Sandeep Rana,Tribune News Service,Chandigarh, March 8

Next time, rather than cribbing about not receiving your LPG cylinder on time, better approach the district consumer court. The court here has come down heavily on an LPG distributor asking the agency to pay Rs 25,000 to a retired Lieutenant Colonel for faulty bookings and non-delivery of cylinders on time.The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has asked Kalka Ji Gas Service, Pinjore, to “pay Rs 15,000 as compensation on account of deficiency in service and causing mental and physical harassment to the complainant, Lt Col NR Sharma (retd)”. It also ordered the firm to pay him Rs 10,000 towards the cost of litigation.The ex-serviceman, a resident of Amravati Enclave, Panchkula, stated in his complaint that being a registered LPG consumer of the firm, he had hardly been provided hassle-free services by the distributor. He had to face a great deal of difficulty in getting his refill due to inordinate delay by the agency.He alleged that in March 2015, he came across instances where the dealer had booked fake orders against his name/consumer number in the past. Not only this, sometimes refills were not supplied against duly booked (manually) orders to him.The complainant said the system of booking and delivery was found to be proper when the online/IVRS system was functional. However, whenever the online system was down, manipulations in booking and delivery were done by the gas service provider.It was alleged that the problem of undue delay in supply of cylinders on the part of the distributor had also been experienced by other residents of the locality.Pronouncing the order, the court observed, “No satisfactory reply has been given by the distributor about the delayed delivery of cylinders, which were booked manually by the complainant when the system (IVRS/online) was down. Hence, we are of the view that the complainant was put to great mental agony and harassment.”However, complaints against two other parties — HP Gas Customer Service Cell, Sector 19, and Food and Supplies Department, Sector 17 — were dismissed by the court.

https://youtu.be/KFYH6TgmnBw

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An officer of the Indian Army, who was posted in Jammu and Kashmir, has disappeared while on a train journey.

Captain Shikhar Deep, 25, was traveling from Bihar to Delhi on February 6-7.  A cousin who went to receive him at the Delhi station on Sunday found the young officer’s luggage, phone and wallet, which is, according to his father, missing Rs. 20,000 in cash.

Captain Deep’s family lives in Kathihar in Bihar.  His father Colonel Lieutenant Anant Kumar is posted in Ranchi where his battalion – 623 EME – is now stationed.

According to the police, Captain Deep’s luggage was found in the coach he was travelling in, but the officer was nowhere to be found and his mobile was also switched off. He had last spoken to his family on the morning of February 6.

The ticket examiner and the man who provided bed-sheet in the coach, said he was last seen at Kanpur during the journey.

The army suspects that the Captain must have fallen prey to groups who travel on trains and drug and rob people. The army has asked the media to help in the search for the officer.  The description sent by the army is “Height 5’6″, wearing black/brown blazer, off-white T-Shirt, blue jeans, green jungle shoes.”

 

Sandeep Joshi

New Delhi, February 29

PRICES

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled a Budget for the poor on Monday, announcing new rural aid schemes and skimping on a bank bailout, in a strategy shift that seeks to boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party in the ensuing state elections.Jaitley’s spending plan sought to cast Modi as a leader who cares after he came under sustained Opposition fire for being too close to business and spending too much time with foreign leaders.Presenting his third Budget, Jaitley said the government wanted to spread the benefits of growth more widely among India’s 1.3 billion people, but without increasing borrowing. “We have a shared responsibility to spend prudently and wisely for the people, especially for the poor and downtrodden,” the 63-year-old Finance Minister told lawmakers.The spending package for the 2016-17 fiscal year from April 1 mapped out by Jaitley marked a shift from an earlier focus on investing in infrastructure that had tried to kickstart private-sector investment, which still remains weak.Jaitley described his three priorities as strengthening India’s firewalls by ensuring macro-economic stability and prudent fiscal management; driving growth through domestic demand; and reforms to boost economic opportunity.Importantly, Jaitley said he would stick to the government’s existing fiscal deficit target for the coming year, at 3.5 per cent of GDP, down from 3.9 per cent in the fiscal year just ending. This lifted government bonds and the rupee as market fears that Jaitley would backslide on the deficit were not borne out.Reflecting tough fiscal constraints, the government will set aside Rs 250 billion to recapitalise state banks. That is less than expected by markets and below the needs identified by Finance Ministry adviser Arvind Subramanian in his pre-Budget report. “ Our public sector banks will be well-supported,” Jaitley said. The news hit banking stocks in trading on the  Mumbai stock exchange, although infrastructure firms rallied on Jaitley’s announcement on increased spending on infrastructure development. — ReutersRs 44,485 cr
Agriculture
The allocation has almost doubled. Government to reorient interventions in the farm and non-farm sectors to double the income of farmers by 2022Rs 87,765 cr
Rural Sector 
Of this, Rs 38,500 cr allocated for MGNREGA, the highest everRs 2.21 lakh cr
Infrastructure 
A slew of proposals includes abolishing permit raj and setting up a dispute redress system, aimed at removing bottlenecksQUOTESI want to assure the countrymen that this Budget is close to your dreams. To fulfil your dreams, this government has presented its commitment along with programmes. —Narendra Modi, Prime MinisterThe Budget addresses sectors that need highest priority and rural areas need most attention. There is a serious challenge, if not distress, in the rural sector. —Arun Jaitley, Finance MinisterDoubling farmers’ income in five years is impossible. There is no inclination, no way of telling the country how it will be achieved. —Manmohan Singh, Ex-PMDouble cess to hit consumersConsumers will have to pay a new agriculture cess on all taxable services and another one on purchase of cars and SUVs as the government plans to garner Rs 8,000 crore extra from them next fiscal. The new Krishi Kalyan cess will get Rs 5,000 crore from levy of 0.5 per cent tax on all taxable services like air travel and dining out. The cess, which will be effective from June 1, 2016, will help finance and promote initiatives to improve agriculture. Besides, infrastructure cess has been imposed at 1 per cent on small petrol, LPG, CNG cars, 2.5 per cent on diesel cars of certain capacity and 4 per cent on higher engine capacity vehicles. Rs 1 lakh health cover for allThe Centre will launch a new health protection scheme under which a cover up to Rs 1 lakh per family will be provided besides opening around 3,000 medical stores across the country to provide quality medicines at affordable prices.Medium shops to open all days The government has proposed allowing small and medium shops to open through the week to create more jobs, a move hailed by retail players. The government plans to circulate Model Shops and Establishments Bill which the states could adopt on a voluntary basis to boost the retail sector, the largest service sector employer.EPF deposits to be taxed The Budget seeks to impose a retirement tax at the time of final withdrawal on 60 pc of contributions made after April 1 to EPF and other schemes. At present, social security schemes run by retirement fund body EPFO are tax free.Govt to foot new workers’ PFTo boost creation of new jobs, the government has set aside Rs 1,000 crore to pay 8.33 pc of the Employee Provident Fund for all new employees for the first three years. The government will contribute the amount on behalf of employers.

