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New industrial policy on the anvil: Minister
Mukesh Agnihotri, Minister for Industry, Labour and Public Relation.
Judiciary too is a watchdog, it bites when barking fails: CJ Kurian Joseph
HC bids farewell to Chief Justice
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Semester system for undergraduate courses from 2013-14
Now, better treatment options available for heart patients, says doctor
Public suggestions for budget formulation pour in
Building collapses in Mandi
Labourers at work to remove the debris of the collapsed house in the Sauli Khad locality in Mandi on Wednesday. Photo: Jai Kumar
SSA employees demand regularisation of services
Probe sought into funds meant for Ramsar wetland
Bank management ‘ignoring’ rural areas in Shimla, Sirmaur
CM says no to creating new districts in state
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh addresses mediapersons at Nurpur on Wednesday. Photo: Rajiv Mahajan
BJP spokesman claims credit for projects
Rs 2 crore for upgrade of fish breeding centres: Minister
Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Forest and Fisheries Minister, launches a fibre motor boat at the Pong Dam reservoir on Tuesday. Photo: Rajiv Mahajan
Workshop held on gender mainstreaming
Banks told to increase credit-deposit ratio
Panchayat chowkidars hail Anil’s appointment
Woman crushed to death by truck
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New industrial policy on the anvil: Minister
Dharamsala, March 6 He said despite the industrial package, the previous BJP government “failed” to attract industry for the state. It had received proposals worth Rs 48,000 crore for investment in the state. However, it could attract an investment of about Rs 10,000 crore only, he said. It illustrated that the previous government “failed” to create an environment for attracting industrial investment, Agnihotri said. He said under the new policy, provisions would be made that once the project was cleared at the level of the office of the Chief Minister, there should not be any hassle from any other department. Information gathered from industrialists revealed that land mafia that dragged industrial units into unnecessary litigation was operational in the state, he said. Under the new industrial policy, provisions would be made so that industrial units making investments in the state did not face such hassles, he said. The minister said the environment in the state was conducive for industry. Lesser crime rate in the state and availability of power were strengths of the state for attracting industry. However, the industry faced problem in getting land as land holding with private land owners was very small. The state government would try to create land banks where big industrial units could be offered consolidated land in case they wanted to set up manufacturing units in the state, he said. “I have already approached leading corporate houses and invited them for setting up manufacturing units in the state. They have given a good response,” he said. The Industries Department would also be organising events in Mumbai and Delhi to invite industry, Agnihotri said. He said the department would also be considering developing an IT park in the state. “Land near Dharamsala has been identified for developing an IT park. The IT and BPO industry is a green industry that has the potential of providing mass employment for the youth of the state,” he said. “It is unfortunate that the previous government had totally ignored the sector. We will try to bring in IT and BPO industry to the state,” he said. He said the Union Ministry for Industry and Commerce would also provide incentives to industries coming to the state. Fresh Focus
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Judiciary too is a watchdog, it bites when barking fails: CJ Kurian Joseph
Shimla, March 6 It was only after Chief Justice Kurian Joseph put in place the policy of “watchdog judiciary”, biting when barking failed and delivering justice instead of judgments, that the common man came closer to justice in the state. Just a day before his departure to Delhi upon his elevation as a Judge of the Supreme Court, The Tribune grabbed a few minutes for an exclusive interview with him. In a candid interview, Chief Justice Joseph indicated that the cooperation from the state had not been up to the mark, the government needed to evolve an in-house mechanism to redress the grievances of employees, executive has failed to deliver, compelling the barking dog to bite, the subordinate judiciary needs to be made more independent and lawyers should insist on more than just representing their clients decided by authorities. Here is what he has to say: Q: The Himachal Pradesh High Court boasts of bringing down the pendency of cases. Are the courts providing justice or are they into number game? A: The recent years have witnessed a dangerous trend of