Dharamsala, December 23
The members of the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) today organised a dharna and observed one day strike in protest against the Insurance Bill that was introduced yesterday in the winter session of Parliament.

Employee leaders while addressing the dharna alleged that despite the fact that foreign insurance companies were facing financial crunch and were on the verge of collapse, the Indian government had proposed the increase in the foreign direct investment (FDI) from 26 per cent to 49 per cent in India.

The investor in the insurance sector in India has been saved as the foreign investment in companies here was restricted to just 26 per cent. However, by increasing the FDI in insurance sector the government has exposed the small investors of the country to hostile recession being faced financial institutions in the western countries.

The employees also threatened to intensify the agitation in case the government went ahead with implementing the decision of increasing the FDI in financial institutions.

Shimla: Officials and employees of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) today observed strike in protest against the introduction of the Insurance Bill in Parliament, seeking enhancements in the foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Indian insurance sector. The insurance employees and class-I officers held demonstrations and rallies before all LIC officers in all branches in the state. The LIC employees in the town held a major demonstration outside the office of the divisional officer at Kasumpati.

The president of the Class-I Officers Association, RS Chauhan criticised the UPA regime for conspiring to hand over the hard earned savings of the people collected by the insurance sector to bankrupt and loss making foreign insurance companies of the USA, the UK and Europe.

The divisional secretary of the Northern Zone Insurance Employees Association, Devi Singh claimed that the LIC strike was complete throughout the state as both employees and officers observed complete strike. He added that the All-India State Government Employees Federation, bank employees and central government employees have expressed solidarity with the striking insurance employees.

He said the conspiracy of the UPA regime would be exposed through a door-to-door campaign all over the country and more united action would be held in the future of the government did not agree to withdraw the Bill.

Hamirpur: The district branch of the North Zone Insurance Employees Association (NZIEA) today observed complete strike on the call of All India Insurance Employee’s Federation to protest the introduction of the insurance amendment Bill in Parliament increasing 49 per cent the foreign direct investment (FDI) in the insurance sector.

Branch secretary, NZIEA, Pradeep Minahs said: “The strike was complete in the district and work in all three branches i.e. LIC, GIC and Nadaun branch of LIC remained paralysed today.”

He said: “All employees staged a Dharna before the LIC office and raised slogans against the UPA government, the Prime Minister and the ministry of finance.”

Addressing employees’ divisional secretary H S Verma, Pradeep Minhas and others castigated the UPA government for bringing this Bill in Parliament and said, “Allowing the FDI in the insurance sector would increase the dominance of foreign capital in this sector and would affect the domestic savings which would adversely affect our economy.” They alleged, “Though the policy of privatisation and capitalism has led to present global crisis, our government is bent upon adopting the same policies here.”

The NZIEA has also criticised the BJP for not opposing this Bill in Parliament.

Nurpur: Employees of all categories of the LIC here went on one-day token strike against the central government proposal to give participation of 49 per cent direct foreign investment in insurance sector. The agitating employees held protest demonstration on the premises the LIC branch office. The office work of the LIC came to standstill following employees’ strike. They also demanded the LIC management to accept longstanding demands of the LIC employees.

Solan, December 23
Tall claims of the PCC for having united the Congress stood exposed today as only a section of Congress men participated in the INTUC rally organised at Parwanoo today with even the CLP leader Vidya Stokes remaining missing.

Though the rally sought to lay all speculations about the real INTUC in the state to rest with the PCC president Kaul Singh announcing it as the real body but the absence of any consent from the All-India INTUC President Sanjeeva Reddy raised questions about its credentials.

It is worth mentioning that after the demise of Amarjeet Bawa had been split into two bodies headed by Hardeep Bawa and G.K.Mehta.

While each section had the support of the two factions of the Congress led respectively by former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and CLP leader Vidya Stokes no consent had been received as yet by any faction from the All-India INTUC president Sanjeeva Reddy.

Kaul Singh while addressing the rally categorically stated that no other body of the INTUC had been recognised by the PCC. He said though attempts had been made by a section of workers to organise themselves into a similar body but it had nothing to do with their party.

Addressing the rally later former CM Virbhadra Singh said the INTUC headed by Hardeep Bawa was doing good work and he also endorsed it as the actual body.

He said the BJP government was taking credit for all centrally-aided schemes and they had failed to do anything in their one-year tenure.

The All-India INTUC secretary Chander Prakash who is also chief of Bihar INTUC who had specially come for the rally condemned the role of the state government in unleashing lawlessness on the premises of Shogi-based Super Max Industries and said the BMS, which is BJP’s trade union wing, jeopardised the unit’s peaceful working. He said such attempts would not be tolerated and they would hold dharnas to voice their protest against such high-handedness.

The presence of MLAs owing allegiance to Virbhadra Singh, including Sudhir Sharma, Mukesh Agnihotri, Sohan Lal, Subash Manglet, Gangu Ram Musafir, Yog Raj, state Youth Congress president Manmohan Katoch, former INTUC president Kanta , etc., turned the INTUC rally into a show of strength.

It is worth mentioning that there was massive opposition to the INTUC faction headed by Hardeep Bawa in the Congress faction led by the Stokes group.

Shimla, December 23
Central government employees in the state capital today held a rally, expressing solidarity with the insurance workers who observed a strike today against the tabling of the Bill in Parliament permitting foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 49 per cent.

