Delhi, February 1
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today launched the direct benefits transfer (DBT) scheme in Haryana. It has been launched for seven schemes in Ambala and Sonepat districts .

Hooda sent an email to the Deputy Commissioners of Ambala and Sonepat districts here, which was followed by the disbursal of the due amount among 3,338 beneficiaries. These beneficiaries were transferred an amount of Rs 323.33 lakh. With this, Haryana become the leading state to have distributed 25 per cent of the total central scheme benefits from January 1, 2013.

Hooda had a video conference with the two Deputy Commissioners and beneficiaries, who received the amount today. Hooda described the scheme as a gift to people from the UPA government on the occasion of New Year. He said the DBT scheme would be beneficial to the poor as they would get the money in time.

Hooda said the government would launch the DBT scheme in the entire state from April 1 after its successful implementation in Ambala and Sonepat districts.

In the first phase, the government had launched the DBT scheme for post-matric scholarship for SC students, post-matric scholarship for OBC Students, National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme, national scheme for incentive for girl children for secondary education, post-matric scholarship for minority students, national means-cum merit scholarship for minority scholars and the Janani Suraksha Yojana. The total number of beneficiaries under the above schemes is 9,639 in Ambala and 6,509 in Sonepat, he added. 

Chandigarh, February 1
The Press Council of India has dismissed a complaint filed by Sanjiv Chaturvedi, a Haryana-cadre Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, against The Tribune.

The officer had been alleging irregularities in various projects launched by the state government. The government chargesheeted him.

On his representation, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) conducted an inquiry in which Chaturvedi’s contentions were upheld and the chargesheet against him was quashed.

However, the Haryana government rejected the report and urged the MOEF to have a relook into the matter. The MOEF sought the opinion of the Chief Vigilance Commissioner, who recommended a CBI inquiry.

The Tribune carried a report on January 16, 2012, that the state was unlikely to go for a CBI inquiry as it had already rejected the report of the MOEF. The report also carried the version of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Haryana, denying the allegations levelled by Chaturvedi.

Chaturvedi complained to the Press Council of India, accusing The Tribune of publishing “highly defamatory and distorted” news against him.

After hearing The Tribune, the Press Council dismissed the complaint.

Rewari, February 1
The police has arrested Mahipal (20) who allegedly tried to molest a 10-year-old girl at Nimoth village in the district on Wednesday.

He was produced in a local court which remanded him in 14-day judicial custody.

The Khol police registered a case under Section 354 (Attempt to outrage the modesty of a girl) of the IPC and Sections 8, 32, 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act-2012 against the accused on the complaint of the victim’s father.

Sources said when the girl was playing near her house, Mahipal, in an inebriated state, took her inside his cattle shed and started molesting her.

In the meantime, her mother, who was looking for her, reached there and raised an alarm.

The accused fled after seeing her mother.

Sonepat, February 1
The police today arrested Krishan, an accused in the rape of a 22-year-old girl of Gorar village on Thursday. He will be produced in a court tomorrow.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Balbir Singh said Krishan, stated to be serving in the Delhi Police, had been absconding from the duty for the past three months. He was arrested from the Kharkhoda area.

The accused raped the girl when she had gone to fields to bring fodder. After committing the crime, Krishan escaped and a case was registered in the Kharkhoda police station on the complaint of the victim’s father.

Kaithal, February 1
A village panchayat in Kaithal district has resolved to not resort to road blockade on any issue. It would socially boycott of anyone who went against this decision.

Representatives the gram sabha of Sakra village in Pundri tehsil of Kaithal district have passed a resolution not to block any highway or road as a mark of protest. The panchayat also decided to boycott any person who indulged in road blockades.

A few months ago, during a night stay camp of the DC, Seema Devi, sarpanch of Chausala village in Kalayat block of this district, had mustered courage to shed purdah and had given a call to women to work against this social evil.

At the November 9 night camp in Sakra village, Deputy Commissioner Chander Shekhar had asked the villagers not to waste their energy on road blockades over petty issues and counselled them to work for the development of their villages.

He had also advised them not to cause damage to any public property and to resolve their disputes at village level and maintain mutual brotherhood.

Sarita Devi, sarpanch of this village, raised her voice against road blockades, following which the panchayat passed a resolution not to resort to road blockades. 

