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| Sunday, March 19, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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Counting of votes goes off
peacefully CID officer visits murder sites Kidnapping case solved, 4 held District-level PF offices sought Poor facilities in Rohtak jail South Haryana dists neglected: MLA |
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Repeal
changes in Acts: HFUCTO Faqir Chand elected unopposed to
RS Industrial policy attracts Rs 3000
cr Gehlot laments lack of academic
facilities Vidrohi for all-party meet on SYL
canal
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Haryana in for fresh taxes? CHANDIGARH, March 18 — Let facts speak. On April 1, Haryana will have a deficit of Rs 196.77 crore and when it closes accounts for the year 2000-01, it would have a deficit of Rs 294.56 crore. That too if all goes well on the tax collection front and the central aid and World Bank help come on schedule. Given this the INLD government will have little choice but to impose fresh taxes or increase the rate of present taxes. An experienced Finance Minister Mr Sampat Singh did not deny that the people of Haryana, who already will be paying Rs 3918 crore in taxes this year, may have to bear an extra burden. Total revenue receipts are estimated at Rs 6,901.52 crore with sales tax alone contributing Rs 2,004.80 crore — (45.50 per cent). The new government has promised an efficient tax collection on the excise front with boozers expected to provide a neat Rs 1000 crore. Any laxity could reduce income and increase the deficit. While revenue growth is healthy, an increase of Rs 776.63 crore, expenditure too will rise by 826.77 crore from Rs 7270.43 crore to Rs 8097.20 crore. So there are clearly mixed trends. One, the debt burden is on the rise. As per budget estimates for 2000-2001, the Haryana Government is likely to incur a public debt of Rs 3,429.77 crore. The net public debt will increase by Rs 1497.30 crore after making repayments of Rs 1,932.47 crore. Similarly, as per the revised estimates for 1999-2000 the net public debt is likely to increase by Rs 1528.76 crore during the year. The total outstanding debt of the state is Rs 9913.07 crore as on 31st March, 1999. This is likely to increase by 22.2 per cent to Rs 12,110.80 crore as on 31st, March 2000, and further by 19 per cent to Rs 14418.37 crore as on 31st March, 2001. The total debt liability of the state, as a proportion of the GSDP of the state is around 25 per cent. Second, the non-plan expenditure too is shooting up. It will be Rs 3,300 crore by the end of this month or 44 per cent of the total income. Some of it is essential, but wasteful expenditure, which the ministers often admit, too also plays a part. The new government under Mr Om Prakash Chautala could have made a beginning, in curbing this but sadly there seems to have been no serious effort here. In fact, development expenditure claims only 29 per cent of total expenditure with wages etc alone taking away 31 per cent. The INLD government also incurred an additional non-plan expenditure of Rs 55 crore to pay the dues of cane growers, Rs 325.63 crore to old age pensioners as the rate was doubled, Rs 23.84 crore to local bodies following the scrapping of octroi and another Rs 50.58 crore to aided schools and colleges. All these sops were needed to win the elections. This reduced the plan component from Rs 2,300 crore to Rs 1811.16 crore. Luckily the power sector was not touched. In fact, there is no way out but to honour commitment made by the previous Bansi Lal government to the World Bank and to the two power corporations if funds are to keep coming. A perusal of the budget and the economic survey reveals that Haryana’s economy is not in as bad shape as projected by its politicians for the sake of political expediency. Gross state domestic product is billed at Rs 29,000 crore for 1998-99 and shows an increase of six per cent, better than the national average. Here nature helped the previous Bansi Lal government. At factor cost there has been a growth of over 15 per cent. Another healthy trend is that primary sectors like agriculture are now losing ground to other sectors like industry and services. A sectoral analysis
reveals that the gross state domestic product (GSDP) at
constant (1993-94) prices from the primary sector which
comprises of agriculture, livestock, forestry, fishing
and mining sectors has increased from Rs 9,833.67 crore
in 1997-98 to Rs 10,296.98 crore in 1998-99 showing an
