Chandigarh, February 13
Despite the global meltdown, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda runs his state from the heart and not by the funds in his coffers. In a “sops-filled” reply to the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his Address in the assembly, Hooda produced something for everybody from his kitty of incentives worth Rs 700 crore this election year.

If the facility of the Leave Travel Concession was extended to three lakh-odd pensioners of Haryana on the state employees’ pattern, old-age pension was hiked by Rs 200. The widows’ pension went up from Rs 350 to Rs 550 per month and the pension for those with 70 per cent disability was hiked to Rs 500 instead of Rs 300 per month while those with 100 per cent disability will get Rs 750 instead of Rs 600.

The incentives will come into force with effect from April 1. The unemployment allowance for the youth who have passed Class XII in the non-science stream will be Rs 500 per month while unemployed graduates will get Rs 750 per month. The youth who have passed Class XII in the science stream will now get a jump of Rs 300 in the unemployment allowance, taking it to Rs 750 per month while unemployed science graduates will get Rs 1,000.

An unemployment allowance of Rs 900 per month will be given to girls who have passed Class XII while graduates will get twice the existing allowance, taking it to Rs 1,500 per month.

The Chief Minister doubled the financial assistance to destitute children, taking it to Rs 200 per month and a fixed medical allowance admissible of Rs 750 per month to freedom fighters and their widows.

Terming these sops as a part of the Congress’ “social obligation”, Hooda, while interacting with mediapersons later, said these announcements had come from his heart. “The money will come, meltdown or no meltdown. These announcements have nothing to do with elections since our state goes to the polls only next year,” he emphasised.

Also, in the House during the Chief Minister’s reply, the Indian National Lok Dal was left speechless as Hooda doled out his concessions. Doubling the honorarium of anganwadi workers and taking it to Rs 1,500 per month, Hooda also announced a hike of Rs 350 for helpers, making it on a par with the Central government.

The honorarium of the president of a zila parishad has been increased to Rs 6,000, that of the vice-president to Rs 4,500 and that of a member to Rs 2,000 per month. The president of a panchayat samiti will get an honorarium of Rs 4,500, a member Rs 1,000, the sarpanch of a gram samiti Rs 1,500 and a panch Rs 400 per month.

The honorarium of the Mayor has been increased to Rs 5,000, that of Senior Deputy Mayor to Rs 3,000, Deputy Mayor to Rs 2,000 and councillor to Rs 1,500 in a municipal corporation. In case of a municipal council, the president will get Rs 3,000, the vice-president Rs 2,000 and councillor Rs 1,500. In a municipality, the president will get Rs 2,500 whereas the vice-president will get Rs 2,000 and councillor Rs 1,000.

The Chief Minister also hiked the honorarium for village chowkidars, taking their payment to Rs 1,500, raised the uniform allowance to Rs 1,500 and Rs 500 for whistle, stick and torch.

An increase in the honorarium of nambardars from Rs 500 to Rs 750 per month, appointment of a coach and a supporting staff for new stadia, construction of 15,000 houses within a year at Jagadhri, Faridabad, Palwal, Hisar, Sonepat and Ambala and construction of 15,000 houses in the private sector, improvement of big water bodies to check the depletion of the water table and a subsidy of Rs 50 crore to milk producers were other announcements made by the Chief Minister.

A new cadre of 1,000 English teachers to teach at the primary level will be created. In this “Year of Farmers and Labourers”, Hooda set up a committee under Finance Minister Birender Singh for the abolition of the “black law” which allows auction of defaulter farmers’ land. He said now farmers would have to mortgage only one acre against three acres in lieu of tractor loans from cooperative banks. He also announced an increase of Rs 15 per quintal in the prices of all three varieties of sugarcane from the next season.

The Chief Minister admitted that the provision for funding the concessions was yet to be made though he was confident about meeting the deadline for the implementation. 

Chandigarh, February 13
Treading a cautious path, the economist in Haryana Finance Minister Birender Singh today brought down the total subsidy bill of the state from Rs 3264.67 crore to Rs 3055.61 crore for the year 2009-10. With the total fiscal deficit in the state having shot up to a whopping Rs 8,557 crore, the Finance Minister has chosen to cut down on the subsidy bill.

Since the subsidy bill mainly accounts for power subsidy to the farm sector, the Finance Minister has earmarked Rs 2778.43 crore for power subsidy, as against Rs 3005.98 crore subsidy last year. The remaining amount of Rs 277.18 crore has been earmarked for subsidy on agricultural implements, tubewells, etc.

