The Budget has failed to address the crucial issue of inflation. Excise duty on 130 items will adversely affect the common man. Women are disadvantaged with the Budget failing to raise the tax exemption for them. No attempt has been made to check corruption. — OP Chautala, INLD

Chandigarh, February 28
The Opposition in Haryana is clearly unimpressed with the Budget proposals, terming these as “lacklustre and anti-women”, with no concrete plan to address inflation and corruption. However, the Congress has lauded it for being “development-oriented” and “pro-poor”, claiming that Haryana’s model of innovative schemes has found reflection in the proposals.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh said the Budget was in the interest of the comman man, the poor and the farmers. “The recommendation of the Working Group on Agriculture Production giving relief to the farming community by way of crop loan at an interest of 4 per cent has been accepted.

“While agricultural implements will be cheaper, there will be direct subsidy on fertilisers and 3 per cent subvention on agricultural loan,” Hooda, heading the Working Group, said.

Budget Reactions

Routine affair Likes: The only positive aspect of the Budget is the hike in the IT slabs. DISLikes: It has not spelt out any worthwhile measures for tracking and curbing inflation. IMPACT: The Budget will not have any major impact. It does not reflect any out-of-the-box thinking by the government. — Dr SD Chamola, Agricultural economist

Very average Likes: Focus on education, health and rural infrastructure will give stimulus to economy. DISLikes: The increase in excise duty will only lead to inflationary pressures. The tax relief to individual taxpayers is insufficient IMPACT: The Budget will not make things easier for the common man. — Prof VN Attri, KU

He said Haryana was already giving loan at 4 per cent interest to the farmers.

Maintaining that the Budget symbolised “growth with inclusion” PWD Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala said: “Haryana can take pride in the fact that the four innovative schemes introduced by the Hooda-led Congress government have been adopted by the Centre.”

Finance Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav appreciated the setting aside of Rs 200 crore for cleaning and maintaining water bodies. Indian National Lok Dal chief Om Prakash Chautala said the Budget proposals failed to address the crucial issue of inflation.

“These proposals will lead to increased inflation while excise duty on 130 items will adversely affect the common man. Women are disadvantaged with the Budget failing to raise the tax exemption for them. No attempt has been made to check corruption. There are no suggestions for creation of employment opportunities.” The leader of the BJP Legilature Party, Anil Vijh, termed it as a “disappointing” Budget.

“The government has attempted to show it is giving relief to the common man while that is not the case. The raise in the income tax’s exemption limit becomes meaningless when you see it in the context of the rising inflation over the past one year. Corruption, too, has gone unaddressed.”

The general secretary of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Baijnath Rai, said they had expected the anganwari workers to be brought on a par with government employees.

“However, they have got a raw deal.” Meanwhile, addresing the media, the Chief Minister said that efforts were being made to get Indian workers released from Somalian pirators.He said that whole nation was concerned about their well-being. Asked to comment about the fate of the hostages who hailed from Haryana, Hooda said that effective steps were being taken for their release.

Panipat, February 28
The insalubrious conditions in various wards of Bhimsen Sachar Civil Hospital has invited the ire of Health Minister Rao Narinder Singh, who conducted a surprise check of the hospital this afternoon.

The minister caught health officials off guard and gave them a dressing down for not maintaining cleanliness standards. The minister asked the staff either to improve functioning or face disciplinary action. The minister visited the emergency ward, some general wards, the OT, nursing room and X-ray room.

He found several patients lying on soiled bedsheets. Besides, general cleanliness in the wards was found not up to the mark. The minister was also unhappy with the arrangements in the X-ray room. He interacted with patients, who complained against proper drinking water facility in the wards. An angry Rao told the hospital staff that such negligence would not be tolerated and would invite strict action if amends were not made at the earliest. Later, speaking to mediapersons, he said he had directed the civil surgeon to constitute a committee for regular inspection of all the healthcare centres in the district. He said the hospital authorities had been asked to take steps to outsource work to maintain cleanliness in the hospital.

The minister said efforts were afoot to appoint a radiologist at the hospital.

Karnal, February 28
Five members of Babli’s family, who were sentenced to death in the Manoj-Babli honour killing case on March 30 last, were today produced in the court of Nishant Sharma on the charge of hatching a conspiracy to kill Manoj’s sister Seema.

The accused - Rajinder Singh and Baru Ram (uncles of Babli), Gurdev Singh and Satish Kumar (both cousins) and Suresh, brother of Babli, currently lodged in the Ambala jail, were brought on production warrant after Virender, alias Billu, undergoing life imprisonment, tried to kill Seema in police complex while on parole.

