|
|
|
|
Mobilise people to curb terrorism: Experts
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kids from the Valley visit city
Consumer court orders company to pay
Rs 1.65 crore for developmental projects in the city
Free hearing aid to destitute children
UGC seminar explores dimensions of urban poverty
Weekly Round-up
Helping people become self-sufficient
Son also rises with ‘Satvik Veena’
MC to give Jallianwala Bagh
a facelift soon
176 Field Regiment organises cycle rally
Farmers should be prepared to face WTO challenges, says expert
Book on ‘Impact of WTO Regime on Punjab Industry’ released
|
|||||
|
The great Sikh warrior Jassa Singh Ahluwalia played a pivotal role in repelling foreign invasions during the eighteenth century. However, his exploits have been relegated to the pages of history books, report Varinder Walia and Neeraj Bagga The great Sikh warrior Sardar Jassa Singh, who was called “Bandi Chhor” (the redeemer) for having rescued 2200 women imprisoned by Ahmad Shah Abdali for his harem, seems to have been forgotten today.
Sardar Ahluwalia was acclaimed as the supreme leader of the Khalsa Panth and awarded the title of “Padshah” (king) or “Sultan-ul-Quam” (Emperor of the Sikh community) after the conquest of Lahore by Sikhs in November 1761, and the death of Nawab Kapur Singh Faizullapuria. Sardar Ahluwalia successfully led the Sikh warriors against frequent foreign invasions of the Afghans and the tyrannical rule of Mughal administrators during the 18th century. In fact, Ahluwalia laid the foundation of self-rule and changed the map of the then Punjab from Khyber Pass to Jammu and Sindh to Tibet. Before succumbing to an old bullet injury on October 7, 1753, Nawab Kapur Singh called Jassa Singh and entrusted to him the job of serving the Khalsa. Thus, he became the acknowledged leader of the Khalsa of the Budha Dal. Famous historian Ganda Singh in his book “Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia” mentioned that the warrior was of tall stature and well built. This is corroborated by the fact that no horse could serve him for more than six months. He was fluent in Urdu and Persian. He said the torch of the Khalsa Panth, which was lit by Guru Gobind Singh, was kept burning by Baba Banda Bahadur and Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. About the valiant acts of Sardar Ahluwalia, a Muslim scholar Qazi Noor Mohammad, wrote in 1764-65, “When the Singhs lift the Indian sword, they cause destruction from Hind to Sindh trampling down everything under their foot. No warrior could resist them.” The indifference shown by the SGPC towards Sardar Ahluwalia can be gauged from the fact that Qila Ahluwalia, a few yards away from Harmandar Sahib, auctioned in the beginning of the 20th century by the British Government, is hardly visited by any official or Sikh leader. The site of the Qila has emerged as a big shopping hub even as no one has bothered to preserve this heritage building belonging to the Sikh warrior. Shockingly, a random survey showed that many senior SGPC officials were unaware of the existence of the Qila. The historical well on the Qila premises is in bad shape. While a major portion of the fort has already been demolished by shopkeepers after its auctioning, the remaining parts of the historical building have started crumbling. However, one of the gates, well and certain parts of the building are intact. These could be preserved if the state government pays proper attention. According to historians, the fort was intact till 1850, as Sardar Ahluwalia used to stay there. However, during the British regime, Marwaris purchased it in an auction. “There seems to be a clear impact of the European school of art, style and technique on the art work. Except one painting, which is of Lord Shiva, all others are European paintings”. There are mostly landscapes in which beautiful English women with fairies and angels, children and couples are shown in English dresses. However, the fine colour used in this artwork is fading. The Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Memorial Society Punjab (SJSAMSP), headed by Mr Jagjit Singh Walia, organised the visit of Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Vice-Chairman, Planning