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Gorakhpur Atomic Power Plant
State Executive Meeting on Oct 2
Deteriorating quality of debates in legislatures |
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Food prices may go up in coming months: HAU experts
Deepender defends FDI in retail
Shelter Homes
Child, mother healthcare on ‘priority’
Police tightens noose around traffic violators
HC paves way for Rewari MC poll
Administration gears up for paddy arrival
Planetarium dedicated to people
Sirsa college organises career guidance camp
Preparations for Kaithal Phalgu Mela in full swing
Talent-hunt contest held
Workshop on quality education system
‘Grievances to be redressed on 1st of every month’
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Gorakhpur Atomic Power Plant
Fatehabad, September 24 Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Prahlad Singh Gillankhera, who had a meeting with senior officials of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) in Mumbai earlier this week, said UPA president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will lay the foundation stone of the 23,502 crore project in January or February next year. The exact date of the ceremony will be finalised soon, he said. Tanwar, Gillankhera along with some district officials had visited the NPCIL headquarters in Mumbai and the Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) in Maharashtra earlier this week. Tanwar said the survey activities on the land acquired for the project had already begun, but no construction work would begin till the farmers harvest their standing crops. However, the work on fencing of the land would begin in November,
he added. Gillankhera, who represents Fatehabad in the state Assembly, said he had met several people working in the TAPS as well as those living in its vicinity. He said the power produced by nuclear power projects was not only cheaper, but it was environment-friendly too. Gillankhera referred to the recent forced closure due to high emission of ashes of the Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Plant at Khedar in Hisar and said there was no such problem in projects running on nuclear energy.
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State Executive Meeting on Oct 2
Chandigarh, September 24 Ashok Arora, INLD state president, alleged here that the Congress-led governments at the Centre and the state had brought the country to the brink of a disaster against the backdrop of their various acts of omission and commission. He alleged that various scams like coal block allocations to the near and dear ones of various senior functionaries of the ruling UPA alliance had rocked the country in the recent past. Moreover, various “anit-people” decisions such as the recent hike in diesel prices and putting a cap on susbsidised LPG cylinders up to a maximum of six cylinders per year had left the common man to fend for himself, he asserted. In Haryana, the Hooda government was embroiled in several scams, including land scams, he alleged, adding that recent adverse comments by various courts on the land allotment policies of the Hooda government had brought the credibility of the state government under a cloud. “The recent scrapping of the PTI recruitments by the Punjab and Haryana High Court and alterations in the Gurgaon-Manesar master plan to favour close associates of disgraced former minister Gopal Goyal Kanda have put a question mark over the working of the Hooda government which has no moral right to remain in the office,” he alleged. Party sources said the current political situation in the country would figure at the state executive meeting. Though a marginal player in the national politics, INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala is a strong votary of Third Front at the national level. Meanwhile, INLD secretary-general Ajay Chautala has demanded a roll back in the power tariff hike on account of fuel surcharge which would add an extra burden of over Rs 350 crore on the electricity consumers in the state.
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Deteriorating quality of debates in legislatures
Hisar, September 24 “The main problem is that instead of speaking on the issues raised in the House during the course of discussions, we now see member after member trying to earn brownie points repeating the speeches they make at party meetings and rallies in the constituencies. This is not without reason. They are out to please their party leaders,” he said. A former minister and Leader of the Opposition Sampat Singh said the other important factor that affected the quality of debates was that members did not do their home work. “As responsible public representatives, we are supposed to study various issues that are listed before the House and that we wish to raise from all angles. A well-informed discourse in the House can make a major difference to the quality of legislation the House produces,” he added. He said several NGOs and elite educational institutions in the country, including the IIMs, organised workshops for law makers periodically. These courses were designed to help law makers develop their debating skills and familiarising them with House procedures and rules. “But, as law makers we show little enthusiasm for such opportunities to learn and improve. In the recent past, at least four such short-term courses were organised by elite institutions, including the IIMs at the national level. Can you believe it, only 23 MLAs from all over the country attended these? This is very disheartening,” he said. Sampat Singh said there were numerous NGOs in the country that were associated with these workshops. These NGOs provided inputs on the subjects of the law makers’ choice to help him prepare for the debate in the House. But, there were hardly any takers, he lamented. “I have sought inputs from several NGOs. I find them very useful. They are ready to provide you inputs on Bills you want to introduce, about your constituencies, your voters and any subject related to the functioning of a law maker. But, we must be prepared to do some hard work ourselves in order to use that valuable information,” he added. Referring to the recent logjam in Parliament, he said though the ruling party and the opposition together had the responsibility to ensure smooth conduct of proceedings, the onus lay more with the opposition parties to ensure that the House functioned so that they could nail the government right inside the House. “A lemming-like rush to the well of the House and shouting of slogans is the standard device to get the House adjourned for the day. This is disgusting. Forcing an adjournment of the House is almost criminal. The voters send us to the House to represent them and not to waste their money in disrupting proceedings,” the veteran legislator said. Sampat Singh said it was time senior leaders of political parties put their heads together to improve functioning of the legislatures. “It is not difficult. All we have to promise to ourselves and to the voters is that we will behave responsibly and legislate instead of enacting street shows inside the house,” he said.
