Ambala, January 24
While the admission process in various public schools in Ambala City is drawing close, the Education Department has still not initiated efforts to implement the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act. Except one or two schools in the city, none of the public school has reserved seats for students belonging to the economically weaker section (EWS).

There are around 12 public schools in the city. Around 15,000 children have been studying in Delhi Public School, Chaman Vatika Public School, Mind Tree Public School, Murlidhar DAV Public School, PKR Jain Public School, Saint Joseph Public School, Police DAV Public School, Dayanand Public School, PKR Vatika Public School and others.

Most of the schools are aware of Act, but due to a lenient approach of the administration, nobody has bothered to follow it. Most of the principals of those schools said they had not received any directions from DEO in this regard so far.

Meanwhile, Murlidhar DAV Public School has done its bit. According to Reena Nagrath, principal, around 100 students belonging to the EWS have been admitted this session. A majority of them are slum children. Besides full fee concession, the school is providing them books. She said the presence of these students would not affect other students in any way.

Jiyotsna Sachdeva, principal of PKR Jain Public School, said guardians of hardly one or two children from the EWS had approached the school. She said if any of the guardians sought admission for his child, he would be obliged. She told that the school had granted full fee concession to fatherless children and girl students who did not have any sibling.

Rajinder Nath, chairman of Chaman Vatika Public School, is of the view that the Act should be imposed only on schools that have been granted land on subsidised rate. He said if they were forced to admit 25 per cent EWS students, they would have to hike the fee which would affect other students. The government should rationalise, he said.

Sudha Mathur, principal of Mind Tree Public School, said had any poor parent approached her for admission of his ward, the school would have obliged him by giving admission free of charge.

One of the trustees of a public school stated that the Act was not practical. He said after the remission of fees, the EWS student had to bear the expenses of transportation, uniform and books, which was estimated at around Rs 10,000 per annum. He said instead of 25 per cent, 10 per cent reservation should be made for EWS students and the schools should be asked to bear other expenses as well.

Rewari, January 24
The lacklustre performance of Capt Ajay Singh Yadav as Finance Minister, Irrigation Minister as well as the local Minister came in for criticism by district INLD chief Sunil Chaudhary and prominent INLD leader Satish Yadav, former Zila Parishad chairman, at a press conference here recently.

Both leaders said it was ronical that while numerous teachers, old-age pensioners and others were facing hardships owing to erratic payment of their salaries and pensions, the Finance Minister had been telling everyone that there was no shortage of funds with the government. They said either it was due to the mismanagement of finances on the part of the Minister or the state was virtually embroiled in financial stringency.

Mentioning about the non-functioning of the Hansi Butana Link Canal (HBLC), on whose construction the state government had already spent over Rs 350 crore, they asked if it was not his consequential responsibility as Irrigation Minister to have cautioned the government against such drawbacks which could impede its operation.

Simultaneously, taking a dig at the Irrigation Minister, they said interestingly he had been repeatedly telling the farmers here that the canal would usher in a new era for them whereas the peasantry of the Ahirwal region had not been able to get even a single drop of water from it during the past five years.

They further said it was strange that the land acquisition policy of the state government, which had been held praiseworthy even by the Congress president Sonia Gandhi, was now being challenged by the Finance Minister who recently sent a communication to the Chief Minister seeking revocation of the ongoing acquisition of farmers' land in Dharuhera.

They claimed that the Minister had started opposing the land acquisition in Dharuhera apprehending that the espousal of the peasantry's cause there by the INLD could affect his vote bank in the Dharuhera region.

Mentioning about the poor functioning of the district police, which was still clueless about the culprits who had killed Rakesh Yadav, elder son of District Bar Association chief Raghuvir Singh Yadav, at Dharuhera on December 31, they asked if it was not on account of the local Minister's lackadaisical approach in the matter that the law and order situation had deteriorated in the district beyond description.

Sirsa, January 24
The Murrah buffalos have been transforming the lives of hundreds of farmers in Sirsa district. Incentives and lucrative schemes for dairy farming initiated by the state government have paid rich dividends.

Milk, general considered useful for physical health, seems to be improving the financial health of farmers, who have been supplying it to Sirsa Milk Plant.

