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Hooda raises SYL issue at conclave
Cong flayed for skipping SYL issue at CMs’ conclave
Central Govt must quit, says INLD
BJP welcomes verdict on Bihar
Three-pronged plan to check power theft
Probe into varsity’s
irregularities sought
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MLA "elopes", courtesy magician
Better location for Army health office sought
Youth killed for marrying Brahmin girl
Man, brother held for dowry death
Sacha Sauda followers decry CBI over torture
Arjun Singh to take part in information conference
Haryana goes on de-worming drive for students
2 die due to excessive drinking
Raising Day of Kharga Corps
Bus service for court complex sought
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Hooda raises SYL issue at conclave
Chandigarh, October 7 The AICC general secretary, Mrs Ambika Soni, had stated a couple of days ago that no bilateral issues would be raised at the conclave. Mr Hooda said the central agencies should procure cotton, mustard and other crops at the minimum support price to encourage crop diversification. He also emphasised that the MSP for wheat and rice should be increased keeping in view the rise in the cost of inputs. Mr Hooda, who gave a presentation on significant issues concerning the state, urged the Central Government that the SYL canal should be completed in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court and the construction of the Kishau, Lakhvar-Vyasi and Renuka dams in the upper reaches of the Yamuna should be taken up by the Central Government. He said within six months of the Congress government taking over in Haryana, the environment of fear and lawlessness that was the hallmark of the Chautala government had become a thing of the past. While referring to the scheme of waiving arrears of electricity bills, Mr Hooda clarified that the “innovative and imaginative” scheme was introduced after extensive consultations and dialogue with farmers and it was not a dole or a scheme to give free power. He said that the government firmly believed that realisation of adequate user charges was necessary for sustaining the supply of power. The scheme had provided relief to only such rural consumers who would continue to pay all current dues over the next 20 months. He said that it was encouraging that so far more than 65 per cent of the total chronic defaulters had subscribed to this innovative scheme which would induce them to pay their bills regularly in future also. He said the state had a plan to create an additional generation capacity of 5,000 MW during next three of four years primarily on the public-private partnership model. He also sought central assistance of Rs 400 crore to overcome the problems of the declining watertable and increase in soil salinity. While drawing the attention of Mrs Sonia Gandhi to the National Calamity Relief Fund, he said that the norms of compensation for crop damage were inadequate and needed revision. He said the price regime for unallocated power from the central pool should be rationalised. He pointed out that at present the states which were underdrawing power were getting undue advantage at the cost of states like Haryana. He demanded that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, which at present covered only Mahendragarh district, should be extended to three more disadvantaged districts of Jhajjar, Mewat and Rewari. He also urged the Central Government to provide tax incentives on par with Himachal Pradesh for industries in the Aravali, Mewat and Shivalik regions of the state. He said the Central Government should also suitably share service tax collections with the states. Mr Hooda said the Centre should give budgetary support for the modernisation of the police force in the entire NCR on a with the national capital territory. Mr Hooda said that the present government in Haryana, ever since it was voted to office in March, 2005, with a thumping majority, had been relentlessly pursuing the developmental agenda of the National Common Minimum Programme of the UPA government. He said “VIKALP”, a pilot project in the health sector for providing accessible, affordable and reliable healthcare to all, including the poorest of the poor, had been introduced with public-private partnership. The state government has introduced an incentive based scheme known as LADLI to check the declining sex ratio. Under this scheme, on the birth of the second daughter in a family, an incentive of Rs 5,000 per year would be given to the mother and the daughter for five years. He said the first six months of his government had been quite eventful. “It would be my endeavour to reduce government while improving governance,” he added. |
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Cong flayed for skipping SYL issue at CMs’ conclave
Gurgaon, October 7 The national vice-president of the BJP, Mr Kisan Singh Sangwan, who was here, said the SYL issue should not been put on the backburner under the pretext that the conclave was to deal with general issues. If assessment of the performance of the Congress governments in the states was the agenda of the conclave, Haryana could not be delinked from the SYL canal even for a day as it was the lifeline of the state. Haryana and Punjab are the two Congress ruled states and the UPA government at the Centre is headed by Congress Prime Minister. The conclave was the best opportunity to solve the issue, especially when the Supreme Court had already given its verdict in favour of Haryana, he added. He declared that the BJP would support any move of the Congress government in Haryana for expeditious construction of the remaining portion of the SYL canal. |
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Central Govt must quit, says INLD
Chandigarh, October 7 Addressing a Press conference here, Mr Ajay Chautala, Rajya Sabha member and secretary-general of the INLD, and Mr Ashok Arora, president of the Haryana unit of the INLD, said the Central Government had no right to continue as it too was a party to the decision on dissolving the Assembly. The INLD leaders also briefed the reporters on their meeting with the Haryana Governor today on the issue of the SYL canal. An INLD delegation had met the Governor and presented a memorandum to him addressed to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. The memorandum said the completion of the SYL canal was among the foremost promises made by the Congress in its election manifesto in Haryana. It added that it would be a cruel joke on the people of Haryana if the ongoing Congress chief ministers' conclave in Chandigarh, purportedly called by the party to take stock of the implementation of the election manifestos of the Congress-ruled states, did not take up the issue of the completion of the SYL canal. While talking to the reporters, the INLD leaders also criticised the Haryana Government and said it had deployed senior IAS officers for managing the chief ministers' conclave despite it being essentially a party function. Mr Chautala replied in the negative when asked if there was any substance in allegations about the INLD losing its supporters to the Congress. He said while the INLD had been singled out for poor performance in the Rohtak byelection, the fact was that all parties, including the victorious Congress, had got fewer votes in it than what they had secured in the Lok Sabha elections last year. INLD legislators Sushil Indora and Sita Ram were among those present at the Press conference. |
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BJP welcomes verdict on Bihar
Chandigarh, October 7 In a statement issued here today the Treasurer of the Haryana unit of the BJP, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, said the judgement had vindicated the stand of his party, which had opposed the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly. He said the apex court’s decision was a “slap on the face of the Congress as well as its leaders like Ms Sonia Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh.”
