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A Spiritual Journey: The Amarnath Yatra 2023

By LokMarg 27th April 2023

As the summer season approaches, devotees across the world gear up for the annual Amarnath Yatra in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The 62-day yatra, which commences on July 1 and culminates on August 31, is an important pilgrimage for Hindus who visit the Amarnath Cave, believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva.
The administration has assured a smooth and hassle-free yatra for all devotees, with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha stating that the government’s top priority is to provide the best healthcare and essential facilities to visitors and service providers.

The government is also working closely with various departments to ensure proper arrangements for lodging, power, water, security, and waste management.

The yatra would commence simultaneously from both the Pahalgam track in the Anantnag district and Baltal in the Ganderbal district, giving devotees the option to choose the route that suits them best.

The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has also enabled live telecasts of morning and evening prayers for devotees across the world.

To make the registration process easier, the SASB has made available an app on the Google Play store, allowing devotees to get real-time information about the yatra, and weather conditions, and avail several services online.

During the 44th meeting of SASB, chaired by the Lieutenant Governor, members and officials reviewed various aspects of Amarnath Yatra-2023, including registration, provision of helicopter services, service providers, camps, langars, and insurance cover for yatris.

The annual Amarnath Yatra is a significant event in the Hindu calendar and attracts thousands of devotees every year.

With the government’s assurance of a hassle-free yatra, devotees can look forward to a safe and spiritually fulfilling journey to the Amarnath Cave. (ANI)

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Char Dham Yatra: First Batch Of Pilgrims Leave From Haridwar

By LokMarg 22nd April 2023

The first batch of pilgrims left Haridwar for the Char Dham Yatra on Saturday. The Yatra began today from Yamunotri Dham on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya.

A huge crowd of devotees gathered at Gangotri Dham as the portals of Gangotri Temple are opening today.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in the departure of Maa Yamuna’s Doli from the Kharsali village.

A helicopter showered flower petals on Uttarakhand CM Dhami and locals as they participate in the departure of Goddess Yamuna’s Doli from village Kharsali.

CM Dhami said that the Chardham Yatra began from Yamunotri Dham today and after this, the portals of Gangotri Dham will open today.

“Chardham Yatra began from Yamunotri Dham today. After this, the portals of Gangotri Dham will open today, Kedarnath Dham on April 25, and Badrinath Dham on April 27. The first puja today was held on behalf of PM Modi…Ever since he became the PM, Sanatan culture, religious places, and pilgrimages have enhanced. All of this was done under his leadership. So, the first puja was done on his behalf, because he is a devotee of all the four dams and Lord Shiva,” said Dhami.

Each year, the palanquin carrying the idol of goddess Yamuna is taken out amid the chanting of Vedic hymns.

Situated at the heights of the great Himalayas, the four pilgrim destinations Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath are collectively known as Chardham. These religious centers draw large numbers of pilgrims each year and are the most famous hubs of religious travel across the Northern part of India.

Meanwhile, the Panchmukhi Utsav Doli of Baba Kedarnath left for the Himalayas on Friday after its winter stay in Ukhimath. Thousands of devotees have reached Omkareshwar temple Ukhimath on this occasion.

Baba’s Doli reached Gupta Kashi Vishwanath temple on Friday for the first-night stay. The additional stay of this Bardoli is happening in Guptkashi. The Doli will reach Kedarnath on April 24.

On Thursday Pushkar Singh Dhami also participated in the mock exercise program organized by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for the Chardham Yatra-2023, saying that the state government has made all preparations in this regard.

“On the occasion, Chief Minister Dhami also did a virtual observation of the mock exercise being done for disaster management on the Chardham Yatra routes,” an official statement read. (ANI)

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U’khand: Heavy Snowfall Continues In Kedarnath, Badrinath

By LokMarg 1st April 2023

Uttarakhand witnessed a change in weather with the plains receiving rainfall while the mountains witnessed snowfall since Friday morning.

Due to heavy snowfall in Kedarnath Dham, the preparations for the Yatra have also been affected. The construction work going on in the place has been temporarily halted.

The yatra is set to start on April 25.

Several plains in Uttarakhand witnessed heavy rainfall. Several vehicles got buried under the hotel canopy debris which collapsed due to heavy rainfall near Mussoorie Library Chowk.

The administration has undertaken precautionary as well as rescue works in the state. The police said that no casualties have been reported.

Snowfall started in Badrinath Dham also as soon as the mood of the weather changed. The doors of Lord Badrinath are to be opened on 27th April.

