The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Green tribunal’s order to clean engraved rocks irks Buddhists Seek CM’s intervention on rocks bearing mantras in Rewalsar Mahesh Chander Sharma Sundernagar, October 29 Buddhists of Rewalsar are up in arms against the National Green Tribunal order to prevent the defacement of rocks in Mandi. They have appealed to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to intervene into the matter so that the orders of the tribunal could be amended. They alleged that the way employees of the nagar panchayat cleaned engraved rocks bearing mantras had hurt their religious sentiments. Acting on the order of the tribunal, which was passed during its circuit in Shimla, officials of the Nagar Panchayat cleaned the engraved rock, bearing some mantras (painted and carved), situated in the heart of Rewalsar town on Thursday. Some Buddhists objected to it at which the officials demanded police protection so that work has been done under the supervision of the police. Rewalsar Nagar Panchayat Junior Engineer Ajay Sharma said two persons had been deputed since Thursday to remove paint and stains from rocks with the help of a blower lamp and a paint remover. He said the work was being carried out under the supervision of the police to avoid any untoward incident. Sundernagar DFO Ajeet Thakur said the staff was deputed as per the order of the tribunal and soon the staff of the Forest Department would start its work in the forest area. He said that officials of the Nagar Panchayat have been working on the other government lands. Earlier, a deputation of the Buddhists met officials of the district administration, but the officials declined to intervene into the matter.
	Infant mortality rate on decline in state, says Health Minister Tribune News Service Shimla, October 29 Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said the state had made a steady progress in bringing down the mortality rate, particularly Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR), which were lower than the national average. He said IMR of the state was 36 per 1000 while NMR was 28 per 1000 as compared to the national average of 42 per 1000 and 31 per 1000 respectively. He was speaking during the "State Consultation for Intensification and Harmonization of Efforts in High Priority Districts for improved Maternal and Child Health Outcomes" organised under the National Rural Health Mission and in partnership with the USAID recently. He said Himachal Pradesh with its unique culture of inclusiveness, social entrepreneurship and innovations managed to reduce childhood illness and death. The government had adopted various approached to take care of reproductive, maternal, newborn child and adolescent heath (RMNCH+A). It planned to induct 7,750 ASHA workers in the state and the process would be completed soon, he said. These workers would help to deliver better healthcare services, especially in the rural areas, he added. He said two nutritional rehabilitation centres were being established at IGMC, Shimla, and Dr RPGMC, Tanda, besides the establishment of special newborn care units in all district hospitals. Health Minister said condom vending machines were being provided at all district headquarters from November this year and sanitary napkins would be given to all adolescent girls. A new scheme of inter-facility transfer had been introduced for the first time in the state under which patients would be referred directly to tertiary care institutions like the IGMC. The facility of 125 dedicated ambulances for pregnant women had been approved, he added. Principal Secretary (Health) Ali Raza Rizvi emphasised on the need of adopting a holistic approach to end preventable child deaths. James Brouder, delegate of the United States Agency of International Development, said Himachal Pradesh was excelling in the health sector and gave details of health programmes assisted by the United States of America in India.
