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Virbhadra wants sops for industry
Policy on hydro power projects sought
Youth told to set up units
CM unhappy with bureaucrats
Teacher gets 5 years’
jail for rape
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Second wife strangles son
Virbhadra wants sops for industry
New Delhi, December 9 Taking a strong view on the 11th Plan approach paper comment that “extension of excise duty exemption to Himachal and Uttaranchal has had an adverse impact on industrial investment in both the North-Eastern region and the adjacent states, the state Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, addressing the National Development Council (NDC) meeting here, said “I find this policy statement alarming.” “Even with these incentives, actual
industrial growth in Himachal has been exruciatingly slow. We need to accelerate the measures by which we can enhance the industrial development of Himachal Pradesh, rather than retarding the small growth momentum which has recently taken place,” he said. |
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Pointing out to the curtailment of the tax benefits till March 2010, he said industrial base of the state was still developing and these tax incentives need to be extended at least till the period of the original notification - 2013. He requested the Centre to formulate national policy for tapping 80,000 mega watt hydro electric potential available in the country for faster economic growth of hilly region and ensure energy security in the country . Mr Virbhadra Singh suggested that generous financial support should be provided to special category states during 11th Plan period for investment in new hydro-electric projects to enhance the future sustainability of these states. He said hydro-electric projects constructed on the" run of the water" did not have significant displacement and rehabilitation problem and cited the example of 1500 mega watt Nathpa Jhakri project commissioned in Himachal Pradesh. The Chief Minister demanded adequate funding for upgrading Shimla airport for connectivity for bigger planes like ATRs and informed that Himachal Pradesh was only state in the country whose capital did not have reliable air connectivity and added that Himachal Pradesh should be added in the plan which envisages constructions of three green field airports at Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland in Northeastern regions . He demanded that Chandigarh Airport should be operationalised as an international airport to boost the international tourism in Himachal, Punjab and Haryana and also sought a mechanism for linking helicopter flights from Chandigarh to Shimla and other international tourist destinations of Himachal. Mr Virbhadra Singh demanded fully funding of upgradation of National Highway -22 under national highways development programme to connect state capital Shimla with four lane highways and told that existing low volume traffic is not providing adequate recovery to the developer . He requested the Centre to sanction Rs 1,000 crore cost of the two projects, namely Bhanupalli- Bilaspur -Beri and Chandigarh- Baddi broad gauge railway lines, and requested the Union Government to work out a special financial package for such investment. The Chief Minister also demanded setting up one national-level education institute in the state and added that Himachal had not been benefited by even by a single national institute of research and education such as AIIMS, PGI, IIT, and IIM
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Policy on hydro power projects sought
Shimla, December 9 Speaking at the National Development Council meeting at New Delhi today, the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, said it was only through hydro power energy that the hilly states could strengthen their financial resource base and thus reduce their dependence on the Centre. “Generous financial support should be provided to special category states during the 11th plan period for investing in new hydro-power projects to enhance the future sustainability of these states,” he remarked. He added that projects constructed on the run of the water do not have significant displacement and rehabilitation problem and cited the example of the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri project commissioned in Himachal. He asked the Centre to provide adequate funds for upgrading Shimla airport to facilitate landing of bigger planes like the ATR as this was the only state capital in the country which lacked reliable air connectivity. “Himachal should be included in the plan which envisages construction of three green field airports at Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland in the North East,” he demanded. He also demanded that the Chandigarh airport should be upgraded as an international airport as this will give a major boots to tourism in Himachal. He said that linking Shimla with Chandigarh and other places by helicopter would also give a fillip to tourism. While pleading extension of the industrial package given to the state till 2013, he said that tax concessions had not led to shifting of industries from neighbouring states. The Chief Minister said that preservation of the Himalayan ecology should be a national priority and added that the desired environment outcomes must be matched with sufficient allocation to the hilly states.
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Youth told to set up units
Bilaspur, December 9 She urged the youth to set up their own units as the banks and other financial institutions were providing loans and subsidy under several government self-employment schemes. The training programme was organised by the District Nehru Yuvak Kendra at Barthin near here yesterday evening. The District Youth Coordinator of the Nehru Yuva Kendra, Mr Som Dutt Zard, said about 55 youths drawn from all parts of district took part in the training programme. Scientists from the Central Government National Institute of Mushroom Development, Chambaghat, Solan, Dr O.P. Tiwari, Dr
M.P. Sagar, Dr P.D. Sharma, Dr Subhash Kumar, Prof C.A. Bhardwaj, Dr Dinesh, Dr Seema Shah, Dr Ameen, Dr Surinder Singh and Dr Vinod Sharma were training the youths. Latest techniques in organic harvesting and marketing management of these products were also discussed. |
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CM unhappy with bureaucrats
Shimla, December 9 Even though this meeting is being termed as a routine affair but with the Assembly elections in the state due in February 2008, the Chief Minister does not want to take any chance. He has, on several occasions, expressed displeasure over the tardy functioning of the bureaucrats. With the deputy commissioners being the main executing agency for most of the projects in the district, the government does not want any slackness or delay, especially in view of the elections. As far as the superintendents of police are concerned, the government does not want any law and order problem, which might lead to discontentment among the masses. Several times in the past the Chief Minister had to shake up the bureaucracy for delay in implementing certain decisions. In fact, during the last Cabinet meeting, Mr Virbhadra Singh along with his ministerial colleagues had to review the implementation of the decisions taken by it earlier. |
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Teacher gets 5 years’
jail for rape
Solan, December 9 The judge further announced a sentence of six months in case of default of fine. The incident occurred on February 5 this year when the accused teacher, who was posted as a Vidya Upasak at Government Middle School, Kotla, asked students to come to school for extra classes on a holiday. He asked one girl to stay back after all other students had left. He then raped her in the school premises. |
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Second wife strangles son Baddi, December 9 According to DSP Nalagarh Sandeep
Dhawal the incident occurred at around 8 a.m. The child was taken to a
Nalagarh hospital by family members but the doctors declared him brought
dead. The police has registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC.
Neelam has been arrested.
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New Delhi, December 9
