<!--emo&:argue--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/argue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='argue.gif' /><!--endemo--> 'India's choice: Medha Patkar or megawatt?'
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=66144
Press Trust of India
Posted online: Saturday, April 15, 2006 at 1624 hours IST
Updated: Saturday, April 15, 2006 at 1815 hours IST
New Delhi, April 15: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday decided to undergo a 51-hour fast at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad from on Sunday to protest against governmentâs move to temporarily suspend further construction of the Narmada dam.
Addressing a crowded press conference soon after the meeting of the review committee of the Narmada Control Authority (NCA), Modi hit back at Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz saying that he has no authority to recommend suspension of the dam work.
Observing that the Centre was bowing before the activists of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), he alleged that the Centre had already given a promise to the NBA activists to stall the project which was against the spirit of Supreme Court judgement.
Modi said that he would undertake the 51 hours fast at the Sabarmati Ashram from 1400 hours from Sunday to register his protest against the developments and appealed to the people of the state to remain claimâ.After the decision of the authority on March 8, Soz had given a statement that the decision of the authority is premature which indicated that the government had premeditated this move,â he said.
Asked to comment on Sozâs remarks that the issue would be referred to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Modi said that Fridayâs meeting has not recommended that the matter be taken to the Prime Minister.
To a question on Bollywood star Aamir Khan joining the anti-dam protestors, Modi did not say anything directly. However, he described those agitating against the project as working against development.
He wanted to know what the so-called supporters of rehabilitation of the affected people were doing when the four lakh Kashmiri migrants were living on the footpaths.
Noting that the resolution moved by other members of the review committee--Soz, Union Minister A Raja and Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh--to stall the work of the dam met with a tie, Modi said it was âunfortunateâ that the line taken by the Centre and the Maharashtra Chief Minister was âanti-developmentâ.
He pointed out that this was a project of national importance in which the concerned states had already put in an investment of Rs 21,000 crore in the last about 16 years.
âIf the dam height is not allowed to be raised upto 121.92 meters, the country will lose 1,450 mw of power and the water will not reach 4,000 thirsty villages of Gujarat and Rajasthan for drinking as well as for irrigation,â he said.
The dam work was proceeding as the Supreme Court order and there and there was enough mechanism for the grievances redressal of the affected people, he said.
Referring to Prime Ministerâs ambitious Bharat Nirman Programme aimed at improving infrastructure facilities in the country, Modi said the ânation should decide whether it wanted Medha Patkar or megawattâ.
On the stand of Maharashtra at the meeting, he said that while Maharashtra would get a lionâs share of about 400 mw of power, the Chief Minister was âpushing the state into darkâ.
When an autonomous body like NCA has decided to allow the raising of the height after following due process prescribed by the apex court, the Centre has now tried to put hurdles in the path of the project which is not acceptable to the people of the affected states, he added.
http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/apr/17narma...?q=tp&file=.htm
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Gujarat CM calls off hunger strike
....
The Gujarat chief minister thanked all political parties, which supported the government on the issue of increasing the height of the dam and for opposing the Narmada Bachao Andolan.
"I thank all the political parties whether it is the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party or other organizations that extended their support on the Narmada dam issue in the national interest," he added.
Modi thanked Soz for creating a situation which led to this fast. "This has become a yagna for me and I came to realize that people of Gujarat expect a lot from me. I will have to make myself competent to match their expectations," he said.
He also 'thanked' some section of media for helping him stay in news by targetting him in a 'negative' way.
Training his guns at the Centre, he said for the first time in the history of Narmada dam's fight, the Central government's stand on the issue has helped the NBA to build a set of documents, which were against the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
Advocates of NBA used this documents in the courts on Monday in their argument, he added.
"I am very worried about these developments as they can lead to problems in future. The state will have to be alert to fight against any attempt in future to stall the work of the dam," Modi said.
He alleged that leaders sitting in New Delhi are playing 'dirty' politics by coming in the way of development of states. He said the state had passed a law on labour reforms a year ago, but the file is still pending with the Centre.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/apr/17medha...?q=np&file=.htm
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->...
