Chandigarh, January 5
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today dubbed 2008 the “year of education” and announced a number of incentives to retain students in schools and curb the rising dropout rate in the state.

Terming the present times as those of “knowledge-based economy”, he said the state government would initiate path-breaking measures at all levels of education while focusing on the introduction of job-oriented courses. He was speaking at a press conference here.

“The most neglected is the Dalit community. To encourage these students to attend school and complete their education, we will provide them free workbooks which will be introduced from the next session. Also, we have decided to introduce a one-time allowance and a monthly stipend for all Dalit students attending government schools,” the Chief Minister said.

While the education department would make the workbooks, prepared with the help of the Azim Premji Foundation, some NGOs and experts, available to all students from class I to VIII, project-based learning measures would also be introduced.

He said the system of giving short answers in writing would be introduced in the first semester examinations of class VIII, X and XII to check cramming and promote learning.

The Chief Minister stated that the government had decided to provide books free of cost to children in elementary classes belonging to all segments of society, taking the total number of beneficiaries to 21 lakh. Earlier this concession was limited to students from Scheduled Castes families and girls of other segments of society.

For providing computer education, he said in the first phase 200 senior secondary schools and 25 colleges would be covered at a cost of Rs 100 crore. Computer teachers in the scale of lecturers would be appointed in these institutions.

He said a large number of reforms at the college and university levels would be introduced. These included the introduction of the semester system, teaching of multiple subjects, introduction of five-year degree courses, computer education, expansion of the scope of universities and upgradation of the methods of teaching and examinations.

Secretary, education, Rajan Gupta said a one-time allowance of Rs 740 to Rs 1,450 would be given to SC students from class I to XII. Under the monthly incentive scheme, boys and girls studying in class I to V would be given Rs100 and Rs 150, respectively, per month and boys and girls of class VI to VIII Rs 150 and Rs 200. Similarly, boys and girls of class IX to XII would be given Rs 200 and Rs 300, respectively, and boys and girls studying science subjects in class XI and XII Rs 300 and Rs 400, respectively. This monthly incentive to the students would be deposited in their bank accounts to maintain transparency in the scheme, he added.

Fatehabad, January 5
The functioning of alternative and innovative education centres (AIECs) under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in this district has come under a scanner after more than half of the centres were found wanting during inspections by the education department.

Many of these centres were found closed while in some cases non-governmental organisations (NGOs) running these centres were allegedly found playing a fraud with the government. Under the SSA, the state project director has been taking the services of NGOs for running the AIECs for providing education to dropout children and nonstarter children.

The NGOs are being given a payment of Rs 45,000 per annum per centre run by them.

The volunteers manning the centres are required to find out a specific number of dropout and nonstarter children from the area.

As many as 305 AIECs are functioning in this district at present, which are being run by six NGOs.

But not many were found functioning properly by the district authorities and the education department during inspections held recently.

The Society for Conscience Overall Progress (SCOP), an NGO, which is running the maximum number of 159 AIECs in the district, was found to be the worst in working.

During inspection, eight of its centres were found outstanding, 24 good, 68 average, 29 poor and four very poor.

The Indian Public Education Society, which runs 54 AIECs in the district, was also allegedly found playing a fraud with the government for two of its centres, while 10 and two of its centres were found poor and very poor, respectively, and four of its centres were found closed.

The Yours Education Society, Hisar, which is running 17 AIECs in this district, was found running only two of its centres properly.

While 10 of its centres were found poor, four other centres were found closed.

The All-India Literary Development Committee, Panipat, another NGO working in the district under the SSA, has 37 AIECs in this district. But during the inspection, 14 of its centres were found poor while nine were found closed.

In case of the Haryana Welfare IT Education, Narwana, an NGO, which has 18 AIECs in this district, three were found closed while the functioning of one centre was found poor.

The Abhivyakti Foundation is the only NGO, whose functioning was found a bit satisfactory if not up to the mark.

Of the 20 AIECs being run by this NGO, three were found outstanding, eight good, eight average and only one centre was found poor.