Direct transfer of subsidy

Buoyed by success of DBT in LPG, the government has announced direct transfer of fertiliser subsidy to farmers on pilot basis in few districts but reduced the overall subsidy allocation to the sector. It pegged fertiliser subsidy at Rs 70,000 crore, lower than Rs 72,437.58 crore revised estimate for this financial year.Rs 50k relief for new home buyersFirst-time home buyers will get additional deduction of Rs 50,000 on interest for loan up to Rs 35 lakh. The cost of house should not be more than Rs 50 lakh. Rs 100 cr for GurpurbRs 100 crore each have been allocated to celebrate the birth centenaries of the Tenth Sikh Guru and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh who was born in 1916. 

AADHAAR SET TO GET MO RE TEETH

Major General Amil Kumar Shori is the Chief Postmaster General of Himachal Pradesh and enjoys a status equivalent to the Additional Secretary to the Government of India (See photo). His office is responsible for governing nine postal divisions, one railway mail service division, one postal stores department and the office of Director of postal accounts. The postal circle of the state was carved out of the erstwhile north-west circle in December 1986 and proudly claims to have the highest post office in the world at Hikkim (14,567 feet) under Rampur Bushahr postal division.I met General Shori for the first time on the university campus where both had gone to deliver lectures on gender sensitivity. His deliberations were engaging. Later, I came to know that he had a flair for writing too and had authored a couple of books. ‘Seven Shades of Rama’ gives expected shining hue to the character of Rama as son, brother, husband, warrior, king, Rishi and Maryada Purushottam (See photo).The base of what Shori had written in the book is the Cantos taken from different chapters of the Ramayana and portraying Rama as we all know him. The new dimension to the character given in the novel ‘Asura – Tale of the Vanquished’ by Anand Neelkantan that I had recently finished, continued reverberating in my mind while reading the book.Earlier, Acharya Chatursen Shastri had written a novel ‘Vayam Rakshamah’ depicting the establishment of Raksh Sanskriti in the South, i.e. a culture that provides security to the people and that is why Ravana is Rakshas – the saviour, a king given to good governance. General Shori dedicates the book to “Rohit Suri whose untimely demise left an unfilled void in our family”. It is upsetting and pained me.Another book that Shori has penned is ‘Indian Rajarshi and Greek Philosopher King – Principles of Good Governance’. It is from this one that I have dug out the tenets of good governance as these existed during the times of the Mahabharata. Bhishma, when he was steadily dying on the bed of arrows – sharshaiyya – sermonises Yudhisthir about the governance as is narrated in Shanti / Anushasan Parva of the great epic.He says that vigilance is the main attribute of governance. An ignorant king living in the dark blackens the art of governance. What happened in Pathankot recently? The second tenet is self-discipline. Bhishma gives 36 components of it and expected the king to have self-control over him. Before Seneca could utter “Auditur et altera pars” or the other side shall be heard as well, Bhishma had already lectured Yudhisthir on impartiality as tenet of governance. Trust is the next attribute and Shori writes, “It is the duty of the king to make sure that there are no signs of any distrust among the people and officials.”The Mahabharata is also concerned about public wealth and has added taxation as part of governance. It says that taxation should be handled as bumblebee does a flower, extracts its sweetness but does not damage it. Fear is the next tenet and Bhishma has its two concepts. When Arjuna said without the fear of the law and the rules, the social edifice would crash, Bhishma agreed to it and added that the king should also be afraid of the hands of the law which could hook him, similarly an Adharmi (unrighteous) should have this fear but a Dharmatma should always enjoy the freedom from fear.The Mahabharata also emphasised on proper balancing of kshma (reconciliation) and bala (force). Bhishma says in Shanti Parv that a king should be like an autumn sun which is neither very hot nor too cold, i.e. he should neither be too harsh nor extremely gentle. Those desirous to know where in the Mahabharata these shlokas appear, they may go in for the book. I would call it as short and sweet compilation.—The writer is a retired bureaucrat