lawyers asking the Bench to direct the authorities concerned to decide the representations submitted by litigants to them, instead of getting their cases decided on merit. The advocates should come forward and ask for a decision of their cases on merits, instead of getting them disposed of. The Judges in the higher judiciary, too, should realise that individual statistics on disposal of cases do not matter. Q: But shouldn’t the state also come forward and help in expeditious disposal of cases? A: Considering the fact that 80 per cent of the litigation involves government, it needs to cooperate in a better manner and not only in terms of pleading cases on time but also effectively assisting the courts through good government counsels. Cases covered by a single judgment should be identified and court directions should be implemented in cases of other similarly situated persons. Himachal employees have a culture of litigation. They move court for anything and everything. It’s not for the courts to look into everything. The state has to evolve an in-house mechanism. Q: In a clear-cut departure from the age-old saying that barking dogs seldom bite, you have been saying that watchdog judiciary need not only bark. A: Judiciary, too, is a watchdog of the public, like media. A watchdog barks to invite the attention of his master in case of danger. If the master fails to respond, he goes a step further and under some circumstances is compelled to bite. Judiciary, too, bites, when the barking does not succeed in rousing the master (public) from slumber in the wake of danger. Q: Does it justify judicial activism? A: Judiciary is not meant to be proactive. It becomes proactive only when the other pillars are not active. At times, we have executive officers coming up to us, admitting that a little direction from the Bench will set the ball in motion. It’s unfortunate, if not deplorable. The steps initiated by the high court after my taking over some three years ago saw giant leaps towards the concept of litigation-free villages. We have even gone further with the concept of alternate disputes redress and have introduced the system of judge-involved mediation. Q: In the end, do you think subordinate judiciary needs to be made independent? A: Article 235 talks of making the high courts financially independent. Only after the high courts are made independent, we can ensure complete independence of subordinate judiciary.
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HC bids farewell to Chief Justice
Shimla, March 6 In his address, Justice RB Misra, who is the senior-most Judge after the Chief Justice, said Justice Kurian was a true embodiment of honesty, sincerity and devotion to duty. He called him a man of great vision and versatile person. Advocate General of the state Sharwan Dogra, Naresh Thakur, member, Bar Council of Himachal Pradesh, High Court Bar Association president BC Negi and Assistant Solicitor General of India Sandeep Sharma also spoke on the occasion. Justice RB Misra, Justice Deepak Gupta, Justice DD Sud, Justice VK Ahuja, Justice Surinder Singh, Justice Sanjay Karol, Justice Kuldip Singh, Justice Rajiv Sharma, Justice VK Sharma and Justice DC Chaudhary and members of the Bar association were also present on the occasion. The Himachal Pradesh High Court Bar Association and Staff Welfare Association also hosted farewell parties in the honour of the outgoing Chief Justice. The outgoing Chief Justice also inaugurated the first issue of law journal ‘Him-News’ at a meeting of the Board of Governors of the HP Judicial Academy. |
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Semester system for undergraduate courses from 2013-14
Shimla, March 6 Instead of the existing annual system, there will be two semesters of six months each in an academic year and the courses will be split accordingly. The first batch under the semester programme will be admitted to the BA, BSc and BCom streams in June. The new system will be introduced only for the first year students and the second and third year students will pass out under the old system. The students will be offered courses under choice-based credit system and the final examination will be conducted by Himachal Pradesh University at the end of every semester. The details have been worked for the implementation of the new system at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy and necessary directions have been issued to the university. The credit system for various courses will be on the pattern of Central University. The students will have more choice and flexibility in subjects they want to study and it will help bridge the prevailing divide between humanities and science apparent under the current system. The students will have greater choice of subjects within a maximum number of credit points. “Besides ensuring greater options for students, the main objective is to ensure minimum 180 teaching days in an academic year programme in accordance with the norms laid down by the University Grants Commission,” said Director of Education Dinkar Burathoki. Under the new system, each semester will have 90 teaching days for which at least four-and-a-half months of teaching will be required. The semester examinations will be held in November and April. While the students will be free to undertake optional subjects across the streams, they will have to obtain the minimum prescribed credit in core subjects which will account for 80 per cent of the total credits. A science student could opt for a subject like music, psychology or economics under optional subjects. However, much will depend on the availability of faculty in the colleges. |
