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Thursday, February 21, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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States reluctant to sign MoU Morcha slams BJP govt for plague HP cell to check trafficking in women Two arrested for smuggling charas Israeli convicts being shifted |
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Water-borne
disease hits HP village Solan scientist honoured PARWANOO DIARY Shimla MC presents surplus budget Varsity to close down management courses 3 HP students clear MDS entrance test Govt schools sans staff, infrastructure Resentment among HP cement dealers
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States reluctant to sign MoU Shimla, February 20 Further, the Cabinet should pass a specific order that no new post will be created and that all vacant posts will be filled through redeployment of surplus staff. Not only that, the government will have to come out with a consolidated order indicating department and
category wise on January 1 every year the number of posts abolished. All these points will form part of an MoU (memorandum of understanding), the Centre proposes to “sign” with the states to pursue the reforms in the right earnest. Similarly, the conditions stipulated in the MoU lay down that no new allowance should be granted to employees, and the existing ones should be reviewed. The release of dearness allowance can be subjected to an annual reduction of 5 per cent in the ratio of revenue deficit and revenue receipts. The state governments will also be barred from making fresh grant-in-aid commitments to any institution and freeze or scale down the existing level of grants after a review. A transport regulatory authority will be set up to annually revise bus fares to reflect the price level changes. Another important feature of the MoU includes enacting a legislation to put a cap on the amount of guarantees the state can provide for loans to be raised by various public sector undertakings, besides pursuing the policy of disinvestments. With a multi-party coalition government itself not being able to take necessary steps to pursue reforms, the states, which face the wrath of people for taking harsh decisions, are buying time to retard the reform process. In fact, the failure of the Centre to implement the decision announced by it has already started affecting the pace of reform in states like Himachal Pradesh which has shown some willingness to carry forward the process. The Himachal Government had early this year notified a contributory provident fund scheme for new employees in line with the announcement made in the Central Budget. However, last month it withdrew the scheme on the plea that the Centre had failed to notify necessary rules or take any follow-up action. Similarly, the states are reluctant to take any initiative in bringing legislations to ensure effective implementation of ban on recruitment or fixing the limit of guarantees for raising loans supply because the Centre has not taken any such step. The fiscal responsibility bill has not been introduced by the Centre so far. With a few states going to the polls almost every year, neither the Centre nor the states are willing to take any harsh decisions. Since the Assembly elections are just a year away, the Himachal Government, which has already submitted a medium term fiscal restructuring plan, will also like to go slow on the MoU. It has submitted the details of steps taken to push forward the fiscal reforms along with a plan to seek the release of funds tied to the reforms. With the friendly Vajpayee government at the Centre, it is hopeful of getting through the election year without any hiccups. |
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Morcha slams BJP govt for plague Chamba, February 20 Mr S.L. Sharma, in charge of the morcha for the district, alleged here today that the Health Department was in chaos as three of its previous directors had allegedly been involved in corruption. He alleged that the government was equipping only urban health institutions because of which the state government had not been able to control and contain the plague in rural areas. Mr Sharma said the user charges imposed on the people had deprived them of availing themselves of medical facilities. He said the present crisis had not only exposed the inefficiency and inadequacy of the government to tackle the prevailing circumstances but also showed negligence on its part to provide medical relief and financial assistance to the ailing persons and their families. He said preventive measures should be taken in a big way to check the outbreak of this disease in other parts of the state. |
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HP cell to check trafficking in women Shimla, February 20 This was decided at a state-level coordination committee meeting held here today which was presided over by the Chief Secretary, Mr Harsh Gupta. It was also decided that the Special Police Officer would be appointed in districts to handle the cases under the Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act. The district-level cells will also be created under the Police Department which will also associate district welfare officers, women groups and NGOs in the district to monitor the implementation of the Act and take remedial measures. A state-level interactive body will also be created under the Director, Social and Women Welfare, to deal with on the problems of trafficking and exploitation of women. Prominent social workers, women commission and NGOs will also be involved in it. Mr A.K.Puri, Director General of Police, informed that 402 girls had been imparted training in judo and karate to develop a sense of self confidence and 5000 more girls would be imparted this training during the year. The Education Department would also work out the feasibility to start diploma and certificate courses in judo and karate for the girls in schools. The meeting was also attended by Mrs Rajendera Bhattacharaya, Additional Chief Secretary and senior officers of the State government. |
