Shimla, May 10
In an initiative to improve academic standards in interior pockets, the state government today decided to establish model schools on the analogy of Kendriya Vidyalaya in five of the backward education blocks.

The decision was taken by the State Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal here today. Tissa, Mehla, Salooni and Pangi education blocks in Chamba district and Shillai education block in Sirmour district were selected for the purpose where the female literacy rate is below 46.13 per cent.

It approved a nine-point ‘Environment Protection Code’ for implementation in all educational institutions in the state under which students and teachers will be required to take a pledge to protect environment during the morning prayers daily.

Nod was given for creation of 381 posts of different categories for newly notified 38 government senior secondary schools.

It decided to advertise 54 small and mini self-identified and HIMURJA-identified hydroelectric projects with aggregate capacity of 132 MW to be set up in different places in the state. It also adopted revised criteria for evaluation of small hydro projects of 1 MW to 5 MW. It granted extension in time period for signing of Implementation Agreement to 33 small hydroelectric projects and extension in completion period to 23 others.

It decided to allot 15 self-identified mini and micro hydroelectric projects (below 3 MW) with aggregate capacity of 12.71 MW to different eligible Himachali entrepreneurs for execution.

The Cabinet approved enhancement in the authorised share capital of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited from existing Rs 370 crore to Rs 400 crore and accepted the proposal to recommend release of margin money by NCDC amounting to Rs 20 crore to HIMFED and Rs 2 crore to Lahaul Potato Growers Co-Operative Marketing and Processing Society Limited.

It approved amendment in fisheries rules to provide anglers the option of annual licence fee or daily fee in different lakes and rivers.

It decided to create one post of joint secretary and fill three posts of deputy secretary in the state board of school education by upgradation and three posts of law officer in the state secretariat.

Shimla, May 10
Sounding a warning bell to leaders keen on electoral politics, national BJP chief Nitin Gadkari said the high command would get surveys done to get feedback about the probable candidates to ensure they are popular and have contributed towards the development of the area they are keen to represent.

This was the message that the BJP chief gave to top brass of the BJP at the State Executive meeting of the BJP here last evening.

He told party leaders that the high command would definitely be taking into account the recommendation of the state unit of the party but inputs based on surveys conducted by the party at its own level would also serve as important information.

Gadkari said this would be done to ensure that the most deserving candidates were fielded and the party bagged more seats.

BJP leaders are interpreting this hint of the party chief as a message that he was keen to see new faces who would contribute to the party and the people in a bigger way.

Those who attend the meeting included Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal, Rajya Sabha MP Shanta Kumar, Satya Pal Jain, O.P. Dhankar, Manohar Lal, Mahender Pandey, ministers, MLAs, MPs and district BJP chiefs and state office-bearers.

He advised the party leaders to maintain close ties with the public and party workers and keep a low profile so that they remained connected with the public and party workers at the grassroots level. Citing the example of his own NGO back home in Maharashtra, Gadkari emphasised that the BJP must undertake some social work so that the underprivileged and needy got help at the party level.

Gadkari shared the charitable work being done by his NGO and said BJP must shoulder some kind of similar social responsibility.

He said heart surgeries of almost 700 people who could not afford the expenditure had been done so far by his NGO in Maharashtra.

The party chief also emphasised the need for holding training for party workers similar to the ones being done by RSS.

He suggested that three days, five days and eight days training camps be held for workers so that they were familiar with the party ideology and stand on various issues.

He also heaped praises on the Dhumal-led government while appreciating schemes like polyhouse, Doodh Ganga, subsidised ration, CFL power saver and others aimed at giving benefit to farmers and common man.

He said such welfare schemes would be replicated in other BJP-ruled states and vice-versa.

Shimla, May 10
Leader of the Opposition Vidya Stokes today demanded a public apology from the ruling BJP for making a false charge that the UPA regime was discriminating against the state and misleading the people on the industrial package.

Addressing a press conference here she said the BJP leaders should introspect whether holding the “nyaya rally” was justified, particularly in view of the fact that the Centre had not only been giving liberal financial assistance to the state but had also sanctioned several mega projects like a central university, the IIT, NIFT, the ESIC medical college and other schemes. The Congress would now take up the matter for setting up an institute of information technology (IIIT) in the state.

Moreover, the Union Minister for Commerce and Industries Ananda Sharma had announced several projects, involving an investment of over Rs 400 crore and covering almost every part of the state, during his two-day visit to the state.

