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Reaction
to Budget Cancel fiscal reforms MoU, says BJP 18 public sector units incurring losses Cloudburst
damages property, animals die |
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Rain hampers
viewing of spectacle PM’s daughter, Priyanka on holiday in HP 120 daily-wage
workers’ services restored, stir ends 52 visually
impaired persons get jobs Forest Dept men admit felling excessive trees Mother accused of selling child, given custody Judicial
officer’s services terminated Polythene traders
want ban reconsidered
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Reaction to Budget Shimla, June 8 Mr Virbhadra Singh said the Budget would help initiate the process of rebuilding the state finances which were left in ruins by the previous BJP government. He said when his government signed the MoU with the Centre to secure the release of Rs 525 crore Mr P.K. Dhumal, former Chief Minister, was making a hue and cry. The signing of the MoU was in line with the fiscal restructuring plan prepared by the previous BJP regime. The party was crying foul because it had no other issue after being humbled in the recent Lok Sabha poll. He said there would be no blanket ban on recruitment and functional posts would be created and filled. The disinvestment policy of the NDA government had been reversed and the Manmohan Singh regime was all for revival of sick public sector undertakings. Disinvestments would be the last resort, he added. Mr Dhumal said the shadow of the MoU was looming large over the Budget proposals. The state had virtually followed the dictates of the Centre as enshrined in the MoU by not providing relief to any section and imposing fresh taxes to burden the common man. He said the Congress washed its hands of the MoU when it was placed in the Vidhan Sabha by his government. He said the government chose to tax cement which would hit the common man, but it had spared clinker, tax which has to be paid by the industry. Employment in the government sector would be virtually banned with the enactment of the proposed legislation which recommends criminal action against officials making recruitment in violation of the ban. The functional appointment would be made by the local bodies only. It was a disappointing budget in all respects, he said. Mrs Vidya Stokes, PCC chief, said it was the best possible Budget under the given situation. It addresses the long-term fiscal concerns of the state and at the same time had taken care of the needy sections of society, she said. Mr Suresh Bhardwaj, state BJP chief, said after signing the MoU the government’s hands had been tied. It was hardly surprising that taxes had been imposed and no relief provided. In the days to come more taxes would be imposed and no relief would be provided. Mr Sat Mahajan, Rural Development Minister said it was a reform-oriented budget which would bring in a whiff of fresh air in the stifled fiscal environment. Major Vijay Mankotia, Tourism Minister, said it was a bold attempt to grapple with the ground realities and improve the deteriorating financial health of the state. |
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Cancel fiscal reforms MoU, says BJP Shimla, June 8 In a statement issued here today, the BJP spokesperson, Mr Randhir Sharma, said in case the Virbhadra regime did not cancel this MoU, they would be forced to launch a statewide agitation. “This MoU is the first gift given by the Congress-led government at the Centre to Himachal, exposing the anti-people face of the Congress,” he remarked. Mr Sharma said no doubt it was essential to go in for fiscal reforms but not at the cost of the interest of the youth, employees, farmers and the common man. “The complete ban on government jobs, allowances being given to employees, jobs on compassionate grounds, increase in bus fares and withdrawal of subsidies will only add to the misery of the common man,” he said. He said the financial health of the state was very bad for which the successive Congress governments in the state were responsible. “It was during the earlier tenure of Mr Virbhadra Singh that Himachal had to suffer a loss of cores of rupees as wrong figures were presented before the Finance Commission,” he alleged. He added that the Congress regime did not focus much on resource mobilisation so as to make the state financially independent. |
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18 public sector units incurring losses Shimla, June 8 The state has 23 public undertakings in all but the accounts of the state housing board have not been finalised. The profit of four public undertakings was nominal. The state road transport corporation topped the list of loss-making units with a cumulative loss of Rs 307.68 crore. It was followed by the state electricity board, the losses of which totalled Rs 176 crore. The other units which have been perpetually in the red are the state financial corporation (Rs 77.60 crore), Agro Packaging India Limited (Rs 41.15 crore), the State Forest Corporation (Rs 29.18 crore), the HPMC (Rs 27.44 crore), the state Industrial Development Corporation (Rs 26.20 crore) and the State Milk Cooperative Federation (Rs 13.25 crore). The civil supplies corporation earned a cumulative profit of Rs 2.97 crore. It earned Rs 97.62 lakh in 2002-03. The state backward classes development corporation’s profits amounted to Rs 1.30 crore and that of the state ex-servicemen corporation to Rs 37.43 lakh. The government had made a cumulative investment of Rs 675 crore in these undertakings. Serious doubts have been raised over the sustainability of the PSUs which have been perpetually incurring losses. |
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Rs 17 of every Rs 100 for development Shimla, June 8 Of the total daily average expenditure of Rs 19 crore, the daily average income was Rs 10 crore. Of every Rs 100 spent by the government, salaries account for Rs 31, interest payment Rs 26, loan repayment Rs 8, pensions Rs 9, maintenance
Rs 9 and only Rs 17 were spent on other activities, including development. |
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Cloudburst damages property, animals die Chandigarh, June 8 Initial reports said the cloudburst left a trail of destruction as several houses were damaged and an unspecified number of livestock perished. However, there had been no loss of human lives. The loss has been estimated at over Rs 1 crore in Chamba district. A Shimla report said lightning struck, when the shepherds, to escape torrential rains, had gathered around 400 sheep and goats under a tree. But
lightening struck the tree and killed 200 goats and sheep. The shepherds had a miraculous escape. Tehsildar Anil Chauhan, after an on-the-spot visit, announced a financial help to the shepherds. Meanwhile, rains in the lower reaches and snow on great Himalayan tops in the past two days have caused a sharp fall in the temperature.