Due to repeated bad weather and severe cold, the work of travel preparations and master plan is being affected.

Reportedly, the temperature is falling low with heavy snow ongoing on other peaks including Nar Narayan, Neelkanth and Mana.

Earlier on March 11, the Rudraprayag district administration had started preparations for the Chardham Yatra which is set to begin on April 22.

The Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrimages in India. This pilgrimage is a tour of four holy sites – Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri – nestled high up in the Himalayas.

The high-altitude shrines remain shut for around six months every year, opening in summer (April or May) and closing with the onset of winter (October or November).

The Chardham Yatra will begin on April 22 with the opening of the Yamunotri and Gangotri temples. Kedarnath will open on April 25 and Badrinath on April 27. (ANI)

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Investing In Infrastructure To Generate Jobs In U’khand: Modi

By LokMarg 20th February 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his government is heavily investing in infrastructure in Uttarakhand to make life easier for people living in far-flung areas, besides generating a range of job opportunities.

Prime Minister Modi made the remark during the virtual inauguration of the ‘Rozgar Mela’ for Uttarakhand on Monday.
“Be it workers for construction, engineering, or raw material businesses and small traders, job opportunities are growing. With a rise in demand in the transport sector, youth (in Uttarakhand) are getting fresh employment opportunities,” PM Modi said.

On the migration of people from Uttarakhand to urban centres, he said improved digital and road connectivity in the hill-state will provide them with job opportunities, including in the domestic tourism sector, in their own locality.

“We have to change the old thinking which said ‘pahar ka pani aur pahar ki jawani’ doesn’t serve the locals residing in the hills. We must change it,” he said, adding there have been continuous efforts by the government to send back youth to their villages while providing them with better employment avenues.

Prime Minister Modi, on October 22, last year, launched the first phase of the ‘Rozgar Mela’, where appointment letters were handed over to more than 75,000 new recruits.

It marked the beginning of the campaign to provide 10 lakh government jobs. Since then, PM Modi has addressed similar job fairs in several states, including Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, and Maharashtra.

The recruitments are done by central ministries and departments themselves, recruitment agencies like UPSC, SSC, and the Railway Recruitment Board. (ANI)

National Skiing Championship At Auli Cancelled Due To Less Snowfall

By LokMarg 16th February 2023

The National Skiing Championship at the scenic Auli in Uttarakhand has been cancelled on account of inadequate snowfall, officials informed on Thursday.

The sporting event was to be held from February 24 toThe event was originally scheduled to be held from February 2 to 8 but it was postponed in the wake of the land subsidence in Joshimath.
Speaking to ANI, the secretary of the Ski and Snow Board Association of Uttarakhand, Praveen Sharma, said, “All preparations had been made to conduct the National Skiing Competition. However, because of the sudden change in weather, it will not be possible to hold the event this year.”

A popular tourist destination situated 12 kms above Joshimath, Auli is visited by people from all over the world. However, all tourist destinations in Joshimath area currently wear a forlorn look, with visitors keeping away in the wake of recent landslides and subsidence, which opened up cracks in hotels.

Since the collapse of several structures in Joshimath on January 2 owing to landslip and subsidence, several hundred houses and hotels in the holy site suffered big cracks.

After assessing the condition of the structures, the administration had vacated all hotels and houses on priiority.

While visitors, especially adventure-seekers flock to Auli for skiing every year, this time there is not much snow. Even in places that have received snowfall, visitors are few and far between owing to fear over the prevailing situation in Joshimath.

With visitors turning away from Joshimath, there are livelihood concerns for locals many of whom make a living in the peak tourist season. (ANI)

Preparations On For Char Dham Yatra 2023: Dhami

By LokMarg 27th January 2023

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday stated that the sacred Char Dham yatra, one of the most popular Hindu pilgrimages that take place annually in the Garhwal Himalayas will draw in a record number of devotees this year.

Talking to ANI, chief minister Dhami said, “The date of opening of the portals of Badrinath Dham has been announced, now the focus of the government will be that the yatra should be done in a grand manner.”
Dhami stated that a lot of devotees participated in the Char Dham yatra in 2022 and this year the government intends to provide better facilities for pilgrims.

