Shimla, May 8
All industrial units in the state will now have to maintain a proper record along with reasons for terminating services employees, especially Himachalis, and their address as the Industries Department will scrutinise every factory to ensure that 70 per cent jobs are being given to people from within the state.

The move comes in the wake of a surprise check made by Industries Minister Kishan Kapoor at the Dabur unit in Baddi last week. “I detected many discrepancies in its register with regard to jobs to Himachalis. I have directed officials of the department to scrutinise records of all units in the state as they are not adhering to the condition of giving 70 per cent jobs to Himachalis,” said Kapoor.

He added that it had also come to the notice of the department that several units in Baddi were making products for which they did not possess licence. “No factory will be allowed to make products for which they have not obtained licence as this too is a violation of the norms,” he cautioned.

Kapoor said the record he saw at the unit in Baddi revealed that the job percentage to Himachalis was far less than 70 and, moreover, no proper reason had been cited for people leaving the jobs.

“The register of every industrial unit will have to specify if the employee had been sacked, or had resigned, retired or left the job on his own with proper documentary evidence,” he said.

He also took a serious note of the fact that some units even prevented government employees from entering their units for inspection. Strict action would be taken against such units, he said.

The minister said in many cases people from outside the state were being recruited while the addresses of Himachali people, who had already left the job, were still being used.

Most industrial units preferred to employ people from outside the state than locals despite government directives. They cited shortage of skilled and technical people for various jobs to ensure that the minimum locals were employed.

* Several units make products without licence

* Job percentage to Himachalis less than 70

* No reason cited for people leaving jobs

* Some units do not allow government staff to enter for inspection 

* All units will have to maintain a proper record along with reasons for terminating services of employees, especially Himachalis, their addresses

* Industries Department will scrutinise every factory to ensure that 70 per cent jobs are being given to people from within the state

Shimla, May 8
Chief Minister PK Dhumal said the government was contemplating bringing about legislation during the monsoon session to vest the property and assets created out of unfair means, disproportionate to the known sources of income.

He was addressing a state-level meeting of the Legal Cell of the state BJP at the state party office here yesterday. “We are also considering holding an inquiry by a sitting high court judge into the alleged benami land transactions that had taken place in the state,” he said.

National Convener of the Legal Cell Satya Pal Jain was also present on the occasion.

Dhumal said a decision had already been taken to conduct a judicial inquiry into the essentiality certificates issued to various parties up till March 31, 2011, right from the time of the enactment of the Apartment Act.

“The government has granted permission under Section 118 of the Tenancy and Land Reform Act to 1,297 persons on merit after strict scrutiny while during the Congress regime 2,068 persons were given permission in violation of the norms,” he alleged. He added that a committee headed by Suresh Bhardwaj would be submitting its report to the government in this regard.

He also rejected allegations by the Congress regarding providing government land to private universities. “Not even an inch of government land has been provided to the private universities, rather Himachal is the first state in the country to enact the Private Universities Regulatory Act,” he said. 

Shimla, May 8
The Union Ministry of Agriculture has sanctioned Rs 20.10 crore for the implementation of a macro-management scheme to provide the much-needed boost to the farm sector in the state.

Under the integrated cereal development programme, a sum of Rs 2.46 crore has been provided for wheat, Rs 0.48 crore for rice, Rs 0.93 crore for pulses and oilseeds. Besides, agricultural implements (Rs 1.97 crore), nutrient management (Rs 0.16 crore), watershed development (Rs 4 crore), water harvesting (Rs 0.86 crore), organic cultivation (Rs 1.69 crore) and weed control (Rs 0.22 crore) in wheat and rice cultivation have also been covered.

The programme for wheat envisages assistance for the demonstration of improved package of practices at Rs 2,000 per acre, certified seed of wheat at 50 per cent (limited to Rs 5 per kg), micronutrients at 50 per cent (limited to Rs 500 per hectare) and demonstration on pest management on farmers’ field at Rs 17,000 per demonstration.