The employees held a lunch-hour rally outside the Accountant General (AG) office. The general secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Coordination Committee of Central Government Employees and Workers, K.L. Gautam, said the governemnt move was very surprising and shocking in view of the fact that most countries were experiencing one of the worst financial recessions.

He said the reason why banks in India unlike the US had not gone bankrupt was because the public sector played pivotal role in the banking and insurance sector. “The employees did not lose their provident fund or pension in India because the workers opposed the Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority Bill (PFRDA).

Gautam criticised the UPA regime for moving a Bill to increase FDI when at a time the private banks were rolling back their actions and nationalising their private corporate entities. “We fail to understand why the governemnt wants to go ahead with the FDI Bill when the writing on the wall is very clear and not in the interest of the workers,” he said.

Shimla, December 23
With the weather expected to remain dry and sunny over the next three days, a White Christmas, which the ‘Queen of Hills’ witnessed way back in 1991 is almost ruled out.

It is for the past 17 years that the locals as well and tourists have yearned for a white Christmas, which adds to the festivities and the real charm of Christmas. In 1991 there had been 49 cm of snowfall on the intervening night of December 24 and 25, as the residents woke up to see the town under a white mantle.

Much to the chagrin of the hoteliers and others associated with the tourism industry as per the local meteorological office, the weather during the next three days is likely to remain dry with bright sunny days. “Barring slight cloud formation, the weather during the next three days will remain dry with nice sunny days,” said Manmohan Singh, director, meteorological department.

According to data available with the local meteorological station, prior to 1991 there had been a white Christmas in 1989. “It was heavy snow as the flakes continued to come down for five days starting from December 22, resulting in almost two feet of snow,” said Manmohan Singh.

The snowfall started on December 22 with 15.2 cm being recorded, followed by 3 cm on the next day, 30 cm on 23rd and 14.7 cm on December 24. Some people remember celebrating a white Christmas that year as there was over 2 ft snow which attracted thousands of tourists from the nearby states. In 1995 there had been snow on December 22 but that eluded the people of a white Christmas as it did not last that long.

As compared to a white Christmas there has been snow on New Year on more occasions and in the recent past. There has been good snow on December 31 in 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2002. As such the possibility of snow on Christmas is practically ruled out but one could hope for a white New Year.

As per the data with the local Met centre, the heaviest snowfall recorded in the hill town was 105 cm on December 31, 1990.

Bilaspur, December 23
Himachal Pradesh State Employees Federation has strongly criticised the latest order of the government, which says that now onward salaries of employees, including class four employees and labours, would be paid through the bank branches.

Addressing mediapersons here today, federation state president Ram Singh said this order had not taken difficulties of the employees into consideration while passing such an order as this would present a number of problems to them and it might help the bank branches by providing them with more profits and business.

Ram Singh said when put into practise this new system would end in large queues on the bank counters and it might take more than a day of a standing wait for receiving the salary which now was easily received by every employee in his respective office without any wait or hassle or harassment.

He urged the Chief Minister to look into this latest order and restore the old time-tested practice of releasing salaries through the respective offices every month to save employees from all these difficulties.

Ram Singh said even earlier also, such an order was passed by the government at instance of the banks during former Congress regime but the order had to be withdrawn due to the stiff opposition by all employees unions and organisations.

He praised the efforts of the Chief Minister for uprooting corruption in the state and said NGO’s federation would give full co-operation in this massive effort of the government. He said federation had already started the process and had supplied full documentary evidence to the Chief Minister against a high officer of the PWD here in which he was alleged to have committed irregularities during former regime of the Congress.

Shimla, December 23
To promote various destinations in Himachal as health tourism centres the state government will explore the possibility of setting up panchkarma centres offering naturopathy and forms of healing under the traditional system of medicine.

This was stared by health and family welfare minister Dr Rajiv Bindal, who has returned form a tour of Kerala after holding talks with various agencies which are into promoting naturopathy. “There is great potential for promoting the health truism in a state like Himachal which is endowed with immense natural beauty,” he said.

He said the state, too, would explore the model adopted by Kerala and talks in this regard had already been held with the health and ayurveda minister of Kerala and the director of the indian system of medicine. He added that the view of the Ayurvedic College and Drug Controller of Indian System of Medicine had also been taken in this regard.

Bindal said the state was home for thousands of rare medicinal herbs and aromatic plants which were used in ayurveda, naturopathy and other forms of traditional medicine system. He said the opinion of experts in the field were also being taken to ensure that world class facilities are created in the state, which could attract tourists form all over the world, to have the rare healing experience.

Dharamsala, December 23
Robbers struck at Khamber remote village, about 10 km from the Nagrota Surian area, today.

The sources available here said the robbers identified a lone house in the village. They entered the house at about 12 am yesterday night. Just two women and children were present in the house when the robbers struck.

As per the victims about four to six people broke into their house at night. They had their faces covered. All the inmates of the house were locked in a room and robbers continued to plunder the house for about three hours.

Afraid of robbers the women and children did not dare to raise the alarm during the night. Women told the police as they did not raise the alarm as their house was located at an isolated place. They feared that there cries might not reach other villagers and robbers might harm them and their children.

In the morning much after the robbers had left the women informed the local panchayat that further informed the police. As per the report registered with the police the robbers took away Rs 12000 in cash and jewels worth about Rs 52000.

The police has registered a case of theft.

However, the police officials told The Tribune that they were suspecting that the robbery was a handiwork of some insider. They are also suspecting that rivalry over land might also be the motive behind the robbery.