The suppliers have so far received Rs 70 crore as cost of the milk during the first nine months (April to December) of the financial year 2010-11 against Rs 87 crore paid to them in the entire fiscal 2009-10.

The payments might cross Rs 100 crore-mark by the close of the current fiscal, said deputy commissioner CG Rajini Kaanthan.

The DC said the Haryana Animal Husbandry Department had identified 278 Murrah buffaloes in Sirsa District under the Intensive Murrah Development Programme for preservation and improvement of the Murrah breed.

A sum of Rs 27 lakh has been disbursed to milk producers as incentive money so far, based on the maximum milk yield per cattle. Committed to giving boost to the white revolution and promoting livestock, the state government had devised a number of schemes, he said.

Under the programme, the department gave incentive of Rs 5,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 each to the owners of buffaloes yielding 13 kg to 16 kg of milk per day, 16 kg to 19 kg; and above 20 kg, respectively.

The calves of identified cattle are also in great demand. They are being purchased to propagate and promote the Murrah breed. From Sirsa district, 12 calves have been purchased and sent to the Animal Farm, Hisar.

The Livestock Insurance Scheme too has played a role in promoting dairy farming. As many as 3,568 milch animals of the district have been covered under the scheme so far by paying a premium of Rs 19 lakh. About 1,023 milch animals of families belonging to Schedules Castes have been insured and 100 per cent premium amounting to Rs 7.6 lakh, has been paid by the department.

Similarly, Rs 9 lakh has been spent on the insurance premium of 1,698 cattle heads belonging to the people who fall in the general category. The farmers who fell in this bracket had to pay only 25 per cent of the insurance premium, the DC added.

Naru Kheri (Karnal), January 24
A nukkar natak “Kamla”, a satire on female foeticide in desi dialect is a big draw with people, especially women in the rural areas. The story of the folk play revolves around a woman who has a girl child and is again expecting, but her mother-in-law and husband were forcing her to abort the baby.

The satire focuses on Kamla who did not want to abort the child and has to suffer torture perpetrated by her in-laws. When she complains about the atrocities, she is subjected to inhuman torture but she refuses to give up and fights for the unborn girl child.

The play also castigates the male members of the family towards the female family members and perpetuating orthodox and obsolete traditions to maintain their supremacy. The desperate family members resort to inhuman and heinous act and pour petrol on her to burn her, but her father rescues her.

The distraught father of Kamla vows to teach a lesson to her in-laws and seeks police intervention. Finally, the family understands the repercussions of indulging in evils like female foeticide and perpetrating atrocities on their daughter-in-law, and forced to reconcile. The play sends a strong, loud and clear message against female foeticide and at the same time, keeps the audience engrossed.

The play has become so popular that a telefilm with Komal Sharma as lead actress has been made on the play. The film has given impetus to campaign against female foeticide and has also been appreciated by the government.

The telefilm is a melodrama with pathetic scenes, punctuated by hilarious dialogues, making the audience hysterical. Scripted, directed and produced by Dr Ved Prakash, Ishar Dhamu and Brig Gupta, the play had been enacted more than 300 times in more than 1,000 villages by Public Relations Department, Karnal.

Hisar, January 24
Though mobile number portability (MNP) has been introduced countrywide on January 20, the experience of subscribers in Haryana where the facility was first introduced in November last year has been anything but satisfactory.

Porting the number to an alternative service provider is relatively easy. However, the change brings with it a plethora of problems for subscribers.

The biggest headache for those opting to change their service providers is registering their numbers for do not disturb (DND) facility. In most cases, the websites of telecom companies do not accept the number of the old service provider for registration even as the company has begun providing service to the consumer.

Naresh Jain who changed his service provider more than a month ago said he had not been able to register for DND with his new provider as the website kept rejecting his request with the message that the number was invalid. He said when he filled the form for porting his number he had opted for DND. Besides, his number was already registered for DND with his old subscriber. As a result, he continued to receive commercial calls and SMSs regularly after the change was effected.

Another harried consumer, Ramji Lal, said his old service provider had not yet taken his number off its database. Consequently, he continued to receive calls from that company offering various prepaid schemes. Though he had registered for DND with his old provider, the new service provider was still making commercial calls to his number.

