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HP annual plan fixed at Rs 1800 cr
Virbhadra promises development of Changar
BJP ‘working against’ OBCs
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Suman Verma elected MC chief
Cong retains posts
Rain, snow bring cheer to farmers
Science blocks in senior secondary schools
NH-21 opened up to Palchan
Security jawan dies of cold
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HP annual plan fixed at Rs 1800 cr
New Delhi, January 20 The Plan size was finalised in a meeting between state Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia in Yojna Bhavan here. Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, said the social sector had been accorded highest priority by allocating 790.30 crore. While the transport and communication sector has been allocated 294 crore and agriculture and allied services have been allocated Rs 225.10 crore. The Chief Minister said the social service sector, transport and communication, agriculture and allied services had been allocated 43.90 per cent, 16.33 per cent and 12.51 per cent budget of the approved outlay of Annual Plan 2006-2007. He said that the size of the annual plan 2005-2006 was approved for Rs 1600 crore against which cent per cent expenditure has been achieved. Outlining the road map for initiating public and private partnership in lining up resources for infrastructural intensification, he said the state government would mainly focus on procuring services, enforcing standards and protecting the public interests. He said the state would generate additional hydel capacity of 6328 MW by the 2010, which would increase states free power share to about 800 MW. He said it would generate annual revenue of about Rs 800 crore at current prices. He said the state government would consolidate the gains made in social sector by achieving universal rural connectivity through open economy. He said all partially covered/ non-covered habitants will be provided safe drinking water facilities by the end of the Tenth Plan. Mr Virbhadra Singh said 8216 housing units, 585 km road length, 210 hectares afforestation and 16.50 lakh wool production target has been fixed for the year 2006-2007. The Chief Minister pleaded for larger investment from Railways and Civil Aviation Ministries for creating physical infrastructure in the state. He said the state government would open up education sector for large sector private investment and state government will encourage and facilitate such investment and act as a regulator in context of ensuring quality of general as well as technical education. Mr Virbhadra Singh said the state government had finalised new forest policy to enlarge the role of Panchayati Raj institutions and communities in preservation, expansion and collective ownership of the forest and common property resources. He said the state government had implemented wide ranging additional resources mobilisation measures during last year by relaxation of stamp duty, hike in electricity duty at large and steeper hike for power intensive industries, hike in special road tax and has also undertaken expenditure containment measures which led to significant recovery. He said the employee population ratio in the state was among the highest in the country due to need for intensification of social infrastructure specially in education and health sector and need for a large work force to maintain the extensive infrastructure of roads, drinking water projects and irrigation schemes and added that state government had undertaken innovation measures to achieve cost reduction in the connection. |
Virbhadra promises development of Changar
Kangra, January 20 He was addressing a meeting at Jalag, after he laying the foundation stone of the science block and examination hall of Government Senior Secondary School, Jalag to be constructed at a cost of Rs. 40 lakh and Rs. 7.5 lakh respectively yesterday. The Chief Minister said that Government was paying special attention to the backward and difficult areas and provided additional funds for developmental activities in such areas. He said that the Changar area of Kangra district was being given special attention and schemes were on to connect every village with a motorable road provide drinking water, irrigation, health and education facilities. The Chief Minister said that the state government had decided to construct science laboratories in all senior secondary schools so that the students could learn scientific and technological skills in great demand the world over. The Chief Minister said that all census villages of the state were electrified in 1987-88 and the remaining habitations would also be provided electricity on priority. There was no shortage of power supply in domestic and commercial sectors. At another function Virbhadra Singh has said that all traditional water bodies in the state will be revived and maintained to supplement the water supply schemes to villages. He was addressing a public meeting at Laddhi after dedicating the Draman-Jalag-Laddhi augmented water supply scheme, constructed at a cost of Rs 49.28 lakh, to the people of the area last evening. This was the last public meeting of the first phase of winter sojourn which began on January 5 from Dharamsala. The Chief Minister said a programme had been started in the state to revive the traditional water bodies which had been the perennial source of drinking water to the people when the piped water supply was inadequate. The scheme was under implementation all over the state and being executed through gram panchayats and the Rural Development Department. Mr Virbhadra Singh said the revival of traditional water bodies had also been included in the Bharat Nirman Scheme of the Government of India. He directed the authorities to construct a retaining wall for the local Dalit habitation, sanctioned one hand pump and community centre to the community. Earlier, he paid obeisance at the temple of Mata Kulza Devi at Laddhi. Later, the Chief Minister dedicated the 14 kms-long Dhupkiara-Junga road, completed at a cost of Rs 2.03 crore to the people of the area and laid the foundation stone of the Sukad Khad bridge. |
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BJP ‘working against’ OBCs
