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Minister, BJP MLA lock horns over
project
Lax security encouraging cyber
crimes
Ambika Soni arrives in
Shimla
Mid-day meal scheme poses problems for
teachers
TB under control in Solan, says
doc
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Only if Kugti had a link road...
Snake menace on rise in
Hamirpur
Preserving bamboo and making it a source of
livelihood
Govt geared up to transport apple
Four killed in accident
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Minister, BJP MLA lock horns over
project
Mandi, September 6 Though the technical committee headed by Director (Fisheries) B.R. Kaudal has rejected the Sidhpur site for the Rs 2-crore Mahseer fish farm in the Dharampur constituency on technical grounds, yet Mr Tahkur is on a warpath, spearheading the local residents to retain the project as it has become a prestige issue for him. Mr Harsh Mahajan said the technical committee had rejected the Sidhpur site because the site was located in the flood-prone area and the Government of India, which had sanctioned the project in 2001, had also rejected the site. “The committee found that the Rs 1.5 crore will be spent on erecting the flood protection wall only. The flood threat is always there,” he added. On the other hand, Mr Thakur has taken up the issue in the interests of his constituency, asserting that the Sidhpur project will be set up nowhere else. “If the government takes it out from this place, we will launch an agitation,” he has gone on record as saying. The residents from Dharampur said Sidhpur was located on the spot circumscribed by the diversion of the Beas river that earlier used to be its flood plain. “The locals have cultivated the land for many years here. The area used to be the Mahseer-rich belt which has been destroyed by the silt flowing upstream from the Pandoh dam and Suketi khuds,” they added. Though the state government has not issued the order to shift the site so far, but it will decide soon so that the funds allocated for the project are not lapsed. Mr Mahajan said the new site had been identified at Machial in Jogindernagar sub division within the district. “Even if they give us any other site we will consider it. It is unfortunate that it is being made as a political issue as the project is being executed within the Mandi district,” he added. The residents of Dharampur constituency have constituted a joint action committee, thwarting any move by the state government to shift the site from Sidhpur to Machial. The committee has given 15 days ultimatum to the Directorate (Fisheries) to retain the project site at Sidhpur or face action. Director (Fisheries) B.R. Kaundal said no work had been started so far and the government had yet to take a decision to shift the project from Sidhpur to Machial. |
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Lax security encouraging cyber
crimes
Shimla, September 6 "While most of the banks have ventured into e-business, they have not bothered to formulate any plans to deal with the network security breaches which could have serious implications like financial losses and, more importantly, loss of faith" Mr Shastry, who was here in connection with the international seminar on white-collar crime, told The Tribune during an exclusive interview. He said technical measures like the installation of firewall, intrusion detection system and regular vulnerability assessment and security audits could help provide adequate safeguards against security breaches but these were not being followed. There was a need to make adoption of standard procedures like IS 17799, which had been recommended for a secure network, mandatory for financial institutions. There was also no emergency response system to handle digital financial frauds or a virus attack to minimise the damage. In such an eventuality the bank in which the offence had been committed should alert all other institutions but there was no such system in place in the country. In the USA a national fraud centre had been set up for the purpose. The offence or virus attack is immediately reported to the centre, which in turn informed all banks. Referring to the security measures being taken up in western countries he said ethical hacking was a potent tool for detecting gaps in security system but it was illegal in India. It should be made legal so that institutions could hire the services of ethical hackers to test the security of their network, Mr Shastry who has recently co-written a book entitled "Computer crimes and computer forensics'" for the benefit of security administrators, system managers, police investigators and judiciary. The Information technology Act, which came into force in the year 2000, required several improvements to effectively check cyber crime. The Internet Service Provider (ISP) was not accountable under the Act for offences like accessing pornographic sites. Such offences could be checked by making ISP's accountable for data being transmitted through their servers and providing punishment. |
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Ambika Soni arrives in
Shimla
