Shimla, July 24
Raising the issue of discrimination in fund allocation and other welfare schemes, Chief Minister PK Dhumal today said the Centre need to have a relook at the policies, which were not favourable for certain states like Himachal, making people believe that this was the price they were paying for being peaceful.

Speaking at the National Development Council meeting in New Delhi, which was presided over by the Prime Minister, Dhumal raised issues where the hill state had been given a raw deal.

He said the withdrawal of industrial package under which excise duty exemption for setting up of industrial units in the Special Category States was earlier due up to March 31, 2013, for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It has been curtailed by the Centre to March 2010 but such exemption continued for the other Special Category States.

“The curtailment of excise duty exemption incentive will further adversely impact the already low credit-deposit ratio in the state, accentuate the regional imbalances and affect Himachal’s growth in the coming years,” he said.

He urged the Centre to redress this grievance of the state on priority in the interest of growth and much-needed industrial development in Himachal Pradesh.

Dhumal also stressed the need for adopting a uniform funding pattern for all Special Category States in respect of Centrally sponsored schemes with a funding pattern of 90:10. He also raised the issue of less allocation of wheat and rice to Himachal as compared to the other Special Category States.

He regretted that the 13th Finance Commission had totally overlooked the ground realities in case of Himachal as only a 50 per cent increase, the lowest in the country, was recommended.

“The commission has grossly underestimated the state's committed liabilities on account of salary, interest and pension payments and put the state's finances in a precarious position, making it difficult to meet even the committed liabilities,” he remarked.

He also sought the personal intervention of the Prime Minister to develop the much-needed railway infrastructure in Himachal Pradesh and subsidised air services on the pattern of the North-East. “Himachal should be given additional grants in the form of green bonus as it was playing an important role in protection of forests and the fragile Himalayan ecology”, he added.

He also urged for allowing Himachal to impose generation tax on all electricity produced in the state at 10 paisa per unit to help the state mobilise additional revenue of about Rs. 250 crore per annum. 

Dharamsala, July 24
The Dalai Lama has joined Twitter. He has discovered the power of the Net in reaching across boundaries of nations.

The Dalai Lama has started using Twitter for reaching the Chinese people allegedly to dispel the propaganda spread regarding him by the Chinese government. On Monday, the Dalai Lama took questions from Chinese citizens on the Twitter site.

Sources here said it was for the second time that the Dalai Lama had received questions from Chinese citizens on Twitter. About 326 questions were submitted by Chinese citizens to the Dalai Lama. The office of the Dalai Lama responded to questions by translating these into Chinese.

The Dalai Lama’s Chinese blog was launched on July 6. Since then, his followers have grown to 5000.

The sources also said, generally, the Dalai Lama had received questions regarding his proposed autonomy for Tibet and the issue of his succession. On the issue of autonomy, the Dalai Lama had written that it means having Tibetans as majority and other ethnic groups had minority. If the situation reversed, the autonomy would become meaningless.

The Dalai Lama was referring the alleged influx of the Han population into Tibet allegedly under motivation by the Chinese government that was reducing Tibetans to minority in their own region.

He also rejected the concept of “Greater Tibet”, terming it as Chinese propaganda. “I hope to build up a big family that enables Chinese and Tibetans to co-exist in a friendly fashion over the last 1000 years”, he said.

On the issue of the succession, the Dalai Lama said he was not the sole figure to embody the Tibetan spirit. “I have been operating in semi-retirement over the last 10 years. All major political decisions have been made by a leadership group elected by Tibetan exiles.

After my death, all policy will be managed in the same way”, he said.

The Tibetans-in-exile, managing the Twitter blog of the Dalai Lama, said though the scale of dialogue was not as big but its influence could not be undermined. One day, all propaganda on the Dalai Lama would be dispelled and truth would come forward, they expressed hope.

The Chinese since Beijing Olympics have started mounting diplomatic pressure on other countries against inviting the Dalai Lama and his aides.

Earlier this year, the Russian government denied visa to the Dalai Lama. In the recent past, the Indian government also denied permission to Karmapa to visit the US.

Shimla, July 24
Convener of the National Legal Cell of the BJP Satya Pal Jain accused the UPA regime of politicising the CBI against its political opponents, a negative trend which will prove harmful in the long run.

Addressing a press conference here today while relinquishing the responsibility of in charge of the BJP affairs in Himachal, Jain said the Congress had set a wrong precedent by using the CBI for its political motives as everyone would have to suffer on this account. “Law should take its own course and there should be no political interference in the functioning of independent agencies like the CBI, which is in national interest,” he remarked.

