Uttarakhand

• 08 Apr 2023

Chief Minister inaugurated the state's 1st health ATM and 40 True Net machines

Why in News?

On 6 April 2023, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated 6 Health ATMs and 40 True Net machines in a program organized at Vishwakarma Bhawan located in the Uttarakhand Secretariat. The first health ATM of the state has been installed in the state secretariat.

Key News

• Through the Health ATM, 72 types of health-related tests will be done within 30 seconds with a single drop of blood.
• In the program, the Chief Minister said that with the installation of a Health ATM, now one will not have to go far for a check-up. Health ATMs will be set up on the Yatra routes to provide better health facilities to the tourists coming from the country and the world during the Chardham Yatra.
• Under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Indian Oil Corporation, Yash Bank, JK Tire have given Health ATMs and True Net machines.
• Through Yash Bank, one health ATM has been installed in Secretariat, Vidhan Sabha and Tanakpur Hospital. JK Tire Company has installed one Health ATM each at Police Line, JLN District Hospital Nainital, Joint Hospital Tanakpur, Community Health Center Jaspur, Sub District Hospital Ranikhet, Almora.
• An MoU was signed between the Health Department and the companies in the presence of the Chief Minister.
• Courtesy Indian Oil Corporation Limited 40 True Net machines will be installed at block level under CSR. With this, along with TB, covid will also be tested.
• You can also get yourself tested through the Health ATM. 72 tests including Hemoglobin, TLC & DLC, Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure, Uric Acid, Cholesterol, HbA1-C, Blood Group, Lipid Profile, Triglyceride, Glycoprotein, Pregnancy Test, Kidney Test, Hepatitis, Chikungunya, Malaria, BMC, BMI, temperature, oxygen level, body water content, ECG can be done. This test will be free of cost at these health ATMs.

3 proposals for an alternative route from Haridwar to Srinagar were prepared on the banks of the Ganges

Why in News?

On 6 April 2023, Ashish Chauhan, District Magistrate of Pauri, Uttarakhand, said that on the instructions of the government, three proposals have been prepared for another parallel alternative route across the Ganges on the Badrinath Highway.

Key News

• It is to be known that these three options of the alternative routes have been suggested by the Pauri district administration on the instructions of the government. After surveying the route, the report has been submitted to the government.
• A new route of 87 km as the first option has been proposed. Out of this, a 50 km road has already been built, while a new 32 km road has been proposed.
  • This route will start from a place called Mala, 26 km ahead of Rishikesh on the Badrinath Highway (NH-58). A bridge of 150-meter span will have to be built here. After this, this route will go from Mala to Srinagar via Singtali, Vyasghat, Devprayag, and Janasu.
• As another option, 95 km of the new road has been proposed. Out of this, about 50 km of road has already built, while 45 km of the new road will have to be constructed.
• This route will start from Phoolchatti. For this, a bridge of 150-meter span will have to be built on the Havel River. This route will go from Phoolchatti to Srinagar via Mala, Singtali, Vyasghat, Devprayag, and Janasu.
• As a third option, a total of 137 km of road has been proposed from Haridwar's Chandighat bridge to Srinagar. Out of this, about 50 km of road has already been built, while 56 km of the new road is to be built. Three bridges will have to be built on this route. There will be about 55 km of elevated road from Kali Mandir to Sirasu, and 2 km east-south from Chandighat.
  • This route will also go from Chandighat Bridge via Sirasu, Mala, Singtali, Vyasghat, Devprayag, Janasu to Srinagar. In all three options, the entire area falls in the Pauri district.
• There has been a demand for a long time to build a new bridge near Singtali to connect the Singtali area of Pauri Garhwal by road. If the government goes ahead with even one of the three options, apart from Singtali, hundreds of villages like Mala, Sirasu, Vyasghat, Saud, Sirala, Utrasu, Rampur, Roli, Dhanchada and Bilkedar, Chila, Gangabhogpur will be benefited.
• In all three options of the proposed highway, it will also connect two important railway stations Saud (Devprayag) and Janasu (Srinagar) of the Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail line.
• While the problem of traffic jams in Haridwar-Rishikesh will be solved after the construction of the road, the villages of the Pauri district will be connected by road. Due to the closure of the main road (NH-58) in the event of a disaster, this road will prove to be important from the point of view of travel and strategy.