Meanwhile, the authorities have stopped partial payment for July and August, 2007, to two NGOs - Disha and Lifeline - which had been running 25 AIECs each in this district till August 2007.

ADC C.G. Rajnikanthan, who monitors the working of the SSA in the district, said during an inspection held in July, 2007, 13 centres of Disha and eight centres of Lifeline were found closed. 

Panipat, January 5
Even as the entire state machinery is busy in observing the 19th National Road Safety Week, no attention has been paid towards the possible ‘death traps’ for motorists and pedestrians on the GT Road.

Haphazard parking of vehicles at scores of religious places located on the NH-1 continue to pose a serious threat to the road users.

A visit made by The Tribune team on the NH-1 today revealed that neither the district police nor the state highway police had paid any attention to control the chaotic parking scenes near these worship places. In the absence of any parking area, people park their vehicles, including cars, trucks and auto-rickshaws, on the national highway.

Interestingly, a signboard displaying the direction of Shani Temple, Kohand, near Panipat bears the name of Sanjay Bhatia (SP), Madhuban, and is placed in the NH median.

Similarly, several others shrines located along the GT Road pose a threat to road users because a large number of devotees visit these shrines regularly.

Devotees frequently organise langars on specific days, mainly Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Scores of animals, including cows, stray dogs and pigs, gorge on leftover food around the shrines on the GT Road, thus risking commuters.

Admitting traffic chaos, AIG (highway) Rajpal Singh said he would direct the district police heads to ensure smooth traffic near such places through community policing. 

Jind, January 5
It was a day of traffic blockades by Jind residents at various places on various issues in the district. There were at least three incidents when the traffic was disrupted with protesters taking to streets in support of their demands. The duration of the blockades lasted between half an hour to over four hours.

One of the most interesting issues that became the cause of protest was the gathering of women in large numbers in front of the residence of the deputy commissioner on the Jind-Gohana road protesting the hike in the rates of milk. The women residents who came from the nearby Urban Estate and other residential colonies asked the district authorities to get the prices of milk fixed between Rs 18 and Rs 20 per lt and order action against the milkmen who supply adulterated and impure milk.

“The state government-owned local Cooperative Milk Plant (Vita) had hiked the milk rates to Rs 17, 19 and 23 per lt for double toned, toned and full cream varieties, respectively, in the recent past. The private suppliers had also hiked the rate up to Rs 25 per lt which was earlier sold at Rs 20 per lt,” claimed a local resident.

Stating that while there had been no reasonable ground for the price hike, she said the private dairies and milk suppliers had been trying to take undue advantage of the decision by the milk plant .

The women residents had submitted a memorandum to the district authorities a few days ago and on failing to get response, the housewives decided to go for blocking the traffic this evening.

The protest went for about 30 minutes and was lifted only after an invitation for talks by the administration.

The second blockade which caught the attention of the authorities was staged near Alewa village on the Jind-Asandh road this morning when residents of about six villages, comprising Alewa, Gangtedi, Gohian, Kharda, Katwa and Duhian, stopped the traffic in protest against the poor supply of power in the rural areas.

Demanding supply for at least 10-15 hours, they said the power shortage had adversely affected their lives. The blockade which started at 9 am continued till 1.30 pm.

In third such development, numerous candidates who came for interview for the post of beldar in the irrigation department squatted on the road near Patiala Chowk here after they were told that the interview had been postponed. They later met the deputy commissioner to request his intervention.

Bhiwani, January 5
Facing acute power shortage, farmers of about six villages gheraoed the Jui powerhouse and held captive the manager of the powerhouse, Baljit Puri.

According to information, residents of about six villages, including Kudal, Dwarka, Jui, Lalawas and Pohkarwas, had reportedly staged a demonstration outside Jui powerhouse two days ago demanding smooth supply of electricity.

Power authorities had then assured the villagers of restoring supply through Dwarka and Devrala power feeders by that evening.

Viewing false assurance, irate villagers went to residences of power officials who had issued assurances.

Not finding them there they went to the powerhouse and held the manager captive. The dharna was led by leader of farmers Bansi Lal Sheoran.

