KV for Kotdwar cleared

Decks have been cleared for setting up a Kendriya Vidhyala (KV) in Kotdwar town of Pauri Garhwal. On the request of the Uttarakhand forest and AYUSH Minister Harak Singh Rawat, the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar directed the commissioner KVS, Santosh Mall to immediately initiate the process of setting up the school in Kotdwar. Rawat called upon the Union HRD Minister in New Delhi on Friday.

In the meeting Rawat said that a cantonment of Garhwal Rifle is based in Kotdwar town and apart from it, the population of the families of serving and retired armed forces personnel is very large. He said that the demand of setting up a KV in Kotdwar is an old one and justified. Rawat informed Javadekar that the District Magistrate Pauri has already earmarked a plot of land measuring 9.94 acres in West Jhandichaud village for the KV.

Harak Singh Rawat also held meetings with managing director of Eco Tourism Board Anup Malik and Director General Forest, Government of India. In these meetings he held elaborate discussion on demarcation of forest land and wild life in Uttarakhand. Rawat also held discussions on Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funding to the State. DG forests informed that the Union Government has sanctioned a sum of `118 crore to Uttarakhand and assured additional funding worth `2113 crore till next September. The issue of digitizing the forest boundary records was also discussed in the meeting.

Later in the day, Rawat also met the Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar and discussed with him the issue of setting up society of Rajya Karmchari Bima Nigam.

He also requested that funds for super speciality hospital and medical college in Kotdwar should be released by the Union Government.