Chandigarh, May 28
With the Assembly elections coming as the next big challenge for the state Congress, dissidence by its MLAs in the recent Lok Sabha elections is unlikely to invite action from the party high command.

The party has decided to look ahead and sink all differences to forge a united front and put its best foot forward when the state goes to the polls. With Urban Local Bodies Minister AC Chaudhary getting away without a scratch despite being defiant enough to put in his papers, detractors of party candidates at other Lok Sabha seats have heaved a sigh of relief.

Chaudhary, who resigned from the Cabinet on grounds that the Congress had fielded no Punjabi from any of the 10 Lok sabha seats despite the community’s strong presence in the state, attended the recent Cabinet meeting held in Chandigarh.

He had not only resigned from his seat, but had also failed to campaign for Avtar Singh Badhana, the party candidate from the Faridabad seat.

However, with his “back to business” at the meeting, other MLAs who openly defied the party candidates are hoping to get away easily. During the elections, given the infighting in the Congress, the Bhiwani-Mahendergarh seat became a hot bed of controversy.

While Minister of State Kiran Choudhry complained against the “anti-party” activities of chief parliamentary secretary Dharamvir to party in charge Prithvi Raj Chavan at a public meeting, the lid came off over the tussle between her and Mahendergarh MLA Rao Dan Singh at a public meeting in the latter’s area in the presence of Chavan. Other local MLAs, too, were non-supportive of party candidate Shruti Choudhry. In fact, to keep a tab on the anti-party activities by the MLAs, the party had to appoint observers a week before the elections.

In Faridabad, the party faced stiff resistance with three MLAs, including Chaudhry “ganging up” against the party candidate, Badhana. Local MLAs Karan Singh Dalal of Palwal and Mahender Pratap Singh from Melwa Maharajpur, had joined hands with Chaudhry to keep Badhana out despite ticket allocation.

Till the very end and despite efforts by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and repeated meetings, the three did not lend a helping hand to Badhana and kept insisting that they would not share a platform with him.

In Ambala, too, party candidate and now Union Minister Selja had to face a similar situation, so did Rao Inderjeet Singh, party candidate from Gurgaon, where they hardly had the support of local MLAs.

However, with the party winning nine of the 10 Lok Sabha seats, dissidence in the state Congress is headed for a quiet burial. 

Chandigarh, May 28
Senior INLD leader and former finance minister Sampat Singh has welcomed the order of the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) scaling down the annual revenue requirement (ARR) of the Haryana Power Generation Corporation (HPGC) and the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN) after the original demands of the two companies were vehemently opposed by various interveners from the public.

Singh was referring to the cost of the proposed generation of 12,472 million units by the HPGC that has been scaled down to Rs 3,765.54 crore from Rs 4,851.60 crore. The INLD leader said with the slashing of the generation cost by Rs 1085.06 crore the distribution companies would now get power at the rate of Rs 3.02 per unit instead of Rs 3.89 per unit. Thus, consumers of the state would have to pay 87 paise less per unit.

While lauding the HERC for showing objectivity in dealing with the objections raised by the interveners during the public hearing, he hoped that the same would be shown if and when the HPGC filed an appeal against the HERC order. He noted with satisfaction that even in the case of the HVPN, the commission had found little merit in the projections of the ARR for 2009-10 and had after taking into account various objections curtailed it to Rs 659.70 crore from the projected figure of Rs 1064.51 crore.

Sampat Singh reminded that in February last he had argued before the commission to reject the ARRs of the HPGC and HVPN as they were based neither on cost effectiveness nor on efficiency. He had argued that though the cost of production for 2008-09 was Rs 2.85 per unit, the HPGC had projected the cost for 2009-10 as Rs 3.89 at the time when the cost of coal as well as oil was declining in the international market.

He said while the cost of coal during 2008-09 was $ 92, the HPGC had for 2009-10 calculated it as $ 181. It was only after the objections that the HPGC had revised it to $ 100. Similarly, the cost of oil too was recalculated.

