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Book on Gandhi banned
Govt trying to hoodwink HC: docs
Making people aware of Act on graft
2 officials held on graft charge
Haryana home to 60 fish species
Mann flays atrocities against Dalits
One-time loan settlement for farmers to be sought
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Few takers for
delivery huts
Ambala resounds with Vande Mataram
VC’s call to fight malnutrition
2 killed, 9 hurt in
bus-tempo collision
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Book on Gandhi banned
Chandigarh, September 7 The government has decided to ban a book on Mahatma Gandhi, written by Anand Prakash Madan of Panchkula, for remarks made in it about the Father of the Nation. Madan's book, ‘‘Mahatma Gandhi — A Curse for Bharat’’, is in the nature of propaganda material and should under no circumstances be compared with the NCERT books written by historians of some repute. In the latter books some observations were made about the nature of the Jat rebellion in North India at the fag end of Mughal rule. The Opposition INLD twisted the strictly academic exercise suitably to corner the state government, which fell into the trap rather easily. Madan's book, on the other hand, is full of invectives against the Mahatma and can well qualify for a textbook for the training of Hindu fanatics. The title of the book, brought out by a Delhi-based publisher, is itself suggestive of the contents and so is the cover. The word Mahatma is defaced by a red line cutting right through the word to show that Madan did not agree with the appellation given to Gandhiji by Tagore. Gandhiji is portrayed as anti-Hindu while Jinnah gets a pat on the back from the writer for being a "reasonable man". Nehru, too, is not spared and is written off as a dandy. The government, "after carefully going through the book", has come to the conclusion that it contains "objectionable and derogatory" remarks against Mahatma Gandhi and "tends to promote feelings of enmity, hatred and ill-will between different communities". The government has found the publication an offence under Section 153-A of the IPC. The government, in exercise of powers under sub-section (1) of Section 95 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, has decided that every copy of the book in Haryana will be forfeited with immediate effect. A notification in this regard is being issued tomorrow. It is not really too bad for the writer, who may actually have written the book only to get himself some publicity. What he may not have bargained for is a police case, which is going to be registered by the Panchkula police against him soon. |
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Govt trying to hoodwink HC: docs
Hisar, September 7 The doctors affected by the move have alleged that the authorities of the Health Department are trying to hoodwink the Punjab and Haryana High Court by effecting a change in a title of their tentative seniority list. The doctors affected have sent a representation to the authorities concerned, seeking their due promotions. They apprehend that the health authorities may ignore the objection and go ahead with the proposed move, supposed to benefit certain aspirants for the post of Civil Surgeon. The persons likely to benefit include two SMOs whose wives are IAS officers of the Haryana cadre and an SMO who had filed and withdrawn a petition for his promotion. Several SMOs will be adversely affected by the move and many of them will be deprived of a due promotion chance due to their approaching retirement. The matter began when Dr H.R. Yadav filed a civil suit in a Rewari court, claiming that he had been directly recruited as an SMO after being selected by the Haryana Public Service Commission in 1996 and maintaining that his seniority had not been determined correctly. The trial court had decreed the suit in Dr Yadav’s favour and the state government then filed an appeal in the court of the Additional District Judge at Rewari, but the appellate court upheld the decision of the lower court. Following this, the SMOs whose promotions were at stake had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The counsel for the government had stated that it had initiated the process for determining seniority of SMOs. He had said a tentative seniority list would be circulated among all members of the cadre. He had said the matter would be finalised after inviting objections and giving the opportunity of being heard. On this assurance, Dr Yadav had withdrawn his suit. The suit was dismissed as withdrawn, but the high court directed the government to finalise seniority of SMOs within four months after giving them adequate opportunity. Mr Justice P.S. Patwalia passed the order on July 6. In the tentative seniority list, the title ‘Date of appointment’, used in earlier gradation lists, had been changed to ‘Date of recommendation/promotion as SMO’. The doctors affected alleged that the deliberate change effected in the title of the tentative seniority list would block the promotion channel of a number of serving SMOs who had been promoted to the present scale in 1996.