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 28

The Punjab Government’s C-Pyte will be providing training regarding physical training and written examination for recruitment in the army at ITI, Gill Road, Ludhiana, from March 1-April 30, 2016.Camp Commandant said the trials for training would be held on February 29. During training, applicants would be provided free boarding, ration and training.Interested applicants need to bring a character certificate from village sarpanch, no claim and unmarried certificate, residents proof from tehsildar and rural area certificate.They also need to bring 25 passport sized copies of their photographs, their age should be between 17-1/2 and 21 years, minimum height 170 cm, chest 77 cm, should have at least 45 per cent marks in Class X or have passed Class XII with arts discipline, all certificates should be in English language.He said applicants who have tattoos would not be eligible.

Ten soldiers died in an avalanche at the Siachen Glacier on Wednesday. A Tribune Photo

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria,Tribune News Service,Jammu, February 4

At the Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield in the world, hostile weather, icy terrain, sub-zero temperature, low oxygen and high-altitude sickness form a lethal mix, taking a heavy toll on men in olive green than any conflict with India’s arch-rival — Pakistan.Pakistan has the same story of losing more men to the weather vagaries than skirmishes between the two countries.As per statistics, 869 soldiers have lost their lives since April 1984 when India initiated “Operation Meghdoot”, airdropping its men to pre-empt a move by Pakistan to occupy the strategic heights.With 10 more Army men falling to an avalanche, the death toll has now gone up to 879 since 1984.The Army and the Air Force have been running against time to trace and rescue survivors, if any, among the 10 soldiers who went missing after an avalanche wiped out an Army camp at a height of 19,600 feet on Wednesday morning.On Siachen’s significance to India and what makes it a dangerous place, Northern Command’s defence spokesperson Col SD Goswami said: “Siachen’s terrain, its strategic location and geographical importance have given it a paramount place in the annals of history. The soldiers deployed on the glacier endure the worst weather conditions throughout the year.“At times, the troops have to unavoidably take up defences in the areas around steep slopes and crevices, which might send tonnes of snow and rubble crumbling down without any warning and completely obliterate the camps, communication lines, bury personnel and everything else. In such unstable conditions on the glacier, the terrain, climate or altitude can take its toll on anything.”However, Colonel Goswami added that with rhythm in his steps, faith to serve the nation and prayers on his lips, a soldier goes on his way up to the glacier.An Army source said that since 1984, the Army had lost 869 of its men at the 76-km Siachen Glacier. A majority of them have died of hostile weather conditions such as avalanches, landslides and floods and in some cases due to the high-altitude sickness, he added.Indian and Pakistan have been pitted against each other at the Siachen since 1984.“Loss of appetite, frostbite and high-altitude pulmonary edema (watery fluid collecting in the cavities or tissues of the body) are some of the diseases to which our men are exposed. There were instances in the past when some of our men contracted Monge’s disease that causes loss of high-altitude tolerance after prolonged exposure, characterised by extreme polycythemia (abnormally increased concentration of haemoglobin in the blood), exaggerated hypoxaemia (abnormally low level of oxygen in the blood) and reduced mental and physical capacity, relieved by descent,” he said.A defence official said both India and Pakistan had lost more men to hostile weather than conflicts between the two sides on the glacial heights.“Since 2003, guns have been silent on the 110-km Actual Ground Position Line after India and Pakistan inked a ceasefire in November that year,” he added.However, a senior Army officer said the past conflicts with Pakistan and China, growing proximity between China and Pakistan via the Karakoram Pass and trust deficit with Pakistan, made strategic Siachen Glacier indispensable to India and it could not afford to withdraw its troopsOn an average, India spends Rs 5 crore a day for replenishing supplies to its men at the Siachen.India controls about two-thirds of the glacier, besides commanding two of the three passes while Pakistan occupies the Gyong La Pass, which overlooks the Shyok and the Nubra river valleys and India’s access to the glacier from Leh district in Ladakh.Indian soldiers currently hold the strategic Saltoro Ridge which overlooks Pakistani positions.At 5,472 meters above sea level, the Siachen Glacier is located in the Karakoram mountain range, which has some of the highest peaks in the world. The northern mountains of the glacier mark the watershed between Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Bereft of vegetation, the glacier is one of the world’s most inhospitable regions, where the temperature plunges to – 40°C.