They accused allegedly offered land and a huge sum of money to Virender for eliminating Seema, who fought for justice for her brother. Virender, who was released on two-week parole in December last year from the Ambala jail, allegedly barged into the Madhuban Police Academy, where Seema was posted as constable and threatened to kill her. The court has fixed March 14 as the next date of hearing.

Virender, whose parole was cancelled, was arrested by the CIA team on January 16 and remanded in four-day police custody.

During interrogation, he confessed that Babli’s relatives had offered him land and money if he eliminated Manoj’s sister, said the Karnal SP.

Rohtak, February 28
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has announced to hold a demonstration outside Parliament on March 4 on the issue of “rampant corruption”. A spokesperson of the parishad said it was high time that students and the country’s youth took active interest in the affairs of the state and hold a protest against the government failure to check corruption and punish the guilty. He said the 1.76 lakh crore 2G Spectrum scam, the Rs 78,000 crore CWG scam and the Adarsh Society scam were only a few instances of massive corruption in the country.

He said like the youth in several West Asia nations up in arms against corrupt and despotic regimes, the youth in India also needed to take some collective step to force the government to take corrective measures.

He demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister over the scams.

Chandigarh, February 28
The state of Haryana has virtually received a slap on the wrist for withholding without justification a part of an employee’s retirement benefits. The action was initiated against UD Moudgil, as some payment was wrongly made to another employee.

Taking up the petition against the state of Haryana and another respondent, Justice Ranjit Singh asserted: “The petitioner has a grievance that a corporation has withheld Rs 72,885, allegedly paid to Shubh Ram.

Justice Ranjit Singh asserted: “The government took a decision to retrench Group C and D employees of the corporation. Shubh Ram, working as Mate, was not allowed to join duties. He, accordingly, approached the Labour Court, where the issue was settled and he was taken back.

“Inadvertently he was given a regular pay scale, although he was a work charge employee. Due to an audit objection, this came to the corporation’s notice and it initiated proceedings against Subh Ram for the recovery of the excess payment”.

Justice Ranjit Singh observed that Subh Ram’s civil suit was partly allowed with a declaration that he was not entitled to fixation of pay and the corporation was at liberty to make a recovery.

After the sessions court refused to give any relief, he filed a regular second appeal. The petition is pending. However, a stay has been granted in his favour.

Justice Ranjit Singh added: “The corporation has justified withholding the amount on the grounds that the recovery from Subh Ram had been stayed. So, the amount may have to be recovered from the petitioner. It is stated that the withheld amount can be released only once the regular second appeal is decided.

“I find the action to be wholly unjustified. The payment, if any, was made to Subh Ram. It may have been wrongly made, for which the corporation ultimately may be held entitled to recover this amount. Certainly, the petitioner, who had allowed the regular pay scale, has not been attributed with any motive or intentional act for which he can be held responsible for reimbursing the payment, even if excess payment was made to Subh Ram.

Directing the release of the withheld amount within a month, Justice Ranjit Singh concluded: “Withholding a substantial amount from the retiral benefits of the petitioner by the corporation is fully illegal.”

Fatehabad, February 28
Haryana Janhit Congress chief Kuldeep Bishnoi’s “Janhit Yatra” reached Fatehabad here today.

Bishnoi’s cavalcade of over 100 tractors entered the district from Bhoda village. Bishnoi, who started the “Janhit Yatra” against the issues of alleged skewed development in the state, inequitable distribution of jobs, forcible acquisition of land, corruption and inflation on February 21, reached Fatehabad after covering 10 districts and nearly 30 assembly constituencies of the state.

“The yatra will culminate at Jantar Mantar in Delhi after covering all 21 districts and nearly 60 assembly segments of the state on March 9, where the party will organise a protest under its patron and former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal,” said Sanjay Gautam, media coordinator of the party.

The party would also submit a memorandum to the President against the Haryana Government on that day.

Fatehabad is the home district of Bhajan Lal. His ancestral village Mohammadpur Rohi comes under it.

Bishnoi was accompanied with former HPCC president Dharam Pal Malik and former MLA Sube Singh Punia. Ramji Lal, former MP, and Amir Chand Makkar, former MLA from Hansi, who joined the HJC recently, also accompanied the yatra.

Addressing mediapersons at Matana Mor on the outskirts of Fatehabad town, Bishnoi said the main aim of the yatra was to expose the “misdeeds” of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government, who, he alleged, had failed to deliver. Bishnoi alleged that Hooda was hand in glove with INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, as the Chief Minister had failed to take any action against Chautala for the “misdeeds” committed during his regime.

