Virbhadra clarifies stand on SSSB
SHIMLA, July 11 — Mr Virbhadra Singh, leader of the Congress Legislature Party, has said he was never opposed to the location of the Subordinate Services Selection Board at Hamirpur.

Pathania HP NSUI chief
SHIMLA, July 11 — Ms Meenakshi Natrajan, president of the National Students Union of India, has appointed Mr Kewal Pathania as President of the state unit of the NSUI.

Inquiry ordered into bus accident
SUNDERNAGAR, July 11 — Mr K.K. Kapoor, Transport Minister, Himachal, has ordered a departmental inquiry into the bus accident which claimed seven lives here yesterday.

HPU seeks hike in grant from govt
SHIMLA, July 11 — Mr Subhash Puri, a member of the executive council of the Himachal Pradesh University, has urged the state government to enhance the grant-in-aid to the university to Rs 21 crore per annum from the existing Rs 14 crore.

Dhumal visits martyrs' kin

SHIMLA, July 11 (UNI) — Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal yesterday visited the families of Kagril martyrs belonging to Bilaspur and Hamirpur districts.

Mr Dhumal said people of the state were proud of these brave soldiers and would always remain indebted to them for their supreme sacrifice.

The Chief Minister visited the families of Naik Mangal Singh at Kothi near Talai in Bilaspur district, Naib Subedar Swami Dass at Samlehra near Bagwara, soldier Dinesh Kumar at Andral, soldier Rakesh Kumar at Palahi near Jangleberi and soldier Deep Chand at Baroti villages, all Hamirpur district.

He gave kisan patras of Rs 3 lakh each to the families of Kashmir Singh and Raj Kumar of Hamirpur district who had already been given Rs 2 lakh in cash.

The Chief Minister said the primary health centre at Bagwara would be named after Naib Subedar Swami Dass as a mark of respect to him. Naib Subedar Swami Dass had earlier been given land for this health centre.

Mr Dhumal said the high school at Bir Baghera would be named as Shaheed Rakesh Kumar Memorial High School.

He said the high school at Dhamgeta would be named after martyr Deep Chand and a road from Baroti to Jorghat via Bhairu would be constructed in his memory.

He said the primary school at Bachretu would be named after Naik Mangal Singh.

The Chief Minister said his government would provide all possible assistance to the families of these martyrs.

He said Rs 5 lakh was being given to the family of each soldier besides employment to one member of their families and free education to their children.

He said the government had also decided to give monetary grant up to Rs 2.5 lakh to the injured soldiers and also employment to those soldiers who would be discharged from the Army so that they did not find any difficulty in bringing up their families.

HAMIRPUR (FOC): Mr Virbhadra Singh, former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader, has taken the state government to task for trying to take benefit of the Kargil issue by making the war heroes their personal property.

Talking with this reporter at Mahre on Saturday night, the Congress leader said war martyrs were national heroes and they had sacrificed their lives for the nation. Their sacrifices should not be exploited by any particular party and government as they belonged to all. He said the state government was trying to show the public that it was the only one that was doing everything for the families of the martyrs.

He said the Kargil issue was the result of the wrong policies of a weak BJP government at the Centre. Had the government acted on the advice of the security agencies in time, the present situation could have been avoided and precious lives of martyrs saved. He urged the BJP leaders not to make this issue a political one otherwise the Congress would demand a complete debate on this issue on the floor of the Rajya Sabha.

The former Chief Minister described the action of the Hamirpur district administration in helping an injured Army man from the funds of Baba Balak Nath Temple Trust, Deotsidh, a clear-cut misuse of the temple trust money. He said instead of giving money from the temple funds, the state government and the district administration should have released money to the injured soldier from its own funds. He said the government had vast funds at its disposal and temple money could be given as additional help to the soldier and not as regular aid.

He charged the state government and various district administrations in the state of misusing money of various temple trusts for non-temple purposes. He said the main aim of nationalisation of the temples was for for their better management and also to provide more facilities to pilgrims visiting the temples. But the way, the present government was using the temple money to help its own partymen was a serious matter and would not be allowed to continue, he said. He asked various temple trust managements not to succumb to the pressure of ruling partymen, failing which the basic concept of the trusts would be in jeopardy.

He hit out at the Chief Minister for his narrow thinking on various issues. He said Mr Dhumal was again trying to create regionalism and casteism in the state only to remain in power. He said the Congress believed in the policy of "one Himachal" and would continue to follow the same.

Earlier, the former Chief Minister visited Baroti village and consoled the family of martyr Deep Chand, who was killed in an Army operation at Kargil recently. The nation was fully behind the martyrs and their families, he told the family.

