Shimla, September 24
The government today approved a policy for the welfare of senior citizens, aged 60 years and above, especially those living in rural areas, to help them lead a dignified life.

The state Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister PK Dhumal here said the policy aimed at strengthening the inter-generational relationship and providing the elderly shelter and protection against exploitation. The preparation of an action plan and the constitution of a state-level advisory committee for implementation have been proposed.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to a policy to regularise the service of contractual staff recruited through Rogi Kalyan Samitis (RKS) by converting them into government employees on completion of three years of service. Thereafter they will be further eligible for regularisation after six years of service, as per the standard policy. Only those appointed after following the prescribed procedure will be eligible.

It granted approval for opening 171 aanganwaris and filling available vacancies of aangawari workers by recruiting eligible tailoring teachers. It also decided to fill 112 posts of female health worker, 236 posts of staff nurse and 48 posts of health officer on a contractual basis under the RKS.

It decided in principle to set up a state institute of mental health and neuro-sciences by merging the IGMC’s Department of Psychiatry and the State Hospital for Mental Health and Rehabilitation.

It enhanced the monthly stipend for interns from Rs 3,200 to Rs 5,000, house physicians from Rs 6,300 to Rs 12,600, first-year postgraduate students from Rs 7,600 to Rs 13,000 and second-year postgraduate students from Rs 7,800 to Rs 15,000 at Rajiv Gandhi Government Ayurvedic College in Paprola.

It decided to open a new sub-tehsil of Nithar in Anni of Kullu district. It also decided to issue a no-objection certificate in favour of Vidyawati Memorial Educational Society in Nurpur to admit 20 additional students for BSc (nursing) and 40 students to ANM courses by granting a one-time relaxation of norms.

It decided to grant a letter of intent to Shiva Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital in Bilaspur to conduct a course in BAMS at Abdhanighat in Ghumarwin.

It granted national-level status to the Masroor Rock Temple Festival in Masroor and district-level status to the Dussehra Fair in Shahpur. It decided to upgrade the Ayurvedic Health Centre at Bijhari in Hamirpur to a 10-bedded hospital.

Shimla, September 24
The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) has decided to release 8.33 per cent bonus to its employees for the financial year 2011-12.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Board of Directors held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister PK Dhumal here today. The decision will benefit 676 employees to the tune of Rs 13 lakh.

The board also decided to release one additional increment to class-IV employees who had completed 20 years of service at one place on the analogy of the state government, besides granting approval to create six posts of accounts clerk on a contractual basis.

Dhumal said strict and strenuous efforts were required to make every unit of the corporation profit-bearing. The best use of Internet facilities needed to be ensured for marketing the state, he added.

He advised the authorities to introduce packages for tourists in the upcoming winter season so that people could be attracted towards the state in large numbers.

He said a convention centre was being constructed in Manali at a cost of Rs 5 crore, which would provide the corporate sector the opportunity to hold meetings there. A bigger convention centre was proposed at Kiarighat in Solan on the Kalka-Shimla highway, he added.

Solan, September 24
With the Excise and Taxation Department yet to notify the date of implementation of the online declaration of goods, tax evaders are having a field day, making use of escape routes while transporting goods from the Baddi-Barotiwala industrial area to other parts of the state.

The department charges value added tax (VAT) of between 5 and 13.75 per cent for intra-state transportation. It has been observed that manufacturers are using escape routes to transport goods, bypassing inter-state barriers.

The Haripur-Patta Mehlog-Baand route is used by manufacturers of steel products daily to transport goods to various parts of the state.

With no inter-state barrier on this route, between 15 and 20 trucks loaded with various items, especially steel products, cross it a day, evading VAT.

The state government had recently amended the HP VAT Act, 2005, making online declaration of goods compulsory to curb tax evasion, but was yet to notify the date of implementation. This has reduced the utility of this amendment, aimed at checking tax evasion, and manufacturers continue to evade tax with impunity.

As per the prevailing practice, truckers plying on such escape routes are paid more than the normal freight and directed to return VAT forms if they manage to evade the authorities. The forms are used for more than one vehicle, causing loss to the state exchequer.