Sampat Singh said he had pointed out that the plant load factor (PLF) was coming down leading to reduced generation of power as the figures in the ARR of the HPGC suggested. From the availability of 13,287 million units the ARR suggested that it would be only 12,472 million units because of the diminishing PLF. Because of the low PLF the HPGC was suffering a loss of Rs 1,187.56 crore. In addition, the HPGC had been procuring poor quality coal leading to increase in the station heat rate and thereby the cost of production.

He expressed the hope that during the resumption of the stalled hearings on the ARR of the DHBVN and the UHBVN, the HERC would demand more efficiency and cost effectiveness from the power companies. 

Gurgaon, May 28
The global slowdown notwithstanding, NASCOM has projected about 17 per cent growth in IT exports from Haryana during the current financial year, a major share being from Gurgaon.

Disclosing this, Gurgaon deputy commissioner Deepti Umashankar said total exports by Information Technology and IT-enabled services industry from Gurgaon touched Rs 18,000 crore during 2007-08.

“The IT exports from Gurgaon have shown a substantial rise.The exports totalled Rs 10,700 crore in 2005-06 and reached Rs 15,000 crore in 2006-07, before recording Rs 18,000 crore in 2007-08,” she revealed, adding that in Gurgaon, the IT Industry was growing at a much faster pace than the national average. In order to give a boost to the IT industry, a regional promotion office has been set up in Gurgaon”.

“Gurgaon is fast emerging as an IT hub and as of now, there are about 400 IT and IT-enabled services (ITES) companies operating in the district,” said M.K.Sardana, general manager (IT), adding that the city had emerged as a preferred destination for the IT industry after the announcement of the IT policy by the state government.

“You name any renowned IT company of the world and you will find its office in Gurgaon,” he asserted.

Sardana pointed out that American company Thompson, which was globally known for graphics and animation, had recently set up its office in Gurgaon. He further stated that big companies like HCL, Wipro, Genpact, TCS, Microsoft, Oracle had also expanded their businesses and now had a number of units in Gurgaon.

“Eminent IT companies like Hughes Software, Tata Consultancy Service, HCL, GE, Silicon Graphics, Alcatel, American Express, Convergys, Motorola, Ericson, Polaris, Sapient, Hewitt, Dell, Samsung, Ariscent, Microsoft, IBM, Siemens, Fidelity, Genpact, Oracle, WNS, Google, Accenture and Wipro etc also have their units in Gurgaon,” he added.

The deputy commissioner observed that the state government’s IT policy was likely to give a further boost to this industry with the creation of more employment opportunities.

“The major incentives given to these units include relaxation in floor area ratio, rebate on registration, transfer of properties charges and exemption under the Haryana Shops and Commercial Establishment Act,” she maintained.

Umashankar said the construction of the Qutub Minar-Gurgaon Metro Corridor at a cost of Rs 681 crore, which was likely to be completed by January, 2010, would also give a boost to IT & ITES companies in Gurgaon. The length of this Metro Rail Link is 7.08 km and it will have five stations, namely Garden Estate, Sikanderpur, DT City Centre, IFFCO Chowk and Sushant Lok. This would further improve connectivity between New Delhi and Gurgaon, she added.

Chandigarh, May 28
Various non-government organisations in Haryana have reacted sharply to the decision taken by the Education Department to close down all 3,000 Alternative Innovative Education (AIE) centres across the state.

Claiming that the government had not paid them their dues for the past two years, they said the lacunae (if any) in the running of these centres was on the part of implementation by the government rather than by the NGOs.

The government has now decided that other than 22 educationally backward blocks in Yamunanagar, Sirsa, Kaithal and Mewat, these centres will now be closed down and all out-of-school children will be enrolled in regular schools, where they will be provided bridge courses. Run across the state, under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the centres were opened to bring out-of-school children in the fold of elementary education by providing alternative education/ bridge courses till the time the children were not ready for admission to a formal school.

