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Saturday,
August 17, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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PSUs to run cancelled petrol stations New districts should be after poll: Sukh Ram HP steps for soldiers’ benefit State to sell development bonds Modern farming trends ‘hazardous’ |
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Dagshai emerges a winner 2 killed, 7 hurt in accidents
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PSUs to run cancelled petrol stations Shimla, August 16 Stating this at a press conference here today, Mr Ram Naik, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, said although a decision to cancel the allotments made after January, 2000, had been taken, but the modalities would have to be worked out, particularly on the legal front and to protect the interests of those who have been allotted dealership under the quota for handicapped, defence personnel and other such categories, to implement the decision. Since litigation had already started the government had requested the Supreme Court to list all such cases at one place for hearing. The final decision would be taken only after the apex court decided the matter. He agreed that several genuine allottees had been affected by the decision, but added that there was no way out. Earlier, launching the easy-to-carry 5 kg LPG cylinder for hill areas, Mr Naik said the availability of these cylinders would go a longway in popularising the use of cooking gas in remote areas. Besides it would help save the precious forests. In the first phase the hill states would be covered and in the second the urban poor in the plains. Himachal Pradesh had the highest percentage of LPG users in the country. Against a total households of over 13 lakh as many as 8.73 lakh had LPG connections. The percentage came to 74 as against 30 for the country. Mr Naik said the government had decided to blend petrol with 5 per cent ethanol, a byproduct of sugar industry, from January 2003. It would be made mandatory in the nine sugarcane-growing states in the first phase and the entire country subsequently. He added that the country had implemented a new exploitation licensing policy under which as many as 47 blocks had been assigned to various companies for exploitation and another 27 were in the pipeline. Besides, it was also participating in oil exploitation ventures abroad. It had gone for 20 per cent participation in an oil field in Russia, in Sudan it was acquiring 25 per cent share in a Canadian company and in Vietnam it was taking up gas production. He rejected the demand for subsidising LPG in the state and suggested that Himachal Pradesh should follow Andhra Pradesh where the first LPG cylinder, worth Rs 1000, was provided by the government to the below poverty-line families. |
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YC men seeking Naik’s resignation held Shimla, August 16 The protesters gathered at the gate of Peterhof, where Mr Ram Naik was scheduled to launch the 5-kg LPG cylinder, much before his arrival. However, they were removed by the police and taken to the Boileauganj police station. A large number of party workers gathered in front of the police station and blocked traffic for over an hour. They waved black flags and raised slogans demanding the resignation of Mr Naik and Mr P.K.Dhumal, Chief Minister. Mr Naresh Chauhan, spokesperson of the Youth Congress, said the scam had exposed the “moral character” of the BJP leaders who had been seeking petty benefits even after becoming chief ministers, ministers and legislators. |
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New districts should be after poll: Sukh Ram Una, August 16 Talking to mediapersons here, he said the government had not been transparent in its motives with any other political party, including its coalition partner, or with the people of the state. He said the geographical area of the existing districts may be rationalised on administrative grounds, but the reorganisation should not be based on political considerations. He said he had given a suggestion to the Chief Minister that the move could boomerang as there would be a tussle for the district headquarters and location of the secretariat and important offices. He added that the government should go about the process only after the elections, which were due shortly. Mr Sukh Ram said his party was willing to go into a pre-poll alliance with any one of the two recognised national parties if the terms and conditions were respectable. Replying to a question whether he would enter into a coalition with the Congress under the leadership of Mr Virbhadra Singh, Mr Sukh Ram said he did not want to repeat the past, but wanted to start a new chapter. “I have not severed relations with him,” he added. |
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HP steps for soldiers’ benefit Shimla, August 16 Presiding over the 20th meeting of the Rajya Sainik Board, here today, he said serving soldiers and ex-servicemen were important part of the society and their service to the nation must be recognised. He said countrymen were living in peace because of the valiant soldiers who were guarding the frontiers despite heavy odds. The Governor said that the government was committed to look after welfare and was implementing a number of schemes for their benefit. The ex-servicemen were being given 15 per cent reservation in government jobs, besides providing assistance for self-employment ventures. He said that matters pertaining to ex-servicemen should be dealt with on priority to avoid hardships to them. Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, and vice president of the board said that Himachal was the first state to implement welfare measures for the rehabilitation of the families of martyrs and soldiers disabled in Operation Vijay and other operations thereafter. While families of the martyrs of Operation Vijay had been provided an ex-gratia grant of Rs 5 lakh, besides employment to one member of the family. Other welfare measures included free education to two children up to graduation level, Rs 2.50 lakh grant to disabled soldiers having more than 50 per cent disability and Rs 1 lakh to those having less than 50 per cent disability. Institutions and roads had also been named after the martyrs as mark of respect. The Chief Minister said that the government was giving ex-gratia grant of Rs 3 lakh to the families of the martyrs. Post-Operation Vijay grant has been rationalised and Rs one lakh each was given to the widow, parents and children of the martyr. A grant of Rs one lakh was being given to soldiers having more than 50 per cent disability and a grant of Rs 1 lakh was also being given to families of the personnel of paramilitary forces killed in action, besides a grant of Rs 25,000 to their dependents. Mr Dhumal said that a census of serving soldiers, ex-servicemen and sainik families should be done