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PM urged to extend industrial package
Cabinet expansion this month: CM
CM for concerted efforts to curb smoking
Slowdown hits tax collections
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New directorate to help address regulatory issues
Dumped building material a traffic hazard
Construction material dumped along the sharp turn on the main road leading to McLeodganj. Tribune photo: Kamaljeet
Shimla summer fest from tomorrow
Water crisis in Jadera area
Engineers object to HPCL ad
Nod to B-Pharma courses at Paprola college
Honour for poet
Man gets 7-year RI
Role of journalists appreciated
Fishing banned in Gobind Sagar
2 killed in accident
Board sought
Credit camp held
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PM urged to extend industrial package
Shimla, May 31 In a letter written to the Prime Minister, he has said the package was to originally expire in March 2013, but it was curtailed to March 2010. The package has definitely contributed towards the economic growth of the state and motivated companies to make investments here. Since the announcement of the package, the state has attracted investment proposals of around Rs 36,844 crore. The ongoing recession, falling exports and tightening of liquidity have resulted in investors deferring their projects, thereby slowing down the pace of investment, he has said. Under the package, the excise duty exemption was set to expire by March 2010, but the implementation of the economic stimulus measures, especially involving cuts in the rates of the central excise duty, have ended the comparative advantage to the companies that have planned or made investments in the state. According to him, the existing incentive of outright exemption from the payment of central excise duty is only suited to industries engaged in value addition of their products at either the first stage of production or the last stage, thus making them largely dependant on industries located in other parts of the country. The withdrawal of incentives, especially the excise duty exemption, will lead to exodus of industry from the state. He has also underlined the need for suitable policy guidelines on the pattern of north-eastern states under the NEIIP, 2007, under which policy initiatives have been provided on a larger time scale and with a holistic perspective. Dhumal has urged Manmohan Singh to extend the incentive of outright central excise duty exemption up to March 2013. The decision will go a long way in speedy completion of the projects in the pipeline. Moreover, more investors will come forward to make investments in the state, which has yet to emerge out of the industrial backwardness, he has said. Dhumal has also requested Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma to pursue the issue of extension of the package with the Prime Minister office. He has also expressed hope that Union Minister for Steel Virbhadra Singh will also use his good office to get the package extended. |
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Cabinet expansion this month: CM
Dharamsala, May 31 The Chief Minister was here today for the closing ceremony of the state-level summer festival. About the possibility of dropping any of the present ministers, he said there was no such proposal on the agenda at present. About the possibility of inducting a minister from Sirmaur, he said nothing could be said as yet. Speculations had been rife after the recent Lok Sabha elections that ministers from the areas where the lead of the party had gone down might be dropped. On the other hand, some party MLA, who had managed substantial lead for the party candidates in their respective areas, were expecting Cabinet berths. Dhumal said having two ministers in the Union Cabinet would be good for the state. Former Union Minister for Steel Ram Vilas Paswan had also promised a SAIL plant in Sirmaur district. “Now that Virbhadra Singh is the Union Minister for Steel, we expect that the SAIL plant will come up in Sirmaur district. Moreover, Virbhadra Singh is well aware about the problems of the state,” he added. |
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CM for concerted efforts to curb smoking
Shimla, May 31 He was addressing mediapersons after flagging off anti-tobacco awareness rallies of students and trainee nurses from the Ridge. The rallies were organised to mark World Anti-Tobacco Day. Dhumal said 32.7 per cent men and 1.4 per cent women were addicted to smoking at the national level. The figures were 33.6 per cent and 1.1 per cent in case of men and women, respectively, in the hill state. The state was better off in respect of consumption of tobacco products as only 40 per cent men and 1.2 per cent women were habitual consumers of these products as against 57 per cent men and 5.7 per cent women at the national level. He emphasised the need to motivate smokers to give up the habit in their own and their families’ interest. Reiterating the resolve of the government to make Himachal Pradesh tobacco-free, he said the newly created directorate of health safety and regulation, the nodal agency for implementation of prohibition campaigns, including ban on smoking and tobacco products, would help in achieving the objective. Smoking at public places was punishable with a fine of Rs 200 and direct and indirect publicity of tobacco and its products attracted fine ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 and imprisonment for 2 to 5 years. Printing of statutory warning on tobacco products had also been made mandatory failing which a fine ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000 could be imposed along with imprisonment for 1 to 5 years. |
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Slowdown hits tax collections
Shimla, May 31 The final figures of tax collection reveal that the maximum impact was on VAT collections, which fell short of target by Rs 90
crore. VAT collections amounted to Rs 1,246 crore as against the target of Rs 1,336
crore. The overall tax collections, including central sales tax, excise duty, goods tax and other taxes, amounted to Rs 1,908 crore against the target of Rs 1,976
crore. The overall increase came to around 14 per cent as against the expected 18 per cent. There was virtually no buoyancy in tax collections from the cement industry, which was badly hit by the slowdown. The total remittance remained stagnant as against the expected normal growth of 15 to 20 per cent. The sale of diesels also took a plunge as the industrial demand went down due to the slowdown and the increase was only 3 per cent as against the usual 10 per cent. Apart from the slowdown, the high rate of tax compared with adjoining states also affected sales of diesel, which fetches a tax revenue of over Rs 150
crore. The slowdown, coupled with the prolonged monsoon, affected the tourism industry, which led to sluggish growth in luxury tax collection and sales of beer. The electronics goods sector also took a hit. Against the normal growth of 15 to 20 per cent, the increase in VAT came to just 10 per cent. The textile sector and the pharmaceutical industry have been severely hit, though no sector has been left unaffected. The tax remittances have also declined in the same proportion. The central sales tax receipts also took a plunge in the closing months, indicating that the manufacturing sector is bearing the brunt of the economic slowdown. The government has raised the target of tax collection to Rs 2,327
crore, which is Rs 419 crore more than last year’s actual realisation. The target for VAT has been increased to Rs 1,604 crore from last year’s actual collection of Rs 1,246
crore. As the slowdown is likely to last for at least a year, the targets look unrealistic.
