Kaithal, November 23
Haryana has achieved 8.6 per cent economic growth as against 8 per cent of the country. Besides, it has the highest per capita income in the country.

This was revealed by the Haryana Governor, Dr A.R. Kidwai, while addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of the renovation work of ‘Vidkyar Tirath’ here today. The work would be undertaken at a cost of Rs 10 crore.

The Governor maintained that the Haryana Government was committed to the preservation of cultural heritage and historical places of the state. He said that Kurukshetra Development Board had envisaged an ambitious plan of renovating all religious places within a radius of 48 ‘kos’ around Kurukshetra.

Dr Kidwai asserted that the world had derived inspiration from the Mahabharata. The government was striving to bring Kurukshetra on the international tourism map.

Referring to the development of the state in a short span of time, Dr. Kidwai maintained that Haryana had attracted an investment of Rs 40,000 crore during the past one and a half years, which was equal to the investment made all over the country. He said that 55 per cent motor cars, 60 per cent scooters and 30 per cent tractors, besides the science and leather goods were being produced in the state.

The Governor said that Haryana was the second largest state in the country in contributing foodgrains to the central pool. Also, 80 per cent rice was being exported from the state.

Dr Kidwai stressed the need to impart qualitative education to the students so that they could compete in the modern age.

He said the Central Government had also decided to set up a food processing centre near Panipat. All the goods produced in this centre would be exported.

He stressed on the need for the promotion of Murrah buffaloes and Sahiwal cows breeds. The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, maintained that Kaithal district had historical and religious importance as it had been related with the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Kaithal was the birthplace of Hanuman.

He said that keeping in view the importance of this historical place the Government had decided to renovate this holy Tirath at a cost of Rs 10 crore.

The Chief Minister revealed that ISKCON had been allotted a piece of land at Kurukshetra for the construction of religious institution of international level.

The Public Health Minister, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, demanded that the mazar of Razia Sultan should be renovated as it had historical value.

Later, the Chief Minister inaugurated a library and a bar room in the district judicial complex. 

Karnal, November 23
Governor Dr A.R. Kidwai today visited the National Dairy Research Institution (NDRI) complex here this morning.

He stressed the importance of disseminating information regarding the latest advancements in various researches to the grassroot level.

He said the persons associated with dairy farming should be given the latest information for overall improvement of the sector.

He also interacted with scientists on the campus and was impressed to know that bittle cross goat gave five litres of milk per day. 

Chandigarh, November 23
In an effort to empower Panchayati Raj institutions, Haryana has decided to strengthen its village-level committees on women and child development so that these act as empowered committees of gram panchayats.

It has now been decided that many vital functions under the Integrated Child Development Schemes (ICDS) will now be transferred to these village committees on women and child development. All women panches will be associated with these committees to strengthen representation of gram panchayats.

Top officials in the Women and Child Development Department informed TNS that the committee would be responsible for initiating social audit of programmes under its ambit. These committees would gather feedback of beneficiaries on important parameters of every programme and regulate its decisions in the light of the feedback provided.

These committees will implement the supplementary nutrition programme through the women self-help groups (SHG). The menu of food will be decided by the committees and fix distribution schedules. The Women and Child Development Department will itself circulate an illustrative list of recipes.

“The committee would have a savings bank account in which necessary funds for implementation of the programme would be deposited in advance, on a quarterly basis. Funds will be deposited on the basis of number of beneficiaries and their entitlement for three months. Even for disbursement of honorarium to anganwadi workers/ helpers, requisite funds would be deposited in advance,” said the official.

The bank account would be jointly operated by two women panches and an anganwadi worker, who are authorised by the committee. It will review the utilisation of funds at the monthly meeting. All activities of the committee will be open to public scrutiny and placed before the gram sabha. The supervisors under the ICDS have been entrusted with the task of getting the meetings of the Gram Sabha convened for this purpose, at least twice a year.

Officers of both the Rural Development Department and Department of Women and Child Development, including BDPOs, will monitor and supervise the decentralised implementation of the programme through the village-level committee. 

Chandigarh, November 23
The new forest policy of Haryana, announced by the Minister of State for Forests, Mrs Kiran Choudhry, here today, aims at increasing the area under forest and tree cover in the state from 6.6 per cent to 10 per cent by 2010, and eventually to 20 per cent through massive afforestation and social forestry programmes.

It is the first-ever forest policy of Haryana, which has been formulated within the framework of the National Forest Policy, 1988, to increase the forest and tree cover in the states.

Mrs Choudhry said the policy aimed at promoting agro-forestry by encouraging local people to grow more trees for better and safe economic returns. An agro-forestry research centre would also be set up. She said Haryana was basically an agrarian state with very little forest cover. The increase in the forest cover would also boost the eco-tourism sector in the state.

Stressing the need for the forest policy, she said the focus of the world was shifting to afforestation due to global warming and the falling water table. Launching massive awareness campaigns for promoting people’s participation in environment protection and afforestation could reduce the adverse effects of global warming.

She said the policy was also aimed at the conservation and development of medicinal plants in the state. Farmers would be trained and motivated to grow medicinal plants. Marketing facilities would be provided to farmers through the Forest Corporation for selling their produce in the national and international markets.

Self-help groups (SHGs) were being constituted, especially of women, for empowering them through forestry-based and other income-generation activities. Tree grower societies would also be constituted to function as linkages between tree-growers and wood-based industries. She said to strengthen the marketing infrastructure, more timber markets would be set up to facilitate the procurement of wood and for stabilising the prices of forest produce. Industries would be encouraged to supply good quality stock to the farmers and to enter into buy-back arrangements for the raw material produced by them.

Village forest committees had been reconstituted for joint forest management. These committees would monitor plantation on degraded natural forests near villages. Funds to the needy and SHGs would also be disbursed through these committees to give a fillip to afforestation. Sub-surface dams were being constructed all over the state for water harvesting. Nature interpretation centres and biodiversity conservation centres would also be set up.

Mrs Choudhry cautioned that stern action would be taken against encroachers on the forest land. A consolidation survey was being carried out to check encroachments.

The Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Forests, Mr H. C. Disodia; the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Mr J.P.L. Srivastva; and the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Dr. J K Rawat, were also present.

Panipat, November 23
An 84-year-old priest at a temple at National Fertiliser Limited (NFL) township was found dead under mysterious circumstances here today.

According to information, octogenarian Hriday Ram Sharma was found dead when his grandson Naveen reached the temple in the morning. Hands of the deceased were found tied and public address system and speakers of temple were found missing while the amplifier of the public addressing system was found lying in the temple.

Locks of cash box were found tampered with.

The police has sent the body for a post-mortem examination after registering a case. 

Yamunanagar, November 23
A cop in connivance with his ‘beloved’ and a fellow constable allegedly murdered his wife in the police quarters here last evening. Safal (4) son of the deceased was present in the house at the time of the crime.

The body was found lying on a bed in the house and Safal was sleeping near it when a neighbour entered the house through the front door which was unlocked. Constable Jatinder and his “beloved” Sarita and an unidentified person have been booked for the murder. Parents of Jatinder were booked for criminal conspiracy.

Jatinder, who was under training at Police Training Centre Madhuban, has been arrested. The police has been looking for Sarita, who too was under training at the centre and the third accused. Sources said there were nail marks on the face and strangulation mark on the body.

Safal reportedly told the police that his father (Jatinder) along with a ‘Dr Aunt’ had come to the house last evening. The ‘Dr Aunt’ administered an injection to his mother and also gave him something to drink.