Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday welcomed the decision to recite Gita shlokas during prayer meetings, in government schools across the state and said that the highly revered Hindu scripture will serve as the ‘guiding light’ for the new generation.

CM Dhami, speaking to reporters on Wednesday said, “Bhagwad Gita shlokas will inculcate the Vedic concept of duty and rightful action in children and will show them the right path. The scriptures will help build good character and also make them understand the power and strength of spirituality.” “It will shape them as upright individuals. Where they go, they will excel in that area,” he added.

Dhami’s remarks come on the back of Uttarakhand government passing a directive to all government schools, directing them to recite Bhagwad Gita shlokas during morning prayers.

According to the order, one shloka from Bhagwad Gita will be recited every week and the students will also be enlightened about its importance and on how it will help nurture human values, leadership skills, decision-making abilities and scientific thinking in them.

It further says that Gita shlokas should not be treated as just any ‘reading material’ but it should reflect in the students’ attitude and behaviour. According to government officials, the initiative aligns with the objective of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which calls for creating a blend of traditional knowledge with modern education.

Notably, the Uttarakhand government has also asked the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to include the teaching of Hindu scriptures Bhagwad Gita and Ramayan into the school curriculum.

Though, no timeline has been set for the textbooks, integrating traditional systems with modern education, the shlokas from Bhagwad Gita will be recited in daily prayer meetings of schools in the state. As per estimates, there are more than 17,000 government-run schools in the Devbhoomi.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS): The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) rules approved by the Uttarakhand government on Monday avoided the controversial proposals to create a separate process to resolve disputes related to personal laws.

The rules proposed by the Shatrughan Singh Committee for the UCC, initially presented to the Chief Minister on October 18, 2024, were subject to some revisions.

Sources said the extensive 400-page document has been condensed to under 100 pages, with only provisions concerning registration of marriage, divorce, inheritance, and live-in being retained. As a result, the revised UCC rules approved by the Uttarakhand government on Monday no longer include the proposal for a separate process to handle disputes related to personal laws.

The enforcement of the UCC is likely to be announced on January 26. The government is waiting for the conclusion of local body elections, which are currently under the model code of conduct.

Meanwhile, this move has raised a few questions about the decision vis-a-vis public interest. The reported revision of the original rules — particularly the removal of judicial processes for resolving disputes in personal matters — has raised eyebrows. These changes were reportedly made following recommendations from the Law, Justice and Legislative Affairs department, which oversees the state’s judicial processes.

Sources said a key concern is the purported rejection of public suggestions made during the UCC consultations, during which people voiced the need for improvements in judicial processes.

The decision to discard these recommendations calls into question whether the UCC’s implementation is genuinely in the public interest, ask sources.

Sources also ask why public consultations were held if their inputs were to be ignored. And why was the Committee formed if its extensive work was ultimately dismissed? Significantly, the Act was drafted based on a report from a government-appointed panel chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai.

The five-member panel conducted several public meetings and consultations with diverse stakeholders throughout the state to compile the report.

Analysts ask whether the entire exercise was a mere formality intended to pacify public sentiment without delivering meaningful reform.

The recent suicide of Atul Subhash, which cast a shadow over the judicial system, has once again highlighted the need for reform.

With the UCC aiming to address these concerns, the purported rejection of certain reforms raises a crucial question as to whether the people will be getting real justice or whether it will continue the status quo of harassment.

–IANS

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The Shamyapras Trust organized a special screening of the film ‘The Kashmir Files’.

More than 600 people were organized and brought together to see the film at the Rama Palace theatre.

A rally was also held in support of the movie urging the people to watch the film after obtaining necessary permission from the government authorities.

Speaking to The Commune, Kartick Srinivasan who had organized the screening said “The movie is a must watch for every Hindu.”.

He said that the theatre was ‘house-full’ for a 6 AM show.

“We urged those in Hrishikesh to watch the movie and awaken to the bitter reality of what is in store for our generations if we don’t act now”, he said.

