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Wednesday,
October 17, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Govt needed George, says Advani
Fix date
of session, CM tells Cong Devi Lal
‘man of masses’ Diesel
cheapest in Haryana Ajit Singh
alleges protocol breach |
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Subdivision
status for Tosham ‘soon’ Court
tells SP to book policeman Stress
laid on eco-friendly technology HSIDC to set up overseas job bureau Congress
holds dharna against house tax policy Cotton
growers seek compensation Panghal
is JD(U) youth wing chief Bid to
kidnap schoolgirls foiled 1
killed, 3 hurt in road mishap
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Govt needed George, says Advani Manesar (Haryana), October 16 “In the present atmosphere, the work at the Defence Ministry had increased manifold and Jaswant Singh had asked that the charge of the ministry should be handed over to someone else,” he said while talking to newsmen after the 17th Raising Day celebrations of the National Security Guard here today. The US-led global war against terrorism should not end just after avenging the September 11 terrorist strikes but go on till this scourge was wiped out from the face of the earth, the Home Minister said. “The entire world community should respond jointly to the menace of cross-border terrorism,’’ he said. Just as the strong world opinion against the use of poisonous gas and atomic weapons prevented their further use after the first and second world wars, a similar campaign should be launched against terrorism, Mr Advani said. “When the nations using cross-border terrorism as a matter of policy would be ostracised, the sponsors of terrorism would come down and this will help India,” the Home Minister said. “No terrorist organisation can take on the might of the state, it is only when they have support of other states that it assumes dangerous proportions,” he said. Mr Advani said US strikes against Taliban were logical as they were supporting Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network. “India supported the USA in its war against terrorism without much negotiations and not putting any conditions as we were fighting the menace of terrorism for the past 15 years,’’ Mr Advani said. He also dispelled the impression that the growing closeness between Pakistan and the USA would help Islamabad in its proxy war.
UNI |
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Fix date
of session, CM tells Cong Chandigarh, October 16 In a statement issued here Mr Chautala said let the Congress fix the date of the session as well as its duration because the government was prepared to face the Assembly. Mr Hooda had demanded at Rohtak yesterday that the Assembly should be convened to discuss various public interest matters. Criticising the Congress for issuing “irresponsible statements to hoodwink the people”, Mr Chautala said it was not playing the role of a strong Opposition as required in a democratic set-up. His government was prepared to convene the Assembly on any issue at any time. He said he was making this offer to the Congress in view of the fact that it had shied away from Assembly sessions on lame excuses. He said while under his government long Vidhan Sabha sessions had been held to give ample opportunity to the Opposition MLAs to discuss various issues threadbare, it was on record that the Congress had convened the shortest-ever session, which lasted one hour and six minutes only, on June 21, 1986, thus depriving its opponents of an opportunity to air their views. Similarly, only a day-long session was convened by Mr Bhajan Lal on July 13, 1992. Reminding Mr Hooda that the legislators had avoided discussion on important issues during the past few sessions by boycotting the proceedings of the House on petty matters, Mr Chautala said this showed how keen the Congress was on redressing the grievances of the people. He said even during the last session when the Congress had submitted a no-confidence motion against the government, the required number of its legislators was not present in the House, as a result of which the motion could not be moved. He said Mr Jai Prakash Barwala was among those who had been issued notice by the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Mr Bhajan Lal, for remaining absent from the House when permission was sought to move the no-confidence motion, whereas Mr Hooda was now saying that Mr Barwala was present in the House. Referring to the claim of Mr Hooda that his party was united, Mr Chautala said the manner in which the Congress organised a function at Rewari on September 23 to pay tributes to Rao Tula Ram, clearly reflected factionalism in the party. He said not to speak of the Assembly, the Congress MLAs did not even attend the meeting convened by the Urban Development Minister to have a thorough discussion on the house tax policy, though they were indulging in meaningless propaganda. He denied that any false case had been registered against any Opposition MLA. He said the charges levelled against them had been thoroughly investigated and now the law would take its own course. |
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Devi Lal
‘man of masses’ Yamunanagar, October 16 Mr Chautala further told the participants that Devi Lal was a thoroughly honest person in his public dealings. He never acquired any property or estates even though he remained in politics for over seven decades. Mr Chautala said Devi Lal was a man of his word and called a spade, a spade fearlessly. He was dedicated to the service of farming community and even on the day he breathed his last, he asked Mr Inder Singh, MP from Rohtak, what the Central Government was doing to compensate the farmers whose corps had been damaged due to hailstorms in some parts of Haryana. He was equally dedicated to improving the lot of the poor labourers and farm workers which is proved by the steps he took as Chief Minister of Haryana, as Deputy Prime Minister and as Union Agriculture Minister. Presenting his research paper on the occasion, Prof Teja Singh, Deputy Chairman of the 20-Point Programme Implementation Committee, said Devi Lal never hankered after power, rather he believed in giving opportunities to his juniors. He renounced prime ministership in favour of Mr V.P. Singh and continued to serve the people in his humble was as Agriculture Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. He formulated the new agricultural policy to ensure remunerative prices to the farmers. He was a great exponent of educational reforms and started giving Re 1 each to children belonging to the vagabond tribes. Devi Lal, he said, was a great socialist thinker and tried his level best to bring economic prosperity to the poorest of the poor so that they could lead an honourable life in society. Dr K.L. Johar, former Vice-Chancellor of Guru Jambeshwar University, Hisar, said Devi Lal was a great freedom fighter who was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and, like him, wanted to improve the lot of the downtrodden. |
