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H A R Y A N A |  |
 Friday, January 8, 1999 |
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Call to cut interest rate
of farm loans Charges
motivated: Dhanak |
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Chautala:
Bansi govt anti-people Degrees
conferred on 180 graduates Demonstration
by villagers before SP's office Attack
on Shah condemned Minister
hears grievances |
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Call to cut interest rate of
farm loans CHANDIGARH, Jan 7 — The Haryana Minister of State for Cooperation, Mr Subhash Chaudhry, has stressed the need for slashing the rate of interest on loans being given to farmers under various agricultural and non-agricultural schemes. Speaking at the inaugural session of the 87th meeting of the Board of Management of the National Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks Federation and 16th annual awards presentation function here today, he said NABARD had reduced the rate of interest by 1 per cent on minor irrigation schemes and by 0.5 per cent on some other schemes. This was not sufficient. This interest rate should be further lowered for the benefit of the farmers. Representatives of 18 states took part in the meeting. The minister also urged NABARD to reconsider the non-performing assets (NPA) scheme being implemented in commercial banks for the last two years and in cooperative development banks since last year. As a result of this scheme, 90 per cent of the cooperative agriculture and rural development banks were running in losses. This situation arose only because of making provision of 30 per cent NPA. In the coming years, this situation would further deteriorate. He urged the Central Government to bear the losses caused due to the implementation of NPA so as to strengthen the cooperative institutions. He said 65 per cent of the total loans for agriculture and rural development were being advanced by cooperative institutions. Funds for such loans were being received from NABARD and RBI on concessional rates. The interest rate on these loans was lower than the bank rates. During the last few years, the interest rate had come own by 2 per cent but the benefit had not been given to cooperative banks. The lowering of interest rates of NABARD in proportion to the reduced bank rates should be considered, he added. He said the cooperative movement was a big success in Haryana as the number of cooperative members had risen to 47.36 lakh as compared to only 9.25 lakh in 1966. Over 15,100 cooperative societies were functioning in the State. He appreciated the efforts of the Haryana State Cooperative Land Development Bank for ushering in green revolution in the State as every third tubewell out of 5.5 lakh tubewells and every fourth tractor out of 1.80 lakh tractors were financed by these banks. Presiding over the function, the Chairman of the Federation, Mr T.D. Janardhan Rao, said during the Ninth Plan, a target of advancing of Rs 19,100 crore had been envisaged for the agricultural and rural development banks (ARDB) sector.A lending programme of Rs 3137.73 crore had been envisaged under this programme by the Federation during 1998-99. He said ARDBs had made significant contribution to capital formation in rural areas. The total advances by the ARDBs since inception had reached Rs 23,000 crore with annual disbursement of Rs 2,600 crore in 1997-98. he appreciated the role of the Haryana State Cooperative Land Development Bank for outstanding performance. He said the ARDBs would play bigger role in coming years in the action plan for doubling food production in the next 10 years. Earlier, Mr Narpender Singh, Chairman of Haryana SCLDB said the bank had started various new loaning schemes for plantation, strawberry, floriculture, and financing of dairy units of 10 to 20 cattle under self-employment schemes. He said the working capital of the bank had increased from Rs 661.47 crore in 1995-96 to Rs 291.68 crore in 1997-98. The profit of the bank had also increased from Rs 5.62 crore in 1995-96 to Rs 7.69 crore in 1997-98. The bank had declared dividend of 10 per cent of its share holders which was the maximum permissible limit under the Act and rules. The Commissioner and Secretary for Cooperation, Mr Naseem Ahmad, urged the NABARD to reconsider its criteria regarding postponement of recoveries in those cases where the damage was more than 50 per cent due to natural calamities. He said the loan instalments were paid by the farmers from the incremental income received by selling the crop. In case of damage up to 25 per cent, there would be no incremental income to enable the loanee to pay the instalment of the loan. He called upon the ARDBs to modify their procedures so as to make them client-oriented