M A I N   N E W S

India clocks 1.02 billion

New Delhi, March 26
India has touched a population of over 1.02 billion as on March 1 this year, according to new census figures released today.

At 0000 hours of March 1, 2001, the country’s population stood at 1027,015,247, comprising 531,277,078 men and 495,738,169 women, Registrar General and Census Commissioner J.K. Banthia told reporters releasing the provisional population results of the Census of India 2001 which concluded on February 28.

He said with this, India has become the second country in the world after China to cross the one billion population mark. PTI

‘Sub-teachers’ in border schools
Staff absenteeism alarming, says minister
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 26
For the first time, a Cabinet Minister, Dr Rattan Singh, who hails from the border belt, has publicly admitted that government teachers, hardly visit their places of posting and have appointed ‘sub-teachers’ in their place.

Dr Rattan Singh, Animal Husbandry Minister, attributed the mushrooming of private and public schools, especially in the border belt, to the “illegal practice” of appointment of ‘sub-teachers’ who are easily available on ‘rent’ due to growing unemployment in the area.

Interestingly, Ms Sawinder Kaur Kahlon, wife of Mr Nirmal Singh Kahlon, Minister for Rural Development, is District Education Officer (Primary) here.

Addressing the annual prize distribution function of Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Middle School in Karhyal, he alleged that government teachers were not teaching properly in the border belt. He said absenteeism, especially in the border belt, had led to opening of private schools.

A District Education Officer (Primary) had found ‘sub-teachers’ teaching in the border belt about two years ago. This should have been an eye-opener for all concerned.

Many schools in the border belt are without buildings. Many are headless and a number of posts, especially in border villages, have been lying vacant for a long time. By using political influence, teachers posted in border villages get themselves transferred to cities or adjoining urban areas.

Ms Laxmi Kanta Chawla, a ruling party MLA, had demanded transfer of the DEO (Secondary) who is the wife of the minister. Ms Chawla had alleged that the DEO (Secondary) had superseded many. Though Ms Chawla had raised the question on the floor of the Vidhan Sabha, nothing happened.

The border belt has become a haven for mass copying. Many government officials, including those from the Education Department, have got their wards admitted in border village schools where the menace is all-pervading. ‘Bogus’ admissions in the border schools have raised many eyebrows.

A flying squad of the Punjab School Education Board, which had observed mass copying in Dera Baba Nanak and Fatehgarh Churian falling under Gurdaspur district, has recommended cancellation of papers at four examination centres and has detected 14 cases of use of unfair means. Prof Surinder Singh, in charge of the flying squad, said more than 12 examination centres at Dera Baba Nanak and Fatehgarh Churian were inspected. Mass copying was observed at most.

He said he had recommended cancellation of the matric papers at the LMSDC Senior Secondary School, Fatehgarh Churian, Government Senior Secondary School, Talwandi Rama and Government Senior Secondary School, Dharowali as well as cancellation of the plus 2 paper at Government Senior Secondary School, Dera Baba Nanak.