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Saturday,
July 27, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Will Haryana get relief for unsown area? Rain: Yajana politics at play? Yamunanagar to have transport nagar HSIDC interest rate will be reduced: CM Power, water shortage: Cong plans stir |
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135 ITBP recruits pass out
Super Model opens NIFD exhibition
Opening of liquor shop resented Rath yatra flagged off Kaithal to have new bus stand Kargil Day observed
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Will Haryana get relief for unsown area? Chandigarh, July 26 The Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) from which relief will be offered in case drought is officially declared in the state has no provision for compensating farmers for not sowing crops due to dry conditions. Under the prevailing guidelines of the CRF, farmers can be compensated from the fund for damage to the existing crops and not for areas remaining unsown. According to an estimate prepared by the state government, while the targeted area for paddy in the current season was 9.5 lakh hectares, the area sown till now has been 5.5 lakh hectares, resulting in a shortfall of four lakh hectares. Similarly, the shortfall for area under bajra is 3.46 lakh hectares, maize 35,000 hectares, jowar 10,000 hectares and kharif pulses 18,000 hectares. Importantly, at the recent meeting convened by Union Agriculture Minister, Ajit Singh in Delhi for reviewing the drought-like situation in the states, the Haryana Government sought Rs 104 crore as relief from the Centre on account of unsown area. The total relief sought by Haryana was Rs 615.21 crore. If the Centre agrees to Haryana’s demand for giving relief for the unsown area, it will be setting up a precedent. The silver lining for Haryana, however, reportedly is that it is not the only state saddled with the problem. “The area remaining unsown in Rajasthan is much more than us”, an official here said, adding that the Central Government may not be able to ignore a problem being faced by two states. Officials clarified that the situation would not have been any better if Haryana was covered under the crop insurance policy as this policy also had no provision for compensating farmers on account of unsown areas. Haryana Government was unwilling to embrace the crop insurance policy as the premium rates of crops proposed for insurance were too high in the context of the nature of agricultural operations in the state. The state government also is against sharing of claims between the central and state governments on a 50:50 basis and maintains that it should be shared in the ratio of 2:1 respectively. These points were also raised by the state government representatives at the meeting with Mr Ajit Singh reportedly was also receptive to the Haryana representatives’ suggestion about cutting down the administrative expenditure involved in the exercise. Haryana, according to officials, has received only about 13.3 mm of rainfall during July as against 127.7 mm received during last year. Sources in the Haryana Revenue Department said by next week the state might be officially declared as drought-hit. |
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Declare
state drought-hit, demands RSP Kurukshetra, July 26 Mr Sharma said the unit had demanded that the deadline for collection of dues from farmers should be extended. The state government should also order a special girdawari and the farmers whose paddy crop had been damaged be given due compensation. He said the decisions in the Budget like imposition of sales tax on fertilisers, pestisides and cattle-feed, which had affected the farmers, should be revised. Lamenting on the water-level which had gone down from 20 to 25 feet in Haryana, Mr Sharma said the farmers should be given financial help without interest for the commissioning of tubewells. |
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Relief doubled Chandigarh, July 26 |
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Rain: Yajana politics at play? Hisar, July 26 The situation now is such that in Hisar town alone more than 100 such ceremonies have been conducted during the past week. Similar yajanas are being held daily in almost every village. Though this is a statewide phenomenon, people in the interior of Haryana comprising the districts of Bhiwani, Hisar, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Fatehabad, Sirsa and Jind are leading the race. Although these yajanas reflect people’s fears of a drought, politicians seen in it an opportunity to show their concern for the people. They are making certain that they attend as many yajanas in their areas as possible. There has also been a sudden spurt in the collection of funds for the yajanas. Local businessmen and industrialists complain that they receive up to 12 visitors daily seeking donations for the purpose. While some are genuine, most others are only making a fast buck. Old-timers say this the first time since Independence that they have seen such desperation for rain. |
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Yamunanagar