in order to face the new challenges of emerging economic environment. Earlier, Mr Subhash Chaudhry gave away trophies under various categories to the best performing member banks for the year 1997-98. The trophy of the Union Ministry of Agriculture, was awarded to the Punjab State Cooperative Agricultural Development Bank, adjudged as the best ARDB. The B. Venkatratnam Memorial Trophy for best bank in category-I was given to Uttar Pradesh Sahakari Gram Vikas Bank. Udaybhansinhji Memorial Trophy for best bank in category-II was awarded to the Punjab State Cooperative Agricultural Development Bank. The Dattatrayulu Memorial Trophy for the best bank in Category-III was given to Pondicherry Cooperative Central Land Development Bank. The Haryana State
Cooperative Land Development Bank was awarded the
Chairman's Trophy. The Punjab State Cooperative
Agricultural Development Bank was also given the Nambiar
Memorial Trophy for the best lending performance and the
Punjab Chief Minister's Trophy for the best recovery
performance. |
Charges motivated: Dhanak HISAR, Jan 7 — Former Minister and Indian National Lok Dal leader, Mr Amar Singh Dhanak today refuted the charges levelled against him in an FIR for allegedly possessing wealth disproportionate to known sources of his income. Last month the Hansi police registered an FIR against the former PWD Minister under Section 13 (1) EP Corruption. Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Dhanak claimed, "all charges levelled against me in the FIR...are outrageously concocted with the sole motive to defame me and tarnish my unimpeachable reputation which I have built with five decades of selfless public service". Mr Dhanak accused the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal of "engineering the gameplan" as he was "personally against" him. He claimed that eversince he parted company with Mr Bansi Lal and formed the Haryana Vikas Party (A) in 1993, the latter nourished a grudge against him (Mr Dhanak). Mr Dhanak claimed that he had been championing the cause of Dalits, which had angered the Chief Minister and he was now trying to falsely implicate him in corruption charges. Referring to the property, being said to be owned by him, Mr Dhanak said, "the allegations that the properties were acquired by me during my tenure as a minister by misusing my ministerial position is absurd and preposterous". He pointed out that the house mentioned in the FIR which is situated in Khanda village is in existence for the past about 90 years. The house at Hansi, according to Mr Dhanak, was built in 1971 on a plot purchased in 1963 with the housing loan from the government. He claimed that the land referred to in the FIR in Hansi and Chanot was acquired in 1971 and 1963 in open auction and by gift respectively. The house at Panchkula, he admitted, was built in 1997 on the plot allotted to him in 1995 out of the CM's discretionary quota during Mr Bhajan Lal's time when he himself was a minister. He claimed that the Gas Agency was allotted to his son Jai Prakash in 1986 after he retired from Navy out of the ex-servicemen's quota and SC category by the Government of India. He said, while the Zen car was owned by his daughter-in-law, the truck was purchased by his another son after getting it financed. Referring to one Contessa car, he said, it was presented to him by the people of Bawani Khera at a public rally at Siwani. Terming the FIR as
"baseless, motivated, defamatory, misleading,
concocted and unlawful to implicate me", Mr Dhanak
sought its withdrawal. He added to claim, "I am sure
to stand vindicated both in the court of law as well as
in the court of people". |
A town famed for Murrah
buffaloes ROHTAK: This historical town of Haryana, has developed over the years as an important centre for the famed Murrah breed of buffaloes. A large number of high milk-yielding buffaloes of this breed are not only supplied to various parts of the country but are also exported to several countries. Perhaps, this is one reason why this town is also called the "city of dairies" in northern India. The town has over 125 dairies involved in the sale and purchase of milch cattle. About 60 to 80 buffaloes and cows are loaded or unloaded here every day and over 2500 persons, including about 150 commission agents, are working full-time in this business. The Dairy Colony is spread over several acres and has been source of milk and milk products to the town and nearby areas. Hundreds of litres of milk are supplied from here. The price of the milk keeps fluctuating daily depending upon demand and supply. At least 200 to 225 head of cattle of the Murrah breed can be purchased at any time as the dairies have ready supply. While dairy owners or commission agents charge rent for keeping the animals here for