Farmers alleged that Devrala and Dwarka feeders falling under the Jui powerhouse were not running smoothly for the past one week.

Jui police post officer Dharmbir Singh Punia reached the powerhouse but could not get the manager released.

Meanwhile, residents of Kudal Bas village staged a dharna outside the DC’s office and submitted a memorandum here today.

They alleged that there had been power shortage for the last 15 days. Powerhouse officials were imposing power cuts deliberately. The villagers threatened to jam the Delhi Pilani road again if their problem was not redressed.

JHAJJAR: Agitated farmers of Salawas region clashed with staff of the electricity department posted at a power substation situated at Bahu Jhorli village of the district on Friday.

The police has registered a case against four villagers. However, the villagers alleged that power officials behaved rudely with them.

According to information, hundreds of farmers from Goria and Lilod had gone to the power substation to complain about erratic supply of electricity. They said power officials had been ignoring their complaints for the past some time.

The farmers damaged the furniture at the substation and also manhandled with the staff. Meanwhile, some local power personnel called their family members and supporters from Bahu Jhorli village and they reportedly attacked the villagers with sticks.

The police has registered a case against Ramesh, Katar Singh and two others on the complaint of assistant foreman Satbir Singh.

Chandigarh, January 5
After having “elbowed” its way into the signing of an MoU for setting up of the Chandigarh international airport with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the Punjab government, Haryana will now train its guns on securing approval for a second international airport in the state near Delhi.

State power minister Randeep Singh Surjewala disclosed that the next target of the Haryana government would be to get approval for setting up another international airport in the NCR region which was a more suited destination compared to Noida where an international airport was being planned.

Surjewala said the matter had already been taken up by the state government in view the growing need of air passengers. He pointed out that reports showed that in the next five years there would be 17.9 per cent increase in aircraft movement, 22 per cent in passenger traffic, 7.9 per cent in cargo and that the present airports would saturate in 2016.

“This would be the next milestone achieved by the present government in the development of the state, as the Prime Minister has given positive signals for the same,” he maintained.

Complimenting the Punjab Government for recognising Haryana’s claim without a fuss in the setting up of the Chandigarh airport, he suggested that all long-pending issues, including the SYL canal, boundary disputes and Hansi-Bhutana link canal, would be resolved mutually and in the same spirit. He said the Haryana Chief Minister had shown firmness of resolve to protect state’s interest in the all-important creation of special purpose vehicle for the Chandigarh airport project. He said the state government had earlier taken up the matter with the centre. The union ministry of civil aviation was offered two options.

“One option was that in case the defence and civil airports could not be set up at one place, Haryana was ready to part land in Panchkula or Naraingarh for an international airport. The second proposal was if the airport was to be set up at the same place, then 51 per cent share would be of union government and remaining 49 per cent would be shared equally by Haryana and Punjab,” he maintained.

Surjewala said now the additional land required for the Chandigarh airport would be valued and all three partners would pay their respective shares. With staking its right over the Chandigarh airport, Haryana had been able to decisively affirm its claim not only on Chandigarh but also on its territory and water, he added.

Later, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Surjewala, thanked UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and union civil aviation minister Praful Patel for extending their support in ensuring that Haryana gets its rightful share.

Chandigarh, January 5
Promises and announcements alone cannot please people of Haryana, argued INLD MP Ajay Chautala alleging that state Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had been pursuing policies either to appease the Congress high command or outsiders.

“Have a look at the recruitments recently made by the Congress government in the state. Of 79 wireless operators given jobs in the Haryana police, nearly 50 per cent are from Rae Bareilly and Amethi.

“Similarly, more than two-third appointments made in the university for women are from amongst outsiders,” he alleged, maintaining that an overseas placement cell started in Sonepat with grand fanfare had sent only 11 unskilled workers, including 10 under-matriculates, abroad out of 4,849 applications it received since its inception.

Chautala held that the Congress government was bending backwards to get the decision on power purchase agreement with Lanco reviewed by the state Electricity Regulatory Authority. The family of former Congress MP owned the company from Vijaywada, he said.