Lashing out at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, she said, "He was committing another heinous crime, this time a jalhatya (death by water)."
...
"The prime minister and the Congress party has exhibited unbelievable weakness in challenging the communal and criminal pressures of Gujarat politics," she said.
....
She said within the next fortnight the NBA will work actively to expose the claims of the rehabilitation made by Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. <i>All BJP govt.. coinicidence ??</i>
...
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Its not coincidence but as usual they had activated paid jokers.
After Queen got exposed, they are looking for change in topic so that Queen can waste tax money again.
I will count sacrifice if Queen Sonia declares; I will not waste money in re-election and money I will donate for rehabilitation.
Child hunger deaths in Maharashtra
You won't see all these jokers crying for death of children in state of Maharastra, ruled by COngress.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> Karunanidhi (DMK ) Constituency: Chepauk Total assets: Rs 22 cr
Cars: Two (Honda Accord and Indigo Marina â one in each wifeâs name) Bank deposits: Rs 17.98 crore (includes Rs 12.5 crore in one wifeâs name, Rs 5 crore in another wifeâs name) Wifeâs jewellery: Rs 97.58 lakh As declared to the<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
How come he is having two wives? No ex-wife??/?
<!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> <b>CAG report criticises MSRDC</b>
- NDTV Correspondent
Wednesday, April 19, 2006 (New Delhi):
The CAG report for the year 2004-05 has criticised the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) for what it called "lack of transparency" in awarding contracts during construction of the Mumbai-Pune expressway.
In its report, the CAG found that there was lack of transparency in awarding of contracts for expressway toll and maintenance. Furthermore:
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation fixed the reserve price for the contract at Rs 900 crore, which was found to be much lower than its real value.
The MSRDC had to pay an additional Rs 54 crore for construction work and consultancy contracts.
The CAG also found that the toll collected from the Mumbai-Pune expressway was much lower than had been expected.
Petition for debarring Sonia from contesting by-poll filed
New Delhi, April 21 (PTI): A petition has been filed before the Returning Officer of Rae Bareli Parliamentary Constituency for debarring Congress President Sonia Gandhi from contesting the May 8 bye-election if she "failed" to produce naturalisation certificate.
Divakar Dalvi, of the Sambhaji Brigade of Maharashtra, which had attacked the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune in the wake of James Laine's controversial book on Chhatrapati Shivaji, told reporters that he would challenge the election of Gandhi in courts if the returning officer allowed her to contest without obtaining her naturalisation certificate.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Weakening of UPA will help BJP: Moily
Staff Reporter
<i>`LDF should reform itself before preparing to guide a State to development'
REVIEWING CAMPAIGN: AICC observer Veerappa Moily talking to Muslim League leaders E. Ahamed, P.K. Kunhalikutty and Abdussamad Samadani at Panakkad, near Malappuram, on Friday</i>.
MALAPPURAM: All India Congress Committee (AICC) observer for Kerala Veerappa Moily has warned that any attempt by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to weaken the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) will benefit communal forces, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Responding to CPI(M) national general secretary Prakash Karat's statement that the results of the upcoming State elections would strengthen the Left to check the UPA Government at the Centre, Mr. Moily said the Left would be serving the interests of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance by turning against the UPA. He was addressing a meet-the-press organised by the Malappuram Press Club here on Friday.
<i>Programmes cancelled</i>
He said he had cancelled several of his programmes following the death of Muslim League State president Sayed Mohammedali Shihab Thangal's wife Shareefa Fathima Beevi.
Mr. Moily criticised the LDF for continuing its alliance with the Janata Dal, which rules Karnataka in partnership with the BJP, and tying up with communal organisations such as the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Jama'at-e-Islami.
The CPI(M) is no longer secular, he said. "It has started giving company to communal forces," he said.
<i>LDF criticised</i>
Mr. Moily said the LDF should reform itself first; only then it will be able to steer a State to development.
"The LDF is in an isolation camp. It should come out of that camp, and talk about development," he said.
Describing Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan as a leader unfit for the present times, Mr. Moily said that his `negative statements' on the Smart City project would retard the growth of the State.