He said during the NDA regime cases against BJP leaders, including Lal Krishan Advani, were allowed to carry on in normal routine. “The Congress on the other hand has tried to settle political score with its opponents by using the CBI and to gain benefit as is evident in the case of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mulayan Singh,” he alleged.

The BJP leader when asked about the serious charges against Gujarat Home Minister refrained to make any comment on the plea that he was not aware of the facts of the case.

Jain said his party would try to resolve important issues by filing PIL in non-BJP ruled states by reaching out to legal forums right up to the block level.“Though I have yet to take charge as convener of the National Legal Cell of the party, we are keen to set up BJP legal cells right up to block level in income tax, sales tax, district courts or any other such institution,” he said.

He said he would travel all over the country after assuming office so that link could be established with lawyers and retired judiciary officers to involve them in public issues. “Where the BJP is in power we will try to look for solutions by making representations and in non-BJP ruled states we will file PILs to seek reprieve,” he said.

Jain said his tenure as party in charge was very satisfying as everyone worked unitedly in the interest of the party. “In case the BJP works unitedly the way it did in the past three years, there is no reason why it cannot ensure the defeat of the Congress again,” he said.

Shimla, July 24
State BJP chief Khimi Ram Sharma has announced the new state chiefs who will head various cells and frontal organisations of the party.

Narender Attri has been entrusted the task of the youth wing as he has been made the state president of the Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). He hails from Hamirpur, the home district of Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal.

Meera Anand from Solan will take over the reins of the BJP Mahila Morcha from Rupa Sharma. Pyare Lal Sharma from Hamirpur will head the State BJP Kisan Morcha.— TNS

Shimla, July 24
The Himachal Pradesh High Court today adjourned the hearing in suo motu proceedings initiated by it in the Aman Kachroo ragging murder case for July 26.

All four accused were present before the court and after hearing the case for some time, Justice D.D.Sud adjourned the matter for Monday. Earlier, the court had taken a suo motu action on the media reports regarding grant of bail and the subsequent application filed by the state for cancellation of bail granted by a fast-track court, Dharamshala, and issued notices to the accused.

The four accused - Ajay Verma, Naveen Verma, Abhinav Verma and Mukul Sharma - had been granted bail by the court on last Saturday, after 16 months of custody.

The state had already moved the fast-track court, Dharamshala, for cancellation of bail of the students, who were charged with murder.

The court yesterday had not taken any decision on the application filed by the state for cancelling their bail, saying the matter had already been taken up by the high court and listed for hearing on August 2.

A first-year MBBS student at Rajindra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda (Kangra), Aman Kachroo was allegedly thrashed by the four seniors and he later succumbed to his injuries on March 8.

The incident evoked a strong reaction across the country forcing the state government to ordered a magisterial inquiry and enact the Anti-Ragging Act, providing for stringent punishment in such cases.

The inquiry into the incident confirmed that Aman had died due to injuries sustained in ragging on March 7, 2009. Now the case is listed for further hearing July 26.

Bilaspur, July 24
Parmanand Sharma (35), Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader and president of Marhana gram panchayat, died of a snake bite last night.

Parmanand, who was also in charge of Ghumarwin block unit of the BJYM, was bitten by a poisonous snake last night but instead of rushing him immediately to the hospital, members of the family and others preferred to get him treated from the local persons who remove snake poison called “dulahas” and the precious time was wasted in this fruitless effort .

He was only rushed first to the nearby Bharadi Community Health Centre, and then to Bilaspur Regional Hospital here when his condition deteriorated. Though doctors tried their best to treat him, yet he did not respond and had to be referred to the Snowdon hospital at Shimla. He breathed his last on the way near Namhole on way to Shimla.

Doctors said in such cases no time should be wasted and the victim should be rushed at once to the hospital so that he received anti-venom injection without any delay. Any delay in such cases proved fatal, they said. His funeral in the evening was attended by BJP and BJYM leaders of the area.

Chamba, July 24
The last date for registration of voters for holding elections to the Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee in the area has been extended till August 14.

Giving this information here today, Chamba DC Devesh Kumar said officials concerned had been asked to send weekly reports about the registration.

The DC said preliminary publication of voter list was scheduled to be completed by September 6 while the final publication would be finished by December 13.

Claims and objections will be registered with the competent officer from September 6-30, the DC added.