Nurpur, April 11
The state government would provide employment to over 30,000 youths in various government departments in the new financial year. The government is committed to provide more and better job avenues to the people. Individuals and multinational companies investing in power generation in the state have been asked to recruit 70 per cent employees from the state itself.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh made this statement while addressing a gathering at the launch of the second phase of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for Kangra district here today.

He said after Chamba and Sirmaur, the districts taken up by the Central Government last year, Kangra and Mandi would be covered under the second phase of the scheme. He claimed to have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for bringing the entire state under the scheme due to its topography.

Highlighting the benefits of the scheme, he said an unskilled worker from every family of the district covered under the scheme would get assured employment for 100 days in a year. If the government failed to provide job to a registered cardholder, it would be its responsibility to give him 50 per cent of the daily wages. He said those willing to benefit under the scheme could get themselves registered with village panchayats and the government would ensure them employment within 15 days from their registration.

Industrialisation at a massive scale has helped in providing jobs to the unemployed youths of the state, thus reducing number of job-seeker registered with the employment exchanges to a large extent in the past four years of the Congress rule in the state, he claimed.

The government would not spare industrialists and other investors if they failed to provide 70 per cent jobs to Himachalis in their ventures, he said. Replying to a demand chart of Sat Mahajan, revenue and panchayati raj minister, who is also a sitting MLA from Nurpur, the CM said he would ask willing investors to set up a private medical or engineering college in the area.

The Chief Minister also laid foundation stones of projects worth Rs 40 crore. These included the LIS, Suliali, Nurpur civil hospital residential complex, hostel building for Nurpur government collage, ITI near Khushinagar, science block of government senior secondary school, Jassur, and a sewerage scheme for Nurpur township.

Those present at the function included Chander Kumar, MP, Kangra, G.S. Bali, transport minister, Chandresh Kumari, MLA, Dharamsala, Sujan Singh Pathania, MLA, Jwali.

 

The statement made by state tourism minister G.S. Balli regarding the medical facilities and enough staff in state hospitals and dispensaries was contradicted by Sat Mahajan, revenue and panchayati raj minister. Mahajan said the 100-bed civil hospital at Nurpur was facing shortage of staff (eight doctors only). The Nurpur civil dispensary has also been running without any doctor for the past couple of months. Fissure in the Congress came to the fore at the state-level function when Major Vijay Singh Mankotia (retd), former tourism minister and sitting MLA from Shahpur, and members of his group, did not turn up for the function. The public was put to hardship as 12 Himachal Roadways buses were deployed for ferrying villagers to the venue.

Dharamsala, April 11
Procedural lapses have come to the fore in the execution of the old-age and widow pension scheme in the state. There is no linkage between pensioners and budget allotment and actual expenditure on pensions between the years 2001 and 2006.

The findings in the report of the comptroller and auditor-general in the districts of Kangra, Chamba, Kullu and Shimla have observed that no time schedule was fixed for the finalisation of the pension cases.

The time taken for the finalisation of 1,208 of the 1,566 widow pension cases in these districts ranged from 13 to 93 months and in the case of 308 of the 550 old-age pension cases, the time ranged from 13 to 53 months even after excluding a period of one year as time taken for processing a case.

Unfortunately, 61 applicants died between December 2002 and April 2006 before the amount of Rs 200 could be sanctioned to them.

Many cases of payment of double pensions had also come to the light. The records of the district welfare officers of these districts revealed that between 2001 and 2006, pension amounting to Rs 5.16 lakh remitted to 813 pensioners.

Apart from this, in 10 districts, double pension amounting to Rs 11.63 lakh was paid to 284 pensioners between 2001 and 2006. In some cases, pensions were also sanctioned to ineligible persons.

The records of district welfare offices of Kangra, Chamba, Kullu and Shimla had revealed that between 2004 and 2006, pension amounting to Rs 5.16 lakh was sanctioned and disbursed among 178 ineligible persons without the prescribed checks.

There were 13 under-age beneficiaries, 20 beneficiaries had income more than the prescribed limit, four beneficiaries had sons in government jobs and 55 applications were not certified or signed by the recommending authority. In 63 cases, both the husband and wife were beneficiaries.

Further, it was observed that against the mandatory provision of widows to provide certificate every year that she had not married, such certificates between 2001 and 2006 had not been obtained from the widow pensioners.

A total of 18,697 applications for the grant of old-age pension and widow pension were pending in 2003; 12,833 in 2004; and 9,674 in February 2006. 

Shimla, April 11
The forest department has concealed the fact that a large part of the Majathal wildlife sanctuary was to be submerged in the 800-MW Kol Dam project as a result the protected area was left out from the diversion plan while seeking the mandatory forest clearance from the Centre.

This has been finally confirmed by the fresh demarcation carried out by the revenue department. The demarcation was ordered after the matter was brought to the notice of the central empowered committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court by a non-government organisation which had filed a public interest litigation on the basis of a report published in The Tribune highlighting the discrepancy.

It had issued notice to the government to stop work and furnish correct information about the area to be submerged.

The principal chief conservator of forests, for reasons best known him, had ignored the survey conducted by his own department in 2005 which clearly indicated that about 130 hectares had been left out. It all through maintained that no wildlife area was to be submerged.

As per the report of the revenue department, an additional area of 125 hectares falling in the sanctuary will be submerged. It included the thickly wooded Harshang forest, spread over 23 hectare, which was completely overlooked.

