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Govt flayed for ‘bias’ against Punjabi, Urdu
Stalemate at two Gurgaon firms worries administration
Rs 935-cr project to improve land quality in Haryana
‘Mind Math’ to make mathematics interactive
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IT sector exports touch $23b
Tiny-tots find their feet at sports day function
Cool breeze sweeps Capital
Workshop on globalisation and poverty eradication
Three youths killed in road accidents
Traders call for bandh on March 21
Servants flee with valuables worth lakhs
Eight-year-old girl raped in Nangli
Two held for making pirated CDs
NDMC official chargesheeted for taking bribe
Girl commits suicide
CBI arrests SI for taking bribe from cable operator
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Govt flayed for ‘bias’ against Punjabi, Urdu
New Delhi, March 12 When this issue was raised in certain quarters, the government asked the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to increase their pay scale from Rs 5000-Rs 8000. The All India General Secretary, Akali Dal (Badal), Mr Onkar Singh Thapar, said that such “discrimination” with these two languages must be ended and demanded that vacant posts of translators and teachers in these languages be filled up soon. He said ‘Punjabi and Urdu languages were not getting their due’. Criticising the government for its “discriminatory policy” towards the Indian languages, Mr Shoaib Iqbal, Janata Dal (Secular), said, “the government is not serious in filling up the vacant posts of language teachers and translators”. He wanted that the nameplates of all ministers and officers should be written in Punjabi and Urdu in accordance with their status. “This issue will be taken up with the Chief Minister and if need be we will talk to the central government in this regard,” he said.
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Stalemate at two Gurgaon firms worries administration
Gurgaon, March 12 Keeping in mind how the labour unrest at Honda Scooters and Motorcycles snowballed into major violence a few months back, the administration is continuing with its efforts to ensure peace. The labour unions, especially the AITUC, which is affiliated to the CPI, are planning to organise a public meeting here in case the demands of the workers of the two firms are not redressed. In response to a representation from the workers of Amira Foods, where nine workers have been dismissed, the Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon, Mr R. P. Bhardwaj, referred the matter to the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr S. S. Dalal, to look into the matter and try for an amicable settlement between the labour and the management. The workers are sore over the dismissal of their colleagues. According to the management, the workers have been dismissed on disciplinary grounds. The workers say they have faced action as a workers’ union was floated. They say taking part in union activities is their legitimate right. Mr Dalal said he had already held one joint meeting of representatives from the two sides. He was optimistic that a settlement would be reached soon. Another meeting of representatives from both the sides would be convened soon, he added. However, the labour leaders say nothing beneficial came out of the first meeting. At Arusi Enterprises, the management effected total lockout in the firm more than two months ago. According to the Labour Officer, Mr S. K. Gupta, the lockout was illegal as a notice was served on the workers regarding it. Also, the department concerned was not informed about it. Mr Gupta further said he had recommended to his department that the lockout be termed illegal. In case this happened, the workers would get all benefits and compensation since the lockout started. More than 100 workers are employed with Arusi Enterprises. Since the lockout, they have been staging a sit-in dharna outside the company gate. Workers from other firms have also been supporting their cause. They have taken out several processions in the city in the past few months. According to officials of the labour department, several attempts were made to bring about an understanding between the labour and the management of Arusi Enterprises but to no avail. Both sides are to be blamed for the continuing impasse. However, the management has to bear the responsibility and possible action as they are substantively on the wrong side of the law on account of the illegal lockout.
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Rs 935-cr project to improve land quality in Haryana
Faridabad, March 12 According to official sources, an amount of Rs 222.25 crore would be spent on drainage and water disposal schemes which include vertical drainage, bio-drainage and surface drainage, renewal of water bodies and underground pipe system. It is stated that the quality of land could be improved drastically with proper management of water and its resources and it would help in increasing the overall productivity of land and a fall in production cost. The authorities stated that the government had already been providing a subsidy of 50 per cent on the use of Gypsun in the region having a ‘barten’ type of land. It is claimed that the land measuring about 2.84 lakh hectare had been improved during 2004-05. About 12,400 hectares of land is targeted to be covered under the scheme during 2005-06. Under the project, 8480 hectares had been improved till November last year. The government has been providing a subsidy of Rs 200 per tone on Gypsun use by the farmers. The government has also announced a subsidy of Rs 2,700 to Rs 3,500 per unit on the use of renewable energy sources like bio-gas and solar energy systems. A total of 46,895 bio-gas units had been set up so far in the state.
