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CM asks
service panel chief to resign Cong to
counter NDA media hype HPCC to be
revamped before poll BJP to
‘expose’ Congress Another
HVC leader to join BJP Chander is
Cong Kangra nominee |
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Tibetan
new year Losar begins on Feb 21 Dalai
Lama to attend conclave Cabinet
nod for training institute Release
DA to retirees from July 1: sangh 37
houses gutted
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CM asks service panel chief to resign Shimla, February 15 The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, said Mr Sharma had explained the position of the commission in respect of the complaint lodged by a member that the list of candidates selected by the interview panel had been changed. However, the Chief Minister was not satisfied by Mr Sharma’s explanation and asked him to quit to uphold the dignity of the high office he was holding or else the government would be left with no option but to order a vigilance probe into the allegation, which was too serious to be ignored. He said not only the member had complained but the two experts who were on the four-member interview panel had also stated that the list had been changed. The credibility of the commission was at stake. The government would take all possible steps to ensure that the constitutional body continued to inspire the confidence of the people. Mr Virbhadra Singh saw no problem in ordering a probe and said the Governor also wanted the commission to function as per rules and regulations and in an impartial manner. He also said since the authenticity of the list of candidates released by the commission had come under a cloud, the government could not appoint them. The controversy was sparked off when one of the members wrote a letter to the Chairman of the commission that the final list of selected candidates had been changed and the names of those selected by the panel were missing. Later, the two experts also confirmed that the list had been changed. Subsequently, Mr Sharma had met the Governor and apprised him of the facts. He maintained that rules in the selections of the candidates had not been violated. |
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Cong to counter NDA media hype Shimla, February 15 Mr Anand Sharma, AICC spokesperson, said here today that the documents addressing the economic, political and security-related concerns would not only blast the misleading NDA campaign but also present a detailed picture of what the party wanted to do on these fronts. He said the performance of the NDA government would be judged from the implementation of its election promises. It had been by all accounts a very poor show and there was nothing to brag about. The economic growth rate hovered around 5 per cent of the GDP for the entire period and it increased marginally only in the last quarter of 2003 following a good Monsoon. . Further, Mr Vajpayee had promised to give one crore jobs every year whereas the reality was that the country had registered a negative employment growth for the first time since Independence. He criticised Mr Arun Jaitley, Union Law Minister, for trying to undermine the judgement of the court in the Bofors by quoting selectively from the memoirs of a retired bureaucrat. |
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HPCC to be revamped before poll Shimla, February 15 Stating this at a press conference Mr Ashok Gehlot, in charge of the party affairs in Himachal Pradesh, said today that the vacancies caused by the resignations of seven ministers from the party posts would be filled soon. The ministers had quit as the office-bearers of the PCC to uphold the “one man-one post” principle. Regarding the other contentious issue of taking back expelled leaders into the party, he said the high command had set up the Motilal Vora Committee for the purpose. The cases of such leaders would be decided on merit as and when the matter came up for consideration. Mr Gehlot said the much-hyped feel good factor was a publicity gimmick and the ground realities were different. The very fact that the NDA government had advanced elections by six months indicated that it was aware of the fact that the feel good factor could not be sustained for long. It was just trying to use the recent win in the assembly elections in three states to artificially prop up its bleak electoral prospects. The NDA would not have been so worried and uncertain about its poll prospects if it had achieved something. However, such tactics would not work, as the people were anxious to dislodge the Vajpayee regime for its comprehensive failure on all fronts. He maintained that there was no factionalism in the party and it would go to the polls unitedly. |