increase of 4.7 per cent. The GSDP from secondary sector
which covers manufacturing, construction, electricity,
gas and water supply sectors has increased from Rs
7,193.06 crore in 1997-98 to Rs 7622.80 crore in 1998-99
registering an increase of 6 per cent. The tertiary
sector, which comprises of trade, transport, banking,
public administration and other services sectors recorded
a growth rate of 7.3 per cent. Its contribution to total
GSDP increased from Rs 10330.51 crore in 1997-98 to Rs
11080.96 crore in 1998-99. |
Counting of votes goes off
peacefully AMBALA, March 18 — The counting of votes for members of the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti in Ambala district was held peacefully here today. In Zila Parishad election, Ms Gurmelo Kaur was declared elected from Ward 1. Others who got elected included Mr Gurvinder Singh (Ward 2) Ms Nirmal Kaur (Ward 3), Mr Jarnail Singh (Ward 4), Ms Sunita Rani (Ward 5), Ms Om Lata (Ward 9), Mr Balvinder Singh Punia (Ward 10), Ms Sukhvinder Kaur (Ward 11), Ms Paramjit Kaur Punia (Ward 12), and Mr Pala Ram (Ward 13). In the Shahjadpur Panchayat Samiti election, the members declared elected included Mr Arjun Lal, Mr Gurbaksh Singh, Ms Kanta Devi, Kamlesh, Raj Bala, Mr Jagpal Singh, Mr Om Prakash, Mr Bhupinder Singh, Mr Sanjeev Kumar, Mr Sarvan Singh, Mr Dharam Pal, Ms Jagiro Devi, Mr Suresh Kumar, Ms Rani Devi and Ms Gurinder Devi. In Naraingarh Panchayat
Samiti elections, those who elected included Mr Darshan
Lal, Ms Promila Devi, Krishna Chaudhry, Ms Mamta, Ms
Guddo Devi, Ms Harjit Kaur, Mr Kuldip Singh, Mr Amin
Chand, Mr Raj Pal, Mr Jai Kumar, Kamlesh, Mr Makkhan
Singh, Ms Krishna Devi, Mr Jai Pal, Mr Chaman Lal and Mr
Ram Kumar. |
CID officer visits murder
sites SONEPAT, March 18 — The police has not achieved any breakthrough in the ghastly killing of four persons, including an officer of the Haryana Financial Corporation, by a gang of dacoits on Wednesday night in this city and nearby villages of Shadipur, Kabirpur and Fazilpur. According to official sources, police parties have carried out raids on possible hideouts of dacoits belonging to the Bawaria gang at Baghpat, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur in U.P. and Delhi. The sources say three police parties have been formed for apprehending the suspects. Each party is headed by an inspector. A special force is already here from Madhuban, Karnal, for patrolling the area during the night. On the directive of the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, a high-ranked officer of the CID, Haryana, Mr Reshan Singh, arrived here yesterday and inspected the sites of the killings. He is reported to have sought detail information from the district and police authorities. Mr Resham Singh also convened a special meeting of police officials at the PWD (B & R) Rest House at Rai and directed them to tighten security. Mr S.N. Solanki, a leader of the CPM, and Mr Rajiv Jain, General Secretary of the Haryana Vikas Party, today blamed the police for not taking appropriate steps to check the killings. Talking to mediapersons, they demanded a high-level inquiry into the killings. Former President of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) Dharampal Singh Malik today expressed grave concern at the deteriorating law and order situation in Sonepat district and said the recent killing of four persons in this city and its adjoining villages was the result of laxity on the part of the police. He said had the police taken the killing of a person under similar circumstances under the Rai police station a fortnight ago seriously and initiated preventive measures, the tragedy would have been avoided. Accompanied by numerous Congress leaders he paid a visit to the families of the victims in Sujan Singh Park, Shadipur, Kabirpur and Fazilpur villages. He demanded a sum of Rs five lakh as compensation and a government job to the next of kin of each victim. Mr Ranbir Singh Dahiya,
an advocate and president of the district unit of the
Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), also visited the bereaved
families and assured all assistance to them. |
