HINDU MINISTER TO HEAD SHRINE
The Uttarakhand cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to manage the Char Dham, or four holy Hindu abodes in the state, and 51 other temples on the lines of Vaishno Devi temple.
CM TO HEAD THE BOARD; THREE MPS, SIX MLAS AND CHARDHAM PRIESTS TO BE ITS MEMBERS; IAS OFFICER TO BE CEO
DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to bring the Chardham Shrine Management Board Act, 2019 to manage Chardham and 51 temples on the lines of Vaishno Devi and Tirupati Balaji shrine boards.
In case there is a Muslim chief minister then a senior Hindu minister would be the chairperson of the board, said said Madan Kaushik, state urban development minister and spokesperson of the state government.
Total 36 proposals were discussed during the cabinet meeting led by chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat in which 35 proposals including the one on Chardham Shrine Management Board Act, 2019 were approved , said Kaushik.
Speaking on the decision to form Chardham Shrine Managament Board, Kaushik said, “Once formed, the CM of the state would head the board as its chairperson. Three MPs, six MLAs, several secretaries and priests of the Chardham Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri will also be included as members in the board.”
Kaushik said the chief executive officer of the board would be “an IAS officer who will look after the rights of the priests as they have enjoyed previously. In case there is a Muslim CM then a senior Hindu minister would be the chairperson of the board ”
“In the initial phase, the board will comprise Chardham and 51 temples. A bill on the same would be brought before the state assembly in the upcoming session before it is enacted into a law. Once formed, the board will work on the lines of Vaishno Devi and Tirupati Balaji Shrine Management Boards,” he said.
On a proposal on former-CM’s house rent allowance the cabinet approved providing house rent allowance to them which would be 25% more than the one being paid to government employees.
The cabinet also decided to form rules and regulations for the modernisation of madarasas in the state.
“The rules and regulations would help in modernising the madrassas. It would help in their computerisation as the government works under PM Narendra Modi’s principle of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas. Apart from this, the state cabinet also decided to form regulations for the Arabic-Farsi Madrassa Board in the state,” said Kaushik.
Among the other approvals, the state cabinet announced organising Wellness Summit2020 in April which would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event which will have the US, UAE, China and Thailand as partner countries would be held at a cost of ₹25 crore.
The cabinet also approved a payment of ₹1.77 crore to singer Kailash Kher who had performed in Kedarnath. It also decided to open a public library in a government area of about 3,000sqm at Parade Ground area in Dehradun.
CABINET OKAYS PROVISION OF ANTICIPATORY BAIL IN UTTARAKHAND
The cabinet also approved the provision of anticipatory bail which was absent in the state till date.
“The cabinet approved provision for anticipatory bail except in about six crimes including crimes under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, crimes under section 376 of IPS and its related sub-sections which is related to rape and crime against state,” said Kaushik.
In September last year, the high court had ruled that Section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973 that pertains to anticipatory bail “shall be applicable in the State of Uttarakhand”.
This paved way for accused to seek anticipatory bail in the state.
There has been no provision of applying for anticipatory bail in Uttar Pradesh for over 40 years after the provision of anticipatory bail was revoked by the UP government through an amendment in 1976.
After Uttarakhand was formed, it had to adopt the amendment or legislate a new one, but it did neither.