Commission of India, and his wife, Isher Judge Ahluwalia, to Ahluwalia Qila. These visitors were shocked to see its condition. They said the immediate preservation of this “national heritage” was imperative. They said Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia did not belong to one caste or community, but to the entire countrymen who had fought against the foreign invaders. Mr Onkar Singh Sandhu, patron of the Ramgharia Federation and Sikh scholar, said it was a matter of great concern that the condition of the fort was pitiable. Born with the blessings of the tenth Sikh Master and brought up under the tutelage of the Guru’s wife Mata Sundri, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia played a pivotal role during the turbulent period following the demise of Guru Gobind Singh and fiercely fought against invaders. This ultimately paved the way for the establishment of the Sikh rule under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. A devout follower of Gurbani and fierce soldier on the battlefield, Jassa Singh epitomised the message of Miri Piri given by Guru Hargobind. However, members of the SJSAMSP lament that the great Sikh warrior, who worked tirelessly and selflessly throughout his life for the Panth, has not been accorded due recognition. His name was hardly mentioned during the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa. There were twelve misls of the Sikhs, and Jassa Singh was the head of the Ahluwalia Misl and leader of the Dal Khalsa. Jassa Singh, who was also called Jassa Singh Kalal, came to be known as “Guru Ka Lal” (the beloved son of Guru). Son of Badar Singh, Jassa Singh was hardly five years old when his father died (1723 AD). His mother pleaded with Mata Sundri, widow of Guru Gobind Singh, to take him under her care. Mata Sundri showered affection on him, instructing him carefully in the arts of war and peace. He studied Sikh scriptures under Bhai Mani Singh. Later, Mata Sundri asked Nawab Kapur Singh to take charge of the promising youth. Under the leadership of Jassa Singh, once again the Khalsa army took control of Lahore in 1760. After eleven days, the Durrani Governor, Mir Mohammed Khan, surrendered, and paid Rs 30,000. After subduing the Durranis, the Sikhs returned to Amritsar. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia avenged the desecration of the Golden Temple and Gurdwara Thum Sahib at Kartarpur by the Durranis by defeating their leader Sadat Khan at Jalandhar. His persistent military pursuits forced the Mughal rulers to recognise the authority of the Sikhs over a number of cities of Punjab. In the year 1762, Punjab was fighting for its freedom. Ahmad Shah Abdali, the king of Afghanistan, Persia and parts of Central Asia and India, one of the supreme conquerors of his time, was pitted against Ahluwalia. Earlier that year, Ahmad Shah had inflicted a crushing defeat on the Sikhs. About 25,000 Sikhs, including women and children, were slaughtered at Kup, near Malerkotla. Ahmad Shah had then blown up the Harmandar Sahib and filled the holy tank with the carcasses of cows. Earlier in March 1761, Ahmad Shah Durrani was returning home victorious. He had destroyed the Maratha power in Punjab at the Battle of Panipat and then looted Delhi. His booty included the Hindu women to be taken to Afghanistan for selling. The Sikhs were at their bi-annual Baisakhi meeting at Amritsar when relatives of the captive women came and pleaded for succour. Jassa Singh left immediately with a volunteer force, rescued the women and had them escorted to their families. In 1764, Jassa Singh marched at the head of the combined Khalsa armies and conquered Sirhind province, one of the richest in the Empire. The cash spoils amounted to Rs 900,000 and Jassa Singh gave the entire amount for the rebuilding of the Harmandar Sahib that had been destroyed by Ahmad Shah. The liberation of Amritsar from the rule of Slabat Khan was one of the earliest battles of Jassa Singh. He completed this task in 1747 under the supervision of senior generals Nawab Kapur Singh, Taru Singh Waraich and Chattar Singh. That year, Baisakhi was celebrated in Amritsar after a long time with great zeal.
