Shimla, January 2
Even as the controversy surrounding Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has catapulted into a slugfest between the two rival political parties at the national level, the spate of allegations between the Congress and BJP continues unabated over the alleged favour to a power firm, executing a power project in Himachal.

Chief Ministre Virbhadra Singh has been maintaining that there was nothing illegal in taking a loan of Rs 3.90 crore by him and his MP wife Pratibha Singh from Vakamullah Chandershekhar, who, he said, was a friend for over 15 years.

Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal says that taking a loan from a person executing a project also raises the question of propriety. “If everything was as per law, then why have the shares not been shown by Pratibha Singh in her election affidavit,” he says.

BJP MP from Hamirpur and son of former Chief Minister PK Dhumal Anurag Thakur maintains that the facts are being hidden to show that Virbhadra has done no wrong.

“The Congress is saying that it is the Virbhadra regime which cancelled the project. How could he seek favour from the power firm. But the reality is that it was cancelled under pressure on November 21 after the revelations of financial transactions were made public in October,” asserts Arun Dhumal, younger son of Dhumal, who first made these revelations.

FACT FILE June 14, 2002 : Sai Koti project in Chamba granted to Venture Energy Technologies by Dhumal regime Dec 2002 : Show-cause notice issued to the firm Sept 20, 2004 : Virbhadra govt scraps agreement Feb 15, 2005 : Virbhadra again allots project to firm June 16, 2007 : Agreement signed with the firm The BJP regime gives four extensions to the firm November 2011: A loan of Rs 3.90 cr given by Vakamulla Chandershekhar to Virbhadra Singh and his wife February 2013: Rs 60 lakh was deposited in Pratibha’s account, which was not reflected in the election affidavit filed earlier. March 31, 2013 : The firm failed to pay penalty of Rs 58.18 lakh for extension May 2013: Rs 1.20 cr deposited in Virbhadra’s account. September 4, 2013 : Virbhadra regime gave extension of 10 months to the firm November 21, 2013: The project was finally cancelled by Congress regime A total of 9.80 lakh shares worth Rs 10 each bought by Pratibha and her two children in Tarini Infrastructure Limited, were not shown in the election affidavit filed by Pratibha Singh.

Una, January 2
Amid allegations of corruption, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said he drew strength from the people of Himachal Pradesh whom he considered his court, his High Court and his Supreme Court. He was addressing a public meeting at Panjawar village after laying the foundation stone of a primary health centre on which an estimated Rs 1.87 crore would be spent.

On the charges of politically victimising his opponents by former Chief Minister PK Dhumal, Virbhadra contested that he would resign from politics if the allegations were proved correct, adding that if the allegations were proved wrong, those who had levelled these should also quit politics.

Dhumal and his sons had alleged that Virbhadra had received unaccounted money from Vakamulla Chandershekhar, which was not mentioned in the former's affidavit filed with the Election Commission of India.

Admitting that it was a lapse on the part of his lawyers for not having included the receipts into his bank account in the affidavit, he said the error was rectified when his wife Pratibha Singh filed her affidavit for the Lok Sabha byelections.

"Where is the corruption," he questioned, adding, "I received money on a personal cheque on my name and I am repaying the instalments by cheque, including interest charged thereon."

Virbhadra said Dhumal, his sons and associates were unhappy with the investigations into the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Academy and issues of corruption against them. He said he had only ordered inquiries into these issues, which figured in the chargesheet by the Congress against the then BJP government.

The Chief Minister announced that the state government would soon come out with a white paper on the acts of omissions and commissions by high-ups in the previous BJP regime.

He charged the electronic medium for propagating one side of the story without making efforts to seek his version. Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Chairman of the Planning Commission Kuldip Kumar, PCC member Omkar Sharma and Haroli block Congress president Ranjit Rana were also present.

Industry Minister absent

Industry Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who is also the local MLA of Haroli segment was absent. While it was said the minister had to attend an important meeting of the Industries Department at Delhi on Friday, sources said Virbhadra Singh's most trusted Agnihotri and Urban Affairs Minster Sudhir Sharma are camping in Delhi to defuse the situation.

