Iqbalpur (Gurgaon), February 17
Iqbalpur village of Gurgaon district has become the first Haryana village covered 100 per cent by solar home-lighting systems.

Deputy Commissioner Deepti Umashankar handed over a solar home-lighting system to the 201st customer of the village at a programme organised here today.

The village has achieved this distinctive status with persistent efforts of the Gurgaon Gramin Bank, which has worked in collaboration with the Bharatiya Vikas Trust, Manipal, Karnataka, and Tata BP Solar India.

The bank provided 100 per cent loan facility for the installation of solar home-lighting systems.

Deepti Umashankar underlined the importance of non-conventional energy sources in the present-day power situation and asserted that the potential of solar energy could be effectively used to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of electricity.

She lauded the role played by the Gurgaon Gramin Bank in making this village a 100 per cent solar home-lighting village. "The village as well as the bank have set an example for others to replicate," she observed.

The Deputy Commissioner honoured the first solar home-lighting system customer, Kiran, and the 201st customer, Rajesh Kumar, of the village.

She also presented loan sanction letters to villagers and self-help groups of the village.

Chairman of the Gurgaon Gramin Bank NT Hegde presided over the function. Hegde said the bank had fixed a target of setting up 5,000 solar home-lighting systems by the end of this financial year. "The bank provides crop loans at 7 per cent interest on the Kisan Credit Card with an additional insurance benefit of up to Rs 50,000," he said, adding that the crop insurance facility was also available under this scheme.

KM Udupa, Managing Trustee of the Bharatiya Vikas Trust, Manipal; Amit Kumar, Deputy General Manager of Tata BP Solar; and Iqbalpur sarpanch Lakshmi Devi were also present.

Chandigarh, February 17
Barely four days after announcing a hike of Rs 200 in old-age pension, the Chief Minister today further increased the amount to take it to Rs 700 per month.

Announcing this on the floor of the Assembly, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said pensioners who had been getting pension under the old-age allowance scheme for the past 10 years as on April 1, 2009, would be eligible for this enhanced pension.

Terming it as a token of respect for senior citizens, he said the old-age allowance scheme, rechristened the Vridhavastha Samman Bhata Yojna, would also entail a shawl for the women beneficiaries and a "safa" (turban) and "doga" (walking stick) for the men as a one-time gesture.

The Chief Minister also announced an annual increase of Rs 50 for only those beneficiaries who would get a monthly pension of Rs 500 and a review of the policy after four years.

In an obvious attempt to mollify Finance Minister Birender Singh since the “hijacking of the budget day by the Chief Minister”, Hooda repeatedly said the matter had the former’s approval also. In fact, Birender Singh was even given a chance to clarify the policy before the House unlike the budget day when the Chief Minister went right ahead with the announcements.

Later, speaking to mediapersons in the press lobby, Hooda said the number of beneficiaries did not matter in such schemes where, more than the money, dignity and honour were the driving forces. The Chief Minister had, on February 13, announced to increase the monthly old-age allowance from Rs 300 to Rs 500 in the ongoing session of the Assembly.

Earlier, resuming the debate on the budget, Anand Singh Dangi said although the government had done a lot for all sections of society, something more was needed for the senior citizens.

INLD leader Balwant Singh Sadhaura said falling receipts and increasing expenditure were the highlights of the budget. He added that the allocation of funds to key departments like irrigation, too, was down.

Congress MLA Shamsher Singh Surjewala demanded that three expressways should be created in the state besides allocating funds for the strengthening of the infrastructure. He added that there was a great need to focus on agricultural research.

Nirmal Singh said health and education should be given priority since the prevailing standards in the two fields were very low while Karan Dalal sought the opening of a cancer research institute given the rising number of cancer and TB patients in the state.

Chattarpal Singh, Geeta Bhukal, Ramesh Gupta and Shahida Khan were others who participated in the debate. Almost all speakers said a statute of Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Hooda should be installed in the Vidhan Sabha.