Surajkund, February 1
The 27th Surajkund Crafts Mela-2013 commenced here today. The fanfare usually associated with the launch of the event was comparatively low key as President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate it tomorrow.

Cultural troupes from Karnataka, the 'theme state' at the mela, regaled the visitors with performances.

A stall was set up by the Haryana State Legal Services Authority for the first time. A functionary of the authority, Ravinder Gupta, said it would create awareness about the legal remedies available to the masses.

As many as 770 work huts/stalls have been set up at the ground for 1,100 artisans, weavers and craftspersons from various states of the country and abroad to display their wares.

Faridabad Deputy Commissioner Balraj Singh has imposed prohibitory oders in and around the mela premises, asking people not to carry any weapon till February 15, the last day of the event.

Chandigarh, February 1
Prominent Sikh leaders from Haryana today reiterated their demand for a separate Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee .

Sikh leaders, led by Jagdish Singh Jhinda, today submitted a memorandum to Governor Jagannath Pahadia and urged him to prevail upon the state government to pass an ordinance before the Haryana Vidhan Sabha session starting February 22 and get it passed in the Assembly session.

“The Sikh minority in Haryana has every legitimate right to have its own governing body instead of being exploited by its Punjab counterpart,” the memorandum asserted.

Karnal, February 1
The Forest Department has stopped the construction of a road by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) on forest land in the Mughal Canal area near Mela Ram School here and also filed a report against two HUDA officials.

The HUDA had arbitrarily started construction of the road and on the forest land.

The Forest Department said notice would be sent to HUDA for allegedly damaging the protected forest land.

Divisional Forest officer (DFO) Navdeep Hooda said the land belonged to the Forest Department and the construction of the road without clearance under the Forest Conservation Act was illegal and unauthorised. "We have stopped the construction work and filed a report against two erring officials — SDO and JE- and sending a notice to HUDA also," he said.

RTI activist Rajesh Sharma had informed the forest officials that the entire land in the Mughal Canal area was "protected forest land" but HUDA was unauthorisedly constructing the road, allegedly to benefit some people as there was no HUDA house or plot on the road.

The forest officials when reached the spot found the complaint to be true and reprimanded the HUDA officials and asked the contractor to pack up.

Earlier, the Forest Department had grounded the ambitious plan of the Karnal Improvement Trust to construct the second phase of the mega market complex over forest land in the Mughal Canal area by returning the proposal.

Rohtak, February 1
The Chief Minister and senior leaders of the ruling party paid tributes to the late Ch Ranbir Singh Hooda, freedom fighter and member of the Constituent Assembly of India, on his fourth death anniversary here this morning.

The incident connected with the removal of the late leader's statue of from the Canal Rest House Chowk here last evening appears to have ‘shaken’ the state government as the local authorities have been charged with mishandling the episode.

The mishandling of the incident appears to have caused embarrassment to the Chief Minister and it could have immediate fallout which could be the transfer of certain officials allegedly responsible for it, said sources in the district unit of the Congress here.

Meanwhile, the CM his wife Asha and other family members took part in the hawan performed on his death anniversary here this morning. While the CM paid a floral tribute, his wife planted saplings brought from Myanmar recently. Hundreds of party leaders, state government and district officials were among others who attended the programme.

Rohtak, February 1
Abhay Chautala, MLA, younger son of INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala, alleged that the ruling party had misused the CBI to nail his father and brother in the JBT recruitment scam. But this would backfire on the Congress and ensure that the INLD returns to power with an absolute majority.

Ashok Arora, president of the state unit of the party, alleged that corruption was reigning supreme during the tenure of the present state and union governments which got reflected in the Robert Vadra- DLF deal and asked why the CBI and other agencies had not taken any action if the law was taking its own course.

He asked party workers and supporters to continue exposing misdeeds of the government. Earlier, some party workers and supporters received minor injuries as the stage built for the public meeting at the Old Bus stand caved in as soon as the programme took off.

Chandigarh, February 1
The Haryana Congress, which had been deliberately avoiding harsh comments on the Delhi CBI court judgement convicting INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala and his elder son, among others, in the JBT recruitment scam, seems to have decided to change 
its strategy.

The INLD has launched a statewide campaign to project its leaders as victims of a Congress conspiracy. The turnout at the INLD rallies has been demoralising for Congress workers in the field. With no counter move by the Congress, the INLD claims of victimisation have started gaining ground.

