S P O T L I G H T

“Rozgar” funds for foreign jaunts?
Chandigarh, October 26
The State Urban Development Agency of the Punjab Local Government department which is meant to engage itself in poverty alleviation programmes, paid the bills of a foreign jaunt of a retired official, Mr V.M. Wadhwa, who was Officer on Special Duty to the former minister, Mr Balramji Das Tandon in June, 2001. Mr Wadhwa, reportedly, accompanied the minister to Geneva (June 14 to June 21, 2001) for a conference on labour, to render “secretarial assistance”. Though Mr Wadhwa drew salary from the agency, he received a payment of Rs 75,000 from the funds meant for Swaran Jayanti Shehri Rozgar Yojna, an advance for meeting travel expenses as sanctioned by the then Principal Secretary. On return, Mr Wadhwa had stayed for six days in London. TNS

49 cows killed
Ferozepore, October 26
As many as 49 cows have died and 390 have fallen ill, three of them critically, after eating stale chapatis at a “Gaushala” in Zira tehsil of this district. The stale chapatis of a langar were supplied to the “Gaushala”. TNS