Kullu, January 2
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has said he has a clean image during his long political career and will vacate his office if any charges are proved against him. He has rejected to quit even if an inquiry is initiated against him as the BJP has intensified a stir against him over graft charges.

Addressing mediapersons during the inauguration of a conference room by the Press Club at Manali, 40 km from here, today, he said he might initiate a public inquiry into the allegations as he had not done anything wrong.

He said he had full regards for the BJP as a party and Arun Jaitley as a senior leader of BJP, but was surprised of Jaitley's involvement in mudslinging on being provoked by former CM's son and MP from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur.

He added that Jaitley should be aware of the legal aspects involved in the issue. He said Jaitley had raised allegations during his visit to Shimla during the Assembly polls, but the mandate of the masses proved that "Satyamev Jayate" (Truth always triumphs) as he became the CM.

He said the level of anxiety of the BJP was increasing as the misdeeds done by the previous BJP government were being probed.

He said assets worth Rs 2,800-crore were held by the HPCA and the irregularities were being investigated, which had raised the heartbeat of Anurag Thakur.

He said when the loan was accrued from a businessman, he was not a Cabinet Minister or Chief Minister and there was no guarantee of his becoming the Chief Minister in near future. The whole transaction had been done through cheques and was being repaid through cheques, he added.

He stated that the company was provided leniency period of 10 months by the government to complete the hydel project after directions by the apex court on certain conditions, which were not fulfilled by the company and the project was cancelled within six months. He further added that even the investments done by his son and daughter in another venture was done through cheques and making investments was not illegal. 

Shimla, January 2
Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh today dubbing the BJP chargesheet as misleading.

Refuting the charges levelled against him regarding the decision to outsource laboratories, Kaul Singh said the outsourcing of laboratory tests was restricted to 23 health institutions which have 100 or more beds.

The outsourced lab would collect samples between 12 noon and 9 am the next day and set up their own labs for testing purpose, he said in a statement.

He said the need for outsourcing had arisen as most of the institutions were not able to collect samples and give report round the clock due to shortage of manpower.

He said the Expression of Interests were invited SRI Ltd, New Delhi, and Modern Clinical Lab, Amritsar, submitted their bids.

Manali, January 2
The five-day National Winter Carnival commenced here today at Manu Rangshala, popularly known as Ram Bagh, with great fanfare. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh inaugurated the carnival and set the stage for colourful events.

Earlier, folk artistes from different parts of the country assembled in the compound of the Hadimba Devi temple at Dhungri. A special pooja was performed in the temple. Later, a procession was taken out from the temple to Manu Rangshala.

The procession consisted of fascinating tableau, displaying culture, tradition, art and the way of life of the people from the Kullu valley and other parts of the country.

Hundreds of artistes of the local Mahila Mandals and the Yuvak Mandals performed an active role for the carnival. Various NGOs also participated in the carnival.

Thousands of people thronged the carnival venue to have a glimpse of the blend of culture, tradition and ancient lifestyle of the Kullu valley.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was given a warm welcome by local residents of surrounding villages of the Kullu valley.

Addressing a huge gathering, the Chief Minister said Manali being a popular tourist destination, it was the responsibility of local residents to maintain the beauty of the town. He directed the Kullu administration to search for an appropriate land in Manali where Rangshala could be relocated.

The Chief Minister added that apart from apple and tourism, unseasonal vegetables had also brought prosperity among the people of Himachal and more people should concentrate on cultivation of unseasonal vegetables.

Virbhadra also announced the opening of the Manali-Hamta road for tourists and supply of the electricity to Manali from the Allain Duhangan Hydroelectric Project.

Earlier, he inaugurated the new building of the International Press Club, Manali, and a motorable bridge. He also laid the foundation stone for an old-age home at Aleo and building of fire station in Manali.

Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmauri, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anil Sharma, former minister Satya Prakash Thakur, zila parishad chairman Hari Chand Sharma, chairman, Wool Federation, Raghubir Singh Thakur, Congress general secretary Sunder Singh Thakur and Manali Hoteliers Association president Anup Thakur were also present on this occasion.