sale, some of the agents contact the farmers or the owners to purchase the buffaloes from them and supply these to markets outside. The commission agent usually charges 1 per cent commission from the seller and Rs 100 from the buyer for each cattle during the transaction. There are at least four varieties of the Murrah breed and these are charged as per the variety and demand. For example, the demand from the western region is different from what is sought by the traders from the eastern region or U.P. According to dairy owners these varieties include first cower (pehalwan), second cower (jhoti), third, fourth and fifth cower (bhains), and above seven cowers (khola). The price of each buffalo varies from time to time. One of the highest prices fetched by domestic traders is around Rs 40,000 per buffalo, which produces around 20 litres of milk a day. According to experts, the Murrah is one of the best milch buffaloes in the world as it is capable of yields as high as 35 litres a day. Haryana had become a home of the Murrah because animal husbandry has been a way of life in the state and the state has the privilege of being known as livestock hub of the country. This breed has reportedly beaten the best dairy cows of the world in performance. But dairy traders and owners here are not happy with the present attitude of the local authorities and the state government. They claim that despite the town having a well known centre of dairies, the authorities had failed to provide the infrastructure or carried out improvements., According to Mr Ramesh Gandhi, a commission agent in the dairy business, the basic problem had been the disposal of garbage and cowdung. The sewers and the open drains were often choked due to cowdung accumulation and there is no cleanliness. It is reported that only one or two sweepers have been engaged for cleaning the entire colony. On the other hand, it is reported that the municipal authorities give contracts running into lakhs per year for the disposal of dead animals from the town. A dairy owner claimed that at least two to three buffaloes die every day in the colony due to unhygienic conditions and improper upkeep. Several dairy owners favour shifting the dairy colony to the outskirts of the town so that better facilities could be provided and the town could be saved from the problems caused by unhygienic conditions. But it is learnt that the proposal raised several years ago has not been acted upon by the local authorities. The Dairy Association has from time to time demanded better facilities and cleanliness in the area but no concrete steps have been taken so far in this regard, according to a member of the association. Besides these commercial
dairies, there are over 1000 small dairies engaged in
sale of milk in nearly every residential colony of the
town. These dairies have been one of the causes behind
the choking of sewers and insanitary conditions. |
Chautala: Bansi govt anti-people SONEPAT, Jan 7 — The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo and the Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, has said that he was not ready to tolerate the Bansi Lal government for a moment and he will be the first person to express happiness on its fall. Talking to mediapersons at Rai near here on Tuesday he denied that Bansi Lal government has survived on account of his indifference to the toppling bid made by Congress leaders with the help of the dissident group of the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP). He alleged that some vested interests were out to defame him by such propaganda. He said he would make an all-out effort to help the people to get rid of the present HVP-BJP alliance government, led by Mr Bansi Lal, who had become a dictator and lost the confidence of all sections of society. He said that only his party alone could dislodge the present government through democratic means. Later, addressing a meeting of the party workers, he described the Bansi Lal government as anti-people, anti-worker and anti-farmer. The expressed his concern over the failure of the state government to pump out floods and rain waters from fields of farmers. Referring to the defeat of his party in the recent Assembly elections in Delhi and Rajasthan, he blamed the BJP for it as the electorate were not satisfied with the performance of the BJP-led coalition government at the Centre which had failed to check the price rise especially the onion price. He admitted that his party had received a big jolt in these elections but it would continue to extend its support to the Vajpayee government to keep the Congress away from coming to power. Regarding the Sarvjatiya Morcha led by Mr O.P. Jindal, former MP, the INLD leader said its leaders were not capable to launch a struggle to dislodge Mr Bansi Lal from power. He said it would be wiped out before the next Assembly elections as it had no base in rural areas. Mr Kishan Singh Sangwan,
