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No fresh taxes in state budget
No major sops for women
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How rupee comes and goes
Budget lacks vision: Oppn
15 PSUs in the red
Nalagarh MLA to call off fast
Giu village to be relocated
Tanda medical college interns on strike
Uprising Day
Woman’s Suicide
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No fresh taxes in state budget
Shimla, March 9 However, it did not deter him from providing relief to various sections of people, particularly, employees, pensioners, farmers and women, though in small measures. He brought some cheer to employees by announcing that the Class IV employees will be paid the entire arrears on account of pay revision within this month. In case of the Class III category, every employee will be paid up to 40 per cent of the arrears, including Rs 20,000 per employee released earlier, while officers will be paid up to 30 per cent of the total arrears. The pensioners will be paid another 20 per cent taking the cumulative payment of arrears to 40 per cent. The total burden on this account will come to Rs 550 crore. The honorarium for water carriers will be increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per month and the honorarium of tailoring teachers will be increased to Rs 1,400 per month from April 1, 2011. The minimum-assured monthly allowance of “takniki sahayaks” to be increased from Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 for those empanelled for eight years or more and for less than eight years, the assured minimum monthly allowance to be increased to Rs 4,000. Further, daily-waged workers, vidya upasak and contract employees, who have completed eight years of service by March 31, 2011, will be regularised. Salary for the vacation period of 52 days will be paid to contract teachers, primary assistant teachers, “gramin vidya upasaks” and para-teachers. In all, 12,385 teachers will benefit to the tune of Rs 25 crore per annum as a result. “Mukhya Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana” will be launched to provide infrastructure facilities in villages with more than 40 per cent SC and ST population. Under the “Mata Shabri Mahila Shashaktikaran Yojana” 50 per cent subsidy will be provided on LPG connection and purchase of stove for SC women belonging to below poverty line families. On the job creation, a front plan to recruit 5,000 new postgraduate teachers (PGT), trained graduate teachers (TGT) and classical & vernacular (C and V) teachers was announced. Besides, 1,600 posts of clerk will be filled from among Class IV employees through limited direct recruitment. Panchayats will engage “Jal Rakshaks” for the management and maintenance of water supply schemes and hand pumps. Drinking water facilities will be provided to 2,500 habitations and 2,500 hand pumps installed in the coming year. The total expenditure for 2011-12 has been estimated at Rs 16,708.47 crore with salaries accounting for Rs 5,881.66 crore, interest payments Rs 2,150.58 crore, loan repayments Rs 960.84 crore and pension Rs 2,210 crore. The year will open with a surplus of Rs 334.02 crore and close with a surplus of Rs 345.89 crore, indicating a surplus of Rs 11.87 crore for the year. On the revenue side, receipts have been estimated at Rs 14,093.51 crore and expenditure at Rs 14,042.46 crore. The capital receipts have been pegged at Rs 2,626.82 crore and capital expenditure at Rs 1,497 crore. The state will raise Rs 2,608 crore of fresh loans but after repayment of existing loans the net increase in the debt will be Rs 1,647 crore. State’s fiscal deficit for the next year projected to be 2.7 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product.
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No major sops for women
Shimla, March 9 Dhumal today announced the “Mata Shabri” scheme, providing 50 per cent subsidy to 5,000 Scheduled Caste below poverty line (BPL) families to purchase LPG connection and gas stove to save women from the drudgery of collecting fuel wood and at the same time protect ecology. The enhancement in the remuneration of tailoring teachers from Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,400 will also benefit womenfolk. At present, there are 2,100 tailoring teachers in the state so the hike in salary will put a financial burden of about Rs 6.3 lakh on the state exchequer. The thrust in the budget seems on improving the overall health of women and for this the “Matri Sewa Yojna” has been linked to the transportation assistance under the “Atal Swasthya Sewa” scheme so that the percentage of institutional deliveries can go up from the present 63 to 75, thus, reducing the infant mortality rate and the maternal mortality rate. Over Rs 600 crore will be spent on MNREGA during 2011-12 with job cards of 10.11 lakh rural households being already made. Centrally sponsored Rajiv Gandhi scheme for empowerment for adolescent girls will be launched in the four districts of Solan, Kangra, Kullu and Chamba on a pilot basis. An integrated package of services like supplementary nutrition with iron folic acid, health education, vocational and skill development will be provided to adolescent girls. Another Centrally sponsored scheme for skill development among women “Mahila Kisan Sashaktikarna Pariyojna” will be launched in the state this year. Though Dhumal made special mention of the fact that the declining sex ratio had showed improvement and stood at 922, did not announce any specific scheme for its further enhancement and said “the Beti Anmol Hai” scheme would be continued. |
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How rupee comes and goes