Shimla, January 2
Away from the usual lull after the mad rush of the New Year's Eve bash, tourists continue to stream into the city, sending the hotel occupancy zooming for the entire week. Hoteliers today announced 30 per cent discount on room tariff to keep the tourist inflow ticking in the city.

It is not only the lure of snow that has added charm for tourists in the outlying tourist spots of Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda, but also the lure of brilliant sunshine that has kept tourist traffic flowing from across the country, said Sanjay Thakur, a local hotelier.

From Christmas eve through the New Year bash till today, the occupancy in hotels in the city kept zooming on to 60 per cent, in some cases 90 per cent, both in private and HPTDC-run hotels, said hoteliers.

It is a new thing here - The tourist inflow is continuing here even after the New Year bash is over, said the president of the Shimla Hoteliers and Restaurants Association (SHRA). “We held a meeting today and the association members announced a 30 per cent cut on room rent for tourists from today,” he added.

He said the room occupancy used to witness a steep fall in tourist arrivals after the arrival of the new year in the city.

But the occupancy remained more than 60 per cent today and bookings and arrivals were ticking till Sunday, he added.

Family tourists chose to stay away from the mad rush of the New Year, which was dominated by the younger lot seeking kicks, said Raman Chavan, a tourist from Mumbai.

“One gets stuck in traffic jams and charges are higher in peak time. It is wiser to travel in leaner time,” added Pallavi Uppal, a tourist from Delhi.

The hoteliers expect tourist arrivals to pick up as soon as it snows in the city. “We are getting queries from various cities about snow and sunshine as foggy and hazy dry weather is an irritant in Rajasthan in winter,” added Thakur.

General Manager, HPTDC, Yogesh Behl said the hotel occupancy in their units in the city remained as high as 90 per cent till Sunday. “The tourist inflow may increase if it snows here,” he added.

Shimla, January 2
In its endeavour to reach out to the global community of scholars, the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) is exploring the possibility of entering into long-term collaborative links with academic institutions in Europe, America and England.

Dr Chetan Singh, new Director of IIAS, who assumed office here yesterday, said there was a need to reach out beyond India, and many European countries had shown a keen interest in collaborating with the IIAS.

“In view of the increased interest being exhibited by the world in the developments in India, we would like to have international collaborations and we intend to begin with South Asia and South-East Asia,” he said.

Dr Singh remained the acting Director of the IIAS from August 2013 after Dr Peter Ronald D’Souza moved to Delhi. Dr Singh will now head the institute for three years. He got formally associated with the IIAS as a Fellow in 1993 and also remained an editor of its journal “Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences”.

He said some of the European universities like Heidelberg in Germany and others too had evinced keen interest in having tie-up with the IIAS. “The ball had been set rolling by my predecessor, Dr Peter Ronald D’Souza, in this direction and I would like to take it further,” he said. He said the IIAS had witnessed a steady increase in the number of visiting foreign professors and scholars over the years in view of the country’s growing importance in the global context.

“With the golden jubilee celebrations of the IIAS schedule commencing in October 2014, a series of events, including seminars and lectures to be held in Shimla and other places, will also keep us engaged throughout the year,” said Dr Singh.

He said care would be taken to consolidate the ongoing academic activities at the institute, including the Tagore Centre and International Centre for Human Development.

Another area which Dr Singh is keen to explore at the institute is contemporary issues that go beyond the confines of fundamental research questions.

He said undertaking the conservation of the British time imposing structure, which houses the IIAS, is another challenge. “The detailed project report of the conservation plan has been approved by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and funds too will be provided to help retain the grandeur and ambiance of the premiere academic research centre of the country,” he said.

