Shimla, August 2
The Indian Nursing Council (INC) today withdrew the affiliation granted to the controversial Netaji Subhash College of Nursing, Palampur, on the basis of the adverse report submitted by the three-member inquiry committee.

Secretary of the INC today communicated its decision to PC Dhiman, Principal Secretary (Health), and also asked him to transfer the students from this institute to other recognised institutions, preferably in the government sector.

The state government withdrew the Essentiality and Feasibility Certificate and no-objection certificate (NOC) issued in favour of the National Career Public Education Committee, Palampur, on May 26.

Dhiman, when contacted, said following the INC directives, the state government would do its best to ensure that students were shifted and their studies did not suffer.

“We will be able to take a decision in this regard only after consulting the INC and parents of girl students as we too are of the opinion that students should not continue in an institute where such serious allegations of exploitation had been levelled against the management,” said Dhiman.

The decision of the INC to withdraw the affiliation has come as a big relief to parents of girl students who had taken admission in the institute. A few of them had moved the high court, seeking shifting of their wards to other recognised.

Two separate FIRs under Section 354, 506 and 420, 34 of the IPC had been registered against the management on the complaint of the students in May, earlier this year. It was following this that the government had constituted a three-member committee under the chairmanship of Additional Director, Medical Education and Research, to probe into the allegations levelled against the institute.

The committee inspected premises of the institute on May 23 for two days and pointed out shortcomings like non-availability of teaching faculty and non-teaching staff, inadequate hostel facilities and teaching infrastructure.

They made specific mention of the fact that students were being overcharged in violation of the Himachal Pradesh Medical Educational Institution (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Act, 2006.

The state of affairs at such private institutes has put a question mark on the quality of education, fee structure and infrastructure that private players can provide as the government is in favour of the private sector playing a major role in imparting of education.

Shimla, August 2
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has upheld the decision of the state government vide which it had made the allotment of emergency medical response services under the Atal Swasthya Yojna to Hyderabad-based Emergency Medical Research Institute (EMRI).

While upholding the stand of a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Rajiv Sharma, it observed that the state government had fairly and reasonably made the allotment to the EMRI.

The court passed this order on a petition filed by Ziquitza Healthcare Limited challenging the action of the government over allotment of the Emergency Ambulance Service project to the EMRI by way of a memorandum of understanding, without completing the tender process.

While dismissing the petition filed by Ziquitza Healthcare Limited, the court “observed that there was no procedural im propriety in allotment of the project”.

It further observed that the state government had granted proper opportunity of hearing to the petitioner and considered detail as to competitive merits of the parties on all relevant aspects, particularly experience expertise and financial implications.

The court also observed that the state had only made an attempt to get the best person for the job.

Shimla, August 2
Prompt delivery of public services through intensive use of information technology (IT) and conservation of depleting resources and environment will be the main concerns of Rajwant Sandhu, who took over as the new Chief Secretary here today.

“My endeavour will be to increase IT penetration to ensure transparency, improve efficiency and make the functioning of the government and institutions paperless to the extent possible,” she said while outlining her priorities soon after assuming charge.

“The state has done quite well on the IT front but there is still a vast scope for increasing penetration which will immensely help in delivery of public services. The ultimate objective is to make all essential information and data pertaining to public services and beneficiaries under various schemes on the web to ensure transparency in governance right down to the grassroots. Such public scrutiny will go a long way in ensuring selection of “right” and “most deserving” beneficiaries,” she added.

She is all for the use of IT-based tools for effectively monitoring the progress of projects and schemes. It not only enables precise identification of bottlenecks and shortcomings in implementation but also ensures accountability. It does not necessarily mean punishment in her scheme of things but rather more of a tool for facilitating corrective measures. Regular e-monitoring will enable the government to take required measures well in time to ensure timely completion of schemes.

She is of the firm view that involvement of concerned agencies at district or field level is essential in formulation and implementation of schemes and will encourage free, frank and frequent interaction. Focus will also be on training of officials so that they can work with maximum efficiency in the new IT-enabled environment.

Conservation of natural resources and the fragile hill environment was a major area of concern and her immediate focus would be on rainwater harvesting to meet the growing water shortage. While it might not be possible for individual landlords to install rooftop water harvesting system, the institutions must have it. The priority should be given to areas which get ample rains. Other means of rainwater harvesting like check dams to enhance recharging of water sources would also be paid due attention.