Kidnapping case solved, 4 held KURUKSHETRA, March 18 — The mystery surrounding the kidnapping of Harsh (13), son of a local resident, Dr H.K. Sobti, who was abducted on February 15 last month and was abandoned next day near here, has been solved with the arrest of four persons. Claiming this here today, the district police chief, Mr Desraj Singh, said the arrested kidnappers had been identified as Baljeet Singh Pahwa, alias Sonu, a resident of Kurukshetra University campus, Parvez Khan and Ravi Dhingra, both residents of Anchla Chowk, Thanesar, and Goldy, alias Raman Goswami, a resident of Chakrwarti Mohalla, Thanesar, here. Narrating the sequence of events in the case Mr Singh said at about 9 p.m. on Wednesday last, a social worker informed the police on telephone that some young boys had rushed in a car towards Kurukshetra after demanding ransom from Dr Sobti from an STD PCO booth. At the same time, a person calling from an STD PCO booth asked Dr Sobti to bring a ransom of Rs 15 lakh and throw it from the local flyover bridge near the railway track below. Mr Singh said on getting this information, special police parties were alerted and Dr Sobti, as per the instructions of the kidnappers, threw away a briefcase containing fake currency from the flyover bridge while the police parties kept a constant watch on it. After some time two boys riding a two-wheeler (No HR-O 7C 3630) approached the briefcase but sensing danger, they fled away without picking it up. They were riding the same two-wheeler about which social worker had already informed the police. After this, one, out of three passers-by, picked up the briefcase and they were rounded up by the police parties. They were taken to the local CIA staff from where they were released after interrogation as they were found to be innocent passers-by and the briefcase was again kept at the same spot. He said after this, a car having four occupants was parked near the briefcase and one of the occupants picked it up, the police party nabbed them but they were also released after interrogation. The police finally managed to identify the kidnappers by tracing the calls made by them to demand ransom money. Later, raids were conducted by the police and four of the five kidnappers were arrested. The district police
chief also said the police had recovered the mobile phone
from which the calls were made to Dr Sobti demanding
ransom from the possession of the arrested persons. The
police was also making efforts to arrest the fifth
kidnapper Laxmi Narain, a resident to Jyotisar, who was
still absconding. All kidnappers in this case were
unemployed young boys who had got their education between
10+2 and graduation, Mr Singh added. |
District-level PF offices sought AMBALA, March 18 — The Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry has demanded district-level provident fund offices in the state. Mr A.D. Gandhi, general secretary of the Haryana Chamber, said at present the sub-regional provident fund office was at Karnal and it was very difficult for the employees to approach the Karnal office every time for getting any kind of information. He was speaking at a seminar organised by the Ambala unit of the Chamber on labour laws here today. Mr Bharat Bhushan, president of the Ambala unit of the chamber, said all branches of the SBI and other nationalised banks too should be allowed to accept the provident fund deposit of the employees. He said a sum upto Rs 2,000 should be paid to an employee by money order and the advance and claim cases of the employees should be settled with in a period of two months. Some of the entrepreneurs have complained that the workers were not getting medicines in the ESI dispensaries and the employees had to face difficulties since these dispensaries were located at distant places. The senior vice-president of the Haryana unit, Mr N.C. Jain gave detailed information about labour laws and said the factory owners as well as the employees should be aware of the labour laws. A retired Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner, Mr T.L. Sharma, while speaking at the seminar said the entrepreneurs should know the legal aspects of the Employees' Provident Fund Scheme, Employees' Family Pension Scheme and Employees Insurance Scheme with which they have to deal in routine. A large number of local
industrialists, including Dr Jai Dev, were present in the
seminar. |
Poor facilities in Rohtak
