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Sunday,
March 23, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Chandigarh, March 22 The Haryana Government and the opposition Congress continue to wage a verbal duel over the introduction of VAT in the state. Today, Mr Bhajan Lal, chief of the PCC, and Mr Mangeram Gupta, MLA and former Finance Minister of Haryana, said that the state government must hold discussions with the traders’ organisations before introducing the new tax regime. “The state government will earn more revenue from VAT, but the small traders are going to suffer,” Mr Gupta told at a press conference here today. 2 West Bengal
pilgrims robbed Anti-US protest |
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Bhajan Lal’s terms for reinstating PCC chiefs Chandigarh, March 22 Congress leaders, who are opposed to Mr Bhajan Lal, had a meeting in Delhi yesterday where it was decided to get a dharna organised at the AICC office on Tuesday by the BCC presidents to protest against their removal. Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Mr Birender Singh, former PCC chief, Rao Inderjit Singh, MLA, and Ms Shelja, former Union minister, attended the meeting. The dissident leaders also decided to hold a rally at Kaithal in May as part of their ongoing programme of holding rallies separately. Mr Bhajan Lal, who talked to reporters here today after a meeting of the presidents of the party’s block committees and district committees and PCC members, claimed that he was not aware of the programme of holding demonstrations in Delhi by the removed BCC chiefs. He said that presidents of about 40 out of the 135 BCCs had been removed as they were found to be lacking in terms of performance. He said that ad hoc presidents had been appointed in their place. He said that similarly chiefs of three out of the 29 DCCs of Haryana were replaced by ad hoc presidents. Mr Bhajan Lal said that today’s meeting, which was attended by almost all the chiefs of the BCCs and the DCCs, including the ad hoc chiefs, was held as a run-up to the convention of DCC and BCC chiefs from all over India being held at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi on March 28 and 29. The convention would be followed up by a rally at Ramlila Ground in Delhi on March 30, Mr Bhajan Lal said and added that a large number of people would be mobilised from Delhi to take part in the rally which would be addressed by the party president, Ms
Sonia Gandhi. The two-day convention would discuss issues pertaining to socially marginalised sections of population, the unemployment problem and the youths and condition of the womenfolk, the PCC chief said. He said that the convention of BCC and DCC chiefs from all over India was being organised after 27 years. Participants in today’s meeting also passed four obituary resolutiuon, including the one in memory of Kalpana Chawla, Mr Bhajan said and added that they also expressed gratitude to the people of Himachal Pradesh for electing the Congress and to Ms Sonia Gandhi for spearheading the campaign in the hill state. Asked about the attack launched against him by Mr Hooda and others at a rally at Jhajjar earlier this month, Mr Bhajan Lal said that consequences of the internecine clash would not be good for the party. He said that he would attend the rally being organised by the dissident leaders at Kaithal if he was invited. On Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala’s allegation that Mr Hooda had misappropriated money collected at the time of the Kandela agitation, Mr Bhajan Lal said that he had not received any formal complaint regarding this. He, however, added that there was no truth in Mr Chautala’s charge. |
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VAT issue persists Chandigarh, March 22 Meanwhile, Mr Sampat Singh, Finance Minister, claimed that public opinion and involvement of traders had been sought before finalising the step of introducing VAT in the state from April 1. He added that to “further educate people” about VAT, meetings would be held at Ambala, Hisar and Rohtak under the chairmanship of the Additional Excise and Taxation Commissioner. Mr Sampat Singh said in view of certain states neighbouring Haryana showing reservations about introducing VAT, VAT rate in Haryana would be kept at zero per cent, 4 per cent, 10 per cent and 12 per cent. However, the rate of tax in respect of bullion and jewellery would be 1 per cent, while on lottery tickets (exceeding Rs 7) and petrol, the rate would be 20 per cent. He said the dealers having a turnover of up to Rs 25 lakh would have an option to pay 1 per cent on the value of purchases subject to the minimum of Rs 900 per month and they would have to maintain a very simple account of their sales. The registration procedure too would be simple and no official of the department would check records or visit premises with permission of the Excise and Taxation Commissioner. The Finance Minister added that the existing scheme of lump sum taxes in the case of BKOs, ply board manufacturers, lottery dealers, halwais and contractors would continue under the new system with some minor changes. Detailing penalties under the system, Mr Sampat Singh said the present provisions of penalty of 30 per cent of the value of goods in transit would be replaced by imposing fine. |
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2 West Bengal
pilgrims robbed Kurukshetra, March 22 Both of them were robbed when they along with their third companion, Sadhan Parwanee, had left Shri Krishna Dham, where they had been staying since yesterday, for a morning walk. Sadhan Parwanee was also allegedly beaten up by the three youths. In another incident, a suitcase of Krishna Padasarkar (60) allegedly containing Rs 8000 was stolen when he was sleeping under a shed on the bank of the Sannihit Srover yesterday midnight. Meanwhile, Mr Jai Narain Sharma, president, Shri Brahman-cum-Teerthodhaar Sabha, Kurukshetra, has condemned these incidents and demanded the arrest of the culprits. The police has registered a case. |
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Anti-US protest Fatehabad, March 22 The protest demonstration began from the local Ambedkar park and ended at the court complex. Prominent among those who addressed the meetings included Mr Krishan Swaroop, general secretary, Haryana Kisan Sabha, Mr Gulbahar Singh, president, District Bar Association, Mr Harpal Singh, former CPM MLA, Mr Sant Kumar, president, Haryanavi Punjabi Sabha, Mr Devi Lal, Mr Ram Kumar, president, Haryana Khet Mazdoor Union, Mr Poonam Ratti, president, Sarva Karamchari Sangh and Ms Sunita Rani, AIDWA activist |
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Action plan for horticulture urged Hisar, March 22 He was inaugurating a two-day horticulture officers’ workshop at Haryana Agricultural University here. He said growing wheat and rice was no longer remunerative. There was an urgent need for encouraging farmers to diversify by incorporating fruits, vegetable and flowers in their cropping system. |
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HPSC recommendations Chandigarh, March 22 Principal, Government Senior Secondary School Senior Specialist HES Class II in Education Department: General: 1042, 1111, 1144, 1221, 1316, 1494, 1616, 1657, 1742, 1743, 1756, 1961, 2062, 2091, 2131, 2244, 2262, 2411. BC: 1816, 1980, 2252. SCA: 2036, 2401. SCB: 1449, 2279. ESM: 1762, 2224. Assistant District Attorney in Prosecution Department: General: 1049, 1162, 1193, 1578, 1580, 1625, 1645, 1749, 1857, 1962, 1975, 1999, 2058, 2577, 2611, 2823, 2847, 2892, 3032, 3099, 3109, 3129, 3258, 3325, 3423, 3468, 3470, 3523, 3528, 3779, 3830, 3847, 3873. BC: 1245, 1898, 2342, 2484, 2552, 3635. SCA: 1512, 2654, 2890, 3078, 3527, 3761. SCB: 1285, 1499, 1523, 2041, 2488. ESM: 2133, 3554, 3893. PH: 2485, 3594. |
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Bankers’ meeting Ambala, March 22 Among others, Mr V.J. Matto, senior regional manager of Punjab National Bank (Chandigarh region), Ms Sudesh Vats, assistant general manager of the RBI, and Mr B.R. Rathore, chairman of Ambala- Kurukshetra Gramin Bank, were present on the occasion, a press note said. Mr N.K. Kalra, lead district manager, Ambala, said on the basis of project reports submitted by the bank branches in the district, a district credit plan amounting to Rs 434 crore had been formulated for the year 2003-04. |
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