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50,000 bogus LPG connections in Hisar
Grading poverty state govt style
Prohibitory orders near exam centres
Villagers seek youths’ arrest, block traffic
Hooda wants SEZs to change face of state
CPM dharna against price rise
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Physiotherapy stream gets approval
Special girdawari for hailstorm- hit villages
One shot dead, 2 injured
Lawyer shoots at wife, commits suicide
Farmer’s body found
Subsidy on wheat variety
Potato hub to be set up at Shahbad
Rs 30 lakh given under job scheme
Hooda to inaugurate industry-institute interaction
Rain upsets florists
Chinese province shows interest Sonia asked to
suspend Kuldeep Ambala resident honoured by Kalam 14 flying squads to check copying
in exams Waterlogging in villages due to rain Man held with 20 kg poppy husk
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50,000 bogus LPG connections in Hisar
Hisar, February 13 The inquiry, conducted by the District Food and Supplies Controller, Dr Ghanshyam Singh, on directions of the Deputy Commissioner, Ms Deepti Umashankar, revealed that there were more than 50,000 bogus, dead or dormant LPG connections in the district. This, and several other startling facts came up during a meeting of LPG agency representatives, Food Supply Department, District Food Advisory Committee and cooking gas consumers, convened by the Deputy Commissioner today. For instance, there is no LPG filling station for vehicles anywhere in the state, still a large number of private and commercial vehicles were running on it. The authorities have regularised the use of LPG kits in vehicles and due permission in this regard can be obtained by depositing the prescribed charges. However, in the absence of LPG filling stations, the vehicle owners are using domestic cooking gas for running their vehicles. Following the meeting, the Deputy Commissioner launched a massive drive to check the black-marketing of LPG cylinders and other large-scale irregularities found in its supply in the district. Ms Umashankar also constituted five teams to probe into various aspects of the matter. These committees, comprising administrative officials, Food Supply officials and representatives of the District Food Advisory Committee, would visit gas agencies to inspect the stock, waiting time and other details. "It will also be made mandatory for the LPG consumers to produce their ration cards for ensuring that there is no multiplicity of connections and only genuine residents get cooking gas," the Deputy Commissioner said. The serial number of each cylinder will be noted down at the time of delivery and it will be accepted back to check its misuse and other irregularities. In addition to this, there will be a crackdown on the vehicles and those found using gas kits would be required to furnish the cash memo of the LPG being used in the vehicle. The 'dhabas' and other eating joints would also be checked and strict action taken against those using domestic cooking gas at commercial establishments. Ms Umashankar said the meeting had been called following a large number of complaints that while the connection holders were not getting cooking gas in time, LPG cylinders were being sold on the black-market with impunity. "In view of the seriousness of the matter, we have formulated the multi-pronged strategy to rid the residents of this nagging problem of LPG shortage," she asserted. On being contacted, the District Food and Supplies Controller, Dr Ghanshyam Singh, disclosed that a number of dead or dormant connections could have been used by those engaged in black-marketing of cooking gas. The probe teams constituted by the Deputy Commissioner would conduct random inspections to detect such cases of bungling, he added. |
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Grading poverty state govt style
Fatehabad, February 13 Those found in the BPL category are issued yellow ration cards and are entitled to get subsidised foodgrains, subsidy on government-sponsored loans, free healthcare facilities, grants for the construction of houses under the Indira Awaas Yojna, free insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh on the death of bread-winner of the family and certain other benefits. Those considered the poorest of poor amongst those categorized as In its orders for a fresh survey for the BPL families in Fatehabad district, the department has specified that 20 per cent families from each village should be taken in the BPL category. Ambala and Kurukshetra are other two districts, where 20 per cent families are to be taken in the BPL category. For Panipat, Faridabad, Bhiwani, Kaithal, Mahinderagarh, Mewat, Panchkula, Jind, Yamunanagar, Sonepat, Rewari, Rohtak, Sirsa and Karnal districts, the department has asked the authorities to take 25 per cent families from each village in the BPL category while in Gurgaon, Hisar and Jhajjar districts 30 per cent families are to be taken in the BPL list. For the purpose of determining the percentage of BPL families, village is to be considered as a unit. The department has supplied forms which have 13 columns regarding landholding, house, source of livelihood etc of the Each column carries four scores and a surveyor has to give scores to the families as per its economic status. On the basis of scores a family gets out of total scores of 52, 20 per cent families from the bottom are to be included in the BPL list. The work on the survey has already begun in the district. The biggest problem faced by those involved in the survey is that in certain villages the percentage of poor families is so high that even those families who could get only 10 score out of 52 on the basis of their economic condition have been left out of the BPL list. Swami Nagar, Hinjrawan Kalan, Bhirdana