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CM warns Dhumals on their turf
BJP submits ‘chargesheet’ against govt to Guv
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2013 Review politics
Land allotment to Central varsity likely to be delayed
A crowd of tourists and residents at The Ridge in Shimla on Wednesday. Photo: Amit Kanwar
New norms make cement plants to seek wildlife nod
Jan Aushadhi store closed for one year in Una
Manali decked up for Winter Carnival
A hoarding of the Winter Carnival in Manali. Photo by writer
Sewerage plant a health hazard
Proposal to have MLA offices at every block in state
Vikramaditya takes on Arun Dhumal
Girl accuses advocate of rape in Solan
Govt ignoring Kangra: LJSP
Erratic water supply irks residents
Aadhaar-based ration cards in district soon
MLA meets traders
Naina Devi shrine set for New Year mela
Govt trying to befool youth: Yuva Morcha
Awareness camp on cleanliness in Chamba
Christmas celebrated with enthusiasm People light candles in front of St Jones Church on Christmas in McLeodganj on Wednesday. Photo: Kamaljeet ‘State under debt of Rs 30,000 crore’ BJP meet in Sundernagar today
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CM warns Dhumals on their turf
Hamirpur, December 25 Celebrating the completion of one year of the Congress regime here, the Chief Minister warned Dhumal and his sons to stay within their limits. "If you consider me your opponent, then come out in the open for a political battle rather than stabbing in the back with false allegations," he said, addressing a well-attended rally. Having tactically chosen Hamirpur as the venue for the rally, Virbhadra said if Dhumal and his sons had done no wrong, there was no reason why they should fear a Vigilance probe. "How can people trust Dhumal who becomes a Himachali to get votes in Himachal and a Punjabi to get a petrol pump in Punjab," he stated. Accusing Anurag Thakur, MP, of being far more involved in cricket and the film world rather than sparing time for his constituency or Parliament, he said taking over of government land and assets by the HP Cricket Association by converting it into a society would not be allowed. "If they are willing to hold elections of the HPCA at the district level and involve sportspersons, rather than members from outside the state, I have no problem," he said. In an oblique reference to Arun Dhumal, younger son of the former Chief Minister, Virbhadra said he should become a panchayat pradhan before pointing fingers at a six-time Chief Minister. "It is the frustration of being out of power which is bothering Dhumal and his family but they must realise that what matters is winning the hearts of people and remaining close to them," he opined. Virbhadra said the BJP had always tried to gain political mileage by dividing the people of the state on caste, region and religion. "The Congress has always believed in uniform and balanced development with its flagship programmes such as Skill Development Allowance and subsidised ration scheme benefiting people," he said. Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said if anybody tried to target the Congress regime, the party would give a befitting reply. "Anurag is more visible in Mumbai and Dubai rather than in Hamirpur and the manner in which he ran the HPCA affairs is deplorable," he said. The Congress during its one-year rule had started subsidized ration and Skill Development Allowance schemes. Others who addressed the rally included Vidya Sytokes, GS Bali, Mukesh Agnihotri and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Inder Dutt Lakhanpal. Ministers, MLAs and HPCC office-bearers attended the rally. Sidelights
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BJP submits ‘chargesheet’ against govt to Guv
Shimla, December 25 The BJP delegation submitted the 8-point chargesheet to the Governor and she just spent a minute with the delegation before she walked back to her residence with "chargesheet" written in Hindi. Interestingly, the copies of the "chargesheet" mentioned two names, PK Dhumal and Satpal Satti, in the end, but they had not signed the copies which were released to the media this evening. "It is a sorry state of affairs that the BJP has to submit a "chargesheet" against the government within in a year as the Congress government is targeting its opponents and all development works have come to a standstill. The ministers are involved in land deals and corruption," charged Dhumal, without naming anybody, while talking to mediapersons when he came out of the Governor's house. Dhumal claimed the "chargesheet" had been submitted with all proofs of land deals and corruption in almost all departments headed by Congress ministers. "We demand a CBI probe into the charges against the Chief Minister and ministers," he added. In the "chargesheet", the BJP alleged that the Chief Minister had yet to come clean on the alleged diary entries in the Ispat industry when he was the Steel Minister, an alleged transfer of money from bank accounts of Vaikamulla Chandershekhar and share stakes in his company in the names of his family members, said the "chargesheet". It mentioned that Forest Minister TS Bharmori, Civil and Supplies Minister GS Bali and state Congress chief Sukhvinder Sukhu allegedly bought large chunk of