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Rain hampers
viewing of spectacle Shimla, June 8 Though the State Council for Science, Technology and Environment had made arrangements for witnessing the event by installing three telescopes, schoolchildren, who arrived in large numbers, either returned disappointed or waited till 2.30 before they could see the spectacle. Once the sky cleared, long queues could be seen at The Ridge, as people waited for their turn to witness the rare event. The Rs 50 goggles, specially made for viewing the transit of Venus by the Indian Planetary Society, Mumbai, were a big sellout. The Principal Scientific Officer, Dr S.S. Chandel, said though rain did play a spoilsport, after 2.30 pm the transit of Venus could be seen clearly. “Venus appeared at the end point of the sun while in transit at 4.37 pm in Shimla,” he said. The council had also put up a science exhibition on this occasion in collaboration with the Indian Planetary Society, Mumbai. Schoolchildren, who had turned up in large numbers, showed keen interest in this rare planetary alignment and made a lot of queries to scientists and astrologers present there. Hamirpur: People in the district preferred to watch the transit of Venus on TV. Market presented a deserted look in the morning hours when Doordarshan showed the first shots of the rare spectacle. However, a number of teachers and students of the local Him Academy Public School saw the event through specially made specs. People chanted mantras and took part in religious programmes during the process. Some of them also observed fast. |
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Bad weather hits tomato crop Kumarhatti, June 8 A visit to Dharampur and Chakki ka Mour vegetable markets yesterday showed that tomato and capsicum were missing from the market. By this time usually vegetables start arriving in terminal markets here but due to damage by the hailstorm markets wore a deserted look. Tomato plants have dried up following repeated hailstorms, rued a farmer. |
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PM’s daughter, Priyanka on holiday in HP Dharamsala, June 8 Sources said that they were likely to visit McLeodganj tomorrow. Tight security deployment did not allow anybody to meet the PM’s daughter. “There are clear instructions that their privacy should not be disturbed,” said a senior police official. SHIMLA: Priyanka Gandhi Vadhra has been holidaying at famous Wildflower Hall hotel near Shimla with her husband and children. The Wildflower Hall hotel has virtually become out of bonds for the people, including the media. All visitors are being stopped at the entry gate, 200m from the hotel. The movements of Priyanka Gandhi are being kept secret and even the local police is not being informed about it, sources said. |
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120 daily-wage workers’ services restored, Palampur, June 8 Official sources said here today that after the directions received from the office of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, the National Highway Division of PWD restored the services of all 120 daily wagers who were terminated by the department last week. It is also learnt that the Chief Minister took a serious note of the termination orders passed by the national highway division and said he was against such uncalled for actions. The Chief Minister has also directed a senior officer of the PWD to conduct an enquiry into the circumstances which led to the termination of these daily- wage workers who had been working in the department for the past 10 years. |
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52 visually impaired persons get jobs Shimla, June 8 A government spokespersons today said that a high-level committee, headed by the Chief Minister, had been constituted to fill the posts reserved for the visually impaired. A total of 62 posts had been identified in various departments out of which 52 had been filled. |
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Forest Dept men admit felling excessive trees Hamirpur, June 8 However, insiders in the department and people of Bijheri area claimed that the exact number of trees felled was much higher than admitted by the department. The department had given permission for the felling of 231 pine trees. However, according to departmental sources, the contractor and the local people had felled 250 trees. Mr P.L.Chauhan, Divisional Forest Officer, Hamirpur said here this evening that he received the report of Forest Range Officer, Bijheri, this afternoon and which said nineteen more trees were felled than the felling order from the forest. He said that he had directed the Range Forest Officer, Bijheri, to take cognisance of the issue and book the guilty persons under the Land Preservation Act. He said that the department was doing a physical verification of the forest area from where the felling had been done to see that only 250 trees had been felled or more. Meanwhile, there were reports that the felling of excess number of green trees from the private land had rocked the forest department these days. Local forest officers today submitted their report to higher officials to be presented to the Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh.
— OC |
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Mother
accused of selling child, given custody Hamirpur, June 8 Mr Dhiman issued this order after the mother presented the child in his court this morning. Earlier, Sanjeev Kumar, father of the child had alleged in a complaint to the SDM, Nadaun that his wife, Neelam and mother-in-law, Santosh Kumari, had sold his newborn baby to some one. However, both women had described this allegation as wrong and untrue. Taking notice of the complaint, the SDM had directed the SHO, Nadaun, to investigate into the case and present both parties in his court with the newborn baby. There was a heavy rush in the court today when this issue came up for the discussions. Mother of the child levelled many allegations against her husband and father-in-law. However, the SDM took serious note of changed statements of the woman and directed her to keep the newborn in her custody. The SDM also directed the child’s mother to file a criminal case in any appropriate court if she did not want to live with her husband, as his court had no jurisdiction in this respect. Mr Dhiman said that he had directed the SHO, Nadaun, to hold an enquiry into the matter. He said that if the complaint of Sanjeev Kumar was found true, an action would be taken against his wife and mother-in-law. |
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Judicial officer’s services terminated Shimla, June 8 A full court of the HC had decided at its meeting on April 7 that the penalty of removal from service should be imposed on Mr K.P. Singh. He was chargesheeted by the High Court under Rule 14 of the CCS (CCA), 1965. |
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Polythene traders want ban reconsidered Kangra, June 8 He said decision to ban polythene bags was wrong. It was taken in a haste. He wanted the decision reconsidered in the interest of those in the polythene trade. He wanted that ban should not be enforced till stock of polythene bags was exhausted. He demanded that traders of polythene be given interest-free loans to start new business. |
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Apropos of the report “Aman Varma show today” (The Tribune, May 31, Page 12), the venue of the show was St. Edward’s School and not as reported. The error is regretted.
— Editor |
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