Later, the Punjab Scheduled Roads and Controlled Areas Restriction of Unregulated Development (Haryana Amendment) Bill, 2009, the Haryana Legislative Assembly Speaker’s and Deputy Speaker’s Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2009, and the Haryana Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine (Amendment) Bill, 2009, were passed without debate. 

Chandigarh, February 17
The Haryana government will shortly bring a legislation for the registration of private nursing homes in the state. This was stated by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala during question hour in reply to an issue raised by Tejinder Pal Singh Mann on whether there was a proposal for monitor private nursing homes.

Sumita Singh raised a question about a non-functional incinerator at Government Hospital, Karnal. To this, Surjewala said all 14 incinerators in government hospitals had been closed following a revision in the Bio-medical Waste Rules, making double-chambered incinerators redundant. Also, seven private parties had been roped in to take care of the state’s bio-medical waste. To another question, Surjewala said Rs 22 lakh had been allocated by the Chief Minister for the construction of a CHC building in Jullana.

Urban Local Bodies Minister AC Chaudhary said a committee comprising officials of the Haryana Urban Development Authority and the Urban Local Bodies had been constituted under the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister to address the issues of colonies which had come up beyond the phirni of all villages in Faridabad. He said this in reply to a question by Mahender Pratap who sought to know if these colonies were unauthorised.

Poor drainage in Dadri, which left houses and public property damaged in the monsoon season last year, were highlighted by Nirpender Singh Sangwan while Geeta Bhukal raised the drainage issue for Kalayat. Surjewala agreed there was a problem and urged the MLAs to suggest alternatives to address the issue.

Later, the House also decided to conclude the session tomorrow itself by having two sittings instead of spreading it over two days. Earlier, the session was to conclude on February 20.

Kaithal, February 17
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is the “biggest hindrance” to the constitution of a separate gurdwara parbandhak committee for Haryana and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has been misleading the Prime Minister on this issue, said Jagdish Singh Jhinda, recently removed as president of the HSGPC (ad hoc), while talking to mediapersons here today.

Jhinda alleged that the Prime Minister had also misled UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on this issue, which was of great importance for Haryana Sikhs.

He said though Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had a “positive attitude” towards the formation of a separate HSGPC, he could not take any decision due to the influence of the Prime Minister.

He said all issues pertaining to the separate SGPC would be discussed at a meeting in Kurukshetra on February 19. Following this, a “Sarbat Khalsa” would be held at Kurukshetra on March 27 to discuss the role of Haryana Sikhs in the coming Lok Sabha polls.

Meanwhile, the “shukrana yatra”, which reached here today, was received by hundreds of devotees at Gurdwara Neem Sahib.

Chandigarh, February 17
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said for the coming Lok Sabha elections, he would campaign for candidates of the Congress not only within the state but also in areas where he was asked to do so by the Congress high command.

The Chief Minister was replying to questions of mediapersons in the press lobby of the Vidhan Sabha here today.

Hooda reiterated that his announcements would be implemented with effect from April 1, 2009 and the Budget provision for these would be announced by Finance Minister Birender Singh while replying to the debate on his Budget speech.

He denied having received any written complaint from former Assistant Advocate-General Anuradha Bali, alias Fiza, against her husband Chand Mohammad, who is also a Congress MLA, levelling certain allegations against him. He said he had read only in newspapers that the issue was being investigated by the Punjab police. However, he made it clear that he would not like to comment on anyone’s personal affairs.

Chandigarh, February 17
Though the BJP and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) have entered into an alliance in the state, the number of seats each party will contest in the coming Lok Sabha elections is still being kept a secret.

While BJP leaders say their party will contest six out of 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state, INLD leaders claim that the issue was still to be sorted out. They go on to claim that it will be decided immediately after the elections are announced.