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Food prices may go up in coming months: HAU experts
Hisar, September 24 They said the bulk of India’s mustard output comes from Rajasthan and neighbouring states of Punjab, Gujarat, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. There was a gap in demand and supply of cooking oils in the country. The prices of cooking oils are expected to remain high in the festival season due to more demand than supply. Keeping in view the surge in edible oil demand it is expected that during November and December, the price of mustard may go up from Rs 3,750 to Rs 3,800 per quintal. The higher prices during November-December will be due to higher demand of edible oils owing to coming festive and marriage season. Experts say the prices of cotton are also expected to vary in the coming months. There are wide variations in the area under cotton among different districts of the state. Last year, the highest area under cotton was in Sirsa district followed by Hisar, Bhiwani, Fatehabad and Jind. The demand of lint in the international market as well as domestic export policies affect the domestic prices of cotton. While in October, the price may decline up to a range of Rs 4,000-4,100 per quintal, it will go up to Rs 4,200 per quintal again in December. Potato is largely consumed in India itself. Uttar Pradesh has about 30 per cent share in the country’s total potato production followed by West Bengal with 20 per cent. Fresh potatoes are exported to Sri Lanka, UAE, Mauritius, Nepal, Singapore, Maldives, and Kuwait. While the prices may hover around Rs 900 a quintal in October and November, the arrival of the fresh crop will force a fall in prices to Rs 750 in December. They maintain that there is wide variation in area under tomato among different districts of the state. During 2011-12, the highest area under tomato was in Karnal district followed by Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra and Ambala. There was wide variation of rainfall among different districts of the state during the 2012 monsoon season. Tomato is supplied in the state from Nasik district of Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab. The prices of tomato in the next three months may decline up to Rs 800 per quintal. HAU experts say during 2012-13 the area under basmati rice has exceeded 60 per cent of the total area under rice mainly due to inclusion of PUSA 1121 under the category of basmati as it is estimated that about 7.50 lakh hectares were covered under basmati rice out of about 12 lakh hectares. Exporters say that despite the payments and other problems, the global demand for basmati is rising at the rate of five per cent every year which has helped boost export volumes. Basmati rice exports topped largely because of a bumper local harvest and strong demand from Gulf countries, particularly for the newly classified PUSA 1121 variety. Haryana is contributing about 60 per cent to total basmati exports from India. In the next three months, the price may decline to Rs 2,150 to Rs 2,200 per quintal due to fresh arrival of the produce. However, the price trend of basmati rice will depend on the export-import policies and the global market scenario.
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Deepender defends FDI in retail
Karnal, September 24 Addressing a public meeting at
Nelokheri, Deepender said the interests of the retailers and small shopkeepers had been safeguarded and alleged that those opposing the FDI in retail were acting against the interests of the nation and were not well-wishers of the country. Claiming that there was world-wide support for the FDI and had been functioning successfully even in countries like China and South Africa, he said the protest was like the one which was witnessed to stall nuclear power plants, but now a majority of developed countries were producing nuclear energy. Referring to the delay in
setting up Kalpana Chawla Medical College in Karnal, he said it would have super-speciality facilities for the treatment of cancer. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda would lay the foundation stone of the medical college project on November 18, he said. Targeting the leaders of the INLD for opposing the nuclear plant, Deepender said the new power plant was required to meet the increasing demands of power in the state. “Four new power plants have been set up during the tenure of the present government and the biggest power plant will be set up in Gorakhpur,” he said. He said the present government had taken a number of decisions like increase in the minimum support price of crops, cheaper loans, interest waiver, subsidised grains for the poor, 100 square yards plots and scholarships to the poor children benefiting various sections of society, he added.
