H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Curtains for Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam?
Shimla, January 25
It may be curtains for the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) in Himachal Pradesh as the state government has allotted seven major projects, with an aggregate capacity of 1,423 MW, to the newly set up public sector company, Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation (HPPC).

Rural job plan to cover all districts: CM
Shimla, January 25
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme will be extended to all 12 districts of the state to root out poverty.

Illegal mining from Neugal bed threatens ecology
Palampur, January 25
The Saurabh Van Vihar, a major tourist attraction of this hill town being developed on the right bank of the Neugal khud here is facing a serious threat to its existence because of the reckless and unscientific mining being carried out allegedly by the local mining mafia from the river bed.

Need to revise Sainik School scholarships
Sujanpur (Hamirpur), January 25
Imran Ansari, Class VI student of Sainik School, Sujanpur, the only Sainik School of the state, has sought transfer to a Sainik School in his home state of Bihar.

Training courses for medical reps
Chandigarh, January 25
For providing a dose of trained manpower to the pharmaceutical industry in Himachal Pradesh, a city-based research and education society is launching an “industrial training course in Pharmaceutical Sciences”.

22 kg of charas seized
Dalhousie, January 25
In a major breakthrough, the police seized 22 kg of charas being smuggled from the Churah region to Punjab by two persons in a Tata Sumo vehicle at Nainikhud on the Dalhousie-Pathankot highway, 21 km from here, late last evening.

Watershed scheme
Mandi, January 25
Irrigation and Public Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said the government would spend Rs 11 crore on the mid-Himalayan water shed scheme in the Drang constituency to improve rural economy.

Curtains for Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam?
Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 25
It may be curtains for the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) in Himachal Pradesh as the state government has allotted seven major projects, with an aggregate capacity of 1,423 MW, to the newly set up public sector company, Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation (HPPC).

The 700 MW Luhri hydroelectric project, which was earlier assigned to the SJVN, also figures in the list of allotted projects. The 402 MW Shongtong Karcham, 100 MW Sainj, 70 MW Dhamwari-Sunda, 60 MW Harsar, 46 MW Chirgao-Majhgaon and 45 MW Bharmour projects have also been assigned to the HPPC.

The allotment of the Dhamwari-Sunda project, which was earlier allotted to a private company, is subject to the final outcome of the arbitration case.

The decision has come as a jolt to the SJVN, which was hopeful of securing some projects, particularly those in the Sutlej basin. However, the state government, which has been unhappy with the Centre ever since it failed to fulfil its demand for appointing an officer from the state cadre as the Director Personnel in the joint venture company, chose to ignore the nigam that successfully executed the 1,500 MW Nathpa-Jhakri Project, country’s largest hydroelectric venture.

The government had withdrawn the Luhri project, which was allotted to the SJVN along with the 1,020 MW Khab project. The nigam has spent around Rs 11 crore on preparing the detailed project report for the Luhri Scheme.

The Khab project, too, has run into problems following stiff opposition from the local people. Thus, the nigam, with a staff strength of over 1,700, including around 700 personnel from the state electricity board, has been left with just 412 MW Rampur project. The Luhri and Khab projects were allotted to save the board staff from repatriation. In fact, the SJVN had issued marching orders to the surplus staff. The situation was saved as the government allotted two projects to it.

Now that the Luhri project has been withdrawn and the Khab project in the doldrums, the nigam does not have adequate work for its huge manpower.

Rural job plan to cover all districts: CM
Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 25
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme will be extended to all 12 districts of the state to root out poverty.

This was announced by Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, while presiding over the 37th statehood day function at Ani in the interior of Kullu district today. At present, the scheme, which ensured minimum 100 days of employment to the deserving people, was being implemented only in Chamba and Sirmour districts.

The state had emerged as a model in social welfare, education, health, consumer affairs, clean drinking water and other sectors.

The government aimed at making it the knowledge state of the country. Sixteen new degree colleges had been opened in the state this year and English had been introduced as a subject from the first standard.

