Dharamsala, September 26
The state government will extend all help to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for setting up High-Altitude Biology Centre in the Lahaul valley. The centre will help farmers who opt for cultivation of lilium as cash crop keeping in view the suitability of the farm soil in the valley.

Chief Minister PK Dhumal said this while addressing the dedication ceremony of the Regulatory Research Facility Laboratory brought up at the Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology (IHBT), a CSIR centre, at Palampur today.

He said the state government would be requisitioning the services of scientists to advise the state government as to whether carrying plantation in the cold desert of Spiti valley was ecologically safe and in the interest of nation. Due to change in climate globally, the cold desert areas were experiencing heavy rains which had never been there earlier.

Dhumal said the floriculturists of the state would be providing flowers worth Rs 30 crore for different purposes during the Commonwealth Games. The state government would be endeavouring to make Delhi and other metropolitans as permanent markets for selling the produce of floriculturists.

“Efforts will also be made to explore international markets for the farm produce from Himachal Pradesh. There is a vast scope for employment and self-employment in the farm sector for educated youth which will be possible with the help of change in the mindset of the people, he said.

The Chief Minister also released Herbarium Catalogue of the institute on the occasion. He honoured floriculturist Ranjeet Singh of Raakh village with technical award of the institute and two science meritorious students --- Ashish Kumar and Tsewang of Hamirpur and Lahaul Spiti, respectively, for scoring 97 per cent marks in science in class X examination. He also honoured the retirees of the institute, who had rendered 25 years of service in the institute.

Dr PS Ahuja, director, Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology, Palampur, said the institute had been contributing significantly towards research in DNA. He said close coordination was being made with various important departments and efforts were afoot to cater to the local needs by associating them in various activities of fundamental sciences of the institute.

Mandi, September 26
The “Polythene Hatao” campaign has failed to make this temple town polythene-free as more than 10 quintals of solid waste is not collected and it flows into nullahs and the Beas every day. Out of 35 quintals solid waste, the Mandi municipal council collects 25 quintals and dump it into the landfill site at Ardi daily.

Council and ward members have failed to put in place a proper solid waste management system in the town. Sinialdi, Skiudi, Tarna, Palace Colony, Suda Mohala, Magwani, Ramnagar, Bhagwan Mohala and Old Mandi still remain grey areas where a large chunk of solid waste finds its way into the surrounding nullahs.

This correspondent finds garbage heaps, stinking bins and dumpers surrounded by monkeys and stray animals at many sites in these localities. Even Tarna Park is littered with wastes left behind by dating couples, said residents.

The council spent around Rs 8 lakh on cleanliness every month. This also included salary for over 45 regular sweepers and 15 others. It spent Rs 1.6 lakh on diesel and petrol used for transporting the solid waste, sources said.

The council along with the district administration collected about 15 quintals of polythene during the campaign and sold it to the PWD at Rs 4 a kg. The PWD uses the polythene for tarring of road.

Two councillors Gagan Kashyap and Sushila Sonkhla said president of the council HR Vaidya had failed to put in place a proper system of solid management despite they raised the issue several times in the House and the media. Even pollution control board had not taken notice of the sorry state of waste in the town.

Vaidya said that the council had been launching campaigns and had placed waste bins and dumpers at different places. “We ask residents to dump wastes in dumpers so that the town is clean”.

DC Mandi Amandeep Garg said the administration and the council had launched anti-polythene drives to make this town polythene-free. “We are asking residents to collect polythene as the council is buying it for Rs 3 a kg”, he added.

Bilaspur, September 26
The Himachal government is providing all facilities to students and the youth even in far-off villages for encouraging them to participate in sports and show their talent at an early stage so that they can be given further training in the field.

This was said by BJP state spokesman and Naina Deviji MLA Randhir Sharma, while distributing prizes and trophies and certificates to the winners of the one-day district-level rural sports competitions organised by the District Nehru Yuva Kendra late last evening here.

He said: “These activities were essential for the all-round development of the personality of our youth so that they could equip themselves with qualities like discipline, hardwork, obedience and cooperation to face future challenges of life.

District youth coordinator Som Dutt Zard said a total 250 youths drawn from various Yuvak Mandals from all parts of the district competed in these events. He said 19 teams competed in kabaddi, 16 in volleyball and some 80 athletes in other events.