He said he was unable to register for DND afresh with his new provider as the website persistently refused to register his complaint with the message that the date of reception of unsolicited SMS or call should be “either current or past”. Other subscribers said lodging a complaint on the toll free number of service providers was almost impossible as the choices offered by the interactive voice response system offered no choice for reaching a customer care executive. The only choice was to call the company’s another number and pay normal call charges.

There is no way a customer who has opted out of one company can request it to remove his number from its database. The calls made on the pretext of service calls continue to be received by the harried consumers.

Ambala, January 24
The Chief of the Army Staff, General VK Singh, recently unveiled an inspirational monument at Kharga House as a tribute to the courage and indomitable spirit of martyrs of 2 Corps Ambala.

The monument depicts five large statues of warriors in battle fatigues armed with “kharga”, the supreme weapon of the Goddess Kali, charging at the enemy.

While lauding the efforts of the Indian Army, the Army Chief said there was heightened vigilance on the Indian border with Pakistan and China, which had resulted in a fall in the number of infiltration. He said during 2009, there were 486 attempts of infiltration on the border. The number fell in 2010 to 468. He said there were 109 successful infiltration attempts on the border in 2009 and 65 in 2010.

Referring to a shortage of officers in the armed forces, he said the Defence Ministry had undertaken public awareness campaigns about good employment avenues in the armed forces. He expressed optimism that the shortage of officers would be dealt with soon.

Praising the calibre of the Indian Army, General VK Singh said the force was ready to take on all challenges. On the supply of arms, the General said there was a set system that had to be followed for the sake of transparency.

He said, “Our aim is to transform into a more lethal and networked force capable of meeting all future challenges. The Army is also steadily building up capabilities for offensive mountain warfare with China”.

Bhiwani, January 24
"The administration functions as a bridge between the public and the government, and people should first approach administrative functionaries whenever they have a problem. Blocking traffic is no solution to any problem, said district police chief Ashwin Shainvi while addressing a seminar on "Municipal councillors' contribution to sanitation in the city" at the Jat Dharamshala here recently. The Nagar Beopar Mandal and Media Halchal jointly organised the seminar.

Shainvi said the newly elected councillors should forget their differences, if any, and work for the betterment of the city.

The local legislator, Ghanshyam Saraf, said Bhiwani was facing an acute shortage of sweepers.

He said earlier the council had employed 470 sweepers, but now their number had been reduced to 270. Moreover, of them over 70 were engaged at the residences of government officials, he maintained.

Former MLA Shashi Parmar said the newly elected councillors would have to prove themselves by way of their work.

Another speaker, Prof KC Verma, demanded that the government should fix a salary for the councillors as was being done in case of MPs and MLAs.

Haryana Pragatisheel Patrakar Sangh president Narottam Bagri, Principal Satish Chander Arya and Bhiwani Vikas Mandal president Naresh Tanwar also spoke.

All 31 councillors were felicitated with a shawl and a memento on the occasion.

Sonepat, January 24
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda inaugurated a tennis academy provided with the world-class state-of-the-art facilities at the premises of the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, Sonepat, recently.

In his inaugural address, Hooda appreciated the efforts of vice-chancellor HS Chahal in setting up the academy and said it would prove as a milestone in fulfilling the dreams of the state government in its efforts to groom the sports talents who would bring laurels to the state and the country at the national and the international-level sports meets.

“The academy will not only benefit the university talents but also provide a golden opportunity to tennis players of the state,” he said and added that the government would provide every possible help to the university for the promotion of sports activities.

Chahal said the academy, set up at a cost of Rs 67.64 lakh in an area of 2.41 acres, had three courts, including two grass courts and one synthetic, and a practice wall. Besides, he said the facilities like office, cafe, waiting room, wash room, cloakroom and store room had also been provided at the academy campus.

He said the main feature of the academy was that solar apparatus had been installed in the courts and matches could be played in floodlights during the night hours. Galleries for spectators had also been constructed on all sides of the courts, he added.

CPS Jaiveer Balmiki, MLAs Sri Krishan Hooda and Jai Tirth, Prof Virender, political advisor to the CM, Rajiv Sharma, commissioner Rohtak division, DC Ajit Joshi, SSP KK Rao, university registrar RK Arora and students and the faculty members of the university were also present on the occasion.

