
Rawat directs forest dept to lower royalty on river bed material to check illegal mining
DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government will reduce royalty charges on collection of river bed material as part of its efforts to check illegal mining.
Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat also ordered officials to constitute a joint task force comprising officers from forest, mining, transport and police departments to monitor and to check illegal mining along river banks.
The current fee of about Rs 20 for per quintal on river bed material can now go down to Rs 10, officials said. However, the transit fee will be increased from Rs 15 to Rs 50.
At a review meeting in the capital on Thursday, the chief minister directed officers to take all steps for keeping a check on illegal mining. Rawat flayed the previous Harish Rawat-led Congress government, saying the transit fee was brought down from Rs 50 to Rs 15 for granting personal favours.
“To favour a section, Harish Rawat minimised transit fee to Rs 15, which will be now increased to Rs 50. We realised one of the main causes of illegal mining is the royalty sum which is about Rs 20 per quintal. This will be brought down to facilitate legal mining,” forest minister Harak Singh Rawat told Hindustan Times on the sidelines of the meeting.
Meanwhile, the chief minister directed officials to draw a policy to check the menace of monkeys and boars. He stressed on boosting drive to sterilise of monkeys. The Chidiapur rescue centre at Haridwar is the lone facility where sterilisation of monkeys are done in Uttarakhand.
Rawat was informed that the forest department has sought permission from the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) to provide extension for culling wild pigs. The department has asked the central government to allow hunting of wild boars till 2020 for safeguarding crops in agricultural lands adjoining forested areas. The CM advised officials to make necessary arrangements so that culling could be done after due permission.
.

Amid speculations of change in leadership, Uttarakhand CM leaves for Delhi
- BJP leaders said that the CM left for Delhi with a few party MLAs and would apprise the central leadership of the political situation in the state

Uttarakhand: CM Rawat leaves for Delhi amid speculation of leadership change

Uttarakhand man gets death penalty for sodomising and murdering 5-year old
- Police took Harswroop into custody and questioned him, which led to the recovery of the child’s body, stuffed in a bag from his room.

India's first forest healing centre open in Kalika, near Ranikhet

Uttarakhand BJP core group meeting fuels speculation about major change in govt

Uttarakhand: Man trampled to death by elephant on Neelkanth stretch
- Last month on February 22 in a similar incident, an elephant had mowed down a person at Phoolchatti road near Neelkanth shrine

Uttarakhand Congress alleges corruption, mismanagement in Mahakumbh
- Congress MLA Pritam objected to the curtailing of Haridwar Maha Kumbh to one month on the pretext of Coronavirus pandemic.

BJP postpones Dhankar’s meeting in Yamunanagar

Impractical: Cong, experts on Gairsain as U'khand's new administrative division
- The declaration was made by the CM in his budgetary speech on March 4 under which the new division would comprise four districts.

Chamoli tragedy: Month later, rescue continues; experts say 'no lessons learnt'
- Several studies in the past month have said that the tragedy was because of man-made reasons.

BJP holds emergency meeting amid speculation of leadership change in Uttarakhand
- It was speculated that several ministers were not consulted before declaring Gairsain as the third administrative division of the state.

Chamoli floods: Rise in overall temp in 40 years could have led to rock collapse
- The report by Kathmandu-based ICIMOD, which was released on Friday, found that a crack had formed prior to the incident at the site where the rock detachment led to a rockslide from the Raunti peak.

U'khand govt to provide maintenance to non-earning women in family disputes: CM
- The CM said, "There have been incidents of family disputes between couples that go to court during which women face issues with maintenance."

Uttarakhand CM presents ₹57,400 cr budget for FY22 with health, infra in focus
- The budget contains the vision of a self-reliant Uttarakhand which is essential to the realisation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a self-reliant India, Uttarakhand CM said.