Seven-star Yuvak Mandal Manjhasu was declared the kabaddi champion as it defeated Yuvak Mandal Bachhyal in the final match.

In volleyball, Yuvak Mandal Barthin was first and Yuvak Mandal Rishikesh second. In hammer throw, Abhishek Soni of Yuvak Mandal Barthin was first, Surender of Bachhyal second and Mahender of Yuvak Mandal Barmana was third.

In 100 metres, Lalit of Berry Yuvak Mandal got the first position, Surender of Bachhyal second and Kamal Chaudhary of Yuvak Mandal Sunhani was third.

Kangra, September 26
Nerve-related hearing disability is more prevalent in the hill state in comparison to other major cities of the country. There are certain factors which contribute to such deafness and that need to be addressed.

This was said by Dr Sanjay Sachdeva, director, Max Group of Hospitals, Delhi, here today on the occasion of “Deafness Day”. He was here in connection with two-day free ENT camp organised by the local branch of Vivekananda Kendra. Around 150 patients from all over the state were treated in the camp.

Dr Sachdeva said 7 to 10 per cent people of the state, above the age of 50, were suffering from nerve-related hearing disability. He said in the major cities of the country the prevalence of this disability was commonly seen in people in the age group of 65 to 70, whereas it was early fifties in the hill state. This nerve-related deafness is more prevalent among men than women, he added.

He said lacking awareness, unbalanced diet, consumption of liquor and smoking seem to be major reasons behind this kind of deafness. He also suggested that on national-level a mass awareness programme should be launched to create awareness among people regarding deafness and steps be taken for its prevention.

Shimla, September 26
Respite from rain provided little relief to apple growers as a huge landslide near Gummah blocked the Theog-Hatkoti road for more than 24 hours.

Hundreds of apple-laden trucks were caught in a long traffic jam from Bhagra to Dochi and as a result only 500 trucks left the state against 771 on the previous day. The authorities have been barely able to clear the road for one way passage and it will take several days to clear the traffic as the landslide has covered almost 100 m of the road stretch.

Almost 25 to 30 lakh apple boxes are yet to be transported out from the Kotkhai, Jubbal and Rohru area. This is the only route left as the alternative road which passes from Uttarakhand has also been damaged. So far, 2.95 crore boxes have been sent to various markets as against 1.93 crore boxes in 2007 when the state harvested the previous highest output of 2.97 crore boxes. Over 48,000 tonne of fruit has been procured under the market intervention scheme which is already 3,000 tonne more than the total procurement in 2007.This year the output is likely to cross 3.50 crore boxes.

Meanwhile, 88 out of the total 124 roads damaged by rain in the area had been re-opened. More than 100 earth movers had been deployed. Out of the 42 roads blocked in the Jubbal area, 36 had been cleared.

Dharamsala, September 26
Stevioside, an extract from stevia bush plant, can replace sugar, that will help diabetes patients in India.

Keeping in view the growing numbers of diabetes patients in the country, the government should approve stevioside as food sweetener. Though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority in the US has approved stevioside as food additive, the Centre is dithering over the issue due to fear that it might hit the sugar lobby in the country.

These were the views expressed by prominent scientists from across the country, who gathered at Palampur to deliberate on promoting stevia cultivation and its industrial application in view of increasing number of diabetes patients in the country.

A “Symposium on Prospects of Stevia” was organised by the Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology (IHBT) at Palampur.

The scientists allayed the fears of the government regarding stevia hitting the sugar industry by stating that the former had entirely different users.

The use of stevia, that is zero calorie sweetener, would be for diabetic. It would help improve the health of the youth, who were being threatened by type-2 diabetes.

Dr Anil Sood, scientist from the IHBT, said their institution had produced steveoside with 88 per cent rebaudioside-A concentration. An agreement had been effected with a private concern to produce the product. There would a daily demand of 900 kg stevia plant leaves.

At present, China was exporting stevioside with 95 per cent rebaudioside concentration to the US. In India also, most of sugar-free tablets producing companies were importing stevioside from China. Indian producers were, however, adding binders like manitol in the product that could be harmful to the health of consumers. The product was natural and safe for human consumption, he said.