The occasion was marked by a friendly match between the Chief Minister and the vice-chancellor and which was won by the Hooda.

Kurukshetra January 24
“To fulfil the investment needs of Haryana, there is a considerable scope for Korean direct investment for which Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda should visit Seoul as early as possible. Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Haryana is still minuscule against its potential. In the light of our requirement, it is pertinent to note that the Korean government has declared 2011 as the Year of India with potential for strengthening relations with us,” said Dr MM Goel, Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), Chair Professor of Indian Economy at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Seoul, and originally from, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, here recently.

Dr Goel, who was here for some official work these days, was referring it in special context of New Industrial and Investment Policy of Haryana announced recently and has certainly raised high hopes.

Professor Goel wants a special economic zone for Korean investments in Haryana on the pattern of Gujarat where it has been done by its Chief Minister after visiting Seoul which is essential for making the state conducive for industrial development.

He said there was scope for developing Haryana as a tourism hub by giving it a status of industry which possesses the potential of highest employment multiplier with direct and indirect employment. There was a cause for ensuring every foreigner visiting India to visit Haryana. He wants his birthplace Morni Hills, the only hill stations in the state, for huge investment of the kind in the Ever Land Park near Seoul - the Disneyland of Korea.

Special focus on agro and food-processing sector through a number of incentives like reduction in stamp duty and change of land use charges for units established in the backward areas and exemption of market fee on fruits and vegetables are well received and right steps in this direction, opined Goel.

To meet the expectations of all sectors and making the policies sufficient, there is a strong case for Haryana Economic Council on the pattern of Prime Minister's economic advisory council in spite of the fact that the Prime Minister himself is a known economist, believes Goel.

“Seoul - the soul of Asia - is not only advance in time by three-and-a-half hours to India, but also we can learn many things from there, including the traffic which moves without horns and police personnel. The incidence of road accidents is nearly zero due to the users of the road with right-hand driving following rules of the road. The management of lights on the crossings is appreciable,” observed professor Goel.

“The subway metro travel in Seoul is appreciable which needs to be adopted in Indian cities in a big way. Koreans at large are hard working, docile and polite in nature,” said Dr Goel.

Rewari, January 24
The 16th Employment-cum-Vocational Guidance Zonal Fair was held under the joint auspices of the Employment Department as well as industrial units of the region for the benefit of jobseekers of Rewari and Mahendergarh districts at the Bal Bhawan complex here recently.

Besides administrative authorities of numerous industrial units and senior employment officials, as many as 1,600 job aspirants from the Rewari and Narnaul areas also participated in the fair which was inaugurated by BK Bansal, director of the State Employment Department.

Highlighting the usefulness of such fairs, Bansal said over 4,200 aspiring youths had been able to secure jobs in various private companies and industrial units through 15 such fairs held in various districts of the state during the past some time.

During the fair, as many as 1,513 candidates from Rewari and Narnaul districts were interviewed by mandarins of various industrial concerns for 477 vacancies in their units.

Kaithal, January 24
As many as 99 cases were settled on the spot at a Lok Adalat held in the Kaithal judicial campus here recently. Eight benches were set up for the disposal of cases.

AK Shori, additional district and sessions judge, presided over the proceedings which were conducted under the supervision of Rajesh Garg, CJM-cum-secretary, DLSA.

Out of the settled cases, 30 were civil, 58 under the MV Act, one civil appeal and one cheque bounce case. A sum of Rs 38,450 was recovered as fine from the settlement of cases under the MVA.

ADJ Shori and CJM Rajesh Garg addressed the advocates of litigants and all others present on the occasion. Shori said the next Lok Adalat would be held in Jajanpur village on February 13 in which cases of Jajanpur, Salempur, Madood, Dadwana, Pabnawa, Jadola, Chandlana, Sollu Majra, Kheri, Bandrana villages would be taken up for settlement. — OC

Ambala, January 24
The Shito Ryu National Karate Championship was held from January 17 to January 19 at Nesko Indoor Hall, Dae Township, Kalpakkam, Chennai. The championship was organised by Kofukan Shito Ryu Karate School of India under the leadership of Shehan M. Kanakraj, who is technical director of the All-India Karate Do Federation.