Talking to TNS here, a representative of an NGO running the centres in Mewat said the government could not paint all NGOs in the same colour. “We agree that there may be some NGOs which have failed to run the centres properly and admit students to regular schools after providing bridge courses. But most of these centres have been functioning well --- a fact validated by reports prepared by the additional deputy commissioners in each district through a monitoring and evaluation report. Scrapping the whole AIE centre scheme will serve little purpose as the teachers in government schools are not trained to impart bridge courses to these out-of-school children,” said the representative.

Representatives of these NGOs running the AIE centres said that though they were entitled to receive a grant of Rs 45,000 for running each centre , a majority of them had not received their dues from the state government for two years (2007-08 and 2008-09). They alleged that the state unit of SSA had failed to take the grant given by the Government of India for running these centres. Since no amount was paid to the NGOs, they had to scrounge for cash to pay the teachers/ volunteers in each centre.

“As per the contract, the SSA is obliged to pay 50 per cent of the amount sanctioned at the start of the programme, 25 per cent of the amount after receiving a utilisation certificate that three-fourths of the amount has been spent, and the remaining amount after the utilisation of the second instalment. But we did not receive any amount in the past two years, and the government kept telling us that all dues will be cleared in due course. Now, after the centres have been closed down, the government wants a stringent verification of all centres , which will take months, and we will have another endless wait before we get our dues,” said a representative of another NGO running 100 of these centres in Faridabad. The NGOs have also objected to the move of using Sakshar Mahila Samoohs (SMS) and village panchayats for running the AIE centres in the 22 educationally backward blocks. They said that neither the SMS nor the village panchayats had the technical expertise to impart bridge courses to these out-of-school children and prepare them for the regular schools. “Had members of the local community been so effective so as to educate all children, there would be no out-of-school children,” said a representative of another NGO from Panipat. 

Sirsa, May 28
The University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, has sanctioned a grant-in-aid of Rs 7 lakh to Manohar Memorial Post Graduate College, Fatehabad, for the introduction of one more add-on course, “Computer Maintenance and Networking”, from the coming session 2009-2010.

Earlier, for starting two more add-on courses in Office Management and Theatre and Television from the coming session, the college had received a grant-in-aid of Rs 14 lakh, he said.

“The college administration is making all efforts for the introduction of such courses, which are needed for the students in this educationally backward area,” said the principal DK Kaushik. He said it would be a golden opportunity for the students to opt for the course, along with their courses of study.

Ambala, May 28
Small pharmaceutical units in Ambala are facing a crisis as they have not been getting incentives which the neighbouring states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand have been providing to similar units there. At least, 24 small pharma units are on the verge of closure that would lead to further unemployment.

In fact, the small units are a major source of economical pharma products and also generate considerable employment. In the beginning, the union and the state governments had offered a few incentives to the small-scale units but gradually these were left on their own. The imposition of MRP-based excise duty on pharmaceutical products has ruined this industry in the state. The union government has declared Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and a few others states excise-free zone.

A number of small pharma units of the state have shifted to Himachal Pradesh during the past five years as they have been provided more incentives, like round- the- clock availability of electricity and relaxation in other local taxes too. MNCs and bigger companies also shifted their units in the excise-free zone, which caused a heavy revenue loss to the state exchequer. Big companies did not face any problem in shifting as they have sufficient resources and paraphernalia, but it was not an easy task for the small units to manage it.

The Small and Medium Pharma Industries Confederation raised their problem with the union government a number of times and demanded the abolition of excise duty in the state too. The small pharma entrepreneurs also urged that the state governments should give preference to the local units while purchasing medicines for the health department and only that medicine should be purchased from branded companies which are not available with the local manufacturers.

According to information, most of the small-scale manufacturers have started trading, as they were aware that their units can’t survive in the present situation. Recently, the state government has imposed a condition that the purchase of medicines by the government agencies will be made only from those pharmaceutical units, which have an annual turnover of not less than Rs 35 crore. The small units cannot fulfill this condition as most of them do not have an annual turnover of even around Rs 10 crore.

Kurukshetra, May 28
The Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI), in its executive committee meeting held under the chairmanship of OP Khurana, here, recently, demanded the withdrawal of the state government notification, passed on March 20, in which all traders and industrialists have been asked to deposit VAT against closing stock at the end of the year.