When asked if the institute had managed to remove bitterness from stevioside, Dr Anil Sood said: “We have the technology for that. This will, however, increase the cost of product and so is not being provided for time being”.

Prof V.L. Chopra, professor (P B Pal Chair) and ex-member, Planning Commission, said the main objective of this symposium was to provide a platform for researchers, academicians and industrialists to interact and discuss various issues related to development of stevia crop at the national level.

About 100 participants, including prominent scientists, academicians and representatives from the industry from all over the country, deliberated on the various issues.

Shimla, September 26
Tomatoes are going to drill a hole in consumers' pockets in the North in the coming months as incessant rain has destroyed at least 60 per cent crop in Himachal Pradesh.

Trade representatives said 60-70 per cent of the crop in the state had perished, pushing up prices in north Indian cities.

"More than 60 per cent of the crop in tomato-growing belts in Solan, Shimla, Mandi, Sirmaur, Bilaspur and Kullu was damaged due to excess rainfall this month (September)," Agriculture joint director R.K. Saroya told IANS.

Himachal Pradesh is a major tomato-producing state of the region. Tomato is grown in about 1,024 hectares in the state. In 2009-10, the total production was 338,240 tonnes.

Saroya said the maximum crop damage was witnessed during the incessant rainfall in most of tomato-growing pockets from September 21-23.

"There is hardly any healthy crop to reach the market," he said. Govind Ram, a tomato farmer near Solan, said the monsoon had caused a lot of damage.

"In August, the crop damage percentage was 30-40 per cent. This month, it rose up to 70 per cent. The excessive rains also took a toll on other vegetable crops, including cabbage, capsicum and beans," he added.

Agriculture director J.C. Rana said the excessive rains took heavy a toll on vegetable crops, particularly tomato and capsicum in Solan, Shimla and Kullu districts.

He said the vegetable production this season was likely to be 5.50 lakh tonnes against the expected target of 6.50 lakh tonnes.

An official of the agriculture department said most of the remaining crop in the state was hit by the fungus disease buckeye rot and bacteria-caused leaf spot.

Sellers at the Solan wholesale vegetable market said tomato prices would again shoot up due to low supply.

The wholesale price of tomato, which fell marginally to Rs.30 a kg last week, was Rs.35 a kg on Saturday and would further increase to Rs.40-45 in the coming festive season, he said.

According to the Meteorological office here, the state received 858.9 mm of rain against the average of 769.9 mm from June 1-September 22, which is equivalent to about 12 per cent surplus.

"Shimla district alone saw 36 per cent more rainfall than the average, while Sirmaur and Kullu districts saw 20 per cent more than the average. Moreover, the monsoon is over by the first week of September but this year it's still continuing," Met Director Manmohan Singh said. — IANS

Dharamsala, September 26
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal inaugurated a three-day training camp for BJP workers of Kangra parliamentary constituency at Chamunda today.

The Chief Minister said the state government had accorded top priority to agriculture in the state. Efforts were being made to involve the youth in agriculture activities so as to give them employment.

In this regard, the state government had started the polyhouse scheme in which farmers had been given 80 per cent subsidy. The scheme has also been launched to promote dairy farming in the state.

He further said Rs 442 crore Organic Fertiliser Project being financed by the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), is also in the pipeline. About Rs 1,095 crore were being spent on the farm sector under three different schemes.

The Bhed Palak Samridhi Yojna had also been launched for the benefit of shepherds who were eligible to obtain loan up to Rs 1 lakh to purchase 30 sheep of best species.

He said the Crop Insurance Scheme had also been launched in the state for the benefit of the farmers against fluctuating marketing trends and 50 per cent premium was being paid by the government. The Rs 85 crore Apple Rejuvenation Scheme had also been launched.

Efforts were also being made to save the mango crop from frost and the state government would be adopting one mango orchard in Nurpur for experimentation whereafter it would be replicated in rest of the state, especially in the mango cultivated area.

Shanta Kumar, vice-president, National BJP, Jagat Prakash Nadda, general secretary, National BJP, Khimi Ram Sharma, president, state BJP, Ram Pyare Sharma, co-in charge, state BJP, were also present on the occasion.