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Making people aware of Act on graft
Chandigarh, September 7 The Gurgaon-based wing of the bureau has published a booklet, “Ek Nai Azadi”, with a view to educating people in how they can bring corrupt public servants to book. It quotes Sections 7, 8, 9 and 13 of the Act under which various officials can be arrested by the bureau. The booklet, compiled by Mr Rajbir Deswal, SP, Vigilance, Gurgaon, informs the readers that they can get a public servant arrested if he has been demanding money, gifts, or getting money through a middleman or has been causing delay in the hope of getting money or has been misusing his office or demanding a bribe in any form. Printed in Hindi, the booklet gives the mobile numbers of senior functionaries of the bureau so that people can talk to them direct and in confidence. The list naturally starts from the Director-General(098767-95090) and includes the Inspector-General(098057-99777), the SP, Vigilance, Gurgaon(098181-63970), the DSP, Vigilance, Gurgaon(098917-73421) and the Vigilance Office, Gurgaon(0124-2223443, 2321428) The Director-General, Vigilance, Mr R.S. Dalal, in his message, has expressed the confidence that the staff of the bureau will continue to make a significant contribution in realising the dream of the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, of providing a corruption-free administration. Mr Dalal claimed that the drive launched to nab corrupt officials had got tremendous support from the public. |
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2 officials held on graft charge
Fatehabad, September 7 A team of the Vigilance Bureau trapped Dr Krishan Kumar, Medical Officer working in the local general hospital, today. The doctor had demanded a bribe of Rs 2,000 from Mr Raj Kumar, a son of Mr Maman Ram of Harnam Singh Colony for issuing his medico-legal report. Mr Raj Kumar reported the matter to the Superintendent of Police, Vigilance, Hisar, Mr S. P. Ranga. The SP constituted a team led by the DSP, Vigilance, Mr Ram Swaroop Godara. The team gave four marked currency notes of the Rs 500 denomination each to the complainant and laid a trap to nab the accused doctor. As soon as the complainant handed over the money to the accused, the Vigilance officials pounced on the doctor and caught him red-handed. In another incident, Manoj Kumar, a lineman working in the Dakhshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, at Ganda village in this district was nabbed by the Vigilance Bureau while accepting a bribe of Rs 2,000 from a consumer for installing a new meter on his premises. Mr Amrik Singh, the consumer, had complained to the Vigilance Bureau that the lineman had demanded a bribe of Rs 2,000 for installing a new meter on his premises. A team of the Vigilance Bureau led by Inspector Jagdish Chander laid a trap and arrested the accused red-handed while accepting the bribe. |
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Haryana home to 60 fish species
Chandigarh, September 7 During the study various water bodies located in Panchkula, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Fatehabad, Hisar, Sirsa, Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat and Faridabad districts were studied. The Yamuna and the Ghaggar flow through these districts. The water bodies in the state support fish which can survive both in clear waters and oxygen-deficient waters. Two species recorded are listed as endangered by the Washington-based International Union of Conservation of Natural Resources, while 12 are vulnerable. The endangered species are the golden mahseer and the Indian glassy fish. The golden mahseer is an inhabitant of streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs. In Haryana, it is found only in the Ghaggar near Nada Sahib in Panchkula. The Indian glassy fish is a demersal species found in fresh and brackish waters. It is found throughout the state. Haryana also supports exotic fish species, which include the silver carp, the grass carp, the mosquito fish, the Thai magur and the bighead carp. Prof M.S. Johal, who was the principal investigator of the study, says though the mosquito fish helps control the population of mosquito larvae, it is also creating an ecological imbalance due to its voracious feeding habits. This exotic species can harm the native fish fauna, if it accidentally enters nature through floods or due to other reasons. The Health Department is introducing this species in village ponds. He says the department must explore the possibility of introducing minnows and small-sized native perches having similar feeding habits rather than the mosquito fish. Similarly, the Thai magur, another exotic species banned by the Government of India, is also being bred on private farms and in village ponds. Professor Johal says the Thai magur is omnivorous with a marked tendency to feed on bottom-dwelling organisms, fish and debris. If it slips into the ecosystem, it can also destroy the indigenous species of fish. Dr S.C. Agarwal, Director, Haryana Fisheries, says the department will strictly implement the ban on the breeding of the Thai magur and the bighead fish. He says two exotic species — the tilapia and the pearl spot — will be introduced in ponds in various districts, including Fatehabad, Jind, Hisar, Gurgaon and Rohtak, as these are suitable for saline waters. |