Shimla, September 6 The entire Cabinet led by Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, was present at Peterhof, the state guesthouse, to receive her. She was accompanied by Mr Moti Lal Vora, treasurer of the AICC. Mr Sukh Ram, a former Telecom Minister, was also present to welcome her. Soon after her arrival, Ms Soni went around the town to inspect sites for the construction of Congress Bhavan at Boileauganj, Chhota Shimla and Circular Road, near the lift. The party had earlier finalised the site near the Lift but some sections felt that it was not suitable for party office. Thereafter , two more sites were suggested. She will preside over the party meeting at the Congress office, here tomorrow. Barog: Ms Ambika Soni, general secretary of the AICC, today castigated the BJP for using unparliamentary language against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and also blamed the opportunistic policies of the former NDA government for the current escalated levels of inflation. Ms Ambika Soni said the policies of the former NDA government, which deferred the increase in the prices of various commodities during its tenure to gain political mileage, were responsible for the present crisis. She accused the NDA government of furthering its political interests at the cost of the country’s economic health which, she asserted, had lead to the present crisis. The UPA, which was handed over such an economic legacy by the NDA government, was forced to hike the prices of various commodities, she added. Taking the former Finance Minister and former Foreign Minister to task for using unparliamentary language for the Prime Minister, she said it did not suit a party like the BJP, which made claims of upholding Indian traditions, to indulge in such petty politics. She added that the BJP had made it clear that it cared least for the common man by letting the President’s Budget speech pass without any debate. Their views, she asserted, would have enabled the government to decide on the crucial economic and financial reforms as well as other policy matters. Their abstaining from the debate amounted to the wastage of the public money incurred on such parliamentary sessions, she said. Kumarhatti: Himachal Pradesh Parliamentary Affairs and Law Minister, Thakur Kaul Singh said yesterday that the visit of the AICC general secretary, Ms Ambika Soni, to Shimla had no political overtures and ruled out any rift in the party ranks. “The visit of Ms Ambika Soni, general secretary of the AICC to the state capital has nothing to do with differences within the party. Ms Soni accompanied by Mr Moti Lal Vohra, treasurer of the AICC, was on a traditional visit after becoming in charge of the party affairs of the state,” Thakur Kaul Singh said here. The party was united in the state and there was no rift on any matter, he maintained. Commenting on the Opposition’s uproar over deteriorating law and order situation in the state, he said the isolated incidents of crime did not mean the collapse of law and order. The crime rate in the state was still very low as compared to the other states, he added. In most of the criminal cases in the state, the victims and accused were usually outsiders, he said referring to the recent acid attack on a girl at Shimla. Emphasizing the need to modernise the state police so as to enable them to tackle the anti-social elements efficiently he said that the state government was in the process to address the staff shortage in the police department besides strengthening the infrastructure. Efforts were being made to enhance the potable water facilities in the areas facing water scarcity, he said. Providing drinking water to everyone in the state was a top priority of the government, he asserted. |
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Mid-day meal scheme poses problems for
teachers
Nurpur, September 6 A visit to the primary schools in the rural areas of Nurpur subdivision by this correspondent revealed that the state government had failed to fill vacant posts in primary schools in the remote rural areas further enhancing the responsibilities of the scanty teaching staff posted in the government primary schools. In a number of schools only a single vidhya upasak contract primary teacher is running the show without any helper. At government primary school, Darad in Kherian gram panchayat 82 students are being taught by a single vidhya upasak. Similar is the position at Bhaloon in Ganhi-Logor gram panchayat. The state government has launched the scheme in-a haste without providing basic and required infrastructure. Primary teachers lament that they are already burdened with teaching job but this extra responsibility has diverted their attention from their basic duty in the schools. The kids who are being given pulao and khichri daily have to wash their own utensils. Apart from this, primary teachers shall remain busy in making arrangements for cooking and maintenance of accounts. |
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TB under control in Solan, says
doc
Kumarhatti, September 6 The infrastructure education communication and inter-personal communication programmes have proved quite helpful in spreading awareness about the disease, he added. The panchayats, mahila and yuvak mandals and NGOs have assured to carry out the IEC and IPC programmes effectively besides organising awareness programmes in schools, Dr Gupta added. With the opening of TB Training, Research and Demonstration Centre at Dharampur TB sanatorium the district has taken a step in making the society disease-free, Dr Gupta added. The sanatorium staff were trained at the National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, to run the centre effectively, he added. |
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Only if Kugti had a link road...
