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| Monday, September 11, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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HPU plan to make toppers leaders A bridge awaits repair CM open to change in Revenue Act Cong men put up show of unity Election fever in Hamirpur college |
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180 self-help groups for rural youth Mushroom mela
at Solan ENT doctors’
conference opens HP Speaker to attend Commonwealth
conference Remarrige of Kargil martyr’s widow
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HPU plan to make toppers leaders SHIMLA, Sept 10 — Elections to the Students Central Association (SCA) will be a different ball game this time with the Himachal Pradesh University coming out with a strict code of conduct for contestants, making provision for granting representation to meritorious students and those excelling in sports and extra curricular activities for the first time. At the same time non-serious students who have failed, will not be eligible to contest election. The constitution of the SCA has been amended not only to give a rightful place to merit-holders in the official representative body of the students but also clearly defining its objectives and obligations in ensuring implementation of UGC guidelines and rules and regulations provided in the university statues. As per the amended rules, as many as 30 students with the highest percentage of marks will find place in the SCA of the university campus and five of them will be elected to the executive committee. Similarly, at least three student with the highest percentage of marks will be nominated to the each college SCA, besides outstanding sports persons, best NCC cadet, best NSS volunteer, a representative of the students magazine and clubs and societies of the institution. The onus of ensuring a minimum number of 180 effective teaching days, fulfilment of attendance requirement, adhering to the academic schedule and holding of examinations in time has also be put on the SCA. There are certain other new clauses to debar a person elected once from seeking election again. Besides, those placed under compartment or having failed in the previous year will not be eligible for contesting. The students organisation will get only three days for campaigning and the entire process, right from filing of nominations to voting will be completed in five days. For the first time the constitution provides for a “code of conduct” and spells out “misconduct”. Any student found guilty of misconduct or violating the code by indulging in vilification campaign, creating mutual hatred, ill will and tension, appeals to region, caste and community, adopts unfair means or is involved in non-bailable offence would be liable to be debarred from contesting elections. Besides wall-writings will be strictly prohibited within and outside the campus and canvassing in the hostels, which had been witnessing maximum violence in the past, will be regulated by the chief warden. In case of violence the election will be scrapped altogether. Dr S.K. Gupta, the Vice-Chancellor said the university had accepted the demand to hold elections after a gap of five years and it was now up to the students to ensure a peaceful election to keep their hard earned democratic right intact. It, however, remains to be seen whether the university authorities succeed in enforcing the code of conduct. If the past record is any indication, it is a difficult proposition if not all altogether impossible one to ask the highly politicised students bodies to play the game as per rules. Campus violence claimed the lives of four students over the past two decades in this relatively peaceful state. Elections were discontinued in 1995 after the murder of an ABVP activists, Mr Kuldeep Dhatwalia. As many as six SFI workers were convicted in the case. Ensuring a peaceful election will be the litmus test for the student organisations, particularly the SFI, which has been blamed for violence in the campus in the past. |
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A bridge awaits repair DHANG NIHLI (Nalagarh): A part of a bridge on the Nalagarh-Ropar road, 2 km from here, over the Sirsa river was washed away in floods in August. The road still remains closed to traffic, which has to be diverted via Bharatgarh (Dabhota). However, when the water is shallow, vehicles often cross the river bed. The Deputy Commissioner of Solan, Mr Sanjay Murthy, had visited the area recently to estimate the flood losses. He had promised to get work started on the bridge with immediate effect but till date nothing has happened. Disruption of traffic on the route adversely affects commuters from the Ropar and Nalagarh areas. The bridge had 43 pillars out of which seven were washed away. It is estimated that if the whole bridge is reconstructed, the work will take more than two years. Residents and representatives of various organisations have urged the Chief Minister to begin repair work on the Sirsa bridge as soon as possible. The president of the Sirsa Paryavaran Bachao Sangharsh Samiit, Mr Bal Krishan Sharma, and the president of the media cell of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Nalagarh, Mr Yogesh Sharma, alleged that a part of the bridge collapsed because the PWD authorities had not carried out repairs from time to time. Villagers, however, say the authorities had failed to check the activities of the “stone mafia” on the river bed. According to an Akali leader, Mr Satnam Singh Saini, stones had been dug out even from around the pillars of the bridge by the mafia, endangering the structure. The bridge was constructed under British rule. The construction work started in 1896-97 and was completed in 1932-33. According to some persons who were involved in the construction of the bridge, the then ruler of Handoor State had played a pivotal role in the project. Sheikh Tawi constructed 32 pillars while the remaining 11 were built by Mahiya Singh, a contractor of Punjab. |