|
|
Mobilise people to curb terrorism: Experts
A two-day seminar on the “Problem of Terrorism in South East Asia and Its Resolution” was organised by the Folklore Research Academy (FRA), Amritsar, here recently. The first day of the session was presided over by Mr Sita Ram Yechury, CPM Polit Bureau Member, and the chief guest was Rao Inderjit Singh, the Union Minister of State for Defence. The seminar was inaugurated by Ms Nirmala Deshpande, Member, Rajya Sabha. Mr Yechury said that to check state terrorism, the need was to mobilise people. He said that the US secret agencies engineered terrorism in different parts of the world for its own interests and now it wanted to crush terrorism under the slogan of democracy. He said the problem of terrorism was not a new one but after 9/11, the West drew the attention of the whole world against this problem. He said terrorism was not only a law and order problem but also a matter of political interference. Rao Inderjit Singh said state administration could not control terrorism without the people’s cooperation. He added that one needed to find the roots of the problem and solve it politically, administratively and economically. Mr Abdul Rehman Shaheen, the MP from Baramullah, dwelt on terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and its causes. Prof Raiz Punjabi from Jawahar Lal Nehru University said economic disparity, injustice were the causes of terrorism. On the second day of the seminar, Mr Imtia Alam said countries which were affected by this problem, were now the front runners to control this with the active cooperation of people from the whole of South-East Asia. He said Governments of India and Pakistan needed to look at the emotions and feelings of their people whereas they were bent upon destroying the identity of their people. Mr Manzoor Ahmed, Member of the Pakistan National Assembly, said that one had to admit that terrorism did not belong to any caste, creed, religion, territory or region. Ms Gloria de Silva, a child and human rights activist from Sri Lanka while presenting her paper on terrorism, stressed that there was a need to fight against this menace jointly. The others who presented their papers included Mr Gita Prasad from Nepal and Mr D.F. Kaifley from Bhutan. The other participants were Prof Parminder Singh, Prof Jagroop Singh, Dr Harish Puri, Dr Tejbir Singh, Mr Balraj Puri, Mr Nirmal Singh, Mr Sohan Singh Salempura, Mr Ranjit Rana Candiwind, Ranjeev Sharma, Mr Dilbag Singh Sarkaria, Mr Nirmal Singh, Talwinder Singh, Mr Davinder Singh, Mr Harish Sabri.
|
|
Kids from the Valley visit city
A batch of 30 school children and four teachers from the militancy-affected area of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir visited the Holy City on February 23 under the Indian Army’s “Operation Sadbhavna”.
The aim of the tour was to show the spectrum of religions and cultures in the country to the students. The itinerary of these children included a trip to the major cities of north India including Chandigarh, Delhi, Agra and Bharatpur. During their sojourn to Amritsar, they went to Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh and Wagah border. Meanwhile, Panther Army Wives’ Welfare Association and Vardhman Spinning and General Mills Limited organised a knitting competition “Aao Bune – Ek Behtar Kal” for the wives of Army personnel in Panther Auditorium on February 24. Over 350 women participated in the contest. |
|
Consumer court orders company to pay
The District Consumer Disputes and Redressal Forum has ordered a dealer of Ashok Leyland, Mr Jagjit Singh Sethi, sales officer, Mr Sanjeev Kumar, an officer, Mr Narinder Singh and one local representative of the company, Mr Rajesh Batra, to exchange the company’s truck purchased by a local resident, Mr Daljit Singh, or pay him Rs one lakh in compensation in addition to litigation charges.
