Karnal, January 30
Union Minister for Tourism and Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja today made a strong plea for making India a safe haven for tourists to give boost to tourism.

“India is progressing fast, increasing the potential for rapid growth of the tourism industry, but safety and security of tourists is an important factor in attracting tourists,” she told mediapersons here today.

Showing concern over the rape of six-year-old Russian girl in Goa and similar incidents of sexual assaults on foreign tourists in different parts of the country, Selja said such shameful acts by anti-social elements sully the image of the country.

She said the government was aware of the problem and assured that special security arrangements would be at place during the Commonwealth Games when a large number of foreign tourists would be visiting India.

The Centre as well as state governments would collectively be responsible for safety of the tourists, she added.

She said Rajiv Awas Yojana for providing low-cost houses to urban poor would be launched soon and survey for the same was already in progress.

Referring to the decreasing use of “khadi”, popularised by Mahatma Gandhi as a symbol of freedom struggle, she said efforts were being made to give boost to khadi by overhauling the khadi industry.

Karnal, January 30
The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Haryana (HRAH) has demanded that tax holiday to the two, three and the four star hotels being constructed in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games should be extended to the entire country on the analogy of tax holiday being given to the hotel industry in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The union government has extended tax exemption for five years to hotels commissioned between April 1, 2007, and March 31, 2010, in Delhi, adjoining NCR districts of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad and 22 other districts of greater heritage importance. However, the hoteliers in other parts of the country had been deprived of the benefit, said HRAH president Manbeer Chowdhary.

He said entrepreneurs, who had constructed hotels in other places like Rajasthan, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Goa and Agra wanted that the benefit should be extended to the entire country.

The Commonwealth Games were being hosted by India and not by the NCR alone and as such the tourism potential likely to be generated due to the games should be harnessed across the country and not be limited to a specific region, he asserted.

He said in case the tax holiday benefit was extended to all hotels in the eligible category, people from commonwealth countries and other parts of India would be keen to visit the entire country.

Stating that the hoteliers did not need subsidy but a support system, Chowdhary said the association had already urged the union government to create single-window system for giving clearances to be obtained from multiple authorities under one roof to promote tourism and allied projects.

Chowdhary pointed out that in Haryana alone, the state government had issued 25 CLUs (change in land use) for construction of five-star resorts out of which seven were under construction and 10 projects had been dropped as about 42 NOCs had to be obtained for the construction of a five-star hotel.

He said after the exclusion of the hotel industry from “real estate” category which involved higher risks, the hotel industry should be accorded status of the infrastructure sector to enable it to get exemption from the income tax.

Moreover, it would help the hotel industry to get credit at low rate of interest and even procure loan from the RBI on easy terms on priority basis, he asserted.

Chandigarh, January 30
In a far-reaching consequence that is likely to bring in greater transparency into the working of the controversy-ridden Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC), candidates will now be allowed to retain question papers, while the HPSC will have to make the model key code (answers) public and allow inspection of answer sheets if a candidate desires so.

State Information Commissioner (SIC) Lt Gen JBS Yadava passed these orders on a plea filed by three candidates for the same recently. The cases were heard in November 2009 after which the order was reserved.

The SIC, in his orders, has said all candidates will now be allowed to retain question booklet (question paper) after completion of the time of the paper. The HPSC will also make the model key (answer to the question paper) public by displaying the same on the HPSC or government website after the results of the examination have been declared. Further, it will allow inspection of answer sheets to any candidate who desires to do so after the declaration of the result.

The HPSC, in its reply during the hearing on the cases, informed the SIC that they had allowed the candidates to take the question booklet with them after completion of the time of the paper. However, the commission had not allowed the model key code (answer to question paper) and scrutiny of OMR sheets (answer sheets) to any person being of confidential nature.

The State Information Commissioner after considering the mater and also keeping in view the prevailing circumstances and public aspirations concluded that more transparency was required in the conduct of examinations and selection process of candidates for various posts by the commission.

