Dharamsala, February 5
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal laid the foundation stone of food craft institute at Khaniara, near here, this morning.

The institute would be brought up at a cost of Rs 4.75 crore. Besides, a HIMUDA rest house at Kand Khaniara, valued at about Rs 1.71 crore would also be transferred for the food and craft institute (FCI).

While speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said the institute would be the premier institute training students in hospitality industry.

The FCI, Dharamsala, was the second institute after the FCI, Kufri, that has been set up in the state.

The first batch of 120 students is likely to be admitted to the FCI, Dharamsala, from the next academic session. The proposed complex would take about two years’ time for completion and getting functional.

Out of the total amount sanctioned for the institute Rs 3.75 crore would be spent over infrastructural creation activities and remaining Rs 1 crore over the required equipments and other facilities.

Dhumal said that another prestigious hotel management institute was being established at Hamirpur at a cost of Rs 12 crore.

As many as 360 students would be admitted to degree courses and 160 for diploma courses in the institute.

Both the institutions will follow the academic and admission norms prescribed by the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology.

Construction work of the IHM, Hamirpur, was in progress and likely to be completed by the end of 2010 while the first batch would be admitted from July, 2009 in a rented accommodation.

Tourism is the fastest growing industry and requirement for trained manpower was increasing tremendously as more youth were opting for career in hospitality industry.

Manisha Nanda, secretary, tourism, detailed various tourism promotion activities being carried by the state government and future plans to meet the emerging demand of the trained hospitality manpower of the state.

Kishan Kapoor, Transport Minister, Sarveen Chaudhary, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister, Rajan Sushant, MLA, Gyari Dolma, Deputy Speaker, Tibetan Parliament-in- exile were present on the occasion.

Dharamsala, February 5
The former state convener of the BSP, Major (retd) Vijay Singh Mankotia, who had quit active politics in the recent past, today floated a social forum ‘Court of People’.

Mankotia said the forum would concentrate on exposing the misdeeds of politicians. The forum would have five members, including eminent lawyer, educationist, bureaucrat, technocrat and ex-servicemen at state-level. Such committees would also be formed at district-levels.

The committee would provide a platform to the people of the state to give information regarding misdeeds of those in power.

The forum would then highlight the misdeeds on behalf of people. The aim of the forum would be to make politicians and bureaucrat accountable for their deeds.

The forum would meet once a month and place before the media the issue brought to them by the people.

During the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections also the forum would place the biodata of the contesting candidates before the people.

Mankotia also flayed the present government for developing cold feet on various corruption issues on which it rode to power.

He said he and former chairman of staff selection commission Katwal brought to the fore many scams allegedly committed during the previous Virbahdra government.

Dharamsala, February 5
Japan Bank of International Cooperation would finance Rs 500 crore organic fertiliser project in the state. Chief Minister PK Dhumal gave this information while addressing a public meeting in the Naura area of Kangra district today.

He said the Shah Canal Project would be dedicated to the people of the district by 2011. The work of canal that would provide irrigation facilities to the arid area of Kangra district is progressing at speedy pace now that the Punjab Government had given its contribution in the project.

Dhumal also laid the foundation stone of the Government Degree College complex at Naura, to be brought up at an estimated cost Rs 7.82 crore, ITI building at Garh Jamula and other public health and water harvesting schemes.

He said a Disaster Management Battalion was being set up in Nurpur to learn technique in dealing with situations prevailing during emergencies.

Qualitative infrastructure creation was being accorded top priority and institutions of national and international standard were being set up all over the state.

Besides the government, private players were coming forward with their proposals to implement vocational educational facilities in the state.

One more university in the private sector was likely to be set up in the Palampur subdivision in the near future.

Dhumal criticised the previous government for opening various educational institutions without any budgetary provisions and planning to gain political mileage.

The present government would be equipping every degree college and educational institution in the state with adequate teaching staff. The process for recruiting 634 college lecturers was in progress.

The CM was presented bank drafts of Rs 27,000 by block elementary officers, Teaching and Non-teaching Employees Association, Rs 26,000 by principal and headmasters of the Sulah Assembly constituency, Rs 17,500 by the Association of School Lecturers, Rs 16,500 by Sanjay Dhiman, BDO Officers and Employees Association, Rs 11,000 by Contract School Lecturers Association, Sulah Unit, Rs 11,000 by principal and staff of GSSS Khaira, Rs 9,100 by principal and staff, Government Degree College, Naura and Rs 5,000 by Thakur Singh Mehta, gram panchayat pradhan, Naura, as contribution towards the CM’s Relief Fund.

Dhumal also released the Blood Donors Directory brought out by the District Yuva Morcha, Kangra, containing contact numbers of the volunteer donors.

He honoured Chuhar Singh of Garh Jamula village, who had donated 15 kanals of land for construction of the ITI building in the Naura area.