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CM open to change in Revenue Act DHARAMSALA, Sept 10 — The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, today said that the government was still open to suggestions on the amended revenue act and would hold meetings with lawyers, legal experts and farmer leaders, to explore the possibility of improvement in it for the welfare of farmers. The Chief Minister, was addressing a ‘vishal kissan sammelan’ organised by the Bhartiya Kisan Sangh, at Rehan, in Jwali assembly constituency. On this occasion he distributed Kisan Pass Books, to the farmers of Nurpur, Indora, Fatehpur and Jwali. Mr Dhumal said that the intention of the government to make amendment in the Revenue Act was to make age-old laws relevant in the present context. He added that this was done solely with a view to benefit farmers of the state. He said the government was considering transfer of deh shamlat land in the name of the panchayats as had been done earlier in the case of Khudro Drakhtan Malkiyat Sarkar. Mr Dhumal urged officers of the Revenue Department to educate the people about the amendments in the Revenue Act and ensure that they are implemented in earnest so that the purpose for which the amendment has been made is fulfilled. The Chief Minister said that the Kissan Pass Book, which carries full revenue information and has legal status, guarantees certain benefits to the farmers and will save them from a lot of inconvenience. Mr Dhumal said concerted efforts were being made to raise grain production in the state, for which a sum of Rs 15 crore had been put at the disposal of the Agriculture Department to focus on small irrigation schemes. |
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Cong men put up show of unity DHARAMSALA, Sept 10 — Demanding a bigger role in the decision-making process, be it in the party affairs or in government, senior Congressmen of Kangra and Chamba districts today got together, sending a clear signal that they would no longer get fragmented on regional or caste lines as had been in the past. As part of the “jan chetna” rallies being organised by the Congress against the price hike all over the state, these Congressmen, sitting MLAs and former ministers from all 16 assembly constituencies of Kangra district shared the dais at a public meeting held at Chari in the Shahpur constituency. Interestingly, apart from criticising the BJP government for the hike in the prices of essential commodities, it appeared that this was more of a unity movement in the party. In a bid to change the past history of the Congress in Kangra when the leaders from here pulled each others’ legs rather than standing united, each of the leaders harped on standing together to protect the interest of the party workers hailing from here. The
leaders, including DCC president and MLA B.B.L. Butail, former ministers Vijai Singh Mankotia, Kewal Singh Pathania, sitting MLA from Chamba, Harsh Mahajan, former MLA and senior vice-president of the HPCC M.R. Goma addressed the gathering. Though these leaders declined to accept that Mr Vijai Mankotia was being projected as the potential candidate for the post of the state Congress chief, but it was being felt that the unity move was for the coveted post being given to the former Tourism Minister, who had been made the convener of the group that gave the show of unity today. “It is just a coincidence that our getting together has come at a time when the party organisational elections are going on,” clarified Mr Mankotia. Mr Harsh Mahajan, MLA from Chamba, said their intention was not to capture any party posts but wanted that decisions should be taken democratically. He, however, hastened to add that all this would be decided when the right time comes. The leaders said it was high time instead of trying to get individual benefits we must keep the interest of our party workers and the people of Kangra above all other considerations. They said from now onwards they would unitedly fight the wrong decisions and the policies of the present regime and termed the present government as anti-farmer and anti-common man. |
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Election fever in
Hamirpur college HAMIRPUR, Sept 10 — Hamirpur town is agog with excitement with elections to the Students Central Association of the local Government Post-graduate College located in Anu area of the town around the corner. Students having been doing the rounds to gather support for their candidates. As many as 4726 male and female students of the local government degree college will exercise their franchise on September 15. Hamirpur College is one of the biggest colleges of the state. The college has a history of backing the students group led by the Students Federation of India, the students wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), except in 1993-94 and 1994-95 when seats were shared by the SFI, NSUI and ABVP. After that no elections were held following the murder of an ABVP activist at Shimla. Activists of all the three parties are out in strength. They had launched an agitation since the opening of the college for holding SCA elections and withdrawal of a fee hike by the university. Insiders in the college say that the main contest this time will be between the activists of the ABVP and the SFI, while the NSUI the student’s wing of the Congress may cut into the votes of the two major groups. The NSUI is suffering from dissent in its parent organisation, the Congress. Sources say that all the three students’ outfits are finding it difficult to select leaders, as they were not sure the university would hold elections. The district administration has made eleborate security arrangements for the
elections. |