To check this “falsehood”, certain Congress leaders have started speaking out.

KV Singh, OSD (Media) to the Chief Minister, has said the INLD should not mislead people by making a political issue out of what is essentially a legal issue. The opposition party should honour the verdict of the court and take legal steps to redress their grievances, if any.

He said the INLD propaganda against the Congress was “baseless and condemnable”. The Congress had never believed in political vendetta.

Singh said when on the complaint of an IAS officer, the CBI had started investigations into the case on the direction of the Supreme Court in 2003, Om Prakash Chautala was the Chief Minister of Haryana and he was supporting the NDA Government at the Centre. Similarly, when the case was registered in 2004, then also the INLD was in power in the state and it was the NDA, which was ruling in the Centre.

Rajinder Singh Pamy, general secretary of the media cell of the Haryana Congress, has also condemned the INLD for blaming the Congress for its misfortune. Pamy said it was no secret that the INLD, when it was in power, had eroded the sanctity, authority and credibility of every institution. It was the cardinal principle of democracy that all wrong-doers were equal before law. Now, when the nemesis had caught up with the INLD leaders, they were unnecessarily blaming the Congress.

Kanal, February 1
Karnal today remembered its illustrious Indo-US astronaut Kalpana Chawla, who died in the Columbia space shuttle mid-air explosion 10 years ago on February 1.

“An ordinary girl who dreamt big and literally reached for the stars, scripted a history in her tragic death, became an inspiration for the youth and brought pride to Karnal and India”. This is how she was remembered at a function at her alma mater, Tagore Public School.

Local MLA Sumita Singh presented the Kalpana Chawla Award instituted by a Delhi firm and cheques for Rs 21,000 each to two students.

Principal of the school Rajan Lamba said that it was because of Kalpana Chawala, two students of the school were representing India at NASA for the past 15 years.

Her interest in flight was inspired by J. R. D. Tata, India's first pilot. She earned a degree aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College at Chandigarh in 1982. She moved to Texas in United States for higher studies.

Chawla was chosen for the astronaut program in December 1994 and selected for her first flight in 1996.

Chawla was the first Indian-born woman and the second Indian person to fly in space.

Kaithal, February 1
The CIA branch of the Kaithal police has arrested the ninth member of a gang whose members had allegedly stolen refund vouchers from the local income tax office in August and subsequently withdrawn Rs 2.25 crore by forging signatures of an official.

The police obtained his one-day remand from a local court here today and took him to Delhi for the recovery of his share of the booty.

A police spokesperson said the gangsters had stolen 241 income tax refund vouchers on August 4 from the Kaithal income tax office and pocketed the money after withdrawing the same through different bank accounts.

The CIA team led by inspector Raj Kumararrested Ravi Kumar, alias Shiva, a resident of Nepal at present living in Kurukshetra.

The police had earlier arrested eight accused persons and recovered a part of plundered money.

Gurgaon, February 1
Haryana Roadways plans to have three more bus stands in Gurgaon city, said Yashendra Singh, General Manager, Haryana Roadways, here today.

One of the proposed bus stands in Sector 29 was likely to become operational within a couple of months while another would come up near Rajiv Chowk later this year.

Kaithal, February 1
The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) has set up 1,065 complaint centres in urban and rural areas to redress power supply complaints round-the-clock throughout the state. As many as 2,642 regular and 910 contractual employees have been deployed to attend complaints promptly.

This was stated by Chairman and Managing Director, UHBVN and Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, Devender Singh while inaugurating a complaint centre at Manas village in the district.

He said independent vehicles would be provided to operation divisions and subdivisions to attend complaints immediately.

Rewari, February 1
While a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered at Bawal police station, all 11 police personnel- two ASIs Harish and Purshottam, three head constables-- Bijender Singh, Birender, Anil and six constables- Rajender, Om Prakash, Satish Kumar, Ramesh Chand Sunil and Ram Niwas, have been suspended and a departmental probe ordered against them by Bharti Arora, SSP.

Besides,the Bawal and Kasaula SHOs have been sent to the Police Lines.

All these police personnel, manning several PCRs as well as a traffic ambulance were caught extorting “illegal money” from truck and other vehicle drivers on the National Highway no 8 here by DSP Jitender Singh Gehlot last night. — OC