Journey so far Born on January 9, 1955, he did his college from St Stephens College, Delhi, and PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University Joined teaching in the Department of History at Panjab University in 1985 Taught in the History Department at HP University from 1987 to 2013 Having specialised in medieval Indian history, comparative study of history, society and culture in mountain regions has been another area of research interest, in which he has tied up with scholars from Switzerland

Shimla, January 2
There is no helpline for tourists who have complained of fleecing and overcharging by certain hoteliers and private contractors who run parking lots in the city. The proposal to set up an electronic system proposed by the Municipal Corporation (MC) to check overcharging is yet to see the light of the day.

“We ended up paying Rs 1,500 for parking car in the city and Rs 2,500 for a single room which did not have proper heating system,” rued Kunal and Abhiluksh, tourists from Meerut, who had come on the New Year eve here for the first time. “We do not know whom to contact and where to lodge our complaint against the parking agent and the hotelier,” they said.

Overcharging is understandable. The police have arrested two parking agents under Section 420, IPC, after the MC lodged a complaint against them, accusing them of overcharging and giving different receipts other than issued by the MC to vehicle owners.

They were not the only victims in the city. The two tourist families also lodged complaints at the tourist information office, The Mall, yesterday, against two hoteliers who overcharged them and misbehaved with them.

Deputy Director, Tourism, Surender Justa, said they would take action when they received the complaints. “We have been checking overcharging in hotels and have tourists information centre to assist them”, he added.

MC Commissioner Amarjeet said they had sought to put up the electronic barrier with LED screen to facilitate parking lots. The project was yet to start by the HP Electronic Corporation so far, he added.

Deputy Mayor Tikender Panwar said the two parking owners had been arrested yesterday. “The corporation will run parking lots after the electronic boom barriers are set up in the parking lots”, he added.

Shimla, January 2
Decks have been cleared for the implementation of an ambitious scheme of the Himachal Government to provide “netbooks” free of cost to 5,000 meritorious students of Classes X and XII.

The High Court yesterday dismissed a petition alleging irregularities in the purchase of laptops.

Dismissing the petition, the court observed: “It pains us to record that this petition became the cause of delay in supplying laptops/notebooks to needy/meritorious students of the state, which is against public interest and against the interest of students”.

The government has decided to provide netbooks (laptops) instead of tablet computers under the initiative announced in the Budget to promote computer and Information Technology literacy among school students.

Under the scheme, 2,500 meritorious students of Classes X and XII will be provided the netbooks free of cost.

Students of government schools will be selected on the basis of merit of examination of the State Board of School Education.

The cost of one notebook was pegged at Rs 16,000 while it would cost about Rs 20,000 after installing the necessary software. The total cost of the project would come to around Rs 10 crore, officials of the Education Department said.

The department decided to provide the netbooks after examining the available range of tablets, notebook and netbooks for which companies had made detailed presentations, it was stated.

The decision to purchase notebooks instead of tablets was taken as the tablets largely use their own operating systems and other software which students and teachers were not familiar with. Another reason for the purchase of notebooks was that it cost about 20 to 25 per cent less, and the amount saved was substantial.

The State Electronics Development Corporation had completed the tendering process in October last year but the purchase of notebooks was delayed due to legal wrangling.

The corporation selected the product of Acer Company which had quoted the lowest rate of Rs 16,000 per piece.

The three other bidders - Hewlett Packard, HCL Technologies and Wipro quoted Rs 16,720, Rs 18,050 and Rs 20,656, which were higher than rates quoted by Acer.

The selected netbooks will have a 10.1-inch LED display screen, 2 GB RAM, 320 GB hard disk, 1.6 GHz dual core processor and other facilities.

They will be pre-loaded with the course content, MS Office, other software, encyclopedias and an English dictionary.

The netbook will come in handy for the poor but meritorious students and help them prepare for competitive examinations for admission to various professional, engineering, management and medical courses.

For meritorious ones Those who excelled in Class X and XII state board exams in 2012-13 will get netbooks by December The netbooks will have 1.6 GHz dual core processor and Windows-8 operating system with 2 GB RAM and 320 GB hard disk

Palampur, January 2
Sale of tea gardens in the Kangra valley has become a cause of concern as in the past five years, over 2,000 kanal area under tea cultivation has been sold in violation of rules. The backdoor sale of tea gardens has caused resentment among the locals here. These developments have also posed a threat to the existence of the tea industry.