jail ROHTAK, March 18 — The death of an undertrial, Joginder has exposed the poor standards of medical and other facilities being provided to the inmates of the over-crowded local district jail. The 30-year-old Joginder who was facing trial on charges under Sections 302/307/498-A of the IPC, was admitted to hospital on March 16 at 1.50 p.m. and within one hour he breathed his last while being taken to the local PGIMS. The District Magistrate, Mr Rajesh Khullar, has ordered magisterial inquiry to ascertain the causes of death of the undertrial. He has also reportedly directed the Director of the PGIMS, Dr S.B. Siwach, to constitute a panel of expert doctors to conduct an inquiry to establish whether the undertrial died due to negligence on the part of the doctors who attended on him on March 16. The district jail is meant for lodging 350 prisoners, but it has nearly 1600 inmates as on Friday last. Only 500 of these are convicts and the remaining undertrials. Among the jail inmates are 80 women of whom only five are convicts. Most of them are languishing in the jail for the past many months. Interestingly, five children aged between two months to four years are also lodged in this jail. The youngest child a girl, was born in the jail. Highly informed sources told The Tribune that majority of the prisoners and undertrials were suffering from various diseases including TB. The District Magistrate has ordered the local hospital authorities to hold medical examination. The District Magistrate, Mr Rajesh Khullar, reportedly visited the jail on Friday and saw the conditions in which the prisoners and undertrials were living. He has reportedly directed the civil surgeon to visit the jail hospital and provide necessary medicines, doctors and para-medical staff so as to conduct thorough medical check-up including eye-testing of the inmates. The District Red Cross Society has been advised to provide free spectacles to those whose eye sight was poor. It has also been advised to provide x-ray films for taking the x-ray of the suspected TB patients. The Chief Justice of India, Mr Justice A.S. Anand, had on November 29, last year suggested to the Chief Justice of High Courts to advise the Chief Judicial Magistrates in their respective states to hold courts in the jail to provide justice to undertrials languishing in the jails. The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Rohtak, Mr R.K. Sharma, though held court within the jail premises in January and last month, the number of undertrials has been increasing. Nearly 70 per cent of the inmates of the jail are undertrials, as against 73 per cent at the national level. The over population of
the district jail has also adversely effected the
sanitary and other facilities eligible to the prisoners.
The jail is facing severe shortage of the sanitation
staff as their strength was not in commensurate with the
population. Similar is the position of the cooks too. |
South Haryana dists neglected:
MLA AMBALA, March 18 — Capt Ajay Singh, member of the AICC and MLA from Rewari said here yesterday that south Haryana had been ignored by all state governments. He said the maximum government revenue was spent on the development of Sirsa, Hisar and Bhiwani district for the last three decades while most of the districts of south Haryana had not been provided even the basic amenities so far. Talking to mediapersons here yesterday Capt Ajay Singh urged the Chief Minister to pressurise the centre to implement the Iradi Commission Report, which would benefit the districts in south Haryana. He said the people of the area were of the view that they had been ignored by the former Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal and the present Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala and it was because of this that in the recent Assembly elections the opposition parties had captured 12 seats out of 18 from this area. Mr Singh urged the state government to make its stand on the power policy clear. He said the World Bank had agreed to provide Rs 240 crore to the government for the improvement of power supply on certain conditions. The present government was reluctant to follow the guideline of the World Bank in this regard and because of it the World Bank grant might be stepped. He said the people should know the real picture in this matter. He disclosed that the state had to pay the loan of Rs 15,216 crore and in the current financial year it had to repay an instalment of Rs 1932 crore. He said instead of taking more loans the state government should mobilise the new resources of revenue earning. He said it was a serious matter that the production of sugarcane, wheat and pulses had been decreasing in the state. Criticising the state
Budget Capt Ajay Singh said the budget was anti-public,
and directionless. He urged the Centre to withdraw the
hike in the price of fertiliser and urea. |
