NIT to be set up in Sumari: Bahuguna

Dehra Dun: A National Institute of Technology (NIT) would soon be set up in Sumari area of Pauri district, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has said. 
 
Bahuguna told a delegation of Sumari residents, led by MLA Ganesh Godiyal, that appropriate land is being identified for the purpose, an official release said here.
 
The residents have been on a dharna for the last 90 days over their demand of setting up an NIT in Sumari.
 
Principal Secretary, technical education, Rakesh Sharma also handed over to Godiyal a letter in this regard.
 
Bahuguna asked the MLA to ask the agitating residents to end their stir as there should be no doubts about setting up of an NIT at Sumari.
 
He said the Centre has already provided its approval in principle and Rs 100 crore have already been sanctioned for the purpose.
 
The Chief Minister said Commissioner of Garhwal and the Pauri District Magistrate have been asked to identify land for setting up the institute. He expressed hope that all formalities in this regard would be completed within a period of three months. 

Govt trying to clear backlog of Rs 66 cr for scholarship

Dehra Dun: Uttarakhand government is pursuing with the Centre to clear the backlog of Rs 66 crore to be paid to students from backward classes as scholarship, the state Assembly was informed.
    
Replying to a question on behalf of the Social Welfare Minister, Health Minister Surendra Singh Negi said post-tenth standard scholarship scheme for backward class students is fully funded by the Centre and the state government is
pursuing the matter.
    
He said the backlog accumulated as the state governments disbursed scholarship among the students as per their own criteria in the previous years which was much more than the notional allocation by the Centre.
    
The minister said the scholarship ranging from Rs 160 to Rs 750 per month is disbursed among students belonging to backward classes for pursuing education above 10th standard.

Chief Minister to encourage setting up minority educational centres

New Delhi: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said his Government will encourage setting up of minority educational institutions in the state.

“We will encourage all efforts to promote minority educational institutes especially those of Muslims in our state. They need to be promoted especially for education of Muslim girls,” he said at an event here.

The Uttarakhand CM said for the first time, the state has created a separate department for minority affairs after the recently-formed Congress government came back to power.

Speaking on power situation in the state, Bahuguna said the state has been buying power despite having a rich hydel power potential in the form of rivers.

Noting that Hindu seers and saints in the state are against using Ganga water for power production but urged them that religious sentiments should not be allowed to hamper development projects.

“Religion should give people power and courage but not be an impediment in development of the nation,” Bahunguna said.

Edusat facility inaugurated

Kotdwara Garhwal (Uttarakhand): Students of the government post-graduate college here can now access latest lessons with the help of EDUSAT, which uses satellite technology for creating virtual classrooms.
 
The facility, a collaboration between the state's Higher education department and Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC), is designed to provide quality material on various subjects which was till now only accessible in cities.
 
Inaugurating the new-age centre last evening, Minister of Health and Health Education Surendra Singh Negi said that this was "a big leap in the direction of quality education for students studying in remote areas of the state."
 
USAC director Dr B Kimothi said the students can benefit from special lectures by experts and the centre's interactive technology will be useful in solving any queries. 
 
A telemedicine facility is also being conceived for those with limited access to such services.