to remove contradictions in the figures of General Administration Department (GAD) and the Sainik Welfare Department. Lt General S.S. Mehta, GOC-in-C, Western Command and the second vice-president of the board, announced assistance of Rs 5 lakh for repair and maintenance of Sainik Rest Houses. He also assured to provide a barrack for the attendants of patients undergoing treatment at Chandimandir, Command Hospital. The board decided to waive the condition of matriculation or plus two examination from HP School Education Board for appearing in Medical college entrance examination in respect of wards of serving and ex-soldiers. It also decided to construct sainik rest houses at Sujanpur Tira and Bangana. Regarding recognition to graduate certificate given matriculate soldiers after 15 years of service, it was decided to consider it on case to case basis. The board also decided that the names of wards of ex-servicemen also be registered with the Department of Sainik Welfare for consideration against posts reserved for ex-servicemen, in case no suitable person was available. Allotment of accommodation for CSD canteen counter at Kulu was also approved. The meeting of the state Managing Committee of the Special Fund for Relief and Rehabilitation of ex-servicemen was also held at Peterhoff. Dr Suraj Bhan presided over the meeting. While approving an increase of the corpus fund, it permitted the Sainik Welfare Department to collect funds by selling coupons. It also approved to deposit 10 per cent collection of the Flag Day fund in this special fund. It approved uniforms to the chowkidars of Sainik Rest Houses. The income limit of ex-servicemen for grant of scholarships to their wards was enhanced from Rs 35,000 to Rs 50,000. The managing committee also approved budget of relief and rehabilitation for the years 2001-2002 and 2002-2003. |
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State to sell development bonds Shimla, August 16 An official spokesman said that the sale would be held at the respective offices and Mumbai office of the Reserve Bank of India on August 19,2002. The RBI reserves the right to close the sale during or after the close of banking hours on or after August 19 depending on the borrowing requirement of the state government and the subscriptions received, he added. He said that the loan would be issued on par for a minimum amount of Rs 1000 (face value) and in multiples of Rs 1000 thereafter. He said the payment of the loan would include along with the nominal value of loan applied for, accrued coupon from the date of commencement of tenure of the loan to the date of tendering the application. The RBI would have full discretion to make partial allotment for applications received at the time of closure of sale, he added. Applications, if any, received after the closure of the tap sale would be rejected. If partial allotment was required to be made due to oversubscription, excess subscription would be refunded by the RBI as soon as possible and to interest would be paid on the amount so refunded, he added. Interest would be paid half yearly on February 19 and August 19 each year. |
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Modern farming trends ‘hazardous’ Dharamsala, August 16 In his address Mr Arun Sood said the current farming trends in India might have increased productivity but its benefits were outweighed by the dangers and hazards created by the Green Revolution. He said new farm practices meant high dependence on hybrid seeds, irrigation, fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides which increased the cost of production manifolds. The grain produced could not be called healthy and farmers were vulnerable to market forces policies which were dictated by agri-business companies. These companies did not have the welfare of the farmer in their mind. As a result, farmers were forced to raise loans for cultivation but their produce did not get full value for the inputs and labour thus raising their indebtedness. This had resulted in suicides in various parts of the country where farmers, unable to repay the loans and provide food for their families, resorted to this extreme step. Mr Sood said time had come to resort to traditional farming which was free from all hazardous inputs and was healthy. Speakers discussed experiences of developing countries and felt that by strengthening chemical-free farming system, healthy wholesome food could be made available to all and also make farming economically viable. Dr Manju detailed the success of medicinal plants cultivation in Himachal Pradesh and stressed the need for common marketing channel so that farmers were not fleeced by the middlemen. Mr Kulbhushan Upmanyu, Chairman, Navrachna, reminded the participants that food security was about making healthy food available to all. |
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Dagshai emerges a winner Kumarhatti Hill resorts like Kasauli, Barog and Dagshai are still a big draw among domestic tourists who are swarming these places, particularly on the weekends. The rush of tourists touched its height last weekend when tourists could be seen holidaying leaving behind the humid hot conditions back home in the plains. Dagshai has seen a number of picnic spots along the road leading to Dagshai from a point on the Kalka-Shimla national highway, about 1 km from Dharampur. Dagshai has emerged as a favourite family outing destination due its scattered population and pollution-free environment. Barog, a small hill station along the highway is still the preferred destination for weekend tourists, whose vehicles virtual occupy half the highway alongside the main road. Similarly, Kasauli is still witnessing a record rush of tourists and its main market remains jam-packed on weekends. However, the extended tourist season has not helped to keep the occupancy rate of hotels to a satisfactory level. There are highway dhabas and eating joints whose sales have shot up by the arrival of the tourists mostly those who throng the hills for a day or so. Over the past few months, a lot of hotels and dhabas have mushroomed along the highway, particularly between Parwanoo and Dharampur, and older ones renovated to attract tourists. |
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2 killed, 7 hurt in accidents Solan, August 16 The dead had been identified as Jasbir Mann and Mandeep Saini, both of Patiala. The two injured who gave their names as Harpreet Singh and Jagjit Singh were rushed to the PGI at Chandigarh. The four were bound for Shimla from Patiala. In another accident, three persons — Nandan Khanna, Pooja and Meena, were injured when their car was involved in a head-on collision with a Tata Sumo, near Dadi, village 2 km from Nalagarh, yesterday. In yet another accident the driver and conductor of a truck were injured when the vehicle fell into a khud near Battal village under Arki sub division, yesterday. |
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