The order was delivered by a bench comprising the President of the forum, Mr B.S. Mangat, and its members, Mr Rawail Singh and Ms Atmajit Kaur. Mr Daljit Singh, the complainant, had alleged that the opposite party had fraudulently sold him a truck in year 2004, which was a model of 2003. The purchase was made for Rs 6.45 lakh. The complainant said that he had sent the truck to Guwahati and it developed defects soon after that. The complainant claimed that he kept on getting them repaired. During this repair, he came to know that he had been sold an old model of the truck . Mr Daljit Singh stated that he had nearly spent about Rs 1.50 lakh on the accessories, body, spare parts, plastic sheets and canvas. He appealed that he may be given a new truck to cover the ‘fraudulent’ sale and also be compensated for all expenditure on truck, besides a compensation of Rs one lakh for malpractice. Replying to allegations, the defendants stated the complaint was not maintainable, as the entire family of the complainant, including his wife, was engaged in the business of transportation at high level and have number of trucks for carrying out commercial activity. They further stated that the complainant was well aware of the old model and had completely satisfied himself with all documents. They denied any fraud in the matter and prayed for dismissal of the complaint. Taking cognisance of the matter, the bench ruled in favour of consumer and awarded him relief of a new truck or compensation and litigation expenses within one month of order. It further stated that the failure to comply within requisite time would incur a 9 per cent of interest on the compensation amount and other expense. |
|
Rs 1.65 crore for developmental projects in the city
The BJP MP, Mr Navjot Singh Sidhu, distributed cheques worth Rs 1.65 crore to various organisations from his MPLADS funds recently. The funds were ascribed for 127 different developmental projects. This largesse included a sum of Rs 2 lakh to the Amritsar Tennis Association for a tennis court in Amritsar (North). The villages under Ajnala received a total grant of Rs 35 lakh. As much as Rs two lakh each was given to villages Awan Lakha Singh, Kot Razda, Lalla Afghana, Saido Gazi and Terah Kalan. An amount of one lakh each was distributed in the same block to Amb Kotli, Awan Wasau, Balot, Berlas, Charhpur, Dhariwal Bagga, Jasraur, Kamalpura, Rakh Uthian, Rokhey, Talwandi Nahar, Umarpura and Thoba Government School. An amount of more than Rs 29 lakh was distributed under Majitha Tehsil. Shaniwal and Mattewal villages and Mian Pandher received over Rs two lakh, while other villages include Udhoke, Tandel, Ghanshayam Pura, Tarpurm Nibbar wind, Kotla Tirkhana, Ajaibwali. Besides, a sum of Rs 50,000 for a Dharamshala at a temple in addition to Rs one lakh each for Ram Diwali Musalmana Government School and Christian dharamshala was distributed. Rs 75,000 were earmarked for a cremation ground. A sum of Rs 22.30 lakh was distributed under Batala tehsil. As much as Rs 35.80 lakh was allocated for Amritsar (West) constituency for the construction of dharamshalas, upgradation of hospitals and other projects. A sum of Rs 8.60 lakh was given to Amritsar (South), Rs 15.50 lakh for Amritsar (Central), Rs 2.45 lakh, Rs one lakh for computer center in a school at Qadian and Rs 14.50 lakh under Verka tehsil.
|
|
Punjabi culture at its best
An Art and Craft exhibition was held at the Senior Study, (Primary) Amritsar Cantonment School. The theme was “Guru Ki Nagri — Amritsar”. The four famous sites of the Holy City — The Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, Wagah Border and Durgiana Temple— were depicted through crafts. The students made the sites according to their significance. The hospitality of Punjabis and cuisine of the town was also displayed. Interestingly, all the food items were made from clay, wool and sponge, which seemed original. Children enacting the roles of people belonging to different walks of life like roadside vendors, dhabawalas, lassiwala etc at the sites was the icing on the cake. The craft items were created under the guidance of the art and craft teachers, Ms Renu Mehta, Reena Kundra and Baljeet Kaur. The teachers said it took them about two days to train the children and decorate the exhibition. The students, they added, worked hard to show their skills. Ms Sada Nand Kaur, the principal of Miri Piri Academy, inaugurated the exhibition.
|
|
Free hearing aid to destitute children
As many as five destitute children from Pingalwara suffering from hearing impairment received free hearing aids recently during the launching of Senso Hearing Centre by Widex India, a private manufacturing company.
