Word: uttarakhand
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Indian government last fashioned new states in 2000, when three largely remote and impoverished regions were elevated in status. At least two of them - Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand - have shown marked progress since their inception. Small states like Kerala in the south and Haryana in the north, both with populations under 30 million, boast some of India's highest development indicators. Backers of further decentralization even point to the original, idealistic Gandhian vision for India - of a republic brought together not by a strong central government, but an "ocean" of egalitarian and self-sufficient villages...
...that Indian-army officers privately admit pains them. In 1962 it was China's superior roads and bridges that allowed its army to move into India so quickly, and the embarrassment continues to gnaw. Raji Nainwal, a student in 1962 and now a consultant on a hydro project in Uttarakhand - another border state - worries, "Our dams are in the Himalayas. If China [is] able to intrude and blast one of [them], then what would happen?" (See pictures of China's investments in Africa...
...angling tour service - easy enough to find on the Internet - to take you to where the best catches are, as well as provide equipment. Or you can just toss tackle and a tent into a hired 4x4 and head to the Ramganga River, near Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, where a 15-mile (24 km) stretch is maintained exclusively for sportfishing...
...months. Foreign tourists have been barred from Tibet since March's anti-Chinese protests. Political troubles in Nepal, where recent elections were marred by bombings, have deterred many holidaymakers. Understandably, some travelers are now beginning to look across these borders to the Indian Himalayas, where the state of Uttarakhand - until recently known as Uttaranchal - has quietly been building its own tourist trade. It offers drop-dead gorgeous trekking - the same as you would find in Nepal and Tibet, but in a less restive and less discovered environment than that of its neighbors...
...Aquaterra Adventures can also organize a quick tiger-spotting safari at the end of the trip. Besides the Himalayas, Uttarakhand's other famous attraction is Corbett National Park, in the Shivalik foothills. This 201-square-mile (520 sq km) reserve offers some of the country's best chances to catch a glimpse of the elusive and endangered Bengal tiger. But if you would rather make your own arrangements, simply book one of the 10 cottages at the Hideaway River Lodge, www.corbetthideaway.com, right in the middle of the jungle. Rates start from $375 a night, which includes meals, safaris, fishing, park...