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Haryana to emerge as hub of education: Deepender
Rewari, September 24 At present the mahavidyalaya, which is permanently affiliated to MD University, Rohtak, has 300 girl students, including 136 girls pursuing distance education courses, who are from various parts of Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and several other states. As many as 13 lady teachers have been teaching Sanskrit, theology, Vedas, political science, history, mathematics, science and English to the students. The mahavidyalaya has imparted education to over 5,500 girl students in the past 25 years. As many as 2,000 of them passed out as graduates and postgraduates, successfully. Recently, the mahavidyalaya had organised its annual function in which Deepender Singh Hooda, MP, was the chief guest whereas the Haryana Minister of State for Sports Sukhbir Kataria was the guest of honour. Delivering his keynote address, Deepender was all praise for the system of education prevailing in the gurukuls in ancient times under the tutelage of erudite sages and saints. Stating that while girls in gurukuls are made to acquire academic proficiency, he said the teachers also equipped them with such attributes as moulded them into robust citizens. Simultaneously, mentioning about the state government’s efforts to enable Haryana to emerge as a hub of education, he announced a financial assistance of Rs 21 lakh each for the kanya mahavidyalaya as well as for the development works in Jasat village. Sukhbir Kataria, too, announced a grant of Rs 2 lakh. The girl students presented a colourful cultural programme on the occasion.
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Shelter Homes
Karnal, September 24 The information about the decision of the government was conveyed by Financial Commissioner, Women and Child Development Department, Haryana, Dheera Khandelwal, who visited MDD Bal Bhawan at Fusgarh, Haryana State Bal Bhawan, Madhuban, Nari Neketan and Mahila Ashram and Shradhanand Anathalaya to see the functioning of these institutions during her visit to Karnal recently. She said that 100 non-government organisations (NGOs) were associated with social work in Karnal and these were entitled and eligible for government grants, if they fulfilled the requirements and norms set by the government. It was the endeavour of the state government to provide necessary assistance and also ensure the welfare and rehabilitation of destitute children but these shelters must run accordind to the government norms and leaving no room for complaints of exploitation or maltreatment of inmates,
she added. Khandelwal inquired about the facilities being provided at these centres and also interacted with local officers. She said the state government was committed to the welfare of destitute children and women and special emphasis was being laid on ensuring a congenial and conducive atmosphere, education and proper living conditions to the children living in these institutions.
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Child, mother healthcare on ‘priority’
Chandigarh, September 24 The Health Minister was presiding over a state-level meeting of officers of the Health Department recently. He gave strict instructions to the Medical Officers (MOs) that any negligence in providing child and mother healthcare would not be tolerated. He also directed the officials to submit report of OPD cases dealt by every MO. While taking a serious note of cases of women deliveries and infant deaths in government hospitals, Rao Narender Singh said any negligence would not be tolerated in the programmes related to mother and child care. He said the position of maternal and child mortality rate in the state is a matter of deep concern for the state government and it was not leaving any stone unturned to ensure the safety of the mother and the child. The MOs have to further work hard in this direction, he directed.
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Police tightens noose around traffic violators
Rohtak, September 24 It claimed to have challaned 87 errant drivers on Friday itself. A total of over 300 challans had been made during the past few months, it stated. “The police has not only removed black films from cars and other private vehicles but also challaned over 100 drivers during the past one month,” a spokesperson of the police said. He said 87 drivers were challaned on Friday, which included 17 for black films, 26 for triple riding, seven for overloading and 37 for talking on cellphones while driving. While the campaign against traffic violations had been on for the past few months, the police had been in contact with educational institutions where students were told about traffic rules by the officials concerned on a regular basis, he added. Though such a drive was welcomed, there was a dire need of putting a proper system of traffic control in the city as well as the district. The number of vehicles and violations had grown at a sharp pace, but the number of trained police to handle traffic movement appeared to be inadequate, said Yoginder Singh Dahiya, a social activist. He said the district authorities must increase the number and frequency of local bus services to put a check on the growing number of auto-rickshaws in the town.
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Students attend survey camp
Ambala, September 24 Around 120 students left Ambala for a month full of survey exercises. They were equipped with instruments, instructions on the usage of these instruments with guides available to them during the camp. In addition, the students were introduced to some of the latest survey techniques. The coordinator of the camp, Prof Deepankar Kumar Ashish, HOD, Civil Engineering Department, said such survey camps provided students with an opportunity to gain practical exposure. He said civil engineering could only be learnt through practical work. In this camp, the best students were Rakesh Kumar Katoch and Aftab Hussain and active students were Arun Kumar and Rinchom Lama. Chairman Om Prakash Aggarwal congratulated the Civil Engineering Department for successfully organising a month-long survey camp.