land in Chamba, where a hydropower project was coming up, shamlat land near Palampur near a tea garden and Fagu, respectively. Congress president bought a nautor land at Fagu in his wife's name and rendered the poor woman landless, it alleged. Even another minister from Solan, Dhani Ram Shandil, was also involved in a land deal there and IPH Minister Vidya Stokes allegedly compromised in quality of pipes and fittings being procured for many IPH schemes, it alleged. The "chargesheet" alleged that Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur signed an MoU with a private company through a single tender for outsourcing of lab testing facilities in the IGMC and the Tanda medical college to benefit the company. Parkash Chaudhary was protecting liquor mafias and Industry Minister Mukesh Agnihotri was protecting mining mafias as stone crushers, whose leases had expired, were being run without permission, it claimed. Rural Development Minister Anil Sharma had shown income more than his sources of income and allegedly involved in a benami land deal in Mandi, it alleged. Incidentally, it was the second "chargesheet" that the BJP had submitted to the Governor against the Congress. Earlier, the BJP had submitted a "chargesheet" against the Congress regime from 2003-2007. The Congress also had submitted a "chargesheet" against the 2007-2012 Dhumal regime to the President of India. Allegations in ‘chargesheet’
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Dhumal-Virbhadra relations turned sour
Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service
It has been a politically charged year with the Congress regime, headed by Virbhadra Singh, not just going all out to probe allegations against the previous BJP government but also an acrimonious exchange of charges between the former and present Chief Ministers flying high. Notwithstanding the criticism, Virbhadra, back in the saddle for the sixth term as Chief Minister, proved his mettle to opponents as well as detractors within the party by single-handedly ensuring a resounding win for his wife Pratibha Singh from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, vacated by him. His son Vikramaditya too made a clean sweep by winning the election of the State Youth Congress president, which was virtually a one-sided affair. While Virbhadra handed over the reins of the HP Congress Committee to a much younger Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, he remained unperturbed despite occasional murmurs of discontentment among certain ministers over portfolios and Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS), aspiring to be ministers. On the other hand, the Opposition BJP, still trying hard to reconcile with the defeat despite putting in its might to make the much-hyped “Mission Repeat” a success, has put up stiff opposition, both inside and outside the Assembly. It has tried to pin down the government on a number of issues, especially corruption, with the Chief Minister and his family being made the prime targets. The political zest being shown by former Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Shanta Kumar too indicates that he could contest yet another parliamentary election from Kangra. The year began with Virbhadra accusing the previous BJP regime and former Chief Minister PK Dhumal of alleged phone tapping. He went to the extent of stating that the illegal interception of phones of Congress leaders, bureaucrats and others could not have taken place without the knowledge of the then Home Minister, which happened to be the Chief Minister himself. An FIR was registered in the phone-tapping case on August 1 with allegations of about 1,000 phones being tapped without permission in violation of the Indian Telegraph Act. The issue reached such a crescendo that then Director General of Police ID Bhandari had to pay a heavy price as he was shifted out and B. Kamal Kumar made the DGP. An overtly active Vigilance Bureau too kept the atmosphere charged as it worked overtime to prove the allegations contained in the Congress chargesheet and registered cases against HP Cricket Association (HPCA), headed by Anurag Thakur, the MP son of Dhumal. The high drama involving the midnight takeover of the HPCA stadium at Dharamsala on the night of October 26 after a late night Cabinet meeting, made the Congress-BJP animosity reached a new high. Stung by the registration of FIRs against them in a land purchase case in Dharamsala, Anurag Thakur and Arun Dhumal, sons of former PK Dhumal, hit back by targetting Virbhadra and his wife. The two were accused of taking loans and investing in shares of a company executing a hydro-power project in Chamba in lieu of alleged favours. The tirade continues with the political battle between the two families getting bitter by the day. As the BJP accused the Congress regime of unleashing political vendetta, an FIR was registered against former BJP minister Kishan Kapoor in allotment of a plot on the directives of the High Court. The putting up of challan in the 15-year-old case against former minister and sitting MLA Rajeev Bindal in appointments made by him in the Solan Municipal Committee further infuriated the Opposition. With the two main parties gearing up for the battle for the Lok Sabha poll, the fight could get murkier and bitter as the din of the elections gets louder.