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Mann flays atrocities against Dalits
Chandigarh, September 7 In a memorandum submitted to the Haryana Governor here today by the party, its President, Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, said it was a severe indictment of a secular society that when Haryana was talking about an IT revolution in the state, its poor and underprivileged residents should be attacked and their women and children made to flee their homes. Mr Mann along with certain party men had visited the village on September 4. He said till date, no ruling party MLA or Minister had visited the affected families. He alleged that "fear psychosis among the populace is so strong and palpable that even the media is scared to report the current situation of the Dalits." Urging the Governor to visit the affected village, Mr Mann demanded that the state should give Rs 10 lakh per affected family as compensation and the guilty should be punished without delay. The injured should be provided treatment at Government Rajindra Medical College, Patiala, or the PGI, Chandigarh. The SAD (Amritsar) also alleged that the Indian state practised apartheid against the Dalits. The Haryana Government had provided only "skeleton protection" to the Dalits in the village. Mr Mann said though the Sikhs constituted 16 per cent of the total population of Haryana, their legitimate social, cultural and economic rights had been consistently compromised. The Punjabi language had not been accorded proper official status of being the second language of the state. He said since Haryana was formed on linguistic grounds,
"Haryanavi, not Hindi, should become the official language". Haryana Sikhs should be given proportionate representation in the subordinate judiciary and the High Court. Sikh political prisoners languishing in Haryana jails for more than a decade should be released immediately. The Akali leader also alleged that in various corners of Haryana, a large number of anti-Sikh deras were proliferating under the patronage of state agencies and Sikh-dominated areas were being discriminated against in the matter of development. Sikhs in Badh Khalsa village in Sonepat district were being uprooted in the name of building Rajiv Gandhi Educational City. He also alleged that the Delimitation Commission, "in continuation of the anti-Sikh policy of the Haryana Government", was converting Sikh-populated areas into reserved constituencies. Mr Mann also opposed a separate SGPC for Haryana Sikhs. |
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One-time loan settlement for farmers to be sought
Chandigarh, September 7 The demand will be made by chairman of the All-India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress Shamsher Singh Surjewala, who has been specially invited to participate in the conclave by AICC president Sonia Gandhi. According to sources close to Mr Surjewala, the veteran Haryana Congress leader, who has been spearheading the cause of debt-ridden farmers, is likely to suggest the formation of committees comprising representatives of farmers, creditors and officers in every sub-division to settle outstanding and old loans of the farmers, both with banks and private moneylenders. In cases where farmers were not able to repay their loan, the government should pay it. To save the farmers from future debt traps, Mr Surjewala would suggest that the agriculture loan banks be completely restructured. The merger of village cooperative credit societies to form rural banks, which should be directly financed by Nabard, will also be demanded. At present, Nabard extends loan to state apex cooperative banks at 4 per cent interest. By the time village societies receive money, intermediary banks add their own profit margins, which leads to the charging of higher rate of interest from the farmers. Mr Surjewala wants a law enacted for compulsory registration of private money lenders. Also, their rate of interest should not exceed 4 per cent more than the cooperative banks’ interest rate. He is also expected to take up the issue of minimum support price of various crops, seeking their fixture only after calculating the cost of production and addition of around 20 per cent profit. He also wants a provision for life term for those who sell adulterated or spurious agriculture inputs to the farmers.
