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CM: Govt to seek extension of industrial package
Chopper snag delays CM
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Growth-oriented budget: PHDCCI
International Women’s Day
Food, toilet facilities denied: Devlus
BJP misleading public: Thakur
PCC chief flays govt for vindictive attitude
Beijing Olympics
Tibetan opera fest concludes today
Medical Colleges
Open auction of empty chemical drums banned
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CM: Govt to seek extension of industrial package
Baddi, March 8 He was speaking at the inauguration of a Su-Kam Power Systems unit here today. He said it was laudable that big units like Su-Kam had made investments in the state, however, more such units could have set up their units here had a facilitative regime been provided to them. He launched a scathing attack on mafias that were allegedly operative in the region and had been indulging in securing land from peasants at low prices while making huge bargains in selling that for crores. Earlier, CEO of the unit Kunwer Sachdev said the venture would export almost 40 per cent of its products. Dhumal also inaugurated the ninth unit of Mahavir Spinning Mills. He urged investors to come forward and help in devising need-based courses in ITIs and polytechnics. He assured them of improving the infrastructure and said it would be possible with their due support. He later announced the opening of an ESI hospital at Bhojia Dental College, which had provided a 100-bedded hospital space on its campus. The staff would be provided by the Health Department. Earlier, chairman of the Vardhman Group S.P. Oswal lauded the government. He said they had 33 per cent of their investment (worth Rs 1,500 crore) in the state. He, however, drew attention of the government towards the poor infrastructure and urged it to bring about improvement in it. Also present on the occasion were MLAs, officials of the district administration and senior officials from Shimla. |
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Chopper snag delays CM
Sundernagar, March 8 In past also his schedule was delayed for three or four times due to faulty operation of the helicopter. Dhumal had ordered for change of the helicopter and service providers had changed it but as per sources the new helicopter is giving much more problem than the previous one. Dhumal had to attend a function at Baddi-Barotiwala today. Yesterday evening he took part in the inaugural function of the International Shivratri fair at Mandi and stayed there. As the fair was going on at the Paddle Ground where the helicopter used to land so it had to pick up the Chief Minister and others from Sundernagar. After the Chief Minister and other staff boarded the helicopter it was detected that its engine could not be started. Crew members tried to find out the fault, but it took about 20 minutes to start the engine again. Hundreds of workers including local MLA Roop Singh and Chachoit MLA Jai Ram and other officials witnessed the scene. The present helicopter has been hired by the state government from MESCO Airlines to conduct the sorties to the tribal belts, which remain cut off for half of the year due to heavy snow in the area.
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Growth-oriented budget: PHDCCI
Shimla, March 8 In a statement issued here today, PHDCCI chairman Dhian Chand said P.K. Dhumal had presented welfare budget despite various constraints. “Plans to focus on infrastructure development and fill 26,000 posts in various departments are commendable,” he said. He lauded the proposal of the government to create a new directorate of energy to focus on the power sector. “The incentive scheme to improve tax realisation will help in increasing the collections,” he said. He said the decision to open three new medical colleges and an IIT in Mandi was appreciable. “A special dispensation of Rs 95 crore given to the HRTC and other budget proposals to strengthen to road transport and rail connectivity across the state will help in the development of rural and backward areas,” he said. Dhian Chand said the move to focus on higher and professional education would go a long way in helping youth gain employment. He said changes in the administration would help in increasing the efficiency of various government departments. He said efforts of the government to give benefits to employees, pensioners, BPL families, urban bodies, students and farmers reflected the growth-oriented vision of the government. |
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International Women’s Day
Shimla, March 8 She was speaking at a state-level function held here today on the occasion of International Women’s Day. “The government is committed towards the welfare of the weaker sections and Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal had taken a number of steps in this direction,” she remarked. She said the welfare of women remained the top priority of the Dhumal regime, which had decided to provide 50 per cent reservation to women in panchayati raj institutions and local bodies. “The government is spending Rs 30 crore annually on welfare activities for women and various facilities were being extended under the Integrated Child Development Scheme. She said 18,500 women self-help groups were functioning in the state, having more than two lakh members. She said 16 hostels had been constructed for girl students belonging to SC and ST categories, while there were 14 hostels for working women in the state. She expressed concern over the declining sex ratio on account of female foeticide. “The state government is committed to check this disturbing trend, but the society at large needs to be sensitive towards the issue,” she remarked. BILASPUR: Women should be courageous and