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Now, better treatment options available for heart patients, says doctor
Kangra, March 6 Stating this, Dr Rakesh K Jaswal, Director, Cardiology at Fortis Hospital, Mohali, who was in the town, said as heart diseases were spreading fast, the development in its treatment was also advancing fast. In the very recent treatment development, the world’s first drug eluting Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS) had won accolades from cardiologists worldwide as an invention that would revolutionise heart disease management, Dr Jaswal said. Dr Jaswal said with the BVS, which was launched under the brand name Absorb by a pharmaceutical Major Abbott, patients with coronary heart disease could now have broad and better treatment options, reduced need of long-term medicines and extremely reduced risk of stent induced side effects. He said the coronary artery disease began when the arteries that supplied blood to the heart became narrowed or blocked by a build-up of fatty deposits called plaque. As a result, it got harder for arteries to supply blood to the heart, he said. He further added that the prevalence of coronary artery disease was increasing and could be attributed to the growing aging population and risk factors such as diabetes, smoking, obesity and hypertension. There was a continuous need for better treatment options and expansion of access to therapies, he added. Dr Jaswal said Absorb was designed to open blocked coronary arteries and restore blood flow to the heart. The stent consisted of a biodegradable polymer backbone composed of PLLA (poly-L-lactic acid) with a PDLLA (poly-D, L-lactide) bioabsorbable polymer coating. It worked in three phases. First, Absorb was placed in the artery to open and support the vessel while a drug was released to treat the diseased area and limit the re-growth of tissue, which could narrow the vessel and reduce blood flow. Dr Jaswal said next, a thin layer of tissue and healthy cells covered Absorb as the vessel wall regained strength and returned to a more natural state. Lastly, once the vessel no longer needed support, the scaffold began to dissolve naturally, ultimately breaking down to carbon dioxide and water. This made it possible for the vessel to return to a more natural state, Dr Jaswal explained. The clinical outcomes had indicated that Absorb performed similar to best-in-class drug-eluting stents, with the added benefit of disappearing over time He said since their launch in 2003, drug-eluting stents had been adopted worldwide. He said clinical trials had demonstrated that drug-eluting stents could significantly improve clinical outcomes compared to bare metal stents and balloon angioplasty. However, there were several complications with drug-eluting stents, he added. These unmet needs had been addressed with the development of bioabsorbable stents, such as Absorb. Future interventions could be performed effectively without any obstruction by a permanent implant, remarked Dr Jaswal. |
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Public suggestions for budget formulation pour in
Shimla, March 6 Inquiries from the Finance Department revealed that about 50 suggestions had been received from both the individuals as well as organisations in response to the request of the government to be part of planning and budget formulation. The ranking officials involved in the important task of budget formulation are sifting through these suggestions, some of which could be reflected in the budget to be presented by the Chief Minister in the state Assembly on March 14. The government had invited these suggestions by the end of February so that these could be reflected in the budget if found relevant and useful. The suggestions range from grievances of the industry to employees associations, who have tried to use the opportunity to place their demands before the government at the most opportune time. “Various employees’ bodies have sought financial benefits which will bring them on par with their counterparts in the neighbouring states,” said an official. “Some of the suggestions have come in from fiscal experts, who have given concrete suggestions, considering