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Dhumal ‘evasive’ in reply to Vigilance queries
Pulses scam debate a tame affair
Assembly in session
Naglahar plots to be cancelled
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Cold wave continues
Grant for hill states a joke, says Dhumal
CII welcomes Interim Budget
Move to impose tax on rural panchayats
opposed
PCMA Research Award conferred on HPU prof
ATM with Rs 7 lakh lifted in Baddi
Budget a bundle of false promises: BJP
Villagers end stir at hydro project site
Power Board employee gets electric shock
Ex-MLA Karam Singh’s death mourned
Interviews from Feb
22
Army truck crushes vegetable vendor to death One injured in bear attack Mandi schools closed on Feb 19, 20 Man gets 2-year jail Man held for molestation
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Dhumal ‘evasive’ in reply to Vigilance queries
Dharamsala, February 18 The Vigilance had also asked him why the land for the international cricket stadium was given on lease for Re 1 when the Finance Department had objected to giving concessions. Dhumal replied that the file regarding the grant of lease to the HPCA cricket stadium was dealt with by the secretary concerned and the sports ministry. Dhumal maintained that the file had come to his office only when his permission was sought to present the agenda regarding the lease of land before the Cabinet. Another query was why facts regarding the advice of the secretary that the land should be leased to the HPCA on usual terms were hidden from the Cabinet. Dhumal denied that the facts were hidden from the Cabinet. He stated that the secretary’s advice was in the memorandum of the Cabinet meeting. Dhumal claimed that the decision to allot the land to the HPCA was a collective Cabinet decision. The Vigilance had also asked Dhumal as to why he did not recluse himself from chairing the Cabinet meeting in which decision for various approvals to the HPCA were given. Dhumal replied that the land was given on lease to the HPCA and not to Anurag Thakur as an individual. Dhumal was also asked how the village common land, on which the Pavilion hotel had been constructed, was leased out to the HPCA despite the fact that Dari panchayat had not given a no-objection certificate for the construction of a motel. The Cabinet had approved the HPCA's original proposal, but the Revenue Secretary granted lease for the construction of a five-star hotel. Another query was how the Revenue Secretary overruled the Cabinet's decision, which could be reviewed only by the Council of Ministers. Dhumal replied that the land was given on lease to the HPCA for the hotel under Rule 8 of the new lease rules of the state. Under the new rules, the secretary was empowered to grant lease. In another query, Dhumal was asked how the club house in the HPCA stadium was allowed to be run on a commercial basis. Dhumal claimed that his office had nothing to do with the said permissions to the HPCA. The files for the same were dealt by the secretaries concerned, he said. |
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Pulses scam debate a tame affair
Shimla, February 18 Responding to queries from Kullu legislator and Himachal Lokhit Party convener Maheshwar Singh on the pulses scam of the BJP regime which had figured in the Congress "chargesheet", the CM further told the House that in the absence of the BJP legislators the case was registered under Sections 15 and 13 (i), Prevention of Corruption Act, and Section 120-B, IPC, against some officials of the corporation. Mohinderpal of M/s Manish Kumar and Mahesh Kumar of Delhi had been booked and a challan was put up in the special court Shimla on January 3, 2013. But the two other allegations regarding pooling of tenders and selling of the imported daals from Mumbai and their channelling from the Delhi market
to Himachal Pradesh had not been proved so far, the CM stated. Bali's reply on the issue did not satisfy Maheshwar. Thus, the CM, who also holds the Home portfolio, told the House about the outcome of the probe in the pulses scam. Maheshwar wanted to know why they were soft on those who controlled supplies such as those in Parwanoo and Mumbai. Bali said the old pulses scheme had been closed and the challan was in court. "You are welcome to give me additional information in the case," he added. On the issues and queries related to the quality of ration, more PDS deports, sub deports, delay in delivery of ration in hard and remote areas, problems related to Aadhaar-based LPG supplies to consumers raised by Congress legislators Asha Kumar, Nand Lal, Rajesh Dharmani and Maheshwar Singh, Bali told the House that he agreed there were some problems in the case of transfer of Aadhaar-based subsidies in villages where there were very few banks. The matter had been taken up with the Union Ministry, he stated. On the quality control of ration, Bali said they took samples at depot and supply levels and tested these in different labs to keep secrecy. Members such as Nand Lal called for more transparency and prompt distribution of ration in remote and hard areas where card holders were not getting ration for months on end. The members, in a lighter vein, sought to know Bali's reply as to why his photo was dimmed on the PDS bags meant for packaging for ration card holders. He assured the House that the PWS system implemented under the National Food Security Act would be improved and a toll-free number had been set up