MP, Mr Ranbir Singh Dahiya, president of the district
unit of the party, were among those who were present on
this occasion. |
Degrees conferred on 180 graduates BHIWANI, Jan 7 — Lt Gen O P Kaushik, Vice-Chancellor, M D University, Rohtak, conferred B Tech degrees on 180 graduates in the field of computer engineering and textile technology at Technological Institute of Textiles & Sciences here yesterday. Five students received university medals for securing top positions in respective disciplines, while two graduates received PRECITX Shield for Best Spinner. Four graduates each in the discipline of Computer Engineering and Textile Chemistry were awarded the Rajendra Shokeen Memorial Gold Medal and the Rakesh Swamy Memorial Gold Medal and two graduates received the JR Johar Memorial Medals for their meritorious performance. In his presidential remarks Lt Gen O P Kaushik exhorted the young engineers to inculcate leadership qualities through self discipline. Citing the example of Guru Gobind Singh's life, he called upon the youth to strive for the national integration and communal harmony. Lt. Gen. Kaushik advised technocrats not to hesitate in pointing government's mistakes and shortcomings of their subordinates, this can be possible if they were confident of themselves, have thorough knowledge of the subject and identify themselves with the workers. The Vice-Chancellor complimented the institute for its good academic performance, congenial atmosphere and excellent laboratory facilities. In his thought-provoking and inspiring convocation address Mr H V Chaturvedi, President NITMA, advised the young technocrats to be ambitious and self-motivated. According to Mr Chaturvedi the condition of the textile industry is not as gloomy as was being projected. According to Mr Chaturvedi, India has the necessary expertise and potential for being a big economic power. With the removal of trade barriers after the year 2004. India could capture the major share of world textile market if we strive to produce quality products. Before the convocation, Reiter Machine Works, Switzerland, a leading manufacturer of textile machinery, presented its latest G 5/2 model Ringframe with autodoffing system to the institute. The same company gave six global awards annually known as the Reiter Award. The Bhiwani institute was
selected for the Reiter Award, 1998, and Mr Puneet
Agarwal who secured the second position in the university
was given the Reiter Award. The award carries an
impressive crystal memento and one week's trip to
Switzerland. |
Demonstration by villagers ROHTAK, Jan 7 — Hundreds villagers of the Meham Chaubisi region today demonstrated in front of the SP's office here in protest against the "false charge" against Mrs Sumitra of setting afire four members of a family at Ajaib village on December 19 last. They demanded the registration of cases and immediate arrest of the two brothers and mother of the deceased, Sunita, for the crime. The panchayat submitted a memorandum to the district police chief and apprised him of the whole episode through it. It said Mr Balbir Singh, father of the deceased, Ishwar Singh and Mrs Sumitra, sister-in-law of the deceased, Sunita were being falsely implicated in the crime. The memorandum said the deceased, Sunita, had failed to adjust herself among her in-laws and she, at the incitement of the members of her parental house, usually had altercations with her in-laws. It said Sunita, along with her mother and two brothers, had come to village on the fateful day and committed the crime. Before these findings, the panchayat constituted an 11-member Kanooni aur Khojbeen Salahakar Samiti, which investigated the matter. The members of the committee included, Mr Anand Singh Dangi, general secretary of the Haryana Pradesh Congress, Mr Balbir Singh, a Lok Dal MLA from Meham, Mr Tarif Singh, executive president of the Haryana Vikas Party, Mr Sunil alias Kallu, chairman of the Block Samiti, and Mr Harswaroop Boora and Mr Umed Singh, both former MLAs. The panchayat also constituted a 51-member 'sangharsh samiti' for expediting the arrest of the "real culprits". The SP assured the
demonstrators that justice would be done. |