The conservator of wildlife had contested the news story and insisted that it would not be submerged. Other forests being submerged are Mandrech, Majathal, Chilla and Kiari.

The department had obtained permission for the diversion of 954 hectare of forest land which did not include the wildlife area of the Majathal sanctuary and the Harshang forest and parts of some other forests. Over 44,000 trees worth about Rs 2.5 crore are standing on the area for which forest clearance has not been obtained. Out of this, only 80 hectares had been diverted under the Forest Conservation Act but not under the Wildlife Protection Act. The faux pas virtually made the forest clearance granted by the Centre for the project redundant, as trees could not be felled without permission.

The revenue department had earlier reported that an additional area of about 130 hectare was to be diverted and the commissioner, revenue, had also written in this regard to the government. However, still the forest department failed to make amends and stuck to its position that no wildlife area or additional forest area is likely to be submerged.
Principal secretary, forests, Ashok Thakur, said action would be taken against those found responsible for the lapse. The government would obtain all the mandatory clearances for the left out wildlife area from the Centre as required under the Wildlife Protection Act.

The diversion of protected wildlife areas is allowed only if equivalent area is included in the sanctuary. This has not been taken care of the environment management plan. The department will have to carry out remuneration of trees standing on the 125 hectares and include it in the environment management plan for seeking clearance.

Solan, April 11
In a surprise check conducted by the secretary health and director at the civil hospital, Arki, today. The staff was strictly directed not to refer too many cases to IGMC, Shimla, without adequately treating them at the hospital.

The locals while ruing the lack of medical care said it was a common practice to refer patients from this hospital to IGMC, which cost the patients dear both health wise as well as in monetary terms.

The staff was also taken to task for lack of cleanliness. This hospital has been bearing the brunt of repeated surprise checks. A part of the staff was found absent and even the BMO had to rush back from Shimla after being apprised of the surprise check.

BMO Dr M.L. Shashni said some staff was found absent and added that only those cases were referred for which there was no facility available.

Since there was no gynecologist, specialist or anesthetist here, specialised treatment could not be given here.

Shimla, April 11
With a population of over 24 lakh ex-servicemen, including widows and their dependants in the country, there is a need to provide them with a second career in the civil administration after they leave the armed forces.

This was the main focus of the national seminar on “Employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for retired defence officers with focus on tourism and hospitality” here today.

Governor V.S. Kokje inaugurated the seminar organised by the Directorate General Resettlement, Department of Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence, in collaboration with the Institute of Tourism and Future Management Trends.

Kokje said the armed forces could offer to the industry officers and men with leadership and management qualities with utmost professional competence. He said the ex-servicemen could contribute effectively in the tourism sector as the country had so much to offer in terms of historical places, culture and places of worship. He said the corporate sector must give preference to the ex-servicemen wherever possible.

Speaking on the occasion, the Director-General Resettlement, Maj-Gen Harwant Krishan, said the government was focusing on the resettlement of ex-servicemen and the Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare had been specially created to take care of their needs. He said the issue of resettlement of the ex-servicemen was important as majority of the Army personnel retire between the age of 35 and 45 while officers retire between 52 and 55.

He said the Bihar government had recruited 5,000 ex-servicemen as part of a special auxiliary police force and the Haryana State Electricity Board had appointed 2,000 ex-sevicemen as meter readers.

Former tourism minister Maj Vijai Singh Mankotia said adventure tourism held great potential for retired defence personnel, especially in Himachal Pradesh.

Sundernagar, April 11
Engineers of The Energy and Research Institute (TERI) made Wood Gasifier-based Crematorium System operational here today in the presence of members of Chandpur Samsanghat Vikas Samiti, Sundernagar. The S.D.M, Sundernagar, was also present on the occasion.

This is the first project of its kind in northern India. Prior to it, three such systems were installed in Maharastra and two in Goa. It is the fourth system that has been installed elsewhere in India.

The Himanchal Pradesh Forest Sector Reform Project has sanctioned two such systems, one at Sundernagar crematorium, and the other at Shimla crematorium.

The present system costs Rs 16 lakh. It has been installed by the staff TERI, a world-renowned premier energy research organisation and is sponsored by the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources.

The present system consumes less fuel; less time for cremation, low-operational cost and further provisions to break the skull from a port (window) has been provided.

The system mainly consists of gasifier for converting biomass in to combustible gasses, which are converted in to preheated gasses and produce gas burner. The flame finally reaches the cremation chamber where the body is kept on a trolley.

Nahan, April 11
Known for its excellent academic results for the past three decades in the state, Adarsh Vidya Niketan Senior Secondary School (AVN) has once again created a record of sorts as its students have won the highest number of scholarships in the state under three different scholarship schemes of the state government.

Deputy director, senior secondary education, Sirmaur, Param Jeet Singh today congratulated the students and the staff of the school for the achievement. He said the state government had sanctioned Rs 2.13 lakh for the district under the Swani Viveka Nand Chatravirti, Dr BR Ambedkar Chatravirti and Meritorious Students Scholarship schemes. He said out of this amount, scholarships worth Rs 1.9 lakh had been won by the meritorious students of AVN School. He said this was the heaviest scholarship amount won by any school in the state.

He handed over the scholarship cheque for the said amount to K.K. Chandola at a simple function held in his office. Chandola gave credit to the meritorious students and the teachers of his school. He said the students of his school had brought laurels not only for the school but also for the entire Sirmaur district.