Ludhiana, September 19
The Ludhiana Management Association (LMA) presented the three annual awards to outstanding entrepreneurs and managers during its annual day celebrations held at Hotel Gulmor, here today. The awards were presented to the winners by the Punjab Governor, Justice O.P. Verma (retd).

While the LMA Vardhaman Entrepreneur Award of the Year was won by Mr Sudhir Dhingra, Chairman and Managing Director, Orientcraft, an export house, Mr Vinod Sahney, Director and CEO (North), Airtel, was conferred on the LMA Dayanand Munjal Manager of Year Award. Mr Ranjodh Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, GS Radiators, bagged the LMA Trident Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Presenting the awards to the entrepreneurs, the Governor congratulated them for their outstanding achievements. He stressed upon the need for a thorough introspection as there was still a long way to go. The Governor urged the entrepreneurs and the managers to come out and look for the talent everywhere. He said it was the responsibility of each and everyone to contribute to the socio-economic growth of the country.

He emphasised the need for observing ethics in business. Quoting earlier speakers, the Governor said standards must be maintained at all costs. He said the entrepreneurs needed to be innovative as much more needed to be invented and explored.

Mr H.K. Dua, Editor-in-Chief, The Tribune Group of Publications, in his keynote address congratulated the people of Ludhiana for their entrepreneurial spirit. He maintained that the agricultural and industrial growth in the city had stagnated. He observed that Ludhiana was “not the Ludhiana of the 21st century” as it had lost out to cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad which were already on the world map.

Summing up the debate on entrepreneurship, Mr S.P. Oswal, Chairman, Vardhaman Group of Companies, corroborated the observations of Mr Surinder Kapur that the entrepreneur should not only dare to dream and break away with the past but he should also appear to be “distinct and different”.

Mr Brij Mohan Lall Munjal, Chairman and Managing Director, Hero Group of Companies, sought labour reforms in the country. He underlined the need for introducing the labour reforms in the country to make it industry friendly for its sustenance in the global competition.

Presenting the annual report of the LMA, Mr V.K. Goyal, general secretary, listed various achievements of the association. He said the LMA had come a long way in incorporating a professional managerial culture in Ludhiana by organising regular interactions with reputed managers, entrepreneurs and intellectuals.

Mr O.P. Munjal, Co-Chairman and Managing Director, Hero Group of Industries, was as usual poetic in his introduction of the Governor. His Urdu couplets provided the much needed poetic relief to the audience.

While Mr M.C. Munjal delivered the presidential address, Mr Anil Kumar presented the vote of thanks.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 19
Following indifferent attitude of the government agencies, an NRI widow along with her close relatives has erected a statue of her husband, who had laid down his life during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war. While the statue was erected in April this year, it would be kept covered till the November end, when a Colonel of the National Ducker Horse regiment would unveil it.

The covered statue is attracting public attention. Another statue of a martyr had earlier remained covered at Latala village in the Kilaraipur constituency segment for months together.

Mr Mukand Singh, a member of panchayat who had served the same battalion, said that the tank driven by Avtar Singh had caught fire.

When he along with four other men tried to escape, a shell hit him in head and he died.

Though the family had received 10 acres in recognition of Avtar’s sacrifice, successive governments had failed to raise any memorial to the martyr. Disappointed over the attitude of government the family erected a memorial on its own near Shaheed Kartar Singh Dukki Memorial Government Senior Secondary School in April this year.

The family desired that some officer from the regiment of Avtar should unveil the statue. Surjit Kaur, martyr's wife, and his son Sukhdev Singh are living in the USA.

Sources revealed that at least eight persons of this village had laid their lives during wars.

Ludhiana, September 19
Eighteen displaced Kashmiri Pandits, who are on a march from Jammu to the Parliament House in New Delhi, reached Ludhiana today. They were accorded a warm welcome by the small Kashmiri Pandit community and some local people here.

These youths said that they were feeling quite at home in Punjab and the local the love of the local people reminded them of the supreme sacrifice of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur. The march is being held under the aegis of the All India Kashmiri Samaj.

The youths started from Jammu on September 12. They have been walking along various routes to highlight the plight of Kashmiri Pandits in the aftermath of their migration from the valley in the wake of militancy. The Pandits migrated to Jammu, Delhi and some other parts of the country. They lamented that they had been ignored by the successive state and Central governments.

R.K.Bhat, one of the march members, said that all institutions belonging to the Kashmiri Pandits were being destroyed. He said that there was a large scale unemployment among the Kashmiri Pandits as they were not given government jobs. "We only depend on the private sector", he added.

After reaching Delhi, these youths would hold a demonstration outside the Parliament House to highlight their concern. They would also be meeting the President, Dr A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, and the Prime Minister, Mr Manmohan Singh.

Their main demands include a special quota for migrant Kashmiri youths in government jobs against the retired Kashmiri Pandit employees, jobs for them in state and Central governments, interest free loans with a minimum of Rs 3 lakh, extension of the healing touch policy of the state government to the Kashmiri Pandits also, release of 100 per cent ex gratia relief for property damage in Kashmir and the enhancement of monthly relief to Rs 5,000. 

Ludhiana, September 19
The Indian Ex-Services League, Punjab and Chandigarh, has welcomed the edict of Akal Takht refusing the Sikh community's support to the RSS. In a signed statement, the president of the league, Lt-Col Chanan Singh Dhillon has said that the RSS was indulging in activities that undermined the Sikh philosophy and it also refused to recognise Sikhism as a separate religion.

The statement says it was ironic that the Shiromani Akali Dal after having got " a mandate following the Operation Bluestar shamelessly preferred to share power with forces, which are inimical to the Indian minorities".

"There is no doubt, whatsoever, that the edict issued on July 23 was kept under wraps as it would have sent a message against the SAD, which had taken over the role of master of ceremonies during the 400 years’ celebration of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib from the SGPC", the statement says.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 19
The Dehlon police has arrested a member of an interstate gang involved in smuggling drugs and narcotics and seized 2.72 kg opium from his possession.

According to Mr Rajiv Ahir, Senior Superintendent of Police, Jagraon, Amarjit Singh, a resident of Purkaji village under in Muzzafarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, was arrested by a police party led by ASI Rajinder Singh near Phallewal village and the opium was seized from him.

The suspect was a member of a gang involved in smuggling drugs and narcotics. The gang has been active in the rural area of the Kila Raipur assembly constituency for around two years.