their experience in the area,” he said. He admitted that all the 50 suggestions received might not be reflected in the budget as some of them were mere suggestions. “These suggestions will be sent to the department concerned so that they can form part of the policy formulation,” he said. Interestingly, the suggestion given by farmers’ associations includes addressing the problem of monkey menace. The representatives of the industry have raised the issue of simplification of the cumbersome procedure for the central sale tax (CST). They have pointed out that its rationalisation could go a long way in addressing the problem of the small industrial units. The Finance Department has also received some suggestions from environmentalists who have expressed concern over the adverse impact of development projects like power projects, cement plants and road construction on the environment of the state. They have given suggestions on how to undertake sustainable development and protect the interest of both the community as well as ensure development. |
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Building collapses in Mandi
Mandi, March 6 The victims said the district administration had done nothing to rehabilitate them. They demanded that the “offenders, Shruti and Co and the builder”, should be panelised and should pay them adequate compensation and damages. The victims also demand a judicial inquiry into the incident. The residents resented that the ramshackle four-storeyed structure, which housed a shop and liquor storerooms, collapsed under the weight of liquor being dumped there for the last many days under the “nose of the police”. The foul-smell and big heaps of crushed liquor bottles had turned the locality into a living hell, they said. “It was about 7.45 pm when we heard a bang that broke the sidewall of my bedroom and big cracks appeared in other rooms as well,” said Prof Vir Singh Chauhan, a veteran Congress leader from Seraj. Another resident who lived on the third floor of the building said, “There are big cracks all over and it is unsafe now. We cannot go anywhere in this old age as we have spent our entire earning to buy this flat”. “A police team came here to assess the loss suffered by the liquor tycoon and was callous towards the actual victims,” the residents said. “All our pleas fell on deaf ears as we have asked the administration to shift the liquor business from here after a person was found murdered on the premises of the liquor shop-cum-bar here about three years ago,” they said. Rural Development Minister Anil Sharma visited the spot today and assured the victims of all possible help. “We will probe the matter,” said Mandi DC Devesh Kumar. “The police is investigating the case,” said RS Negi, SP, Mandi.
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SSA employees demand regularisation of services
Kangra, March 6 Dr RD Sharma, Deputy Director (retd), Education, and state convener, HP Educational Consultant Forum, in a letter to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, said the present government was eager for regularising the services of PTA teachers, who were appointed by ignoring the then prevailing recruitment and promotion rules of the Education Department. Their appointments were made by the panchayat pradhans, most of whom were far less qualified than the candidates. Sharma said, “The staff for the SSA was appointed by the Deputy Commissioners, who were better qualified than the applicants”. He said when the Virbhadra government was eager to regularise the PTA, why should the SSA contractual employees not be considered for regularisation. He said the SSA was started in 2002, for introducing qualitative changes in the educational sector. For this programme, 65 per cent expenditure was borne by the Central government and the remaining 35 per cent was shared by the state government. For running the SSA activities, the staff was appointed on secondment and contract basis. Sharma said since the secondment staff was under the R&P rules of its parent department and enjoying all the facilities and concessions, the contractual staff was not being paid at par with the state government employees. Sharma said of 59 staff members at the State Project Office, Shimla, 31 were on contract basis and the remaining 28 on secondment basis. He said all the employees looking after civil and construction works were on contract basis without R&P rules. He said 87 junior engineers, 12 draughtsmen and 13 assistant engineers were working in the SSA in the state on contract, since its establishment in 2002. Sharma said of Rs 112.94 crore, total expenditure incurred by the SSA in HP on construction works during 2009-2010 was Rs 33.36 crore and during 2010-2011, of Rs 155.06 crore, a total expenditure of Rs 64.67 crore was incurred on civil works. He asked,“When huge works were being carried out by the SSA staff, why were they were not being
regularised?”