The Chief Minister said his government had sanctioned 75,000 new social security pension cases, raising the total to 2,12,250. The annual financial burden due to this would be Rs 54 crore, he added. He urged the panchayati raj institutions to exercise their power of selecting beneficiaries judiciously so that no eligible person was left out.

He said the living standard and the economic status of the people had improved tremendously in the state. The per capita income, which was Rs 240 in 1948 would reach Rs 24,000 by the end of the current financial year, he added.

In the industrial sector, an investment of Rs 24,000 crore had been attracted, which would ensure employment to over 3 lakh persons in the state. He said 70 per cent employment to the state youths had been made mandatory in the industry and hydel power projects.

Earlier, he unfurled the National Flag and took salute at a march past by a contingent of the police and the NCC. A colourful programme was also presented on the occasion.

Illegal mining from Neugal bed threatens ecology
Kulwinder Sandhu and Ravinder Sood

Palampur, January 25
The Saurabh Van Vihar, a major tourist attraction of this hill town being developed on the right bank of the Neugal khud here is facing a serious threat to its existence because of the reckless and unscientific mining being carried out allegedly by the local mining mafia from the river bed.

The water level in this khud has gone down during the past three years. Scientifically, the ecology of the area has been badly affected because of this large-scale mining around Saurabh Van Vihar.

This tourist attraction has been dedicated to Capt Saurabh Kalia who sacrificed his life in the Kargil war with Pakistan. The total cost of this project was estimated at Rs 10 crore. The Forest Department of the state is the executing agency of this project. The Himachal Government took up this project six years back and till date it has spent over Rs 1.50 crore on it. In the first phase, a portion of the proposed amusement park and a lake has been developed by the Forest Department but further work in this regard has been stopped for the time being.

An official of the district administration revealed that the state government had imposed a complete ban on mining and quarrying in the Neugal khud adjoining Saurabh Van Vihar. However, when a team of The Tribune visited the site, a few tractors were seen lifting extracted sand, stone and bajri from the riverbed.

The Tribune tried to contact Mr C.P. Verma, Subdivisional Magistrate of Palampur, for an official version of the local administration in this context but he was said to be out of the town on an official tour.

Former Chief Minister and Union Minister of Rural Development Shanta Kumar, who had initiated this project, has expressed deep concern on the illegal mining in the Neugal khud at Bundla, near Palampur.

During the last monsoons, this Van Vihar had also suffered losses due to a flash flood. The flash flood was further aggravated due to illegal mining, said local people.

Mrs Neelam Sood, president of Save Palampu, while expressing her concern over the increasing activities of illegal mining and quarrying near Saurabh Van Vihar has appealed to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to personally intervene into it and save Saurabh Van Vihar from the clutches of the mining mafia.

Need to revise Sainik School scholarships
Vibhor Mohan
Tribune News Service

Sujanpur (Hamirpur), January 25
Imran Ansari, Class VI student of Sainik School, Sujanpur, the only Sainik School of the state, has sought transfer to a Sainik School in his home state of Bihar.

The reason: A student studying in Bihar’s Sainik School gets Rs 29,282 as annual scholarship, besides hefty clothing and diet allowance.

However, the Himachal Pradesh Government has not revised the rates of scholarships for years and are much lower than what students of Sainik Schools get in other states like Punjab, Haryana and Bihar.

A Sainik School student with a family income of Rs 7,220 gets full scholarship of Rs 9,500 per annum in Himachal Pradesh, in sharp contrast to Rs 29,282 in Bihar, Rs 25,000 in Haryana and Rs 26,000 in Punjab.

Unlike Imran, who has the option of going back to his own state, poor students of Himachal Pradesh who cannot afford to pay fees without the assistance from the state government, by way of scholarships, have no choice but to move to less expensive schools.

When contacted, Wg-Cdr Sandeep Mohan, Headmaster of the Sainik School, said Imran’s case summed up the indifference of the Himachal Pradesh Government when it came to promoting quality education by providing financial help to the students of Sainik School and the rates in the state were probably the lowest among all 21 Sainik Schools across the country.