Repeal changes in Acts: HFUCTO CHANDIGARH, March 18 — The Haryana Federation of University and College Teachers' Organisations today urged the Haryana Governor, who is also Chancellor of the universities to repeal the amendments to the university Acts which had enfeebled the university autonomy. Mr Vazir Nehra, Convener of HFUCTO, said the process of appointment of key functionaries be made objective, transparent and academic. A search committee of eminent academicians with an unassailable credibility and integrity be constituted so that only an eminent educationist and able administrator with a developed vision of university could be appointed as Vice-Chancellor or Pro-Vice-Chancellor. He urged the Governor
that registrars be appointed on a regular basis on merit
by a proper selection committee after proper
advertisement for the post. |
Faqir Chand elected unopposed
to RS CHANDIGARH, March 18 — Indian National Lok Dal nominee Faqir Chand was today declared elected unopposed to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Haryana. The state Vidhan Sabha secretary, Mr Sumit Kumar, returning officer for the Rajya Sabha election from Haryana, declared him elected unopposed after the deadline for withdrawal of candidature ended at 3 p.m. A former inspector in the state Excise and Taxation Department, Mr Faqir Chand belong to Majri village in Ambala district. He is the first Dalit after 1972 to be elected to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana. The vacancy has been
caused following the expiry of the six-year-term of
Congress member Ramji Lal who retires on April 2. |
Industrial policy attracts Rs 3000
cr FATEHABAD, March 18 — Mr Sampat Singh, Finance Minister has claimed that the new industrial policy of Haryana has attracted a lot of investors and till now investment over Rs 3000 crore has been materialised. Talking to mediapersons at Banawali village in this district today, he said the new industrial policy would open the doors of development and provide employment in the State. Mr Singh said the State
would get an additional income of Rs 75 crore due to the
implementation of the uniform sales tax policy in the
country and it would have an additional income of Rs 150
crore as a result of the recommendations of the 10th
Finance Commission which favours an increase of share of
the States in the Central Sales Tax from 26 per cent to
29 per cent. It would easily cover Rs 94 crore deficit
which has been left in the State Budget. He admitted that
the debts on the State were increasing, but this was
natural, as Haryana was a growing State. He said the
Budget presented by him would ensure all round
development of the State and every part of the State
would be treated equal in the matter of development. |
Gehlot laments lack of academic
facilities GURGAON, March 18 — The newly elected Deputy Speaker of the Haryana Assembly, Mr Gopi Chand, Gehlot, yesterday lamented that Gurgaon was lacking in academic and vocational institutions and hoped that the present government would pay its attention to this front. Mr Gehlot elected to the Assembly from Gurgaon was felicitated at several places here by the local residents on his becoming the Deputy Speaker. Addressing the gathering in one of the functions, he said that there was enough room for improvement in the field of the education in the Gurgaon area. He specified that the area urgently needed a degree college, an engineering college and vocational institutes. The issue will be taken up with the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, he added. He stressed that
development projects in Gurgaon should be completed in a
time-bound manner. Also, there should be a mechanism to
review and inspect the projects completed to ensure their
qualities. |
Vidrohi for all-party meet on
SYL canal SONEPAT, March 18 — The President of the Haryana Pradesh JD (U), Mr Ved Parkash Vidrohi, today urged the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, to convene an all-party meeting on the issue of the construction of the SYL canal in Punjab. In a press note issued here he said the canal was a lifeline for the farmers of Haryana and the issue had been delayed for the past so many years. Mr Vidrohi also urged the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to intervene and solve the issue through negotiations. He also warned that the people of the state would not tolerate the stand taken by the Punjab Government on the issue. He also threatened to demonstrate if the Central Government failed to solve the issue. The Janata Dal leader
described the Budget proposals of the Central and the
state government as anti-people and anti-farmer. |
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