Besides rejuvenation of Kangra tea, setting up of spice park at Nadaun, construction of a chain of cold stores and apple packing and grading units in fruit belt and establishment of skill development centre at Parwanoo would have long-term impact for the economy of farmers and fruit growers.

The BJP should have organised a “thanks giving rally”, instead its senior leaders like Shanta Kumar were accusing Ananda Sharma of playing politics.

The BJP had misled the people on the issue of industrial package by alleging that the package had been withdrawn whereas the fact was that only one component, exemption in excise duty, had been curtailed under the sunset clause, othewies the package was continuing as it is.

She refuted the BJP charge that the Congress had not done anything to secure the state’s share in inter-state projects and pointed out that it was because of the case filed by the Congress government in the Supreme Court which has now given three months’ time to the Centre and the state to sort out the issue. 

Dharamsala, May 10
Keeping in view the increasing financial liability of agriculture and horticulture universities in the state, the Himachal Pradesh Council for Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry Education and Research has chalked out reforms and a restructuring plan for the next five years ranging from 2010-15. The plan has been chalked at a meeting held recently.

Highly-placed sources told The Tribune that both Palampur Agriculture University and YS Parmar Horticulture University would be bound to follow the plan. Under the proposed plan the trust would be on increasing the number of students in both the universities and reduction of staff, especially the ministerial staff.

As per the plan the council approved the proposal put up by the Vice-Chancellor of Palampur Agriculture University Tej Pratap to increase the student strength from 451 to 708 in the next academic session of 2010-11. The proposal has been mooted to increase the student strength in the university to 1805 till 2015. The Vice-Chancellor, however, demanded additional funds from the state for construction of additional hostels.

For increasing the strength of students, the university was granted approval for starting MBA in agri business from the next session and various diploma and certificate courses as diploma for veterinary pharmacists and certificate courses in organic farming, protected cultivation, production of cut flowers and bee keeping etc.

The proposal of the university to convert the undergraduate college of basic sciences into centre of excellence in HP University, Shimla, was, however, turned down by the council. It, however, allowed the agriculture university authorities to close down the pure sciences courses for undergraduate students and utilise the staff for other programmes and courses.

The council has approved the plan of university authorities to reduce the staff strength in the university from 2125 to 1324 in the next five years.

The proposal of the Vice-Chancellor of YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry proposed to discontinue the five-year course of B.Sc. (horticulture) from Augustl, 2010. He informed the council that the Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR) neither recognises the said degree nor provides any funds for it. The seats that fall vacant after the abolition of course would be added to the self-financing schemes. He also proposed to increase the strength of students in B.Sc. (forestry) from 51 to 80, M.Sc. (horticulture) from 55 to 93, M.Sc. (forestry) from 49 to 92 and Ph.D (horticulture) from 36 to 63.

The Vice-Chancellor of Horticulture and Forestry University, Nauni, also submitted a proposal to reduce the staff strength from 1552 to 1387 in the next five years. Maximum cut has been proposed in class ‘D’ category of employees.

On the proposals submitted by the Vice-Chancellors of both the universities, the council decided to write to the Finance Department to declare at least 10 to 15 per cent staff of ministerial, engineering and D categories as surplus.

Shimla, May 10
Congressmen of Jubbal-Kotkhai, the leading apple producing area of the state, have urged the Union Minister for Commerce and Industries Anand Sharma to increase the import duty on apple to safeguard the interests of local producers.

A deputation led by party secretary Rohit Thakur met Sharma here today and drew his attention to the fact that the domestic market was being flooded by imported apple, affecting the local growers. It urged him to include apple in the special category and increase import duty on it.

It also urged the minister to hep set up a controlled atmosphere store in the area through the agriculture and processed food products export development agency (APEDA). It drew his attention to the move of the state government to sell off apple carton factory of Agro-Packaging India Limited and requested him to take up the matter for reviving the sick unit.

The members of the deputation thanked him for sanctioning Rs 1.31 crore for the upgradation of the grading and packing house of the HPMC and Gumma and Rs 4.05 crore for promotion of adventure tourism and maintainance of temple.

Hamirpur, May 10
The state government has taken steps to provide training, technical know-how to farmers and establish forward linkages with other agencies for better returns on agriculture produce by promoting organic farming in the state.

The State Agriculture Department is formulating a project for this purpose after which a Bangalore-based agency would be roped in to train the farmers and agricultural staff for the organic farming.

In this process a memorandum of understanding (MoU) is being signed with Bangalore-based NGO International Competence Center for Organic Agriculture.