Officials said on the condition of anonymity that the implementation had been delayed on account of the upcoming elections and could come into effect after that.

Shimla, September 24
The candidates who were defeated in the last Assembly polls with a huge margin or have lost two consecutive elections may be denied the Congress ticket for the forthcoming polls.

The Pradesh Election Committee (PEC), which met in New Delhi today under the Chairmanship of the Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) President Virbhadra Singh, deliberated on the issue and other criteria to be adopted for screening candidates for the 68 seats. During the meeting lasting about 90 minutes a single-line resolution authorising Congress President Sonia Gandhi to clear the final list of candidates was also passed.

AICC general secretary Birender Singh, along with 15 members, attended the meeting.

The committee will again meet on September 29 to shortlist the names of candidates for each seat on the basis of the “winnability” criteria. Further, detailed information on the impact of delimitation in various constituencies and some other data as per the format of the AICC will be prepared for the next meeting.

As per the criteria discussed during the meeting those who lost their security deposit or polled less than 25 per cent vote in the 2007 Assembly polls will not be considered. Further, representation to other backward classes, gaddis, women and other sections will also be subject to “winnability” criterion. Candidates from the frontal organisations will be given ticket, but only if they have good prospects of winning the poll. Ticket will not be allotted just for the sake of giving representation, unlike the past.

The party had received 760 applications through the Block, District and Pradesh Congress Committees.

There will be no problem in case of seats from where there is only one application, and similarly all the sitting MLAs, except those whose constituencies have been reserved or thrown open after delimitation, will be given ticket. The party hopes to decide by consensus after trimming the list on basis of the approved criteria.

Chandigarh, September 24
The silent lanes of Kasauli, an erstwhile colonial hill station 60 km from here, will wake up to an exciting literary spell when some high-profile names of India’s writing community gather here next month to debate on issues concerning literature and society in the backdrop of the town’s pleasant atmosphere.

The occasion is rather unusual. It is the return of 97-year-old Khushwant Singh to Kasauli, not in person, but through the Khushwant Singh Literature Festival, which is being organised by his son Rahul Singh and close friends at the Kasauli Club from October 12 to 14.

The festival is being held to bring alive diverse subjects that are of interest to Khushwant Singh and celebrate the ecology of Kasauli, in the backdrop of which the grand old man of Indian literature wrote several newspaper columns and literary works. The place has remained the summer home of the noted writer for over half a century.

While the presence of Khushwant Singh will be through video-conferencing, the expected presence of persons like Pradip Krishen, Ruskin Bond, Anita Desai, Salima Hashmi (Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s daughter), Rahul Bose, Shobhaa De and Lord Meghnad Desai, besides others, will ensure enough literary ‘sweat’ and ‘oomph’ to sway the town.

“A lot of literary activities are expected as the festival begins on the evening of October 12,” says Niloufer Bilimoria, one of the festival directors. According to her, the festival is open to everyone and they want it to be a regular annual event.

She says the idea of the festival is not only the celebration of the literary get-together, but benefit for Kasauli it as well. The profit earned from the festival will be used for the ecological development of the town, she adds.

While organisers of the festival say the final schedule of the event is under process, sessions expected include ecological authors Pradip Krishen and Anand Sethi discussing ecological issues.

Ruskin Bond, born in Kasauli, will return to talk of his birthplace and his favourite mountains. Mandeep Rai will unfold the story of the Raj in the hills with an account of the building of Kasauli and Sanawar.

Anita Desai is expected to narrate with understandable emotion her time in Kasauli. Deepti Naval will talk about her growing years in the region.

Salima Hashmi will be in conversation with Wall Street Journal’s Vibhuti Patel, bringing alive legendary poet and political activist Faiz and his friendship with Khushwant Singh.

Former New York Times author Pranay Gupte and Shobhaa De will regale the gathering with a lively discussion on women and prudery in public life among Indians.

The festival will start with ‘Not a Nice Man to Know’, featuring Khushwant Singh in a video chat with Rahul Singh and journalist Bachi Karkaria.