He also visited the house of an injured Army man, Bhupinder Singh, at Mahre in Hamirpur district and prayed for his speedy recovery.

HP steps for Kargil martyrs’ kin
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, July 11 — Keeping up the state's tradition of sacrifice and bravery, 37 Himachali soldiers have so far laid down their lives in Operation Vijay to push out the Pakistani intruders from the Kargil sector.

These include Lt Saurabh Kalia, who led the first patrol party to the heights occupied by intruders and Capt Vikram Batra, the first to be awarded Mahavir Chakra, in the operation. Indeed, the brave soldiers have once again proved their mettle in the battlefield and done the state and the country proud. They are creating history in Kargil.

The hill state constitutes only .5 per cent of the country's population but it has produced hundred of heroes who laid down their lives for the cause of the nation.

At present 1.12 lakh Himachali soldiers are serving the Indian Army and the figure of freedom fighters is as high as 75,982. There are 667 war widows and 18,297 widows of ex-servicemen.

Himachali soldiers have won two Param Vir Chakras, one Ashok Chakra, 67 Vir Chakara, 48 Shaurya Chakaras, 196 sena medals, 7 air force medals and 24 Navy medals. In all, 584 medals have been won by these soldiers.

The government of Himachal has come forward and formally framed a policy to provide employment to members of the families of the martyrs killed in Kargil or other parts.

Rules will be relaxed to provide jobs according to the educational qualifications of next of kin of the martyrs. This scheme has been made far more liberal than the scheme under which employment is given to the dependants of a government employee who dies during service.

All Deputy Commissioners would act as normal agencies to facilitate the employment procedure. After proper coordination with various departments employment would be given to the eligible candidates.

The state government will also provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the dependants of the martyrs.

Besides, free education will be provided to children of the martyrs up to the graduation level. Various welfare schemes have been formulated. Buildings and roads are being named after the martyrs. Monetary assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh each will be given to the injured soldiers who suffered 50 per cent disability and Rs 1 lakh to those with lesser disability. The government has also decided that soldiers who get discharged after the Kargil action would also be provided employment.

A Chief Minister's Sainik Welfare Fund has been set up in which all government employees, various organisations, institutions and people are contributing generously.

The government is also honouring brave soldiers. The state is giving cash awards to the winners of Shaurya medals. The winners of PVSM, AVSM, and VSM are being given rewards of Rs 1.10 lakh, Rs 65,000 and Rs 30,000, respectively, in lieu of land.

The gratuity being given to the martyrs has been enhanced by two and a half times. The officer will now get Rs 25,000 instead of Rs 10,000, JCO Rs 15,000 instead of Rs 6,000 and other ranks will get Rs 10,000 instead of Rs 4,000. The winners of Param Vir Chakra, Ashoka Chakra, Mahavir Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Utam Sewa Medal, Vir Chakra, Shaurya Chakra, Yudh Sewa Medal, PVSM, AVSM and VSM would be given a monthly pension of Rs 4500, Rs 4000, Rs 3600, Rs 3300, Rs 1500, Rs 2700, Rs 2400, Rs 1500, Rs 1500, Rs 2700, Rs 2400 and Rs 2100, respectively.

In addition to this, employment will also be provided to ex-servicemen. The widows and daughters of ex-servicemen are being provided professional training so that they can lead a respectable life. Financial assistance and other incentives are also being given to the children of ex-servicemen.

His photos their prized possession
From S.P. Sharma

BUGHAR (Kasauli) A bunch of photographs of sepoy Dharmender Singh taken in the Kargil sector is the only precious possession his parents are left with.

His mother, Mrs Sheela Devi, and father, Mr Narpat Ram, take out these photographs and show them to every visitor to the house.

Dharmender Singh had sent these photographs to his parents recently through a friend who visited the village while on annual leave.

His mother does not forget to show the photo of Dharmender Singh with snow-clad Tiger Hill in the background.

Dharmender Singh, who was a sepoy in the 3rd Punjab Battalion, was killed while fighting the Pakistani intruders near Tiger Hill.

A midnight telephone call on July 1 from the Kasauli police station conveyed the tragic information regarding the martyrdom of Dharmender Singh to his mother in their native village. Bughar, in the interior of Solan district.

Eldest of the four brothers, Dharmender joined the Army in 1996 and was posted in Kargil last year. He had yet to complete his two-year tenure in the high-altitude area.

Although it is an irreparable loss for his parents but they are proud of his sacrifice.

His father, Narpat Ram, who is a process server in Kishengarh sub-tehsil, said that he received a letter from Dharmender only a day before he laid down his life.

Dharmender's three brothers, Parminder Kumar, Joginder Kumar and Dalip Kumar, are school students. Dharmender was an allrounder in his village. Besides being good in studies he was also captain of the village cricket team. He was preparing for his college examination even while posted at Kargil.

