Dhumal flays Congress education policy
SOLAN, Oct 4 — Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today criticised the Congress over its "failure to give due priority to education during its long rule in the country", adding that many present-day ills could be ascribed to misconceived educational policies which had little relevance to the country's cultural heritage.

More Tibetans flee to India
DHARAMSALA, Oct 4 — An arduous journey across the snow-clad mountains did not deter them from escaping to a free life in India.Fed up with acts of Chinese brutality, they chose to lead a life away from their family members. All have a tale to tell of Chinese repression which forced them to leave Tibet.

New turn to dowry case
as husband disappears
SOLAN, Oct 4 — The arrival of a Haryana police party here on Friday for carrying out arrests of three women, named in a case under the Dowry Act, has sparked off fresh speculations about the whereabout of the husband of the complainant, 32-year-old. Bodh Raj Khurana, a local youth, reported missing since July 14.

General Nayar lays stress on science
DALHOUSIE, Oct 4 — Lieut-Gen V.K. Nayar, a former Governor of Manipur and Nagaland, has underlined the need for improving academic standard in an era when science and technology was fast developing.

Rs 7 crore sanctioned for irrigation projects
SHIMLA, Oct 4 — NABARD has sanctioned financial assistance of Rs 7 crore for 22 minor irrigation projects in Himachal Pradesh.

Dhumal flays Congress education policy
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Oct 4 — Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today criticised the Congress over its "failure to give due priority to education during its long rule in the country", adding that many present-day ills could be ascribed to misconceived educational policies which had little relevance to the country's cultural heritage.

Mr Dhumal, who was chief guest at the annual function of Him Giri Kalyan Ashram, a voluntary organisation engaged in providing free board, lodging and educational facilities to needy children in the tribal belts of Himachal Pradesh and adjoining areas here, said there was need to thoroughly revamp the educational system.

Lauding the work done by the ashram, Mr Dhumal said such institutions had the potential of greatly supplementing the government's efforts to provide education to the poor.

He said his government was committed to the uplift of the weaker sections and had earmarked Rs 558 crore for the social service sector this year as against a mere Rs 390 crore earmarked last year by the previous government.

The Chief Minister said the pension amounts for old persons, widows and handicapped persons had raised from Rs 100 to Rs 150 per month. Also, the rehabilitation allowance for lepers had been enhanced to Rs 170 from Rs 120.

The budgetary allocation for the nutritional needs of pregnant women and children had also been suitably increased.

Mr Dhumal said his government had also introduced the Ambedkar Meritorious Scholarship Scheme, under which Rs 10,000 would be spent every year on providing senior secondary education to each eligible child of a poor family. It was proposed to select 1,000 such students this year and Rs 1 crore would be spent on this account.

The Chief Minister announced a grant of Rs 3.26 lakh to the ashram. A solar water heater with a capacity of 1,000 litres and three solar lamps would also be provided by the government.

Conceding a long-standing demand of the local Shilly panchayat, Mr Dhumal said the 1 km-long road of the panchayat would be completed this year.

Mr Gunwant Singh Kothari, general secretary, All-India Banwasi Kalyan Ashram, said there was need to have a closer look at all separatist movements which, barring Jammu and Kashmir, were concentrated in the tribal belts of the North-East.

He said his organisation was of the view that trouble was being created by foreign missionaries who had gone there with the ostensible purpose of preaching religion. "As a matter of fact, these missionaries were inciting insurgency to create trouble on the country’s borders," he claimed.

Dr Rajiv Bindal, a co-founder of the Him Giri Kalyan Ashram, was among the speakers.

New turn to dowry case as husband disappears
From Romesh Dutt

SOLAN, Oct 4 — The arrival of a Haryana police party here on Friday for carrying out arrests of three women, named in a case under the Dowry Act, has sparked off fresh speculations about the whereabout of the husband of the complainant, 32-year-old. Bodh Raj Khurana, a local youth, reported missing since July 14.

The Khuranas were married about 10 years ago and had an eight-year-old son. They shifted to Ambala, after Meenu, the wife, reportedly had frequent differences with her in laws. Mr Khurana started the taxi operating business there.

After the couple failed to pull on well even there, they went in for a "Khangi" (community panchayat) divorce in May last and all dowry items brought by Meenu were returned to her in the presence of elders of both sides, according to Mr Chandra Shekhar, a cousin of Mr Khurana.

While Meenu continued to live at Ambala, Mr Khurana shifted to Panchkula. He reportedly went missing, while on his way to Shimla in his taxi, carrying four, unidentified passengers, on July 14. He was last seen at Dharampur, 15 km from here, where he halted briefly to meet a relative.