Chandigarh-based Kishie Singh, who is the press coordinator, says the final programme will be released a week before the festival.

The main panel of directors include Rahul Singh, former Delhi Public School vice-principal Deepa Raghavan, management consultant Dr Hiru Bijlani, journalist-cum-writer Malavika Sangghavi, who is also the curator, Vichitra Sharma, Kishie Singh and human resource specialist Chandan Bhullar.

Shimla, September 24
The bodies of two class-VI students of the Convent of Jesus and Mary were found between St Bede’s College and Sanjauli on the Cart Road here under mysterious circumstances this afternoon.

The bodies were found in a pool of blood in the middle of the road around 4:30 pm. The girls, Nancy Thakur and Sakshi Thakur, both aged 12, were good friends.

Considering it to be a case of accident, the girls were rushed to Indira Gandhi Medical College, where they were declared brought dead.

Police officials said initially it was termed as a case of hit-and-run, but as police investigations proceeded, it was found that they fell under mysterious circumstances from the hillside above the road, where their schoolbags were found.

The police took fingerprints from their belongings found on the hillside and videographed the site from where they fell. The cause of their death would be ascertained only from the post-mortem report.

Dharamsala, September 24
Differences are still prevailing among the Tibetan community over the change in the name of the Tibetan government-in-exile and devolving of powers to the elected leadership by the Dalai Lama.

An illustration to this effect was given in the address of Penpa Tsering, Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, on the last day of the parliamentary session that ended on September 22.

Just three days ahead of a special meeting to review the situation in view of over 50 cases of self-immolation in Tibet, Tsering said Tibetans should sink their differences over various issues. He said a special meeting would be held from September 25 to 28.

Tsering said Dharamsala, headquarters of Tibetans in exile, should not send out mixed political messages ahead of the second special meeting of Tibetans.

He was giving the concluding address of the fourth session of the 15th Tibetan parliament-in-exile, held from September 14 to 22.

Reflecting on the ongoing political and social turmoil in China, Tsering said Dharamsala should not send out mixed political messages at a time Beijing was closely observing Tibet.

He said it was important to show a united front and clearly tell Chinese leaders and people that all Tibetans were united in seeking genuine autonomy and were not demanding independence.

The parliament-in-exile reviewed the work of the Kashag and amended the Charter of the Tibetans in exile, effecting the change of the title of Kalon Tripa (Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile) to Sikyong (leader of the Tibetan people).

Asserting his close understanding of the Dalai Lama’s wishes, the Speaker thanked parliamentarians for unanimously approving the change in title.

He noted that the new title reflected a continuation of the historical Tibetan system of governance and retained the legal significance of the democratically elected office.

The parliament-in-exile also unanimously adopted a resolution, after a full day of discussion, expressing solidarity and offering prayers for Tibetans inside Tibet who continued to set themselves afire demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama.

The Speaker said a special prayer service, presided over by the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan religious leaders, would be offered for the self-immolation protesters and their families after the special meeting.

Over 600 Tibetans were expected to take part in the second special meeting of Tibetans called by the Kashag and the parliament-in-exile to hold extensive discussions and brainstorming sessions on campaign ideas and plans for activities by Tibetans in exile in light of the critical situation in Tibet.

Representatives of Tibet support groups and Chinese friends and supporters were also expected to attend the meeting as observers.

Delegates at the four-day meeting would also deliberate on ways to garner support for the ongoing crisis in Tibet from the international community, India and South-East Asian countries.

At the end of the meeting, the Central Tibetan Administration, on behalf of Tibetans inside and outside Tibet, would offer a tenshug (long-life prayer offering) to the Dalai Lama.

Shimla, September 24
The abnormally high percentage of low grade apple may prove a boon for the state-owned HPMC as it is likely to get enough fruit for processing despite less than normal crop during the current season, unlike last year.

With only 1.48 crore boxes of apple sent outside the state till yesterday, total production is not likely to touch 2 crore boxes, but procurement under the market intervention scheme has crossed 8,000 tonne.

