Uttarakhand

• 23 Oct 2023

Proposal for Formation of Rajaji Tiger Conservation Foundation Ready

Why In News?

On October 22, 2023, Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal said that a proposal has been prepared for the formation of Rajaji Tiger Conservation Foundation on the lines of Corbett Tiger Foundation. Now it will be placed for approval in the upcoming cabinet meeting.

Key Points:

• It may be noted that the decision to form the Foundation was taken in the Wildlife Board meeting. The proposals have got the green signal from the Department of Justice and Personnel.
• The main objective of formation of Rajaji Tiger Conservation is to accelerate and facilitate ecological, economic, social and cultural development in the reserve area and its surrounding areas.
• Under the foundation, people living around the area will be linked to alternative livelihood schemes which are dependent on forests. Through different schemes, efforts will be made to reduce their dependence on forests and eco-tourism activities will be promoted to improve their economy.
• Apart from this, such measures will also be taken to resolve human-wildlife conflict and curb wildlife hunting and other criminal activities.
• Provision for a regular budget will also be made to support environmental education. Steps will be taken for the welfare of the employees posted in the Tiger Reserve, their wild habitat protection and wildlife protection.
• There is also a proposal to create a trust under the foundation. Its registration will be done as per rules. It will have a governing body. The State Government will be able to protect the functioning of the Foundation.
• After the formation of the Foundation, the income received from tourism activities in the reserve area will have to be deposited in the treasury of the state government. Later the government will return it to the Foundation in the form of a grant.

PM Vishwakarma Yojana

Why In News?

According to the information received from the media on October 22, 2023, four districts of Kumaon division of Uttarakhand, Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat and Pithoragarh have been selected in the first phase for 'Pradhanmantri Vishwakarma Yojana'.

Key Points:

• In this regard, Director General Industries Rohit Meena has issued a letter to the District Magistrates of the four districts and instructed the heads of gram panchayats to onboard the portal of the scheme.
• In the first phase of this scheme, gram panchayat heads in four hilly districts of the state - Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat and Pithoragarh will be onboard on the PM Vishwakarma portal through common service centers (CSCs).
• Of these four districts of Kumaon division, Almora has 1,160, Bageshwar has 407, Champawat has 313 and Pithoragarh has 686 gram panchayats.
• Carpenters, boat-makers, armorer, blacksmiths, repairers, hammer and toolkit makers, sculptors, stone breakers, goldsmiths, potters, cobblers, masons, basket and broom makers, dolls and toy makers, barbers, garland makers, washermen, tailors, fishing net makers etc. will be registered on the PM Vishwakarma portal.
• It may be noted that the PM Vishwakarma Yojana was inaugurated on September 17. Under the scheme, the government will give cheap loans to the artisans to start work. The scheme provides for first training and stipend to the beneficiaries of 18 traditional works.
• The verification of online application forms will be done in three phases. In the first phase, village heads and executive officers of municipal bodies in urban areas will conduct verification. In the second phase, the District Implementation Committee constituted under the chairmanship of the DM and in the third and final phase, the DFO, MSME will conduct the verification of the state-level committee formed under the chairmanship of the Central Government.

Policemen's Residences will be Built with Rs 100 crore

Why In News?

On Police Memorial Day on October 21, 2023, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced Rs 100 crore to solve the housing problem of policemen and Rs 2 crore to the Police Martyrs Welfare Fund for financial assistance in case of death while on duty.

Key Points:

• On Police Memorial Day, the Chief Minister paid tribute to 188 policemen of the country, including four Uttarakhand Police personnel, who were martyred in the line of duty this year.
• The Chief Minister said that Uttarakhand is sensitive because it shares borders with two countries and two states. The responsibility of maintaining internal security and law and order here rests with the paramilitary forces and police. Many policemen are martyred every year in the line of duty. In such a situation, they are given one lakh rupees as immediate financial assistance.
• Many times this process gets delayed, hence to further simplify this work, Rs 2 crore will be given to the Police Martyrs Welfare Fund.
• The Chief Minister said that at present the policemen are facing a big problem of housing. There are many policemen who do not get accommodation or are far away from police stations and duty places. To solve this housing problem, Rs 100 crore will be given within three years.