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CMs’ conclave forms Himalayan sustainable forum
Adventure Sports |
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Petition on para-gliding event dismissed
Now, ex-servicemen to guard all BSNL exchanges
UID- each citizen to have 16-digit number
Vigilance chief fires another salvo at Virbhadra
Zero-tolerance to corruption empty slogan
Foundation stone of Vatsalya Gram laid
Government set to encourage organic farming
Rs 800 cr central funds sought
Parallel Conclave
Fire Mishap
Now, more working days at HC
No clue in double murder case
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CMs’ conclave forms Himalayan sustainable forum
Shimla, October 30 The Chief Ministers agreed to meet annually to monitor the implementation of the action plan and hold biannual meetings of officials, preferably at the chief secretary-level for the purpose. The forum will be hosted by partner states on a rotational basis and GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Uttarakhand, will provide technical and secretarial support. The conclave noted that some states had formed state-level councils for climate change and other states were in the process of doing so. These councils were located in the Chief Minister’s office and function as conveners for the forum. They play a catalytic role in tracking research being conducted by different departments and institutions and work as an information and knowledge pool to foster exchange of data related to climate change, good practices and policy initiatives across the Himalayan states. It agreed to ensure that financial incentives were provided for natural resources, which captured the cost of ecosystem services, carbon sequestration as well as land and livelihood opportunities. They prioritised the need for the 13th Finance Commission and desired that it should provide adequate and ample resources for sustainable development. It voiced concern about the impact of climate change on glaciers, which could lead to changes in hydrology of the critical and life-giving rivers and the need for evolving methods for comprehensive impacts of projects at a basin-level. The states agreed to set up a joint working group to look into these urgent issues and to recommend actions. Regarding growing urbanisation, they agreed that the Himalayan states need for look for alternative models for urban growth, keeping in mind the specific conditions and constraints of the region and decided to share best practices that are being tried in the different states. They agreed to explore alternative forms of mass transit, which were eco-friendly like railways and ropeways in view of destruction caused by roads. The need for regulating tourism was underlined as unbridled tourism or pilgrimage could destroy the pristine ecology, which attracted visitors. The Chief Ministers of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment and Forests, the Minister for Environment and Forests, Jammu and Kashmir, and senior officials representing the states of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh attended the conclave. |
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No permission for bodies not registered with tourism dept
No trace of missing Russian para-glider Lalit Mohan Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, October 30 The issue had been clarified by the director, tourism, in response to contention by the Billing Paragliding Association that it was authorised to hold Pre-World Cup Paragliding event as it was registered under the Societies Act 1860. The Kangra deputy commissioner admitted that the communication in the said matter had been received from the Department of Tourism. He also said as per the said directive the Billing Paragliding Association would not be allowed to organise the Pre-World Cup championship scheduled from November 4 to 9. The DC further said as per the directive of the Tourism Department there would be two set of rules, one for those who want to organise events and other for free participants who come on their own. The participants who come on their own for paragliding in the Bir-Billing area would have to get themselves registered with the Baijnath SDM. The DC also said according to his information both the said Russians had not registered themselves with the SDM as free para-gliders. They were paragliding in the event on their own. Sources said there was no trace of missing Russian para-glider Alexey Ashurov. The body of other Russian para-glider Elliyayudin was still lying trapped in the high mountains. Though the body was traced a few days ago all efforts to retrieve it have failed till date. Officials of the district administration said the body was trapped in a narrow gorge and it was very difficult to retrieve it. The district administration had sought the
help of experts from the mountaineering institute at Manali and the Army authorities for retrieving the body. With one foreign para-glider dead and another missing, the paragliding sport that was picking up in the Bir-Billing area of Kangra has taken a hit due to lack of security measures. |
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Petition on para-gliding event dismissed