In private, however, they say the INLD will not contest less than five seats. During the 1999 Lok Sabha elections also, when the two parties had an electoral alliance, they had contested five seats each.

In 2004, the two parties contested the elections independently. While the BJP had managed to win one seat, the INLD was wiped out.

However, the itinerary of national organising secretary of the BJP Ram Lal to Haryana indicates that the party is determined to contest six seats. He will commence his four-day visit to the state from February 19 to meet party workers in view of the elections. Media in charge of the state BJP Rajiv Jain said here today that on February 19, Ram Lal would meet party leaders in Faridabad at 11 am. Next day, he would hold a similar meeting at Gurgaon.

The BJP central leader would meet party men of Karnal at 11 am and those of Ambala at 3 pm on February 22. Next day, he would repeat the exercise at Sonepat in the forenoon and at Rohtak in the afternoon. Faridabad, Gurgaon, Sonepat, Rohtak, Karnal and Ambala are the seats, which BJP leaders claim that their party would contest.

Interestingly, so far Ram Lal has no plan to visit Kurukshetra, Bhiwani, Sirsa and Hisar, which are likely to be contested by the INLD. Jain said during these meetings Ram Lal would discuss in detail the preparation being made by the party for the elections.

Sonepat, February 17
Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers and Steel Ram Bilas Paswan today said the country would become self-sufficient in the production of UREA fertilisers by the end of 2012 as the central government had decided to restart eight urea plants.

He was addressing students and the faculty of the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology (DCRUST), Murthal, after laying the foundation stone of the Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET) on the varsity premises.

Claiming that the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre had accorded the highest priority to agriculture, Paswan said the annual subsidy on feritilisers had increased up to Rs 1,13,000 crore against Rs 13,000 crore.

He disclosed that the central government had launched a free of cost health insurance scheme for families living below poverty line (BPL). Under the scheme, the central government would contribute 75 per cent amount and remaining 25 per cent would be shared by the state government.

He further said the government had launched a special project to open Navodya Vidyalaya-type schools and a mahila hostel at every block level in the country for providing free of cost education and boarding facilities to children.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the national capital region of Faridabad, Gurgaon, Jhajjar and Sonepat, would emerge as educational hubs. Two universities --- BPS Women University at Khanpur Kalan and DCRUST, Murthal--- had already been set up and Rajiv Gandhi Education City at Rai was being set up he said, adding that the central government had sanctioned Defence University in Gurgaon and Central University in Mahendergarh district.

The Chief Minister said the state government would open medical colleges at Faridabad and Mewat, a women medical college in Khanpur Kalan University and a medical engineering institute in DCRUST.

Rohtak, February 17
As many as 355 persons were given artificial limbs and accessories at a camp organised at Sir Chhotu Ram Stadium here today. It was organised jointly by the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) and the District Red Cross Society.

Asha Hooda, chairperson of the Haryana chapter of the All-India Women Welfare Association, and Kirti Kapoor, president of the AWWA and wife of Chief of the Army staff General Deepak Kapoor, were the chief guests on the occasion.

As many as 154 tricycles, 40 wheel chairs, 57 hearing aids and 10 sticks for blind people were also given at the camp. Kirti Kapoor said the AWWA was always ready to lend a helping hand for such programmes.

Hooda thanked the AWWA and the Indian Army for organising the camp here. She said the state government had been trying its best to provide facilities and services to serving and retired defence personnel and their families. 

Sirsa, February 17
A man who had come to visit his in-laws in Kutabarh village in this district died under mysterious circumstances last night.

The victim’s kin have accused the in-laws of the victim of having eliminated him by
giving some poisonous substance.

Amarjit, a resident of Ghaswa in Ratia subdivision of Fatehabad district, had gone to his in-laws’ house in Kutabarh yesterday.

He was found dead in the morning today.

While his in-laws maintain that he died a natural death, the victim’s kin allege that he was poisoned.

The police has registered a case and sent the body for a postmortem examination.