In the case of rice assistance will be available for the demonstration of improved package of practices at Rs 2,500 per acre, demonstration on the system of rice intensification at Rs 3,000 per acre, on high-yielding varieties of rice seed at 50 per cent (limited to Rs 5 per kg), plant protection chemicals and bio-pesticides at 50 per cent (limited to Rs 500 per hectare), pest management on farmers’ field at Rs 17,000 per demonstration.

The scheme for farm mechanisation will reduce labour cost and increase farm production. Under the scheme, assistance on small tractors and power tillers up to Rs 45,000, power-operated threshers up to Rs 12,000, manually-operated plant protection equipment up to Rs 800, power-operated plant protection equipment up to Rs 2,000 and harrow, cultivator, seed-cum-fertiliser drill set of power tiller driven implements up to Rs 10,000 (at the rate of 25 per cent).

Under protective irrigation and water harvesting, the assistance for constructing RCC tanks of 9 to 20 cubic metre capacity is Rs 21,000 to Rs 36,000 (limited at 50 per cent).

To promote organic farming, an assistance of Rs 3,800 will be provided for the setting up of vermin-compost unit. 

Mandi/Kullu, May 8
The hailstorm-affected farmers have pleaded with the government to either provide anti-hail nets with 90 per cent subsidy under the National Horticulture Technology Mission (NHTM) or install anti-hail guns to check the hail fury that damages more than 30 per cent fruit every year.

The Horticulture Department is yet not clear on the success of the anti-hail guns after a high-velocity hailstorm pounded Khathasu and Batargalu last week, the site where a lonely anti-hail gun is installed on an experimental basis.

The fate of farmers in the apple belt of Kullu-Thirthan-Jibhi-Dalash-Arsu-Khanag in Kullu district and Janjheli-Kakshiad-Karsog-Churag in Mandi district is no different. They rue that the damage is more than 80 per cent this year and it can be a repeat of the 1999 lean season as crop is not more than 30 per cent this time.

President, Kullu Valley Apple Growers Association, Prem Sharma says the fruitset is lean and the losses exceed more than 80 per cent by hails and chilly weather.

“We need either nets or anti-hail guns in the valley to protect apple economy”, he adds.

Except for over 15 per cent orchards in the Kotgarh-Kumarsain belt, most of the orchards are without anti-hail nylon nets as these are not affordable to farmers.

“The net cost per tree goes up to Rs 1,000 or so. Second, if a farmer buys nets worth Rs 1 lakh at one go, only then the government gives a 60 per cent subsidy,” said farmers.

CPM state secretary Rakesh Singha, also an orchardist at Kotgarh, who is in Kullu, said, “The hail damages the fruit crop every year. No one is sure about the success of the anti-hail guns as it is not controlled by the satellite. Thus, the government should increase the subsidy on the anti-hail nets from 60 per cent to 90 per cent and the banks should be linked to finance the nets under the NHTM”.

On the other, Chairman, Eco-horticultural Society, Laxman Thakur, brain behind the anti-hail guns technology, says the nets are labour and cost-intensive and last not more than seven years.

Horticulture Minister Narinder Bragta says the anti-hails guns technology is new to the area and its effectiveness will be studied by high-level teams.

“It is only an experiment and its success or failure will be judged in a due course of time of the pilot project”, he said.

He said the department would explore the option of providing subsides on anti-hails nets to the small and marginal farmers.

Shimla, May 8
e Umang Foundation organised a painting competition on the Rights of Children with Thalassaemia to create awareness about the disease which requires regular blood transfusion and expensive medicines.

It was for the first time that such an event was organised to involve the youth in a big way for a social cause. A poster-making competition was also organised for schoolchildren to mark the International Thalassaemia Day here today.

The works of participants were displayed at an exhibition. A blood donation camp was also organised in which 65 persons donated blood.

Education Minister ID Dhiman, who gave away prizes to the winners, said the state government would make efforts solve the problems faced by the children suffering from the 
disease. He lauded the artistic skills and creativity of the participants.

Principal Secretary, Education, Srikant Baldi, who presided over the function, said thalassaemic children should not feel demoralised.

Chairman Ajai Srivastava said the authorities had failed to set up a four-bed ward for such children in Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital despite the announcement made by Chief Minister PK Dhumal to this effect. He urged the government to provide medicines on the subsidised rates as most of the children were very poor.