Coming to the power front, he said, though the Chief Minister inaugurated the Yamunanagar thermal plant in a chivalrous way on November 1 last year, not even a single unit of power had been generated by it till date. The coal tracks were still not complete and it might take a while before the plant became operational.

He said though the Congress government had made repeated announcements that pending power bills worth Rs 1,600 crore had been waived, none of the beneficiaries had got a no due certificate from authorities concerned so far.

He said though the power supply had not improved, the government was thinking of raising the power tariff.

The Congress in its chargesheet against former Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala had accused him of levying “goonda tax” on mines. “Where the money from illegal quarrying of mines is going should be made known now,” he quipped.

Alleging that the Congress was becoming a party of foreigners, he said the UNPA, of which the INLD was a partner, would continue to raise demands of farmers and fight for them. “We are planning a demonstration in support of demands of farmers outside Parliament on January 7,” he added.

Chandigarh, January 5
The Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to launch an offensive against the Haryana government for failing to keep its promise on 24-hour power supply and the alleged goof-up in the below poverty line list.

Addressing a press conference, senior BJP leader and vice-president Gian Chand Gupta said the party had planned to hold a series of protests in the districts beginning with Panchkula and Mahendragarh on January 9.

The demonstrations would be held to protest against faulty policies and the lack of transparency in the government’s functioning. “Senior leaders will participate in these demonstrations. These will conclude on January 23 with protests at Mewat and Hisar,” he said.

He criticised the government for adopting varied criteria in the identification of BPL families in the state. Gupta claimed that the list was fudged and that responsibility for the erroneous list should be fixed.

“Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, on assuming power, had said that the power situation would ease in the state by 2007 and that 24-hour power supply would become a reality. Now, he’s claiming it will happen by 2010. This shows that their entire planning has failed.Nothing has happened in the past three years,” he stated.

“We will also expose the government’s failed missions. For the purpose, we will hold meetings of the state executive from January 6 onwards beginning with the yuva morcha, the mahila morcha and other such party organisations,” Gupta said. 

Faridabad, January 5
There was a mild flutter here when some persons resorted to violence in the presence of a presiding judge in a jam-packed courtroom.

Soon after, judicial magistrate A. Sharma asked for the police that resulted in the arrest of one miscreant. In the pandemonium, the other accused escaped.

The incident occurred when a case of eve-teasing against two youths was being heard. Residents of Sector 55, led by a local Congress leader, were urging the judge to deny bail to the accused. They were also urging the arrest of a woman whom they alleged ran a call girl racket in the sector.

Earlier, the Congress leader had complained to the police about the racket being run by a Sector 55 woman, which led to a raid. The residents helped the police to nab some persons in the raid, including women on the spot.

However, the residents were surprised that all those who were nabbed by them escaped.

Also, one of the youth arrested and produced in court by the police was not among the accused.

When the residents apprised the court of the exact nature of the case they were surprised that the police had registered only the case of eve-teasing.

It was in this connection that the residents were protesting. During this period, two persons appeared in the court and manhandled the local leader, threatening to kill him.

Ambala, January 5
The police has held three persons for kidnapping an Ambala-based trader, Ashok Dang, who was yesterday rescued by the police from Rara village near Assandh, Karnal.

Inspector general of police, Ambala range, K.K. Sidhu, who led the operation with the cooperation of the Delhi and UP police, while addressing a press conference here today, said the three persons arrested belonged to Haryana and UP.

He said the possibility of involvement of some notorious gang of Uttar Pradesh could not be ruled out in the case.

He disclosed that the kidnappers had demanded Rs 1 crore as ransom from Ashok’s parents. The kidnappers had used various public telephone booths of Mujaffarnagar and Saharnpur for demanding ransom, which turned out to be an important clue in finding the whereabouts of the kidnappers.

He said the operation to arrest the remaining members of the gang was still on.

The IG said the three arrested were Jasvir Singh, Randeep, alias Kala, and Sikandar. Two of the held were residents of Jind district while one of them belonged to Meerut.

The police has recovered two country-made pistols of 315 bore and one mobile phone from their possession.

