Three rooms for all pry schools

UNA, Feb 8: Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said that Rs. 136 crore would be spent to construct 13612 class rooms to provide a minimum o...

UNA, Feb 8: Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said that Rs. 136 crore would be spent to construct 13612 class rooms to provide a minimum of three class rooms in each primary school of the state by the end of the year 2000. He was addressing a press conference at Una rest house here today, Dhumal disclosed that 350 new schools would be opened in the next two years. He flayed the previous Congress government for opening 1350 new schools without adding to the infrastructure. He said that 4159 voluntary teachers had been regularised, 1444 new JBT teachers had been recruited and 2100 Vidya Upasaks would soon be inducted to provide at least three teachers in each primary school of the state.

Dhumal urged the youth mandals and mahila mandals to be participate in the development of the state. He said that Rs 1 crore had been earmarked for youth and mahila mandals as financial aid for doing constructive work for community development.

The Chief Minister said that the recent hike in electricity charges was inadvertent as the state electricity board was running in a loss and an additional burden of Rs 70 crore had been imposed on the state due to the hike in salaries of the employees after the implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission. He said that the HVC manifesto had promised to provide electricity at the rate of 25 paise per units but it was possible only under ideal conditions and the basic infrastructure and resources yet did not exist in the state for its implementation.

Dhumal said that a state level committee had been formed under the chairmanship of Minister of State for Revenue Rajan Sushant to look into the revenue problems faced by the farmers. He said that revenue experts and public representatives had also been included in the committee who would get the feed-back at the district block or panchayat level and their recommendations would be passed on to the government. He said that the revenue data throughout the state would be computerised and each land holder would be provided with a computerised pass book of land records which would also be used to secure loans and advances for agriculture purposes.

Dhumal said that special training and incentives would be given to the youth of Una, Kangra, Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Mandi districts to cultivate citrus varieties of fruits and to install citrus fruit processing units.

The Chief Minister said that the process of the CBI inquiry against former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had begun and the CBI had asked the state government to provide related documents, transportation and accommodation facilities to carry out the inquiry.

State HVC general secretary O.P. Rattan who was also present at the press conference, expressed his satisfaction at the efforts of the Chief Minister to initiate the inquiry against Virbhadra Singh.