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Probe sought into funds meant for Ramsar wetland
Kangra, March 6 He said the Rs 1,600-crore project in the public private partnership (PPP) to develop the Ramsar wetland was initiated with Rs 1,200-crore private partnership and Rs 400-crore public partnership. The previous state government led by Prof PK Dhumal allegedly shattered the project and only one component of the project was implemented. Prof Chander Kumar said the only component was tourism and the Asian Development Bank funded the project to the tune of Rs 300 crore. He alleged that this money was used on other projects instead of on the Ramsar wetland lake. He alleged that these funds were used for the development of some temples and other projects which needed to be enquired. Professor Kumar said the state government allegedly had received Rs 400 crore with the assistance of the World Bank and other sources for the development of the Ramsar wetland, the biggest attraction for tourists, but the funds were not used for the said purpose. He said if this project would have been implemented in the right perspective it would have boosted tourism in the Pong Dam area generating employment avenues for unemployed youths, hotels would have been established on the bank of the lake and water sports and angling competitions in the area would have been boosted. He demanded that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh should order an inquiry
into the usage of the funds meant for the development of the International Wetland Ramsar. |
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Bank management ‘ignoring’ rural areas in Shimla, Sirmaur
Mandi, March 6 The Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have asked all the rural banks to achieve financial inclusion by opening minimum of 10 per cent more branches every year in the areas with a fewer number of banks. The villagers said rural banks were not providing banking facilities in Shimla district, Dewat, Bamta, Nerwa, Kupvi, Sarahan and Chopal areas. Matiana, Bekhlati, Sandhu, Kharapathar, Jubbal, Hatkoti, Chaila, Tikkar and Spail in the Rohru subdivision had no rural bank branches, they said. The HPGB is yet to start ATM services in its branches. After the merger of Parbatiya bank of Chamba with Himachal Gramin Bank, the HGB has been renamed as the HPGB, adding 35 branches of the former in its kitty of 153 branches. The HPGB has opened branches in Barsar, Sulgwan (Hamirpur), Dandru, Bruhi, Bathri (Una), Kothipur, Shahtalai, Gharsi, Dangaar (Bilaspur), Dadadhu, Kolar in Nahan, Kharuni, Nawangran, Jharmajri (Solan), Mohal, Shangribagh, Khoon in Kullu, Mall Road and Oddi in Shimla district. But these branches had no infrastructure and staff, revealed insiders. “They have hired premises, but no daily transaction takes place in these branches,” they added. “The RBI has directed the banking sector to achieve the inclusive banking target by providing banking services to the public in five-km radius,” bankers said. SK Sharma, chairman, HPGB, said they had deputed staff in new branches and would undertake survey to open 18 new branches to cover the areas with fewer numbers of banks in Shimla and Sirmaur districts. |
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CM says no to creating new districts in state
Nurpur, March 6 Lambasting the previous PK Dhumal government, Virbhadra Singh said it had only played with the sentiments of people of the state on this sensitive issue. “Even its own party leaders were not unanimous for new districts. The then government had misled people and the latter ousted it from power in the Assembly elections,” he claimed. The Chief Minister said the government would explore the possibilities of re-organising administrative units right from districts to sub-tehsils by constituting a commission for this purpose. The government would act after reviewing the commission’s report. He said a few Congress MLAs would be appointed as chief parliamentary secretaries and parliamentary secretaries in the near future. He declined the appointment of associate Congress legislatures who had been elected as independents in the Assembly elections for these power-sharing posts. He claimed that the Congress would sweep all four parliamentary seats in the state in the Lok Sabha poll next year. |
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BJP spokesman claims credit for projects
Bilaspur, March 6 Talking to mediapersons at Naina Devi, 95 km from here, yesterday, Sharma said, “Ram Lal is trying to show as if these projects had been sanctioned and implemented by him (Ram Lal )”. Sharma said Rs 3.28 crore was sanctioned by former Chief Minister PK Dhumal for the Gwaalthai industrial area road and half of its construction work was already complete. Sharma said Ram Lal was talking about the sanction of the budget for installing 68 transformers in Naina Devi areas now. This budget was also provided during the former BJP government and several of these transformers had already been installed since then. The Congress government or Ram Lal had no role in both these projects. It was ridiculous if he claimed credit for these. Sharma said notification for opening a police post at Kharsi was issued on August 23, 2012, during the Dhumal government and he himself had inaugurated this post which had been functioning since then. Similarly, a fire post at Naina Deviji was sanctioned by the BJP government and its notification was issued on August 22, 2012, but now, Ram Lal was propagating as if these projects had been sanctioned by him through the Congress government. |
