Mandi, November 16
Terming the cash-for-vote scam in Parliament as the “darkest blot in the history of Indian democracy”, former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishan Advani today asserted that the BJP would make “2012 a year of accountability” and punish all those responsible for corruption in the 2G Spectrum, Commonwealth Games and cash-for-votes scams.

Besides, the alleged Rs 25 lakh crore black money stashed in foreign banks should be brought back to fund interlinking of 31 rivers in the country to eradicate flood and drought problems in the country, he claimed.

Advani’s Jan Chetna Yatra rally here got a warm welcome from Chief Minister PK Dhumal and his team. The rally crowd was brought from different parts of the Mandi, Kangra and Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituencies.

Advani termed 2010 and 2011 as years of scams and asserted that he would ensure in the coming winter session of Parliament that 2012 became a year of accountability. All those responsible for corruption should be put in jail, he added.

Advani’s Jan Chetna Yatra team landed at Paddal Maidan here at around 11 am in a private chopper from Pathankot. The yatris included his daughter Pratibha, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, national vice-president Shanta Kumar, yatra in charge Anant Kumar, general secretary JP Nadda and yatra co-in charge Shayam Jaju.

In his 27-minute speech, Advani termed the cash-for-vote scam in Parliament related to the UPA-I regime as the darkest blot on Indian democracy. He alleged that 19 MPs who allegedly got Rs 5 to Rs 10 crore for voting for the Congress-led UPA government went scot-free, while three BJP MPs who acted as “whistleblowers” to expose the scam in a TV channel sting operation, were put behind the bars.

Advani said corruption was a major factor responsible for poverty and inflation.

In view of the present dissident activities in the state BJP, Advani kept Dhumal and Shanta Kumar on an even keel in his speech. Good governance and development went hand in hand and there was no room for corruption in good governance and development, he asserted.

Before Advani, Arun Jaitley termed the UPA-II as a divided house only to mint money. He alleged that corruption in the UPA was so deeprooted that many ministers had landed in Tihar Jail.

He praised Dhumal for providing good governance and giving relief to the public through various schemes.

The Chief Minister dwelt on various schemes that his government had started.

Shanta Kumar, quoting an Amnesty International report, attacked the Congress regime at the Centre saying the billionaires’ list was increasing in India while 70 crore people still survived on a paltry Rs 20 per day and four crore people were unemployed.

Shimla, November 16
In a major rebuff to the stepped-up dissidents’ campaign, former MP and convener of the Himachal Bharashtachar Mukti Morcha Maheshwar Singh was today dropped from the BJP National Executive by party chief Nitin Gadkari.

The decision, conveyed by senior leader OP Kohli today, coincides with the holding of a rally against corruption by none other than LK Advani at Mandi. The snub by the party high command at a time when leaders of the morcha were planning to meet Gadkari on November 19 has come as a surprise to most of them.

The absence of Maheshwar Singh from Advani’s rally at Mandi today could have been a possible reason for the sudden action against the leader. With Mandi being the parliamentary constituency that Maheshwar has represented, his non-attendance could have set the motion for the action.

The move by Gadkari is a clear indication that the party was in no mood to accept indiscipline of any kind even if it was formation of a non-political outfit. Earlier, too the party had dropped belligerent Lok Sabha MP from Kangra Rajan Sushant from the state BJP executive as he, too, had vowed to launch a fight against corruption.

Maheshwar said he was not aware of any such party decision as he had neither been issued a show-cause notice nor had he been intimated by anyone. “I am yet to hear from the party and the information is news for me too but one thing is very clear that I am a member of the BJP,” he said.

Other members of the morcha, too, were shocked at the move. “The action, if true, is completely unexpected and unfortunate as we were planning to interact with the party chief on November 19 in Delhi,” said Mahinder Sofat, a former minister and spokesperson for the morcha.

“The party stand is contradictory as on the one hand they invited us to hold talks and at the same time they are taking action against such a senior leader,” said one of the leaders. The morcha leaders said as of now they stood by their decision to go and meet Gadkari on November 19, but they would review the situation today and take a decision accordingly.

The state BJP had sought action against the morcha leaders by stating that their actions amounted to indiscipline, which must be dealt with sternly. Now it remains to be seen what will be the strategy of the dissidents in the coming days.

Shimla, November 16
Over 730 sex workers in the state will learn skills at various industrial training institutes (ITIs) to be able to make a switchover to a respectable living as the government has rolled out an elaborate rehabilitation plan for these hapless women, whose number is estimated to be over 10,200 in the hill state.

Under the Vishesh Mahila Uthaan Yojna, chalked out by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, these women will be provided all possible assistance right from skill development through vocational training, providing soft loans and also facilitating the sale of their products by setting up haats and providing marketing channels.