	Loan waiver may help weavers tide over crisis Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service Kullu, October 29 The recent loan waiver scheme announced by the Union Textiles Ministry gave a new lease of life to the handloom sector, which has been reeling under the current economic slowdown and lean tourist season. The Union Textile ministry announced a loan waiver scheme for weavers and cooperatives to bail them out of the economic crisis. “We welcome the decision as it would help weavers and societies to withstand the economic crisis,” said weavers. The sales of handloom products like Kullu shawls, stoles and other woolen products have gone down by 15-20 per cent due to the lean tourist season, hit by the Kinnaur and Uttarakhand flash floods, said the managers of the Himbunkars and Bhuttico, the two largest handloom cooperatives in the state. Machine-made fabrics in the name of handloom material dumped here from Ludhiana and Chandani Chowk are posing threats to local weavers and affecting local handloom markets, the weavers said. Only the recently-concluded Kullu Dasehra festival has brought some respite for the weavers and the handloom industry in this season. “The sale in Dasehra time hovered around about Rs 90,000 to Rs1 lakh, witnessing a dip of 10 per cent compared to last year,” said MR Thakur, sale manager, Himbunkar, the handloom federation of 6,000 artisans and 300 primary societies. “The sale picks up in the last two days of Dasehra,” he added. The economic slowdown, in fact, has cast its shadow on the handloom industry for the last three years. The growth of the industry in terms of sale has decreased by 10- 15 per cent during this period, the managers said. The sale of handloom also proportionately depends on the good apple crop. The crop was good this year, but the return was lean due to the crash in markets as consumers seem to worried about buying onion over apple and handloom, said Bhottico’s, DGM marketing, Tikkam Ram. The growth in the handloom sector was about 15 per cent for the past three years, but it has declined to 10 per cent this year. Even the prices of woolen products have increased by 10-15 per cent as the prices of wool, basic raw material for the handloom have increased from Rs 500 kg to Rs 1,100 kg corresponding to the past three years, artisans said. Bhuttico earned Rs 10.65 crore in 2012-13. “We expect to achieve a target of this 10 per cent increase in the profits,” said Ram. The Himbunkar has increased its last five years’ sale turnover to Rs 3 crore from Rs 1.5 crore in 2007-08. “The growth has been slow in the last two years to due slowdown and lean tourist season, but we are organising sale-cum-exhibitions in the country to boost sales,” said Samir Sharma, Himbunkar manager.
	Workshop on employability skills organised Our Correspondent Kangra, October 29 A workshop on “Employment Opportunity in Retail Sector” was organised by the Training and Placement Cell of the School of Business and Management Studies, Central University of Himachal Pradesh. It was conducted by Rahin Mittal, Head, EOS Education Ventures, a Vocational Training Provider, who focused on grooming students for the necessary skills required to excel in the corporate sector. Dr Sanjeev Gupta, HoD, Accounting and Finance, of the school, emphasised on the pressing need of developing employability skills among the youth to counter unemployment or lack of employability skills. Dr Ashish Nag, convener, Training and Placement Cell of the school, said students were imparted training in employable skills during the workshop. Dr Nag said students were also given information about the Central government-funded STAR Scheme, which was being implemented through the National Skill Development Council. The objective of this scheme was to encourage skill development for youth by providing monetary rewards for the successful completion of approved training programmes, he added. He said such workshops enabled students to keep themselves abreast of the latest developments in the corporate sector and prepare them to face challenges of job market successfully. Dr Bhagwan Singh, Head, Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, thanked Mittal for sharing the invaluable information with the students.
	Shanta Kumar takes on Centre over rising onion prices Holds faulty policies responsible for the upward swing Our Correspondent Palampur, October 29 Former Chief Minister and MP Shanta Kumar strongly criticised the Union Government for its failure to check rising onion prices today. Briefing mediapersons here this morning, Shanta Kumar said there was no shortage of onion in the country. He said faulty policies and planning of the government had led to the rise in the prices, which had adversely hit the common man. He said the Union Government was well conversant with the situation six months ago when onion touched Rs 50 per kg but no steps were taken to check its hoarding or discontinue its export. Now, after a gap of six month, when the prices of onion crossed Rs 100 per kg, the Union Government proposed to stop its export. He said this step should have been taken six months ago. Shanta Kumar alleged that the UPA government openly helped the hoarders and black marketers who earned crores of rupees. He said there was no shortage of onion in the country, but due to mismanagement of Central Government, its prices touched a new high. He said if the export of onion was stopped today, the prices would come down to Rs 30 to Rs 40 in a day. He said the government should firmly deal with hoarders and black marketers.