R. Thiaygarajan, president of the All-India Karate Do Federation, was the chief guest. On the occasion, grand master KG Tomiyama from Japan, who has the eighth-degree black belt, provided advance karate training to all the participants. More than 1,000 participants from 15 states took part in the championship.

The Haryana team, which secured the third position in the championship, participated with 28 players and won 28 medals. The team participated under the guidance and supervision of Sensai Hemant Sharma, fourth-DAN black belt, general secretary and chief instructor of Haryana.

The president of the SKAH, the vice-president of the Haryana Olympic Association and the former information commissioner (RTI) gave blessings to the winners and congratulated the coach for the achievement and anticipated better achievements in the international tournaments.

The winners Boys

Under six years: Abhay Singh - gold medal in Kumite and bronze medal in Kata.

Between nine and 10 years: Kritik Sharma - gold medal in Kumite and gold medal in Kata.

In 10 years’ category: Karan Kashyap - silver medal in Kumite.

From 10 to 11 years: Maninder Singh - gold medal in Kumite.

In 12 years’ category: Gurmail Singh - silver medal in Kumite and bronze medal in Kata, Akash Antal - bronze medal in Kumite, Sharanpal Singh 2nd bronze medal in Kumite.

In 13 years’ category: Mayank Kumar Sinha - bronze medal in Kumite, Sangam Rahewal - bronze medal in Kata.

In 14 years’ category: Abhishek Dogra - bronze medal in Kumite, Sushant Singh - silver medal in Kumite.

In 15 years’ category: Manish Kumar - bronze medal in Kata, Varun Sharma - gold medal in Kumite and bronze medal in Kata.

In 16-17 years’ category: Sachin Bajwa - silver medal in Kumite, Kartik - bronze medal in Kumite, Ashwani - bronze medal in Kata.

GIRLS

Between nine and 10 years’ category: Manpreet Kaur - bronze medal in Kumite.

In 12 years’ category: Neetu Mor - bronze medal in Kumite.

In 14-17 years’ category: Kanika - gold medal in Kumite and bronze medal in Kata, Tanu Verma - bronze medal in Kumite and Silver medal in Kata, Muskaan Thakur - bronze medal in Kumite and Bronze medal in Kata.

Although a year has passed when the Haryana Cabinet approved a draft Bill to enact new comprehensive rent legislation in lieu of the Haryana Urban (Control of Rent and Eviction) Act, 1973, the new legislation is yet to be introduced in the Assembly . In February, 2010, the new Bill -- Haryana Urban (Regulation of Rent and Eviction) Bill, 2010-- it was decided to include expiry of the tenancy period as a ground for eviction of the tenant. The Bill would have extended to all urban areas in the state, including HUDA, Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board, Housing Board and licensed colonies and other controlled areas notified by the Town and Country Planning Department.

A provision for a 5% increase in the basic rent per annum was provided in the legislation and after every five years, the annual increase was to be merged into the basic rent. The succession of tenancy was supposed to be limited to five years in the case of parents, widow, minor, unmarried daughter, widow daughter or divorced daughter and disabled children of the tenant. In other cases, the succession was limited to two years. In case a tenant, without the concurrence of the landlord, continues to occupy the premises beyond the mutually agreed period of tenancy or after orders of eviction passed by the authorities, he shall be liable to pay double the original rent for the period of unauthorised occupation.

Any mutual written agreement or contract between the landlord and the tenant shall prevail over the rights of the parties under this legislation. The definition of specified landlord was to be expanded to cover members of the paramilitary forces, widow, minor children and disabled persons. The specified landlord like government servants, members of the armed or paramilitary forces shall be entitled to initiate the eviction proceedings two years before or after their dates of retirement. It is difficult to understand why the aforesaid legislation was not tabled in the Assembly though two sessions have taken place in March and September last year even after its clearance by the Cabinet. It would be in order if the government puts the proposed Bill in public domain immediately for inviting objections and comments from all stakeholders before it is tabled in the Assembly in the forthcoming Budge session of March, 2011.

HEMANT KUMAR, Ambala City

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