The candidates have been selected and shortlisted by the State AIDS Control Society on the basis of a survey undertaken by voluntary associations with it. “The scheme will be launched in a phased manner as the 730 women who have expressed their willingness to undergo vocational training will join courses at the four ITIs in Kullu, Kangra, Mandi and Solan,” said SK Dash, Principal Secretary, Social Justice and Empowerment.

The women, who have been compelled to earn a living by working as sex workers, will undergo courses of one year or six, three and two months in various trades, including garment making, basics of beauty care and hair dressing, computer fundamentals and making pickles and bakery products. The beneficiaries of the scheme have been identified and sponsored by the HP State AIDS Control Society.

The scheme envisages to provide them vocational training through the Skill Development Initiative Scheme (SDIS), assist them in securing loans for establishing self-employment ventures and arrange for the sale of their products through haats and other marketing channels, including the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).

To sustain these women and their families during the training period, they will be given a stipend of Rs 3,000 per month while the test fee will be Rs 800 per month. The expenses of both the stipend and the test fee will be borne by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. The rest of the training cost will be borne by the Technical Education Department.

The state Cabinet had on August 8 earlier this year approved this scheme for the rehabilitation of sex workers who have for economic reasons been compelled to earn a living through this means. The department had been chalking out the modalities of the scheme and now with the candidates being selected, they will shortly join various ITIs.

Shimla, November 16
“There is need to evolve a mechanism to regulate the media to make an effective tool for making various institutions accountable.”

This was the general view that emerged at the seminar on “Media as Instrument of Public Accountability”, organised by the Department of Information and Public Relations to mark the National Press Day, here today.

Disagreeing with the observation of Chairman of the Press Council of India Justice Markandey Katju that self-regulation is no regulation, participants were against external regulation and maintained that the media should evolve its own code.

Principal Secretary, Information and Public Relations Ajay Mittal, said he was of the firm opinion that external regulation of the fourth pillar of democracy would not help.

He said it was heartening to see journalists themselves debating such an issue and willing to carry out introspection and take steps to maintain credibility of the media as a whole.

He said suppression of information was not in the interest of either the people or the government as void created due to lack of information was filled with misinformation. Public relation officers should adopt a proactive approach in emergent situation like accidents and natural calamities.

Director, Information & Public Relations, BD Sharma introduced the subject of the seminar. Members of the Himachal Journalist Forum also observed the National Press Day and demanded the creation of a media council to replace the existing Press Council of India and bring the entire media in its ambit.

Hamirpur: A programme was organised here today to celebrate the National Press Day in Hamir Bhawan, which was attended by mediapersons and people associated with journalism.

Speaking on the occasion, Hamirpur DC Rajinder Singh, who was the chief guest, said since the media was the fourth pillar of democracy it keeps an eye on the other three pillars of the democracy.

A debate on The Role of Media in Creating Accountability Towards People was also held on the occasion in which several mediapersons participated.

The DC also presented current year’s Rajesh Sharma Young Journalist Award to Door Darshan reporter Neelam Sipahya. This award is being given every year in the memory of a Nadaun-based reporter, late Rajesh Sharma, by the Press Club, Hamirpur.

BILASPUR: Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Darshan Kalia presided over the district-level Press Day, organised by the Department of Information and Public Relations, at the Circuit House here today.

Earlier, District Public Relations Officer Amar Singh Thakur introduced the subject “Media and its responsibility towards society” and gave details of the history of development of free press and media since the freedom movement to the present day when the media is being under cloud due to several maladies, including the evil of “paid news” and its commercialisation by certain sections of the media, resulting in erosion of its image credibility among society.

The ADM said media derives all its rights and freedom under the Constitution and it should be cautious not to do anything which may damage the very foundation of their own freedom.

Senior journalists Arun Dogra and Jai Kumar also addressed journalists drawn across the district. They were critical of some sections of the media which were turning news into pure business and failing to observe even the basic norms of journalism.

Chamba: “The media is not meant for merely providing news but it is also a means of bringing about a change or a revolution for development of society in particular and the nation as a whole.”

This was stated by Chamba DC Sharabh Negi while presiding over a symposium, organised on the occasion of National Press Day by the Information and Public Relations Department, here today.

The DC said the welfare of the media was vested in its accountability towards society. The symposium was attended by mediapersons representing leading newspapers, news agencies and television channels.

Nurpur, November 16
The Himachal Pradesh Government Commissioned Contract Lecturers (CCLs) Association is up in arms against the denial of 50 per cent Dearness Allowance (DA) to them as advertised by the state government at the time of the selection process for appointing school lecturers in 2008.