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Two arrested for smuggling charas Kulu, February 20 Mr N. Venugopal, Superintendent of Police, said in a press note here that the accused was carrying charas in a document file. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered. During this year, 33 cases had been registered under the NDPS Act and total 61.64 kg of charas and 7 gm of drug powder seized. Thirtyeight persons, including eight foreigners and seven Nepalese had been arrested, he added. MANDI: A private bus was intercepted last night at Aut and 11.5 kg of charas was recovered from Dole Ram of Khanargi village (Sainj). The value of charas in the international market is Rs 1.15 crore. Dole Ram has been arrested. The district police chief, Mr J.R. Thakur, said a vigorous campaign had been launched against drug trafficking in the district. In recent months seven cases had been registered, 12 persons arrested and 45.7 kg of charas seized, he added. |
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Israeli convicts being shifted Shimla, February 20 It is learnt that the Additional Director-General (Prisons) has ordered their shifting to the high-security prison at Kanda, near here. Shirki, who had given birth to a baby girl recently, is undergoing medical examination at Zonal Hospital in Nahan. She was reportedly suffering from some venereal disease which is suspected to have been transmitted to her child. The authorities are not taking any chances as these women allegedly tried to escape by drugging the police team which was taking them to Nahan from Kulu. |
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Water-borne
disease hits HP village Hamirpur, February 20 The administration swung into action and examined the patients with the help of a team from the Department of Health and Family Planning. The team examined 69 patients. Most of them had been sent back to their homes, according Dr K.D. Dogra, Chief Medical Officer here. No specific name had been given to the disease by the Health Department but it was described as dysentery. Dr Dogra said the patients were given medicines and sent back to their respective places. The Department had also taken samples of the water and food from the person who had hosted the feast. The situation was reportedly under control. The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, who halted here for a while instructed the Health Department authorities to take preventive steps to control the disease and provide medicines to the patients. |
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Solan scientist honoured Solan, February 20 Mr Baweja is working at Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan. He is posted in the Extension Department of the university by the Bioved Research Society, Allahabad, for promoting floriculture and identifying a wild tulip as the most potential cut flower for growers of Himachal. The cultivation of wild tulip has helped the farming community in improving their economic condition, particularly in the Kulu valley. The 35-year-old Baweja, a native of Paonta Sahib, had after completing his M.Sc. in horticulture joined as Assistant Scientist, Floriculture and Landscaping, at Parmar University in 1990. He completed his Ph.D in horticulture with specialisation in floriculture from CCS University, Meerut, last year. During his posting at the Regional Horticultural Research Station at Bajaura (HP), he succeeded in identifying stelleta var chrysantha, a wild tulip, as the most suitable and commercially viable flower for the farmers of tropical and sub-tropical zones, particularly of the Kulu valley. Baweja collected several species of native flowers from the Rohtang valley during his short stint at Bajaura. He was transferred to Horticultural Research Station, Kandaghat (Solan), where his untiring work helped in the upliftment of small and marginal farmers of several villages of Kandaghat and adjoining areas. Dr Baweja not only educated the farmers of the region on floriculture, but also helped them in raising commercial crops of high value like gladiolus, carnation, lilium and chrysanthemum. He was instrumental in helping the growers in identifying suitable markets in different states of the country. In view of the interest of farmers towards floriculture, the state government declared Mahog village of Kandaghat subdivision of this district as a “first model flower village” of the country about five years back. Now Nauni university has chosen 100 farmers out of 500 as commercial growers in the region. |
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PARWANOO DIARY Parwanoo About 65 children of the employees
of the company took part in the competition. The children were divided
into two categories. The children in the 4-8 age groups were put into
the junior category and the 8-12 age group were in the senior
category. The junior wing children were given a theme on ‘Forest’
and the senior wing were asked to paint on “Pollution”. In the junior wing Prerna Nijhawan won the first prize and Renu Kakarwal and Shikha were declared 2nd and 3rd, respectively. In the senior wing Akash Malhotra was declared first and Nitish and Ajay Kakarwal got the 2nd and 3rd. prizes. On the same day a Hepatitis - B vaccination camp was also held for the employees of the company. A large number of employees and their family members came to avail of this facility. About 300 doses were administered. The company earlier also had arranged three such camps for the benefit of the employees. The administration of vaccine was done by Paccea Biotech, a Chandigarh-based company, led by a medical team under the supervision of Dr S.S. Bawa. Blood
donation
A blood donation camp was organised here by the Blood Donation Society of Parwanoo. The camp was organised on the premises of the local Industry Department. About 250 people drawn from local industries and residents donated blood in this camp. Industrial workers and staff from Morepan Laboratories, Ind. Swift Ltd., Cosmo Ferrites and Samtel Electronics Ltd. took part in this camp. The maximum number of donors was from Morepan Laboratories Ltd. Heavy refreshments were given to the blood donors. Dr Usha Rao from PGI, Chandigarh, along with her team of 15 members conducted the camp. Mementos were also given to the blood donors. Health
awareness workshop
A family health awareness workshop was organised here by the Anand Welfare Centre, a non-government organisation in collaboration with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Himachal Pradesh. About 350 participants from different factories and villages took part in this workshop. Factory workers from Gabrial India Ltd., Purolator India Ltd., Morepan Laboratories Ltd., Cosmo Ferrites Pvt. Ltd., Samtel Electronics Ltd., transport unions and teachers from local schools and staff from local hotels also attended the camp. There were more female participants than males in this workshop. Mrs R. Sadhu, coordinator of Anand Welfare Centre welcomed the participants. Dr