Kugti (Chamba), September 6 Kugti, having a population of about 1,250 is one of the farthest villages in the tribal subdivision of Bharmour in Chamba district. It is situated at an altitude of 2,500 metres and one has to walk 15 km on foot from the Hadsar roadhead to reach this village. The village is located in a scenic ravine full of astounding beauty of snow-clad mountain peaks and dense forests. About 30 km east of Kugti is an idyllic place located on the confluence of two snow-fed rivulets — the Budhal and its tributary stream the Bujhla. The tourism potential of this area has remained untapped till now. It is a pity that Kugti is still not on the tourism map of Himachal Pradesh. In order to boost tourism, the road to link Kugti is the primary requirement for which the efforts of the state government are on. The trek from Hadsar to Kugti is along the Budhal rivulet, a tributary of the Ravi, across a winding path ascending and descending steeply through the thick forest. The 15-km-long distance can be covered in at least five hours. Of course, one must be physically fit to undertake the arduous journey. A remarkable event in the village is that women there are steadily exerting total prohibition and closing down liquor shops in the village. They have also made representations to the state government in this regard. The residents of this village have sought the construction of a helipad for the convenience of tourists and tribals. Although the Hadsar-Kugti road is making headway and a track of 7 km up to Bharaul is under construction but the pace of progress appears to be quite slow. |
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Snake menace on rise in
Hamirpur
Hamirpur, September 6 At least four poisonous snakes were killed in the main bazar area of Hamirpur town during the past one week. People of the main bazar area are panicky over the increasing number of big and small snakes in their vicinity. Incidentally, no snake bite incident has so for been reported in any part of the town. |
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Preserving bamboo and making it a source of
livelihood
Palampur: In northwestern India, Himachal Pradesh is the only state that has plenty of naturally-growing bamboo. But unfortunately this important resource either rots or does not fetch the desired price for farmers. It needs to be appreciated that small value addition on bamboo products can immensely benefit craftspersons and farmers in enhancing their income. Not only this, it will also go a long way in solving the unemployment problem in the state. With this vision in mind the Himachal Pradesh Eco-Development Society, Palamapur (HPEDS), and the Indo-German Changar Eco-Development Project (IGCEDP), Palampur, are already working towards this goal.
The project has since 1994-95 been working in the Changar area of Kangra district with a clear mandate of reducing eco degradation, empowering and enabling villagers to manage their natural resources and ensuring improved living conditions by creating opportunities of workable livelihood options. With this underlying idea the project has already succeeded in facilitating the formation of "Smridhi", a purely women's cooperative society. On similar lines after exploring more options, the project has identified bamboo as another natural resource that can emerge as a major vocation for farmers, especially the poor traditional craftsmen of the area. In its preliminary studies the project realised that different species of bamboo, especially Dendrocalamus Hamiltoni, a variety of bamboo locally known as Maggar, is widely found in the area and also more area can be brought under this specie.Also, many poor families are linked to this traditional craft but are gradually giving up this craft because of less income. IGCEDP in its pursuit collaborated with the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan(INBAR) and a local NGO Vishvamitra to revive this craft by imparting training to the desirous villagers. Currently there are six groups in villages producing a wide variety of bamboo products like mats, bags, file covers, fans, baskets, folding stools, TV stands, hangers, soap cases, ash-tray, cots, tables etc. This amply reveals the diversification of products which the villagers are now capable of producing after the imparting of necessary training. Apart from utilising precious time in a fruitful manner, the simple value addition has made it possible for villages to manufacture goods and earn as much as between Rs 1,700 to Rs 2,200. Women are also now using their idle time more profitably. Demonstrating the benefits, the project has successfully reversed the trend of traditional craftsperson leaving this profession as more and more people are now opting to resume/join this vocation. The Forest Department should launch a major programme for the conservation of bamboo. There needs to be an inter-departmental cell at the state-level which can look into the legal facilitations for the production, value addition and marketing of bamboo products. For technical and financial support the local groups of craftpersons need to be linked to financial institutions like NABARD. For further research there needs to be close coordination with institutions like IHBT. In some selected state ITIs relevant curriculum can be introduced on bamboo products. The state should coordinate with organisations like INBAR for future programmes of development. it can be easily concluded that when compared with those of the North-Eastern state, the products made by the Changar people not only match these but also have the upper edge in the overall quality and craftsmanship. |
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Govt geared up to transport apple
Shimla, September 6 So far about 1.10 crore boxes have been exported out of the state and about one crore were yet to be transported. Over 50,000 trucks have been arranged for transporting the produce. Apples being transported from the adjoining states of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh into the state have been exempted from goods tax up to October 31. |
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Four killed in accident
Shimla, September 6 The dead were identified as Ran Bhadaur, Jasbir, Satti and a woman, Jee Rupa. The injured, admitted to a hospital at Rekong Peo, were identified as Mandir and Bal Bhadaur. — UNI |
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