	Naturalists seek aviary in Kalatop-Khajjiar habitat Our Correspondent Chamba, October 29 Of late nature lovers of this region have reiterated their long-pending demand of setting up an aviary house for the breeding of pheasants in the vicinity of the Kalatop-Khajjiar wildlife sanctuary or the wooded Sahoo valley in the district. These suburbs are ideally suited for the breeding and restocking of western tragopan in the wild. For this, steps should be taken to create a buffer zone during the breeding season by proper watch wards etc. With this, the population of the western tragopan will multiply manifold. The creation of such an aviary house in the district will also go a long way in attracting tourists from home and abroad, says Navneet Chowfla, a naturalist of Chamba.
	Banks told to speed up issuance of kisan credit cards Our Correspondent Bilaspur, October 29 Banks of the district have achieved a target of Rs 103.50 crore, about 22.25 per cent of the total annual credit plan of Rs 465 crore, in the June ending first quarter, said Deputy Commissioner Ajay Sharma on the sidelines of a meeting of the District Annual Credit Plan Review Committee here today. The DC said targets of 85 per cent and 27 per cent in priority sectors and non- priority sectors, respectively, had been achieved. He urged all bankers to ensure maximum bank credit under the priority sectors as it is important for faster economic development of the district. He exhorted them to speed up the process of issuing kisan credit cards (KCC) to farmers. He said till now only 47,557 kisan credit cards had been issued to farmers’ families in Bilaspur. District lead bank officer (UCO bank) KC Sharma said the banks did business of Rs 3,498.38 crore till June 30 against Rs 2,906 crore during the corresponding period last year in the district. Reserve Bank of India (Shimla) assistant manager TS Varma, NABARD DDS Vijaya Negi and DRDA project officer RS Chandel were present at the event.
	‘People still unaware of banking Lok Pal’ Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service Kullu, October 29 The banking regulator, Lok Pal of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had received over 3,900 complaints, most of them related to ATMs against both private and public sector banks functioning in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. The banks included SBI, PNB, HDFC, and ICICI in most cases, said Ashok Kumar, AGM, RBI. Bank customers lodged complaints with the RBI Lok Pal, Chandigarh, after erring banks did not take remedial measures. But customers in Himachal had little awareness about the banking Lok Pal as 98 per cent complaints were lodged by customers in Punjab, Chandigarh and three district of Haryana covered under the Lokpal in the region, said the AGM. These facts came to light here as the RBI Lokpal has staged an exhibition at the Kullu Dasehra ground to create awareness among people of the state. “We have put the exhibition last year here as well to create awareness about the Lok Pal and how to get redressal of complaints against erring banks,” said Ashok, who is handling the exhibition here. He said most complaints related to the ATM withdrawals. The amount was debited from customer’s bank account even when cash was not dispensed by the ATM. In such case, dispute arose when two banks were involved — the account holder bank and the ATM withdrawal bank — he added. Ashok said bank account holders should know that the Lok Pal entertained complaint against a bank if a customer was account holder of a bank concerned and had apprised the bank about the complaint. A customer could file a complaint with the Lok Pal and await its redressal within one month, he added. He said more than 95 per cent complaints had been redressed by the Lok Pal. “If the Lok Pal does not redress the complaint in time, the customer can lodge an appeal before the RBI Deputy Governor to get justice,” he added. He said, “The RBI imposes fine on erring banks and orders repayment of amount along with the penalty as provided under the provisions of the Lok Pal.”
