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Panchayats' objections sought on BPL list
Bengali minors: police yet to arrest buyer
Nathpa shutdown costs SJVN Rs 95 cr
Ministers refute Dhumal’s allegations
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Citizens’ forum
threatens to gherao Punjab CM
Tourism Dept puts up signboards
Advocate killed in road accident
Panchayats' objections sought on BPL list
Mandi, August 9 The exercise is being carried out to provide housing to at least two poorest among the BPL families from each panchayat every year under the Indira Gandhi Awas Yojan
(IGAY) and the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojna (RGAY) in the state for a period of five years. |
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According to top officials, the survey has identified over 2.72 lakh BPL families in the state. “The pardhans or individuals can file objection on the BPL families' list in the office of the SDM within a month. The SDM concerned will decide the case within 10 days”. Further, even if they are not satisfied by the SDM’s verdict, they can file objections with the DC of the district concerned, who will decide the case within 10 days. “Once the BPL list is final, it will be an index to select the BPL beneficiaries for the IGAY, RGAY and the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)”, revealed officials. The government has initiated this exercise as panchayats have raised objections on the BPL list on the ground the BPL lists are biased and prepared without the consent of the general house. The Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, Mr RS Gupta, said the BPL list was prepared under a statewide survey conducted on the basis of the 13 Central Government parameters like income, literacy, backwardness etc of the families by the panchayats themselves. “All objections will be considered before the final list is prepared”, he clarified.
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Bengali minors: police yet to arrest buyer
Una, August 9 The police did not pursue investigation in the matter saying the case belonged to other state. A police team headed by SI Nitish Chander of Kumarganj police station in Bengal raided the factory in the Bathri area here yesterday with the assistance of police here. The police rescued the children after the arrest of Ataulna Rehman, a member of the gang involved in the kidnapping of minors. Rehman had sold these children to the contractor here. The police team along with the children spent the last night in Hanuman temple in Phagwara in Kapurthala district and this morning boarded a train for Bengal from there. But the police here is yet to check the persons involved in the purchasing of children and using them for manual work here. Minor children are being used in mining and construction work here. This correspondent visited several areas in the district and saw minor children used for mining in rivulets, construction work and at Dhabas along roads. Migrant labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pardesh are preferred by contractors as they work here almost on half the wages compared to local labourers here. Children between four and 18 years from Bihar were seen quarrying in Jalgran rivulet. These children stay in temporary huts along rivulets. Parents of these minors said they get Rs 30 per day even after assistance of children. When contacted SSP, Una, Atul Phuljhele, said we have assisted the police team from Bengal and children were rescued. We have received no complaint of minors involvement in labour in the district. If we get, we would act accordingly.
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Nathpa shutdown costs SJVN Rs 95 cr
Shimla, August 9 The project has been shut down since July 25 and the closure has deprived the nigam of revenue to the tune of Rs 95 crore on account of loss of generation. In all it has remained closed for 21 days. The total generation so far has been 3055 million units and the project has already fallen behind target by about 300 million units. This is despite the fact that until July 24 the target had been exceeded by about 100 million units. Last year the project generated only 4055 million units as against the target of 6950 million units as excessive silt, Parechu lake breach and bursting of labyrinth pipe forced closure of the project for 89 days. The total revenue generated was about Rs 950 crore as against the targeted Rs 1,600 crore. The project was designed for operation up to a silt level of 5,000 ppm (parts per million) and this level was expected to exceed for only four days in a year. However, the actual number of high silt days was much higher and even operation of the project within the permissible level of silt caused extensive damage to turbines. The Union Ministry of Power took into consideration the silt problem and scaled down the generation target for the year by 550 million units. The revised target was based on the presumption that there would be 11 high silt days during the year but the project had already encountered 21 such days. The engineers of the nigam are helpless as the bulk of silt is being brought by the Sutlej from China. Normally, it was the Spiti, the river of the cold desert, which contributed the silt but the pattern has changed this year. The level of silt in the Sutlej has all along been three to four times that of the Spiti and on several occasions it reached 10 times. For instance, two days ago the level of the silt content in the Sutlej was 43,000 ppm (parts per million) at Khab whereas it was only 4,000 ppm in Spiti. The high silt level in the river is being attributed to the large-scale construction activity being carried out by the Chinese on the “roof of the world” and obviously it is taking a heavy toll of the fragile environment. The engineers who have been closely studying the river to find a permanent solution to the problem of excessive silt are
worried as nothing could be done to check the ongoing environmental degradation in the
Tibetan region. The total catchment area of the river upstream the Nathpa dam, from where the water of the
river is diverted for the project, is 49,820 sq km out of which 36,900 sq km falls in Tibet
and the remaining 12,920 sq km in Himachal Pradesh. As such the catchment area plan being implemented to check soil erosion will not be effective as it covers only 26 per cent of the watershed.
