H A R Y A N A

CAG’s report points finger at INLD
Chandigarh, March 16
The Comptroller and Auditor-General’s observation on “fraudulent payment of old-age pension” in Haryana makes a straightforward case against the ruling INLD for distributing largesse before the Assembly elections.

Two get life term for burning man
Hisar, March 16
A Hisar District and Sessions Judge Nawab Singh yesterday awarded life imprisonment to two persons, including a woman, in connection with burning a man to death on November 2, 1999.

Judicial remand for treasury official
Ambala, March 16
Ram Avatar, a clerk in the treasury office, arrested in the refund vouchers scam, was sent to judicial custody till March 18 by the Judicial Magistrate, Mr Najar Singh, here yesterday.

‘New distance education courses soon’

Ambala, March 16 The Kurukshetra University would introduce the MCA, MBA and insurance management courses through distance education as well from the coming session, said Mr R.S. Chaudhry, Vice-Chancellor of the university, after inaugurating a HARTORN workstation at Ambala City today.

Kurukshetra University Vice-Chancellor R. S. Chaudhry inaugurates a new teaching and computer block at the Hartron workstation in Ambala City on Saturday. —Photo N. Chopra

CAG’s report points finger at INLD
Shubhadeep Choudhury
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 16
The Comptroller and Auditor-General’s observation on “fraudulent payment of old-age pension” in Haryana makes a straightforward case against the ruling INLD for distributing largesse before the Assembly elections.

The CAG’s report (Civil), tabled in the Haryana Assembly yesterday, stated that records of District Social Welfare Officers (of all 19 districts of the state) revealed that old-age pension amounting to Rs 1.35 crore was paid to 16,849 ineligible persons during the period between December 1999 and April 2000.

Significantly, the Haryana Assembly was dissolved by Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala around December 1999 following which he began a whirlwind tour of the state, announcing largesse for all and sundry.

The rate of old-age pension was enhanced from Rs 100 per month to Rs 200 and pension was offered to a large number of new beneficiaries without check. The Congress had protested against this practice and presented a memorandum to the Election Commission.

According to the CAG’s report, the maximum number of fake beneficiaries were from Kaithal, followed by Sirsa, the home-district of Mr Chautala. Out of the Rs 1.35 crore spent on payment to fraudulent beneficiaries, Rs 19.86 lakh and Rs 19.33 lakh were paid to beneficiaries in these two places, respectively. The lowest number of beneficiaries were from Rohtak where fraudulent withdrawals accounted for Rs 14,000.

According to the CAG, scrutiny committees, comprising Circle Revenue Officer (Officer in charge of the Municipal Committee in case of urban areas), Medical Officer and District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) were required to verify the genuineness of eligible persons, but in 16,849 cases the committees declared the claimants eligible for old-age pension though they were underaged and should not have been covered under the scheme.

However, on the basis of representations and complaints, the district-level committees, on reverification during May and July, 2000, (the Assembly election was over in February 2000 when Mr Chautala returned to power with absolute majority), found that 16,849 persons were ineligible for pension.

“It indicated that the conditions laid down in the scheme were not ensured before sanctioning pension”, it was observed in the report.

The report added that later the Financial Commissioner and Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Haryana, admitted to making payments to ineligible persons and stated that Rs 1.69 lakh had been recovered in six districts and steps for recovery in the remaining cases was in progress.

Two get life term for burning man

Hisar, March 16
A Hisar District and Sessions Judge Nawab Singh yesterday awarded life imprisonment to two persons, including a woman, in connection with burning a man to death on November 2, 1999.

Judicial remand for treasury official
Our Correspondent

Ambala, March 16
Ram Avatar, a clerk in the treasury office, arrested in the refund vouchers scam, was sent to judicial custody till March 18 by the Judicial Magistrate, Mr Najar Singh, here yesterday.

The police had arrested Ram Avatar on Tuesday and he was remanded in police custody for one day. The two accused, Joginder Pal and Neena Gupta, were already in judicial custody till March 18.

Meanwhile, the proprietor of Suman Electricals to whom some cheques were issued by Ansari and Co. filed an anticipatory bail application in the court of the Additional Sessions Judge. Dr B.B. Parsoon, which was dismissed by the court.

‘New distance education courses soon’
Our Correspondent

Ambala, March 16
The Kurukshetra University would introduce the MCA, MBA and insurance management courses through distance education as well from the coming session, said Mr R.S. Chaudhry, Vice-Chancellor of the university, after inaugurating a HARTORN workstation at Ambala City today. He said more courses related to information technology would also be introduced soon.

He said Haryana came second after Bangalore in India in export of computer software.

He also said only those colleges would be allowed to continue various courses of the university under self-financing scheme that had sufficient qualified staff and proper infrastructure.

Mr Chaudhry said, in future, only those computer centres would be recognised as study centres that would fulfil the norms of the University Grants Commission. He said distance education was becoming popular and, last year, 31,000 students had joined various courses of the university through distance education.

The General Manager of HARTORN, Mr Sandeep Kapoor, was also present on this occasion.

The Deputy Commissioner of Ambala, Mr Mohinder Kumar, said students should become self-employed after studies. Earlier, the Managing Director of the centre, Mr Ramesh Gupta, welcomed the VC and students of the workstation presented a cultural programme. The SDM of Ambala, Mr Mukesh Ahuja, the District Treasury Officer, Mr Surender Gautam, and a social activist, Dr Jai Dev, were also present on this occasion.

Probe into prisoner’s death
Our Correspondent

Ambala, March 16
The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Mahender Kumar, deputed the Tehsildar, Ambala, to probe into the death of a prisoner in Central Jail on Thursday evening.

According to information, Surjit Singh, a resident of nearby Fatehgarh village, was convicted in a rape case and he had been in Ambala Jail for the past three months. His appeal against the order of the High Court is still pending in the Supreme Court.

According to jail sources, he had been sick for the past several days. Last evening when he was found serious, the jail doctors advised the authorities to shift him to the Civil Hospital. Later he died on the way to hospital. The Executive Magistrate, who had to record the statement of the father of the deceased, reached the Civil Hospital around 5 p.m. due to his official engagements, while the body of the deceased had been lying in the hospital since last evening.