Dharamsala, May 8
Scientists of Palampur Agriculture University (PAU) are developing a technology for keeping DNA fingerprints of hybrid seeds being supplied to farmers by private companies in the state.

Director, Research, SP Sharma said, “We have been receiving complaints from farmers that in some cases private seed suppliers do not supply the same variety of seeds that they got passed from PAU. This is causing financial loss to farmers. So, now we have decided to keep DNA fingerprints of hybrid seeds that are passed by the university for selling these to farmers in the state. By using the DNA fingerprints, the university will verify if the seeds supplied by the private companies to the farmers are genuine”.

The farmers in Himachal are purchasing hybrid varieties of maize and rice from private companies. In many cases, they complain of loss of crop due to the supply of poor seeds.

If the DNA fingerprinting of seeds being supplied in the state is kept, the farmers can hold the companies supplying them dubious seeds liable.

The university in the case of maize has also tried to encourage farmers in Kullu for production of hybrid seeds that can meet the demand of farmers in the state.

Meanwhile, an agricultural officer’s workshop on kharif crops was organised at PAU today. Around 200 officers from the State Department of Agriculture, scientists from the university and progressive farmers from various districts discussed strategy to increase crop production.

SK Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, after inaugurating the workshop informed that the university would strengthen research work on DNA fingerprinting as it was imperative to prepare a database of old, current and to be released crop varieties.

JC Rana, Director of the State Department of Agriculture, said this year record foodgrain production was expected in the state.

Gurdev Singh, Director of Horticulture, said the scientists should aim to increase per plant production.

Kahan Bassi, Director, Extension Education, said all modern audio-visual aids, including SMS advise on cell phones, were being used to disseminate modern farm technology to farmers in the state.

Mandi, May 8
Apart from starting job-oriented technical education courses in its planned five new polytechnic colleges and ITIs, the Directorate of Technical Education will start the next academic session of Jawaharlal Nehru Engineering College, Sundernagar, from its new campus which will be ready by July this year.

After reviewing the performance of polytechnic colleges and ITIs in the region recently, Technical Education Minister Narinder Bragta said the ITIs and polytechnic colleges generated over 40,000 manpower in the state. Out of this, 90 per cent were getting placements in various sectors in and outside the state, he added.

He said the government had decided to start five new polytechnic colleges, Paonta Sahib, Bilaspur, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti and Kalpa in Kinnaur, and notifications had been issued. “Each college will involve the investment of Rs 12 crore,” he added.

He said out of four ITIs, Tikkar, Bhadrota, Sandhol and Ghumarwin, the Bhadrota and Tikkar ITIs had been made functional in 2010 and the rest of the ITIs would be functional this year”.

The building work of Sundernagar engineer college would be complete by July this year and the college would function from the new campus from the next session, he added.

Bragta said the Pragtinagar college at Guma would have ITI, polytechnic college and engineering college under one roof and it would start functioning from this year. Efforts were also on to make hydroengineering college at Bandla functional soon, he added.

Bragta said the state had become a hub for the technical education. “We have decided to start only job-oriented technical course in ITIs and polytechnic colleges in the state”.

Mandi, May 8
Two government senior secondary school at Makreri (Jogindernagar) and Rewalsar have been ranked among the top “10 green schools in the country”. They will get a national award on environment audit from the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on July 15.

According to Tek Chand Parmar, in charge of the eco-club, Makreri, the school did the environment audit on water, air, land, energy and waste subscribing to the CSE standards for the first time. The school scored high on these parameters and was selected for the award by the CSE, he added.

Parmar said the eco-club also got the best eco-club in the state recently. “The school collected 1.31 quintal of polythene and sold it the PWD under the polythene hatao campaign. We also got the best award for the conservation of biodiversity and involving community participation,” he added.

He said the CSE received over 778 reports and Makreri school was adjudged among the top 10 green schools in the country. The Rewalsar school had also was selected for the award.

Parmar said the need of the hour was to conserve rainwater by harvesting structures in the schools .