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Land allotment to Central varsity likely to be delayed
Dharamsala, December 25 Till date, the state government has not been able to allot the land on which the permanent campus of the Central University is to come up. The varsity has been functioning from the building of Government College in Shahpur. Due to constraint in availability of a building, the university authorities have not been able to expand the institute in the desired manner. Though the state government had planned to lay the foundation stone of the Central University at Dharamsala during the just concluded winter session of Himachal Assembly, sources here said officials are still in the process of preparing files in order to obtain environment clearance for the land on which the institute campus is now proposed to be set up. Sources here said till date, the forest department has also not finalised the case for conversion of forest land on which the Central University campus is proposed to be set up. Furqan Qumar, Vice-Chancellor of the Central University, said they are in the process of preparing a new blueprint for the campus as per the new land given by the state government. "The case would soon be forwarded to the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests and we hope to get the clearance by next month," he said. The previous government had proposed to construct the main campus of the Central University Himachal Pradesh at Dehra. It had allotted about 500 acre land for the university campus at Dehra and about 100 acres at Dharamsala. The present Congress government, after taking over, decided to have the main campus of Central University at Dharamsala. The present government had proposed to set up about 60 to 70 per cent campus of Central University at Dharamsala and just about 30 to 40 per cent at Dehra. The present government has decided to allot about 400 acre land for the university at Dharamsala. Still, the majority of the land that is being offered for the Central University is forest land. The authorities are moving a fresh case for forest clearance of the land. Concerns were also raised regarding the new land being offered for Central University campus being in the active sliding zone. The authorities in the university are alleging that there has already been much delay in construction of the permanent campus of the university. In case the proposal for setting up the Central University campus is not cleared within the next two months by the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests, it would once again be stuck due to the forthcoming Parliament polls. |
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New Year revellers throng hill stations
Shimla, December 25 The tourist arrivals, in turn, have spelt some cheer for the tourism industry that had a lean time in the wake of flash floods and cloudbursts in Uttarakhand and Kinnaur. Christmas and New Year revellers are zeroing in on the hills from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Mumbai. They are heading for the higher, chillier and snowy climes of Kufri, Narkanda, Solang valley ski resort and Gulaba in tourist town of Manali and Dalhousie catching the glimpse of the snowman, Santa Claus and Christmas trees and trying skiing on the slopes. The historic Roman Catholic and Christ Church on The Ridge, both done up with mercury lights, have been wearing a festive look. The Mall and The Ridge were brimming with crowds while the dhabas and restaurants have been doing brisk business for the last two days. Locals took rounds of The Mall and The Ridge in the warm and brilliant sunshine, which is nothing less than a luxury in the hills in the winter season as the plains remained enveloped in fog, said Sanjay Thakur, a local hotelier. "The occupancy hit 70 per cent today and in the rest of the week till January 1, we have good tourist arrivals," said Harnam S Kukreja, president, Shimla Hoteliers and Restaurants Association. Occupancy in Manali hotels has risen to 60 per cent over the last two days. The HPTDC-run hotels in the state have registered 90 occupancy in Shimla, 70 per cent in Manali, 80 per cent in Dharamsala and house is packed for the new year celebration, said Yogesh Behl, general manager, HPTDC. |
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New norms make cement plants to seek wildlife nod
Solan, December 25 The new directions, issued by the MoEF in 2012, have affected two major cement plants —JayPrakash Associates and Ambuja Cements Limited — as they are located in close proximity to the Majathal Wildlife Sanctuary. The State Wildlife Board (SWB), in a recent meeting, considered several such projects, including those of the existing cement plants, and informed that these cases would now be forwarded to the NWB after due consideration. Since sanctuaries and national parks are considered protected areas where wild animals and rare plants thrive, the new directions will ensure that there is no imminent threat to their survival due to various activities undertaken by the plant. Dr Lalit Mohan, Chief Wildlife Warden-cum-Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), said three projects, including two cement units and