Terming the perpetual financial crisis plaguing the state as a major challenge, Rajwant said a lot of funds were available under various central schemes and her effort would be to secure maximum amount to help accelerate the pace of development.

Shimla, August 2
The CPM today demanded that the state government clarify its stand on the issue of opening up of dairy sector in India to European companies by the Centre as this would spell doom for 90 million people who were associated with the dairy sector.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister PK Dhumal, Member of the State Secretariat of the CPM Tikender Singh Panwar demanded that the Chief Minister should clarify his stand as 95 per cent of the population in Himachal was into dairy farming.

“Even though agriculture is a state subject, none of the states are consulted before signing of free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) and other countries like Israel,” he said.

Panwar said signing of the FTA with the EU would sound the death knell for millions of dairy farmers in India.

“The EU has been aggressively arguing for opening up of the dairy sector in India by claiming that taxes levied by India on imported food products was unrealistically high,” he added.

He said, unfortunately, rural women who were into dairy farming in a big way, would be impacted adversely by such a move.

The CPM leader said in Himachal itself, according to the government data, 65 lakh people were into agri business in one form or the other. “Though contribution of the agriculture sector in the GDP is 21 per cent, 55 per cent of this comes from the animal husbandry sector,” he said.

He said in case steps were not taken to stop signing of the FTA, peasantry in a state like Himachal would be completely ruined.

“In Himachal, the apple economy alone contributes Rs 2,000 crore along with cultivation of off-season vegetables and other fruits on a large scale. Hence, signing of the FTA would impact all this negatively,” he said.

Una, August 2
Union Minister for Steel Virbhadra Singh today appeared in the court of Una Chief Judicial Magistrate RK Sharma in a defamation case filed against him by former chairman of state Staff Selection Board (SSB) SM Katwal.

He was cross-examined by the counsel of Katwal. On been asked if he had given a statement in 2004 that jobs were being auctioned in the board that was published in a section of press, Virbhadra said, “I said this and I keep on saying it. Allegations levelled by me have been substantiated by the fact that there have been three convictions in case of selections made by the SSB during previous stint of the BJP government.”

While responding to other queries, Virbhadra elaborated that he had levelled allegations against the institution and not any particular person.

The counsels of Katwal asked Virbhadra if jobs were given on chits during his stint as the Chief Minister. To this the latter said practice of recommendation of cases by MLAs or political leaders to the Chief Minister was there during his stint.

The counsels tried to ask Virbhadra about the findings of the Abhey Shukla Committee to which the judge objected. While responding to a query from counsels of Katwal, Virbhadra declined having received any letter from the former during his stint as the CM.

The judge also declined counsels of Katwal the permission to place on record the CDs allegedly containing conversation of petitioner and Virbhadra.

Virbhadra was also asked if he was aware that the state could not deny job to any citizen of the country due to provision of Right to Equality. To this Virbhadra said the matter pertained to rules and regulations and he stood by them.

Virbhadra was cross-examined for about two hours. The next date of hearing in the case was fixed on September 1.

After the court hearing, Virbhadra attended a function organised in his honour by the District Bar Association. He announced a grant of Rs 2 lakh for the association.

Shimla, August 2
Chief Secretary Rajwant Sandhu has stressed the need for manpower planning and revision of manuals of various departments to ensure optimum utilisation of the staff following switchover to e-governance.

Addressing Principal Secretaries, Secretaries and heads of the department here today after assuming office, she also emphasised the need for proper training of officers and other employees and said each department should have a training manual with a well-structured syllabus. Training was essential for ensuring efficient functioning of the government at all levels, she added.

She said it should be ensured that various projects and developmental schemes under execution were completed within the stipulated period. She also called for taking new initiatives which could deliver benefits to the people in a time-bound manner. Besides, there should be frequent review and monitoring of ongoing works to ensure timely completion, she added.

A system should be developed to provide instant information regarding budget provisions, date of sanction and date of completion of the schemes.

She said a lot good initiatives had been taken in the past which needed to be carried on, especially in the field of information technology. Connectivity should be ensured and work of e-service books, SMS, e-mails should be made an integral part of governance system.

Sandhu also stressed the need for coordination among different departments and suggested that inter-department grievances mechanism could also be developed for speedy redressal of grievances of the employees. 

Una, August 2
The Congress should elect the next president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) from the weaker section of society.

This was stated by Union Minister for Steel and former chief minister Virbhadra Singh while talking to The Tribune here today. He was here to appear in a court in a defamation case filed against him by former chairman of Staff Selection Board of state SM Katwal.

