‘Introduce Gross Environmental Product in planning and implementation activities’

Anil Joshi, founder of the Himalayan Environmental Studies & Conservation Organisation (HESCO) here, has urged the Uttarakhand Government to play the forerunner by introducing Gross Environmental Product (GEP) in its planning and implementation activities as the highly endangered health of the natural resources needed to be improved before it was too late.

In a two-day National Discussion seminar, which was organised under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan by Union Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry at CGO Complex, New Delhi on Saturday, Uttarakhand Peyjal M

Describing manual scavenging as a matter involving “human dignity,” the Supreme Court today noted that the officials concerned in states were not doing their best to weed out this practice even tho

The Uttarakhand government on Monday announced that it levy fee taxes on agricultural land falling beyond the development authorities’ domain and non-regularised zones for their usage of non-agricultural purpose and their related declaration.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the state Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna here. The state would earn Rs 70-90 crore a year from the development fees of land use change, said a top government official.

Uttarakhand has more than just natural beauty to boast of. It also tops the list of best-performing States and Union territories in terms of environmental well-being.

Uttarakhand is followed by Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Sikkim, and Andhra Pradesh on the Planning Commission’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI) list. Environmental well-being is one of the considerations for devolution of funds to the States under the Gadgil formula.

Uttarakhand's CM and health minister disagree over banning gutkha

The Uttarakhand government has decided to ban the sale of gutkha in the hill state.“We are seeking an approval of the state Cabinet to ban the sale of gutkha in the state,” said Ranbir Singh, principal secretary, health.

Health Minister gets it revoked after Secretary beats him to notification

The Uttarakhand government on Tuesday reversed its order banning the production, stocking, distribution, and selling of gutka, pan masala and other nicotine-containing items within hours of the notification. The reversal order came after Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna intervened, saying the decision for an effective ban would be taken at a Cabinet meeting later this week.

The Uttarakhand government has sought a relief package of Rs 800 crore in the wake of a series of natural disasters caused by heavy rains that has wreaked havoc in the hill state.

“We have already sent an official memorandum to the Centre for a relief package of Rs 800 crore,” a top government official said on Thursday. The state has already got an interim relief of Rs 150 crore.

Year-on-year increases in the number of new micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) set up in Uttarakhand over the last four years show that the hill industrial policy is slowly yielding results in the state.

The policy came into effect in 2008 to encourage the growth of MSMEs. The government claims that between then and June this year, more than 3,000 small (mostly micro) units, entailing an investment of Rs 400 crore and employing an estimated 12,000 people, have been set up.

Eight more persons, among them a sant, were killed and a sadhvi went missing after another bout of cloudbursts in three remote villages of Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand on Sunday.

This took the number of those killed over the past few days in flash floods and landslips to 46. About 25 more people are still feared buried under debris. Five persons, including three women, were killed as a flash flood and hillside debris hit village Kiroda around 2.30 am, as one house was completely devastated and agricultural fields destroyed.