for complainants. |
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Virbhadra bids for high ground on stalemate
Tribune News Service
Talking to mediapersons here, Virbhadra said it was unfortunate that the BJP legislature party had decided to take the session so lightly and had not taken part in important debates, including the one on the Budget and the Governor’s Address. “I have, in the past too, requested to them in a civil manner to attend the session. I think they gave precedence to Narendra Modi’s rally over the Assembly session,” he remarked. Incidentally, the rally was held two days ago while the "boycott" continues. The Chief Minister said the BJP had not just let down the people who had voted for them, but also wasted government money. The information concerning their questions had been collected, but the queries could not be taken up due to their absence from the House. Disputing BJP claims saying over one lakh people attended Modi’s rally at Sujanpur, Virbhadra said the figures were exaggerated. “Anyone can guess the capacity of the ground which has Sainik School on one side and space for helicopter landing on the other. Moreover, only 23,000 chairs had been placed at the rally venue,” he said. He said it was absurd to claim that there was huge attendance at the rally as he had addressed bigger rallies. “Narendra Modi is BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and Chief Minister of Gujarat. So I welcomed him in the state on his arrival, but these claims are not correct,” he said. Regarding the allegations levelled against him by Modi he said, “He has been misinformed by his host. Moreover, I did not expect him to come to Himachal to shower praise on me.” The Chief Minister said discussion had been held on the candidates to be fielded from the four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal at the Central Election Committee meeting in Delhi yesterday. “Though the names have more or less been finalised, it is the Congress high command that will make the final announcement,” he said.
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Naglahar plots to be cancelled
Shimla, February 18 Replying to queries raised by Nurpur Congress legislator Ajay Mahajan during the Question Hour, Agnihotri said many units had been set up in the Naglahar industrial area which had 102 hectares out of which 15 hectares were available now, which had been cleared by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. He said as many as 135 plot owners had not set up the units in the past eight years. The government would cancel the plots as it had spent Rs 1.7 crore on development, he stated. Banikhet legislator Asha Kumar agreed with Kullu legislator Maheshwar Singh on the shortage of radiologists in hospitals, including Ripon Hospital and Kamla Nehru Hospital, and urged Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur to upgrade the 50-bed Dalhousie Civil Hospital to a 100-bed institution, for which the new building was ready. The hospital was ignored by the BJP regime, she added. Asha Kumari demanded action against block medical officers as they did not work. The mini 108 ambulances and pharmacists for PHCs in Dalhousie, Banikhet, Salooni and other places be filled up, she demanded, adding that the land for the proposed trauma centre could be identified along the highway around Chamba. The Chief Minister told Asha Kumari that the proposed hospitals like Kamla Nehru Hospital and others would be fully equipped and be self-sufficient. Earlier in the debate, Maheshwar Singh raised the issue of shortage of child specialists at the Regional Hospital, Kullu, and urged the Chief Minister and the Health Minister to set up a trauma centre there, recruit pharmacists and radiologists where there were vacancies. Earlier, Lahaul-Spiti MLA Ravi Thakur raised the issue of the shortage of mining material in the district. |
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Cold wave continues
Shimla, February 18 Most of the link roads in the interior areas of Kinnaur district were closed, while traffic to Manali has been restored and roads for Kharapathar and Narkanda have been cleared. The region had bright sunshine in the morning and the day temperature rose by a few notches, but the sky was partially overcast in the evening. The mercury stayed between -20°C and -32°C in high-altitude tribal areas. All natural lakes, springs and tributaries of the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej were frozen, drastically reducing the discharge of water and fall in hydropower generation. Keylong was the coldest in the region with the minimum temperature at