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In the poll-bound state of Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday (30 November) announced that the BJP ruled state has decided to repeal the controversial Char Dham Devasthanam Board Management Act.

When the Char Dham Devasthanam Board Management Act was enacted many Hindus felt that this was a betrayal as Hindus in India want to control their own temples just as Muslims and Christians do of their places of worship.

Our government has taken a decision to take back the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board Bill: Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami pic.twitter.com/Xe0TgEz0iL

— ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2021

The announcement comes just months from the state election and after a high-level committee that was set up by the Dhami government to take a look into the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act, 2019, the committee submitted its final report to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in Rishikesh on Sunday.

The act was passed by the BJP government in Uttarakhand in 2019 when Trivendra Singh Rawat was CM under which the administration of 51 temples including the Char Dham – Shri Badrinath, Shri Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri- was handed over to Char Dham Devasthanam Board.

However, priests of the Chardham — Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri fearlessly opposed the formation of board, which they saw as a violation of their rights, and have been demanding its dissolution.

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Featured Image: Police briefing the media after the accused were arrested. Credits: Dainik Jagran

Police in Uttarakhand have arrested three Muslim men in connection with the murder of a Hindu woman. According to the police, the woman had refused to marry one of the accused, who had professed his love for her. Faced with her rejection, the accused killed the woman in her own house.

The victim has been identified as Nidhi alias Hansi, a BBA student, who was residing in Roorkee, Uttarakhand. The accused have been identified as Haidar Ali, Aaris alias Rihan and Shariq.

The arrests come after Dinesh, the victim’s brother, filed a complaint with the police.

According to the police, the three accused had gone to Nidhi’s house on their motorcycles on Saturday. The accused knew that she would be alone at the house at that time. When Nidhi opened the door, the three beat her. The accused then proceeded to slit her throat and kill her. Police say that the murder was premeditated and that the accused had gone to the victim’s house with the intention of killing her.

Hearing her screams, neighbours rushed out of their houses and reached Nidhi’s home. However, the deed had already been done. At the spot, they apprehended Haidar Ali while the other two fled the scene of the crime.

Haidar gave up the names of his accomplices after interrogation by the police. The two absconding accused were arrested by police on Sunday.

Haidar had known Nidhi for the past three years, police said. He had returned from Dubai only last December. He had then tried to get in touch with Nidhi. However, she refused to meet him and rejected his advances. Angered over her rejection, Haidar killed her in broad daylight in her own house.

Last year, on October 26 in a similar case, 21-year old college girl Nikita Tomar was shot dead in broad daylight in Faridabad, near Delhi. The accused was one Taufeeq, who killed her for refusing to marry him.

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Newly-appointed chief minister of Uttarakhand Tirath Singh Rawat has announced to free 51 Hindu temples in the state from government control. This announcement overturns the decision of the former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat-led government.

Former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had enacted the Char Dham Shrine Management Board Act 2019 to oversee the management of Hindu temples.

The decision to free the temples from government control came after priests and hermits associated with the temples protested the state-takeover.

As many as 51 shrines, including Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri, were under the direct control of the state government after Governor Baby Rani Maurya gave her assent to the Char Dham Shrine Management Bill that was passed during the winter session of the Assembly.

Then chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had said the new act will help in the “professional” management of the shrines that are visited by lakhs of people every year. In 2019, over three million people visited the four shrines in the hill state.

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A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier which broke off in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on February 07, 2021, triggered a deluge in the Dhauli Ganga River washing away hydroelectric stations and trapped many workers. The mid-day sudden flood in the Dhauli Ganga, Rishi Ganga and Alaknanda rivers, all intricately linked tributaries of the Ganga, triggered widespread panic and large-scale devastation in the high mountain areas.

The flash flood also washed away a 90-metre span RCC bridge on Joshimath-Malari road located just downstream of the Rishi Ganga Hydel project and approximately two kilometres upstream of the Tapovan Hydel project, which was the only link to the Niti border. The bridge’s destruction has stranded more than 13 border villages in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.

Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has quickly swung into action for rescue and rehabilitation work by inducting more than 100 Vehicles/Equipment and plants, which include about 15 Heavy Earth Moving Equipment like Hydraulic Excavators, Dozers, JCBs, Wheel Loaders, etc. The BRO has also brought in critical equipment with the help of Indian Air Force. Almost 200 personnel of 21 BRTF of Project Shivalik have been deployed for rescue and rehabilitation purposes.

After initial recce, the BRO has started work for re-establishing connectivity on all required fronts. The site is very challenging due to a steep cliff on the far bank and 25-30 metre-high debris and muck on the other side. However, the BRO has overcome these challenges and on the fourth day cleared and established a path for construction of the bridge abutment. The BRO is working round the clock to re-establish connectivity at the earliest by launching a bailey bridge of 200 feet. The BRO is also assisting Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) & National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in rescue operations. Several BRO teams part of Project Shivalik are deployed in the area for relief operations.

Source: PIB

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Feature Image Credit: Jammu Bulletin | Facebook

On Sunday, Shristi Goswami, a 19-year-old BSc Agriculture student became the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand for a day, keeping with the observance of National Girl Child Day. She was chosen after  she was elected at the ‘Bal Vidhan Sabha’ (Children’s State Assembly) in a symbolic event organised by the state commission. The ‘Bal Vidhan Sabha’ was established in the year 2018 for the protection of child rights and to help children understand the democratic system.

Speaking about this, Srishti Goswami told ANI, “I am happy that I have got the privilege of becoming the Chief Minister on National Girl Child Day. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. Also, I will be going through the presentations of various departments and will present my suggestions to them. My suggestions will prioritise girl child-centric issues.”

She reviewed the latest schemes from Gairsain, the state’s summer capital, and attended an official meeting with the state government officials. Some schemes that were reviewed by her were the Atal Ayushman Scheme, Smart City project, Homestay Scheme by the tourism department, and other development projects.

The state was following the footsteps of Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s example, where she had made a teenager the PM for a day to support women empowerment. India celebrates the National Girl Child Day, an initiative of the ministry of women and child development, every year on January 24.

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Haridwar’s Har ki Pauri, the wall that demarcates the boundary between Haridwar and the sanctum sanctorum of the Brahamkund collapsed due to a lightning strike on Tuesday. This wall was built in 1935 in the British period and was struck by lightning, triggering its fall. The fall led to a scattering of debris up to the Ganga Sabha office.

Locals arrived at the spot after hearing the loud explosive sound, though there were no casualties, since this happened early in the morning.

Hindustan Times reported that Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad and Ganga Sabha have demanded an inquiry into this incident at this ancient religious place in the context of the structural strength of the wall housing a pilgrimage thronged by millions every day. “Akhada Parishad demands an inquiry into this incident as Har-Ki-Pauri is a place where thousands of people arrive on a daily basis. Mahakumbh is just five months away so construction of a stronger outer wall and related infrastructure works should be carried out in such a manner that safety of pilgrims and Har-Ki-Pauri personnel is ensured, “said Mahant Narendra Giri, president of Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad.

Meanwhile, local priests have interpreted the collapse as a bad omen, and an expression of fury by Mother Ganges, and claim that Ganga Maa was “upset” about devotees being denied permission to bathe in the Ganges on auspicious occasion of Somwati Amavasya.

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The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will officially participate in the Harela (tree plantation) festival in Uttarakhand to be held in July. The organization sought permission from the state forest department for the same with the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Jairaj giving approval for the same. Prant Sanyojak (environment wing head of the RSS) expressed his delight and said that around 2500 Pryavaran Praharis (environmental conservationists) in 13 districts of Uttarakhand who will not just plant the saplings but also nurture them. He added that they will focus more on medicinal plants like Tulsi, Giloy, etc., that will help in making available medicines for corona virus.

Around 1.25 lakh saplings of indigenous and native species will be planted and not exotic ones.

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