Mrs Sheela Devi recalls that Dharmender last visited home in November during Divali.

Dharmender's uncle, Mr Devi Ram Verma, is a retired Flight Lieutenant. All his three maternal uncles are in the Army, two of them fighting the Pakistani intruders in Kargil.

Soon after his return from Kargil, Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, visited the village to offer condolences to the martyr's family.

Dalai "losing check on Tibetan youths"
From Our Correspondent

KANGRA, July 11 — The Himachal Congress General Secretary, Mr G S Bali and sitting MLA from Nagrota Bagwan expressed concern over the Dalai Lama, temporal head of the Tibetans, losing control over Tibetan youths particularly those indulging in crime.

Mr Bali, addressing a press conference here yesterday demanded that the Tibetans living in exile here in this state be given identity cards for keeping a check over bad Tibetan elements in the state. He said that Tibetans were living in exile in India as refugees and must behave like refugees. He urged the younger generation of Tibetans to follow teachings of Dalai Lama who advocated non violence and peace. Mr Bali was reacting to recent incidents of violence by Tibetan youths.

Mr Bali, who is also a member of the Election Committee of the HPPCC, said that good performance of Bofors guns in the Kargil operation would be main poll plank in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election. Former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi was criticised by the opposition parties on the Bofors guns issue.

Mr Bali described the statement of the BJP Chief Mr Kushabhau Thakre as "unfortunate and shameful" that the Kargil would be an election issue during the forthcoming polls. He said hundreds of Indian soldiers and officers made the supreme sacrifice and the BJP was reducing this to a political issue for partisan ends. He said that Mr Thakre was covering up the intelligence failure and the failure of his government by describing Kargil incident as his party's achievement. He said this statement of Mr Thakre was revealed the mentality of the BJP.

Mr Bali denied that any Congress man had met HVC chief as a political leader at Kangra but any one who met him was because of his personal relations with Mr Sukh Ram. To a question HPPCC General Secretary said fall of the Dhumal Government would be due to internal fights and conflicts within the BJP in the state.

He said the Congress party in the state was united and former Chief Minister Mr Virbhdra Singh and PCC Chief Mr Sat Mahajan would tour the state jointly to woo voters and win all four Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Virbhadra clarifies stand on SSSB
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, July 11 — Mr Virbhadra Singh, leader of the Congress Legislature Party, has said he was never opposed to the location of the Subordinate Services Selection Board (SSSB) at Hamirpur.

In a statement here yesterday, Mr Virbhadra Singh said that what he had said was that there was no need for a separate SSSB in a small state like Himachal as its functions could be easily discharged by the Public Service Commission.

Moreover, he said the experience of other states with the SSSB had not been a pleasant one as there was frequent criticism of corruption and lack of transparency regarding their functioning.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said it was unfortunate that the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, had tried to give a regional twist to the matter which he said was not surprising since Mr Dhumal's entire political thinking was based on parochialism, regionalism and casteism.

He said the board was not meant for a particular district or region but covered the entire state.

Pathania HP NSUI chief
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, July 11 — Ms Meenakshi Natrajan, president of the National Students Union of India, has appointed Mr Kewal Pathania as President of the state unit of the NSUI.

A party press note said Mr Pathania replaced Mr Atul Sharma, whose term had expired.

While Mr Sharma, hailed from Rampur and was a protege of Mr Virbhadra Singh, Leader of the Legislature Congress Party, Mr Kewal Pathania is considered close to Mr Sat Mahajan, the state Congress chief.

Inquiry ordered into bus accident
From Our Correspondent

SUNDERNAGAR, July 11 — Mr K.K. Kapoor, Transport Minister, Himachal, has ordered a departmental inquiry into the bus accident which claimed seven lives here yesterday.

While talking to mediapersons the Transport Minister said that Mr B.R. Sood, General Manager, Technical, would conduct the inquiry.

The minister also visited the hospital and met the injured persons. He disbursed the relief money of Rs 1,000 to the injured passengers and Rs 5000 to the family members of the deceased. The minister also announced that driver, Mr Amar Singh, and conductor, Mr Yuv Raj, would be rewarded as both played important role in the rescue operation.

HPU seeks hike in grant from govt
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, July 11 — Mr Subhash Puri, a member of the executive council of the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), has urged the state government to enhance the grant-in-aid to the university to Rs 21 crore per annum from the existing Rs 14 crore.

In a statement here yesterday, Mr Puri said the enhancement in the grant was necessary for undertaking development activities on the campus. The grant of Rs 14 crore was being spent on the payment of salary of staff, leaving nothing for development. The academic standards of the university could be maintained with additional grants.