<i>Incompatibilities in surveys</i>
He said the recent election surveys were bogus. According to him, the surveys had several incompatibilities.
H. Viswanath, former Karnataka Minister for Education, accompanied Mr. Moily. District Congress Committee secretary Mangalam Gopinath and KPCC secretary K.P.A. Majeed also attended the meet-the-press. Press Club secretary V.M. Subair welcomed the gathering.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--emo&:argue--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/argue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='argue.gif' /><!--endemo--> Change name of Narmada project: ModiAdd to Clippings
[ Friday, April 21, 2006 07:35:28 pmIANS ]
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AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday alleged the central government was creating "hurdles" in the way of the Narmada dam's construction only because it was not named after a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Alleging that the United Progressive Alliance government was hindering the project as it was named after Sardar Vallabbhai Patel, Modi said, "I am surprised that the project, whose foundation stone was laid by former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, is not complete even after 30 years.
"I am willing to go to the extent of changing the name of the project and attributing it to either Rajiv Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi.
"I don't mind changing the name but the dam has to be completed. I strongly feel that the hurdles are being created because of Sardar Patel's name in the project," he said. Patel, India's first home minister, hailed from Gujarat and one of the controversial dams being built on the Narmada is called the Sardar Sarovar dam.
Modi was speaking at the inauguration of what is said to be India's first solar thermal air-conditioning system in Santej village on the city outskirts.
He criticised union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz for his initial announcement that construction work on the dam would be stalled.
Soz had objected to the Narmada Control Authority's decision to allow the dam height to be increased from 110.64 to 121.92 metres. Anti-dam activists say raising the dam height will submerge many villages and make thousands homeless without being rehabilitated.
Modi had announced a token fast on Sunday but called it off following a Supreme Court decision allowing construction on the dam to continue in central Gujarat.
Moron award goes to .....
<b>Gold ring for new borns on MK's birthday</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Chennai: DMK's South Chennai District unit announced on Wednesday <b>that gold ring would be gifted to all babies born at a premier government maternity hospital in the city on June 3, the 83rd birthday of party president and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi</b>.
All babies born at the Kasturbai Maternity Hospital in Triplicane area of the city on Karunanidhi's birthday would be presented with a gold ring by the South Chennai District unit, its Secretary J Anbazhagan said in a release.
...........
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Here comes DMK idol worship.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>No VIP treatment in temples</b>
Chennai: The next time the king of Nepal visits the Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameshwaram, there will be no parivattam (a silk cloth tied around the head as a mark of honour) and no poorna kumbham (pot of flowers) to welcome him.
<b>Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi has told the Assembly that there would be no special treatment for VIPs in the temples of his state, reports our special correspondent. This is the DMK-led governmentâs effort to ensure âequality of all before Godâ.</b>
âWe will not allow this practice (of offering parivattams) to continue in temples,â Karunanidhi said.
He was speaking on a resolution to mourn the death of Hindu religious and charitable endowments minister P.T.R. Palanivel Rajan, who abhorred the practice of offering parivattams to special guests in temples.
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Who is he to decide, he is atheist? Let Hindus thmeselves decide what they want.
Why secular government gets involved in religon?