HCCI general secretary Narinder Pal Gupta said prior to this notification, the traders could adjust VAT with input tax on all purchases, but after this notification, the traders would have to adjust VAT against input tax on the purchase after deducting the input tax on the closing stock. This step would put additional burden on the traders and industrialists particularly when there was slowdown in the economy, he added.

So far as the scientific industry was concerned, the government should bring down VAT from 12.5 per cent to 4 per cent, he said, adding that the scientific industry was being charged VAT at the rate of 12.5 per cent whereas in all other states it was being charged at the rate of 4 per cent.

He further said the HCCI had demanded that diesel price should be brought down to Rs 20 per litre as the price of crude oil had come down substantially. The government should take appropriate steps to bring down the fuel price so that the industries could be saved from further slowing down.

Gupta said the electricity department should ensure regular power supply because the industrial units were facing problems with unscheduled power cuts and the irregular supply of power. It hampers production and also increases production cost. Moreover, the department should plan the power supply in such a way that the industries should be informed in advance of power cuts, he added.

Besides, some banks had been charging cash handling charges for cash deposit, if cash packets exceed 10, this practice should be stopped.

The government should start a social security scheme for traders by fixing some percentage on the basis of tax paid by them.

The department should give industries and traders at least 15 days time to calculate and deposit service tax as at present, service tax has to be paid at the end of each month.

Gupta further said the department should give exemption to all trade and industry up to the turnover of Rs 10 lakh. Presently, there was an exemption till Rs 10 lakh, but when the turnover crossed Rs 10 lakh, there was no exemption and service tax had to be paid on the entire amount.

While paying freight charges, the trade and industry should be allowed to pay in cash to the transporter if the amount exceeded Rs 20,000.

Gupta added that the HCCI had also demanded that only one policy should be adopted in all districts of the state instead of adopting different procedures for automobile registration. At present, in some districts the date of purchase was mentioned in the registration certificate while in some other districts the date of manufacturing was required. 

Panipat, May 28
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has assured the State Researchers Union that he will have a sympathetic approach towards their demand for the relaxation of NET qualification for appointment as lecturers in university colleges.

A delegation of the union met him in Chandigarh recently where they apprised him of their viewpoint. After listening to their grievances, the chief minister said he would ask the authorities concerned to put up the matter before him after which suitable action would be taken.

Dr Vikram Kharb, president of the union, said they were hopeful that  the chief minister would take a positive decision  in favour of higher  education.

The union had been concerned over the withdrawal of the notification through which the state government had exempted PhD and MPhil holders from qualifying for NET.

The notification had been issued in accordance with the UGC guidelines, but recently it had been withdrawn without citing any reasons. Kharb said the withdrawal of the notification had demoralised research scholars as all other states had already done away with the NET qualifications for MPhil and PhD holders.

Rohtak, May 28
The University Grant Commission (UGC) has selected the department of economics, Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, for conducting a well-defined research programme under a special assistance programme.

The programme will be of five years and financial assistance of Rs 60 lakh will be provided to the department for carrying out the research in an efficient manner. Governance, corruption and economic conditions in Haryana would be the thrust areas for research and teaching during the programme.

Dr Shri Bhagwan Dahiya and Kavita Chakravarty have been appointed as coordinator and deputy coordinator the programme, respectively.

Under the programme, two teachers will be able to visit foreign universities and research institutes every year for a period of two to six months with a view to getting valuable inputs pertaining to the thrust area by holding discussions with experts, besides conducting a good structured collaborative research in this regard.

Dahiya has been a visiting professor in Italy, Australia, France and the UK. His research work has been published along with the works of several noble laureates and scholars of global fame.

Earlier, the Planning Commission of India had also appointed Dahiya as coordinator and officer-in-charge for the preparation of the Haryana Development Report.