	29 sweetmeat shops raided Bilaspur, October 29 A team of officials led by District Foods Safety Officer Atul Kayastha raided 29 sweetmeat shops in the district. The team destroyed sweets weighing two-and-a-half quintals as those were found unfit for human consumption. Reports said the team visited Ghumarwin, Barthin, Shah Talai, Daslehada and Balh Seena bazaars. Atul Kayastha said stale sweets can harm the human body and the checking was aimed at ensuring that consumers get healthy and fresh sweets ahead of Diwali. — OC
	Himachal diary Play leaves audience in splits at Gaiety Theatre Shimla's historic Gaiety Theatre reverberated with peels of laughter as the local Amateur Dramatics Club (ADC) staged an entertaining English comedy play "Double Trouble for Mr Singhal". The play revived the days of pre-independence era when plays were performed regularly to enthral the families of British officers. Based on the idea of Ray Cooney's classic play "Run for Your Wife", the play directed by well-known writer Raja Bhasin portrays the story of a civil servant Singhal who is having two wives and virtually living two lives, shunting between his flats in Chhota Shimla and Chauhr Maidan. Caught in his own web, he tries to extricate himself only to land up in ridiculous but comic situations. The role of the neighbour, who tries to help but gets trapped in the web, made the audience burst into laughter. The role of civil servant Singhal was played by Anil Walia, while Poornima Chauhan played the character of first wife Roopa. Sangeeta Sood plays the role of second wife Rita. There were three more characters, police inspector Pratap Singh (played by Girish Manocha), Policeman Karma Singh (Sudhir Khanna) and a standing gardener (Dhruv Rajour ). All the characters were important and contributed to the comic flavour. making it a classic play. Young Reuban John and Nitesh Sharma provided the background music and architect Sachin Misra and Dhruv Bhasin designed the set. In all three performances were held and Army Commander Lt Gen Sanjeev Madhok was the Chief Guest on the final day. Founded in 1837 by British army officers, the ADC has revived the theatre activities after the restoration of the Gaiety Theatre. Golf championship With the monsoon withdrawing from the region, the sprawling golf course at Naldehra is again buzz with activity. The erstwhile royal family of Koti organised its annual event the Koti Golf Cup Championship, in which golfers from and outside the state participated. Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil, who was the chief guest at the valedictory function of the three-day event, said surrounded by lush green deodar forests, the Naldehra golf course was one of the most picturesque place, which attracted a large number of tourists. The state government would extend all facilities to develop the 108-year-old golf course and promote the sport, he added. He said the place was also important from the heritage point of view and complimented the erstwhile royal family of Koti for organising the unique event for past 15 years. He said the tournament had become a popular among golfers. Championships like the Koti Golf Cup has gone a long way in promoting the game as well as tourism. He lauded the efforts of avid golfer and captain of Naldehera Golf Club Brig (retd) BS Kanwar in organising the event and promoting the sport. Dinesh Kapur won the overall trophy (Gross Best Card) while Abhey Gupta finished as runners-up. He secured the first position in 0 to 8 category , while Arjun Chanana finished second. In 9 to 13 category, VC Pharka and KD Verma won the first and the econd position while Abhay Gupta won in 14-18 category and JP Singh finished second.Arjun Channa secured the second place in 9 to 13 category while VC Pharka and Dr KD Verma bagged the first and the second position. In the 14 to 18 category , Abhay Gupta Bagged stood first and JP Singh grabbed the second position. Ashwani Mehta and Baljit Singh were closest to pin with 13 feet and 11 feet 11 inches. Sumitra Chandel was winner in ladies' putting and Santosh finished second. In all 45 Golfers, including 23 golfers from different parts of the country participated. Ally turns foe The proverb "politics makes strange bedfellows" has proved true once again in the hill state. This time it has been has been been characterised by Sujanpur MLA Rajender Rana, who was elected as an independent after parting ways with the BJP. He was the BJP spokesman and a trusted lieutenant of former Chief Minister PK Dhumal, who during his tenure as CM, had appointed him chairman of the state media advisory committee. After revolting against Dhumal and winning as an Independent, Rana took a complete U-turn and became an associate member of the Congress Legislature Party. Rana, who once was ardent follower of Dhumal and a strong critic of Chief Minister Virbhdra Singh, is now singing in tunes of Chief Minister Virbhdra Singh. Grand shows he once organised for Dhumal were now being organised for Virbhdra Singh. His clout was visible during the recent tour of Virbhadra Singh and his association is certainly proving beneficial to the Congress in the BJP's citadel. Contributed by Rakesh Lohumi and DP Gupta