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| Saturday, January 6, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Commission reviews SC schemes HP seeks financial aid from Centre VHP chief meets Dalai Lama Assign PWD to MLA, Dhumal urged Cops form plan for protection of Chamba temples |
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| Indians more prone to heart ailments Lakes freeze in Lahaul-Spiti BJP wins Theog election
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| Commission reviews SC schemes SHIMLA, Jan 5 — The National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has appreciated the efforts of the Himachal Government in introducing various schemes for the uplift and welfare of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the state. The Chairman of the commission who visited the state along with other members to review various ongoing schemes for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes recently noted that the literacy rate of 53.20 per cent and 53.5 per cent among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, respectively, was quite high in comparison to other states. The commission has also appreciated various scholarship schemes for students of these categories, especially schemes like Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Meritorious Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Castes and Thakur Sen Negi Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Tribes. An official spokesman said, the state government was spending 11 per cent of the state’s annual Budget under the special component Plan for the benefit of Scheduled Castes and 9 per cent under tribal sub-Plan every year for ameliorating the socio-economic conditions of tribals. A sum of Rs 669.66 crore was being utilised under the special component Plan during 1997-2002, besides Rs 21 crore under special central assistance for welfare of Scheduled Castes this year. Similarly, Rs 495 crore was being spent under the tribal sub-Plan in the state Plan and Rs 36.40 crore under special central assistance during this period. He further said that state government had spent Rs 470.21 crore under Scheduled Castes component Plan under the state Plan and Rs 8.17 crore as special central assistance in the past three years. During the current year Rs 190.80 crore was being spent under the state Plan and Rs 3.75 crore as special central assistance for Scheduled Castes. Under the tribal sub-Plan a sum of Rs 348.39 crore had been spent under the state Plan during the period and Rs 19.17 crore as special central assistance during the past three years. A provision of Rs 146.11 crore had been made under the tribal sub-Plan for 2000-01 besides Rs 5 crore as special central assistance. The spokesman said provisions had been made for development of Scheduled Castes concentrated villages. As many as 2613 villages where the population of Scheduled Castes was above 50 per cent were getting benefits like construction of rural link roads, small irrigation schemes and drinking water schemes under special component. Besides, provision of funds had been made for construction of office buildings of various departments and electrification of left-out hamlets. He said 162 primary schools, 161 middle schools, 121 high schools, 56 senior secondary schools, three degree colleges, two civil hospitals, 22 primary health centres, 10 civil dispensaries, 208 health sub-centres, 56 ayurvedic dispensaries, 22 veterinary hospitals and 214 veterinary dispensaries had already been set up in these villages. |
| HP seeks financial aid from Centre NEW DELHI, Jan 5 — The Himachal Pradesh Government has urged the Centre to sanction financial assistance of Rs 3 crore for various schemes launched by the state government for public sector undertaking employees. The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, who met Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Mr K.C. Pant, disclosed that the state government had already spent Rs 2 crore on 100 employees under the schemes. According to a press note, Mr Dhumal requested the Centre to provide Rs 4 crore additional assistance for completion of the Rs-12-crore High Court building at Shimla. He said that besides earlier Rs 3 crore central assistance, the state government had provided Rs 4.5 crore for the construction of the building. Mr Dhumal said that state government would harness an additional 6,100 mw hydel potential by 2010 and get free power of about 800 mw which will generate an additional revenue of Rs 700 crore annually. The Chief Minister said state government was promoting the cultivation of fruit and vegetables in the state as a result of which area under fruit had grown from 792 hectares in 1950-51 to over 2 lakh hectare now. He said vegetable production had touched height of 5.80 lakh tonnes annually. Mr Dhumal said that state had 13,431 schools at present, as against 4,960 schools in 1971. He said the literacy percentage in the state has gone up from 32 per cent in 1971 to 77 per cent now. He said Himachal Pradesh was among the first state in the country to enter MoU with Union Finance Ministry which outlies the strategy for fiscal restructuring. |
| VHP chief meets Dalai Lama DHARAMSALA, Jan 5 — The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) President, Mr Ashok Singhal, today said that politicians should not meddle in religious matters as this was the concern of “dharam gurus” alone whose verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute should be accepted as final. Mr Singhal, who arrived here today to meet the Dalai Lama at his palace in McLeodganj, appeared perturbed over the recent statement of the Prime Minister on the issue. “It is not the VHP but the politicians who have politicised the issue. They had no right to interfere in the matter by grabbing the land around the disputed site through a resolution in Parliament,” he opined. “There will be no problem in the construction of the temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya if the politicians leave the issue to the ‘dharam gurus’ and acharyas,” he observed. Mr Singhal said today the Ram Janmabhoomi issue was most important as ever the Opposition had stalled the proceedings of Parliament of eight days on the matter. he said there should be a debate on the issue. Asked about the role of the VHP in the issue, he said the “dharam gurus and acharyas are the people who have immense following all over the country and their decision will be acceptable to all as they are highly respected.” Mr Singhal clarified that the job of the VHP was to bring together all religious gurus and implement the decision taken by them. Asked about the timeframe for the construction of the temple, Mr Singhal said a final decision would be taken “very soon” at the proposed “dharam sansad” on January 20 at Allahabad. To a question Mr Singhal said Kashi and Mathura, to his knowledge, did not figure on the agenda of the crucial “dharam sansad”. Mr Singhal spent about an hour with the Dalai Lama. |
