he Uttaranchal government has declared 56 of the state’s 78 tehsil s drought-hit. A Union government team recently noted that more than 50 per cent of the rabi crop in Nainital district has been affected. The state government has responded with an aid package of Rs 33 crore. But experts doubt if the situation warrants [...]

Sanat Mohanty
27 May 2006
A residential school for girls, in the shadow of the peak of Nanda Devi, has been graduating confident young women from the girls of Kumaon hills.
Run as per the ideas of Nai Taleem of Gandhiji, Lakshmi Ashram was set up by Sarlaben – a friend and follower of Gandhiji – in ~1964. [...]

Commentary
After reading the latest edition of the Garhwal Post (May 14-20, 2006), as well as some academic papers on the political economy and movement politics of Northern India, I have come to realize something about the type of journalism it exemplifies.
This was made clear in the recent editorial that criticized voters in West Bengal and [...]

Mussoorie (Uttaranchal): It is a breathtaking waterfall amid picturesque hilly surroundings, a must see for visitors and in fact a great tourist draw, but scores of food stalls are eroding the beauty of Kempty Falls, making it a dumping ground for their waste.
Once an abode of tranquillity, the falls, located 15 km from Mussoorie, are [...]

The following maps were recently designed by Rajiv Rawat for educational purposes. They build on maps previously designed for the uttarakhand.org web site over the past decade. They are offered here free of charge, although creditation to the Uttarakhand.Net would be much appreciated.

Historical Map (2005)
An artistic and highly detailed look at the historical development of [...]

By Rajiv Lochan Sah, Editor Nainital Samachar (Translated by Chandan Dangi)
Recently, in North Kerala, PLACHIMADA village has agitated against Coca-Cola Corporation’s giant plant in the state which drew underground water for the main feed to its operations. The MNC had a real tough time and the villagers facing acute shortage of water had to resort [...]

People’s Democracy Vol. XXX, No. 20
May 14, 2006
PROTESTING against the attacks of moneylenders turned land mafias on poor peasants in collision with local police, the All India Kisan Sabha local unit organised a demonstration at the block head quarters of Sitarganj block in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand on April 26. The demonstration was [...]

DEHRADUN: On 10 May, a musical VCD silently invaded Uttaranchal. This musical album should leave people, especially the admirers of Chief Minister ND Tiwari, gasping for breath. ‘Nauchami Narayan’, the creative product of renowned folk singer and poet Narendra Negi is the latest sensation in Uttaranchal.
Narendra Negi has received plaudits from commoner and connoisseur, alike, [...]

Dehra Dun: Construction work at the Falenda hydro-power project in Tehri district of Uttaranchal is expected to resume unhindered with the local villagers calling off their three-year-old agitation today after reaching an agreement with the state government.
The agreement was reached after several rounds of talks between the two and the government agreeing to provide a [...]