and Bighar are some such villages where families with as low as 10 scores could not be included in the BPL list. On the contrary, in village like Digoh — known as Canada of Fatehabad district where youths from almost all families have gone to Canada or America — it is difficult to find a family who could be included in the BPL list. In some other well-to-do villages, families with as high as 32 scores have been included in the BPL list. The new policy framed by the department is also leading to the exclusion of many families, which already have been getting benefit under the scheme. For example, 426 listed in the BPL list earlier but after the fresh survey only 198 families would remain due to a ceiling of 20 per cent. Similarly, in Nagpur village 265 families have been covered under the BPL list while earlier 590 families were included in the BPL list. The new policy of determining the families living below the poverty line will not only fail in its objective of providing the benefits to those who deserve these, but would also lead to criticism of the government from those families which now are being excluded from the lists. |
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Prohibitory orders near exam centres
Kurukshetra, February 13 Stating this here today, Mr Sharma said the carrying of any weapon, arms, firearms of offence and mobile phone, within a radius of 200 metres from examination centres in the district, had been banned. This step had been initiated for the maintenance of peace and tranquillity and smooth and peaceful, conduct of examinations. Shopkeepers, falling within a radius of 200 metres from the examination centres, would not operate their photostat machines from 11 am to 5.30 pm during the examination days, Mr Sharma added. The order will remain in force from February 15 to April 2, and any person, violating the order would be liable for punishment under Section 188 of the IPC. Meanwhile, the City Magistrate, Ms Hema Sharma, at a meeting held at the premises of SMB Geeta Senior Secondary School here today, directed the superintendents and other staff members to conduct the board examinations without menace of the copying. The centre superintendents and teachers, who will perform their duty at seventy two examination centres, in this district, attended the meeting. |
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Villagers seek youths’ arrest, block traffic
Sonepat, February 13 However, the blockade was lifted after the DSP assured to take action and register a case against the suspects. In another incident, three armed persons and two women identified as Sunder, Ravinder and Binder, their mother, Bedo, and Sunder’s wife, Sudesh, all residents of Chhanoli village under Kharkhoda police station fired at Rahul, alias Minoo, and allegedly abducted his mother, Shekla, from their house at the village. Rahul, who was seriously injured in the incident, was admitted to PGIMS, Rohtak. A case was registered against the accused on a statement given by him to the police. The land dispute was stated to be the reason behind the incident. A local court directed the Sadar police station, Gohana, to register a case of attempted rape against two persons, Surender and Sahib Singh of Jasrana village, after it received a complaint from a woman of the same village. The woman had approached the court after the police had refused to entertain her case.
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Hooda wants SEZs to change face of state
In an interview with this reporter here, Mr Hooda said he favoured the idea of SEZs due to their huge employment generating potential. The Chief Minister said the incentives offered by the state government to private entrepreneurs for setting up SEZs outside the National Capital Region (NCR) had attracted two proposals. The proposals, both cleared by the state government committee headed by the Chief Secretary and the Union Commerce Ministry, were for Ambala and Rewari. The Chief Minister said 70 out of about 200 SEZs approved so far by the Commerce Ministry in the country were to be located in Haryana. This spoke volumes about the investment friendly nature of the present regime in the state, Mr Hooda said. Putting in perspective the government’s achievements on the industrial front during the past two years, Mr Hooda said since the formation of the government in the state by the Congress in March, 2005, Haryana had attracted investments worth Rs 15,000 crore till date, while another Rs 35,000 crore investment was in the pipeline. Even if one added up all investments made in Haryana before 2005, the total would be less than the money pumped into the state during past two years by entrepreneurs, Mr Hooda said. He said the power front, which was inseparably linked to industrial development, would improve from November onwards. He said one unit of the thermal plant of the Yamunanagar plant would become operational by November making available 300 MW to the state. In February, 2008, another 300 MW unit of the plant would become operational, Mr Hooda said. He said from November the state would also get additional power from various suppliers with whom the power companies of Haryana had finalised purchase agreements. The Chief Minister said he had set a target of enhancing the power generating capacity of plants located in Haryana by 5,000 MW during his current term ending in February, 2010. It would be nearly thrice the total capacity of the existing plants in the state, Mr Hooda said. The Chief Minister said he had got the green light from the Union Government on getting coal for running the thermal plants coming up in the state. The availability of gas was likely to improve by 2009 when the government would resume its initiative of setting up gas-based power plants, the Chief Minister said.
