SAPLINGS PLANTED: Saplings were planted at Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 23 and Government Nursery School in Sector 23 during sapling plantation day celebrations. The drive was organised by volunteers of the NSS, the Eco Club and the NCC. Saplings of neem, arjun, amla and asoka were planted. The Parent-Teacher Association also participated. Poster making and slogan writing competition was also held. Suman of class IX stood first and Pratik Shrama of XII C came second.
DISCUSSION: The Hindi Sahitya Parishad of the Hindi Department at Panjab University organised a panel discussion on the birthday of Munshi Prem Chand, the legendary Hindi fiction writer, on Thursday. Speaking on the occasion, Sahitya Academy Award winner Mohan Bhandari said he found his way up as a writer through writings of Prem Chand. Prof Virender Mehndiratta said Prem Chand understood contradictions of his society and he went to the lower depths of his milieu. Dr Neerja Sood gave the welcome address while Dr Satyapal Sehgal conducted the proceedings.
PROGRAMME: The Library science Department of Government College, Sector 46, is organising a week-long readers motivation programme ‘Library orientation for the freshers’ from Saturday. The inaugural programme will be presided over by Mr Dilip Kumar, Director Public Instructions (Colleges), Chandigarh Administration. As part of this programme, the library department is also organising a book exhibition titled “Know your library”, the purpose of which is to inform the readers about the wealth of the library so that they could make use of the same during their stay in the college. On this occasion, Prof. H.R. Chopra, Chairman, Department of Library and Information Science, Panjab University, will also deliver talk.
WORKSHOP: A self-help group workshop for the senior citizens was organised at Senior Citizen Home in Sector 43. It was organised by Punjab National Bank, in collaboration with Nabard, for supplementing efforts of existing self-help groups in increasing their income by financial linkage with banks. The workshop was attended by, representatives, rural branch managers, besides aanganwadi workers and government officials. The self-help group is a small group of about 20 economically weaker people.
MEETING: About 100 youngsters, including 30 women, will be employed after formal training through self-supporting programme or sustainable employment. The decision was taken at a meeting of Nehru Yuva Kendra held under the chairmanship of UT Deputy Commissioner Arun Kumar. The meeting was held to approve action plan for Nehru Yuva Kendra for 2003-2004. During the year, the kendra is expected to establish eight new youth clubs, besides 16 existing ones. The other activities of the kendra will include providing vocational training to the youth.
TEACHERS
UNION MEETING: The Government Teachers Union, Chandigarh, is organising a general body meeting at Jamma Masjid ground at 5.30 pm on Friday. The agenda for the meeting include issues like transfer policy violation, promotion orders of JBT, Nursery, drawing and language teachers and lecturers, creation of vice-principal’s post in each senior secondary schools among others. Dr Vinod Sharma, convener, and other members of the union request all teachers of the UT government schools to attend the meeting.
BLOOD DONATION CAMP: Blood donation camp, speeches and public meetings were organised on Thursday in the city to honour Shaheed Udham Singh on his 63rd martyrdom day. At a function held at Shaheed Udham Singh Memorial Bhavan Society in Sector 44, Mr Amrik Singh Jammu, a chief patron of the society, paid homage to the martyr. Addressing a gathering, the society chairman, Mr Nanak Chand Khamboj, explained the salient features of a proposal to build a bhavan in the name of great martyr in Sector 44. A blood donation camp was also organised by All-India Anti-Terrorist Front in the memory of Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Sector 37 market. About 101 people donated blood.
BSNL SCHEME: The Chief GMT, Punjab Telecom Circle, Mr S.C. Choudhary, on Thursday said the BSNL had decided to introduce promotional tariff for the Cellone for a period of 15 days — from August 1, 2003 to August 15, 2003. Under the scheme, a freetalk time worth Rs 100 per month would be allowed for the first six months to all the postpaid customers — the buyers of the postpaid plan i.2 plan-225, plan-325, plan-525 and RTP. The free talktime is to be allowed as reduction from the call charges only.
MEETING: Include leaders of Opposition, besides eminent lawyers, in the National Judicial Commission — members of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association demanded at a meeting held on Thursday. Addressing a gathering, the members also demanded that president of the Supreme Court Bar Association should also be consulted while appointing apex court judges. In case of High Court Judges, the High Court Bar Association president should be consulted. They asserted that the system should also be made more transparent.
MAGICIAN HONOURED: The Haryana Governor, Babu Parmananad, honoured magician Samrat Shankar with a “samman patra” on Thursday. Addressing the audience, the Governor also appreciated the efforts made by the magician to help the needy. In city for over a fortnight, Samrat Shankar’s shows, conducted in collaboration with the UT Red Cross Society, concluded on Thursday. He has already donated Rs 1 lakh to the UT Red Cross Society.
PANCHKULA
DEMAND: The Small Scale Industries Welfare Association, Panchkula, has asked the state government to reconsider its decision on implementation of value added tax (VAT). Mr Mehar Singh, president of the association, said the withdrawal of VAT in the state would be in the interest of industrialists. If the VAT was not withdrawn,
we would be forced to close our businesses here and shift to other states.
SAS NAGAR
SEMINAR: Students and faculty members of the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Chandigarh Engineering College, Landran, here presented a seminar on electronics component and measuring equipment on Thursday. More than 50 students and teachers participated in the seminar and presented their papers on equipment like cathode ray oscilloscope, picture tube of television, FM radio conversion of 220V AC supply into a 5V DC supply and electronics components used in the industry.
CELEBRATED: Students of Sherwood Convent Educational Society, Phase IV, here celebrated the Teej festival in the school on Thursday. A drawing competition was held for the students.