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HC paves way for Rewari MC poll
Rewari, September 24 The court, which has issued the order on a petition filed by Rama Shanker and one other, has directed the state government as well as the State Election Commission to accomplish the Rewari Municipal Council elections and submit the compliance report to the court within two months. The petitioner had contended that over 28 months had elapsed since the dissolution of the Rewari Municipal Council and non-accomplishment of fresh elections to the municipal council was a gross violation of the relevant provisions of the Constitution. The Rewari Municipal Council had been dissolved on April 25, 2010, at the expiry of the five-year tenure of its then councillors. The process of delimitation of new wards in the town, which had been initiated even before the dissolution of the municipal council, got bogged down in prolonged legal tussles that were proving detrimental to the holding of fresh elections to the municipal council. Consequently when it is now amply clear that fresh elections to the municipal council will be held on the basis of the existing (old) wards, the court order has instilled fresh excitement among the aspiring contestants.
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Administration gears up for paddy arrival
Ambala, September 24 Besides the Food and Supplies Department, CONFED and HAFED, too, procured paddy from the farmers. Paddy will be procured at the grain markets of Ambala City, Ambala Cantt, Naraingarh, Mulana, Barara, Naiyoala and Shahjadpur. Around 50 per cent of the total paddy arrives at the grain markets of Ambala City, Ambala Cantt and Mulana every year. Last year, 21.33 lakh quintals of paddy had arrived at the Ambala City grain market, while 7.62 lakh quintals at Ambala Cantt, 4.80 lakh quintals at Barara, 9.60 lakh quintals at Mulana, 1.82 lakh quintals at Naniola and 6.08 lakh quintals at Naraingarh grain markets. A few months ago during the wheat arrival season, the procurement agencies had to face great inconveniences for storing the procured wheat as no godowns were available for its storage. More than15 lakh bags of wheat were kept in the open. At present also, around 10 lakh bags of wheat are lying in the open at Ambala City, Barara, Naraingarh and Mulana. However, three major covered sheds in the Ambala City grain markets are used by the procurement agencies for storing empty gunny bags. Farmers have to keep their produce in the open even in case of adverse climate. Deputy Commissioner Shekhar Vidyarthi said all the required arrangements were being made in the grain markets so that farmers should not face any difficulty in selling their produce. Meanwhile, secretary, Market Committee, Mohit Beri, said all the basic amenities for the farmers and arrangements for loading and unloading of the produce had been made in the grain markets. Ajaib Singh, a farmer from the Naggal area, said the arrival of paddy in Ambala could be less in comparison to the last year due to weak monsoon and shortage of power this season.
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Planetarium dedicated to people
Kaithal, September 24 Bhawan at Jawahar Lal Nehru Children’s Park to the people here recently. Shamsher Singh Surjewala, president of the All-India Kisan Khet Majdoor Congress, was also present on the occasion. He said due to an advancement of science in the recent years, the world had come to know about the new discoveries, which might change the scenario of the earth and the universe as a whole in the coming times. He added that light had been thrown on the existence of new planets and now scientists were making efforts to ensure the existence of life on a few other planets as well. All this had become possible due to the efforts of scientists world over, he added. “Dr Hargobind Khurana will be remembered for his contributions in many fields as he brought glory to our country by his research and by winning a Noble Prize,” Surjewala added.
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Quiz Competition in JCD Polytechnic
Sirsa, September 24 Dr Shamim Sharma, managing director of the JCD Vidyapeeth, presided over the quiz. RS Brar, Principal of the JCD Polytechnic, and principals of various colleges coming under the JCD Vidyapeeth were also present on this occasion. The programme started with lighting the lamp. Welcoming Dharmani and Sharma, Brar said the polytechnic concentrated on extracurricular activities along with studies. Six teams, one from each branch of the polytechnic, participated in the quiz competition. There were six rounds in the competition. There was a sports round, a language round, a brainteaser round, a current affairs round, a general knowledge round and an entertainment round. As the competition proceeded, students performed various cultural activities like solo song, Ragni and Punjabi bhangra. In her speech, Sharma exhorted the students to work towards developing an all-round personality. She asked the students to develop the habit of questioning, as it helped in better learning of the subject. Dharmani distributed prizes to the winners. The students of Mechanical Engineering (Hammer Team) won the first position. The students of Civil Engineering (Cantilever Team) secured the second position. The third position was shared by both Electrical Engineering (Transformer Team) and Mechanical Engineering-2 (Grinder Team).