Shimla October 30 Association in which the association had urged the court to direct the state government to allow it to organise the Pre-World Cup Para-gliding Championship at Billing in Kangra district. The acting Chief Justice R.B. Mishra and Justice Rajeev Sharma dismissed the petition after hearing the petitioner at length in an open court. The court even did not issue notice to the state government and other respondents. The petitioner-association mentioned in its petition that it was not organising the international event for commercial purposes, but the tourism department was insisting on the association to register itself under the Tourism Act. |
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Now, ex-servicemen to guard all BSNL exchanges
Hamirpur, October 30 The telephone exchanges, which were earlier manned by personnel of private security agency, will now have ex-servicemen at service in all 266 exchanges in the state. The deployment of ex-servicemen for this job will be carried through the State Ex-servicemen Corporation and it will recommend names on the basis of seniority. While this decision will provide employment opportunities to ex-servicemen, the telephone exchanges will also find former Army-trained personnel for manning the security of the telephone exchanges, where security is considered quite sensitive. Initially, the BSNL will be employing one ex-serviceman each for every telephone exchange and 266 personnel will be deployed but the BSNL authorities said they would increase the posts as per requirement. The move is definitely going to provide good opportunities of re-employment for ex-servicemen since there are very limited opportunities for them at present. Due to absence of major industrial sector and squeezing government jobs, one sector where ex-servicemen are getting re-employment is hydel projects. However, hydel projects are limited to few districts only and since most of these are being build by private companies only limited number of ex-servicemen are being recruited. Considering this as a major achievement for ex-servicemen of the state, chairman of the ex-servicemen corporation MC Pramar said, “Since there are limited opportunities of re-employment for ex-servicemen in the state their recruitment by BSNL will be a morale booster for them and in return BSNL will get trained personnel for manning the security of the telephone exchanges in the state.” |
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UID- each citizen to have 16-digit number
Shimla, October 30 “The largest such project till date has been the FBI data base created for security purpose in the USA which covered 120 million people. However, the current project will be 10 times larger and also have biometric features to prevent duplication,” revealed Nilekani who stepped down as the co-chairman of IT major Infosys Technologies to take up the challenge. While the enormity of the data base and the scale of the project made it imperative that only basic information and biometrics was included, it would also help prevent unintended consequences and misuse by various groups as had happened with caste-based census operations. It was also a technological compulsion as the de-duplication software involves search through the existing data and compared the information and biometric features of every new UID number applicant before registration, he said. Contrary to general impression that under UID every individual would be provided an identity card, only a unique 16-digit number will be assigned. It would not confer citizen rights but enable various authorities to authenticate the identity of every Indian resident. Further, complete privacy would be maintained and no one would be able to see or download information of any other individual. The UID would help the marginalised and underprivileged people, who could not produce ration card, PAN card and other such documents required to establish identity to avail benefits under various schemes. It would be possible to authenticate the UID number online. To carry out the job expeditiously a number of partners like banks, oil companies, state government agencies and non-government organisations would be engaged as registrars for enrolment but the number would be issued after authentication only by the UID Authority of India. The UID number would help do away with duplicate identities in the system and enable the government to implement the welfare schemes more efficiently, without leakages and in a directed manner to ensue that benefits reach the target persons. The first set of UID number would be issued within 18 months and over the next five years 600 million people would be covered. |
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Vigilance chief fires another salvo at Virbhadra
Mandi, October 30 Manhas, who was here today as the chief guest for a seminar on human rights at Valabh Postgraduate College, said the Vigilance had sent the second questionnaire to Virbhadra Singh as the Central Forensic Science Laboratory
(CFSL) reports received by them said it was Virbhadra Singh’s voice in both original audio cassette and audio CD sent for the forensic examination. However, so far, the Vigilance has not received an answer from Virbhadra Singh, he added. Meanwhile, Virbhadra Singh had served a legal notice on Manhas in this connection after the Vigilance registered an FIR against him recently.
