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11,000 to get pension from Trade unions defend
right to go on strike
To them livelihood matters more
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Rs 13.01 cr to boost milk production Training programme for bird-lovers from January 20 Power board reprimanded on payments to JP Industries HC bans exhibition of “Kohram” HC notice to govt on littering of roads ITBP martyr cremated with honours 3.28 cr project okayed for water supply schemes
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11,000 to get pension from April 1, says CM Shimla, January 5 Addressing a public meeting at Deoli in Rohru today, he said the BJP had tried to divide people on regional and caste lines to achieve its narrow political ends. He said instead of ensuring speedy and equitable development of all regions of the state, it tried to fool people by promising to create new districts. The party was fully aware that implementing such promises was not an easy task, he said. In contrast, the successive Congress governments had safeguarded the interest of the people and had not only strived for speedy development of the state but also tried to strengthen the emotional unity. He said rural development had always been given priority keeping in view the fact that over 90 per cent of the population lived in villages. The Chief Minister said the emphasis was on creating employment opportunities in government, private and joint sectors. He said the government had reviewed all MoUs and agreements signed for the execution of hydel projects by the previous government to ensure maximum employment to local people. Industrial development had also been given a fillip and projects involving an investment of about Rs 2,500 crores had been sanctioned over the past 10 months. These units would also generate thousands of jobs, he said. The Chief Minister added that development with social justice was the main emphasis of the government for which sustained efforts were afoot. He said more than 17,000 cases of social security pension had been sanctioned from January 1, 2004 and 11,000 old persons would get pension from April 1, 2004 in the state. He said the number of social security pension beneficiaries would go up to around 2
lakh. He said around Rs 48 crore would be spent on providing social security pension in the state during the next financial year as compared to Rs 42 crore this year. He also addressed a public meeting at Pujarli where he emphasised the government was committed towards ensuring better healthcare facilities to people on their doorstep. He said 100 posts of doctor and 181 of nurse had been filled to provide requisite staff in health institutions in far-flung areas. |
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Trade
unions defend right to go on strike Mandi, January 5 Addressing
the conference, Mr Tapan Sen, general secretary of the All-India SITU, declared that the right to strike would be attained through strike only. “This is the last resort”, he announced. He said banning strike was “illegal” and an “onslaught” on the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. It had become imperative to oppose this move. “This has exposed the ugliest aspect of the socioeconomic structure, which is bound to violate human rights and generate
exploitation of the weaker sections” Describing the move as an aggression on democracy, Mr Sen said whenever vested interests had designed to invade democracy, they had first destroyed the trade unions. He made a call to all trade unions of different political shades to get united by transcending narrow political considerations and frustrate the designs of those who were out to repress the working class. Strike was the only recourse left with the employees for fighting against injustice, corruption and exploitation. All speakers described the decision of the Supreme Court in this regard as unfortunate and urged the Centre to grant legal sanction to the right of the trade unions to go on strike. The conference declared unequivocal support to the proposed strike on February 11 by the Central Government employees. It also demanded the implementation of clauses 87,151 and 154 of the International Trade Unions Conventions, which also
incorporated the right to go on strike. Those who addressed the conference included K.L. Gautam, Surender Thakur, Prem Lal Verma, A.C. Chauhan, R.L. Dogra, Kashmir Thakur, Ashish Atri, Desh Raj Sharma, Kuldeep Guleria and Balbir Sharma. |
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To them livelihood matters more than literacy Hamirpur, January 5 These children can be seen moving about the town in the cold with only woollen clothing on their bodies, just to earn something for themselves and their families. Both have a urge to go to school to get higher education and stand on their feet. However, poverty of their families has compelled them to move about and sell articles made by their parents. Amit says that he sells 10 to 12 pieces of items he carries with him on his shoulders. The price of every item varies from Rs 20 to Rs 60. He is happy with his present state of affairs. He, however, said that they wouldn’t have come to Hamirpur if the family had enough land or other means of livelihood at their native place. Will the Central government and the state governments look into the conditions of the families of Amit and Shanker Lal who have been moving from one place to another for greener pastures without knowing that they are playing with the career of their children by not sending them to schools for basic education there? |
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Rs 13.01 cr to boost milk production Nurpur, January 5 According to a press note of Deputy Director Animal Husbandry Subash Gupta here yesterday, Rs 13.01 crore would be spent on this project in five years. The project is being launched through the Animal Husbandry Department. The objective of the project is to impart latest technical know-how to the farmers rearing milch cattle to ameliorate their condition. The project will also arrange marketing of milk. Under the project 1000 self-help groups are being constituted to benefit 20000 families out of which 70 per cent families living the below poverty line shall be selected. The beneficiaries will get technical training in dairy farming. They will be provided with fodder, seed, cattle feed, veterinary medicines and free veterinary treatment. Workshops are being organised to create awareness among beneficiaries on the rearing of milch cattle. The project will take steps to improve breed of milch cattle by promoting artificial insemination. The project was launched by the Animal Husbandry Department in the district from Nurpur Assembly constituency on Sunday. Rural Development Minister Sat Mahajan flagged off a group of 35 farmers who have been despatched to the National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal (Haryana) for dairy farming training for four days. |