Under this agreement this agency would provide inputs and training to farmers to motivate them towards organic farming for fetching better yields and good returns in the market for their produce.

Initially, this project would be implemented in the three districts of Hamirpur, Solan and Bilaspur with the cost of Rs 2.17 crore.

For this three-year project, the subject matter specialists of the agriculture department are busy in preparing a detailed project report (DPR) by collecting ground level information from different areas.

The NGO involved in this project would not only help in training, demonstration and actual participation of farmers and agriculture department staff in organic framing but this agency would also help in establishing forward linkages.

After identification of potential areas the clusters of farmers would be established for the organic farming.

This agency would also help farmers in seed certification which would help the farmers in readily market their organic produce. Later on, direct contact between farmers and certification and marketing agencies would be established.

Telling about this project deputy director of agriculture, Hamirpur, AS Rana, said, “This project would motivate the farmers to adopt organic farming to get better returns for their produce and the NGO would provide technical and other support to farmers in this venture and we are working on the DPR of the project.” 

Mandi, May 10
Despite tall claims made by the forest department on fire-preventing measures, the forest fires have already destroyed over 5575 hectares of forest area, worth Rs 59.6 lakh in over 480 incidents of fires in the state so far.

The spells of rains brought respite from fires for the burning forests last week. But the rising incidents of forest fires have once again exposed hollow claims of the forest department.

What to talk of saving natural forest areas from the forest fires, the department in the state has even failed to protect its own plantations. The fires destroyed plantations in over 914 hectares area till last week, revealed official sources.

The information gathered from different sources by The Tribune revealed that the van mafias ignited fires in their bid to destroy evidence of stumps after cutting down the trees in many cases.

In many other cases migratory shepherds, mainly in the hills of Mandi, Shimla, Chamba, Kullu, Kangra and Nahan, leave behind burning campfires that result in major forest ground fires, revealed sources.

Most of the plantations burnt by fires this summer are concentrated in forest circles of Nahan (243 hectares), Hamirpur (206.7 hectares), Bilaspur(192.5 hectares), Shimla (86 hectares) and Mandi (56 hectares).

The officials claimed that dry pine needles continued to be the major fire trigger factors in most fire incidents in the state. There are chowkidars or forest guards to man the forest plantations who remain mute witness to the burning forests as the fires are detected very late, sources revealed.

Another major reason has turned out to be the fact the forest department remained top-heavy and town-centric. The forests are left at the mercy of a guard or a chowkidar, even many beats are without guards, sources added.

The department claimed that they had involved local mahila mandals, panchayats, and hired fire watchers each season. “We clear the fire lines in sensitive ranges and each fire incident is investigated”, they claimed.

State conservator of forests, Avatar Singh, stated that 480 incidents of fires were reported till May 3 in the state that affected 5575 hectares of forest areas in the state. The total loss is estimated at Rs 59. 6 lakh so far, he added.

Shimla, May 10
A veteran politician and presently leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in the state, not many are aware about Vidya Stokes’ passion for collecting dolls from all over the world which will now be a part of the collection showcased at the International Doll Museum, Chandigarh.

It was a chance meeting with Dr PC Sharma, officer-in-charge, International Doll Museum, Chandigarh, last month that this hidden aspect of a hardcore politician was revealed. She donated 13 dolls from an equal number of countries to Dr Sharma here on Saturday, which will soon be on display at the museum at Bal Bhawan.

“Collecting dolls has been a passion with me since I was a young girl and I have a huge collection out of which I have donated 13 to the Chandigarh Doll Museum,” she says.

She has about 30 more dolls from abroad, which she wants to keep as her private collection to pass on to her grandchildren.

An avid traveller with both her children residing abroad, Stokes has visited several countries from where she picked up dolls for her collection.

The dolls she has donated are from countries including Canada, Japan, China, USA, Russia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Australia, Austria and Nepal.

Meanwhile, the only regret Stokes has is that she could not convince authorities in her home state to have a doll museum here. “I had even requested the local Municipal Corporation almost two decades back to set up a gallery in the Town Hall building on the Mall but they did not show much interest,” she said.

Dr Sharma said the Tourism Department had also agreed to give bridal dolls depicting hill culture from different districts to be displayed at the museum.

“With Chandigarh being considered gateway to Himachal, it would be ideal to have a glimpse of Himachali art, culture, dress and socio-cultural life in the form of an exclusive doll gallery from the hill state,” he opined.