-15.8°C, while Bharmaur and Kalpa recorded a low of -14.3°C and -5.2°C, followed by Manali -2.2°C. Bhuntar, Shimla, Sundernagar and Solan reeled under freeing cold wave with the mercury hovering around the freezing point at 0.2°C, 0.4°C, 1.1°C and 1.5°C, respectively, followed by Hamirpur 2°C, Kangra 2.5°C, Una 3.8°C, Nahan 4.0°C, Dharamsala 6.2°C and Dalhousie 7.3°C. The maximum temperature increased by 3 to 4°C and Una which was warmest during the day recorded a maximum temperature of 24°C. The local Met office has predicted rain or snow in mid and high hills tomorrow and widespread rain and snow across the state from February 21 onwards. |
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Interim Union Budget Tribune News Service
Hamirpur, February 18 He said, “Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had demanded a grant of Rs 7,680 crore from the Central Government, but the Centre has played a joke on people of the state by allocating less than Rs 100 crore to the state." Talking about various problems faced by serving and ex-Army personnel during the UPA regime, Dhumal assured them redress of their grievances within a year after the NDA's coming to power at the Centre. Dhumal said the one-rank one-pension issue was first raised by him in Parliament in 1991 during his tenure as MP and he and the BJP had been consistently taking up this matter at different forums”. He alleged, “The one -rank one pension demand has been conceded by the UPA government after dithering on the issue for 10 years. It has announced it under pressure after Narendra Modi assured the ex-servicemen implementation of this demand after coming to power. The former CM criticised the state government and certain officials of the Hamirpur district administration for allegedly creating impediments for Modi’s rally at Sujanpur. Interim Union Budget a political statement: CPM
Shimla: The CPM has termed the UPA government's Interim Budget as a “political statement aimed at wooing voters ahead of the coming Lok Sabha elections rather than an effort to overcome the current challenges faced by the Indian Economy reeling under policy paralysis". CPM state secretariat member Tikender Panwar claimed that economic fundamentals were worsening that in
turn would burden the common man already facing hardship due to the continued price rise and lack of employment opportunities. |
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CII welcomes Interim Budget
Solan, February 18 He added that the priority of the new government after the General Election-2014 should be the revival of economic growth. The implementation of Goods and Services Tax, along with other pending economic legislations, should be one of the priorities of the next government, he said.
Zubin Irani, Deputy Chairman, CII Northern Region, said, “The decision to reduce the excise duty by 2 per cent to 10 per cent on various goods will provide the necessary impetus to the manufacturing sector, which witnessed a growth contraction during the year. The decision to reduce the excise duty on small cars is also a major relief for this
sector.” Arun Rawat, Vice-Chairman, CII Himachal Pradesh State Council, said the transfer of an additional Rs 1,000 crore to the NSD Trust would help in providing skills to thousands of youth and make them employable.
Pikender Pal Singh, Regional Director, CII Northern Region, said the allocation of Rs 1,200 crore to Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and the NE states would help these hill states to finance their development plans. |
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New Industrial Policy Ambika Sharma Tribune News Service
Solan, February 18 The exemption in the value added tax (VAT) has been notified for the investors of tribal areas and rural panchayats in the state as per the 2004 industrial policy. Several industries have been set up in these areas to avail these benefits. But the state government has now done away with this clause in its proposed new industrial policy and no such benefits will be given to the investors once it is notified. The move is aimed at providing employment to youth as there are very few job avenues in these areas given their lack of accessibility. A section of investors, including Pawan Kumar, Vaibhav Gupta, Ajay Kumar, Manoj Kumar and others, opined that such a step would add to their woes as they were already facing problems in transporting raw materials and finished goods due to difficult terrains. They said investors would be forced to close their operations if the proposal was included in the new industrial policy as it would be difficult to meet the financial liability of taxes. The manufacturing sector was already going through a recession and investment had been reduced to a trickle, they added. Though the state government was trying to attract investment by introducing steps such as speedy clearances and simplification of Section 118 of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, such a step would lead to the closure of industries in the tribal and backward panchayats, the investors said. Areas like Sangrah, Shillai and Pacchad in the backward Sirmaur district had seen the advent of industries after they were given tax exemptions and nearly 50 to 60 tiny, micro and small industries had been set up, thus providing employment to the youth.