Mr T.S. Anand, managing director (MD) of the company, said the free distribution of hearing aids among the underprivileged children, who suffer from the physical defect, was part of its philanthropic programme. The Centre, he said, would continuously monitor the progress of auditory, speech and language skills of these children correlating with improved adjustment, learning capability, overall development and positive changes in quality of life. Commenting on deafness and its environmental repercussions, especially at a tender age, Ms Preety Anand, the joint MD of the company, said that as many as 25,000 children were born with hearing defects every year as per the data provided by the National Convention of Educators of Deaf
(NCED). |
|
|
UGC seminar explores dimensions of urban poverty
The economically-deprived section of the country must be given recognition as respectable citizens and also as resource persons of the society. These were the views expressed by various social scientists, who participated in the two-day national seminar on “Urban Poverty: A Challenge for Sustainable Development” organised by the Guru Nanak Dev University under the UGC Special Assistance Programme, which concluded here recently.
They opined that poor people could be rich in terms of values, social relationships and were playing a vital role in the society by carrying out essential and manual jobs like cleaning, rags picking, which was not liked by most of the members of the society. Prof Pritpal Singh from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, presided over the valedictory section. Among others, Prof R.S. Sandhu, Coordinator, UGC Special Assistance Programme, Dr Paramjit Nanda, Dr P.S. Raikhy, Prof Saroop Singh, Prof A.S. Sethi, presented their papers.
|
|
The district police has announced a cash award of Rs 10,000 for the anyone who would provide information about Dilraj Singh, who ran away from police custody here on February 22. He was convicted in a rape case and many cases of narcotics and drug peddling are pending against him. The name of the informer would be kept secret, a press release said. Any information pertaining to the matter could be given to SP (City) or SHO, Majitha Road Police Station. Seminar
A seminar on adjudication of mutilated currency notes was conducted by the Punjab and Sind Bank in association with Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Chandigarh, here recently. Mr S.S. Bedi, Deputy General Manager, RBI, Chandigarh said all public sector banks branches and designated branches of private sector banks had been delegated with powers to adjudicate mutilated notes under the RBI (note fund) Rules 1975 (as amended up to 1980). He said that in order to create awareness amongst the general public and to sensitise the issue in furtherance to clean the note policy, the RBI in association with the commercial banks had initiated the notes adjudication programme at various centers in the state of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and Union Territory of Chandigarh. Mr Bedi answered various queries put up by the public and the bank staff to clear their doubts about the exchange of mutilated notes. And gave them technical tips for the detection of fake currency notes. Convocation
The Punjab Government Dental College and Hospital would hold their annual convocation on March 4. Dr Ravinder Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences would be the chief guest, Dr Amarjit Singh Gill, Principal of the institute, said. Meeting
A meeting of the Nurses Association was held at the Mental Hospital here recently. The meeting was presided over by Ms Usha Chopra, President, District Nurses Association. The meeting decried the government on issue of pay scales and allowances. Ms Gurcharan Kaur, general secretary of the association alleged that nurses were not covered under any risk allowance even as they attended to patients with contagious diseases. Their workload, the members said, was more compared to private hospitals, but the government has not spared any thought to enhance their pay scales besides making some special allowances at par with their counterparts working under the Central government. Awards Day
An Awards Day function was organized at the Shahzada Nand College for Girls here. Mr Navjot Singh Sidhu, the MP from Amritsar, presided over the function and gave away the prizes to the outstanding students of the college in academics, sports and extra-curricular activities. Speaking on the occasion, he congratulated the principal, teachers and prizewinners and encouraged the students to excel in every field. Visit