He claimed that the Haryana assembly Speaker had no option but to disqualify the five HJC MLAs, who defected to the Congress.

Ambala, February 28
Secretary-general of the INLD Ajay Singh Chautala said today that the government was acquiring large chunks of fertile land in the state which would cause a shortage of foodgrains.

Submitting a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner along with hundreds of his party workers here, he said builders and the land mafia had grabbed the land of farmers in connivance with the government. He said the judiciary had also taken a serious note of it.

He said the land acquisition rules had been changed many times to favour the land mafia.

The INLD said in the memorandum that in Gurgaon and Sonepat hundreds of acres were offered to builders, which had caused a huge loss to the state exchequer. It urged the Governor to order a high-level probe into it.

Later, talking to mediapersons, Ajay Chautala said the INLD would raise a voice against price rise, land acquisition and corruption in the coming Assembly session.

To a question, he said he was ready to file an affidavit that he did not have any deposit in any foreign bank.

Kurukshetra: INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala has called upon party workers to reach Delhi on March 3 to gherao Parliament. He was addressing the workers here on Sunday. He said they would submit a memorandum to the President, demanding the dismissal of the Haryana Government and holding of fresh elections in the state.

Chautala asked the workers to “struggle for saving democracy”, which, he said, was in danger in the country.

Karnal, February 28
The Murrah village scheme, that provides for setting up Murrah societies in villages with a milk production of over 3,500 litres per day, is all set to bring another white revolution in Haryana.

Under the scheme, 63 villages have been identified so far and Murrah societies set up in these villages, which will be given a subsidy of Rs 5 lakh for “breed improvement and scientific management of male progeny of these buffaloes to be reared as future bulls”.

“This subsidy can be used by the societies as per their requirement for breed improvement and also for the purchase of equipment,” KS Dangi, Director-General, Animal Husbandry, said.

Under the scheme, identification of Murrah buffaloes (and their progeny) yielding more than 2,600 litres of milk during lactation is being undertaken and the male progeny of these buffaloes would be procured and reared under scientific management.

All the buffaloes meeting the benchmark of 2,600 kg lactation yield would be marked with ear tags along with their progeny. Cash incentives ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 would be given to owners of these buffaloes under the condition that they would not sell their buffalo or its progeny for at least one year after calving. All identified buffaloes would be insured and the project would bear 50 per cent of the premium cost.

Male calves born to high-yielding buffaloes would be procured and reared at special bull rearing centres under the care of experts and supplied to panchayats at subsidised rates and to other states while the best bulls would be reserved for ultramodern sperm stations and a Murrah Germplasm Bank would be set up.

Dangi said healthy cattle feed was an area of concern as there was a deficiency of green fodder. However, there was no dearth of dry fodder in the state. There was a need for reducing the cost of fodder and it was possible by producing alternative silage feed.

Dangi said Lala Lajpat Rai Veterinary University at Hisar would help establish a link between farmers, scientists and research institutions.

Hisar, February 28
NK Ganguly, former Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research, said today that poverty-related tropical diseases confined usually to the Third World did not figure high on the agenda of pharmaceutical companies.

He was delivering a special lecture on “Innovations and R&D for Alleviation of Diseases of Poverty” at the Department of Chemistry, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, on the occasion of National Science Day.

Ganguly said infectious diseases were also destructive to the health of adults, causing disability, diminishing quality of life and decreasing productivity or death. People infected with one infectious disease became more susceptible to other diseases.

He said HIV/AIDS co-infection with tuberculosis or malaria and co-infection with multiple neglected diseases were a cause for concern. Poverty-driven factors impacting health included unsafe drinking water, unhygienic living conditions, lack of proper sanitation, lack of health education, poor hygiene and lack of proper cooking facilities. The phar ma companies and governments should pay greater attention to these tropical diseases to improve the lives of the poor.

Sonepat, February 28
Representatives of various social, religious, academic and commercial organisations of the town led by state media in charge of the BJP Rajiv Jain today staged a demonstration at the mini-secretariat demanding construction of a bypass in the town. They handed over a memorandum of their demand, addressed to the Chief Minister, to Additional Deputy Commissioner SS Dalal.

Traffic congestion has become the order of the day as most of the vehicles have to cross through the town to go to Delhi, Meerut, Gohana and Jind. It said the PWD Minister had agreed for the construction of the bypass; but no work had been started as yet.