should come forward to prevent destruction of any female foetus in their areas for ensuring a balance in the society and also for future prosperity of country. This was said by chief medical officer Dr Sharda Sharma while presiding over a district-level International Women’s Day here today. She said women should also ensure maximum education and training to their daughters, which was a sure way to educate families against this evil. District program officer G. C. Sharma said there were 1,378 self-help groups of women in the district with total membership of 15,000 women and more than 1.54 crore financial savings. While 924 self-help groups are attached with banks and have taken loans worth Rs 3.31 crore for their commercial activities which was resulting for benefit of every member and was helping in women empowerment. KULLU: The state government has comprehensive schemes for the development of female children in the state and ample budgetary plans for their health and education. This was stated by state Vidhan Sabha deputy speaker Khimi Ram here today while addressing a district-level function on International Women Day. He said 2,458 girls between the age group of 11and 18 were being given nutritious food and 35 girls were given sewing machine training in the district. He said the first two female children of the IRDP families were given Rs 500 each and 115 such girls were provided fixed deposits and 145 girls were getting stipends. Khimi Ram said under the Integrated Child Development Project the supervisors were appointed as ‘sanrakshak adhikari’ (protection officer) for the prevention of domestic violence in the respective areas. The district programme officer has been appointed as the district dowry prevention officer under the Dowry Prevention Act, whereas, the child development project officer as the block dowry prevention officer, he added. He further said those women whose annual income was not more than Rs.7,500 would get Rs.2,500 for self-employment. Those divorced, or those whose husband was a handicap, or those living in nari sadans or those discarded by family would get Rs 11,001 for marriage. Govind Ram Thakur, MLA said the women had achieved distinctions in many fields and contributed a lot to the society. NURPUR: The state Health Department today organised a subdivisional level International Women’s Day here in the civil hospital which was presided over by local MLA Rakesh Pathania. The members of mahila mandals from the area participated the sammelan organised on this occasion. Presiding over the sammelan Pathania expressed his concern over the burgeoning atrocities on women in the area and called upon people to rise above party lines and play an effective role to curb this social evil. He said the girls were the assets of our families and our society should change its outlook towards females. The chief guest also released a book ‘Udan’ written by Sanjay Dhiman, block development officer, Nurpur, in which he had highlighted the plight of women as well as efforts to empower them in rural areas of the Nurpur block. This was his eighth book. HAMIRPUR: A programme was organised at the NGO Bhawan today by the Department of Social Justice and Women Empowerment to celebrate International Women’s Day, which was attended by hundreds of women. Local MLA Urmil Thakur, who was the chief guest on this occasion, addressing the gathering, said the BJP government is committed to the empowerment of women and after coming to power in the state the government raised the widow pension from Rs 200 to Rs 300 and it was the BJP government which had raised it from Rs 100 to Rs 200 during its last tenure. She said the government had provided 50 per cent reservations to women in panchayati raj institutions. The present government has also given leave to women on Raksha Bandhan and Bhaiya Dooj, besides free travelling facilities in the HRTC buses on these days.
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Food, toilet facilities denied: Devlus
Mandi, March 8 The mela committee has issued lunch slip for 20 “devlus” at the mess at DIET, but when they went there at around 1.30 pm for lunch the persons on duty there pleaded that they have no food left for them. “You should get ration or vegetable from the bazar and they would cook or they should contact the DC office,” rued the devotees. The devlus- Om Chand, Roshan Lal, Som Dutt, Ved Ram- of Parashar Rishi, Barunag, Baradhivir and Mahasagar Rishi devtas- told mediapersons that they were served plates but they were not given food as persons on duty told them food was finished and they should get ration from the market or from the DC office. The devotees complained that they have to answer the call of the nature in the open on the banks of the river Beas and Suketi and on hilltops of Tarna temple as the temples where they stay have no toilet facilities. Earlier time population was less, but there are houses everywhere around town and the devotees face embarrassing situation as they have to defecate in the open, rued devotees of Kamrunag at Tarna. Indian Peoples Theatre Association (IPTA), convener, Lawan Thakur, who have been championing the cause of the bajantris and devlus demanded more funds from the mela committee and said it was mela committee’s responsibility to provide toilet and other facilities. ADM-cum-incharge of the Devta Sub-committee, B.S. Dehal said they have deputed persons to ensure that devlus get both ration and food without delay. “We are trying to manage the mela as per the available infrastructure with us and will look into problem. All devtas have their traditional places for lodging purpose,” he added. DC Mandi cum president of Shivratri Mela committee Onkar Sharma said, “These problems are there and we have limited sources and it is difficult to build toilets for all of them. But we try to give our best out of the available infrastructure.” |