A 13-member team from Shivaji Science College, Nagpur visited BBK DAV College for Women under the student exchange programme. The team, including the Principal of the college, Mr S. L. Saste, during their six-day stay here visited various departments, interacted with the faculty and met the students. A special cultural programme was also organised by the college on the last day of their visit. |
|
|
Helping people become self-sufficient
The Poohla Eviction Committee, a movement that once led the crusade against Ajit Singh Phoola, the self-styled leader of the Taruna Dal who had allegedly unleashed a reign of terror in Patti Tehsil in the district, has now turned its focus on social issues. Spearheading the movement is Col G.S. Sandhu (retd), who is also chairman of the Majha Ex-Servicemen Human Rights Front. His NGO has opened 16 women welfare centres for vocational training in numerous villages. After collecting funds from local and other people, the centres have been opened in Dialpur, Makhi Kalan , Bhikhiwind, village Poohla, Sur Singh , Narla, Pahuwind, Khalra, Marhi Megha, Amarkot , Dholan, Khem Karan, Valtoha, Mehmood Pura and Darjke. Talking to The Tribune, Colonel Sandhu said the whole of Majha was in a state of neglect, and rising drug addiction, joblessness and lack of educational facilities had added to the woes of the people. The pathetic state of affairs, he said, had added to rising instances of domestic violence, thefts, squabbles and even an increase in heinous crimes. “In this scenario, the females suffer the most.” As many as 30 women have enrolled into these centres that teach stitching, embroidery, cutting, tailoring, besides artificial flower-making and other crafts. Colonel Sandhu appealed to the government, the Governor and the Chief Minister to identify “genuine” NGOs and give them recognition. He urged the government to extend administrative, financial and moral support to his organisation to further the interests of the people of this belt that was gradually turning backward. “Women are enrolled at a nominal sum to learn the crafts and are being trained to sustain themselves,” he said. Besides this, the NGO, he said, had also opened a computer training centre at Pahuwind village, the birthplace of Shaheed Baba Deep Singh. Apart from this, special courses have also been started for classes X, XI and XII for spoken English and English grammar. “It is necessary for students to become proficient in English and become eligible for MNC jobs like BPOs,” he said. In addition to this, the Majha Ex-servicemen Human Rights Front would set up a de-addiction and rehabilitation centre. He claimed that even NRI Punjabis were keen to donate and contribute towards a project that would urge people to adopt a child for three years.
|
|
Son also rises with ‘Satvik Veena’
Salil Bhatt, the son of “Mohan Veena” maestro Pandit Viswa Mohan Bhatt and a new star on the classical music scene, regaled the music enthusiasts, with his “Satvik Veena” at the Annual Classical Music Festival at the Art Gallery here on February 26. The festival was organised by Swar Sangam. Salil rendered musical notes on his new creation, the “Satvik Veena”. He rendered various ragas and drew applause from the audience. Salil had performed in the Heritage Festival as well. Following his father, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, the creater of “Mohan Veena” three decades back, Salil too has registered his name with “Satvik Veena”. About his creation, Salil said the instrument helped him in putting depth, richness and continuity in his style of rendering classical ragas. Salil represents the tenth generation of the Bhatts. The new veena, he said, helped him in presenting innumerable variations of his style, which assimilate the gayaki and tantrakari styles. His specialisation lay in high-speed “tans”, Salil said. The instrument has nineteen strings in all, including three for main melody. Its head is shaped like a crescent and rises above the plane of the body. Meanwhile, classical singer Devaki Pandit, who has sung for a number of movies including “Daayra” and “Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na”, also performed in the festival. She has several albums to her credit, including “Inner Soul”, “Ashatha Prahar” and “Bandish”.
|
|
MC to give Jallianwala Bagh
a facelift soon
The Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation, Mr K.S. Kang, has decided to give a facelift to the area around the Jallianwala Bagh . He has decided this in his capacity as the facilitator of the national trust formed for the upkeep of the site.