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BJP to ‘expose’ Congress Hamirpur, February 15 Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal leader of the party in the Vidhan Sabha, and Mr Pyere Lal Sharma chief of the district unit of the BJP were also present in the press conference. Mr Dhumal said Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his five-year term as the Prime minister would be one of the major election planks of the party in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Secondly, the party would also blast the Congress government in the state for its failure on all fronts. Mr Bhardwaj was non-committal when asked to comment about the performance of party’s former MP’s in the Lok Sabha. He said,” I will submit my report in the party forum at the state and national level”. The BJP leader said the decision of party candidates for all four Lok Sabha seats would be finalised once the election committee of the party was formed after its two days meeting at Jwala Mukhi on February 19 and 20. He said so far no district except Shimla had sent any recommendations regarding the party nominees for the next Lok Sabha elections. It was for the party high command to take the final decision. |
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Another HVC leader to join BJP Mandi, February 15 Mr Mansa Ram said that there was widespread resentment among the workers against the policies of the HVC and added that his supporters would wholeheartedly work for the sitting MP, Mr Maheshwar Singh, in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. The defection of Mansa Ram has been manipulated by BJP leader Maheshwar Singh. Mr Mansa Ram said he would formally join the BJP along with his supporters within a couple of days. |
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Chander is Cong Kangra nominee Shimla, February 15 According to party sources, the pradesh Congress committee, which met here last night, has recommended only one name for the two seats. The names of Mr Kaul Singh, Irrigation and Public Health Minister, and Ms Pratibha Singh, wife of Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, have been recommended from the Mandi seat. The committee is learnt to have recommended the name of Mr Ram Lal Thakur, Industries Minister, for the Hamirpur seat. |
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Tibetan
new year Losar begins on Feb 21 Dharamsala, February 15 Losar, the new year festival of Tibetans, commences on the first day of the first month of the new year, which usually falls in February every year. Losar is said to have its genesis in the pre-Buddhist period in Tibet. Legend
has it that before Buddhism, the Tibetans practised the Bon religion.
According to history, Losar was first celebrated in the Lhokha Yarla
Shampo region of Tibet coinciding with blossoming of apricot trees,
hence also known as farmers’ festival. On the occasion, Tibetan
women paint their kitchen walls with flour solution and draw images of
eight deities symbolising good fortune on them. Doorsteps are dotted
with “Swastika” symbols. Eatables and other articles meant for
prayer on the first day of Losar are usually placed on the altar of
one’s chapel in the evening. Delicacies like khu-khu, gachen,
nayashok, mokdung, nagarlen, pin-pin and chang (Tibetan beer) are the favourites
during the Losar celebrations. Officially, Losar is celebrated for three days whereas in a typical Tibetan household, the celebrations last 10 days. The first day of the new year is called Lama Losar (the day of the guru). The
day is dedicated to his holiness, the Dalai Lama, who is the spiritual
head of the Tibetans.
— UNI |
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Dalai Lama to attend conclave Dharamsala, February 15 More than 300 delegates, representing 25 countries including a nine-member team of scholars from China, are expected to participate. |
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Cabinet nod for training institute Shimla, February 15 The Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Mr Virbhadra Singh also approved the customary Governor’s address for the four-day session of the Vidhan Sabha commencing on February 24. The vote on account for the first four months of the year 2004 and 05 and the supplementary demands for 2003 and 04 were also approved during the meeting. The norms for private JBT training institutes were framed as the government was facing problems in regulating the functioning of such institutions. As per the norms based on those of National Council for Teachers Education only a provisional permission will be granted to start the institution initially. |
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Release DA to retirees from July 1: sangh Chamba, February 15 In a press statement issued here today, Mr P.C. Oberoy, district president of the sangh, urged Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to merge 50 per cent DA in the basic its merger pension of retirees as the Punjab and Haryana Governments had already announced and the Himachal Government should also follow their move. Mr Oberoy demanded an increase of 5 or 10 per cent in the basic pension of the retirees at attaining the age of 65 and 75 years and also allowing once in two years an amount equal to one month’s basic pension as travel concession. He also demanded to enhance of medical allowance by Rs 250 per month. |
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37 houses gutted Shimla, February 15 Seven houses were destroyed at Batara village in Rohru subdivision. And about 30 houses were burnt at Kafun village in Kinnaur. In all 63 families have been affected in the two incidents. No loss of life has been reported. Mr V.S. Kokje, Governor, and Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, expressed sorrow over the loss caused by the
fire. |
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