<b>Pondicherry to be named Puducherry</b>
<P>Two significant political conclaves occured this week at the state and the national level. Two former allies parted ways, but yet have shown little signs of having recovered from the mind numbing blow of the 2004 General Elections. The BJP and Naidu's Telugu Desam continue to flounder while the long drawn recovery from the deadly blow takes its toll.</P>
<P>The lesson from the 2004 General Elections was loud and clear, there are no more national issues in our national elections as much as the mianstream english media and this blog being no exception would like to believe. This decade definitely belongs to the states, and it is what happens in the states that will shape the contours of what happens at the Center. This is the lesson the BJP has to learn if it has to revitalize itself from the moribund state it finds itself in.</P>
<P>Flashback to 1989-1991 during the heydays of Mandal-1. The Pandora's box VP Singh opened with the Mandal Commission Recommendations saw an energized BJP unify its base and its sympathetic vote bank the Middle Class around the Mandir Issue and Anti-Minorytism. That theme has run its full course but the lessons from its success still apply. Anti-Minorytism is no longer the mantra to energize the traditional Middle Class voter bank which has its sights now set firmly on the opportunities and growth ushered in by the economic successes of the first half of this decade with the rise of the Indian Economy.</P>
<P>The BJP needs to refocus its strategy on unifying themes that will counter the divisive casteist agenda of the Mandal-2 political forces and has the potential to earn it back the sympathies of the Middle Class. This it has to do at the State Level with a micro focus on the states where it has the best potential to make a difference.</P>
<P>Smaller States - an issue dear to the BJP in the past has the potential to be that unifying theme in specific states which cost the BJP the last election - AP, Maharashtra and of course Uttar Pradesh.</P>
<P>Let us examine each one of these states to understand the political dynamics and how the BJP could make a difference if it got its act right.</P>
<P> Telangana from Andhra Pradesh</P>
Quote:<P>Near Death events they say can bring fresh perspective to life. In the case of Chandrababu Naidu it is not clear if the near death naxalite attack on him made much of a difference to his politics but the Near Political Death of the 2004 General Elections followed by the Municipal and District elections has completely made him lose his sense of balance. </P>
<P>Naidu is convinced beyond all reasonable doubt that the Muslim vote cost him the last election and he will do anything and everything to get it back, including supporting Iran's quest for Nuclear Weapons and protesting Geroge Bush's visit to India, remember this was the same laptop touting Naidu who hosted Clinton and Gates. </P>
<P>Naidu's problem in the TDP continues to be the same that eventually saw his Father-in-Law's decline. It is a one man show, every time NTR allowed a strong personality to emerge in the Center as the TDP's representative it eventually led to dissidence resulting in the state working over time to finish that personality off, resulting in practically no second generation of leadership. Where is P. Upendra, he has vanished from the political scene (once the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha), Renuka Choudary is in the Congress, Jayaprada is in Mulayam's camp. </P>
<P>So clueless Naidu is a very worried man. He knows that a fractitious party has put holds on his Prime Ministerial ambitions, so for all the talk of a 3rd front he aint getting nowhere near NTR got to becoming the Prime Minister. Naidu's other problem is Telangana. If a separate Telangana state were to emerge that would be the end of Naidu's hegemony over his party for it will spawn a parallel power center and going by the history of the TDP, parallel power centers eventually will lead to a splintered party, which in this case would mean the TDP ceding the space of primary opposition in a newly formed Telangana state to the BJP. Naidu's other gamble with the Muslim vote bank is closely tied to his Telangana fears as well, since the Muslim population is more densely concentrated in Telangana than in Andhra he believes that falling head over heels to woo them would ensure political survival. </P>
<P>Naidu's Achilees in Telangana is the opportunity for the BJP. The party has finally shed its ambivalence and come out openly in favor of a Telangana state. The party needs to follow up this stance with a well crafted strategy, vision and most importantly able leadership to follow through like it did in Chattisgarh and Jharkhand. Telangana holds the promise for the BJP to carve out for itself the political space it needs to be principal opposition and maybe in the next election the party in power if it plays its cards right. This is a cause that saw unprecedented 80% upwards of voter turnout in 2004 and has immense unifying potential against the divisive Mandal forces.</P>
<P dir=ltr> Vidarbha from Maharashtra</P>
Quote:<P dir=ltr>The very same formulation of Telangana applies to Vidarbha as well. The Shiv Sena cost the BJP last election. The NCP's clever positioning in the state allows it to occupy the space of principal opposition while enjoying the fruits of power. The BJP's only chance of wresting power back in Maharashtra lie in transforming the political debate and the Vidarbha issue has that potential. The BJP campaigned last election on the issue but did not take it up with any seriousness. The recent spate of farmer suicides have brough the focus back on this issue.</P>