Chakravarty is presently conducting collaborative research on gender studies with the University of Minnesota, US. She has participated in a large number of international conferences in several countries like the UK, US and Thailand. Kavita is a member of a committee constituted by the Haryana government for equal wages for women. She has also been a consultant to the Planning Commission.

Rewari, May 28
Several programmes were held to commemorate the 469th birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap, the legendary hero of Mewar, here, recently.

Residents and functionaries of various social organisations participated in a function held under the auspices of the Maharana Pratap Jayanti Samiti at the Maharana Pratap Chowk Complex here.

Paying tributes to the legendary hero, Dr Desh Nirmohi, director of the Haryana Sahitya Akademi, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said Maharana Pratap was an indomitable crusader of freedom whose sacrifices could never be forgotten.

Similarly, freedom fighter Hari Ram Arya and president of the samiti Naresh Chauhan said when nationalism had almost been marginalised, there was an urgency to seek inspiration from the robust patriotism of Maharana Pratap, which alone could bring the country and society on the pedestal of nationalism. A havan was also organised.

At another programme, a poetic recitation, “Shaurya Gatha” (presentation of the heroism of Maharana Pratap), was held under the auspices of the Haryana Sahitya Akademi and the Maharana Pratap Jayanti Samiti.

Noted folk singers, Mahashay Bhim Singh Lisania, Mahashay Kedar Mal of Daroli, Bharpoor Singh “Bharpoor’, Kartar Singh of Aulant, Kirori Mal, Bhawani Prasad Gaur and others presented the finer sentiments of patriotism and sacrifice through the recitation of their self-composed folk songs, which highlighted the indomitable courage and heroism of Maharana Pratap who valiantly fought for the independence and glory of Mewar against Mughal emperor Akbar.

Dr Nirmohi, who dedicated to the public two newly published books, “Umang Tarang” and “Swarg Ka Dwar” by poet Parma Nand Vasu, also announced that the Haryana Sahitya Akademi would extend all possible assistance to budding writers for the publication of their books on the life and achievements of Maharana Pratap.

Chaman Singh Yadav, a recipient of the Mahavir Chakra for displaying outstanding valour in the Indo-Pak War of 1971, was the chief guest.

Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar), May 28
The recent killings of four members of a family in Jassaur Kheri village here have yet again revived the reign of terror in the area. The long-drawn rivalry between two groups in the village has so far claimed eight lives in the past eight years.

Earlier, the village panchayat had succeeded in diffusing the tension between the two groups nearly five years ago, but the latest incident of bloodshed has not only turned out to be a setback to the panchayat’s efforts but also shattered the confidence of the local people in the law enforcing agencies.

According to sources, the enmity between Ram Kunwar and Kartar Singh was triggered following a verbal duel over Rs 1,300 in 2001. Thereafter, Ranbir Singh, son of Kartar Singh, was brutally murdered. Later, Kale, a close associate of Ram Kunwar, was drowned in a village pond.

Hariom, son of Kartar Singh, and his nephew Shamsher Singh, a resident of Dhighal village, were booked for the murder of Kale.

In 2003, Chameli, wife of Kartar Singh, and Dharmender, brother of Shamsher, were gunned down in their house allegedly to take revenge for Kale’s murder.

Tensed over the rising incidents of bloodsheds between the rival groups, the village panchayat came forward and initiated efforts to broker peace between the two groups.

The panchayat finally succeeded in its mission of establishing peace between the rival groups and persuaded both the parties to get bury the hatchet.aBut, the recent incident, in which Hariom, his sister Krishna Devi, nephew Shamsher and Naresh were gunned down at the bus stand in Jassaur Kheri village, has yet again left everybody shocked.

Rohtak, May 28
“Dulari Bai”, a play written by renowned writer Mani Madhukar, was staged by Sargam Theatrical Group, at Devi Lal Park in sector 1, here, recently.

Lokender Phoghat, president, District Bar Association, Rohtak, who was the chief guest on the occasion, inaugurated the function.

The play not only succeeded in depicting various social evils prevailing in society but also spread a message of brotherhood and social harmony.

