Hundreds of families call for rehabilitation
Over the last 10 years, 1,086 families from 43 disaster-affected villages of Uttarakhand’s hill districts have been rehabilitated by the state government at a cost of Rs 45.6 crore. Thus, the average rehabilitation expenditure per family is Rs 4,20,225. Many more villages, including Raini on the banks of Rishi Ganga river, where flashfloods struck on February 7 killing hundreds, have been demanding rehabilitation for a long time now. “We have been requesting the state government for rehabilitation for years now but no avail. Everyday, we live in fear,” Sohan Rana, the grandson of Gaura Devi who was instrumental in ‘Chipko Andolan’, said. He is a resident of Raini village.
Unemployment rate up six times over 2016-17 level
Unemployment in Uttarakhand has gone up by more than six times in the last five years. According to the data put out by the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the unemployment rate in the state was 1.61% in 2016-17. It has shot up to 10.99% in FY 2020-2021 which is a 682% increase. The rise in unemployment is attributed to the pandemic. In 2017-18, the unemployment rate was 1.02%. It was 2.79% in 2018-19 and 5.32% in 2019-20. According to a report submitted by the Uttarakhand Migration Commission to Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat, more than 53,000 migrants have returned home to the state from different parts of India since the start of the second wave of the pandemic. Most of the returnees were working in the hospitality sector.
IIT-Roorkee launches course on AI, big data
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has launched two new M Tech programs under the recently established Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (CAIDS). Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science (DS) have the power to solve real-life problems. “AI and DS have opened new avenues for research across disciplines and specialisations,” Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, said. Academicians and policymakers are working towards creating a sustainable society with intelligent automation of complex real-life tasks powered by AI.
Military academy ready for passing out parade
The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is currently engaged in preparations for its spring term Passing Out Parade which will see 425 Gentlemen Cadets passing out on June 12. This includes 84 foreign trainees from nine countries. The ceremonies have been scaled down in view of the pandemic, but will retain the traditional element of ceremonial regalia. “The Covid pandemic posed serious challenges for the Academy but the extremely pro-active measures and strict enforcement of requisite protocols ensured a largely Covid-free’ environment,” a statement from the IMA said.
vineet upadhyay
Our correspondent in Dehradun vineet.upadhyay@newindianexpress.com