<P dir=ltr> Unravelling of the United Provinces of Uttar Pradesh</P>
Quote:<P dir=ltr>UP as the acronym we all understand it today to be Uttar Pradesh originally referred to the United Provinces, a large scale lumping of regions into one big state which pretty much determined the contour of the National Government for nearly 40 years after independence accounting for the biggest chunk of Lok Sabha seats. But for VP Singh's Mandal genie breaking the Congress stranglehold in UP, ND Tiwari would have been Prime Minister in place of PV Narasimha Rao and god knows what else would have ensued. The political debate in caste splintered UP has swung from Mandal to Mandir to Bahujan to now what Plato so greatly describes in his Republic as the Tyrannical State that emerges from a Democratic State. The tyranny that UP epitomises today cannot be won by any political grouping given the zillion caste, religion permutations and combinations. The Congress with its Alice in Wonder Land like mindset is setting its hopes on the Gandhi-Nehur magic to take it back to the pre-mandal days when the 80 odd lok sabha seats were its sole property. </P>
<P dir=ltr>In the unravelling of the United Provinces lies the BJP's best chance. The BJP's campaign next year for Uttar Pradesh must be on a platform of 3 smaller states. This would change the complexion of the political debate in the state and would unify the vote bank against the Mandal-2 forces and the newly formed mulsim vote bank parties. It would offer hope to a people who have pretty much written off stable state governments in Uttar Pradesh. The opportunities for political and economic/social growth offered by 3 smaller states as opposed to this Dinosaur of a state would be a compelling theme to attract voter's attention and give the BJP its best chance at breaking through the Caste Calculus as well as having the same effect on the One Man or One Woman wonders of parallel power centers. Neither Mulayam nor Mayawati have the appetite for parallel power centers and hence the breaking up of UP will have the same effect as the breaking up of Bihar had on Lalu and the breaking up of AP will have on Naidu.</P>
<P dir=ltr>It would take creativity and boldness on the part of the BJP to craft such a platform, but then what does it stand to lose. From it stands now, it has no hope in hell in being returned to power in UP. Ayodhya is a dead issue and will not reap it anymore political dividends. What fresh thinking can it offer a state that has written its governance off for the next decade.</P>
<P dir=ltr> <FONT color=#ff0000>Offstumped Bottomline: The BJP needs bold and fresh thinking to base its platform on smaller states, better opportunities to consolidate its position in the hindi heartland. The campaign for Uttar Pradesh should be based on a promise of</FONT></P>
<P dir=ltr><FONT color=#ff0000>â SMALL IS BEAUTIFULâ</FONT></P>
Small is beautiful unless and until not ruled by commies
<b>Survey points to high mental illness incidence in Kerala </b>
<i>Findings of an NSSO survey on disabled persons in the country </i>
<img src='http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/02/images/2006060213880101.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
U.P. plans new law on temples, mutts
Atiq Khan
To monitor their activities and have a say in their management
# Meeting to be held to finalise draft Bill on subject
# Temples in State classified into three grades
# Religious Endowment Act repealed in 1992 reportedly under pressure from VHP
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Government plans to enact a law which would enable it to monitor the activities of temples, mutts and religious trusts, and also have a big say in their management.
A meeting has been convened by State Chief Secretary N.C. Bajpai on June 13 for finalising the draft Bill on the subject. The meeting will be attended by the principal secretaries of law and religious endowment departments.
Religious Endowment Minister Ashok Bajpai said the Government did not want to unnecessarily interfere in the affairs of temples, mutts and religious trusts, nor were there any plans to take over their control. Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Bajpai said: "There has to be a foolproof arrangement for keeping a close watch on the management of the religious places as not only were the sewadars and workers exploited by the mahants and pujaris, dispute over property owned by the mutts and temples has often led to the murder of priests."
He said temple towns were also leading tourist centres â Varanasi, Allahabad, Mathura, Ayodhya and Chitrakoot. "Proper management of temples will promote tourism in the State," he said. Through the proposed legislation, income from the temples, mutts and religious trusts will be ploughed back for the welfare of their workers. For the purpose of the legislation, temples and mutts have been divided into 3 grades: temples of international and national fame ; temples of State fame; regional and local level temples, mutts and religious trusts.
UP election is 6-7 months away. Mother of all election. We will see all type of nonsense from Sonia Congress to every single one man parties.
