H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Scrub typhus under control, investigations on
Shimla, September 25
With no death reported and four patients of scrub typhus admitted to the IGMC here today, the authorities claimed that the disease had been contained.  

No-trust move against Nadaun panchayat mooted
Hamirpur, September 25
Twentyone out of twentysix members of the Nadaun panchayat samiti of Hamirpur district have sent a requisition to the Deputy Commissioner, Hamirpur for immediate summoning of the meeting of the samiti as they have lost faith in the present chairperson of the samiti, Mrs Malika Sharma.

CM starts programme to educate girls
Shimla, September 25
The national programme for educating girls at the elementary level was launched today in seven selected development blocks of the state where the average female literacy rate is less than the national average.

100 posts of doctor to be filled
Mandi, September 25
The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, while addressing a large gathering yesterday evening at Kheyor Bassa Nalwar Fair in the Nachan valley said financial constraints would not be allowed to come in the way of the development of the areas which had been neglected in the past.

Post offices facing closure to be retained
Shimla, September 25
Most of the 469 branch post offices facing closure due to the failure of the state government to pay its non-refundable contribution over the years will continue operating with the Department of Posts deciding to retain those fulfilling norms for distance and population for hill areas.

Freedom fighter dead
Mandi, September 25
A veteran freedom fighter, Bhor Singh (88), who served as Lieutenant with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the Azad Hind Fauj, died at his native village Biyunh near Jogindernagar after a protracted illness on Tuesday.

• HC restrains govt from shifting lab

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Dharamshala to host Miss Tibet pageant from October 8-12. (28k, 56k)

Scrub typhus under control, investigations on
Tribune Reporters

Shimla, September 25
With no death reported and four patients of scrub typhus admitted to the IGMC here today, the authorities claimed that the disease had been contained. Dr Harbans Kapoor, Principal of the IGMC, said the diseases had been identified, but the National Institute of Communicable Disease (NICD) was conducting further investigations to ascertain the reasons for its reappearance after a gap of three decades. Besides DNA fingerprinting to identify the exact strain of the disease-causing organism, the NICD was also conducting field surveys to ascertain the living conditions of the patients, which had led to infection.

He said a striking feature was that most patients were women. For instance, of the 35 adult patients undergoing treatment at the hospital, 28 were women and six of the eight children were girls. He said the reasons for this could be that the women and girls who did most of the agriculture-related work came more in contact with the animals, the carrier of the disease. Dr Kapoor said serological investigations like Weil-Felix tests for confirming the rickettsial disease would be conducted. He said further preventive steps would be taken as per the guidelines of the NICD.

SOLAN: A five-member NICD team led by Dr Kaushal Kumar, insecticide specialist, visited Solan and its surrounding areas on Thursday. The team trapped rats from Anji, Rabon and Kaleen in Solan. The Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gulshan Narang, while confirming the news, said they were visiting those areas from where cases of scrub typhus had been reported. These rats would be taken to Delhi, where their blood and other organ samples would be analysed for an indepth study of the disease. The team would visit Rajgarh tomorrow, Arki on September 27 and 28 and Shimla on September 29 and 30.

No-trust move against Nadaun panchayat mooted
Our Correspondent

Hamirpur, September 25
Twentyone out of twentysix members of the Nadaun panchayat samiti of Hamirpur district have sent a requisition to the Deputy Commissioner, Hamirpur for immediate summoning of the meeting of the samiti as they have lost faith in the present chairperson of the samiti, Mrs Malika Sharma.

In a letter the copy of which was released to the Press, they have pointed out that since Mrs Sharma had lost majority in the house, she had no right to continue in the office and hence she should be removed from her post.

Mr Sooram Singh, one of the members of the samiti said at Nadaun today that the Deputy Commissioner had agreed to convene the meeting and had written to the SDM, Nadaun in this regard.

CM starts programme to educate girls
Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 25
The national programme for educating girls at the elementary level was launched today in seven selected development blocks of the state where the average female literacy rate is less than the national average.

The blocks being covered under the programme are Chauhara in Shimla, Saraj in Mandi and Pangi, Salooni, Mehla and Bharmour in Chamba district. Under the programme Rs 2 lakh will be spent on each cluster of four to five schools to generate additional facilities for the girl students. Besides Rs 60,000 will be provided for educational activities on each cluster and Rs 150 will be given to each girl student of these blocks.

Formally launching the programme from the Government Senior Secondary School, Jangla, in the Chauhara block Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, said Rs 533 crore would be spent on the “sarva siksha abhiyan” in the state to achieve the target of universalisation of elementary education over the next five years. In all 2,000 new middle schools would be opened in the state under the programme.

100 posts of doctor to be filled
Our Correspondent

Mandi, September 25
The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, while addressing a large gathering yesterday evening at Kheyor Bassa Nalwar Fair in the Nachan valley said financial constraints would not be allowed to come in the way of the development of the areas which had been neglected in the past.

He lamented that the pace of progress in the state had received a setback during the tenure of the previous BJP-HVC government. Frantic efforts were now being made to bring the economy back on the rails.

The Chief Minister said the time was not far when the state would become 100 per cent literate in the country. It was presently at No. 2 position. The current literacy rate in the state was 77 as against 8 when Himachal Pradesh came into being. At that time there were only 300 educational institutions as against 14,000 now, he added.

He said 100 posts of doctor and 181 posts of nurse would shortly be filled and added that all new appointees would be posted in the remote areas of the state so that the people living in these areas were not deprived of the medical care.

The Chief Minister said the state was first in the country which passed the Parents Maintenance Act during its last tenure.

Post offices facing closure to be retained
Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 25
Most of the 469 branch post offices facing closure due to the failure of the state government to pay its non-refundable contribution over the years will continue operating with the Department of Posts deciding to retain those fulfilling norms for distance and population for hill areas.

Stating this at a press conference here today, Mr M.L.Kalia, Director of the Himachal Postal Circle, said a survey of such post offices was being conducted and barring a few post offices in tribal areas, the rest would fulfil the norm that it should serve a minimum population of 500 and there should be no post office in the radius of three km. He said the arrears had mounted to over Rs 11 crore.

He said sub post offices which did not fulfil the norms would be downgraded to branch post offices. There were 2,777 post offices, including 18 head post offices, and 462 sub post offices, he added. Mr Kalia said the state had earned the distinction of highest transmission of money orders through the satellite-based VSAT system.

Freedom fighter dead
Our Correspondent

Mandi, September 25
A veteran freedom fighter, Bhor Singh (88), who served as Lieutenant with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the Azad Hind Fauj, died at his native village Biyunh near Jogindernagar after a protracted illness on Tuesday.

He had joined the British Army in 1932. In 1943 he deserted the British Army and joined the Azad Hind Fauj in Singapore. Later, he was arrested by the British Government in 1946 and lodged in the Multan jail. He was released in 1947 when the country attained Independence.

Hundreds of people attended the funeral. The SDM Jogindernagar placed a wreath on the body of Bhor Singh on behalf of the government.

HC restrains govt from shifting lab
Our Correspondent

Shimla, September 25
The Himachal Pradesh High Court today passed an interim order, restraining the state government from shifting the forensic science laboratory from here to Junga on a petition filed by employees of the laboratory. A Division Bench directed the government to file its reply in the matter before October 15.