Last year, 5,664 tonne of fruit was procured during the entire season and the HPMC processed only 3,500 tonne. It has an installed capacity of 22,000 tonne and can process up to 12,000 tonne if adequate fruit is available throughout the harvesting season.

With almost a month to go, total procurement is likely to be over 10,000 tonne, which will ensure better capacity utilisation for the public undertaking, which has accumulated a loss of over Rs 63 crore.

The main reason for the relatively high procurement is that the fruit did not achieve full size due to unfavourable weather conditions and a hailstorm affected quality in some pockets.

Normally the percentage of extra small size (pittoo) fruit is between 10 and 15 per cent, but this season it was between 40 and 45 per cent. The large size fruit was only between 5 and 10 per cent, compared to between 20 and 25 per cent normally. The medium size fruit was between 15 and 20 per cent, compared to 40 per cent normally.

Growers packed between 25 and 26 kg of fruit per box due to lack of size, compared to between 20 and 22 kg normally, which also affected prices to some extent.

The government has increased the procurement rate this season after five years from Rs 5.25 per kg to Rs 6 per kg, which will help growers.

With the availability of adequate fruit, the HPMC can produce up to 700 tonne of apple juice concentrate, compared to only 300 tonne last year, which was sold at a high rate of Rs 150 per kg.

It will be in a position to meet its demand and may not have to procure the concentrate from Jammu and Kashmir to meet it commitments. Higher production will also help reduce operational losses this financial year.

The season has started peaking and the number of trucks leaving the state per day has come down from 720 a week ago to 500. A total of 32,817 trucks have been sent out of the state till date during this season.

Shimla, September 24
The HP High Court today restrained the state Education Department from making any appointment to any posts of teacher in any district without the permission of the court.

It further sought information from Deputy Directors (Education) of all districts in the state that how many appointments to the posts of teacher have been made in various cadres during August and September this year and directed them to furnish the details by way of filing their affidavits within three weeks.

While passing the interim order, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Dharam Chand Chaudhary observed that at present it appears there was no clarity in the appointment of teachers.

It further observed that the appointments could be made only in accordance with rules. Unless the National Council for Teachers Education permits, there could not be any exemption from passing the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) for appointment.

It further added that appointments could also not be made otherwise than the normal process of recruitment through the board. The appointment on a batch-wise basis could be made only on the basis of merit in the batch concerned and not on the merit in the TET.

The court passed this order on a petition filed by Kamlesh Rana alleging that the norms were not followed in any district in the recent appointments. It further listed the matter for further hearing on October 31.

Hamirpur, September 24
The Himachal Pradesh Ex-Servicemen Corporation (HPESC), Hamirpur, has decided to move the state high court (HC) against the order of wage reduction under the revision of minimum wages by the Director-General of Resettlement (DGR), in case of different categories of ex-servicemen employed in the state.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Chairman, HPESC, MC Pramar said: “The DGR on the recommendation of the Union Ministry of Labour had been reducing the wages of various categories of ex-servicemen working in the state after classification of various cities in the country.” He said: “The salary of a security guard that was Rs 6,091 on October 1, 2010, has been reduced by Rs 1,293 and the salary of a gunman has also been reduced by Rs 1,282 and is now getting Rs 6,469.”

Pramar said, “The DGR has also reduced the HRA and uniform allowance to employees from 10 per cent to 7 per cent.”

He said, “It is strange when all other employees are getting a wage increase, the wages of ex-servicemen of the state had been reduced. We are of the firm opinion that wages should be increased after classification and not reduced, and to fight this injustice the HPESC has decided to move the high court as the DGR has shown its reluctance to do much in this regard.”

Pramar said, “As many as 1950 ex-servicemen working in the state have been adversely affected by this decision as their wages have been reduced.” 

Hamirpur, September 24
The district committee of the Communist Party of Marxist (CPM) has decided to field former Student Federation of India (SFI) leader Anil Mankotia as the CPM candidate from the Hamirpur constituency in the Assembly elections.

Talking to mediapersons here recently, Dr Kashmir Singh Thakur and Joginder Kumar, state secretariat and district secretary of the CPM, respectively, said Mankotia would be the joint candidate of the Himachal Lok Morcha and would be supported by the HLP and the CPI.