Sushil Sharma, state president of the association, in a statement here today took a strong exception for fixing their salary to Rs 14,500 per month and backing out 50 per cent DA to school lecturers, who had been appointed through the HP Service Selection Board, Hamirpur, under the pretext of the amended Recruitment and Promotion (R&P) Rules - 2009.

“Initially, the salary difference between a regular and a contract lecturer was only Rs 2,000 but after the denial of the DA to the latter it increased to Rs 10,000 per month, which is injustice to contract lecturers,” he rued.

Taking a plea that commissioned contract school lecturers were being governed by the R&P Rules existed at the time of the selection process that initiated in 2008, Sharma urged Chief Minister PK Dhumal to intervene.

Shimla, November 16
Hydropower giant Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) has decided to diversify into wind power by setting up a 50 MW project on a turn-key basis.

The board of directors of the public sector company, which operates the country’s largest 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydroelectric Project, has cleared a proposal for setting up the wind power project in a single location. Accordingly the company will invite bids for setting up the power plant at an estimated cost of Rs 350 crore. The interested party will have the option of establishing the plant in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, which are known to have the potential for wind power.

The selected party will set up the project and take care of its operation and maintainance for a period of 10 years. A joint-sector company of the Government of India and the Himachal Government, the SJVN has so far been involved in hydropower generation and it has 10 projects in hand in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Bhutan and Manipur.

The 412 MW Rampur project is scheduled to be commissioned only by March 2013. Besides, it is also executing the Luhri (775 MW) and Dhaulasidh (66 MW) projects in the state. It has three projects in Uttarakhand, Devsari (252 MW), Naitwar Mori (60 MW), Jakhol Sankri (51 MW), and Arun III (900 MW) in Nepal. It is also constructing two projects of 600 MW each in Bhutan.

It has joined hands with the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) for executing the 1,500 MW Tipaimukh Hydropower Project in the northeastern state of Manipur. The SJVN has 26 per cent equity in the Rs 9,000-crore project. The NHPC has 69 per cent share and the rest 5 per cent is held by the Manipur government.

Solan, November 16
With a case of up-pradhan found using cement meant for various works under the MNREGA in the Chandi panchayat of the Arki tehsil coming to the fore, a question mark has been put on the implementation of the centrally sponsored scheme.

Up-pradhan Tulsi was found to have consumed as many as 68 cement bags in the construction of his house and another 32 bags were recovered by a police team from his cowshed at the site.

Arki DSP Ashok Kumar said the police had raided the premises of the up-pradhan’s house after receiving a written complaint that cement bags meant for MNREGA works had been transported to his house in a specific vehicle.

While 32 bags were confiscated, another 68 were found to have been used in the construction. He was arrested by the police after registering a case under Section 409, IPC, on Monday.

The police said it would seek a report from the block development officer about the utility of cement bags in the construction so that further action could be taken against the offender. Apart from penalty for diverting the cement meant for MNREGA works, the offender would also face punitive action as per law.

Mandi, November 16
The PWD axed 359 trees of different species worth Rs 57.58 lakh to construct the Thunag-Kelti road in 2004 in the Seraj forest range without seeking permission under the Indian Forest Act from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF).

Surprisingly, the complaint in this regard came seven years after a PIL was filed in this regard in the high court.

The PWD had started construction work on the road in 2004 and the road is complete and is being used by the public.

On a complaint received from the range officer, Seraj, the police today registered a case under Sections 379 and 120-B of the IPC and 32/33 of Forest Act at the Gohar police station.

Range officer Sohan Lal stated in the complaint that 359 big and small trees were axed to make way for the Thunag-Kelti road in 2004. The cost of the trees worked out to be around Rs 57.58 lakh, which had not been paid to the Forest Department till date, he claimed.

He stated that the PWD had submitted a proposal for diversion of forest land to the DFO, Nachan division, a year later in 2005. The PWD had started construction in 2004 without the MOEF approval, he added.

Conservator of Forests, Mandi, CB Pande said the case was registered with the police after the high court asked both the PWD and the Forest department as to what action was taken in this regard. The PIL in this case was pending in the high court, he added.

SP, Mandi, Pupul Dutt, said a case of theft and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Forest Act and the IPC had been lodged in this connection after receiving a complaint from the range officer and investigation was under way.

Shimla, November 16
Governor Urmila Singh stressed the need for maintaining transparency and accountability in the functioning of government departments and institutions.

Presiding over the concluding ceremony of the year-long 150th anniversary celebrations of the institution of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, here today, she said transparency and accountability were pre-requisites for good governance.

The Governor said funds allocated for development should be properly utilised and officers implementing the developmental schemes should ensure it, so that the benefits of welfare programmes percolated down to targeted beneficiaries.