Virbhadra said the most important posts in the state Congress were being occupied by higher castes.

“I am a Union Minister from the state and am from the Rajput community, the former HPCC president, CLP leader and state president of youth Congress are also from the same community. The state president of mahila morcha was a Brahmin. However, weaker sections, including the SCs, STs and OBCs that constitute about 50 per cent of the population of the state, do not have any major representation in the party.”

Virbhadra, however, hastened to add that the final decision would be taken by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

“She is out of the country to attend to her ailing mother in the US and will take a decision on the matter after returning back,” he added.

The statement made by Virbhadra assumes significance in view of the fact that his rival faction in the party was trying to make Kaul Singh or Asha Kumari the state president.

According to sources, Virbhadra is proposing names of Gangu Ram Musafir, who belongs to SC community, and Chander Kumar from the OBC community.

On being asked if he was satisfied with the recently concluded party elections in the state, he said there were many complaints from block levels.

The minister, as usual, was flanked by a large number of party workers on his arrival in the court today.

Prominent leaders who accompanied him included Santoshgarh MLA Mukesh Agnihotri, HPCC general secretary Chander Kumar, Kangra HPCC member Kewal Singh Pathania and former minister Kuldeep Dhiman.

Nurpur, August 2
Residents of Bhatolli-Lambiyan in Dhaneti Garna gram panchayat led by Shelly Sharma today sat on an indefinite dharna in a rain shelter on the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway, near the office of Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) here, to protest against unabated illegal encroachments on forest land in the village.

As many as 10 villagers claiming themselves to be environmentalists have been demanding removal of encroachments on the forest land in the village and plantation on the evicted land.

Shelly Sharma, who is spearheading the agitation, said land grabbers in connivance with the Forest Department had encroached upon forest land and after running from pillar to post they decided to stage an indefinite dharna.

She said agitators would not lift dharna until Forest Department officials rendered commitment in writing for removing encroachments.

Nurpur DFO DP Chandra said the department had launched a special campaign to evict forest land in the area.

Hamirpur, August 2
On directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI), drafts of electoral lists of all five assembly constituencies of Hamirpur district on the basis of January 1, 2010, have been prepared.

These lists would be available for public inspection from August 2 to 17 in offices of all SDMs, tehsildars and naib-tehsildars of the district.

Stating this, district election officer and Hamirpur DC Abhishek Jain said all eligible voters, who had attained 18 years of age on January 1, 2010, could register their names in the electoral lists by filling up form 6.

For removing names of the deceased and other persons, form no 7 should be used, while making correction in the entry in electoral lists, form 8 should be used which would be available at the above offices. A special drive to add and delete names from the electoral lists would be undertaken on August 7 and 8.

He said the prepared electoral lists would be read before the public and the elected representatives on August 14 after which corrections would be entertained in these lists.

No entry without photographs would be made in the electoral lists, the DC added.

Solan, August 2
The Baddi police claims to have solved a string of chain-snatching cases, where unidentified miscreants had been looting innocent residents since the past several months, with the arrest of a seven-member gang jointly by coordinating with a team of Haryana Police today.

Though a woman too was found involved in the incident, since she was in an advanced stage of pregnancy she could not be arrested.

Baddi SP Chander Shekhar Pandit said they had launched a joint operation this morning after a team of Tohana police led by ASI Mahinder Singh sought their help to trace the whereabouts of one Kapil Singh who was found involved in a snatching incident on July 17 at Tohana. Singh had snatched two cell phones, Rs 5,000 and a revolver from the pradhan of Tohana at gunpoint and it was after tracing the location of the cell phones that the Tohana police reached Baddi.

The joint operation led to the arrest of Kapil Singh, Arif, Satish, Naveen and two other youths from their Phase III-based residence at the Housing Board colony here. The police said calls made from the two stolen cell phones led to the arrest of these youths while the two cell phones were supposedly in the custody of a woman, Muskaan, who was residing at Bagheri village, near Nalagarh.

The SP said a .32 bore revolver and 12 cartridges were recovered from Kapil while the woman was yet to be interrogated. Two vehicles, including a van (HP-38A-3690) and a bike (Pb-35G-7519), were also recovered from them. He said they were suspicious that the July 1 attempt to loot Rs 10.2 lakh from employees of the electricity board could be the handiwork of this gang as the woman resided at Kulariwala village, near Bagheri, which was in the proximity of Panjhera where the mishap had occurred.