Talking to TNS, the Finance Minister said it was because of initiatives taken by the Power Department that the total power subsidy bill had been brought down for the coming fiscal. “The segregation of agricultural feeders from rural domestic and industrial feeders will reduce the cost of power subsidy to the agricultural sector. Energy audit in the agricultural sector will also be encouraged to bring down the burden on the state exchequer,” he said.

Since last year Haryana has been paying the highest power subsidy to the farm sector in the country --- more than even Punjab, where power is provided free of cost to farmers. Haryana, unlike neighbouring Punjab, does not dole out free power to farmers, but subsidises it at 25 paise per unit.

Birender Singh said in the coming financial year, he was expecting the power subsidy bill to come down as a majority of agricultural and rural domestic feeders would be segregated. “In the last Budget, the Finance Department had proposed paying direct subsidy to the farmers. Once introduced, this will also reduce the power subsidy burden. We had asked the Power Department to examine how this can be implemented, and it is now in the process of running pilot projects in the state,” he said.

The Finance Minister said there were some initial glitches in its implementation as 60 per cent of the tubewell connections were unmetered. “Till the time all tubewell connections in the state are metered, the exact amount to be given to farmers cannot be worked out. Now, we are trying to run pilot projects and then implement the direct subsidy scheme across the state,” he said.

Chandigarh, February 13
The Haryana government has constituted a committee for regularising the services of guest teachers. This was stated by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda during question hour.

He was replying to questions on the “non-availability” of teachers in government schools of Haryana. Education Minister Mange Ram Gupta said a number of posts were lying vacant in schools and the government did not have any quick-fix solutions to address the problem.

He, however, added that 1,727 schools had been upgraded during the Congress rule against 817 schools upgraded during the INLD government rule. Congress members, including Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala, said the problem of vacancies was more pronounced because of the poor intake of teachers during the Om Prakash Chautala-led INLD regime.

Surjewala added, “They are illiterate and they had plans to make the entire state illiterate with the kind of teachers recruited. The degrees of most of these teachers were not verifiable and an inquiry is on.” Some members also suggested that the concept of “revolving employment” as had been adopted to recruit doctors should be adopted in the Education Department as well so that any qualified teacher could apply anytime of the year. With regard to veterinary hospitals in the state, Agriculture Minister HS Chatha said the government had decided to open 80 new hospitals or upgrade the existing ones. “The stations for these hospitals are yet to be finalised,” he remarked.

To a question about the Transport Department, minister Mange Ram Gupta said buses parked on account of a shortfall of drivers and conductors resulted in losses to the department. “However, now, we have recruited drivers and conductors and the working has been streamlined,” he said.

Later, there were heated exchanges between members of the Congress and the INLD over the Hansi-Butana link canal with the former alleging that the INLD was solely responsible for the delay.

Chandigarh, February 13
The Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (ad hoc), which has been demanding a separate gurdwara management committee for the state, has bifurcated.

The state executive committee of the HSGPC, which met in Kurukshetra today, removed Jagdish Singh Jhinda from the post of president of the body.

According to general secretary of the HSGPC Didar Singh Nalvi, 18 of the 31 members of the executive committee attended the meeting.

They also elected Raminder Singh Juneja of Hisar as president of the HSGPC and Nalvi as its working president. Nalvi will also look after the responsibilities of the general secretary.

Differences between Jhinda and other activists of the HSGPC had cropped up when the former decided to take out “shukrana yatra” in the state recently.

The others wanted that a “chetna yatra” should be taken out to highlight how various political parties, including the ruling Congress, had ignored their demand for setting up a separate gurdwara management committee for Haryana. Jhinda’s opponents accused him of diverting the public attention from the main demand of the HSGPC.

Rewari, February 13
Additional Sessions Judge Vimal Kumar has sentenced three brothers - Jeet Ram, alias Jeeta, Kala and Malkhan, all residents of Mohalla Gujjarwara here, to life imprisonment, holding them guilty of the murder of Ashok Kumar, alias Sethi, here on August 29, 2005.

The judge has also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on each of the three convicts.

Besides, the judge has also acquitted two other accused - Neetu Sharma and Rohit - of the charge of their complicity in the crime while giving them the benefit of the doubt. The verdict was pronounced here yesterday.

Jeeta, a hardcore criminal, is already in jail and undergoing life term in a case of rape, while his two brothers, Kala and Malkhan, who had earlier been arrested for this murder, were undertrial prisoners.

Neetu Sharma and Rohit, who were undertrial prisoners in another case and had been rearrested after they escaped from police custody here on February 14, 2006, were also in jail.

Jeeta, who was reportedly on parole, had, in connivance with his brothers Kala and Malkhan reportedly shot Ashok Kumar dead on the bus stand premises here on August 29, 2005.