Hamirpur, February 5
Non-regularisation of services of hundreds of contractual veterinary doctors for the past many years is causing resentment among them.

A large number of them are planning to switch to other jobs, while many of them have already quit.

Their wait for regularisation of services has been continuing since their appointment in 2003. As per the terms of contract of their appointment, they were supposed to be regularised after five years of service.

The government had appointed 180 veterinary doctors on contract basis and many of them were posted in difficult areas.

They comprised 50 per cent of the total strength of veterinary doctors working
in the state.

Alleging that the government had been apathetic towards their plight, general sectary of the Himachal Pradesh State Veterinary Officers Association Navneet Chandel says, “Though we have been serving the people in tribal areas, the government has not regularised our services even after putting in more than 5 years of service. Thirty-two doctors have already joined other jobs and many others are also thinking of following the suit.”

These doctors maintain that the state government is adopting double standards in regularisation of services of doctors.

The services of more than 500 MBBS doctors appointed on contract basis in 2007 have already been regularised, they say.

There is also a feeling among these doctors that their department has failed to put up a strong case for their regularisation with the government.

According to Director (Animal Husbandry) BC Bisht, the department had taken up their case with the government, but the government has now changed the tenure for regularisation to 8 years. A final decision has yet to be taken for the regularisation of contractual doctors, he says.

Solan, February 5
Providing major relief to orphaned children due to death of their HIV/AIDS afflicted parents the state Health Department has finally released funds worth Rs 3.48 lakh for them.

This would help provide a monthly stipend to about 580 children across the state. The scheme, which had been launched two years back to provide some relief to these children, had earlier hit a major roadblock as the state government had failed to allocate any budget for it.

“We pursued the case persistently and the pending grant has not only been released but it has been distributed to all districts for allocation to these children,” informed director, health, Sulakshna Puri.

As per the funds released by the government, an amount of Rs 4.44 lakh has been set aside for procuring milk powder for the 13 infants while Rs 15 lakh would be distributed to the remaining children.

District programme officer for AIDS Dr NK Gupta while confirming the receipt of funds in the district said since the case papers were already lying ready with them they were now distributing the requisite relief.

The scheme, which took off in September 2007, had failed to provide any stipends to the hapless children earlier this year due to lack of funds.

Inquires from the AIDS Control Society revealed that it had drawn a good response from across the state where nearly 250 children had been provided an aid of nearly Rs 3 lakh last year.

This scheme provided the children from 0 to 15 years of age a monthly stipend ranging from Rs 300 to Rs 700 so as to facilitate their education.

Twentyeight children had come forward to avail the benefit of the scheme this year in Solan district.

Five children in the age group of 0 to 3 years had applied for availing a stipend of Rs 300 and another 11 children falling in the age group of 4 to 6 years had sent their applications for getting a stipend of Rs 400.

The society had also received applications from seven children falling in the age group of 7 to 9 years for availing stipends.

Solan, February 5
Health and Family Welfare Minister Rajiv Bindal today said the Food and Civil Supplies Department had been directed to purchase medicines through open bidding so as to discourage big pharmaceutical companies from promoting their medicines and ensuring purchase of quality medicines.

While the exercise would save Rs 2 crore, it would help provide medicines at cheaper and affordable rates to the public.

He was addressing mediapersons after dedicating a cardiac care unit at the regional hospital here today. He laid the foundation stone of a new building in the hospital.

Agreeing that there had been a practice among doctors to prescribe costly medicines of renowned pharmaceutical companies, he said this measure would help check the trend.

Elaborating about the welfare measures, he said a health insurance scheme had been launched in the state to benefit 3 lakh persons living below poverty line.

Answering queries about lack of fund utilisation under the National Rural Health Mission, he said Rs 99 crore that had been received this year would be spent by the end of this financial year.

The public health centres of Deothi, Subathu and Darlaghat would soon be dedicated to the public, he added. Lift facility would be provided in the local hospital, he said.

The case came to light after the Pathankot (Punjab) police seized these motorcycles at a naka. The bike had been sold to Pathankot residents.

Kangra, February 5
Fortytwo daily wagers serving in the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for more than one-and-a-half decade in the state today threatened to resort to self-immolation outside the office of Director General, ASI, New Delhi, next month if by then they were not regularised.

Seshi Pal, senior vice-president of the Akhil Bhartiya Puratatav Vibagh Karmachari Mahasangh and the state general secretary of Bhartiya Puratatav Vibagh Karmachari Sangh said they had been moving from pillar to post for the past nearly one decade now for getting their jobs regularised in the ASI, but in vain.

He said they had been serving the ASI as daily wagers for the last 15 to 18 years for Rs 100 daily.

Seshi Pal alleged that in 2000 some daily wagers close to some senior officers were regularised and on April 1, 2005, all daily wagers, though junior to them, throughout the country in the ASI were regularised, but 42 in this hill state were left in lurch.