In his order, he observed, “If the HPSC tries to hide behind the cloak of confidentiality then it is not acting in the spirit enshrined in the RTI Act. Making the model key code (answer to question paper) public does not jeopardise or compromise the functioning of the commission or conduct of any future examinations in any manner.”

The order added that making the code public would enhance the quality of question papers and all elements of favoritism and corruption would be eliminated in the system. “It is important to be fair but more important to be seen as fair,” he observed, overruling the objections of the HPSC.

Regarding the inspection or scrutiny of the OMR sheets (answer sheets), he said confidentiality had no meaning once the examination and selection process was over and results had been announced. The right to inspect any document or record held by a public authority could not be taken away by a citizen.

He pointed out that not more than 10 candidates have filed the second appeal with a request to inspect or scrutinise their answer sheets in the past years.

“This is hardly an extra load. This will not only instill confidence in the public about the functioning of the commission, but will also help in removing any element of doubt about favouritism and corruption in their minds. Therefore, keeping the larger interest of the public in mind, objections of the Haryana Public Service Commission are overruled in this regard,” the order adds.

Sirsa, January 30
Tarlochan Singh, Rajya Sabha member and former chairman of the National Minorities Commission, talking to mediapersons here yesterday accused Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of inordinate delay in the implementation of the legislation on according second language status to Punjabi.

He claimed the legislation was passed six years back by the INLD government.

“The legislation in this regard was passed by the Chautala government in 2004 and should have been notified by the government immediately on assuming power,” the Rajya Sabha member maintained.

He claimed that as chairman of the National Minorities Commission and also MP from Haryana, he had made several attempts to impress upon Hooda to accord second language status to Punjabi, but “the Chief Minister was reluctant to do so only because the move was initiated by Chautala.” “It is only because of the stiff opposition received from Punjabi-speaking people in the Ellenabad constituency during the January 20 byelection that Hooda has been forced to issue the notification,” Tarlochan Singh maintained.

Asked why the Chautala government did not issue the notification as the legislation was passed in 2004 and the INLD remained in power till 2005, the MP said that another legislation for scrapping the second language status accorded to Telegu was needed. But the Chautala government had no time to do so with the Model Code of Conduct coming into force.

“The task is still incomplete as the government is yet to scrap the status to Telegu and for that a Bill is required to be passed in the assembly.”

Sirsa, January 30
A meeting to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi was organised in the mini-secretariat today, where Deputy Commissioner Yudhvir Singh Khyalia led the officials of the government offices to observe two-minute silence.

Another meeting was held at the Gandhi Park situated in the new grain market, where veteran Gandhian leader Shankar Lal Verma paid his tribute to Gandhi ji by spinning cotton on “Charkha”.

Sarvodya Mandal activist Bhuvnesh Goswami, BJP leader Jagdish Chopra and president of the Sirsa Education Society Parveen Baghla were present on the occasion.

Fatehabad: Government officials led by Deputy Commissioner CG Rajini Kaanthan paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi by observing two-minute silence here on Saturday.

The DC exhorted officials to tread the path of truth show by Gandhi ji while performing their duties. SDM JK Abhir also addressed the meeting.

SONEPAT: Floral tributes were paid to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary by the District Congress Committee that organised a prayer meeting at the Gandhi Chowk here on Saturday. Besides taking a pledge to follow the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi, the participants observed a two-minute silence to pay homage.

KURUKSHETRA: Dr DDS Sandhu, Vice-Chancellor, Kurukshetra University, along with the university fraternity paid homage to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 62nd death anniversary here on Saturday.

The homage ceremony started with a prayer meeting and recital of bhajans by students of the music department. Registrar Prof Raghuvendra Tanwar offered floral tributes at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi near the university auditorium. 

Fatehabad, January 30
Despite the central government’s efforts, the education scenario in the country, particularly higher-education, continues to be bleak.