one hydro electric project, had applied before the SWB for seeking clearance. He said all the three projects had been cleared after scrutinising their conservation plans and EIA reports and their cases have been recommended to the NWB. He said since these guidelines were issued in 2012, all such projects would have to seek a clearance. The need to seek this additional clearance arose after the standing committee of the MoEF observed that these protected areas form the habitat of many endangered species and biodiversity activities of developmental and industrial projects could threaten their existence. It was also observed that there was scant regard to the laws of the land and this mandated the need for strict vigilance. The casual manner in which such projects were dealt with had become an issue of concern for the MoEF and it was decided that the complete project details along with maps, impact on the habitat etc must be presented before the standing committee of the NWB. New directions
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Jan Aushadhi store closed for one year in Una
Una, December 24 The Jan Aushadhi store was an initiative of the state government to provide generic medicines, intravenous fluids and emergency apparatus used during surgeries at competitive rates. Pharmaceutical companies market their produce under two different categories, branded and generic products. While the branded medicines are costly, the generic medicines having the same formulary are much cheaper. Chief Medical Officer Dr GR Kaushal explained that the medicines in the store were provided by the state government and the promoters were getting 1 per cent profit. He said the margin was too meager, forcing the store to close down. He, however, admitted that the patients were getting medicines at much cheaper rates at these stores. The CMO said in the 12th Five Year Plan, the Planning Commission has instituted a Universal Health Coverage programme for the country and medicines under the programme would be provided free of cost to the patients. The scheme would soon be launched and about 500 formularies had been identified to be supplied to government hospitals. Member of the Pradesh Congress Committee Omkar Sharma inaugurated a high-mast light at the hospital, on which Rs 5 lakh had been spent. The light would not only eliminate dark spots, but also put a check on anti-social elements indulging in thefts around the hospital complex. Sharma said the Una branch of the State Bank of Patiala has agreed to install an ATM machine near the hospital gate at a space already made available by the hospital management. The ATM would be useful for the attendants of patients to procure medicines in emergency, he said.
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Manali decked up for Winter Carnival
Manali, December 25 Manali SDM Vinay Dhiman, who is also vice-chairman of the Winter Carnival committee, said about 25 teams from various parts of the country would perform at the carnival. “Cultural troupes from Sri Lanka and Nepal will also perform. Dhiman further said the carnival had been successful in promoting winter tourism in Kullu-Manali by attracting a large number of tourists and several new attractions were being added to the carnival . The emphasis would be to promote Himachal art and culture and all district of the state would also present their folk dances during the carnival. The carnival has proved a major source of entertainment to the tourists and local residents, who other wise were forced to remain indoor due to cold. But the carnival festivity attracts them to Manu Rangshala, the venue of carnival. The highlights of the carnival will be a colourful procession by the cultural troupes from different states, folk dance, modern dance,(group and solo), fashion show, classical dance, streetplay, street dance, voice of winter carnival, talent show, folksongs, rock band, winter queen contest and Himachali dress competitions during the carnival. Apart from this, couple dance competitions for tourists and Himchali food festival will be organised during carnival. |
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Sewerage plant a health hazard
Palampur, December 25 It has made their lives “virtually hell” as the plant has almost become non-functional and emitting foul smell all the times. The worst-affected localities are Income tax Complex, Karan Hospital, Ghuggar Tanda and Kesri Bag. Residents of the area have appealed to the Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court to come for their rescue as they were living in hellish conditions. They said their appeals to the IPH Department had yielded no results in past five years. If no action is taken, it could also result in epidemic. Enquiries made by this correspondent revealed that with the failure of equipment and pumping system, the department was releasing sewerage waste into the local stream which is also a major source of drinking water in the lower areas of Palampur, Maranda, Bhwarana and Thural. Even the department has lifted water from this stream for supply to the Thrual area feeding dozens of villages. Tanks of the sewerage treatment plant are filled with silt and mud as there is also no provision to check the inflow of silt into the plant. Official sources said this plant was set up at Rs 2.6 cr 20 years ago. The plant had lived its life and