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CPM dharna against price rise
Fatehabad, February 13 The memorandum demanded control on the prices of wheat flour, rice, oil and other essential commodities. Earlier, Mr Krishan Swaroop, a member of the state committee of the party, Mr Chhatarpal Singh, Mr Ram Kumar Bahbalpuria and Mr Devi Lal addressed the protesting workers. |
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Physiotherapy stream gets approval
Hisar, February 13 Disclosing this here today, the university Vice-Chancellor, Dr R.P. Bajpai, said the department, established in 2002, would create its special identity at the national as well as international level. Dr Bajpai asserted that with the approval of the association, the department would be associated with renowned experts in the field.
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Special girdawari for hailstorm- hit villages
Bhiwani, February 13 This was stated by Chief Parliamentary Secretary Dharambir Singh while hearing farmers of Leghan, Shimli, Jeetanwas, Lalhana, Lohani, Kairu and other hailstorm-affected villages today. Mr Singh said that the state expected a record rabi crop due to rain this year, while crops had been damaged at a number of villages due to hailstorm and rain. All Deputy Commissioners have been asked to asses loss to crops in their respective areas. He said adequate increase had been done in the compensation amount for natural calamities, besides deciding minimum rates for the land being acquired by the government. On a loss between 26 to 50 per cent to wheat crop, the compensation amount had been increased from Rs 1500 to Rs 3000 per acre and for other crops it had been raised to Rs 2000. If the wheat crop was damaged between 51 to 75 per cent, the compensation amount had been raised from Rs 2250 to Rs 4000 per acre. For other crops, it had been increased to Rs 3000 per acre. The compensation amount had been increased from Rs 3000 per acre to Rs 5000 per acre if wheat crop was damaged between 76 to 100 per cent, and for other crops, it had been hiked to Rs 4000
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One shot dead, 2 injured
Sonepat, February 13 The injured have been referred to Lok Naik Jayaprakash Hospital in Delhi and the body of Deepak has been handed over to the family after postmortem. On the complaint of Mahavir, uncle of Deepak, the city police has registered a case of murder and attempt to murder against Randhir, also a resident of Jatwara, his five sons, brother-in-law, brother-in-law’s son, son-in-law and 10 others. |
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Lawyer shoots at wife, commits suicide
Jhajjar, February 13 According to information, Shameder fired at his wife after a quarrel and later shot himself. While he died on the spot, his wife Rachna was taken to a hospital in Delhi where her condition is stated to be critical. The couple has a three-year-old son. —
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Farmer’s body found
Sonepat, February 13 Maha Singh had gone to the fields last night and was missing since then, they said. The police said the body had several injuries inflicted by some sharp-edged weapons. A case of murder has been registered. —
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Subsidy on wheat variety
Chandigarh, February 13 The PBW-343 became 10 years old on December 31, 2005, and, according to the rules of the Government of India, subsidy on this variety of certified seed could not be availed of by farmers. However, the Agriculture Department had requested the Central Government to allow subsidy on the purchase of this variety of certified seed for rabi 2006-07. |
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Potato hub to be set up at Shahbad
Kurukshetra, February 13 Mr Batra said most of the markets of had been computerised and connected with markets across the country with the help of the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection and the National Informatics Centre, Government of India. Such a step would boost the agricultural marketing operations and farmers would benefit by trading their produce through e-commerce, he added. He also informed that the board was setting up a potato hub, which would have grading, sorting and packaging line and cold storage facility at Shahbad Markanda in this district. In her presidential address, the boards’ Chief Administrator, Mrs Nav Raj Sandhu, emphasized on producing quality fruit and vegetable because demand for organic ones was increasing day by day. She further said the movement towards increasing food safety and consumption of organic food produced was strong in developed countries. She impressed upon the farmers to switch over from present day farming to organic farming.The board would organise farmers' training programme in this sphere, she added. Mr K.V.S. Pundhir, Assistant Agricultural Marketing Adviser, said the central sector scheme of the Government of India was linked to reform the state was yet to reform its APMC Act and presently it was not in position to take benefit of this scheme. He urged the state government to amend its APMC Act. Under this scheme a back-ended subsidy of 25 per cent and 33 per cent (in case of SC / ST) was provided to entrepreneurs.
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Rs 30 lakh given under job scheme
Yamunanagar, February 13 During the last financial year Rs 71 lakh was distributed among 948 beneficiaries under the same scheme. |
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Hooda to inaugurate industry-institute interaction
Kurukshetra, February 13 Confirming this here today, the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kurukshetra, Director, Dr M.N. Bandyopadhyay, said the workshop was being organised in collaboration with State Project Facilitation Unit, Haryana and other TEQIP networking institutions of the region under the aegis of NPIU, National Project Implementation Unit. The objective of the workshop is to help the academic institutions by way of promoting industry-institute interaction. Eminent people from academic institutions and industry who have worked jointly on real life projects and benefited from that collaboration are invited to share their experience with the delegates of the workshop. The deliberations of the workshop are expected to benefit the industry as well as institutions by highlighting the need for a collaborative effort in finding quality solutions to the live problems.