Addressing a workshop in Manohar Memorial College of Education, UGC vice-chairman Ved Parkash said less than 12 per cent of the Indian population between the age group of 18 and 24 years had access to higher education in India.

This was in a sharp contrast to the average of 63 per cent in developed countries, 27 per cent world-over and 13 per cent in the developing countries.

“We have 20 crore population of children between 6 and 14 years of age and 19.5 crore of these go to school, which means the access to elementary education is very good in the country,” said Dr Parkash. He added that of those between the age of 14 and 18 years, only 3.70 crore out of 9.5 crore children had access to the secondary education. The situation is even worse at the higher-education level, where only 1.51 crore out of the 12.55 crore children between the age of 18 and 24 years go to colleges and universities.

“This is despite the fact that the budget of the 11th plan in the education sector is 10 times more than what it was in the 10th plan,” he said.

“When all other countries of the world decreased their budget on education, our government has provided Rs 2,620 billions for the education in the 11th plan, out of which Rs 850 billions is to be spent on the higher education alone,” he added.

Chandigarh, January 30
The state government has invited applications from the girl students belonging to the Scheduled Castes under the Anusuchit Jati Chattra Ucch Shiksha Protsahan Yojana. The last date of the submission of application forms will be February 23.

While giving this information today state Education and Social Welfare Minister Geeta Bhukkal said the girl students on admission to various courses/classes would be given scholarship according to their eligibility.

She said the students doing diploma in technical/professional courses after 10+2 like BCA, nursing, D-pharma, BEd and DEd, (JBT), etc. would be given Rs 7,000 and Rs 5,000, respectively, and the students doing graduation in commerce and science courses would be given Rs 9,000 and Rs 7,000, respectively.

Similarly, the students doing graduation in technical/professional courses like BE, BTech, IT, computer, mechanical, electronics, information and technology and electrical and students of BCA, CA, ICWA and CS would be given Rs 11,000 and Rs 9,000, respectively.

The students doing post graduation in science and commerce would be given Rs 12,000 and Rs 10,000, respectively, and the students doing post graduation in technical and profession courses like ME, MTech, MA, MD, etc. would be given Rs 14,000 and Rs 12,000, respectively.

She said to avail the benefit of this scheme the students should belong to the Scheduled Castes and should be bonafide resident of Haryana and the annual income of their parents/guardians should be between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2.40 lakh. The students would be given the scholarship only once in a year and after securing promotion to the next higher class the scholarship would be renewed under the scheme.

She said the students, who availed scholarship under “Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for the Scheduled Castes students” or any other scheme run by the state government, would not be eligible to get benefit under this scheme.

She said the students, who had not applied earlier under this scheme, could apply through the concerned universities, colleges and institutions to the office of District Welfare Officer by February 23. Applications received after the stipulated date would not be entertained.

She said the application forms could be received free of cost from the office of District Welfare Officer and any information regarding the schemes related to the Scheduled Castes and the Backward Classes could be obtained from website of the department www.socialjusticehry.nic.in www.socialjusticehry.nic.in. 

Yamunanagar, January 30
The sanitation awareness campaign has yielded a positive result in the district with almost 60 villages becoming open-defecation free.

As many as 21 villages were awarded “Nirmal Gram Puruskar” for their efforts by the Centre. The Namdarpur village panchayat received first prize of Rs 5 lakh for excellent work in sanitation and cleanliness, whereas six other villages received a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh each.

The administration has fixed a target to cover all villages of the district under the total sanitation campaign till March 31. So far, it has constructed 27,411 toilets for the BPL families, 36,500 for above poverty line (APL) families, 504 for schools and 334 for anganwaris.

“Our volunteers visited each and every village and created awareness about the importance of sanitation,” Additional Deputy Commissioner Narender Kumar said.

He said Yamunanagar and Karnal had done excellent work under the total sanitation campaign. The campaign was a comprehensive programme to ensure sanitation facilities in rural areas. The aim of the campaign was to inform and educate people about health, hygiene and sanitation, he added.