They said the CPM was working to provide an alternative in the state and would raise issues of people in this poll.

They said the CPM would raise the issues of giving special status to the state, demanding special quota in Army recruitment, changing policies to bring out HRTC and HPSEBL from losses, to formulate transfer policy for state government employees and to demand reduction in salaries of Chief Minister, other ministers and MLAs.

Shimla, September 24
The State Election Committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to finalise the names of candidates for about 45 seats as consensus still eludes the PK Dhumal and Shanta Kumar factions over inducting three associate members-cum-legislators into the party and accommodating those who have been dislodged in delimitation.

The meeting of the State Election Committee will be held in New Delhi tomorrow to deliberate on the issue of ticket distribution. Chief Minister Dhumal, Rajya Sabha MP Shanta Kumar, national vice-president and state affairs in charge Kalraj Mishra, national general secretary JP Nadda, state party chief Satpal Singh Satti, former state party chiefs Jai Ram Thakur, Suresh Bhardwaj and Khimi Ram and MPs Anurag Thakur and Virender Kashyap are likely to attend the important meeting.

In over 40 seats where there is not much of dispute, the party is likely to clear single names tomorrow. The issue of inducting associate members Rakesh Pathania, Rakesh Verma and Hira Lal may see the party divided as Shanta Kumar has been very vocal in opposing Pathania, the Nurpur legislator.

“Pathania only contested as an Independent and did not join any other party. At one point of time, Verma was associate member of the Congress. How can we adopt double standard on the same issue,” quipped a senior committee member.

He said the same parameter would have to be applied to all three associate members and Kangra legislator Sanjay Chaudhary, who won on Bahujan Samaj Party ticket, but later joined the BJP.

The Dhumal faction asserts that the issue of party loyalty and having contested from other parties can be applied to many others, including ministers Gulab Singh Thakur, Mahender Singh and Ramesh Dhwala and legislators Govind Thakur and Ram Lal Markanday. It is certain that Shanta Kumar’s word will carry weight when it comes to deciding ticket allotment in Kangra district.

The issue of accommodating Irrigation and Public Health Minister Ravinder Ravi and former Health Minister Rajeev Bindal at other seats is also an issue which may generate heat. While Bindal is facing opposition from the Nahan BJP mandal, Rav is finding it tough to locate a seat with nobody willing to shift.

While Dhumal is likely to exert his might to secure the ticket for his staunch loyalists Ravi and Pathania, Shanta Kumar will ensure that none of his supporters are dislodged. The party may consider denying the ticket to or shifting some legislators on the issue of non-performance.

The committee is likely to clear between 40 and 50 candidates while the battle between the two factions is likely to be fought right till the end in case of others.

Shimla, September 24
Lambasting the BJP government for starting schemes without any budgetary provision, the Congress today alleged that Chief Minister PK Dhumal and ministers had laid over 1,000 foundation stones in the past two months.

Party general secretary Sudhir Sharma said here today that 37 foundation-stone-laying and inauguration functions were held in a single day in Karsog alone. On every occasion, the Chief Minister had criticised the UPA regime for ‘stepmotherly treatment’ to the state, he said.

The fact was that none of the schemes for which the foundation stones were laid could take shape without Central assistance, he pointed out.

The state was getting 90 per cent of Plan expenditure as Central grant, besides revenue deficit grant for non-Plan expenditure and special Central assistance to bridge the resource gap, he said. An amount of Rs 1,500 crore had been provided under various Centre-sponsored schemes, he added.

Revenue receipts of the state under the Dhumal regime had come down from 27 per cent of GDP in 2006-07 to 22 per cent in 2011-12, he said. As a result, revenue receipts in 2011-12, which should have been Rs 19,000 crore were only Rs 14,000 crore, he added.

He alleged leakage and theft of public revenue to the tune of nearly Rs 5,000 crore in 2011-12. He claimed that the state was poorer by at least Rs 15,000 crore over the last four years. The state had run into a debt of around Rs 26,000 crore, he added.