needed replacement of major equipment. A senior officer of the Irrigation and Public Health Department said he had received complaints from the residents and necessary steps were being taken to make the plant fully functional. He said the department had planned to overhaul the sewerage system of the town if funds were sanctioned by the Urban Development Department. |
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Proposal to have MLA offices at every block in state
Dharamsala, December 25 The proposal has now reached the highest levels in the bureaucracy for clearance from the government. In case the proposal is adopted by the state government, it would be implemented in the entire state, sources here said. The MLAs want to have their office at the block level as most schemes like MGNREGA and National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) that are implemented in the rural areas are implemented at the block level. If they have their office at the block level, the people would approach them for various works under the schemes directly rather than through the bureaucracy. Officers including senior HAS and IAS officers are voicing their concern against the establishment of offices of MLAs at block level. They allege that this would amount to direct interference in the working of bureaucracy. They say that already, in a state like Himachal, the people approach politicians even for petty official works which leads to politicisation of development schemes. In case they have their offices at the block level, it would mean direct political interference in the scheme at planning level, they state. They also say the people are deeply divided as per their political orientation. The divide is more prominent in rural areas of Himachal. In case the MLAs have their say in the implementation of schemes at the block level, the political divide in rural areas would also be reflected in implementation of the schemes, they state. The interference in the executive by legislators has always been a growing concern in the state. The Himachal High Court had taken strong objection to transfers being effected in the state at the behest of politicians. Both the Congress and the BJP, while in opposition, accuse the other of operating transfer industry in the state. However, none of the parties takes effective steps to stem political interference in transfers and posting that could allow the bureaucracy to work in an objective manner. |
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Vikramaditya takes on Arun Dhumal
Hamirpur, December 25 Speaking at a rally here, he warned that he would retaliate against anyone who tried to hit below the belt and tarnish the image of his father and his family. “Those living in glass houses must not throw stones at others and least of all when it is all fabricated and politically motivated,” he said. He made it clear that he would hit back at anyone levelling false allegations against his family. “I want to tell Arun Dhumal, who has been levelling false allegations against my family that I will pay back in the same coin if he does not desist from such cheap and petty tactics,” he warned. “I will visit each of the 17 Assembly segments falling under the Hamirpur seat to ensure Congress victory,” he said. He urged state Congress chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu to finalise the name of the Congress candidate for the Hamiprur Lok Sabha seat at the earliest so that Youth Congress could start its campaign. He accused Dhumal of having registered false and politically motivated cases against his father
on both occasions when he became the Chief Minister. |
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Girl accuses advocate of rape in Solan
Solan, December 25 According to the complaint, the girl has alleged that she had known the advocate for the past more than a year. He had been raping her at the girl's house whenever she was alone. Her father is a retired employee and her mother had left her house sometime back. She produced pictures of her physical abuse and alleged that she was threatened to remain silent as he was an advocate who had been treating her with brutality. Additional SP said they were inquiring into the matter and trying to trace the whereabouts of the advocate. |
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Govt ignoring Kangra: LJSP
Palampur, December 25 He alleged that development activities had come to a standstill after Virbhadra took over the reins as the CM. The condition of roads, water supply schemes, electricity supply and public distribution system had gone from bad to worse. He said no development project had been announced for Kangra in the past one year. The LJPS leader alleged that the condition of the Pathankot-Mandi national highway had gone from bad to worse as the state government failed to include it into the four-laning project. He said Kangra-Shimla, Palampur-Hamirpur and Kangra-Una Chandigarh national highways were in bad shape, hitting tourism. |
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Erratic water supply irks residents