Mandi, September 26
State Information Commissioner PC Rana has directed the PWD (National Highways) authorities to initiate a departmental action against executive engineer-cum-PIO (PWD, NH, Jogindernagar division) PC Katoch and fined him Rs 2,000 for providing wrong information to two RTI activists Ranjit Chauhan and Jaideep of Mandi.

President of RTI Bureau, Mandi, Lawan Thakur said Ranjit had sought information on the status of ongoing works under the Jogindernagar division from PC Katoch on May 26.

The PIO, in the RTI information, had said no tenders were issued and no work was awarded, Thakur said. The activists sought the same information from the PIO on June 3 in which Katoch stated in his reply on July 22 that the tenders were awarded on May 20 and letters were issued to the parties.

This information came as a shock to Ranjit. He filed the appeal before the State Information Commisioner (SIC) on August 21 seeking redressal for his grievance under the RTI Act.

The SIC then summoned PC Katoch and found him guilty of providing the wrong information to the RTI applicant. He imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on the engineer for deliberately denying him the correct information. When asked, Katoch said it happened due to a clerical mistake.

“We have provided the correct information before the SIC and a copy is also given to the RTI applicants,” Katoch said.

Thakur said an action should be expedited in the regard so that the PIO did not provide the wrong information to the applicants.

Sundernagar, September 26
Farmers, scientists and residents of Sundernagar have come out with an alternative to the controversial cement plant, urging the state government to set up small “maize-based agro-processing” units here. The units will generate more employment and will give farmers more sustainable means of income.

The potential of high-protein maize is yet to be tapped in the state. It is being used increasingly in food products, including glucose, cornflakes, oil, chocolates and beverages as consumers have become health conscious, agricultural scientists said.

The state, in fact, produces 6,36,290 metric tonnes of maize annually, of which Mandi district contributes about 2 lakh MT cultivated in over 50,000 hectares. “But this maize is procured by Punjab, Haryana and Delhi for the industry at meagre prices for use in beer, starch glucose, oil and other products,” experts said. Mandi, particularly the Sundernagar-Chail Chowk-Gohar belt, is one of the largest producers of maize and roughly produces 23 quintal per hectare. “But there is not even a single agro-based processing unit in the state,” they rued. The residents and farmers contested the claims of state politicians that “cement plants can only provide employment and are vehicles for industrialisation”. They rued that despite the state is touted as a “tourism and horti-agricultural state”, the agro-based projects are only mentioned during seminars and workshops”.

LR Sharma, a Sundernagar-based retired engineer, said they had urged the government to set up the maize-based units in the area instead of the cement industry. “It requires less irrigation compared to paddy and generate more sustainable employment and is eco-friendly,” he added.

Whereas cement plants provide time-bound direct employment to not over 350 skilled personnel, which companies as a rule hire from outside, he said.

State president of the Bhartiya Krishak Sangh, Joginder Thakur said these units would give more income and encourage farmers to grow more maize.

Shimla, September 26
Eighty persons donated blood at the emergency camp organised by the local Umang Foundation, an NGO, at the request of the Ripon Hospital authorities.

The hospital authorities approached the foundation that has been regularly holding blood donation camps for children suffering from thalassaemia, who need periodical blood transfusion. Last year, it made 700 units of blood available to various hospitals in Shimla and this year the figure has reached 595 units with today’s camp.

Rural Development Minister Jai Ram Thakur appreciated the effort of the NGO for organising a camp to meet emergency and the donors, particularly boys and girls, who made the camp a success. Atul Tangri donated blood for the 27th time and Pratap Verma for the 13th time.

Shimla, September 26
A seminar on “Modernity and Changing Social Fabric of Punjab and Haryana” will be organised at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study here tomorrow.

Experts from across the country will discuss Dalit politics, khap panchayats, honour killings, farmer suicides and agrarian distress, migration and NRIs, modern diaspora etc.

About 40 scholars from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Kharagpur, Bhubaneshwar, Delhi, Jodhpur and Germany will participate in the seminar.

Institute director Prof Peter Ronald deSouza and Prof Grewal will deliver the address. Theorist Prof DL Sheth will draw a trajectory of modernity in contemporary discourses in India.