Ashok, who was present at the conference, said he was kidnapped on December 31 while he was coming back from his rice mill after dropping his father. Around six persons stopped him and three of them forcibly pushed him in the car they were travelling in.

They kept him in a room throughout the night and the next day they took him to a sugarcane field, where he remained till the police rescued him. He disclosed that they asked him to inform his parents about the ransom amount otherwise he would be in trouble.

KAITHAL: The three persons, who had been arrested by the police for kidnapping a trader from Ambala, were handed over to the Ambala police for further investigation on Saturday.

SSP Anil Kumar said the trader was kidnapped from Dehar area falling under the Naraingarh police station of Ambala disitrict.

A case was registered under Section 364-A on a complaint made by the son of the abducted trader on January 1.

The Kaithal police received information from its sources that the trader had been kept at the farm of Sat Pal, alias Satta, in Rahra village of the district. The police teams led by the SSP surrounded the sugarcane fields and rescued the trader on Friday.

Chandigarh, January 5
Haryana Governor Dr A.R. Kidwai termed the media as the most important pillar of democracy and called upon it to enthuse the public to shed the communalism, castesim or regionalism and work together for the prosperity of the country.

He was speaking at a function organised by the Haryana Patarkar Sangh for honouring 12 journalists for their outstanding contribution in various categories of journalism during 2006 at Raj Bhawan today.

The governor said the press acts as a bridge between the public and the government. “It publicises the welfare programmes and policies of the government and also brings to its notice the problems being faced by the public. The role of the press is very wide, as it has played a very important role before and after the Independence in fostering the spirit of patriotism among the people, he added.

“The Haryana government is far ahead of other states in providing facilities to the press, so that its members could perform their duties with ease,” he said.

The governor praised the Haryana Patarkar Sangh for its policy of self-help and said this had enhanced the credibility of their members in the society.

Dr Kidwai emphasised the role of educational institutions in preparing youth to meet the growing needs of new industry coming up in the state.

On this occasion, the governor also released a book “Aur Leela Chali Gayi” written by Purshotam Sharma on social issues.

President of the sangh K.B. Pandit, editor Dainik Tribune Naresh Kaushal, resident editor Indian Express Vipin Pubby, president of the Chandigarh Press Club Balwant Takshak, president of the Punjab and Chandigarh Union of Journalists Vinod Kolhi, and additional principal secretary to the Chief Minister and director, public relations, K.K. Khandelwal, also spoke on the occasion.

Panipat, January 5
Responding to the state government’s initiative in inviting private participation under its tourism policy, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Haryana (HRAH) has proposed to adopt historical buildings and monuments for their upkeep in different parts of the state.

Experts feel that if accepted by the state government, the offer will give a boost to tourism that was otherwise a victim of “official neglect”.

Talking to The Tribune here, Manbeer Choudhary, president of the HRAH, said the association would readily take up the structures on the lines of maintenance of campuses of Jantar Mantar and Qutab Minar by private hoteliers.

Lauding the new tourism policy, he said the hospitality industry would get a boost in the state due to the scope for private participation in the new policy.

Haryana is the third state after Kerala and Goa, where private entrepreneurs have been invited under the tourism policy.

The president stressed the need for constituting a tourism development board in the state.

He said the hospitality industry had witnessed a growth of 73 per cent. Kurukshetra, Thanesar, Pehowa, Pinjore and the Morni hills had emerged as the biggest tourist destinations, he added.

FARIDABAD: The tourism and hotel industry has praised the new tourism policy, describing it as forward-looking and having the potential to further push up the status of the state in national and international reckoning in the hotel and tourism sector.

Chandigarh, January 5
The Haryana government has decided to paint a yellow strip with the words "BPL parivar" on it on the main gate of each below the poverty line (BPL) household so as to ensure its identity.

While stating this here today, a spokesman of the rural development department said if it came to the notice of the authorities that any BPL household had removed or repainted the yellow strip and the words written thereon in Hindi, the name of such household would be liable to be deleted from the BPL list and it could also face legal action.