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Diesel cheapest
in Haryana Chandigarh, October 16 Now diesel will cost Rs 16.45 per litre in Haryana, a saving of 30 paise per litre. In Punjab diesel is costlier as compared to Haryana by 25 paise per litre. In Mohali the price of diesel is Rs 16.70 per litre. In Chandigarh also diesel is costlier by 24 paise at Rs 16.69 per litre. Haryana had raised sales tax on diesel from 10 per cent to 12 per cent to bring it at par with the uniform floor rates laid down by the Committee of Finance Ministers. However, since Punjab refused to increase sales tax on diesel, an important input in agriculture, in view of the forthcoming elections in the state and due to resentment among farmers of Haryana, the Chautala government decided to reduce sales tax on diesel from 12 per cent to 10 per cent. Fertilisers and pesticides, two other important inputs used by the agriculture sector, will also now cost less in Haryana. The government has exempted fertilisers from sales tax completely. Earlier 4 per cent sales tax had been imposed on fertilisers. In the case of pesticides, the sales tax has been reduced from 4 per cent to 2 per cent. There is good news for followers of Bacchus also. In a controversial move, the government has exempted Indian made foreign liquor(IMFL), costing upto Rs 500 per bottle, from sales tax. Only a few months ago, it had imposed 20 per cent sales tax on all brands of the IMFL. The Opposition alleges that the government’s decision to exempt certain brands of the IMFL from sales tax is prompted by “extraneous considerations”. The RPI MLA, Mr Karan Singh Dalal, alleged that the government had acted because the liquor trade had “pooled resources to placate the powers that be”. The new rates have become effective from today. It may be recalled that even petrol in Haryana is the cheapest as compared to Punjab and Chandigarh. While in Haryana one litre of petrol costs Rs 28.63, in Punjab and Chandigarh it sells at Rs 29.73 per litre and Rs 29.02, respectively. |
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Ajit Singh
alleges protocol breach Gurgaon, October 16 Mr Ajit Singh arrived here at the headquarters of the National Horticulture Board to preside over its 8th annual general body meeting. He is the ex-officio chairman of the board. He and his staff were stunned when neither the Deputy Commissioner nor the Superintendent of Police or their representatives turned up to receive him which is part of protocol when a Cabinet minister visits states. In an informal conversation with mediapersons, Mr Ajit Singh said: “Courtesies and niceties are not expected in a state whose government is headed by Mr Om Prakash
Chautala.” He added, “Mr Chautala and his ministers from Haryana frequent Uttar Pradesh, but are extended all courtesies from all possible quarters during their stay there.” Mr Ajit Singh indicated that he would take up the breach of protocol by the Gurgaon Administration with the Chief Secretary of the state. The utterances of Mr Ajit Singh, who is also the chief of the Rashtriya Lok Dal
(RLD) and who is at loggerheads with Mr Chautala, assumes importance during the run up to the Assembly elections in UP in which the ruling National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) wants to put up a good show. Mr Chautala publicly condemned Mr Ajit Singh while addressing his party’s public meetings there, including the one organised in his home town
Bagpat. In response to a question whether Mr Chautala will be acceptable to his possible inclusion in the BJP-RLD tie-up in Uttar Pradesh for the Assembly
election, he quipped: “The INLD does not have any leader in UP. It has no organisation and no base. Who does one talk to?” “Collecting crowd by hiring
people, does not reflect the popularity of a politician,” he added. |
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Women of
Mewat go hi-tech Gurgaon, October 16 Khairun Nisha and Pushpa, among the dozen women selected for the 15-day camp, appeared to be overwhelmed for the same reason. The camp was inaugurated by the Director of the DPS-managed government model school in Mewat, Ms Rosetta Williams Anand. The DPS Director was chosen by the MDA so as to be a role model to the women of Mewat. According to the MDA chairperson, Mr S.A. Khan, the programme is a constituent part of an overall package for empowerment for the women of Mewat, considered to be the most backward area of Haryana. The programme has been devised by the MDA with a purpose to set up a women information cell in Nuh, Punhana (Gurgaon) and Hathin in Faridabad district. The cells will be set up in the remaining blocks falling in Mewat at a later stage. The British Council has financed about Rs 8 lakh for the programme. The proposed cells will have computers and Internet connections. Computer courses in the camp are being imparted by a Delhi-based company. The cells will be part of the ongoing integrated development project of the MDA for all round empowerment of women. The MDA has started projects relating to vocational courses, economy and social uplift of women. It has helped women groups to start milk dairies, grow vegetables and to teach them food processing techniques. Food processing is being taught with the cooperation of the DPS. Those chosen for participation in the camp are animators. They have been assigned the task to teach women in villages the importance and use of information technology. The salient feature of the cells is that they will be wholly managed by the women. |
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Subdivision status for