The commissioner has ordered the removal of the garbage dumps from the site and has drawn a plan for the site’s peripheral upkeep. Garbage is being indiscriminately dumped at the entrance and also at the back of the “Eternal Flame” installed inside Jallainwala Bagh. Local residents continue to dump garbage here. Encouraged by the “indifference” of the authorities, some hospitals and hotels nearby are also adding their garbage to the heap. Basic facilities like toilet and clean drinking water, too, are missing on the premises, while the promised musical and multi-coloured fountains have been put into cold storage. The national trust’s lack of interest is also responsible in part for the apathy, say observers. Under the new plan, the MC has contacted experts from Guru Nanak Dev University to draw water supply plans in congruence with the architecture of the place. |
|
176 Field Regiment organises cycle rally
The 176th Field Regiment celebrated its 39th Raising Day at Gobindgarh Fort by remembering the martyrs of various wars and counter-insurgency operations.
Major-General S.C. Sharma, General Officer Commanding of the Panther Division, flagged off a cycle expedition from Amritsar to Himachal Pradesh to “motivate the youths to join the Army and develop a spirit of adventure”. Major-General Sharma said 12 cyclists, led by Captain Arvinder Singh, would undertake a seven-day journey from the Holy City to Himachal Pradesh, via Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur, Una, Jawala Ji and back to Amritsar.
— TNS
|
|
Farmers should be prepared to face WTO
Urging the farmers to be prepared to face the challenges of WTO regime in an organised manner through appropriate technology, infrastructure and policy support, Dr T. Haque, Chairman, Commission on Agricultural Cost and Prices, Ministry of Agriculture, said efforts should be made to reduce the cost of production and make the country’s farm products competitive in the international market.
Dr Haque was here to inaugurate a two-day UGC sponsored national seminar on “Economic Reforms Under WTO Regime: Some Implications” organised by Guru Nanak Dev University’s Department of Commerce and Business Management. Dr Haque, discussing various issues confronting Indian agriculture and the unorganised industrial sector, said so far the net social and economic gains seemed to be negative. He said the developed countries had not reduced their subsidies and it would limit the market access of Indian agricultural products. Dr Haque said India’s bargaining power in the WTO forum must be strengthened and there was a need for an appropriate monitoring system. He said the growth rate of agricultural income and employment had decelerated. “The rate of growth of agricultural imports has been higher than the growth rate of export.” Dr Haque said Indian farmers and other informal sector workers were in distress. He, however, added that the reduction of export subsidy on cotton and other products by developed countries after Hong Kong round might provide some relief. Dr R.S. Bawa, Registrar, Guru Nanak Dev University, stressed that the minimum level of poverty should not based upon subsistence level. “Poverty should be defined with reference to a person getting the necessities of life, ranging from healthy food to health services.” He said the literacy level should not be determined on the basis of whether or not a person could write his name.
|
|
Book on ‘Impact of WTO Regime
A book titled “Impact of WTO Regime on Punjab Industry” written by Prof P.S. Raikhy and Dr Paramjit Nanda and published by Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, breaks new ground by analysing the impact of the WTO regime at the state level.
The book was released here recently by Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, at a national seminar on “Small Scale Industry in Punjab Under New Policy Regime” organised by the university. The WTO policy regime has serious implications on the Indian economy in general and industry in particular. While attempts has been made to assess the impact at the national level, there is virtual absence of studies on its impact at the state level, says the book. About the growth of the industry and the number of persons employed in Punjab, the book says that there are 43,566 industrial units, which were providing employment to 3,74,636 persons in the year 1980-81 and it grew up to 2,03,911 units providing employment to 12,17,268 persons in the year 2003-04. It further says that the total production of goods was worth Rs 2259.52 crore in 1980-81, which increased to Rs 44,901.58 crore in the year 2003-04. The share of Punjab in the country’s total export, was 2.41 per cent in 1980-81, which grew up to 3.51 per cent in 2003-04. Using both primary and secondary data, the book examines the emerging scenario of the industrial development in Punjab, especially the industrial exports, and brings out the recent policy initiatives of the state government. On the basis of the sample survey of 110 industrial units located in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar, the book brings out the impact and perceptions about the impact of the various provisions, especially the market access, sanitary and phyto–sanitary conditions, technical barriers to trade, environmental and labour standards.
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