to have transport nagar Yamunanagar, July 26 The Chief Minister was presiding over the “Sarkar Udhmiyon ke Dwar”, a programme initiated to redress the grievances of the industrialists, here today. Mr Chautala said the Punjab Government was bound by the Supreme Court decision to complete the SYL canal by January 15, 2003. He said the instructions had already been issued for the repair of SYL canal in Haryana and the construction of distributaries. The Chief Minister announced that global tenders had been floated for the construction of the 500 mw Yamunanagar thermal power plant. He said 80 per cent of its cost would be borne by the Central Government and the rest by the state. He asked the industrialists to report to the government if any government official asked for bribe. Mr Chautala announced that the value added tax (VAT) would be implemented in the country from April, 2003. He said with the introduction of the system the problem of disparity of taxes between different states would automatically be solved. He said if there were some loopholes in it then the state government would set up a high-powered committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary. The Chief Minister, accepting the demands of the industrialists, announced the setting up of a transport nagar, lakkarmandi, gymkhana club, golf club, construction of the Saharanpur-Kurukshetra bypass and abolition of form No 38 for the import of coal for brick-kilns. The Minister of State for Urban Development, Mr Subhash Goel, said Haryana was the only state in the country where no industrialist had to file self-assessment below a turnover of Rs 5 crore. The Chief Minister was accompanied by Mrs Kailasho Saini, local MP Mr Rajesh Sharma, Deputy Chairman, Planning Board, Mr Banta Ram, Mr Akaram Khan, Mr N.D. Bansal, all Chairmen, Mr Balwant Singh, Mr Kanwarpal, Mr B.L. Saini, Dr M.C. Gambhir, all MLAs, Mr M.K. Miglani, Principal Secretary to CM, and senior officers of the state and district headquarters. |
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HSIDC interest rate will be reduced: CM Ambala, July 26 Mr Chautala, while addressing the industrialists, said the state government had taken a number of steps to give a boost to industrialisation in the state. “We have decided to simplify CST and the interest rate of the HSIDC will be brought down from 18 per cent to 15 per cent,” he said. He said to make the electricity bill deposit easier, power bill would now be possible to deposit at two banks. “Industrialists are free to approach us regarding their problems. A committee under the leadership of the Chief Secretary will look into the grievances of the industrialists,” he said. Mr Chautala said when they had come to power, the state was facing several problems, including broken roads, lack of power and potable water, units ready to leave the state and law and order problem. “We have brought about a sea change in the state. We are improving the roads in a phased manner and by the end of this year the road network would be comparable to international standards,” he said. Earlier, Dr Jaidev of the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry said there was a need to reduce the change of land use from 8 km to 5 km. “Lending rate should be brought down and there is a need for carpeting of the road from Saha to the GT Road. Also in the industrial area, commercial rate should not be charged for drinking water,” he said. He suggested that there should be a raw material pool from where raw material for the industries could be supplied. He said this would help in bringing the industry on par with internationally competitive rates. Memorandums were submitted to the Chief Minister in which the problems being faced by the different industries were elaborated upon. Among others, members of the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Ambala Electrical Appliances Manufacturers Association and the Haryana Vanaspati Manufacturers Association submitted the memorandums.
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Power, water shortage: Cong plans stir Bhiwani, July 26 He said that areas of South Haryana comprising Bhiwani, Rewari, Mahendragarh, Gurgaon districts were dependent on rains. For the past three years this area had very little rain and wells and ponds had dried up. “People are finding it very difficult to fetch water even for drinking. Women line up in front of water taps for several hours for water and return empty-handed”, he said. He said that canal water was the lifeline of farmers of the area and every canal is filled with sand instead of water. He said that a meeting of party activists would be convened to decide further course of action. |
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135 ITBP
recruits pass out Bhanu, July 26 Mr
M.P.Vasudeva, Inspector General, inspected the parade and took the salute. He exhorted the recruits to prove themselves worthy of the force and keep up the tradition of the force. “We should always remember how the country had won freedom at the cost of hundreds of sacrifices. However, today the nation was witnessing times when a large number of youth had gone astray playing into foreign hands. Terrorism had assumed global proportions”, he added. Mr N.K. Mishra, DIG, apprised the gathering of the course activities and highlighted the primary aims of the training programme. He informed that the recruits had undergone training in weapon firing, map reading, drill and judo, besides other activities. Mr Nirbhay Singh, DC of the training centre, proposed the vote of thanks. A dog show and neat PT show were also organised on the occasion. Prakash Negi was awarded for overall excellence during the course. Award winners in various disciplines are: firing — Vinod Kumar; weapon — Tak Veer
Gurung; PT — Ranjeev Singh; drill — Naresh Panauli; and discipline — Tara
Pangti. This company has been raised as a part of special drive to raise 38 companies within four years, it was said. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Mr Vasudeva said the ITBP would organise special expeditions this year to clean the garbage littered on mountain ranges. The final aim would be to dispose of the waste. Under the Long Range Patrol Programme, cleaning up project between Karakoram Pass and the tri-junction where the boundaries of India and China meet would be undertaken.