Kangra, January 20 A meeting of the OBCBCP was yesterday held in the Nardha Sharda Temple at Nagrota Bagwan under the presidentship of Mr Baldev Choudary. The meeting, attended by the OBC pradhan, samiti members, zila parishad members and other OBC leaders of the Nagrota Bagwan Assembly constituency, condemned the alleged anti-OBC activities of the district BJP chief, Mr Ramesh Dhawala. They said that the BJP leaders, who were claiming to be the saviours of the OBCs were, in fact, responsible for the abduction of the two women zila parishad members of Nagrota Bagwan when these leaders were minister in the P.K. Dhumal Cabinet. The case of abduction was pending in the court. They condemned the alleged recent attack on a youth of the OBC community by Mr Ramesh Dhawala at Baddi. They warned the BJP leadership to desist from levelling charges against the Transport and Tourism Minister, Mr G.S. Bali, who represented Nagrota Bagwan, and threatened to gherao the BJP leadership if they continued with the anti-OBC activities. |
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Suman Verma elected MC chief
Kangra, January 20 Mr Bal Krishen and his wife Ms Urmila Sharma, both belonging to the Congress, had served as president of the committee for the past two decades but this time Ms Suman Verma, supported by the Transport and Tourism Minister, Mr
G.S.Bali, and the Youth Congress District Chief, Mr Ajay Verma, was elected as a member for the third time and was elected to the post of President of the Municipal Committee. Mr H.S
Pundeer, SDM Kangra, and the returning officer said in the beginning all nine elected members attended the meeting but four of them— Mr Bal Krishen Sharma, his wife Ms Urmila Sharma, Ashok Kumar and Bhavana—left the meeting midway. Meanwhile, Ashwani Kumar proposed the name of Ms Suman Verma for the President’s post and Mr Ram Swroop Verma named Meenakshi for Vice-President’s post and both were declared elected unopposed. Meanwhile, the newly elected Municipal Chief, Ms Suman Verma, said her priority would be to improve cleanliness and hygiene in the town besides the streetlight system would be improved. She said the town was in dire need of a parking place and a proper place would be identified in the city for the purpose. |
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Cong retains posts
Chamba, January 20 Meanwhile, the Animal Husbandary and Urban Housing Minister, Mr Harsh Mahajan, said the winning councillors could not reach a consensus and a secret ballot system was adopted.
— OC |
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Rain, snow bring cheer to farmers
Shimla, January 20 The belated rain came in the nick of time for the farmers in lower and mid hill areas where sowing had been delayed by more than a month. In the absence of rain more than one-third of the total area of 3.61 lakh hectare under wheat cultivation in the state had been left unsown. Over the past week sowing has taken place over 1.25 lakh hectares for which the agriculture department has provided 5000 quintals of late sowing variety of seed at subsidised rates to the farmers. The rain has also revived the crop in the lower hill areas of Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Una and parts of Kangra where farmers had resorted to dry sowing over 60,000 hectares in early December. The crop had not germinated properly because of lack of
moisture. The rain has provided life sustaining irrigation to the crop sown during October and November. However, farm experts maintain that more rain is needed as the recent spell came after a long dry spell. At least two or three more spells in February and March could still ensure a normal crop. According to Mr J.C Rana, Director of Agriculture, a contingency plan had been kept ready just in case the winter rains failed. He informed that the department had arranged 600
quintals of ‘mash and moong seed’ for a short duration crop which could be sown in late February along with seed of Arkel peas, another short duration crop. He said last year the rabi production was 7 lakh tonne, out of which the wheat accounted for 6.40 lakh tonne. The target for the current season was 7.54 lakh tonne. The target of wheat production is 7 lakh tonne and if weather gods oblige with regular rains over the next two months there would be no major shortfall in production. |
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Science blocks in senior secondary schools
Sihunta (Chamba), January 20 This was stated by the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, while laying the foundation stone of a Rs 40-lakh science laboratory in Senior Secondary School here on Wednesday. He announced that the government had earmarked Rs 2,000 crore for the construction of roads, bridges and maintenance of roads in the next two years. He said Chamba and Sirmaur districts had been chosen for the implementation of Employment Guarantee Scheme that will provide at least 100 days of employment to the poor. The other areas of the state would be included in the scheme after its successful implementation in these districts. The Chief Minister invited private participation in the education sector to supplement the state government’s endeavour towards vocationalisation of the education system. An engineering college in the government sector would also be opened at Sundernagar in Mandi district. MP Chander Kumar, MLA and State Finance Commission Chairman Kuldeep Pathania were present, among
others. Earlier, Mr Virbhadra Singh inaugurated three bridges over the Chandrol Ban Khad, Lauli Khad and Suked
Khad. |
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NH-21 opened up to Palchan
Kulu, January 20 According to the Border Roads organisation (BRO) the road between Solang ski resort and Palchan will be restored within two days.
Snow cutters and heavy machineries have been pressed into service to clear mounds of snow. The PWD, which maintains the NH-21 till Manali cleared the blocked road between Patlikuhal and Manali last evening. Hoteliers in Manali and Vashsisht are hopeful that the occupancy in hotels will go up as soon as Salong is opened to traffic. |
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Security jawan dies of cold
Chamba, January 20 Mr Upendra Thakur, Superintendent of Police, said here today that the body of Megh Singh was spotted when two other jawans, who were also following the same path, found his bag lying near his body. The SP said that a team of police personnel led by Mr Sukh Dev, Subdivisional Police Officer, Salooni had been deputed to bring the body of Megh Singh to the district headquarters. The SP said Megh Singh was a resident of Jawalamukhi (Kangra) and was on leave. He was coming from his village to join duty at the checkpoint.
— OC |
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New Delhi, January 20