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180 self-help groups for rural youth SHIMLA, Sept 10 — “Swarn Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna” has given a ray of hope to the unemployed youth in the hill state. The comprehensive scheme, which was in fact a holistic package encompassing all facets of self-employment such as organising self-help groups, training courses, loans, subsidies, technology, marketing and infrastructural facilities, was formulated after merging various schemes launched over the past two decades for the welfare of families living below the poverty line. Under this scheme a uniform subsidy of 30 per cent of the project cost up to a maximum of Rs 7,500 is provided to the beneficiaries. The quantum of subsidy is 50 per cent of the project cost, up to a maximum Rs 10,000 is admissible for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families. For the families seeking self-employment 50 per cent subsidy is available up to a maximum of Rs 1.25 lakh. The Centre and the state government are bearing the expenditure of this scheme on 75 to 25 basis. As many as 1,222 self-help groups were created under the scheme last year. Out of which 180 such groups have started their economic activities and about 1,975 members of these groups are being directly
benefited. These groups have been provided a subsidy of Rs 98.92 lakh, besides Rs 269.72 lakh as loan. The scheme covered 6,663 beneficiaries last year and a loan of Rs 19.63 crore, besides subsidy of 4.72 crore was provided to them. Under the scheme Rs 20 crore have been earmarked during the current year. The selection of self-help groups is made on the basis of their capability and it is also ensured each group consists of 10 to 20 members of families living below the poverty line. A nominal interest at the rate of 4 per cent is charged and the recovery of the loan starts only after the project starts generating income. The scheme also provides facilities of life insurance cover for entrepreneurs in the age group of 18 to 60 years under which Rs 5,000 is given to the nominee of the insured member in case of natural death and Rs 10,000 in the case of accidental death by the Life Insurance Corporation. The Jawahar Gram Smridhi Yojna and Rojgar Guarantee Yojna were also proving to be a boon for the rural unemployed youths. Under these schemes as many as 42.10 lakh mandays were generated and a sum of Rs 3306.65 lakh was spent. |
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Mushroom mela
at Solan SOLAN, Sept 10 — The Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr Devendra Pradhan said here today that his ministry had decided to upgrade the National Mushroom Centre for Research & Training (NMCRT) here into a composite institute. Mr Pradhan, who was speaking at a mushroom mela function organised by the NMCRT, said that the upgradation decision had been taken in view of the immense export and employment generation potential of mushrooms. This highly nutritive food could also help combat malnutrition besides augmenting the income of small & marginal farmers and agricultural labourers. Mushroom cultivation could also be undertaken on barren lands unable to support traditional agricultural crops. Prof R.P. Awasthi, Vice-Chancellor, Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry called upon visiting farmers from neighbouring states to visit the demonstration fields of Parmar University, adding that the university had made spectacular progress in developing hybrid varieties of capsicum, tomatoes and some other important crops and had the largest collection of carnations and had emerged as the number one supplier of carnation cuttings in the country. He said Parmar University was also in a position to supply plant material for improved varieties of poplar and kiwi fruits. |
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ENT doctors’
conference opens KULU, Sept 10 — Millennium conference of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India (HP chapter) was inaugurated here today by Mr Chander Sen Thakur, MLA and vice-chairman HPMC at Apple Valley Resorts Mohal 4 km from here. Mr Thakur called upon the doctors attending the conference to keep the basic theory of nature in- tact and keep the manifestation of coordination and balance intact. He said, doctors were the real “manav” who devoted whole life for others keeping aside their own sufferings and even personal life. Professor Arun Aggarwal, Head of the ENT, Maulana Azad Medical College New Delhi. Prof R.C. Deka Head of the ENT Department, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi, Professor Ashok Gupta from P.G.I. Chandigarh, Prof S.B.S. Mann, Head of the ENT Department PGI and Prof Achal Gulati from Maulana Azad Medical College were among many other dignitaries attended the conference. |
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HP Speaker to attend Commonwealth
conference SHIMLA, Sept 10 — Mr Gulab Singh, Himachal Speaker, will represent the Himachal Pradesh Parliamentary Group at the 46th Commonwealth Parliamentary conference to be held at London from September 20 to 29. The conference to be attended by over 400 parliamentarians from 54 Commonwealth countries, will discuss issues like creating an international parliamentary voice in the World Trade Organisation, prevention of environmental degradation, Commonwealth role in combating economic, social and political threats of AIDS, the future of Commonwealth and harnessing of global communications to enhance democracy, according to release of the state Vidhan Sabha. |
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Remarrige of Kargil martyr’s widow SHIMLA, Sept 10 (UNI) — In an exemplary decision, a brother of Kargil martyr Kulwinder has married the dead soldier’s widow Melo Devi in Trilokpur, 25 km from Nahan, in Sirmour district. The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, and the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Mr Shanta Kumar, blessed the newly married couple at Circuit House here today. Transport Minister Kishan Kapoor and Parliamentary Secretary Sarveen Chaudhary were also present on the occasion. |
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