vinod Prasad Shukla said that Kedarnath temple dates back to the Mahabharat era but its traditional aspects are being tampered with now. He said that there is no need to decorate the temple with gold as this shrine is a place for salvation and not opulence. Teerth Purohit Santosh Trivedi said that god is also believed to reside in the four pillars inside the temple, However, powered drills are being used to bore holes inside the sanctum sanctorum. “Kedarnath is Mokshdham and Kaliyug is known to be present in gold so placing gold inside the shrine places Kaliyug in the sanctum sanctorum. Such actions will not be allowed in the shrine,” he said. Meanwhile, BKTC chairman Ajendra Ajay said that the advice of archaeological experts, religious beliefs and traditions are being followed in the work of gold plating in the Garbh Grah of the temple. On the proposal of a devotee from Maharashtra, the BKTC got permission from the State government for gold plating inside the shrine. The silver plating installed earlier has been removed and only minimal additional work will be required to fix the gold plating. Terming objections to this step as baseless, he said that religious beliefs and traditions are not being tampered with for this. He said that Hindu temples have been a symbol of grandeur since ancient times. “Those objecting to the gold plating being fixed in the Garbh Grah in Kedarnath are citing the scriptures to spread some misleading facts on social media. Necessary changes in religious sites are natural with time. Till some decades ago, the roof of Kedarnath was made from grass and straw called Khadu in local language. Some fields were also allocated for growing khadu for the temple’s roof. With time the thatched roof was replaced by stone slabs which were replaced by tin shed which in turn was replaced by copper sheets,” said Ajay.

IEP Dehradun September 1 7

Taking up a resolve to end corruption from the governance in Uttarakhand, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that corruption should be uprooted from the State. Interacting with the media-persons at his camp office on his birthday on Friday, Dhami said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given a call to end corruption from the ramparts of the Red Fort and the State government is acting on his resolve. He said that the State government is strengthening the Vigilance department and its reorganisation would be soon done to make it more effective. Dhami who turned 47 on Friday said that the government has released ‘1064’ help line number for registering complaints against corrupt officers and a sum of Rs two crore has been released for the Vigilance department. He added that the trap money which used to get released after years in a trap set up by the Vigilance department is now being returned within 15 days. Emphasising on the need to increase the income of the State, Dhami said that the government has decided to hold a three day brainstorming session on the issue. He said that PM Modi has set an example by giving a new work culture for the country and the Uttarakhand government is trying to implement it in the State. He added that concerted efforts are being made by his government to make Uttarakhand one of the leading states of the country by the year 2025 as per the dream of PM Modi. The CM said that his government has moved ahead in the direction of implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the State. The committee set up for the purpose of preparing a draft of UCC has started meeting stakeholders and it has also launched a portal to take views of the public. The CM also reiterated the commitment of his government to make a Drug free Uttarakhand by the year 2025 and informed that the State has constituted an Anti Narcotics Task Force for the purpose. Dhami said that tourism, horticulture and hydropower are the three sunshine sectors for the State and every effort is being made to tap the potential in these fields. He said that many hydropower projects of the State are entangled in legal hassles. The CM said that the State government is trying to remove these hurdles from the way of these projects. Dhami accepted that the menace of monkeys is a major hindrance in the path of agricultural activities in the mountainous parts of the State and added that the government is working on an effective work plan for this. The CM evaded the question on Lokayukta by stating that a decision would be taken as per the place, time and situation (Desh, Kal, Paristhiti). On the question of possible cabinet expansion and the possibility of reconstitution of his team of ministers, the CM said that everything occurs in a time bound phase in the BJP and at present the party organisation is being reorganised.

IEP Dehradun, September 17

The former director of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh, K K Talwar said that the research should be integrated with the indigenous medicinal practices. He said that AYUSH is now an important part in the medical institutes of national importance. He was speaking as the chief guest at a programme organised on the occasion of annual research day at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh on Friday. Speaking on the occasion the officiating director of AIIMS Rishikesh Dr Meenu Singh said that the institute is dedicated for triumvirate of patient care, educational talent and research. The director general of Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST) Durgesh Pant said that the research has induced a key change in medical science and the world is moving towards digital health.