Fatehabad, February 14
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today ordered a fresh survey to identify families living the Below the Poverty Line (BPL) in the state.

According to an official spokesman, a decision to this effect was taken at a meeting presided over by the Chief Minister to review the outcome of the new survey conducted to identify BPL families, at Chandigarh today.

The Tribune yesterday published a news ‘Grading poverty state govt style’ whereby it was highlighted how yardsticks varied from district to district in Haryana in the matter of survey for families living below the poverty line (BPL).

The Tribune also highlighted how a large number of families living in abject poverty were being left out of the BPL list due to a policy of the government under which only a specified percentage of families were to be included in the list.

The percentage varied from district to district and village was to be taken as a unit for this purpose.

The government acted after the news was carried in The Tribune and announced fresh survey.

Mr Hooda, according to a press note expressed concern over the complaints deserving beneficiaries had been left out and undeserving persons included in the earlier survey conducted.

He said it was necessary to conduct another survey in a fair manner and to ensure only deserving beneficiaries get included in the list of families living below the poverty line.

Mr Hooda said the fresh survey would be conducted by the organisations of the ex-servicemen so that all deserving households get included and undeserving excluded.

While conducting fresh survey, Mr Hooda said, the organisations of ex-servicemen could seek the help of gram sabha, nambardar, patwari, village chokidar and headmaster of the village school.

It was decided to commence fresh survey from March 1 and it would be completed in three months.

Therefore, earlier survey stood as scrapped and no fresh BPL ration cards would be issued till the preparation of new lists of the BPL families. However, existing ration cardholders would continue to get benefit till new BPL ration cards were issued.

Chandigarh, February 14
The Haryana Government has ordered an inquiry into the alleged illegal construction of two nullahs in the Protected Forest and Reserve Forest areas of Kurukshetra by the district administration.

The Financial Commissioner, Forests, Mr H C Disodia, had ordered the inquiry, based on the report carried in the columns of The Tribune on January 22. The inquiry, to be conducted by the Chief Wildlife Warden, Mr R D Jakati, will begin at Kurukshetra tomorrow. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr T K Sharma and Divisional Forest Officer, Kurukshetra, Mr Sanjiv Chaturvedi, have been asked to appear in person before the inquiry officer.

It may be noted that The Tribune had reported that illegal construction of two nullahs in Protected Forest and Reserve Forest areas in Kurukshetra had led to the Forest Department locking horns with the administration. Forest officials at Kurukshetra had alleged that repeated requests were made to top officials of district administration, asking them not to allow any construction activity in the protected forests and reserve forest areas. However, top officials of the administration themselves led locals to break land in these areas and go ahead with the illegal construction activity.

Breaking of land for any purpose in protected forest is a cognizable offence under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. Even the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, forbids the diversion of forest land for any non-forestry purpose. However, construction work was carried out in the Protected Forest area on the Pehowa-Patiala road and also in the reserve forest area of Nikatpura, without any approval from the Forest Department.

The district administration had denied that any construction was carried out by the locals with the help of the district administration. The officials had maintained that no construction was carried out in the forest area, and only a passage for waste water was created by the local residents.

Forest officials, however, said that since the second week of December, illegal construction work was being carried out in the Protected Forest area without any approval. On January 18, the district administration officers had allegedly led the villagers to construct nullahs - near Saraswati Kheda and near Nikatpura.

Bhiwani, February 14
Accusing the Congress of illegal recovery through the sales tax and food and supply departments in the name of Nav Yug Rally, INLD secretary-general Ajay Chautala has alleged that the ruling party was misusing the official machinery for its rally to be held at Sirsa on February 25. Mr Chautala, who is a Rajya Sabha MP also, was addressing a press conference here today.

He alleged that the law and order situation was deterorating and basic needs of people of water and electricity were unfulfilled.

The INLD leader said that Mrs Sonia Gandhi's charisma had finished could be ascertained from the less turnout in the election meetings of the Congress president held in Punjab recently. He claimed that the Congress wold be sweeped out in all three states, including Punjab, and new political dimensions would be carved out with the 'third morcha' coming on the political plank.

Accusing the political adviser of Chief Minister Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda and son Deepender Singh Hooda of misleading people on the name of regionalism and languagism the Rajya Sabha MP said that they were committing discrimination on the name of “bringing back the chaudhar (authority) of Rohtak.”

Expressing concern over the recent hailstorm, he urged the government to provide immediate relief to the peasants.

Lashing at Mr Kuldeep Bishnoi, MP, he said that Kuldeep who had grabbed votes by luring Bhiwani people on the name of setting up world level industries and opening a university in Bhiwani, now had no time to think over these issues.

Putting a question mark on the 'rozgar guarantee scheme' of the Central government, he alleged embezzlement in its implementation in two districts of the state. 

Ambala, February 14
Panjab University Vice-Chancellor Dr RC Sobti delivered Gian Chand Jain memorial lecture here today. A noted bio-technologist, Dr Sobti spoke on Science and Technology : Past, Present and Future.