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BJP misleading public: Thakur
Bilaspur, March 8 Addressing mediapersons today afternoon, he said the budget contained nothing new that could be called as that of the BJP. Most of the provisions made in the state budget were either based on projects and plans already announced in the Central Budget or approved and sanctioned by Virbhadra Singh’s government. He said the Virbhadra government had already sanctioned 26,000 posts. These could not be filled due to sudden announcement of elections, he said. The budget could also be not called “ tax-free” as government had already burdened people by effecting 25 per cent hike in bus fares, while increase in power rates was also imminent. The Bhanupali to Bilaspur railway line was announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year at the instance of the Virbhadra Singh government. He said the BJP had made problems of lakhs of Bhakra Dam oustees of Bilaspur an election issue, but not a word had been said about them in the budget. He also criticised the Chief Minister for shifting synthetic track project from Bilaspur to his home town Hamirpur. It was against the norms fixed for such a project by the Central Government as a SAI sports hostel was a must for such a track and Bilaspur had Himachal’s fist and the oldest SAI sports hostel, he said. |
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PCC chief flays govt for vindictive attitude
Nurpur, March 8 In a statement issued on telephone here last evening she said during two months of new government instead of solving problems of the people was busy in harassing the government officials and employees with Congress ideology. She flayed the government for unprecedented hike in bus fares and cut in subsidy for domestic power users. She alleged that the state government was distorting the facts about the announcement of the UPA government made during the previous Virbhadra Singh regime and added that the notification for the announced central university in Kangra district could not be issued due to enforcement of model code of conduct in the wake of pre-poning of Assembly election in the state. She claimed that she had raised this issue with the Union government and the Union HRD ministry would soon issue notification in this connection. |
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Beijing Olympics
Dharamsala, March 8 “It is misleading,” a spokesman of the Department of Information and International Affairs of the exiled Tibetan government, Sonam N. Dagpo, said here. On the issue of Beijing Olympics, it is common knowledge that the Tibetan temporal head has consistently supported the right of China to host the games, he said. The Communist Party chief in Tibet Zhang Qingli has accused the Tibetan leader of trying to sabotage Beijing Olympic based on an interview to a British network in the third week of January which misleadingly attributed the Tibetan leader supporting peaceful protests in the run up to the Olympics. The Dalai Lama said, “Pro-Tibet groups could remind the international community, including the Chinese people”
— PTI |
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Tibetan opera fest concludes today
Dharamsala, March 8 “This Shoton Opera festival is the medium where we can provide the Tibetan opera enthusiast, artists and the musicians a platform to showcase their talents, skills and proficiency in Tibetan opera. That was the purpose of organising this festival,” said Tenzin, secretary, TIPA. Many Tibetans, monks and foreign tourists assembled to watch the opera. “It’s great that they are performing here in exile because they are keeping their culture alive. It’s letting their children know what their culture is and keeping it going,” said Rebecca Woodsford, a tourist from the UK. Traditionally, the ‘Shoton’ festival is celebrated on a full moon day to mark the end of long summer retreat of monks and originated at the Drepung Monastery of Lhasa in Tibet around 14th century. The festival took its name from ‘Sho’ or yogurt served to the monks and nuns practising purification rituals during the time and ate no meat during full moon days. The 14th Tibetan opera festival will conclude
tomorrow. — ANI |
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Medical Colleges
Mandi, March 8 He was speaking at the Shivratri fair. He said, “Dental colleges at Sundernagar, Solan, Baddi and Paonta Sahib (in the private sector) have been a success and so will be the proposed colleges at Mandi, Hamirpur and Una.” He said the zonal hospital at Mandi would be attached to a private medical college. “All three proposed colleges will come into existence in three years. The government will issue a notification shortly in this connection,” he added. He accused the previous Virbhadra Singh government of not only deceiving people by announcing pre-poll gimmicks, but also devtas as that government did not make any budgetary provisions for the medical college or the Rs 12-crore temple trust meant for the maintenance of temples. “We have to provide a supplementary budget for them,” he added. |
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Open auction of empty chemical drums banned
Kumarhatti, March 8 The practice, which was going on unabated has in fact proved fatal for water creatures quite often. Now understanding the need to check the problem the board has authorised Shivalik Solid Waste Management, Majra (Nalagarh), and Watavaran Shudikaran Sansthan, Parwanoo, to take all these empty chemical drums under their procession. Under this new arrangement, these two institutions would ensure scientific cleaning of the drums before circulating them for other use. |
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