Despite the fact that the Himachal Pradesh Land Revenue Act prohibits the sale of tea gardens in the state, the government has allowed outsiders to buy tea estates in Kangra valley for purposes other than tea cultivation. One wonders how the sale deeds are being registered in such cases.

A senior officer of the Revenue Department said permission for the sale of tea gardens could be granted in extraordinary circumstances like setting up of defence units or cantonment and other government establishment.

He alleged that in the past few years, the successive state governments had misused these provisions and a number of persons with political backings had managed to get permission for the sale of land under tea cultivation.

It is surprising that outsiders, including Tibetans, have succeeded in buying tea gardens and other landed property in the region through benami land deals. Residents of Palampur, Bir, Baijnath, Gopalpur and Dharamsala have expressed concern over these developments. The laxity on the part of the state government has posed a threat to the environment of the hill region as most tea gardens are being converted into concrete jungles.

The tea industry of Kangra valley is in a crisis, thanks to the apathy of the state government that has failed to initiate steps for the revival of the Kangra tea industry. The area under tea is squeezing. In the absence of any support from the state and Union Governments, tea growers are left with no other alternative, but to sell their tea estates.

Shimla, January 2
In view of an acute shortage of specialists in the state, the Health and Family Welfare Department is contemplating having a separate cadre of specialists to woo them with better incentives and tide over the paucity, especially in rural areas.

The shortage of specialists often cripples the functioning of health institutions and this has also come as a major impediment in the effective implementation of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). It is strongly felt that having a separate cadre of specialists, like most of the states in South India, will greatly help in solving the problem of shortage of specialists. Not only will they be entitled to better and faster promotional avenues, but also get better incentives.

The faculties in which the shortage is most acute include anaesthesia, radiology, orthopaedics and gynaecology. The Health Department has a cadre of about 1,800 doctors, excluding the ones serving in the two medical colleges, Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (DRPGMC) at Tanda in Kangra. Against a minimum requirement of about 300 specialists, there are at present only a few over 200.

“In view of the shortage, we have decided to provide at least two specialists each of the main clinical branches like paediatrics, medicine, surgery gynaecology, orthopaedics in the 25 hospitals having a bed capacity of over 100,” said a senior health official. He said the number of these specialists in some of the hospitals like Mandi where there was too much patient burden has been kept higher.

It is to tide over this shortage that the state government had allowed re-employment of doctors who retire so that the shortage could be met to some extent. However, with private sector hospitals offering attractive packages, a majority of the retired doctors, especially those who have taught in the medical colleges prefer to join the private sector. “So far there are barely 15 retired doctors who have been re-employed,” said a senior official.

The state has been facing an acute shortage of doctors despite holding walk-in-interviews for specialists on several occasions. Even those who join service in Himachal do not stay for too long and invariably quit service, preferably to join big corporate hospitals. In fact, there have been occasions in the past that some of the courses in the medical colleges, including post graduation (PG) courses, faced threat of de-recognition due to inadequate teaching faculty.

The situation some time back was so bad that at the time of inspection by the Medical Council of India (MCI), the teaching faculty from Shimla would temporarily be shifted to Tanda to fulfil the faculty requirement.

Wooing set to take off The Health Department contemplates having a separate cadre of specialists, like many southern states, so as to woo postgraduate doctors Against a minimum requirement of 300 specialist doctors, there are a few over 200 Despite several walk-in-interviews not too many keen to serve in Himachal Most prefer to serve in big corporate hospitals in cities rather than serving in rural areas and district hospitals

Nurpur, January 2
Around 24 years back, a cricket stadium was proposed for sports lovers of the area, but it has failed to take shape after a prolonged wait, dismaying sportspersons. The then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had laid its foundation stone at the Chogan Army camping ground in January 1990.

The state government did not undertake any construction of the stadium for years together. It was late former minister Sat Mahajan’s dream project; he undertook concerted efforts to transfer ownership of Chogan Army camping ground to the HP Government in January 1998.