The government was not in a position to contribute its share of between 10 and 15 per cent to Centrally funded schemes, due to which the state had failed to take full advantage of the schemes, he said.

The government could not utilise Central assistance to the tune of Rs 2,200 crore provided under the JNNURM for development schemes for Shimla, he said.

In 2010-11 alone, Rs 36 crore under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rs 54 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna, Rs 9 crore for computerisation of panchayats, Rs 20 crore for improving tourism facilities and Rs 25 crore under the Rajiv Vidyutikaran Yojna remained unused, he added.

The state had to surrender Rs 1,256 crore of budgeted development funds in the last three years, he said. The Centre had provided nearly Rs 44,000 crore under the Plan head and the amount would exceed Rs 1,50,000 crore if non-Plan grants were taken into account as well, he asserted.

The per capita Plan assistance, which was Rs 4 in 1951-56, went up to Rs 6,732 in 1997 and to Rs 22,963 in the 11th Plan period (2007-12), he said. The revenue deficit grant shot up from Rs 40 crore in1985-89 to Rs 910 crore in 2000 and to Rs 1,528 crore in 2010, he added.

Sundernagar, September 24
A two-day training-cum-production of low-cost sanitary napkins using indigenous technologies that was organised by the Society for Technology and Development for women’s group concluded at Malori village, near here, yesterday.

The training was inaugurated by Dr Bhawana Chanana, Associate Professor, Lady Irwin College, Delhi University, that has developed the low-cost technology with the financial support from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and was recognised and awarded a “societal innovation award” by the National Research Development Corporation in 2009.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Bhawana said the initiative of this research work was towards improving the menstrual hygiene status of women belonging to the lower income strata. Besides, the efforts had been designed to train poor women to make napkins and adopt it as a self-sustaining activity. The cotton knitwear waste technology developed for the manufacture of sanitary napkins was simple and women could be trained to operate this technology.

Dr Bhawana said such eight units had been set up with the financial support from the DST in Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Meghalaya.

Hem Raj, project co-ordinator, said Suvidha (brand name of the product) cost around Rs 2 and its quality in terms of physical and hygiene parameters was comparable to branded napkins.

Dr Vijay Vishal, president, Society for Technology and Development, Mandi district, said such workshops would prove beneficial for the upgradation of the lives of females of low-income groups.

Mandi, September 24
Residents of the Bhiuli locality in this temple town have been facing water shortage for the past five days, thanks to the indifferent attitude of the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department that blamed it on the breach in the Motipur pipeline.

“We have not received water for the past two days in our house,” resented Bimla Lohia of Bhiuli.

“Earlier, we used to get water for 10 minutes a day, but from yesterday we are not getting water,” rued Lokinder Vaidya, PL Lohia and Jagdish Kapur.

“We have been lodging complaints after complaints regarding water shortage and have brought the matter to the notice of the executive engineer five days ago, but nothing has been done,” residents said.

When residents approach the IPH department officials they say “We have sent a linemen and fault is being rectified,” the residents added. The IPH blamed the issue on breach in the Motipur pipeline that was damaged by debris.

“We are on the job and water supply will be normalised soon”, said IPH executive engineer Rajmal Thakur.

Shimla, September 24
The state-level Single Window Clearance and Monitoring Authority granted approval in principle for setting up of three new industrial units and expansion of four existing industrial units, involving an investment of Rs 593.57 crore, here today.

The proposals cleared by the authority, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister PK Dhumal, include setting up of a cold chain in apple-growing area of Kumarsain with an investment of Rs 14.71 crore and similar facility at Bihal in Manali at a cost of Rs 10.58 crore.

The proposal of Jaypee Cements to expand its plant at a cost of Rs 323.99 crore in Baga village was also cleared. These units will help provide employment to 882 persons.

Dhumal said despite the fact that the special industrial package sanctioned during the NDA regime had been withdrawn by the Centre three years ahead of its scheduled time, investors were still coming with proposals due to the industry-friendly environment of the state.

He directed the authorities to ensure that all grievances of industrialists were resolved at grass-roots level.

Entrepreneurs should include housing plans for workers within the industrial complex itself, Dhumal added.