| Assign PWD to MLA, Dhumal urged BILASPUR, Jan 5 — Prominent freedom fighter Harikrishan, who is also Himachal Vikas Congress spokesman, has appreciated the resolve of the Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, to eradicate corruption in government offices and his declaration to ensure efficient functioning of departments like the Public Works Department. Addressing mediapersons here today, Mr Harikrishan said the Chief Minister was already overburdened with duties and responsibilities and now he was in charge of the Public Works Department after the resignation of Mr Mohinder Singh. He said PWD required full-time attention and under the present situation the Chief Minister must be finding it difficult to give undivided attention to this very important department. Mr Harikrishan said either the Chief Minister should assign this department to an experienced and honest legislator or give charge of other unimportant departments with him to some other legislator or minister so that he had sufficient time to look after the PWD. The HVC spokesman said of all the departments the PWD remained in the heat of controversy during the three years of Mr Dhumal’s Chief Ministership. This department had attracted a large number of serious allegations and charges of corruption which could not be dismissed as a tirade by the Opposition to malign any minister or government. Giving an example, Mr Harikrishan said a few weeks ago a number of contractors had protested that a contract regarding laying of bitumen on a 15 km tract of National Highway 88 from Brahampukhar to Ghagus here was given to a contractor without going into all essential formalities. Several rules and regulations were violated. This particular contractor was going to be benefited to the tune of Rs one crore in a contract worth Rs 3 crore. This tender was accepted on very high rates though the same contractor (to whom this work was allotted) had already quoted much lower rates for the same work only a few weeks earlier. This contract was allotted by adopting highly objectionable and questionable means and deserved to be rejected in the interests of justice, fair play and transparency, he said. Mr Harikrishan demanded that this contract should be cancelled immediately and the tender awarded after ensuring observation of all fixed rules and norms through competition between contractors. He also suggested that the government should save crores of rupees annually by ensuring that most of the construction works are executed by the PWD itself as the department was fully equipped with the required technical know-how, advanced machinery, vehicles and equipments and also staff and a huge labour force, most of which remain totally unutilised most of the time of the year. |
| Cops form plan for protection of Chamba temples CHAMBA, Jan 5 — The Himachal Pradesh Police Department has formulated a plan for the safety and security of ancient temples of Chamba in order to prevent any theft of its antiques. Giving this information here today, a spokesman of the Police Department disclosed that the plan envisaged the safety of those temples which were not covered by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in particular and the other ancient temples as a whole. He said the police officials would contact the existing committees of the temples and help activate them for taking care of the safety of their invaluable heritage in coordination with the police. He said those age-old temples which did not have any local committee would be asked to constitute these so that antiques like idols of gods and goddesses could be protected from thieves. He said the local temple committees would be given police assistance. He said the police would also ask the local temple committees to make lists of antiques as it would enable in the identification of antiques in case of any theft. |
| Indians more prone to heart ailments DHARAMSALA, Jan 5 — According to a World Health Organisation report, Indians are 150 to 400 per cent more susceptible to heart diseases as compared to Americans. Stating this here today, Dr C.S. Pruthi, eminent cardiologist, revealed that coronary heart diseases which had increased fivefold during the past two decades would assume alarming proportion by the year 2015. Speaking at a seminar on prevention of heart diseases here today, Dr Pruthi said who had also expressed grave concern over the increasing cardiac problems, especially in the Asian subcontinent. “So far, emphasis has been laid only on the curative aspects of the disease while the need of the hour is to focus on the preventive side,” he stated. He said there was growing incidence of heart ailments in India with the younger generation being severely affected by it. “Now the age group between 35-45 years is severely affected by the diseases in whom it is more pronounced and dangerous.” he said. He stressed the need for launching a massive awareness campaign among the masses by various agencies, including NGOs. Dwelling on various factors causing heart problem, he said smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, stress and strain, alcoholism, high blood pressure and diabetes are some of the things that should be taken care of. |
| Lakes freeze in Lahaul-Spiti SHIMLA, Jan 5 (UNI) — Surajtal and Chandertal Lakes in Tribal Lahaul-Spiti froze as a cold wave continued to lambast tribal areas and the capital town of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh today. Surajtal Lake, situated at a height of 16,000 feet in the Lahaul valley, and Chandertal Lake at a height 15,000 feet in Spiti have frozen following a steep fall in the temperature, ranging from minus 20°C to minus 25°C in these areas. In other areas of the tribal belt, where people groaned under harsh cold wave conditions, the temperature varied from minus 10°C to minus 15°C. There was no let up in the cold in mid-hills and the capital town of Himachal although bright sunshine greeted the people today. The temperature showed an appreciable rise to 4.1°C in Shimla today from 2.1°C recorded yesterday. However, icy-winds swept across the town and its adjoining areas during the day. The tourist resorts of Wildflower Hall, Naldehra, Kufri and Narkanda in Shimla district and Manali in Kulu district also reeled under cold wave conditions. Thick ground frost and fog disrupted life in mid and higher hills and towns along the banks of the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi and vehicular traffic was affected in the morning. The mighty Rohtang Pass, which was closed officially, had very little snow and a large number of people were crossing the pass on foot while vehicles were going up to Mari. The twin tribal valleys of Lahaul and Spiti continued to groan under piercing cold wave conditions with the mercury staying between minus 15°C and minus 22°C. Winter sports lovers were disappointed as skiing and heli-skiing could not be started in Manali due to scant snow. Two helipads had been prepared in Manali for heli-skiing and a large number of skiiers had made advanced booking. The annual winter carnival is being organised at Manali from January 10 to January 16 in which about 1000 artists from across the country are expected to take part. |
| BJP wins Theog election SHIMLA, Jan 5 — BJP-supported candidates have captured the block samiti of Theog, which had been a strong hold of the Congress, by wining the posts of both chairman and vice-chairman. Mr Madan Lal Verma was elected Chairman while Mr Shyam Lal Verma Vice-Chairman in the election held at Theog today. |
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