The encroachers even removed the foundation stone and grabbed some portion of the ground meant for the cricket stadium with impunity.

This stadium has remained a major issue during the last Assembly elections in the state, but nowadays, it has become a dumping site as people have started dumping building material and debris on it.

Till about a year back, this ground was being used for sponsored sports competitions, but after it turned a dumping site, no sports event could take place here during the past one year.

A lot of resentment is brewing among the sports lovers of the area over the unprecedented delay in constructing the stadium.

Inquiries reveal that the then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had sanctioned funds to the tune of Rs 1.83 crore for the construction in 2006.

Construction of the stadium started, but with change of the government in December 2007, ongoing work stopped all of a sudden. Then MLA Rakesh Pathania took a plea that the previous government had proposed only a 400-metre athletic track.

Ownership of the stadium ground measuring 24,821 square metre was transferred in the name of the State Sports and Youth Affairs Department with its mutation being undertaken in February 2012.

The previous government had tried to construct this cricket stadium through the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), for which an MoU had been signed. But again, with the change of government in December 2012, its proposed construction at a cost of Rs 4.5 crore has been shelved after the present government’s opposition to HPCA’s activities in the state.

The local sportspersons are now considering the proposed cricket stadium to be a mockery and a political gimmick for youngsters of the area.

Shimla, January 2
Taking tough stance on the issue of causing environment pollution by brick kilns operating in the state without obtaining environment clearances, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the State Pollution Control Board to ensure the shutdown of all brick kilns forthwith, which are operating without obtaining the consent of the board.

While holding a circuit court sitting at Shimla, the NGT observed: “It is surprising that the pollution control board and the department concerned of the state government are not able to work in tandem”.

The tribunal passed this order after perusing an affidavit filed on behalf of the state government where it was stated that none of the brick kilns had obtained consent or environment clearances.

During the course of hearing, the counsel for the state filed an application for seeking extension of time to formulate a policy regarding location of brick kilns in the state and sought further time to do the needful. Expressing displeasure on the working of the state authorities with regard to formulating policy vis-à-vis location of the brick kilns, the NGT granted six weeks more time for the same.

Shimla, January 2
Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh Thakur today urged Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to open a cancer hospital at Mandi, located in the central region in the state. He also urged the minister to give approval to increase in MBBS seats at the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) for the next academic session from 100 to 150.

Kaul Singh met Azad in Delhi and said the cancer hospital at Mandi would benefit patients in the central region. He said the Union minister had agreed in principle to accept the demand.

Kaul Singh further apprised Azad about the state government's demand for increase in the number of MBBS seats at the IGMC, which was pending with the government.

He informed the Union Health Minister that the construction works of Superspeciality Block at the Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda in Kangra was nearing completion. Kaul Singh urged Azad to provide more financial assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Sarv Swasthya Yojana to the IGMC, Shimla, under which the medical college had already received a grant of Rs 140 crore.

Nurpur, January 2
The BJP rebels from Kangra district who had contested the last Assembly elections after denial of party tickets yesterday convened a closed-door meeting at Nagrota Surian in Jawali sub-division to formulate their future political strategy in the wake of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The meeting which was presided over by former MLA of Nurpur Rakesh Pathania was attended by former minister and ex-MLA (Guler Assembly segment) Dr Harbans Rana along with BJP rebels who had contested the last Assembly elections as Independents Sanjay Guleria (Jawali), Kamla Patial (Dharamsala), Ravi Dhiman (Jaisinghpur) and former district Chamba BJP president Bhupinder Singh Chauhan (Bhatiyat).

They vowed to keep their flock united before the Lok Sabha elections that are round the corner, bring all party rebels across the state on one front and accept their entry into the BJP only in a dignified manner.

Sources reveal that the rebels took a decision that they would take their supporters into confidence before their re-entry into the party and abide by the sentiments of their cadre.

They also expressed their resentment over nominations of party office-bearers at different levels "made on the basis of favouritism and personal loyalties by ignoring mass-based and dedicated party workers in the past".