He said they defied the prohibitory orders and held a dharna on Janpath in New Delhi on December 2, 2008, to register their protest.

They approached the Director General, ASI, New Delhi, who sought a weeks’ time, but without any action.

Kangra, February 5
The Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) announced that it would contest all four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal in the forthcoming polls and failure of the government on corruption and terrorism front would be the main poll plank of the party in the state.

Disclosing this here today at a press conference, officiating state chief of the Shiv Sena Nalinder Ghautam said the UPA government had practically kneeled down before the terrorist outfits and the neighbouring countries harbouring these terrorist organisations thus putting the nation on a volcano.

He said the Shiv Sena had started penetrating at the village-level in this hill state and new state-level executive committee would be announced on February 8, to chalk out the future strategy for strengthening the party in the state.

He said people from all walks of life would be inducted in the committee. He said the party would work against the growing corruption in the state.

He added that all steps would be taken to see the dream of strong “Hindu Rashtra” cherished by Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray comes true.

Ghautam circulated the copies of the special issue of the Vishwa Sangram- newspaper of the Shiv Sena on this occasion among the media and party workers.

Shimla, February 5
Inordinate delay on part of the Congress high command in finalising candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls is making party cadres restive in the state.

The rank and file of the party and even senior leaders feel that failure to decide candidates is sending wrong signals to the electorate.

More so, because the ruling BJP has not only announced its candidates, but also launched its poll campaign. The state Election Committee has already recommended names of candidates, but the high command has not taken any decision.

As the meeting of the Central Election Committee has not been fixed so there is no hope of an early decision.

Aware of the sentiments of the party workers the Pradesh Congress Committee chief Kaul Singh has decided to take up the matter with the high command for declaration of candidates without any further delay.

He is leaving for Delhi late this evening to meet the central leaders. He would urge the high command to declare the party nominees by February 15 as the state had only four seats.

He is likely to meet party supremo Sonia Gandhi, in charge of the party affairs in Himachal Pradesh RK Dhawan and other leaders during his four-day sojourn at the national capital.

There is no confusion about candidates for two seats as the party is likely to field the sitting MPs Chander Kumar from Kangra and Dhani Ram Shandil from Shimla.

As far as the Mandi seat was concerned the choice was likely to fall on former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, undoubtedly the strongest candidate who had won the seat four times.

Shimla, February 5
Even as there is a possibility of moderate rain or snowfall at isolated places, dry weather conditions are likely to continue with slight rise in night temperature all over the state.

According to the local meteorological centre, the western disturbance (WD) currently lies over northern Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir.

As per the forecast for the next 24 hours, there is a possibility of light to moderate rain or snowfall at isolated places, but only in high hills.

The fact that the dry weather conditions will follow is bad news for fruit growers and farming community.

There will also be an increase of around 3°C in the night temperature at most places in the state.

The lowest temperature (-7°C) was recorded at Keylong. The minimum temperature at Shimla was 6.3°C, Sundernagar 6.7°C, Bhuntar 5.6°C, Kalpa - 3°C, Dharamsala 5.3°C, Una 7.5°C, mandi 8.2°C, Nahan 13.6°C, Manali 4.2°C, Palampur 9.5°C and Solan 2.8°C.

The maximum temperature at Shimla was 16.4°C, Sundernagar 22.5°C, Bhuntar 22.4°C, Kalpa 10°C, Dharamsala 21.2°C, Una 27.4°C and Mandi 25.2°C.

Shimla, February 5
The Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation has decided to provide latest farm know-how under the rehabilitation and resettlement plan to help project affected families to increase yield from their small land holdings.

The corporation organised a special training camp for the people under the Sawra Kuddu project in association with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Rohru, today at which scientists gave advice pertaining to cultivator of various crops.

They also informed them about emerging trends of intensive cultivation, hi-tech cultivation of off-season vegetables and medicinal plants and poly houses.

The participants were distributed hybrid pea seeds free of cost. General manager of the project Ajay Kumar said such camps would be a regular feature.

Shimla, February 5
The Himachal Pradesh Employees Confederation has urged the Planning Commission of India to grant a special financial assistance of Rs 800 crore to the state for funding the annual plan for the year 2009-10.

In a memorandum to deputy chairperson of the commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the confederation drew attention to the difficult geographical conditions of the state due to which there was little scope for industrialisation and development of the farm sector. The people were largely dependent on government service for employment.

There were about 2.75 lakh regular employees and 42,000 daily wagers. The anticipated annual financial burden on account of implementation of the pay commission report was estimated to be around Rs 800 crore.

The state that had meagre financial resources was in no position to meet the burden. In these circumstances, it was essential that the commission provided liberal financial assistance to the state keeping in view its peculiar conditions, it said.