H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Congress assails HP Govt on Budget
SHIMLA, March11 — The Congress has urged the BJP government to make public the actual deficit in the Budget which was presented in the Assembly on Thursday by the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal. The figures of deficit should be minus the loans raised by the government through various boards corporations.

NGOs ‘get’ 4,000-crore foreign aid per year
MANDI, March 11 — Various foreign agencies are providing funds worth over Rs 4000 crore annually to NGOs for rural development in the country.

Admission to medical college cleared
SHIMLA, March 11 — The law Department is learnt to have given a green signal for making admissions to the controversial Medical College at Tanda in the Kangra district out of the PMT list already prepared by Himachal Pradesh University (HPU).

SP confirms sighting of militants
CHAMBA, March 11 — Security has been beefed up on Langera Pass at an altitude of 2500 metres at the edge of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh adjoining Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of Thursday's sighting of ten terrorists on snow-clad Padhri Pass (3049 metres).

Tibetan women's charge against China
SHIMLA, March 11 — The Tibetan Women Association has demanded that forced sterilisation of Tibetan women in the Chinese-occupied Tibet should be stopped immediately.

Cong assails HP Govt on Budget
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, March11 — The Congress has urged the BJP government to make public the actual deficit in the Budget which was presented in the Assembly on Thursday by the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal. The figures of deficit should be minus the loans raised by the government through various boards corporations.

In a joint statement here yesterday Mr Ram Lal Thakur, vice-president of the PCC and Mr Kuldeep Kumar, secretary of the PCC described the Budget as more of an exercise in concealing rather than revealing facts.

They described budget proposals as the "worst" ever presented by any government in Himachal Pradesh.

They alleged that the figures of Budget deficit were not factual. In fact the loans raised by the government had been shown as "revenue" which was unheard of. The actual deficit would be nearer Rs 1500 crore as indicated in the white paper tabled in the H.P. Vidhan Sabha rather than Rs 267 crore as shown in the present Budget.

They said that the Budget was directionless and surprisingly there was no mention of austerity measures. This Budget did not reflect the aspirations or needs of the people, but was based on the dictates of the World Bank, the IMF and the central government.

They said that it appeared that the government wanted to privatise everything in Himachal Pradesh, including education. There was no provision of opening any new education institutions and its expansion, particularly in rural and backward areas. The same was the case with health, Ayurveda and veterinary.

The hike in the Sales Tax on diesel and petrol among other things would also lead to increase in prices of all essential commodities.

NGOs ‘get’ 4,000-crore foreign aid per year
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, March 11 — Various foreign agencies are providing funds worth over Rs 4000 crore annually to NGOs for rural development in the country.

Announcing this to mediapersons here yesterday, Mr Ashok Thakur, Deputy Director-General, Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), said these organisations were playing a pivotal role in transforming the rural economy.

He lamented that the region had not harnessed the huge potential of NGOs for ushering in prosperity in villages. Barring Rajasthan, other states like Punjab. Haryana and Himachal Pradesh had yet to make a beginning for mass involvement of the people in rural development.

Mr Thakur said in Himachal Pradesh, people of Solan and Sirmaur districts had constituted non-government organisations.

He said the significance of people's involvement in rural development was realised only during the Seventh Plan. CAPART was set up in 1986. Subsequently, many union ministries came forward to assist the NGOs in their innovative projects and the results were not only encouraging but startling.

He said only a small fraction of the funds had come to the share of Himachal Pradesh of the Rs 500 crore of the funds disbursed in the country, Himachal Pradesh had got only about Rs 2.5 crore.

In fact, people in the region had not taken advantage of the national and foreign aid coming liberally for rural development through NGOs, he added.

Admission to medical college cleared
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, March 11 — The law Department is learnt to have given a green signal for making admissions to the controversial Medical College at Tanda in the Kangra district out of the PMT list already prepared by Himachal Pradesh University (HPU).

The merit list had become invalid following expiry of six months period and the government had sought legal opinion whether it could be made operative.

Sources said the legal experts have asked the government to go ahead with the admissions provided the university issued a notification extending the life of the merit list.

The Centre has renewed permission for admission of the second batch of 50 students during 2000-2001 vide its letter dated February 18, 2000.

Only one batch of 50 students was admitted in January 1998 ever since the college started. Thereafter, no admissions were made so far as the Medical Council of India (MCI) did not grant permission for running the college on various grounds, including shortage of staff and lack of infrastructure.

The issue has assumed political overtones with both the ruling BJP and the Congress trying to run down each other on the matter. The college was opened during the Congress regime when Mr Virbhadra Singh was the Chief Minister. The admission to the first batch was made on the basis of orders of the high court. The MCI challenged the decision of the high court in the Supreme Court and the orders of the former were stayed.

The Health Minister, Mr J.P. Nadda, said Rs 28 crore has so far been spent on raising infrastructure of Medical College. A grant of Rs 16.96 crore was released for the current year, out of which Rs 8.38 crore were spent till January this year.

Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal and Mr Nadda held a series of meetings with the MCI authorities to find a solution to the problem of delay in granting recognition to the college.

A consultancy organisation has been engaged by the government for constructing a 500 bedded hospital for the college.

SP confirms sighting of militants
From Our Correspondent

CHAMBA, March 11 — Security has been beefed up on Langera Pass at an altitude of 2500 metres at the edge of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh adjoining Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of Thursday's sighting of ten terrorists on snow-clad Padhri Pass (3049 metres).

Confirming reports of the sightings Mr Rajinder Mohan Sharma Superintendent of Police, Chamba, who had just returned from the border region, said security forces deployed on the J & K side had been apprised of the sighting and patrolling intensified. It was being presumed that the militants may have come over the pass owing to pressure from para-military forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

The SP said that there were some Gujjar kothas located on Padhri Pass which used by the ultras for shelter.

Tibetan women's charge against China
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, March 11 — The Tibetan Women Association has demanded that forced sterilisation of Tibetan women in the Chinese-occupied Tibet should be stopped immediately.

On the eve of the Tibetan women's uprising day today, the association described the forced sterilisation as against the UN charter of universal human rights declaration.

The association described it as a serious violation of the fundamental rights of women and said that such a practice was hitherto unknown in the age-old cultural history of Tibet. Tibetan women were passing through a state of psychological disturbance as a result of forced sterilisation, forced abortion and legal pressure to limit the birth rate.