They asserted that the party leadership would be urged to revoke such appointments in the organisation and conduct fresh organisational elections of mandal and district units to pave the way for elections in a democratic manner before the Lok Sabha elections.

At the meeting, the appointments on top organisational posts in the state and district units of the BJP were also discussed specifically in the context of the polling booths where the BJP had derailed to the third position and some candidates who had lost even their security deposits in the last Assembly elections. They also alleged that the BJP was not looking serious about winning the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

In this connection, when former minister Harbans Rana was contacted, he admitted that a number of BJP rebels had met at Nagrota Surian on Wednesday to consider their future political line of action but he declined to divulge the details.

Shimla, January 2
Following the recent ruling of the Supreme Court, president of the HP State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission Justice Surjit Singh removed red beacon from his official vehicle.

The apex court in its ruling had said red beacons could be used only on vehicles of high constitutional dignitaries.

Acting swiftly on the recent judgment, Justice Surjit removed the red beacon from his official vehicle last month. However, he is included in the list of dignitaries entitled to use red beacon on his official vehicle. Perhaps he is the first dignitary in the state who has removed the red beacon from his official vehicle.

Sundernagar, January 2
A seven-day NSS camp started at Maharaja Laxman Sen Memorial Postgraduate College here today.

Around 102 NSS volunteers are taking part in the camp, which is being organised by the NSS unit of the college headed by programme officer Prof Sanjay Sharma.

Sanjay said the volunteers had adopted Beena village situated near the town. They would carry out manual work in the village and on the college campus where different academic activities would be carried out.

On the opening day of the camp, former member of the NSS Advisory Council of HP University, Shimla, Dr CP Kaushal apprised the volunteers of the objectives of the NSS.

He said the NSS was a viable scheme for students of universities, colleges and schools at XII level. More than 3.5 million were enrolled in the scheme across the country. So far, more than four crore students had benefited from the scheme, which was started in 1969.

Kangra, January 2
The education system should be focused on grooming students in the skills required to excel in the corporate sector. Training and placement programmes enable students to keep themselves abreast of the latest developments in the sector and prepare them to face challenges of the job market successfully.

This was stated by Prof Hans Raj Sharma, Dean, Students Welfare, Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP), in his inaugural speech during a three-day certification programme in the retail sector. Started today, it was organised by the Training and Placement Cell of the School of Business and Management Studies, CUHP, in collaboration with EOS Education Ventures, Delhi, at Shahpur.

Dr Ashish Nag, Training and Placement Coordinator, said the programme was implemented by the National Skill Development Council (NSDC) and the Retailers Association Skill Council of India (RASCI) under the Star National Skill Certification and Monetary Reward scheme. He said the scheme was aimed at providing vocational training to students across the country in various sectors.

Bilaspur, January 2
The state government is laying stress on quality education and several steps have been taken in this direction by it.

This was stated by Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Rajesh Dharmani while presiding over the annual prize distribution function of Government High School at Kothi, 30 km from here, yesterday.

Dharmani said apart from academic pursuits, sports and games, students’ health was another concern for the government. All students up to middle school were being given mid-day meals, iron and folic acid tablets and checked up under the school health programme.

The CPS said all girls were getting free education and students of weaker sections were getting stipends, free text books and free education. A recent order of the Chief Minister had given all students the benefit of free travel in buses to school and back. Talented students were getting attractive scholarships, he said.

Dharmani exhorted students to devote some time to the service of society.

He said Rs 17 lakh had been sanctioned for the construction of a science laboratory, library and arts and crafts hall. He announced a grant of Rs 2 lakh for a school playground and a stage. He would ensure that funds were provided for concretising badminton and other courts.

Earlier, Head Master Rakesh Kumar Mankotia read out the school progress report. The CPS gave away prizes to students who had excelled in various activities.

Those who were present on the occasion included Deputy Director of Education PS Dhatwalia, panchayat president Sunita Dhiman, BDC member Ramesh Kumar, school management committee president Bora Ram and former Head Master Surjan Ramban among others.