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PCMA Research Award conferred on HPU prof
Bilaspur, February 18 He has been given the award for his contribution in the field of research commerce and management education. He has 52 research papers published in national and international journals, seven research projects with national awards and nine books published to his credit. As many as eight scholars have completed their PhD study under his guidance. Dr Raj Kumar, Associate Professor, Government College of Excellence, Shimla (Sanjauli) and Brij Bala Sankhyayan, Associate Professor, Government College of Excellence, Bilaspur, have been awarded the Excellent Teachers Award-2013. Dr Raj Kumar was honoured by Maharaja Agrasen University, Baddi, in the field of commerce and management education. He has nine books and 39 research papers to his credit. Brij Bala Sankhyayan has been serving the Department of Higher Education for the past 24 years. She has been stressing on overall development of students based on quality education. An MBA and MPhil, she has also served as the coordinator, IGNOU. |
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ATM with Rs 7 lakh lifted in Baddi
Solan, February 18 It was found that the incident had taken place around 4 am. Superintendent of Police (SP) S Arul Kumar said a case had been registered. He said the crowbar used in executing the crime had been recovered. The miscreants, however, had taken away the hard disk of the CCTV camera at the ATM booth. The SP said there was a strong possibility that the machine was still in the area as no such vehicle had been seen going past any of the barriers in the CCTVs installed there. He said the investigation was on. Recently, an ATM machine had also been lifted from the Jharmajri area of
Baddi. |
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Budget a bundle of false promises: BJP
Shimla, February 18 Taking a dig at the UPA government for ignoring the unemployed youth in the country, he said during the NDA regime, about 6.25 crore youth were provided jobs. The
?UPA government was like a diminishing flame which was making its last attempt to survive by announcing sops to the public at the end of their 10-year tenure, he added. Welcoming the announcement of one-rank, one-pension, which would benefit a population of about 30 lakh, Dutt said in 1989-90, the BJP had raised the issue. Threatened by the overwhelming response of defence personnel and
ex-servicemen in Modi's Rewari and Sujanpur rallies, the UPA had taken this move to woo voters, he added. |
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Villagers end stir at hydro project site
Kullu, February 18 He told the protesters that the state Principal Secretary would address their grievances on February 24 and a detailed discussion of issues related to the project oustees and affected families would be held. The villagers had stopped the construction activities of the project at the Siund power house, demanding permanent employment in the NHPC. On Sunday, Banjar MLA Karan Singh tried to placate the protesters, but in vain. Former president of Raila panchayat Room Singh alleged that out of the 157 listed affected families for compensation and rehabilitation, permanent jobs were provided to only one member of 20 families. He said the other 137 families were made to move from pillar to post for the past 10 years to complete the necessary documentation. Sources said provision of employment to only 20 persons had been mentioned in the agreement between the state government and the NHPC, but the authorities were considering the option of a one-time settlement for providing compensation to the remaining affected families. |
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Power Board employee gets electric shock
Bilaspur, February 18 Reports said last night most of the gram panchayats served by the Berry power sub station were plunged in darkness and some employees were trying to locate the defect and restart electricity there. Sailender was immediately rushed to the Regional Hospital here where his condition is stated to be serious. Several Power Board Employees Union leaders have criticised higher officers for their failure to provide full safety gadgets and equipment to workers correcting such live wires. They have demanded a high-level inquiry and remedial measures into the incident. Earlier also, two Board employees had lost their lives in such accidents in the last one year. The police were informed and a case has been registered. |
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Ex-MLA Karam Singh’s death mourned
Shimla, February 18 Karam Singh had died last night at his village, Uhal. He had been ailing for the past some time.
Karam Singh was elected to the Himachal Pradesh Assembly in 1985 and held the post of Chairman, Panchayat
Samiti, Hamirpur, Chairman and Director, Hamirpur Cooperative Transport Society, and president, Cooperative Society,
Nanot, besides being panchayat pradhan for 25 years. Several other leaders, former CM PK
Dhumal, CPS ID Lakhanpal, state Congress president Sukhvinder Singh
Sukhu, MLA Rajender Rana and Vijay Agnihotri too have expressed their condolences on the death of the former MLA. |
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Ayurvedic medics
recruitment Tribune News Service
Shimla, February 18 A government spokesperson said the counselling/interview for general category candidates would be held on February 20, for SC, ST and OBC on February 21 and for dependents of ex-servicemen, physically disabled, dependents of freedom fighters and other reserved categories candidates on February 22. Candidates who had not received interview call letters could also appear in the interview with their original certificates, he added.
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Kachehri crossing trampled Dharampal near the Dharamsala Press Club. The truck driver did not even notice that Dharampal had got stuck under the tyres of his vehicle and kept on driving for a about 100 metres till the head office of Kangra Cooperative Bank. By the time the truck stopped very little was left of the body.
The police has registered a case under Sections 279 and 304-A of the IPC against PS Babu, driver of the truck. He has also been arrested.
TNS
The Bureau had questioned Dhumal on his role as the chief patron of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) with voting right. In his reply, Dhumal said he had never received any formal request from the HPCA to make him the chief patron. He also did not chair any meeting of the HPCA as chief patron, he claimed, adding that many organisations made the Chief Minister their chief patron.
Shimla, February 18