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Rs 2 crore for upgrade of fish breeding centres: Minister
Nurpur, March 6 He said the department had earlier launched such motor boat at the Gobind Sagar Lake in Bilaspur district. “These motor boats will check the menace of illicit fishing in the lakes and ultimately assist local fishermen to ameliorate their income. These boats have sitting capacity of 15 persons and are equipped with high-powered lights capable of functioning in foggy conditions also,” he asserted. Briefing a number of fish production and promotion schemes, he said the state government was committed for the welfare of fishermen. He informed that 15 fishermen societies comprising 2,303 registered fishermen had been working at the Pong Dam reservoir. He said 300 MT of fish worth Rs 312.67 lakh had been produced in the current fiscal year until February 15. Director, Fisheries Department, Gurcharan Singh briefed the departmental activities and claimed that new fibre motor boats would definitely assist fishermen in enhancing their fish catching as these would carry special fish conservation staff of the department to check illicit fishing.
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Workshop held on gender mainstreaming
Shimla, March 6 Irrigation and Public Health Minister Vidya Stokes said status of women in the state had been better than any other state in the country and they had been involved in various economic activities not only in agriculture fields, but also in various other sectors. Steps like gender budgeting, which was introduced in 2006 under which 30 per cent of departmental budget for the empowerment of women in the state was sanctioned, had also contributed in their mainstreaming and helped them in gaining economy independence, freedom of movement and social recognition. Sarojini Ganju Thakur, Chairperson, Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission, said capacity building of women was required not only in urban areas, but also in rural areas. Providing better educational facilities and motivating girls to take science and professional courses would make them more confident in the age of competition. Purnima Chauhan, Director of the institute, said a woman should be the focal point of development for the growth of society.
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Banks told to increase credit-deposit ratio
Hamirpur, March 6 Expressing concern on the decreasing credit - deposit ratio, which is 22.5 per cent in the district, the DC said this ratio was quite well below the national average and asked the bankers to take steps to increase the ratio. He also directed bankers to link every family with the bank and also arrange training camps to rope in more unemployed youths to provide self-employment through various schemes and bank loans. Earlier, BK Aggarwal, manager of Punjab National Bank, briefed about various activities of the bank. |
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Panchayat chowkidars hail Anil’s appointment
Bilaspur, March 6 Led by Bilaspur district president Devi Ram, some two dozen leaders of this state union, have said they have been struggling for their long-pending demands for long and now they are hopeful that some of these will be accepted by the state government in the new annual budget. The leaders said, led by their state union president Kuldip
Chand, a deputation of their state executive committee had recently met the Chief Minister and presented him a memorandum of their demands and difficulties and the Chief Minister had assured them to look into their demands at the earliest. They said their union would meet at Bilaspur on March 10 at 11 am. |
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Woman crushed to death by truck
Nurpur, March 6 According to the local DSP, the victim was overrun when a truck was reversing. A case under Sections 279, and 304(A), IPC, in this connection was registered and truck driver Subash Singh of Bagni village was arrested. The victim’s body has been sent to the Civil Hospital for postmortem examination. A senior Army officer informed the local police station about the accident after which the police reached the spot and took further action.
— OC |
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A new industrial policy for the state will be framed within the next two months. It will focus on providing prompt clearances to big industrial projects that can generate employment for the youth of the state.
Shimla, March 6
Mandi, March 6
Nurpur, March 6
The government has sanctioned Rs 2 crore for the upgradation of fish breeding centres in the state out of which 70 per cent funds have so far been received by the state Fisheries Department. This was stated by Forest and Fisheries Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri while launching a fibre motor boat costing Rs 42.22 lakh at the Pong Dam reservoir last evening.