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‘Mind Math’ to make mathematics interactive
New Delhi, March 12 The government-run schools will introduce ‘Mind Math’ as part of academic activity for students of Class VI and X to help them deal with mathematical problems. This programme will work out the mathematical problem of the students, sources said. The Academic Support Group (ASG), set up by the Education Department to recommend educational reforms, had suggested for the introduction of the subject, which was accepted by the government. A set of questions on Decimal System, Fractions, Percentage, Area and many more related topics has been prepared, he said adding mathematics teachers in all 950 schools would use the set of questions and orient the students to answer them instantly. Besides, a quiz competition, ‘Mind Math Quiz’, on mathematics would be organised at various levels ranging from specific school to zone, district and state level. The winners would be honoured with a prize and scholarship. The students would be given 20 seconds to answer a question. The Education Department has also started an innovative online supervision method of teaching as recommended by the ASG. The method envisages use of advanced equipment in classrooms to make teaching more “interactive” than “drab”. The principals would make surprise visits to the classes and find out whether the teachers are using equipment or not. They would furnish their feedback about the teaching on the same day, the sources said. Following ASG’s recommendation, the Education Department has prepared compact discs (CDs) for morning assembly of students, which have been sent to all schools. The CDs containing prayers, patriotic songs like Vande Mataram, laughter therapy and speeches of retired principals.
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IT sector exports touch $23b
Noida, March 12 He said India’s stocks were going up in the world due to continued development of IT sector in the country. India was now occupying a special position in the world due to the development of its IT sector, Mr Brijesh Kumar said. Participating in the third anniversary of Loxics Park, Noida, Secretary IT said companies like Intel and Microsoft were keen to invest in India. The government on its part, he said, was keen to create better investment climate in the country. He said India was likely to achieve an export target of $60 crore during the next five years, according to the NASSCOM report. The Chairman of NASSCOM, Mr Kiran Karnik, said IT sector was on top today having beaten all other sectors. NASSCOM has also registered a progress of 32 per cent. He said one should possess a flair for change to achieve success in this field. That is why this sector has been given the name of knowledge industry. Mr Karnik also emphasised the need to develop IT sector in smaller towns. He said infrastructural facilities are all the more necessary to attract investment in this sector. Mr Karnik said the E-Governance policy will benefit this sector as well as the common man. IT Secretary to the UP Government, Zohra Chatterjee said the state government endeavours to ensure that the development of IT sector will benefit the common man. He said getting linked to the network of national E-governance has created enormous possibilities in other sectors. Mr Shakti Nath, Chairman of Loxics Park, said by making available infrastructure of international standards, more and more IT companies can be attracted to the software parks. He said IT software parks developed by him have all possible facilities, namely conference rooms, cafés, restaurants, medical centre, swimming pools, etc.
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Tiny-tots find their feet at sports day function
New Delhi, March 12 The sports arena was impressively done up based on the theme, ‘Fantasy of Disney World’, with a castle at the entrance and the ever smiling “Minnie and “Pluto” greeting the children, parents and visitors. The walkway leading up to the stage was colourfully decorated with huge banners of all the cartoon characters. It was a warm morning when the children put up an impressive performance in body control and energy generation. After a brief welcome ceremony, there was a colourful calisthenics display showcasing the immense confidence among the tiny tots. It was followed by the track events, in which some of the children perhaps for the first time were competing with each other. The “babies” took part in aerobics performed in unison, that “took the breath away of the proud parents”, as they saw their little ones finding their feet in a new situation. The events were conducted with clockwise precision and showed excellent coordination of mind and body among children at such a tender age. Later, the youngsters did a coordination drill while singing the school song. After the fun and games, it was time to bid adieu to the ‘graduating’ class of 2006. Even as they were preparing to move to new schools and new environment, the director of Tenderfeet, Mrs Anu Khurana, presented them with a certificate and a memento so that when they look back to the days spent at Tenderfeet they would fondly cherish those memories. Later, the parents also had an opportunity to show their strength and prowess in a tug-of- war competition among themselves. At the fag end of the programme, the chairman of the school, Mr Khurana, thanked everyone, particularly the principal Devaki Srinivasan, headmistress Rita Kishore and all the teachers for their efforts in making the event successful and enjoyable.
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Cool breeze sweeps Capital
New Delhi, March 12 The weatherman attributed the sudden coolness in weather to the influence of an upper air cyclonic storm originating from areas in Rajasthan. Heavy rains lashed the Capital yesterday morning after a drizzle on Friday. About 10.2 mm rainfall was recorded till 8.30 p.m. yesterday, the met office said. The cool weather is in sharp contrast to the scorching conditions witnessed in Delhi since the beginning of February. Delhi had a sudden change in the weather since Wednesday when the Capital witnessed a build up of thick clouds towards the evening followed by a sudden burst of rain and hailstorms. The cloud cover has persisted ever since, with the skies clearing up only intermittently. The rains and cool breeze flowing through the Capital led to the maximum temperature dropping.
