New Delhi, 25 Nov 2007

The forests in Uttarakhand region have been valued at $2.4 billion (approximately Rs 10,700 crore) per year in terms of the services they provide. This needs to be recognised and compensated, according to a study released here on Saturday.

Globally, it is estimated that the current economic value of the services provided by the earth’s ecosystems is at least $33 trillion per year.

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2003, has defined Ecosystem Services (ESs) as a wide range of conditions and processes through which natural ecosystems, and species that make them up, sustain and fulfil human life.

Ecosystem Services

Thirty-two such services, including carbon sequestration, climate management, hydrological regulation, timber, firewood, soil conservation, pollination and other non-timber forest produces (NTFPs) have been identified so far, the study said.

In the forests of Uttarakhand, the average value of about $1,150 per hectare per year for the services provided needs to be reflected in our economic planning and compensated for, said the recent study, ‘Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Forest Governance, in Uttarakhand, as a scoping study’.

Uttarakhand has nearly 70 per cent forest cover, of which 40 per cent is ‘good forest’. While the entire Himalayas are hailed as the water towers of the world, this State is particularly crucial from the ecosystem services aspect, as it has sustained the lives of millions of people (nearly 500 million people living in the Gangetic plain currently) for the past 5,000 years, said ecologist Prof S.P. Singh.

Himalayas’ contribution

The report has been prepared by Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) India and its partner organisation, Central Himalayan Environmental Association (CHEA) in Uttarakhand, under the guidance of Prof Singh. It evaluates and quantifies the services rendered by the Himalayan ecosystem in the State.

It is the first comprehensive collation of scientific information around various ESs using mainly secondary sources.

LEAD is a global network of individuals and non-government organisations committed to sustainable development.

The research is supported by Heinrich Boll Foundation, a Green Party Affiliate, including stakeholders such as local members of village forest councils, scientists, government forest managers and NGOs.

News Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com

23 Nov 2007
By Kanika Mehta | New Delhi

UTDB to come up with 112 new trekking routes, adventure activities in the wild.

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), which recently adopted Uttarakhand as a ‘tourism site’, is now preparing a master plan for enhancing tourism infrastructure in the state. The draft plan, which is expected to be ready by 2008-end, will aim at putting the state on the world tourism map. It will focus on developing religious circuits, construction of hotels and enhancement of transport infrastructure, apart from setting-up facilities to boost ecotourism, adventure tourism and spiritual tourism, which are the state’s three main potential segments, according to Prakash Pant, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Parliamentary Affairs, Uttarakhand.

The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) is currently in the process of classifying the 171 state owned corporation properties into three categories – A, B and C – on the basis on their occupancy levels. This classification will be taken into account while developing the master plan and accordingly, new properties will be set-up and the existing ones refurbished. The UTDB has also come up with a land bank comprising of 32 plots, which can be used for setting-up properties as per the master plan’s suggestions. Apart from accommodation, it is concentrating on developing other tourism offerings as well. “We are developing 112 trekking routes in the state and are in talks with the Forest Department to kick-start new adventure tourism activities in forest areas to attract more tourists,” informed Pant.

Earlier this year in August, the State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Emmar-MGF to develop a five-star hotel and convention centre at Dehradun. It leased 30 acres of land to construct the hotel for Rs 53 lakh rent per month as well as two per cent share in the revenue generated.

News Source: http://www.travelbizmonitor.com

Dehradun, 21 Nov 2007

A House Committee has been announced on Wednesday in Uttarakhand to look into the domicile and caste-certificates issues that have triggered widespread protests across the state.

Amid repeated adjournments, Assembly Speaker Harbans Kapoor named the panel.

As the House assembled this morning for the winter session, uproarious scenes were witnessed with opposition members led by Congress trooping into the well seeking a special debate on the domicile issue.

Raising slogans against the government, Congress members described the BJP government as “anti-people” saying it was creating an atmosphere of fear in the minds of people.

Amid the din, Kapoor asked the government to set up the House Committee to go into the whole gamut of issue.

Later, talking to reporters, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prakash Pant welcomed the Speaker’s initiative and said it was the best solution in the present situation.

“We are soon going to announce the names of the members of the committee,” Pant said.