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Few takers for
delivery huts
Panipat, September 7 Fiftyfour per cent of the deliveries in rural areas are being carried out by midwives at homes. The department had targeted to bring the infant mortality rate down from 6 per cent to 3 per cent by 2010. At least 1,500 newborns are registered in the district every month, of which 50 per cent are from private hospitals. The 100-bed Civil Hospital here does not receive more than 12 delivery cases every month. A total of 1,845 newborns were registered in the district in July, of which 918 were born in private nursing homes. Only 153 newborns were reported from government hospitals while 697 deliveries were carried out by trained midwives and 46 deliveries by untrained midwives. The presence of delivery huts in rural areas could not make any impact on the choice of the people. Only 216 delivery cases were reported from the 16 delivery huts in the district till the end of August. Thirtynine deliveries were carried out in the delivery huts in August while 14 were reported in May. The poor condition of primary health centres or sub-centres where these huts had been established was the main reason for not getting a good response though no money was being charged. Gates had not been put up at the primary health centre in Mandi village, due to which animals had free access to it. A portion of the building of the primary health centre in Bapoli village had been declared unsafe three months back. |
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Ambala resounds with Vande Mataram
Ambala, September 7 District Congress Committee (urban) Ambala City president Arun Garg alongwith other Congress activists sang Vande Mataram at the Congress Bhavan. The national song was sung at 11 am. Mr Garg spoke about the importance of Vande
Mataram. He said Vande Mataram was sung at the Congress session in 1905 and the whole country felt a new energy. To mark the centenary year of Vande
Mataram, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a programme at Aggarwal Dharamshala, Ambala Cantt. Former Haryana minister, Mr Ram Bilas Sharma, presided over the function, while former MP, Mr Ratan Lal Kataria, Mr Suresh, Mr Kanwar Pal and former MLA, Ms Veena
Chibber, were also present. Mr Ratan Lal Kataria said Vande Mataram was the national song and it was a matter of nationalistic pride in singing it. He opined that singing of Vande Mataram must be made compulsory in all educational
institutions. Vande Mataram was sung in MDSD Girls College, Ambala City. The students and staff members of the college sang the national song under the auspices of the NSS unit. College principal Kiran Angra advised the students to make the song an integral part of their daily routine. Dr Jeewanti Joshi, NSS in charge, said singing of the national song reflected devotion to the motherland. Centenary celebrations of Vande Mataram was also held in GMN College, Ambala Cantt. College principal R.R. Malik said college students and staff sang Vande
Mataram. He said the national song provided inspiration to youth. Prof Gian Chaurasia and Prof Amarjit Kaur of the Music Department were the coordinators.
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VC’s call to fight malnutrition
Hisar, September 7 Addressing the valedictory function of the Nutrition Literacy Week at the university today, Dr Katyal described malnutrition as a great hindrance to the sustainable development of the nation. Quoting a survey of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Vice-Chancellor said in India alone, 236 crore people were affected by malnutrition, while 250 crore people were poor. He revealed that 80 per cent of the women today were anaemic and almost one-third of the infants were born underweight. To overcome this deplorable situation, the Vice-Chancellor called upon the agricultural scientists to collaborate with food scientists and redirect their efforts towards promotion of quality production. |
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2 killed, 9 hurt in
bus-tempo collision
Jhajjar, September 7 According to information, the bus was going towards Rohtak, while the tempo was coming from the opposite direction when the mishap occurred. The driver of the tempo,
Balwan, and migrant labourer died, while nine other occupants of the tempo received serious injuries. All the injured,
Dharamvir, Amit, Inder, Balwan, Pratap, Baba, Ravinder Sombir and a woman were referred to the PGIMS at Rohtak. The driver of the bus tried to escape but the bus passengers caught him. The police has registered a case in this connection. |
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