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Training programme for bird-lovers from January 20 PONG DAM: To expose officials and ornithologists to bird-banding techniques, the Himachal Pradesh State Council for Science and Technology is organising a 20-day training programme at the Pong Dam wetlands from January 20. Nestled in the sylvan surroundings of the Kangra valley, the wetlands attract thousands of feathered guests every year from Central Asia, Russia, Poland and China. Scientists and trappers of the Bombay Natural History Society will train officials of the Department of Wildlife and the Zoological Survey of India, Solan. Even bird-lovers can participate, but with the permission of the council. The programme, which will be organised for the first time in the state, will include training in different techniques of bird census and banding. The training includes lectures, trapping methods, moult scoring and identification of birds through audio-visuals and field study. The programme will initiate a move to set up a network of banders. The data collected will also contribute information to the Central Asian-India Flyway. Each participant will have to prepare a list, specieswise and datewise, of birds ringed. This will help find out the status of each species in a particular area. “The programme will expose the potential bird-banders to the techniques in bird-trapping, handling and banding of birds, including recording, collecting and analysis of data”, says Mr Deepak Sethi, project associate in wetlands programme of the council. Bird ringing helps generate information on their breeding sites, migratory routes, habits and important stopovers. Studies have proved that grey herons and large cormorants travel over 4,000 km for feeding, finding and roosting grounds. However, scientists are still not able to define the migratory strategies of the bulk of species, especially waders, and are not in a position to provide exact information on the movements within the country of several local migrant birds. Meanwhile, Mr R.C. Bergal, Conservator, Forests and Wildlife, Dharamsala, says the department will start annual census of birds by January-end. So far, he says, nearly one lakh migratory birds have arrived. This year, a large influx of bar-headed goose and pintails have arrived and they could be seen in the Nagrota Surian area. |
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Power board reprimanded on Shimla, January 5 The Commission refused the plea of the Board for granting further eight week’s for the purpose and ordered that any expenditure on this account would have to be borne by it. The Commission had earlier twice given extension to the Board for opening the escrow account as per agreement and set the deadline of January 3. The Board is purchasing the entire power generated by the company from the 300 MW Baspa project. In the absence of an escrow account, the Board has been making payments to the company on an ad hoc basis, pending determination of tariff by the Commission. The Commission had last year quashed the power supplementary purchase agreement
(PPA), which was signed between the Board and the company in contravention of the provisions of the Electricity Regulatory Act on February 28, a day before the counting of votes for the Assembly polls, and directed both parties to bring down the cost of generation by replacing the expensive loans by cheaper ones and rescheduling the repayment. The Commission had been monitoring the progress made in this regard on a monthly basis. The affidavit filed by the company before the Commission to apprise it of the progress made towards debt restructuring stated that the financial institutions had agreed to slash the average rate of interests on long term loans from 16.50 to 10.50 per cent and the moratorium for repayment had been increased from six months to 18 months. The number of instalments for repayment had also been increased from 40 to 44, which, in effect, meant extension of one year in the repayment period. Further the repayment has been hydrologically linked as the seasonal variation in the discharge of the river leads to wide disparities in generation. The company will repay more during the monsoon when the generation is highest and less during the lean winter months. The Commission directed the company and the board to continue their efforts to bring down the average rate of interests to around 9 per cent, which was possible in the prevailing state of the money market. |
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HC bans exhibition of “Kohram” Shimla, January 5 Mr Justice Arun Kumar Goel directed Mr Mehul Kumar, producer and director of “Kohram”, not to show it in public through any medium in the state. The court further directed the state to ensure that the film was not at all exhibited or televised or shown by any cable operator, anywhere in the state. Mr Virbhadra Singh has alleged in his petition that “Kohram” was being exhibited for public viewing in the state. In this film, the petitioner was allegedly projected in bad taste. He further alleged that in this film his action as well as his character in public life were adversely commented upon. The petitioner was projected as a villain in the film. Mr Virbhadra Singh further alleged that the name of the villain in the film was that of the petitioner. According to him, he is popularly known as “Raja Sahib” in side as well as outside the state and the villain in the film has also been shown to be not only the namesake of the petitioner (Virbhadra Singh), but is also addressed as “Raja Sahib,” which tarnished his image. Mr Justice Goel further observed that the film directly affected the image of the petitioner as also his reputation as a public man of long standing, repute and stature besides as a politician. |
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HC notice to govt on littering of roads Shimla, January 5 Petitioner Trisha Sharma, a lawyer had filed this petition alleging that due to spitting on roads particularly the Mall roads civic life in towns of the state has been affected. It was averred that though there were provisions the Police Act to curb this tendency but the respondents had failed to discharge their duties. The petitioner has urged the court to direct the respondent to take steps to prohibit spitting at public places. |
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ITBP martyr cremated with honours Mandi, January 5 He was seriously wounded when a militant hurled a grenade on the jeep he was returning by after finishing his duty. He was operated upon twice, but succumbed to his injuries. Thousands of people reached Saroa to bid adieu to the martyr. Many broke down as 10-year-old Som
Dutt, son of the martyr, lit the pyre. Slogans like “Devinder Singh amar rahe” were raised. Police and ITBP personnel fired shots and reversed arms as a mark of respect to the martyr. Wailing Ghanshyam, younger brother of the martyr, said he was proud that his brother died for the country. Mr Tek Chand
Dogra, MLA, Nathan, placed a wreath on the martyr’s body on behalf of the state Chief Minister. He assured that the government would render all help to the family of the deceased.
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3.28 cr project okayed for water supply schemes Mandi, January 5 Stating this at the annual prize distribution function of Government High School,
Tandu, the Parliamentary Affairs and IPH Minister, Thakur Kaul Singh, said drinking water supply schemes were being executed on a war footing in the state. Referring to expansion of education, he said Himachal Pradesh was poised to acquire the first position in literacy in the country. At present, it was holding the second position, Kerala being at the top. The literacy rate of the state was 77 per cent as compared to the national average of 60 per cent. After making primary education compulsory, the state was going ahead to make education compulsory up to the middle standard. As many as 2,200 middle schools would be opened in the next four years to achieve the objective. |
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