Addressing the gathering in the auditorium of SD College, Ambala Cantt, Dr RC Sobti observed that Indian heritage was more than 5000 years old and Indian culture was governed by pure scientific principles and way of life. He said that ceramic technology and Charak Samhita in medical science have been discovered in the Indus Valley civilisation.

He said Indian mathematicians and astronomers like Arya Bhatt, Mahaveeracharya and Leelawati gave the concept of zero and pie to the world. Kalpasutra described pythogorous theorem in 290 BC. He said that Bose-Einstein statistical theory and number theory of Ramanujan are the outstanding benchmark of Indian mathematical contribution of the world.

Dr Sobti said that the country has now entered the era of bio-technology and nano-technology. "We need to examine science education in India because today 34 per cent of Indian manpower is in the age group of 22-35 years which is the youngest age profile of the world. The entire Western world is facing a serious greying problem where majority of scientists and engineers ate aged between 50-60 years," he said.

"Our science education must aim for exploiting natural resources, providing good living conditions to the masses, making us globally competitive and raising the quality of scientific manpower. It must bridge the gap between rural and urban areas in terms of sanitation conditions and quality of life," he stated.

Dr Sobti pointed out that 72.6 per cent of students go in for higher education in the USA while only 10.5 per cent of Indians go for higher education. "The citation index in terms of number of research papers published by Chinese scientists in 10 years has gone up from 924 papers to 22061 papers in 2005, whereas the contribution of Indian scientific papers in refereed journals has gone down from 14987 to 12227 during the same period," he stated.

He felt that it was an alarming situation. “we need to establish centres of excellence but it is more important to nourish and strengthen 325 universities in India,” he said adding that he observed that there was no point in establishing new deemed universities unless the quality of education and infrastructure is improved in the existing universities.

"Our universities should not become academic slums where teachers lack enthusiasm, motivation and propagate mediocrity in teaching. In fact, teaching should be interactive and research based and new educational curricula should be designed which should be relevant to Indian society," he said. 

Yamunanagar, February 14
Two men in Naharpur village here allegedly raped an 80-year-old mentally retarded woman. The matter came to the notice when a villager reported the incident to the police. The alleged rapists were taken in police custody but were let off after an inquiry.

As per police sources, the alleged rapists were in the age group of 25 to 30 years. The victim has problem in speaking and hence she could not convey what happened with her on Saturday, said police sources. Till the time of filing this report the medical examination of the woman had not been conducted. The woman had been living in the village for the past several years in a vacant shop.

Meanwhile, an Assistant Sub-Inspector has been asked to look into the allegations. The police had questioned several persons in this connection. Police sources were not ready to confirm if the rape did take place or not.

Hisar, February 14
Two students of the bachelor of veterinary science and animal husbandry course of Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) here will be sent to the University of Maryland in the USA this year to pursue internship programme.

A proposal in this regard has been approved by the HAU Academic Council. The council chairman and HAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr J.C. Katyal, said the students would be sent to the USA under a bilateral exchange programme.

It may be pertinent to mention here that both universities had recently inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for bilateral exchange of students and faculty members, besides collaboration and cooperation in research activities. The initiative in this regard had been taken by the Haryana Governor and HAU Chancellor, Dr A.R. Kidwai.

According to an official statement issued here today, the HAU Academic Council has constituted a five-member committee and set guidelines for the selection of students for the purpose.

Fatehabad, February 14
The Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) today reacted sharply to Mr Kuldip Bishnoi's utterances about the February 25 “navyug rally” of the party being organised at Sirsa to celebrate the Haryana Government's two years in office.

Mr Bishnoi, while talking to mediapersons on Sunday, had stated that the government had done nothing that warranted celebrations.

Without naming the Congress MP from Bhiwani, Mr Ved Parkash Vidrohi, spokesman for the HPCC, said certain disgruntled Congress leaders, who had no public support, were speaking the language of Opposition parties.

Mr Vidrohi said after the Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi's consent to address the rally, no Congressman had the right to express his views against it. He said if the person concerned could not respect the president of the party he represented, he should resign from the party as well as from Parliament.

Ambala, February 14
Activists of the Shiv Sena today strongly opposed celebrations organised in connection with the Valentine's Day.

Shiv Sainiks today went to different parks in Ambala Sadar and roughed up couples there. They also went to restaurants and hotels in the Sadar area and allegedly manhandled couples. It was a nightmarish experience for the couples who were confronted by these activists.

Later, the Shiv Sainiks burnt Valentine’s Day cards and raised anti-Valentine’s Day slogans. They stated that such celebrations corrupted the minds of youth and sought a ban on such occasions.

A hotel owner, in whose hotel the Shiv Sainiks barged into to look for couples, observed that the police must make adequate arrangements to ensure that people were not put to inconvenience by political activists who were taking the law into their hands.