Issues from reservation, supporting terrorist, supporting Islamic jihadi, more bomb blast, ramjanam bhumi etc.
We will see every effort from every party to break India.
<b>Bukhari forms UP United Democratic Front</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid Maulana Syed Ahmed Bhukhari on Saturday announced the formation of a political front for the forthcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing a press conference at the Jama Masjid, Bukhari said the formation of the Uttar Pradesh United Democratic Front (UPUDF), was necessitated as 'the so-called secular parties have deeply disappointed the Muslims in the 57 years of independence, merely treating them as a vote bank.'
<b>"Muslims supported with heart and soul all those political parties who raised slogan of secularism. But when the time came to fulfil the promises made to them, mode of functioning of all parties remained similar and even after passing of 57 years Muslims are deprived of their rights,"</b> he said.
<b>
Sharply attacking the secular parties, he said those parties hatched a well-planned conspiracy and compelled Muslims to vote for them showing the 'bugbear' of BJP.</b>
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Here you go , when in trouble pray Hindu God else destroy Hinduism ..............
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->CM orders japams for rain
link
Hyderabad, June 13: <b>Not willing to take any chances Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy has decided to seek divine help for good rains in the State. He has directed the endowments department to organise Varuna Japams and Sahasra Ghatabhisekhams in all the 21 major temples to invoke Lord Varuna</b>.
<b>The places where these rituals will take place include Srisailam, Lakshmi Narasimha swamy temple, Yadagirigutta, Durga Malleshwara Devasthanam, Dwaraka, Tirumala, Simhachallam and Srikalahasti. The department consulted Sri Malladi Chandrasekhara Sastry, a renowned Pouranika Sarva Bhowma and astrologer who had suggested a series of rituals from Jyesthamasam to the end of Sravanamasam (June 19 to August 23).</b>
<b>According to sources in the endowment department Sri Malladi Chandrasekhara Sastry advised Varuna Japam for nine days. During this ritual the priest performs the puja standing in water. Sahasra Ghatabhisekham in all Shivalayams each Monday till the end of Sravanamasam was also suggested. The department was told that daily preaching of Virata Parvam and Rushya Srunga Charitam from Ramayana in every temple would be of great benefit. </b>
Endowments commissioner has directed regional joint commissioners, deputy commissioners and executive officers of all the 21 major temples to take personal interest in the matter.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Raje concludes Jal Chetna Yatra by digging sarovar</b>
Pioneer.com
Lokpal Sethi | Budha Pushkar (Ajmer)
Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje on Friday concluded<b> her month-long Jal Chetna Yatra by symbolically digging this historic holy Sarovar to restore to its past glory and importance as a Hindu religious site.</b>
<b>Thousands of residents, mostly farmers, joined her in desilting the Sarovar, which is considered as holy a place of worship like the nearby famous Pushkar Sarovar</b>.
It was a scene to watch the CM carrying spaderemoving the silt from the almost ruined Saravoar. <b>She inspired the crowd of over 25,000 to carry out the kar sewa to clear the site of sand.</b>
The party and the Government were preparing for this concluding function to make it a big success like well chalked month-long yatra by her and her Ministerial colleagues.
Though it was focused to make the people aware about the use of water, as the State has acute scarcity of this life saving commodity, it moved the administration to reach out to the common man, to listen to their complaints and to redress them on the spot.
Politically it was one of the biggest mass contact programmes by Vasundhara Raje, who came to power after organising four-month-long Parivartan yatra before the Assembly elections in 2003.
Though opponents criticised it by saying that it was a futile exercise on the part of Raje who has spent crore of rupees of Government funds on it.
<b>But judging from the crowd, which she attracted during the yatra, it has once again been proved that her popularity among the masses was as much as it was before the Assembly election.</b>
During the yatra, over 18,000 villages in 9,000 gram panchayats were visited. According to rough estimates, over 50 lakh people joined it.
She had kicked off the yatra programme on May 16 at Sikar. In all about 250 raths were prepared which moved from village to village. Each of her Minister was made to go in rath yatra in these areas. Similarly, officials of secretary rank were given the responsibly of each district.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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