Briefly Region

Govt flays Virbhadra’s statement on steel processing plant
Shimla: The BJP government has asked Union Minister for Steel Virbhadra Singh to clarify the allegation levelled against the government,accusing it of opposing the proposal for a steel processing plant in Mandi district. During his recent visit to Deothsidh in Hamirpur district,Virbharda had gone in public,saying that the BJP government led by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal was trying to disrupt his ministry’s proposal to set up a steel processing plant in Mandi. In a joint statement by cabinet ministers Narinder Bragta and Mahinder Singh Thakur,the government has countered Virbhadra’s claim and asked him to support the state’s effort to get its due from the Centre.

‘Academics ignored Lala Lajpat Rai’
Amritsar: Lala Lajpat Rai has not been given due importance by academics,said Dr Harish C Sharma,senior professor of history of Guru Nanak Dev University on Thursday. Speaking during the inauguration of Lala Lajpat Rai Studies Centre established at Hindu College,Dr Sharma said Lajpat Rai devoted most of his resources on spreading knowledge and education of the people. “He had a vast view of the world that encompassed the whole of the country. He was an extraordinary individual whose concerns including economy,social change,international relation,colonialism and political mobilization,” he said.