Shimla, July 13
The squabble in the Congress, over the appointment of chairmen and vice-chairmen of boards and corporations, has reached the doorstep of the party high command, which has stepped up efforts to bring about a consensus on the appointments between Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and state Congress president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu.

Both Virbhadra Singh and Sukhu today held a closed-door meeting with AICC General Secretary and In-charge of Himachal Ambika Soni in New Delhi today.

With the stalemate continuing after the first meeting, the two leaders will be meeting Soni later in the night over dinner to finally evolve a consensus, which can pave the way for the much-awaited appointments.

The main agenda of the meeting is to iron out differences between the two and resolve the dispute over the appointment of party leaders as chairmen and vice-chairmen. Virbhadra Singh has reportedly submitted a list of eight names, including Gangu Ram Musafir, Rangila Ram Rao, Harshwardhan Chauhan, Surinder Kaku, Tek Chand Dogra, Harish Janartha and Atul Sharma.

On the other hand, Sukhu is insisting on getting the appointment of former Shimla legislator Harbhajan Singh Bhajji cleared as Chairman and HPCC General Secretary and Sunil Sharma as member of the HP Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission. He is also backing Sanjay Awasthi, who had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly election from Arki in Solan.

Virbhadra Singh, sore over his men being marginalised in the constitution of the HP Congress Committee, is demanding that his loyalists be appointed as chairmen and vice-chairmen of various boards and corporations. He is insisting that rather than clearing a few names, all the appointments be made in one go.

It is the disagreement over the issue which resulted in a delay in the appointment of four leaders, whose names had been approved by the high command last week.

While Virbhadra Singh was in Delhi to attend the Conference of Congress-ruled state Chief Ministers on National Food Security Ordinance, Sukhu left for Delhi last evening to resolve the stalemate.

The Chief Minister urged UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to get the names of some more of his loyalists included in the HPCC list. “Though the possibility of the reconstitution of the HPCC is almost ruled out, some prominent names, who had been left out, including a minister whose name did not figure in the list of Members of the Executive Committee, could be included,” informed a senior leader.

The Virbhadra camp, besides seeking inclusion of some of its leaders in the HPCC, is seeking maximum share for the chairmen and vice-chairmen, whose appointment had been delayed for one or the other reason.

Last week, when it was almost certain that former minister Gangu Ram Musafir, former MLA from Shimla Harbhajan Singh Bhajji and Congress candidate from Arki in the last Assembly elections Prakash Karat would be rewarded, their appointments got delayed. Shifting of Kewal Singh Pathania as Vice-Chairman from the HPTC to the HP Forest Corporation had also received the nod of the party high command.

Setting house in order Meeting was held to iron out differences between Virbhadra Singh and state Congress president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu To resolve the dispute over the appointment of party leaders as chairmen and vice-chairmen The CM has demanded that his loyalists be appointed as chairmen and vice-chairmen of boards and corporations The CM is insisting that rather than clearing a few names, all the appointments be made in one go

Shimla, July 13
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said the Himachal Government had started the process for formulating an action plan to implement the National Food Security Ordinance (NFSO) in letter and spirit.

He was speaking at the Conference of Congress-ruled state Chief Ministers on NFSO in New Delhi today. “The Himachal Government will ensure it meets the nutritional standards, fixed under the ordinance, related to cooked meals for children at anganwadi centres and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme being implemented in government schools,” he said.

Virbhadra Singh said the provision of free meals during pregnancy and lactation period, along with maternity benefits of Rs 6,000, would ensure safe deliveries and reduce the infant and maternal mortality rate in the state.

He said the state government was providing foodgrains and pulses at subsidised rates to all the ration card holders in the state under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). He said the ordinance may exclude about 18.85 lakh persons from the TPDS and also reduce monthly allocation by 17,094 MT of foodgrains to the state.

He said the state government would continue to provide foodgrains to all families, irrespective of the fact whether they were covered under the ambit of the ordinance or not. He requested the Central Government to provide foodgrains, wheat and rice, at the current level of 43,995 MT per month.

The Chief Minister said the below poverty line (BPL) families in the state were currently getting 20 kg wheat and 15 kg rice per month, irrespective of their family size. He added that the state government would maintain the present level to these families and requested the Centre to allocate food grains at BPL price at existing level of allocations.

Palampur, July 13
A consignment of foodgrains dispatched to Bara Bhangal by the district administration last month has been held up at Bara Gram village. Official sources said a mule path leading to the remote area had been washed away at several points.

Foodgrains to land-locked Bara Bhangal valley are sent through the 60-km mule path every year between June 15 and August 31 before the valley is closed after snowfall.

Official sources confirmed that 1,000 quintals of foodgrains sent last month were lying at Bara Gram village as mules carrying foodgrains could not move further because of heavy landslides and soil erosion at different places.

Naresh Kumar, carriage contractor, assigned the job for the delivery of foodgrains at Bara Bhangal, said he had informed the district authorities in June that the mule path leading to Bara Bhangal had got washed away at some points. Therefore, it would not be possible to move beyond Bara gram villages with mules.

He said limited time was left with him to carry the consignment of foodgrains to Bara Bhangal as after August 31 as there was every possibility of snowfall at Thamsar Pass (at 18,000 feet MSL), which had to be crossed on the way to Bara Bhangal.

OP Thakur, SDM, Baijnath, told reporters here today that he had already informed the Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, in this regard and efforts were being made to restore the mule path.

Kishori Lal, Congress MLA, Baijnath, said he had taken up the matter with the Chief Minister, who had assured him that foodgrains would be delivered by next fortnight.

Chuni Lal, panchayat pardhan, Bara Bhangal, said the mule path had been washed away at one dozen points. Besides, both the pillars of the Kala Handi foot-bridge had developed cracks. If timely action was not taken, over 600 persons living in Bara Bhangal would face hunger in the coming months. He said he had given all these facts in writing to the SDM, Baijnath.