She added that the CAG had a challenging role to play in a growing economy like India and it should strive to promote accountability, transparency and good governance through high-quality auditing and accounting to ensure that public funds were used efficiently and for intended purposes.

The institution should act as a bridge between the legislature, executive, government and the public. The institution should continue its advisory role with complete objectivity for better financial management.

In his keynote address, Director General, National Academy of Audit and Accounts, V Kurien underlined the importance of auditing of public accounts and added that the institution had kept pace with the latest practices and methodology of audit with a positive mindset.

Accountant General, Audit, J.Wilson, and Accountant General, Accounts and Entitlement, N Goswami, also spoke on the occasion.

Shimla, November 16
Taking a tough stand on the issue of encroachments in Shimla, the state high court today directed the Municipal Corporation (MC) to strictly enforce its orders regarding encroachments in the bazars of the Shimla Municipal area, especially Lower Bazar and Ram Bazar. The court has directed the Special Magistrate, MC, Shimla, to comply the earlier order in letter and spirit to ensure that pedestrians’ right to use the roads is not hampered at all.

The court earlier observed that it was strange that the government had collected more than Rs 1 crore from Shimla Municipal roads and the state said it had no funds to install CCTV cameras.

It may be mentioned here that earlier the court had requested the Council of Ministers to inform as to why the amount collected by issuing permits for sealed and restricted roads of the town under the Shimla Road Users and Pedestrians (Public Safety and Convenience) Act, 2007, was not used for installing monitoring equipments such as CCTV cameras on Shimla roads. The MC had informed the court that the state government had declined to provide it funds.

The court had then directed the Secretary, Home, to file an affidavit about the amount collected by issuing permits for the sealed and restricted roads of Shimla town. The Secretary, in his affidavit, explained that the government had collected Rs 92,59,555 till September 2011.

Kangra, November 16
Work on the Rs 150-crore super-speciality hospital building in the Dr Rajender Prasad Government Medical College (DRPGMC) Tanda, the foundation stone for which was laid by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad on November 24, last year, has been started and will be completed within two years.

Principal, DRPGMC, Tanda, Anil Chauhan said today that work was started on this super-speciality wing of the medical college after the old building adjacent to the administrative block was dismantled.

He said the work was scheduled to be completed within two years from now. He said the state government had contributed Rs 25 crore for this project, while Rs 125 crore was contributed by the Centre.

Dr Chauhan said the contract was allotted to HSCC Consultancy which had put Globe Civil Project Private Limited, Delhi, on the job. He said Rs 80 crore would be spent on the construction of the building and purchase of the equipment and furniture, Rs 15 crore on gas pipe line and manifold facility rooms and Rs 20 crore on civil works to meet MCI requirements, hostels and lecture theatres.

He said Rs 10 crore had been earmarked for consultancy, contingency and provision for escalation. Chauhan said this building would house six super-speciality departments which were radio oncology, cardiology, cardio vascular thoraxic surgery, nephrology, gastroenterology and neuro surgery departments.

Bilaspur, November 16
Students must strive hard to achieve excellence in any field of life which is also true of success in sports and games. This was stated by Dr GS Negi, Principal, Swami Vivekananda Government College, Ghumarwin, at Government Post-Graduate College, Bilaspur, while speaking as chief guest and inaugurating the two-day HP University Inter-College Girls Hockey Tournament here today.

Principal Ram Paul Chopra of the host college and Assistant Prof, Physical Education, Pravesh Sharma also addressed the function, while sports enthusiasts, including Prof SK Bhatta, Prof JK Varma and National Hockey Federation Assistant Secretary Surender Pal Dass were also present.

Bilaspur and Dharamsala PG colleges won the semi-final matches and will now meet for title tomorrow. In semi-finals Bilaspur defeated Mandi college by 8-2 goals and Dharamsala college virtually trounced MLSM college Sundernagar by 7-0 goals.

Shimla, November 16
Prof Ghanshyam S Chauhan, from the Chemistry Department of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), has been honoured by the Association of Carbohydrate Chemists and Technologists of India (ACCTI) with the prestigious TCR Award for the best paper published in the area of carbohydrate chemistry and technology.

The ACCTI is a scientific body consisting of academicians, scientists, technologists and industrialists actively engaged in carbohydrate research and technology development.

The article was selected from the best 24 articles published in this field. The competitors included those from foreign countries, apart from top Indian scientists working in the carbohydrate research and technology in various Indian academic institutions and universities. The awarded article is based on the pectin-based intelligent hydrogels designed for the site-specific drug delivery to large intestine or colon.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs 20,000 and a citation.