— TNS |
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Three-pronged plan to check power theft
Hisar, October 7 The DHBVN authorities attribute the shortfall in power supply to the increased demand and reduced frequency in supply from the northern grid. Another significant factor is the line loss, which amounts to 30 to 32 per cent of the total power. According to official sources, 16 to 17 per cent of line losses are due to the overloaded power distribution system in the state, while the remaining are due to power theft. The sources maintain that according to rough estimates, power worth Rs 3 to 3.5 crore is stolen daily in the state. This is a major cause of concern as the additional burden has ultimately to be borne by the honest consumers who pay their electricity bills regularly. The DHBVN authorities have employed a three-pronged strategy to combat the problem of power theft, which has become a social evil apart from being a criminal offence. The vigilance cell and operation circle staff of the power corporations raid the premises where electricity is being stolen and impose fine on the owners. A campaign has also been launched to regularise the unauthorised power connections, mainly in the rural areas. A scheme to disclose unauthorised extension of load was recently floated, in which nearly 300 MW of extended load was disclosed. The latest addition to the anti-theft strategy is the DHBVN scheme in which the persons informing the department about power theft will be rewarded with a cash incentive up to Rs 25,000. The scheme has evoked an overwhelming response with a large number of people calling up the officials concerned. Seeing the encouraging response, the authorities concerned are considering a move to extend the scheme to more districts. DHBVN has provided a toll-free number 16001801011, besides telephone number 01662-221527, to give information on power thefts. Moreover, the information can be mailed to hookacrook4dhbvn@yahoo.co.in,hookacrook4dhbvn@gmail.com or mddhbvn@gmail.com. The informer’s identity would be kept secret by the department. At the same time, the DHBVN authorities have appealed to the power consumers to ensure that their meter and service cable are intact so as to avoid being penalised due to carelessness. The consumers can contact the department and get their meter covering or seals replaced. |
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Probe into varsity’s
irregularities sought
Rohtak, October 7 In a communication to the Chancellor the MDUTA President, Dr Vazir Nehra and Secretary Dr Gulshan Taneja have pointed out that after taking over, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had ordered a probe into the functioning of the Directorates of Distance Education both of MDU and Kurukshetra University. The probe was to be conducted by the Secretary Education, Haryana and the Registrars of both these universities. In the case of MDU the probe was yet to begin as the Vice-Chancellor was foiling efforts to initiate it, the letter added. The MDUTA leaders said the Director, Distance Education, had stated that the directorate had no statutory position and its functioning was more a matter of expediency than adherence to university statutes and the mandate of distance education. He had also pointed out that in the absence of any charter the functioning of the directorate was arbitrary which opened floodgates of irregularities in its functioning. The duo stated that the directorate had allocated printing of study material to a private firm original rates of which were hiked for no reason yet the printing and the content of the material was substandard giving rise to several controversies. |
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MLA "elopes", courtesy magician
Fatehabad, October 7 These were not real life incidents but managed by Jadugar Samrat Shankar at the local RK Theatre, where the magician has been holding shows for the past one week. The magician called Mr Dura Ram to the stage and made him sit in a Maruti car with two girls of his team. Suddenly the car disappeared from the stage only to reappear after a few minutes. He asked another Congress leader to come to the stage and write down on a piece of paper whether the currency not held in the hands of the magician was genuine or fake? The Congress leader was amazed to find later that he had written his resignation from the party post. Jadugar Shankar Samrat has been showing many other tricks, including creation of currency notes from a piece of paper, making a girl sleep in the air without any support, cutting a girl into two pieces and turning the head and hands of a girl like those of a plastic doll. Speaking to journalists, the magician said magic was a combination of tricks and hypnotism. He said he had been performing in the country for the past 30 years and had helped the government collect crores of rupees for the Red Cross through his shows. |
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Better location for Army health office sought