As per the budget estimates, for every Rs 100 spent, the state will have Rs 84.35 as total revenue receipts, including transfers from the Centre. The gap of Rs 15.65 will have to be met by borrowings. Out of every Rs 100 revenue receipts, Rs 28.67 will accrue from own tax revenues, Rs 14.15 from non-tax revenues, Rs 14.62 from share in central taxes and Rs 42.56 from central grants. Out of every Rs 100 spent, salaries will account for Rs 35.20, interest payments Rs 12.87, loan repayments Rs 5.75, pensions Rs 13.23 and the remaining Rs 32.95 will be spent on development works, including other activities. |
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Budget lacks vision: Oppn
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Vidya Stokes said a majority of the schemes reflected in the budget were old which only proved the fact that the budget was static. “Despite rising unemployment being an area of concern, there is no mention of creating job opportunities and the small measures for women only reflect government’s lip service towards their betterment,” she remarked. Stokes said considering the grim financial position, there is no thrust on resource mobilisation, which could have been done easily through the tourism and power sector. She said the government had failed to come out with concrete steps to tackle monkey and other wild animals menace, causing major devastation to crops. State Congress chief Kaul Singh Thakur said the BJP’s allegation of discrimination in funds by the Centre stood exposed as most of the schemes were centrally sponsored having liberal fund allocation. “Those who can afford to pay should have been taxed while the weaker sections should have been given relaxations,” he suggested. He said there was no provision for opening new schools and even the budget for notified backward schemes had been reduced from Rs 63 crore to Rs 20 crore. “The budget is anti-poor and lacks vision as well as long-term planning with no serious effort to address the burning issues, facing the state,” said Thakur. He said the people of the state were paying the price for the failure of the government to present its case before the 13th Finance Commission properly. Member, State Secretariat of the CPM, Tikender Panwar said the budget lacked direction, steps for resource mobilisation and hid the essence of the impending crisis. “The agriculture sector has a negative growth rate of 11.2 per cent with no relief for farmers, fruit growers and weaker sections in the budget,” he said. |
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15 PSUs in the red
Shimla, March 9 As per the report presented in the House today, out of 23 public service undertakings, 15 are in the red with cumulative losses amounting to Rs 1,124.39 crore as on March 31, 2010, up from Rs 936 crore in the previous year. The state road transport corporation tops the list of loss-making units with a cumulative loss of Rs 549.72 crore, followed by the state electricity board (Rs 383.18 crore), state financial corporation (Rs 102 crore), Agro-Packaging India (Rs 76 crore), HPMC (Rs 53 crore), State Forest Corporation (Rs 40.95 crore). The Himachal Pradesh Urban Development Authority has earned the highest cumulative profit of Rs 121 crore, followed by the State Civil Supplies Corporation (Rs 17.51 crore). The total investment of the government in the PSUs increased from Rs 929 crore to Rs 1,792 crore over the period.
— TNS |
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7 killed as bus falls into gorge
Kullu, March 9 Three persons who were seriously injured were referred to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital at Shimla while others were admitted to the government hospitals at Aani and Rampur. The deceased were identified as Chantlu Devi (65) of Kapthi Tarala village, Achhar Singh (37) of Deem village, Bhagu Ram (62) of Shilaaran, Prem Singh (39) of Deem, Kimat Ram (32) of Jamran Chuai village, all in this district; Chimat Ram (30) of Chhatari village in Mandi district and Avaid Hasan Ali (32) of Patish Muzafarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. “The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained. Meanwhile, an inquiry into the accident has been initiated,” the DC added. Subdivisional Magistrate Shravan Kumar Manta along with the police and other officials reached the spot and supervised the rescue operations. MLA of Aani Kishori Lal Sagar also reached the Rampur hospital and expressed sympathies with the injured and grief to the relatives of the dead. He also visited the accident spot. The DC said Rs 10,000 each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 5,000 each to the injured were distributed as immediate relief. |
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Nalagarh MLA to call off fast
Solan, March 9 If work to repair the road begins immediately, he would suspend March 12 fast unto death announced to support the Nalagarh Industries Association, he said. Talking to The Tribune soon after holding a talk with the CM on all pending issues, he said he was satisfied with the assurance and action taken by the CM against the erring officials who had not honoured his directions. Regarding the work to construct a new bridge on the Chikni river, he said the CM had informed him that three parties had been found eligible and bids would be finalised by Monday and the government would ensure that funds were allocated and work could begin by March 25. The CM also directed that the repair of Nalagarh-Swarghat road should start immediately. Rueing the cut in the Nabard funding to the state from the earlier Rs 400 crore to Rs 300 crore, the CM told Saini that this had led to delayed implementation of schemes under the MLA priority scheme but he would provide funds from the state budget to complete crucial works on priority. The CM assured Saini that no discriminatory approach had been adopted towards Nalagarh but a rider on raising loans and cut in the NABARD budget had handicapped the government thus impairing the developmental works throughout the state. With the CM assuring immediate consideration of their major demands, the Nalagarh Industries Association thanked the CM. Its president Prem Sharma said this would provide relief to the ailing industry. |