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Rain upsets florists Karnal, February 13 Reports reaching here from different parts of the district confirmed damage to floriculture and wheat crops. Floriculturists said otherwise successful crops of gladiolus, gerbera, marigold and tuberose had been affected due to the rain in the district. According to district officials, around 217 hectares of land in Karnal is under floriculture. Farmers in the Indri, Gharaunda, Nilokheri and Shamgarh areas had grown commercial flowers but have little hope of profit. Farmers complain that due to heavy rainfall flower sticks used mainly for making bouquets had been damaged. Confirming damage to the flowers, the District Horticulture Officer (DHO), Mr Rampal, stated that certain farmers who had used shelters for their flower crops had saved it from damage but most are feared to have suffered loss. He added unprecedented rainfall had damaged about 80 per cent peas in the district. Since Tuesday morning Karnal recorded a rainfall of 27.4 mm and fields in several parts of the district were reportedly submerged. Reports of heavy damage to wheat crop have also started pouring in from Nissing, Assandh and Jundla. The Deputy Director, Agriculture, Mr Dahiya, said the Indri area along the Yamuna had not reported any wheat damage as the sandy area absorbs water easily. Owing to the frequent heavy rainfall power supply in the rural areas is also severely hit which has further hampered the work of dewatering of fields. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr B.S. Malik, today visited several rain-hit areas of the district.
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Chinese province shows interest Chandigarh, February 13 A press note issued here yesterday said the Consul General of India at the Shanghai International Trade Centre, Mr Vishnu Prakash, wrote to the Principal Secretary to the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr M. L. Tayal, saying that the Jiangsu province Communist Party Secretary, Mr Li Yuan Chao, and the Governor, Mr Liang Bao Hua, were impressed by Mr Hooda during the latter's visit to Nanjing.
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Sonia asked to
suspend Kuldeep Ambala, February 13 He said Mr Bishnoi had been opposing the Sirsa rally, which is a prestigious rally for the Haryana Congress. He said the achievements of the state government would be highlighted in the rally and, moreover, the party president, Ms Sonia Gandhi, would also address the rally. He said being a Congress MP, Mr Bisnoi should have worked for the success of the rally to honour the party president but he and his father Bhajan Lal were instigating party workers to boycott the rally. Mr Chawla said if Mr Bishnoi did not have any regard for Ms Gandhi and the party, he should tender his resignation from the party.
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Ambala resident honoured by Kalam Ambala, February 13 Mr Saini was honoured at the function which was organised by National Innovation Foundation. He was honoured for having developed a "mobile operated device" which can undertake multiple tasks. Mr Balram Saini, younger brother of Mr Prem Singh Saini, today said that they are all elated. "Mr Prem Singh Saini has worked hard to develop the device and he was selected out of a large number of persons who had submitted their effort to the National Innovation Foundation. His work was selected in the Science and Technology section," he said. He said that they will be returning to Ambala from Delhi later this week. A well-known corporate house has already shown considerable interest in the mobile operated device and it is being hoped that mass production of the product will start at the earliest. The mobile operated device is said to be capable of being used for car function, personal safety device and even for operating tubewell. Mr Balram Saini said that his elder brother was earlier honoured by the National Innovation Foundation for developing a research robot which can study the environment.
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14 flying squads to check copying
in exams Ambala, February 13 Mr Bhardwaj directed the supervisory staff of the District Education Office, Ambala, to conduct fair examination and perform their duties with dedication. He informed that 14 flying squads had been constituted to inspect the examination centres out of which 10 will be for Ambala subdivision and four for Naraingarh. One flying squad had also been constituted by the Haryana School Education Board for Ambala and Naraingarh subdivisions. In order to keep a vigil on the examination, control rooms had also been set up at all examination centres.
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Waterlogging in villages due to rain Ambala, February 13 The affected villages include Khera, Nandiali, Humayunpur, Naggal, Balana and Ismailpur. The crops in the villages have been adversely affected due to water-logging. The villagers have demanded that the district administration should use pumps to drain out water. Some parts of Ambala City and Ambala Cantt are also waterlogged. Water has accumulated in Manmohan Nagar and Nadi Mohalla.
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Chandigarh, February 13