Nurpur, December 25 Adding to their woes is failure of the Chakki water supply scheme. The supply lines are reportedly damaged without heavy rains or landslides in the area. The Chakki water supply scheme, which failed on Sunday, remained suspended today too. Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department has failed to look into the problem. Earlier, residents had to remain without water for two consecutive days. Intriguingly, IPH Department never bothered to inform the consumers about the maintenance and repair of pipelines. PK Sharma, executive engineer, Nurpur division, said water pipes were replaced yesterday and residents would get regular supply from tomorrow. Meanwhile, former MLA Rakesh Pathania, criticising recurrence of water supply failure, alleged it was all due to poor management and poor quality work of the Chakki water scheme. |
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Aadhaar-based ration cards in district soon
Chamba, December 25 The spokesperson said the National Food Security Act (NFSA) envisaged improving efficiency, transparency and reducing wastage in public distribution system (PDS). This e-PDS system would go a long way benefiting the consumers. He said the forms had been dispatched to panchayats also. In the rural areas, filled forms would be submitted to panchayat secretaries and in the urban areas to the Food and Civil Supplies inspectors by January 20. The panchayat secretaries after putting the stamps and signatures on the forms would hand over the forms to inspectors by January 25 so that the forms could reach the office of the District Controller, Food and Civil Supplies, by January 31, the spokesperson added. He said under the NFSA and BPL schemes, the consumers would get 35 kg of ration every month. The rates of wheat and rice under the NFSA would be Rs 2 and 3 per kg, while the BPL wheat would be made available to consumers for Rs 5.25 per kg and rice for Rs 6.85 per kg.
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MLA meets traders
Nurpur, December 25 The MLA said the MC had submitted a proposal for two parking lots in the town to the state government and he would take up this issue with the Chief Minister. He said though the state government had sanctioned a bus stand at Chogan, the land earmarked for the same was falling short. He said a proposal was being made to construct a bypass on the NH to check frequent traffic jams and the Public Works Department had been directed to prepare a detail project report in this connection.
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Naina Devi shrine set for New Year mela
Bilaspur, December 25 Thakur said police and Home Guards have been posted and the mela area has been divided into nine sectors for controlling the crowds and enabling smooth traffic movement. Use of loudspeakers and all types of noisy instruments has been banned and traffic control barriers would be set up. Each sector would be headed by an Executive Magistrate with a posse of police force. The Additional District Magistrate has also enforced Section 144 of the CrPC and carrying and keeping of all types of arms and ammunitions, weapons and explosives etc has been banned
in the Kot Kehloor police station areas from December 29, 2013, to January 2, 2014. |
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Govt trying to befool youth: Yuva Morcha
Bilaspur, December 25 Addressing their rally, Thakur said all development works started by the previous BJP Government had been stopped and the Congress did not have a single achievement to its credit and could not recite a single project or scheme which it had started or completed during the entire year. He said the government was trying to befool the youth under the name of the ‘Skill Development Allowance’. He said the CM had been implementing only one-point agenda of harassing and concocting totally false cases against the HPCA and its state president and national Yuva Morcha president Anurag Thakur.
— OC |
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Awareness camp on cleanliness in Chamba
Chamba, December 25 The camp was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner of Chamba Kadam Sandeep Vasant. The DC underscored the need of improving the sanitary conditions and cleanliness of the hill town, thereby attracting more tourists to this town. The DC eulogised the initiative taken by the youth by forming an organisation which was inspired by Navjot Joshi, president of the organisation. Joshi said the activists were locals who had been spending hours looking for things for keeping the town clean.
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The five-day Winter Carnival will commence in Manali from January 2 to 6. The carnival will begin from the Hadimba Devi temple at Dhungri with the worship of Goddess Hadimba and a cultural procession by participating teams from different states will be taken out from the temple, which will terminate at Nehru Park, popularly known as Ram
Bagh.
children outside the church. Light was thrown on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and believers of the faith were asked to transform their lives as per the teachings of Jesus Christ.
— OC