Mr Khurana's mother, after waiting for some time, finally lodged a report with the Dharampur police, fearing foul play at the hands of Meenu or someone associated with her, on July 17.

The Additional S.P., Mr Himanshu Mishra, said all attempts to trace Mr Khurana or his taxi had failed. No clue could be had from Meenu, who had obtained an anticipatory bail from an Ambala court prior to her being questioned. Enquiries with the national crime record bureau also drew a blank.

The A.S.I. Mr Bhagwant Singh, who headed the Haryana police party, said the Mahesh Nagar police station of Ambala town had registered a case under Section 498-A, I.P.C. under the direction of an Ambala court.

Apparently Meenu had applied to the concerned court praying for the registration of the case under the Dowry Act, alleging that she had been harassed by her mother-in-law, sister-in-law and an aunt of Khurana. The three ladies could not be arrested till filing of report.

Relatives and friends of Mr Khurana, while refuting harassment charges, demanded that the police should immediately solve the Khurana disappearance mystery.

More Tibetans flee to India
From Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Oct 4 — Even an arduous journey across the snow-clad mountains did not deter them from escaping to a free life in India.

Fed up with acts of Chinese brutality, they chose to lead a life away from their family members. Monks, nuns, children and the old all have a tale to tell of Chinese repression which forced them to leave their homeland, Tibet.

In the hope of returning back to a "free" Tibet soon, these Tibetans are trying to adjust into a totally different environment in India.

Hundreds of Tibetans arrive here from Tibet every month. They are first housed in the Tibetan Reception Centre at Mcleodganj. From here they are sent to monasteries, schools and other institutions run by the Tibetan government-in-exile.

With agony writ large on his face, an 18-year-old monk, after having served a three-year sentence in a Chinese jail, arrived here last week. "Life in jail is miserable as we are thrashed by jail officials. We are given filthy food, that too insufficient". He feels the day is not far when Tibet will be liberated from the Chinese rule. Giving further details of the misery he has had to undergo while in jail, he says: "Nobody cares for us if we are unwell except when an inmate is in a critical condition".

There are a large number of monks and nuns who have been compelled to flee. One such monk arrived here in Mcleodganj to seek the blessings of Dalai Lama." Though circumstances compelled me to leave monkhood, at heart I still feel like a monk", he observes. Over 100 monks in the Tsenden monastery in Nagchu area of Tibet, where he was a monk, have fled. Concerned about the safety of his family members back in Tibet, he says, "in case the Chinese get to know of my escape to India, my family will be in trouble".

Similarly two girls in their twenties from Degay area in Kham region undertook the difficult journey to Dharamsala to seek the blessings of Dalai Lama. "We hate the Chinese Government for being brutal with the Tibetans. But, we are totally indifferent towards the Chinese people who live in Tibet in large numbers," she says.

Women are facing great hardship as apart from sexual harassment, birth control by coercion is being enforced on them she adds. "Those working in government offices can have one child, while others are permitted to have two", she says.

"In case a child is born without permission, the parents have to pay a heavy fine. When the unofficial child grows up, he or she is denied a registration card and other welfare and educational opportunities," she says.

The number of children fleeing their homeland to seek asylum in India is on the rise. Last year 500 of them fled from Chinese-occupied Tibet. What is even more surprising is the fact that 90 per cent of the children are sent across the mountains by their parents with guides or other refugees in the hope that the child will lead a free life in India. Some of the children appear to be traumatised by the experience.

General Nayar lays stress on science
From Our Correspondent

DALHOUSIE, Oct 4 — Lieut-Gen V.K. Nayar, a former Governor of Manipur and Nagaland, has underlined the need for improving academic standard in an era when science and technology was fast developing. Presiding over a function of the Founders Day of Dalhousie Public School here today, General Nayar applauded the school's role in imparting education to students hailing from different parts of the country and abroad.

He asked the teachers to remain acquainted with the day-today developments in electronic and computer science.

The principal of the school read out the report of the school. The general gave away the prizes.

Rs 7 crore sanctioned for irrigation projects
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Oct 4 — NABARD has sanctioned financial assistance of Rs 7 crore for 22 minor irrigation projects in Himachal Pradesh.

The projects will be located in seven districts — Mandi, Hamirpur, Kangra, Sirmaur, Bilaspur, Kulu and Chamba — and create additional irrigation over 1,467 hectares. These will help the rural population in increasing the production of cash crops.

The projects are scheduled to be completed by March, 2001. With the present sanction, the total financial assistance to 181 irrigation projects amounts to Rs 49.39 crore, which will create an additional irrigation potential of 15985.84 hectares.