Manahas, when quizzed on the contentious issue, claimed that Virbahdra Singh had filed an affidavit in the court stating that the audio CD did not contain his voice and hence the FIR was lodged. “He has answered the first questionnaire and now we have sent the second questionnaire to him,” he said. On the other hand, Virbhadra Singh, who was here for the Kullu
Dussehra, had said at a press conference that the state Vigilance had become an agent of Chief Minister PK
Dhumal, implicating Congress men in false cases. However, Manhas put the record straight by stating that the Vigilance had the original audio cassettes and the audio CD that he claimed was fake and concocted in the media statements. But the court admitted the audio cassettes as admissible evidence for investigation and there is no other motive in this case, Manhas asserted. He said after booking Ved
Rahi, former chairman of the HP board, and former Horticulture Minister Singhi Ram in the fake-certificate case, Virbhadra Singh was the third politician booked by the Vigilance. “There is no pressure on us from the state government,” he claimed. |
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Zero-tolerance to corruption empty slogan
Mandi, October 30 Interestingly, Shanta Kumar, who went on record at a recent press conference at Shimla, shared the point that the corrupt officials in the case should have been punished, raising public doubts over the government’s zero-tolerance to corruption, revealed insiders. Meanwhile, DS
Manhas, DG, SVACB, who was here today as a chief guest on the seminar on “Human rights” at Vallabh Postgraduate College, said, “In Sanjay Gupta’s case, the Vigilance will put the challan by December as we take six months’ time in trap cases. These are tedious cases and other departments are involved.” On the call-girl racket case, Manhas said the CID, the police and the Vigilance raided the hotel jointly and found that
Rana, Atri and businessman Sharma along with two girls were drinking in two separate rooms. “We did not take them for medical examination as they were not caught in compromising positions,” he said. He clarified that they knew each other and the team took statements of the girls and their addresses back in Chandigarh. However, the government transferred Atri to his parent department and Rajinder Rana resigned as media advisor and his expulsion from the party has not come forth. On the Sher Singh case, who was trapped by the Vigilance in 2008 for taking bribe from drug manufacturers, Manhas said, “We have put the challan in the court in the trap case.” |
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Foundation stone of Vatsalya Gram laid
Solan, October 30 Addressing a mammoth gathering of devotees and prominent people of the area assembled at Ram Katha venue at
Nalagarh, Dhumal welcomed the institution and termed their endeavour as a step to protect the interest and aged people of the society. He said today the world was recognising the importance of moral values as the basic ingredients of a strong system were getting eroded. He said the rich culture of the country was self-contained in all respects. The Chief Minister expressed the hope that Vatsalya Gram would provide shelter and motivation to the society to help the poor and needy. It was being set up under the visionary guidance of Sadhvi
Ritambhra. Dhumal welcomed Sadhvi Ritambhra, Rajnath Singh, and other saints and sages and complimented the peeth for developing a Vatsalya Gram in the rural area of the state. He hoped that the village would emerge a source of inspiration for rest of the communities to come forward in creation of such infrastructural facilities for underprivileged children by helping them to grow into responsible citizens. He said the village development would be based upon the age-old joint family system where the youngest and the oldest would stay together.
BJP national president Rajnath, while speaking on the occasion, said this step would go a long way in checking cultural degradation and revival of the traditional Indian culture. He said mass public support was required to change the mindset of the people so that they were once again affiliated with the rich cultural heritage of the country. He said it was a dream come true when such village would be set up all over the country. |
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Government set to encourage organic farming
Shimla, October 30 Stating this while formally inaugurating Renuka Fair on Wednesday Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said the government had submitted a Rs 270 crore organic farming project for funding to the Japan Bank of International Cooperation. The priority of the government was to strengthen the rural economy by promoting sustainable agriculture and other allied avocations. He said Rs 15 crore Renuka circuit scheme had been submitted to the Centre for funding so that the place could be developed as a tourist destination. He said Rs 12.97 crore had also been sanctioned for various developmental activities in Sirmour and another private university would also be set up. Besides five more polytechnics would be established in different areas of the state and every assembly regiment would have an ITI. Dhumal said the best rehabilitation plan would be implemented for the welfare of Renuka Dam oustees which would involve an expenditure of Rs 200 crore. The compensation for irrigated land would be Rs 2.5 lakh per bigha, un-irrigated land Rs 1.5 lakh per bigha and other land Rs 75,000 per bigha. He assured that sincere efforts would be made to rehabilitate the people who would sacrifice their home and hearths to pave the way for construction of Renuka Dam.