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New directorate to help address regulatory issues
Shimla, May 31 The need for a separate set-up was felt as the main priority under the existing directorate was health care delivery, while the regulatory functions were getting neglected. Over the past few years, the regulatory role had increased manifold in the wake of economic reforms, which had opened the floodgates for private sector lending added importance to regulatory functions. An independent set-up was required to handle the increasing responsibilities and focus on regulatory functions. Further, the step will also reduce the workload of existing directorate and it will be able to adopt a more focussed approach to manage the health care delivery system. The new directorate will be the nodal agency for the implementation of the prohibition drive and creating awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco. However, its most important responsibilities will be the enforcement of the Prenatal Diagnostic Technique (PNDT) Act, enforcing ban on smoking, disposal of hazardous waste, implementing the drug control act besides other regulatory functions. The registration of clinics under the PNDT Act and their periodic inspection to check malpractices was itself a huge task. Similarly, the disposal of hazardous medical waste was a major problem for which the functioning of medical clinics in the entire state had to be closely monitored. The state had emerged as the biggest hub of the pharmaceutical industry in the country, but the mechanism required for effective enforcement of the drug control act was not in place. It is another major area for the proposed directorate to focus on. It is the third directorate under the Health Department. The Directorate of Medical Education is already there to take care of academic affairs in the institutes of medical education.
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Dumped building material a traffic hazard
Dharamsala, May 31 To add to it, inconvenience is being caused to public as contractor constructing the drain and retaining wall along the road has dumped the construction material on the road. The construction material lying on road could easily have been accommodated on the patch of road that has been rendered useless due to construction of the drain. However, to save labour for shifting the material by just a few metres, it has been dumped on the main road. The said road has very heavy traffic, especially during days, as tourist influx is high. Many tourists are approaching McLeodganj and other tourist spots in the area also pass through this road. The material dumped on the road is a major traffic hazard and has almost neutralised the benefits of widening the road. Chief Engineer, PWD, Dharamsala, NL Sharma said the drain had been brought up inside the road as per the engineering parameters. The wasted road would be put to some other use. Regarding the dumping of material on the road, he said the material was being used to construct retaining wall for the public health storage tanks. He said the material would be shifted as soon as the work in completed in the next few days. However, the fact remains that why the department did not force the contractor to dump the construction material at a safe place where it would not pose as a traffic hazard. The dumping of construction material on the road by contractors is a common practice. At place where there is no alternative, the move can be justified. However, it is traffic hazard, especially during night, when the vehicles sometimes fail to avoid the construction material. |
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Shimla summer fest from tomorrow
Shimla, May 31 Addressing a press conference here yesterday, DC Amar Singh Rathore said famous playback singer Ganjawala would be the star attraction at the final night of the summer festival on June 6. “We have tried to have a blend by having a star performer with the budding artists and local also performing on each night,” he said. “Himani Kapoor will be the star attraction on June 2, Mahalakshmi Aiyer on June 3, Jasbir Jassi on June 4, Surwesh Wadekar on June 5 and Kunal Ganjawala on June 6. Folk artists from other states will also perform on various nights along with local schoolchildren.” Rathore said about Rs 40 lakh would be spent on the festival. He said as far as Himachali artists are concerned effort had been made to give opportunity to budding talent so there is some amount of freshness in the performances. Besides the cultural nights, there will be daytime events like a flower show, baby show, Himachali food festival, band display, dog show and painting competition. |
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Water crisis in Jadera area
Chamba, May 31 Almost 80 per cent of the natural sources have dried up as a result of scorching heat these days and they have to depend on the remaining 20 per cent water sources to meet their day-to-day requirements. A veteran environmentalist of the area, Rattan Chand Sharma, who is also a member of the zila parishad of the Jadera ward, expressed his concern over the consequences arising out in the wake of ‘global warming’. He opposed the execution of mini and micro hydroelectric projects in this area. In connection with the much-publicised controversial Hul project being executed in the area, Sharma had recently met with the top functionaries of the state government and apprised them of the alarming situation being created by such hydropower projects. Meanwhile, officials of the IPH Department admit to the prevailing situation of drying up of natural water sources in the area. To cope with this problem, they proposed construction of lift irrigation schemes to provide drinking water. |
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Engineers object to HPCL ad
Mandi, May 31 In a reaction to the advertisement, the engineers yesterday rued that the HPCL decision to recruit only engineers from the NIT amounted to injustice to over 200 engineering graduates who have done their BEs from different colleges across the country. “Most of the students, who cannot make to the NIT, have no other option than going for degrees in colleges outside the state,” they said. The students stated that the government had completely sidelined such degree holders. “We have done BE in 1998 but we still await regular AEs jobs, where as the NIT engineers of 2007 batch have been recruited,” they rued. They demanded that the HPCL should scrap the current move and issue fresh advertisement, as it was undemocratic.