He also criticised the opposition for unnecessarily dragging the domicile issue saying the only doubts were arising out of the issue of caste certificates for SCs, STs and OBCs.

News Source: http://www.zeenews.com

Madhur Tankha, 22 Nov 2007

Endowed with a rich cultural heritage, Uttarakhand is showcasing its unique art and craft at the ongoing India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan .

The highlight in the arts and crafts section of the State pavilion is Aipan which is the main component of Kumaoni folk art. It is the local version of the ritual art of ‘alpana’ making, a domestic art form that has been passed down over generations. “Aipans are drawn on the floor of the room where rituals are performed. Some of the products made from the motifis of Aipan like shawls and stoles, wall hangings, table mats are being showcased at the stalls of our State,” said K. C. Chamoli, who works for the Uttarakhand Government.

Ringaal, a species of bamboo found all over the Himalayas is used for making products by farmers in the Kumaon region as a tradition. Some Ringaal-based products like baskets, kitchen utility items, mats and furniture are being displayed.

“Most of the crafts being showcased at the pavilion this year have been designed as utility items. Some of these crafts were beginning to fade away with the availability of modern machine made utility products. To revive these crafts and to promote these specialised products for commercialisation, the Uttarakhand Handloom and Handicraft Development Council was constituted by the Government,” said an official.

News Source: http://www.hindu.com

BS Reporter, New Delhi/ Dehradun, 21 November 2007

Amid reports that a large chunk of agri land has fallen into the hands of land builders and industrialists in Uttarakhand, the state government is contemplating Special Agriculture Zone (SAZ) to protect agriculture.

“We want to protect agriculture, for which we want to bring SAZ in Uttarakhand,” said state Agriculture Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.

However, Rawat made it clear that the idea of SAZ was not being mooted to replace the much contentious special economic zone (SEZ).

For the purpose, Rawat said, he had asked experts from Pantnagar Agriculture University to prepare a blueprint of SAZ.

But it was not immediately known whether SAZ would form a part of the new agriculture policy, which is being discussed by the government.

The government is bringing the new agriculture policy to clear whether the agri land can further be given for SEZ and other industrial purposes.

Significantly, the decision to bring a new agriculture policy comes close on the heels of Nandigram episode in West Bengal where the Left-Front government is facing the wrath.

“Our main aim is to protect agriculture land, which is falling in the hands of land mafia and builders,” Rawat said.

The government has also toughened laws pertaining to purchase of revenue land in the state by amending present laws.

In the new agri policy, the government would focus on setting up of more mandis across the state, particularly in the hilly areas where farmers don’t get fair price for their yields. “The new policy would safeguard the interest of both farmers and consumers,” the minister said.

Contract farming would be promoted, he said adding the role of agents would be minimised so that farmers could get much better price for their produce.

Special sops like electricity and water supply and seeds at cheap rates would be provided to farmers, he added. In addition to this, toll free call centres for farmers would also be set up across the state.

News Source: http://www.business-standard.com

By HT
20 Nov 2007

The waters of the Ganga and Yamuna may be polluted in most places, but in Uttarakhand where these rivers orginate, their water is clean in most stretches excluding a few patches in Rishikesh and Haridwar, says a government study.

Studies carried out by the Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB) in 2006 and 2007 indicate water quality of Ganga, Yamuna and other rivers in the state is free of harmful pollutants in most places.

According to the findings, the amount of total dissolved solids in Himalayan rivers in Uttarakhand varied between 52 to 180 milligram per litre in April 2006 and 64 to 144 milligrams per litre in April this year, except in Ganga at Laxman Jhula and Haridwar where it was found to be above 200. “The pH value of Himalayan rivers was 7.5 in April 2006 and between 6.59 to 7.54 in April 2007, which almost comes under desirable value. This may be due to no discharge of industrial effluents,” says a UEPPCB newsletter.

Adequate dissolution of oxygen due to up and down movement of river water results in presence of more than 6 mg per litre dissolved oxygen in these rivers, which is desirable for aquatic animals. The studies also found the amounts of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) were within desirable levels.

No coliform (a bacteria found especially in faeces) was found in the rivers except in Ganga at Rishikesh and Haridwar and it was noted that bacteriological contamination didn’t have much influence on biological water quality.

News Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com