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Ministers refute Dhumal’s allegations
Shimla, August 9 In the latest notification, the government had given approval for filling vacant posts through Public Service Commission and the Subordinate Services Selection Board and also on contract basis, they said in a joint statement issued here today. All departments had been directed to amend the existing recruitment and promotion rules to incorporate terms and conditions of recruitments by both modes, they said. The ministers lamented that Mr Dhumal was not aware of facts regarding industrial package that had been extended up to March, 2010. They said industries starting production within the stipulated period would get excise rebate up to March, 2020. In addition, 100 per cent income tax rebate for the first five years and 25 per cent for next five years to individuals and 30 per cent to the companies would be provided. Income tax rebate would be available up to March, 2023, to those units that began production by March, 2013. Moreover, 15 per cent capital subsidy, which was presently being given under the industrial package up to the ceiling of Rs 30 lakh, would also be available up to 2023 to those units that came into operation by March, 2013. During the past three years, many big industrial houses had established units in the state and investment to the tune of Rs 19,000 crore had been attracted, the ministers said. These ventures would provide employment opportunities to 2.65 lakh persons. They said extension of the industrial package up to 2010 would further boost major and medium industries.
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Citizens’ forum
threatens to gherao Punjab CM
Kangra, August 9 Mr B.L. Sharma, general secretary, Senior Citizens Forum, in a statement said it was unfortunate that the neighbours like Punjab should feel jealous about a much-awaited industrial package given to Himachal Pradesh. He said that a special industrial package to the state had helped redress problems of the unemployed youths, besides boosting the economy of this otherwise economically backward state. Mr Sharma said that every state had the right to ask for financial packages from the Centre but to oppose packages to other states looked ridiculous. He said that when Capt Amarinder Singh and Mr Singla visited Himachal Pradesh they would be received with demonstrations and would be gheraoed for their utterances against Central package to Himachal Pradesh. The forum, however, expressed gratitude to Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, for the special package to the hill state.
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Tourism Dept puts up signboards
Mandi, August 9 The sign boards, which have been put up on the periphery of the town as well, indicate the direction and distance of the historic temples, DC office and main bazaars in the town. Thanking the Tourism Department for putting up signboards, president of the Mandi Citizen Council P.C. Bisht said the signboards would help promote tourism in the town. “They will guide visitors. Otherwise they used to grope in the dark,” he said. Moreover, the government had decided to build a dam downstream from here that would revive the bathing ghats and improve the local ecology, besides promoting tourism in the town, said Mr T.L. Vaidya, a member of the MMC.
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Advocate killed in road accident
Kangra, August 9 According to the police, a truck (HP-38-3294) going towards Palampur and a car (HP-40-6800) coming towards Kangra collided near Mallan on the Pathankot-Mandi highway, leaving Avinash Mongra, who was travelling in his car, dead on the spot. He was rushed to hospital where he was declared brought dead. Avinash Mongra (35), an advocate, was a resident of Ichchi, near here. According to the police, one person travelling in the truck was also injured in the accident. The police has registered a case under Sections 279 and 304-A, IPC, and arrested the truck driver. |
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