Shashi Paul, Health Officer, Solan, apprised the audience about human
anatomy, communicable diseases, particularly RTIs, STDs, and HIV/AIDS
and their causes, prevention, treatment and about the benefits of the
use of condoms. Dr Mrs Kamlesh Sharma, gynaecologist explained in
details about various gynae problems, precautions and stages of
treatment from various ailments. |
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Shimla MC presents surplus budget Shimla, February 20 An anticipated income of Rs 25.07 crore has been projected against an expenditure of Rs 25 .75 crore. Ms Jenny Prem said the total income of the corporation at the end of the current financial year on March 31 was expected to be Rs 13.15 crore against the originally anticipated Rs 18.41 crore. This was because of meager resources at the disposal of the corporation. She clarified that the sum of Rs 21.78 crore due for payment to the HPSEB and IPH Department had not been included in the budget estimates. Arrears totalling Rs 6.28 crore for street lighting had accumulated since 1992 and the pending water bill of the IPH Department was Rs.15.50 crore. She said that the corporation was incurring huge losses by supplying water at a rate of Rs 1.80 per kilolitre against an expenditure of Rs 8.65 per kilolitre. The Mayor said the corporation has suffered a loss of Rs 2 crore by granting tax relaxation for the houses being occupied by the owners and Rs7.50 crore because of the relief given to the residents of the areas which were merged with the corporation. A sum of Rs 2 crore was spent on the development of these areas which has now been taken out of the control of the corporation. |
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Varsity to close down management courses Shimla, February 20 Consequently, the Master of International Business Management, Master of Personnel Management and Master of Finance and Control courses will be closed down. The faculty will only continue the Master of Business Administration (MBA) with different specialisation. The number of seats in MBA will be increased from 60 to 90. The University Grants Commission had earlier asked the university to grant degrees only in disciplines specified by it. Apart from MBA, none of the specialised postgraduate courses has been mentioned in the specified disciplines. The council has also decided to give the excess amount after the 10 per cent reduction effected in the fees of
B.Ed course to respective private colleges for returning to students. The council also approved the promotion of three Associate Professors of the Physics Department to the post of Professor under the career advancement scheme. Those promoted are Dr S.D.Sharma, Dr P.K. Ahluwalia and Dr S.C. Katyal. Earlier, three students organisations, the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Students Federation of India (SFI) and Central Students Association (CSA) submitted memorandum to the council. While the SFI raised the issue of saffronisation and urged the university not to start courses like “Jyotish Shastra” and “Karamkand”, the activists of the ABVP gheraoed the members of the council in protest against the failure of the university to accept its demands like making English an optional subject and construction of a hostel for tribal students. The CSA demanded introduction of MSc in Geology and MPhil in Physical Education courses in the university. It also demanded immediate declaration of the date for holding elections to the students council. |
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3 HP students clear MDS entrance test Shimla, February 20 According to the Principal of the college, Dr S.C. Sharma, Dr Vishal Gupta stood first in the test conducted by the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. Dr Shruti Tandon stood 13th, Dr Nikhil Sharma 44th and Dr Navneet Sharma 47th in the test. Approximately 10,000 candidates appeared in the entrance test and the total number of candidates selected by the CBSE was 47 only, he added. |
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Govt schools sans staff, infrastructure Kumarhatti, February 20 This school was upgraded from primary level three years ago but since then no extra infrastructure was provided, rued Mr Nand Lal president of Kabakalan panchayat. At Nau primary school where 40 children mostly of the Schedule Castes are enrolled, a holiday has to be declared when its only teacher has only to visit district headquarter Solan for official work. School-drop-out rate of students is considerable. The poor standard of education in the primary level often forces the children to abandon studies said Mr Nand Lal. Only choice for them to assist their families in work, he added. Filling of vacancies in the panchayat schools due to the transfer of teachers takes very long time as nobody wants to be posted in this interior panchayat, lamented Mr Nand Lal. Efforts to improve the situation have failed, he added. |
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Resentment among HP cement dealers Nurpur, February 20 Intriguingly, cement of some brands produced in Himachal Pradesh is being sold at the rate of Rs 150 and Rs 170, respectively, in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Enquiries reveal that irrational tax structure has led to the rate difference causing a lot of resentment among cement dealers in the area bordering Punjab as truckloads of cement bags are being smuggled into the state through clandestine routes. There is a demand to reframe the tax structure in the state. The irrational road tax structure has also been causing revenue loss to the state exchequer due to smuggling. |
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Karzai to visit Shimla Shimla, February 20 According to official sources, Mr Karzai would reach on February 27. After visiting a few places he would go back to Delhi the same day. The Governor, Dr Suraj Bhan, is likely to host lunch in his honour.
PTI |
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Intruder
in CM’s residence identified Shimla, February 20 |
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Rescue posts on Rohtang to be re-established Shimla, February 20 Meeting to review transfer policy Shimla, February 20 |
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