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Nod to B-Pharma courses at Paprola college
Palampur, May 31 Ayurveda adviser to the Government of India Dr SK Sharma stated this here today. He said the government had already released Rs 2 crore to Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, for running the classes. Besides, the government had also allowed this college to start BSc and MSc nursing courses. It had also sanctioned Rs 3 crore for this programme and out of this amount first instalment of Rs 2 crore had already been sent to the state government. He said if the state government provides necessary infrastructure then these courses could also start from this academic session. He said if the government filled the vacant posts of teaching staff in Paprola college then postgraduate programme for panchkarma, rog nidan, bal rog, swasth brit and dravya gun could be introduced.
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Honour for poet
Solan, May 31 The first prize has been won by Sanjay Singh from Maharashtra for his story ‘Apna Beta America Mien Hai Nan’ and second was begged by Dr Babu J for his story Megalomania. Padam Gupta, who hails from Deothi village of Solan district, won a cash prize of Rs 3,000 for his story titled ‘Hill Station Ki Ek Sham’. Two other writers from the state- Yogeshwer Sharma from Mandi and Trilok Mehra from Palampur- have also been given consolation prize in this competition.
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Man gets 7-year RI
Dharamsala, May 31 He has also given concurrent sentence of three years rigorous imprisonment under Section 363 of the IPC and a fine of Rs 5,000. Deputy district attorney BK Marwaha said on February 6, 2008, a minor girl was on her way to get vegetables from the market, when the accused feigned as blind man on the road and requested her to help in finding way to his residence. He took the girl to a half-built house on the pretext of going to his home and made an attempt to rape her. The girl somehow escaped and narrated the incident to her parents, who then lodged a complaint. |
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Role of journalists appreciated
Hamirpur, May 31 The programme began with a welcome address by principal of the school Dr Suman Lata. She appreciated the role of journalists in upholding the democratic principles in society and highlighting various issues. She said they are doing a very challenging job in unravelling various social problems and bringing change in society. Talking about the power of the media in society, she said while media acts as a watchdog in society it has always been a harbinger of reforms. School students also presented a cultural function. The organisers also honoured the present journalists on this occasion by presenting them mementos. Chairman of the school management Tara Chand Chaudhary also spoke on the occasion. |
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Fishing banned in Gobind Sagar
Bilaspur, May 31 Assistant director, Fisheries, Rajan Sood said here on Friday that the ban was enforced to help fish to propagate themselves and multiply and grow naturally as this was their normal breeding season. He said any violation of this notification was a non-bailable offence and punishable with fine up to Rs 5,000 and even imprisonment up to three years and both.
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2 killed in accident
Kangra, May 31 Investigating officer Prem Lal said Surender Puri (36) and Jatinder Puri (31) were critically injured when their Maruti car (DL 4CC 1884) rolled down into a 500-foot-deep gorge at Pasu. He said three brothers, Surender, Jatinder and Hardeep, were on their way to their home at Pasu. On the way, Hardeep alighted from the car to purchase some domestic goods. Surender and Jatinder were parking the vehicle along the roadside, it rolled down into the gorge.
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Board sought
Kangra, May 31 President of the Himachal Pradesh Rajput Kalyan Sabha Col SC Parmar said here today on the occasion of 470th Maharana Partap Jayanti celebrations that thousands of Rajput boys and girls were unemployed because of the current reservation policy, which needs to be amended. The community resolved that the current reservation policy was dividing nation on the sectarian basis and was against the basic ethics of secularism, which was the foundation of the country.
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Credit camp held
Bilaspur, May 31 Ripan Murgai, convener of the Himachal State Bankers Committee and Field General Manager, UCO Bank, Chandigarh, who presided over the function, said total loans worth Rs 7.25 crore were sanctioned by 23 UCO bank branches of Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Mandi, Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts. He said UCO bank in Bilaspur district had achieved 113 per cent of annual target of credit plan.
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The PWD recently widened the vital curve on the road approaching the Kotwali road. Lakhs of rupees were spent on widening the road as it was considered accident-prone. However, what is peeving residents is that while the PWD has widened the road on one side, it has been shortened from the other side. The PWD has cut the road on one side by constructing a drain about 10 feet inside the road.