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Rs 800 cr central funds sought
Bilaspur, October 30 Addressing mediapersons here today, Vinod Kumar, accompanied by secretary general Sanjay Kapoor, senior vice-president Bal Diwakar Sharma, regional secretary Lobhi Ram and HP State Corporate Sector Employees’ Confederation president Roshan Chauhan, said the organisation fully supported the campaign of Chief Minister PK Dhumal against corruption in all fields of administration and appreciated his strong “political commitment” to uproot this disease from
the state. They said repeated grants of interim relief, DA instalments, making 5,000 part-time workers daily wagers, recruitment of some 13,000 employees, promotions of more than 5,000 teachers, increase in daily wages of labour and end to vindictive mass transfers to far-off areas in the past two years were some of the steps which had made this government very popular among employees of
the state. Meanwhile, the confederation urged the government to end injustice meted out to Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) employees and implement the Punjab pay scales for them also. |
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Construction of hydel projects opposed
Tribune News Service
Shimla, October 30 The declaration of the conclave, held under the Himalaya Niti Abhiyan (HNA), an apex forum of non-government organisations, was submitted to Union Minister of State for Forests and Environment Jairam Ramesh and the Chief Ministers attending the meet, in the form of an open letter. The hydropower projects were a source of deadly methane which contributed to climate change more than carbon di-oxide. They also led to displacement of people, affected aquatic life and degenerated the eco-system downstream, it said. Tunnelling under hills also led to problems like vanishing of water sources and destabilisation of hills, making them prone to land slides. The declaration opposed power-guzzling industries, mining projects, cement plants, thermal plants and other such projects which polluted environment. Besides, all these projects caused deforestation. It rued the fact that the state had been demanding additional funds from the Centre and concession for industrialists but was not doing anything for employment generation. The conclave urged the government to support the stand of Bolivia that advanced countries, the historical polluters, should be made to pay full ecological debt to developing, historical under-consuming countries like Inida. Earlier, hundreds of activists, associated with these organisations, took out a procession from Victory tunnel to Chaura Maidan to register their protest against the failure of the state government to invite genuine stakeholders to the conclave and ignoring real issues concerning the people.
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2 succumb to injuries
Our Correspondent
Solan, October 30 The police has registered a case under Sections 336, 337 and 285 of the IPC against the unit management including general manager Sultan Patel, production manager VK Taneja, personnel manager Chaman Jaryal and engineer Raman Kaushal. Parwanoo SDPO Ramesh Pathania said utter negligence of the plant management was manifested in the investigations undertaken at the site. It was found that a tablet coating machine was not maintained properly and other machinery, including compressor, were running recklessly during all shifts which was a potential danger to the lives of the workers. However, an overloading had caused the machine to develop a short circuit leading to fire in the unit. Both Jameet Pal and Sanjiv Rana hail from Kangra district.
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Now, more working days at HC
Shimla, October 30 This was disclosed by VK Sharma, Registrar General. He further said the full court, headed by Acting Chief Justice Ram Bhuwan Mishra, had taken this unanimous decision at its full court meeting. It discussed the resolution passed in the Chief Justices’ conference held in New Delhi in August this year. The conference had resolved to explore the possibility of increasing the days or working hours in the high courts throughout the country.
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No clue in double murder case
Solan, October 30 SP Prem Thakur said according to the autopsy report the murders have taken place between 9 am to 4 pm yesterday and it was a sharp-edged weapon which had caused a grievous neck injury leading to profuse bleeding that led to death in both the cases. However, the weapon was yet to be traced. Police officials said the other inmates of the house, including Priya, Shilpa and Manish, had been interrogated and inquiries had also revealed the presence of another eunuch hailing from Kalka in the house around 11:30 am.
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Solan, October 30