Tosham ‘soon’ Bhiwani, October 16 This was stated by Mr Ajay Singh Chautala, MP, while inaugurating Chaudhary Devi Lal, Sadan on the premises of the Block Development and Panchayat office, Tosham. It has been built a cost of Rs 5 lakh. Mr Chautala said the state government was committed to provide all facilities to people. Unlike previous governments, the present state government did not believe in discriminative attitude and development works were being carried on in the entire state, he added. He inaugurated an animal dispensary at Nathuwas village and an old-age rest house at Gujrani village. Mr Bahadur Singh, The Minister of state for Education Mr Ranbir Singh Mandolla, and Shashi Parmar, both MLA, were also present. Earlier, Mr Chautala inaugurated the 36th state-level school sports competition at Bhim Stadium. He said the government had attempted to boost sports by introducing new sports policy and sportsmen were being given reservation in government services. He assured the villagers of 75 per cent concession in bus fare for school children. Mr Bahadur Singh said the state government was committed to the upliftment of sports and it was providing special facilities to sportsmen. |
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Court tells
SP to book policeman Rohtak, October 16 Jagdev Singh, who is facing charges under the Arms Act, is currently on bail and posted at Bahadurgarh. His son Sudhir is charged with murdering a girl. The Judge has also ordered the registration of a case against the person who had supplied the photocopies of the inquiry report to the Head Constable. The members of victim girl’s family had complained to the Superintendent of Police, here and the Additional Sessions Judge that Jagdev Singh was threatening them and demanded that the bail granted to the accused be cancelled. The Superintendent of Police had then ordered an inquiry into the complaint to ascertain the truth. The inquiry was conducted by ASI Megh Raj, who reportedly found that the complaint was false. It is alleged that Jagdev Singh obtained the photocopies of the inquiry report and submitted the same in his defence in the court. A further hearing in the case will be held on October 30. |
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Stress laid on eco-friendly
technology Hisar, October 16 He was addressing the concluding function of a refresher course organised by the Department of Environment Science and Engineering of Guru Jambheshwar University. Refresher course refreshed our knowledge so that a teacher could deliver the goods to students and society at large. Dr Banger said about 95 per cent environment pollution problems were created by the human beings themselves. Farmers were using more and more pesticides for more production. This was polluting environment, soil and water, he added. Dr R.K.Chauhan, Vice-Chancellor of the university, said the university had submitted a number of projects for refresher courses to the University Grants Commission. The university had conducted four refresher courses out of seven which had been sanctioned by the commission. |
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HSIDC to set up overseas job bureau Chandigarh, October 16 The Chairman of the corporation Mr S.Y. Quraishi, said here today after a meeting of the Board of Directors that the objectives of the bureau would be to arrange and conduct interviews to help foreign employers in selecting suitable candidates. The bureau will also make arrangements for medical check-up and other tests of the selected candidates. It will also help the candidates in obtaining visa, air tickets and completion of other formalities. The HSIDC had already been declared the nodal agency for industrialisation in Haryana and it had also to act as a facilitator in generation of job opportunities. It had been able to catalyse job opportunities for about 50,000 persons in the past two years. |
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Congress holds dharna
against house tax policy Narnaul, October 16 Speaking on the occasion, Rao Narender Singh said to make up for the losses due to octroi abolition, the government had imposed house tax on the public. Former Haryana Minsiter Shakuntala Bhagwaria alleged that state Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala cheated the people. Haryana Mahila Congress president Anita
Yadav, (MLA), Salhawas, said Mr Chautala’s family was the supreme power in the state. She called upon the nagar parishad’s members to oppose the new house tax policy of the government. |
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Cotton growers seek
compensation Hisar, October 16 The farmers, under the banner of the Haryana Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, later handed over a memorandum to the district administration, to be sent to the Haryana government. Addressing the farmers, Mr Ram Partap Malhan, president of the samiti accused, one state government of not providing any help to the farmers whose cotton crops were damaged. He demanded that the farmers’ payments of loan should be postponed. Mr Malhan alleged that the insecticide dealers had supplied spurious medicines to the cotton growers, which had failed to control the pesticides on the crop. He demanded that the farmers be provided seeds and fertilisers at subsidised rates for sowing the next crop.
PTI |
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Panghal is
JD(U) youth wing chief Hisar, October 16 Announcing this here today, Mr Ved Prakash Vidrohi, president of the state unit of JD (U), said Dr Panghal would constitute a team of dedicated youths in the state. He alleged that the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, was discriminating against south Haryana. The government was denying the area its due share of power and irrigation water. |
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Bid to kidnap
schoolgirls foiled Rohtak, October 16 The youths intercepted the girls while they were returning from school around 12.30 p.m. They took out a knife and forced the girls to accompany them. A passer-by, who objected to it, was beaten up by the miscreants. However, they had to flee from the spot when one of the girls raised the alarm and they were surrounded by people. |
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1 killed, 3 hurt
in road mishap Faridabad, October 16 |
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Medical
camp Chandigarh, October 16 |
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