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Appeal to build Dev Sadan for deities
Mandi, March 9 The concluding “jaleb” wore a political colour as most of the VIPs walking in procession were the Congressmen, including Mandi Sadar MLA Anil Sharma, Balh MLA Parkash Chaudhary while the BJP men disappeared from the procession. Talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the Dev Visarjan ceremonies at Chauhata Bazaar, caretakers said, “We walk for days together to reach here and find no proper lodging place”, they said. They cook for themselves as committee give them ration. The mela committee should manage cooking and should provide meal rather then ration, said Vir Singh Chauhan, a devotee from Seraj. The mela committee has a budget of Rs 90 lakh, but it has done nothing to develop infrastructure for the Shivratri festival. The committee spends lakhs on artists, but there is no arrangement to protect the devotees from the rains, said HS Thakur, a devotee. State Governor Urmila Singh, chief guest of the concluding ceremony, urged the state government to strengthen the marketing facilities for products produced by women self-help groups so that they were empowered financially. She inspected the exhibitions at Paddal Maidan, met children in their fancy dress, and participated in the concluding procession of devis and devtas from the Raj Madhav temple to Paddal Maidan. She urged people and the mela committee to protect the rich Shivratri heritage as they built bridges of brotherhood and fraternity among the different sections of the society. DC Mandi-cum-president mela committee Dr Amandeep Garg said the festival ended with a success. |
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Creations of Chamba Rumal showcased
Dharamsala, March 9 In the exhibition, a state awardee artist, Dinesh Kumari, presented her creations of Chamba Rumal. Anu Gupta, an amateur artist from Nurpur, presented her creations in Kangra art. Curator of the Kangra museum, Ramesh Chandra, said this was for first time that we had organised an exhibition exclusively for women artists. It had been organised to mark Women’s Day. Dinesh Kumari, who had come to the museum dressed in traditional Chamba attire comprising silk cloth in bright colours, was an attraction at the exhibition. While taking to The Tribune she said, “I started making Chamba Rumal at the age of 10 at home. My elder sister was my teacher.” Giving details of Chamba Rumal, she said, “It is a kind of embroidery in which scenes depicted are same on both sides of the cloth. Chamba Rumals are exquisitely embroidered art pieces which depict schemes from Geet Govind, Bhagwata Puran or simply Radha Krishna and Shiva Parvati epics.” Chandra said though the art of Chamba Rumal was practiced throughout the region, the craft came to be associated specifically with Chamba due to the patronage given by the rulers of the area. Historically, the craft mainly flourished during the reign of Raja Umed Singh of Chamba from (1748-68), a patron of miniature artists. Kangra Deputy Commissioner RS Gupta inaugurated the exhibition on Monday evening. He assured all support to the women artists from
the district. |
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Giu village to be relocated
Shimla, March 9 He said the government was concerned about the safety and proper rehabilitation of the residents and had directed the local authorities to identify land to relocate the villagers at a safe place where all basic amenities could be made available to them. He said the damage caused to the village had been assessed by the local revenue authorities. The village was on the international border of the country and all its residents would be rehabilitated suitably at a safer place. |
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Tanda medical college interns on strike
Dharamsala, March 9 Karamveer, a junior intern, said, “Our only demand is to get a hike in our stipend from Rs 5,000 to at least Rs 9,000. We joined the strike today, post lunch, as we were waiting for the conclusion of the talks that happened between our IGMC friends and the Chief Minister and the Health Minister. But when the talks did not show results in our favour we joined them.” They alleged that the interns of the neighbouring states received stipend between Rs 9,000 and
Rs 13,000. Dr Anil Chauhan, principal of the Tanda medical college, said, “We have received the notice of the strike and the government is aware of the matter. The process of hike in the stipend is in the progress.” Health Minister Rajeev Bindal said, “The demand of hike in stipend of PGs and interns has been forwarded to the Finance Department and it is moving in a positive direction.” The emergency services had also been suffering as the interns boycotted the emergency, OPD and other services as well. |
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Uprising Day
Dharamsala, March 9 The Tibetans have applied for permission to hold rallies tomorrow to the Kangra DC and the Dharamsala SDM. Sources here said the Tibetans would march down from McLeodganj to Dharamsala after the Dalai Lama delivers the political speech tomorrow. |
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Woman’s Suicide
Hamirpur, March 9 Police sources said, “Sapna (20), who was married to Paramjeet of Kharwad village, had committed suicide in her house this morning. Her mother Ajudhya Devi, a resident of Lohat village, in her complaint held the husband and in-laws responsible for her daughter’s death.” The police has registered a case against the husband and other family members of the deceased and arrested Paramjeet (husband), Hukam Chand (father-in-law) and Vidya Devi (mother-in-law) of the deceased. |
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Shimla, March 9
Shimla, March 9