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Workshop on globalisation and poverty eradication
New Delhi, March 12 The workshop was inaugurated by Mr Subodh Kanth Sahai, Minister, Food Processing Industries. The participants in the seminar included academicians, Parliamentarians, diplomats, representatives of non-governmental organizations and representatives of inter-governmental organizations. The first session was the inaugural session where in which Ms Michele Fedoroff, Deputy Head of the UN NGO Section, Ecosoc, Dept of Economic and Social Affairs, New York, gave the theme introduction.—TNS
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Three youths killed in road accidents
Noida, March 12 Sandeep, Vineesh, Sharwan Kumar and Narinder, residents of Chhalera, had gone in a Maruti van (UP16E-1888) to Dadri to attend the birthday party of a common friend. They were returning home in the wee hours of the morning. Sandeep, Vinesh and Sharwan, who were sitting on the front seat, were critically injured and rushed to Prayag Hospital, Sector 41 here, along with Sandeep and Vinesh, who were declared brought dead by doctors. Sharwan and Narinder are admitted to the ICU. A case has been registered against the truck driver. A number of people have died in similar accidents due to the negligence of truck and dumper drivers. In another mishap, a young man was hit by a three-wheeler and seriously injured. He was also declared brought dead by doctors when rushed to a hospital. The Sector 24 police have sent the body for an autopsy and arrested the three-wheeler driver. A case has been registered against him.
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Traders call for bandh on March 21
New Delhi, March 12 The Government has not taken concrete steps to resolve the issue despite it affecting livelihood of hundreds of traders, their employees and thousands of small manufacturers and their families, he alleged. Mr Khandelwal said the socio-economic fabric of Delhi will be damaged
and utter chaos will prevail if the issue is not resolved.—TNS
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Servants flee with valuables worth lakhs
Noida, March 12 A house in Sector-14 was ransacked by a servant, who fled with valuables including jewellery. The servant had been employed only a day earlier. The owner of the house, Sanjit Singh Rekhi, had employed Ajit Kumar, who had been recommended by Laxman Placement Services of Shakurpur in Delhi. Ajit Kumar was a native of Muzzafarpur in Bihar. On the fateful day, Sanjit Singh found that the cash and jewellery kept in the cupboard were missing. Two days earlier, another house in Sector-34 was ransacked by a servant recommended by a placement agency. To make matters worse, the police have been slow to react to these incidents. There is panic among the residents here, who blame the police for the deteriorating law and order situation in the district. However, the police have asked the residents to get their servants verified before employing them.
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Eight-year-old girl raped in Nangli
Noida, March 12 The child was rushed to hospital and then referred
to AIIMS, New Delhi, where her condition is stated to be critical, according to doctors. The little girl was the child of the youth’s employer. The accused had been hired to help in the farming operations. The police have rounded up his brothers. Mohindri Thakur (name changed) in Nangloi Wajidpur had employed Manoj, son of Jai Prakash. Manoj, 20, had free access to the house. He found the eight-year-old daughter of his employer playing outside the house. He took the child to his room and then raped her. Meanwhile, Mohindri Thakur and her family became suspicious. They headed for Manoj’s room where the girl was crying. Before they could nab him, Manoj fled from the room. The police have arrested his brothers, Vinod and Deepak. The police are conducting raids to nab Manoj.
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Two held for making pirated CDs
New Delhi, March 12 The police said that the accused were running their illegal activities from Begum Pur in Sultan Puri area in Northwest district. They were arrested after a raid was conducted at their premises.
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NDMC official chargesheeted for taking bribe
New Delhi, March 12 The chargesheet, filed in the court of Special Judge Sunil Gaur, named Assistant Engineer A K Bajaj, stationed at the Sarojini Nagar branch of the NDMC, and accused him of various offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Complainant Surender Bhaugarv, a registered contractor with the civic body, approached the accused on December 16, 2003 to get his documents and Rs 37,000, previously kept as security over a tender agreement, released. However, the accused demanded Rs 2,000 as consideration for the ‘service’. The complainant lodged a complaint with the ACB and a trap was laid, leading to arrest of the accused. ACB has listed 17 witnesses in the case.
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Girl commits suicide
New Delhi, March 12 Manisha was studying in B.A. and was also pursuing a professional course in fashion designing from YWCA. According to the police, the girl was depressed over some issue for some time but had never discussed it with anyone in the family.
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CBI arrests SI for taking bribe from cable operator
New Delhi, March 12 Acting on the information, the policeman was nabbed at the South Delhi office of the cable operator while accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000, a CBI spokesman said here.—TNS
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