Ambala, October 7 Lieut-Col Bali (retd) lamented the fact that although the suggestion for a centrally-located ECHS office had been made in March this year, no progress had taken place in this regard. He said that it was a major reason for the scheme not becoming popular in Ambala district. He said that out of 14000 ex-servicemen in the district, only 2400 ex-servicemen had enrolled for the scheme. Mr Bali said the ECHS office should be shifted from station headquarter to Military Hospital, which was conveniently located. Also regular monthly meetings should be held under Sub Area Commander to hear the grievances and to monitor progress. Mr Bali observed that the ex-servicemen had to pay rickshaw charges to reach the ECHS office located in station HQ where submission of enrollment form and collection of smart card takes place. He added that although the forms were provided and efficiently filled up by the helpline staff, the ex-servicemen had to make several rounds to the ECHS office to sort out objections. He said that the station HQ timings for visitors (10.30 am to 12.30 pm) did not suit ex-servicemen. Those who reach early in the morning had to wait outside and those who were delayed due to some reason were not entertained. |
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Youth killed for marrying Brahmin girl
Rohtak, October 7 He had married a Brahmin girl three years ago but his wife’s family had not reconciled to the inter-caste marriage. Late last night he was caught by his father-in-law Raj Kumar and his accomplices and stabbed repeatedly. He succumbed to his injuries sometime later. Two of the deceased’s friends were also hurt. The police has arrested Raj Kumar while five others — Amit, Parveen and Monu and two unidentified persons are absconding. |
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Man, brother held for dowry death
Rewari, October 7 It is alleged that Ratti daughter of Mata Din Gujjar of Alwar district of Rajasthan, who married Bhim Singh five years ago, was subjected to torture for dowry following which she ended her life. On a complaint of Mata Din, the police registered a case of dowry death under Sections 498-A, 304-B of the IPC against Bhim Singh, Bir Singh and father-in-law Duli Chand, mother-in-law Bimla Devi and others. |
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Sacha Sauda followers decry CBI over torture
Ambala, October 7 The followers of Dera Sacha Sauda held media interaction in Ambala City today. They strongly condemned the role of CBI officials in the alleged beating up of Krishan Lal while he was in the CBI custody. They said that Krishan Lal was picked up by the CBI in August 30 from Sirsa. He was sent on police remand till September 9. They alleged that during the police remand, Krishan Lal was badly beaten up. They stated that during medical examination, it was revealed that his body bore nine injury marks, his finger bone had cracked and his ear drum had been damaged. They claimed that he was given third-degree torture. The followers said that they took out a peaceful march in various districts to protest against the “inhuman torture” of Krishan Lal by CBI officials. Among others, Mr Desh Bandhu Mehta, Mr Krishan Das Mahmi, Mr Rajesh Chand Sirohi, Mr Joginder Singh and Mr Gurnam Singh were present. |
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Arjun Singh to take part in information conference
Ambala, October 7 Mr Arjun Singh, Minister for Human Resource Development, Government of India, will be the Chief Guest on the occasion. Dr D. Acharya, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education, New Delhi, will deliver the keynote address during inaugural function. The conference is sponsored by the Government of India, Ministry of Science and Technology and the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers in addition to various other professional organisations. The AICTE, CSIR and Institution of Engineers are also expected to sponsor the conference. According to the Chairman of the MM Education Trust, Mr Tarsam Garg, preparation for the national conference is going on in full swing. |
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Haryana goes on de-worming drive for students
Panchkula, October 7 Launching the campaign from Government Primary School, Sector 4, Panchkula, Mrs Kartar Devi advised students to inculcate the habit of observing personal hygiene and good dietary habits. To ensure complete deworming, another dose of this medication will again be administered to schoolchildren on November 7. Civil Surgeon D.P. Saluja said. Mrs Urvashi Gulati, Financial Commissioner, cum-Principal Secretary of the Health Department, Dr Sushma Madan, Director-General of the Health Department, Dr G.P. Saluja, Civil Surgeon, Panchkula, Additional Deputy Commissioner Parveen Kumar, SDM Virender Singh Dahiya and senior district officers participated in the deliberations.
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2 die due to excessive drinking
Jhajjar, October 7 According to information, the youths identified as Sunil and Sombir took excessive liquor last night. They were found in unconscious condition outside the village this morning. While Sunil had died when villagers spotted them, Sombir was brought to Civil Hospital here where he breathed his last. |
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Raising Day of Kharga Corps
Ambala, October 7 An officer said the premier strike corps was raised in 1971 at Krishnanagar in West Bengal. The corps participated in the 1971 conflict where it undertook operations as part of the Eastern Army. |
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Bus service for court complex sought
Ambala, October 7 Mr Malik said that Haryana Roadways was plying a bus to bring staff of the executive offices, including DC and SDM offices. He said that there was no such arrangement for the residents of Ambala Cantt. He said that advocates and other residents were compelled to spend more money in reaching the judicial complex which is located in the far-end of Ambala city. |
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