“This year, we are making our preparations beforehand. Work on a Master Plan is also going on in Badrinath. We have to give a lot of facilities to the devotees and make their yatra safe, easy, and comfortable. We’ll work towards it with the blessings of Baba Badri Vishal. Only 100 days are left before the Char Dham yatra begins. Our yatra will be record-breaking this year and we are making all the preparations for it,” added Dhami.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, the Uttarakhand Chief Minister said that 70 percent of normalcy has returned to Joshimath, where cracks are appearing in buildings due to land subsidence and that the state government is preparing for the Char Dham Yatra.

Chief Minister Dhami also stated that the Char Dham Yatra would be starting in the next four months.

According to officials, the state government will review preparations for the yatra 15 days prior to its commencement. Since Joshimath lies at the entrance of the yatra and the last major halt before Badrinath, officials will review preparations to ensure that the land subsidence issue does not impact the yatra.

The portals of the Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district will open on April 27 morning. As per tradition, the time and date for the opening of the famous temple were decided at a religious ceremony held at the erstwhile Tehri royal palace on the occasion of Basant Panchami, according to officials of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee.

The Badrinath Dham is one of the four ancient pilgrimage sites referred to as ‘Char Dham’ which also includes Yamunotri, Gangotri, and Kedarnath. It is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand. It remains open for six months every year (between the end of April and the beginning of November).

Last week while speaking to the press, Dhami stated that the Char Dham Yatra would be starting in the next four months.

Meanwhile today, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also spoke about the BJP National Executive held recently to discuss a road map for the yatra.

The chief minister said, “A detailed work plan was made during the two-day meeting. The meeting was held in the presence of the National President of the Party JP Nadda. The issues on which we have to work on the national level were communicated to us.”

“Party workers discussed what work has been done and what needs to be done. Our work needs to reach every person, community, and the borders of nation. In the upcoming parliamentary elections, we will try to win by a two-thirds majority. Uttarakhand is going to become one the best states to contribute to nation-building,” affirmed the chief minister while speaking to ANI. (ANI)

‘Joshimath Paid The Price For Our Environmental Sins’

By LokMarg 24th January 2023

Anoop Nautiyal, a social worker from Uttarakhand, says successive state govts chose to pay heed to the hydroelectric lobby but not ecologists and scientists

The tragedy of Joshimath took decades to be scripted. Since 1975, experts and environmentalists have been raising alarm over the fragile ecology but they remained neglected. These warnings are in the public domain, so successive state governments cannot wash their hands of the responsibilities.

This is the price of our own collective ‘sins’. Citizens, local contractors, and municipal authorities are as much to blame as the government. The present situation is one of fire-fighting after the flames have engulfed. We have lost a hill town forever. There is no option left than to shift the entire population to another settlement as was done in Tehri when the entire villages in the dam belt were shifted to New Tehri town.

An old saying goes: There is no greater disaster than greed. This adage fits well into the Joshimath subsidence. And it won’t stop at Joshimath. Many other towns will have the same fate in near future. Those in line with a Joshimath-like fate include Karnaprayag and Gopeshwar in Chamoli district, Ghansali in Tehri, Munshiyari and Dharchula in Pithoragarh, Bhatwari in Uttarkashi; Pauri, and Nainital in Kumaon region.

Hydroelectric projects have contributed the most in increasing the current episode. The present calamity must force us to deliberate and brainstorm on how to save other towns. The state system, by its natural responsibility, which becomes more prominent in a hilly state like Uttarakhand, has not been able to develop a solution. From the great earthquake of Garhwal in the year 1803 to the disaster of 2013 and the current disaster of February 2021 and Joshimath… this process continues to be ‘man-made’ than ‘natural’.

ALSO READ: ‘Not Just Joshimath, Entire State Sitting On A Powder Keg’

Scientific and social organizations have been continuously giving suggestions and warnings. Environment Ministry committees, CAG, High Court, and Supreme Court have intervened several times. The media has been highlighting the irregularities time and again, but the governments have always looked at it casually. A large part of society and scientists concerns remained neglected.

For example, in 1982, considering the scientific arguments of the ‘Chipko Movement’, it was decided to stop the construction of the ‘Vishnu Prayag Project’ or shortly before the construction of three hydroelectric projects in the upper reaches of Bhagirathi was stopped. But the hydropower lobby has been influencing the politics of the country. As a result, these projects never paid enough attention to the environment.

It’s high time that we woke up as a race and as a society – or in the near future, we will be left with no such place to admire and adore.

As Told To Rajat Rai

Joshimath Cracks Widened After Snowfall: Chamoli DM

By LokMarg 21st January 2023

Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said that reports have been received that in a few areas cracks in buildings have widened, days after Joshimath, which is facing land subsidence, in Uttarakhand received heavy snowfall.

Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said that teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and police are on alert if any tragedy arises due to heavy snowfall in Joshimath.

Stating the condition of the relief camps in Joshimath he said that the team is working to provide all necessary facilities to the family.

“Due to heavy snowfall in Joshimath, reports have been received that in a few areas cracks in buildings have widened. Our team is working to provide all the necessary facilities like heaters, hot water, and others,” said Himanshu Khurana.

He said that an executive-level engineer is present in the camp to monitor electricity problems in the relief camps.

“An executive-level engineer is present in the camp to monitor electricity problems in the relief camps,” said Himanshu Khurana.

Earlier on January 20, Secretary of Disaster Management, Ranjit Kumar Sinha briefed the media about the rehabilitation and relief work being done in Joshimath and informed that an amount of Rs 4 lakhs has been allotted as immediate assistance to the affected eight tenants at the rate of Rs 50 thousand per family.

Meanwhile, more than Rs 3.27 crores have been distributed to 218 affected families in Joshimath as an advance relief, informed Sinha.

Addressing the media, he said, “There are 18 pregnant women in the municipal area of Joshimath, who are not currently in relief camps. These pregnant women are living in their own homes.”

“Health tests of these women are being done continuously,” he added.

Apart from this, there are 81 children below the age of 10 years in the relief camps, who are being medically examined.

Sinha said that the Central and State government’s technical institutes in Joshimath were engaged in conducting surveys and study work on regular bases. (ANI)

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Four Wards Of Joshimath Declared Completely Unsafe: Disaster Management Secretary

By LokMarg 17th January 2023

Amid the evolving crisis around the landslide and subsidence at Joshimath in the upper reaches of Uttarakhand, Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha on Tuesday said four municipal areas or wards in the holy town have been declared as ‘completely unsafe’.

Addressing a press conference in Dehradun on Tuesday, Sinha said, “Four wards in Joshimath have been declared as completely unsafe. The rest of the wards have been found to be partially affected (by subsidence).”
“Many organizations are involved in the ongoing investigation into the reasons and extent of subsidence in and around Joshimath. We will come up with a final report soon. We have made adequate preparations in anticipation of rainfall,” he added.

However, in a piece of ‘good news’, Sinha informed us that the water discharge level at JP Colony has gone down.

“The water discharge level (which is said to be behind the prevailing situation in Joshimath) at JP Colony has gone down. This is good news,” the Disaster management secretary said.

He added that the affected families have been shifted to shelter homes and the model huts will be ready within a week.

Hundreds of residents were shifted to relief centers in safe places after cracks appeared at several homes in Joshimath, suggesting subsidence.

The Uttarakhand government has already announced relief packages worth crores for the affected families of Joshimath. (ANI)

U’khand: Higher Mountain Range In Chamoli, Badrinath Receives Fresh Snowfall

By LokMarg 14th January 2023

Uttarakhand was covered in a thick blanket of snow on Saturday morning after it received fresh snowfall overnight.

Higher mountain ranges in Joshimath including Chamoli district and the holy shrine of Badrinath in Chamoli district were covered in a blanket of snow received fresh snowfall.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in its weather report predicted “light to moderate rain/snowfall” likely to occur over most places in the state.

The Pandukeshwar area where Badri Nath temple is located was covered in 2 feet of snow, Regional Meteorological Centre marked.

However, the minimum temperature did not slip down to negative degrees. The report stated maximum temperatures remained above “normal” in the hills here.

Meanwhile, several parts of Himachal Pradesh were also covered in a thick blanket of snow.

Trees and houses in Mandhol were covered in white, while locals preferred to remain in the warm confines of their homes amid the heavy snowfall.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum and minimum temperatures in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday were recorded at 6 degrees Celsius and -4 degrees Celsius.

In the state’s higher reaches, Narkanda, Manali and the Malana villages in the Kullu district also received snowfall.

Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district also received a fresh round of snow and temperature in the region dipped significantly after the snowfall.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in its weather report stated that with the fresh snowfall on higher reaches and rains in the plains the graph of temperature has once again descended across the Doda region.

“The entire region has been gripped by a cold wave forcing people to wear warm clothes and stay indoors. The rush of people in Doda markets disappeared as people preferred to stay indoors due to the cold wave,” the Regional Meteorological Centre stated.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum and minimum temperatures in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday were recorded at 8 degrees Celsius and 0 degrees Celsius. (ANI)