Consequently, the very purpose of setting up the Sainik School to give quality education to students from middle-class families, who could not afford to study at public schools, was being defeated, he said.

By giving scholarships, the state government helped the meritorious students who could not afford the tuition fee and other charges of the school, he said.

Not just scholarships, a Sainik School student in Haryana gets Rs 1,500 per annum as clothing allowance in first year, which is only Rs 300 per annum in Himachal Pradesh.

The Haryana Government also doles out dietary fee of Rs 25 per day per cadet but nothing is paid to students studying in Sainik School, Sujanpur.

Talking to The Tribune, Imran said his father was a small-time farmer in Katihar district of Bihar and he did not know at the time of his admission that the Bihar Government would pay Rs 29,282 scholarship per annum and only the balance amount from the Rs 37,203 tuition fee would have to borne by him.

Since Imran has a Bihar domicile, he is presently being paid scholarship under the outside-state slab of the Bihar government and he would be entitled to the full scholarship only if he goes back to Bihar.

To begin with, one Sainik School each was set up in the states applying for it by way of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Defence and the state government concerned.

Even though the Himachal Pradesh Government is not giving adequate financial assistance to students, the Central Government has been consistent in its education aid of Rs 10,000 to each student per annum, which is given irrespective of the family background of 
the student.

Training courses for medical reps
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 25
For providing a dose of trained manpower to the pharmaceutical industry in Himachal Pradesh, a city-based research and education society is launching an “industrial training course in Pharmaceutical Sciences”. Five per cent of the total seats will be offered to the students belonging to the not-so-affluent strata of society.

The pharmaceutical industry in Himachal is currently struggling to remain in good shape due to the state government’s mandatory condition of injecting 70 per cent local manpower in the industrial units across the hill state.

In the absence of adequate number of trained professionals belonging to the state, the companies are currently being forced to “import” manpower from other places. And for fulfilling the criterion of providing local employment, they are hiring localities for unskilled jobs against “non-existent vacancies”.

Or else, the companies are being forced to train fresh graduates. For providing extensive training in pharmaceutical sciences, the trainees are, in fact, sent to units located in other states.

To begin with, the Swift Fundamental Research and Education Society will launch two courses for training medical representatives and operators. The society’s CEO Anshu Kataria says both the courses will be of six-month duration.

The society, an associate of Ind-Swift Limited, has already tied-up with over 50 pharmaceutical companies and modalities are being worked out to join hands with 75 more companies.

Giving details, Chairman, Ind-Swift Group, Dr Gopal Munjal, says the first batch is scheduled to begin next month with the intake of 100 students. Theory classes will be held in Chandigarh, while practical training will be imparted in manufacturing units located at Himachal, along with Jammu and Kashmir.

He adds that after the announcement of central package in hilly states, including Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, along with Uttranchal, all major pharmaceutical players have shifted their operations there.

22 kg of charas seized
Our Correspondent

Dalhousie, January 25
In a major breakthrough, the police seized 22 kg of charas being smuggled from the Churah region to Punjab by two persons in a Tata Sumo vehicle at Nainikhud on the Dalhousie-Pathankot highway, 21 km from here, late last evening.

The value of the charas in the international drug market is being put at about Rs 1 crore.

According to Mr Arvind Choudhary, Deputy Superintendent of Police, two persons, Vinod Kumar and Gurdeep, both residents of Jalandhar in Punjab, were arrested on the spot and the vehicle in which the charas was being smuggled was impounded.

A case under the NDPS Act had been registered against the accused, the DSP revealed.

Watershed scheme
Tribune News Service

Mandi, January 25
Irrigation and Public Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said the government would spend Rs 11 crore on the mid-Himalayan water shed scheme in the Drang constituency to improve rural economy.

Speaking at the prize distribution function of the Katola school in the district, Mr Thakur said besides, the government had installed 15 solar lights in the temple premises.