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Super Model opens NIFD exhibition Yamunanagar, July 26 She appealed to the youth, particularly girls, to adopt this profession because it had lot of scope. Simran who has done her graduation from Delhi university, did her course in fashion design from the NIFD. Simran, while inaugurating the NIFD’s annual exhibition, Rimjhim, which had a big collection of designer suits, saris, nightwear, kidswear, bed covers, cushion covers, wall panels, soft toys, paintings and handicrafts, cited her own example saying that she belonged to a Punjabi Sikh family and could reach the pinnacles of glory only after completing her fashion design course which gave her the confidence to go in for ramp shows and modelling. She gave full credit to her family and friends. She also said that it was due to the support and guidance of her godfather Kaushik Ghosh that she did well in modelling. Mrs Seema Kathuria, Director of the NIFD here, welcomed the chief guest and took her for a round of the exhibition. The Director, addressing a press conference, said the basic idea behind these courses was to encourage the girls from middle class families to stand on their own. These courses provided them an opportunity to earn while they learnt because the products made by the students were sold in the market. She said whatever the students designed and produced was exhibited in the exhibition and the sale proceeds went to the respective designers of the NIFD. The exhibits were traditional and reflected the Indian culture. The students had made products related to the monsoon and the rakhi. She said these courses were within the reach of the middle class parents and the NIFD was offering courses in fashion design, textile design and interior design. Simran urged the NIFD students to come forward and contribute their potential to the fashion industry and said that they should represent the Indian fashion industry abroad also. She said she was proud to be an Indian woman as today’s women, besides being housewives, were doing well in their professional careers also. |
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Opening of liquor shop resented Ambala, July 26 The general secretary of the Welfare Association of the sector, Mr Pradeep Sharma Snehi, said there was no justification in opening the shop in a residential colony where residents were already living under the shadow of fear because of several chain-snatching incidents which had taken place during the past two months. The senior vice-president, Mr Satpal Gupta, emphasised that the road on which this shop had been opened was generally used by residents for evening walk. The president, Mr Harender Shekhon, has taken up the matter with the Estate Officer. The Estate Officer, Mr Mukesh Ahuja, there was a provision of opening up a liquor shop in Sector 9, but keeping in view the sentiments and objections of the residents he had taken up the matter with the Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner, who assured that the shop would be shifted to some other place.
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Rath yatra flagged off Ambala, July 26 The yatra was flagged off by family members of Capt Atul Somra and Major Amit Ahuja who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation. The yatra, which was flagged off from near Manji Sahab Gurdwara, will proceed to New Delhi from where it will start for Srinagar. A number of photographers of freedom fighters have been put on the ‘rath’ besides the photographs of Captain Somra, Major Ahuja and the two children who were killed by militants at Kaluchak. The President of the Haryana unit of AIATE, Dr Viresh Shandilya, said efforts must be made to ensure that terrorism came to an end. “We are building a movement against terrorism so that innocent lives do not fall prey to militants,” he said.
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Kaithal
to have new bus stand Kaithal, July 26 In view of the public demand, the government had decided to shift the existing bus stand outside the town about two years ago and had issued a notification to acquire land for this purpose, but due to official apathy and non-receipt of funds, that notification had lapsed. The present bus stand is located in the heart of the town and has become a traffic hazard as a large number of buses coming from different towns pass through the town to the present location of the bus stand.
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Kargil
Day observed Ambala, July 26 Air Commodore
V.R. Iyer, Air Officer Commanding, Air force Station, Ambala, Brig D.C.
Katoch, Sub-Area Commander PH & HP (I), Additional Deputy Commissioner, Ms Neelam
Kasni, and other officials laid wreaths at the Station War Memorial, ‘A Frozen Tear’, as mark of respect to the brave soldiers. A two-minute silence was observed by personnel drawn from the Air
Force, Army, Army Postal Service, Defence Security Corps and Territorial Army who formed a hollow square at the memorial. The Samman guard reversed their arms while the bugler sounded the last post.
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