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Sirsa college organises career guidance camp
Sirsa, September 24 HK Lal, a former lecturer from Government National Post Graduate College, was the main speaker at the camp while Saroj Verma, in charge of the career-counselling cell of the college, presided over the camp. “A vast majority of students consider only medicine and engineering as the only two possible career options for them,” said Lal while addressing the students. He said becoming a Chartered Accountant was a very good career option these days and students should think of this alternative. Lal said there were many misgivings about the financial profile of pursuing accountancy while the fact of the matter was that it was a relatively economical option with an expenditure of nearly Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per year. Emphasising that accountancy was still an unexplored area in India, Lal said against one CA after 148 people in New Zealand, there was merely one CA after 9,336 people in India. Vineet Chhabra, managing director of Experts Career Developers Private Limited, informed the students about the career opportunities available in computers. He said students could learn website designing and software development to make their careers in these fields. Shaifi Pruthi and Shikha Arora, members of the career-counseling cell, said career guidance was very important for gaining one’s rightful place in the job arena.
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Preparations for Kaithal Phalgu Mela in full swing
Kaithal, September 24 Phalgu Tirath, situated at Faral village in the district, and the mela will be held between September 30 to October 15. This tirath is famous in north India and people come here in lakhs from different parts of the country during ‘shradhs’ to offer ‘pind dan’ and pray for the peace of souls of their departed ancestors and other kin and have a dip in the holy tank. The Deputy Commissioner presided over a meeting of officials of various departments in the village and directed them to complete all construction, maintenance and repair works by September 26. He directed the mela administrator, Kaithal SDM Hawa Singh, to arrange for dharamshalas in the vicinity of the tirath and ensure security and proper cleanliness of the ‘ghats’ for women and other adjoining areas so that the pilgrims faced no problem. The Food and Supplies Department has been asked to make proper arrangements to maintain the supply of essential items during the mela days. The PWD department officials have been directed to complete repair of roads and the Electricity Department to expedite maintenance of power lines and install extra transformers whereever necessary. They have also been asked to make arrangements for power supply back up. The milk supply would be arranged through Vita milk plant, Ambala. An information centre would be set up by the Information and Public Relations Department that would work round the clock and make important announcements through public address system and provide information about lost and found persons. Dr Surendra Nain, Civil Surgeon, said the Health Department had constituted teams of doctors and paramedical staff who will remain on duty during the mela period. Earlier, mela administrator Hawa Singh gave details about the completed and ongoing work. Rajesh Koth, DDPO, and senior officials were present on the occasion.
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Talent-hunt contest held
Kalka, September 24 In declamation contest, Alka, Rajni, Simmi received prizes, while in poetic recitation, Anju Pande, Kanchan and Inderjeet received the prizes and in poster-making contest, Ritika Mankotia, Nitika and Kritika won the prizes. On the second day of the contest, students participated in singing, dancing, music and mono-acting competitions. Nisha, Sunil, Nitika, Moveen, Asha Deep and Beena were declared the winners of the singing and dancing contest, while Mukesh, Hardeep Singh, Sidharth and Kanupriya were declared the winners of the music and mono-acting competitions. Dr Harvinder Sharma, principal of the college, in his speech stressed the importance of co-curricular activities in discovering hidden talents of the students. He encouraged the students to participate in such events and congratulated the winners.
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Workshop on quality education system
Kurukshetra, September 24 Sandhu said the education system needed to be valued-based. It had to change with changing times by incorporating technological advancements and corporate requirements. India was a developing nation and the education system needed to focus on the requirements of the youth.
— TNS
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‘Grievances to be redressed on 1st of every month’
Chandigarh, September 24 He said this while hearing public grievances at Punjabi Dharamshala,
Narwana.
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One of Haryana’s senior most legislators Sampat Singh has said that the law makers themselves were to blame for the deteriorating quality of debates in legislatures.
Sampat Singh, who entered the Haryana Assembly in 1982 and is now the senior
most legislator in the Assembly, said in an interview that over the years the
quality of debates in state legislatures and Parliament had been deteriorating
steadily because of the conduct of the members of these august houses.
Hisar, September 24