Dr Anand Sharma, director of the play, said the play was a satire on society and it was all about a gorgeous village girl, named Dulari Bai, whose style of living was apparently luring and enticing for the villagers, but she didn’t care about them. At the same time, she was a symbol of misery.

He said his group had staged a number of plays on various themes in different parts of the state so as to make people aware about the social evils and to motivate them to come forward to root out these evils. Two plays on different themes had already been staged in Sonepat district, the director added.

Phoghat said such activities were necessary to give a fillip to cultural activities and to promote the budding artistes as well. Applauding the performance of the artistes, he maintained that all artistes did justice to their roles and displayed great skill by attempting several novel ways in staging the play.

The lead role of Dulari Bai was played by Supriya Dhanda while Ajay Sharma, Shabnam Chatterji, Anil Bagri, Aaditya Goyal, Arun Sharma, Govind Gaur and Praveen were the other artistes who impressed the audience.

Advocate Joginder Mor was the coordinator of the programme while reader of the department of commerce Ram Ratan Saini, Haryanvi film director Arvind Swami, actor Raghuvender Malik, innovation researcher Kamaljeet and Jai Prakash Kaushik were among those present on the occasion.

Faridabad, May 28
The Arya Kanya Sadan here has been doing yeoman service to society by adopting orphan girls. The institute not only provides shelter to the inmates, but also imparts education as well as vocational training so that they become self-reliant.

According to Anamika Rishi, in charge of the institute, presently, there are more than 80 inmates. The institute is run from a three-storeyed house measuring about 1,000 sq yd, which was donated by a philanthropist to run an orphanage for destitute girls. The institute was started about 20 years ago. It has lodging quarters and also houses a school till class V.

The Arya Kanya Sadan is run by a charitable organisation, Saraswati Vedic Sanstha. The institute is run solely on donations from the public. It takes inspirations from the teachings of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, who championed the cause of women.

Anamika says, “The sadan accepts girls as inmates who are less than 10 years of age. The reason being it is easy for the institute to impart training in Vedic style of living to the inmates in their formative years. Also, the sadan is choosy about the inmates while deciding on whom to accept. It generally accepts only those who have been traced as orphans and castaways by the police”.

The institute provides education to the inmates in its own premises till class V. After that, the inmates are enrolled in nearby schools. All care is taken to ensure that the inmates get the touch of a normal family life.

The bonding among the inmates and the staff is so enduring that the former do not like to return to their relatives. The institute does not go into the caste or community factor of the children, she claims.

Apart form formal education, the institute provides vocational training like courses in computers, knitting, stitching, cooking etc to make the inmates self-dependent.

After the inmates reach the marriageable age, the Saraswati Vedic Sanstha arranges for their marriage, which takes place as per the Vedic system. There are a number of success stories in this regard. A number of inmates have found jobs and they are now leading a happy married life.

The interesting part is that married inmates are allowed to come and stay in the sadan, but without their husbands. It is like omen visiting their parental house. This homecoming is organised on specific occasions and known periods in a year.

Sonepat, May 28
With the rapid development of the residential and industrial areas in the eastern and southeastern parts of the district, there is also an increase in the number of accidents on the National Highway No-1. And to provide better medical facilities to the people at the earliest and nearest place, the medical community and residents in Sonepat town are planning to make a new beginning - to provide all kinds of medical facilities under one roof.

There are around 40 hospitals and clinics in the town having about 300 doctors. Though the facilities like colour X-ray, CT scan, ultrasound, angiography are available in some of the hospitals, for many advance facilities like heart surgery, neuro surgery, eye bank, refractive surgery of eye, etc., the doctors have to depend on Delhi hospitals.

The normal blood is available in civil hospital here, but blood platelets and plasma are not available here and for these facilities, the patients have to be referred to Delhi.

In a number of cases, the doctors here have no other option at the local level, but to refer the victims to Delhi or PGIMS, Rohtak.

A number of local doctors and representatives of various welfare organisations have approached the Haryana Urban Development Authorities to earmark a piece of land at a suitable place for the setting up of a hospital where all kinds of medical facilities would be provided.