In Brief

Wedlock of different kind

Twenty-two specially-abled couples entered wedlock at a mass marriage ceremony during the ongoing Maha Kumbh mela in Haridwar. A voluntary organisation, Narayan Seva Sansthan of Udaipur, conducted the ceremony. The couples were married as per traditional Hindu rituals. The whole camp was beautifully decorated. Rohit Sharma, director of Narayan Seva Sansthan, said: "This is for the first time that such a marriage of specially-abled couples is being held during the kumbh mela. We are not only giving them free medical help but also organising marriages for them so that they come to the mainstream society." The organisers also gifted household items to the newly married couples. Mass marriages are becoming very popular, especially among the economically backward sections of Indian society.

Koirala's ashes immersed in Ganga

The ashes of former Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala were today immersed in the river Ganga here. Koirala's foster son, Balkrishna Pandey, reached Brahmakund at Har-Ki-Pauri with the urn carrying his ashes which were immersed amid chants of vedic hymns. Pandey was accompanied by officials of Nepalese embassy. Earlier, the urn was kept in Garibdasiya Ashram where the people paid their tributes to the departed soul. Koirala had held the post of prime minister in Nepal for five times and currently his daughter Sujata Koirala is deputy prime minister of the country.

No more basmati from Dehradun

Known worldwide for its aroma and taste, the Dehradun basmati rice is no longer being produced in Uttarakhand's capital city, though exports of the variety from the state show a healthy trend, the government has said. Rapid urbanisation has forced farmers to stop growing basmati in Majra and other areas of the Doon valley, state Agriculture Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has said. Instead, the government is now focusing on nearby areas like Haridwar and Vikasnagar to grow various organic varieties of basmati as demand for the long-grained rice continues to grow in the world, he said. Rawat said exports of basmati from Uttarakhand registered healthy growth reaching 70,680.50 quintals in 2008-09 against 55,451 quintals in 2007-08. Basmati is also grown in Nainital and Udhamsingh Nagar district, Rawat said. Uttarakhand farmers are getting the highest rates in the country for organic basmati paddy, officials of the state agriculture department said. A total of 500-1,000 hectares of land is under organic basmati rice cultivation in the state, which produces nearly 800 tonnes every year, official statistics show.

Sex-racket busted, 4 held

Police claimed to have busted a sex-racket by arresting four persons, including two women, from Kusumkhera area here. Following a tip-off, police raided a house and arrested Mohammed Yusuf and Mohammed Asif, both residents of Rudrapur town of Udhamsingh Nagar district, along with two women for their alleged involvement in flesh-trade. The two women hail from Darjeeling and Rudrapur, they added.