Attack on Shah condemned CHANDIGARH, Jan 7 — The Haryana Congress President, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and its General Secretary, Dr Ram Prakash, have strongly condemned the "murderous" attack on the former Transport Minister, Mr Balbir Pal Shah, at his Panipat residence yesterday. They alleged here today that nobody was safe in Haryana and murderous attacks, rapes, and robberies had become the order of the day. The law and order situation appeared to be out of control of the police and the State Administration. Wishing Mr Shah a speedy recovery, the Congress leaders demanded that the culprits should be arrested at once and given exemplary punishment. The Congress MLA from Rewari, Capt Ajay Singh, demanded the resignation of the State Home Minister, Mr Mani Ram Godara, for the failure of the police to provide security of life and property to the people of the state. A former Organising
Secretary of the Haryana Congress, Mr Dinesh Gupta, said
the assault on Mr Shah was another glaring example of the
failure of the Bansi Lal Government in ensuring the
security of the citizens. |
Minister hears grievances SONEPAT, Jan 7 — The Haryana Labour and Employment Minister, Mr Ramesh Kaushik toured his home constituency and heard complaints of people at Ahulana, Garhi, Jhinjhara, and Teha villages as well as at Ganaur town, yesterday. Most of the complaints were related to bad roads in urban and rural areas, faulty power supply, absence of civic and basic amenities in Ganaur town and the villages and failure of the authorities to check absenteeism in government offices and schools in the area. The Minister took a serious note of complaints and directed the authorities and heads of the departments to redress grievances of people on priority. Later, the minister disclosed that the work on the new buildings of the civil hospital and the industrial training institute had been speeded up and it would be completed soon. The state government, he said, had added 125 new rooms in various government schools and constructed 25 new chaupals for the people belonging to the backward community in the Kailana Assembly constituency of the minister. He said that more funds would be allocated for the repairs of roads and the work would be completed by March-end this year. He also disclosed that eight new roads had been constructed in this constituency and the demand of the people had been met. The minister also
highlighted achievements of the present HVP-BJP
government, led by Mr Bansi Lal, Chief Minister. |
VC's assurance to KUTA KURUKSHETRA, Jan 7 — Dr M.L. Ranga, Vice-Chancellor, Kurukshetra University, has assured a delegation of the Kurukshetra University Teachers' Association (KUTA) that he would press the Haryana Government to release the salary of the teachers for the strike period and implement the new pay scales recently announced by the Human Resource Development Ministry. According to the KUTA President, Dr K L Tuteja, said the office-bearers of the Association recently held a meeting with university authorities to resolve several pending issues, which had earlier been submitted in the form of a charter of demands. KUTA demanded that the
election of teachers' representatives to the University
Executive Council, the highest body of the university,
should held without delay. The election had not been held
for the past one year. |
Residents face power shortage ROHTAK, Jan 7 — Residents in rural areas of Rohtak and Jhajjar have been facing power shortage for the past many days. Students who are to appear in Board examinations commencing in February-March find it hard to study due to erratic power supply and poor voltage. Activists of the Bharatiya
Kisan Union (BKU) and some political parties blame the
state government for the problem. A former minister, Mr
Krishan Murti Hooda, says that while the power rates had
been revised several times during the past few years, the
supply had failed to improve. |
Report denied BHIWANI, Jan 7 — The Board of School Education, Haryana, has denied the report, "Student cheated", published in the January 4 edition of The Tribune. The board has termed the report of a person taking interviews for appointment of typists and clerks as 'false'. Regarding the allegation
against Pawan Kumar, the board has clarified that he is
not a nephew of a UMC member and an FIR has been filed
against him and there are no reports of his taking fees
for application forms. Also no wrong receipts were issued
by the matric branch. |
Prayer meeting CHANDIGARH, Jan 7 —
The first death anniversary of Mr Ishwar Singh, former
Speaker of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, will be observed on
January 10. A prayer meeting will be organised in the
complex of Janata college, Kaul, in Kaithal district at
10 a.m on that day, according to Mr Tejbir Singh, son of
Mr Ishwar Singh. |
Concessions in recruitment CHANDIGARH, Jan 7 —
The Haryana Government has decided that only those
physically handicapped persons are eligible for
concessions and benefits for registration in employment
exchanges for consideration in direct recruitment to
Class I,II,III and IV posts, who are disable by more than
40 per cent. |
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