Jalandhar, November 1
Enthusiastic students who themselves required blood came to donate it at a camp organised at Banarsi Dass Arya Girls’ College here today.

Many voluntary donors were found to be anaemic and low on fitness levels. Two of the donors fell ill after donating blood and had to be revived before being sent back home this afternoon.

A student of BA final year had just donated blood and got up from the bed when she fell down again. The student was, however, said to have been immediately attended to with her feet lifted up and given energy rich diet before she recovered again.

Later, another student of Mass Communication Department fell ill after donating blood. She immediately started complaining of giddiness and weakness. After some rest and recovery, she was sent back home on her request.

The fitness level of the students could also be gauged from the fact that at least 15 per cent girls who came to donate blood were found to be anaemic by Dr Gagandeep Singh from the Blood Bank of the Civil Hospital. Not just the students, even a few faculty members were found to be anaemic and debarred from donating blood at the camp.

Many of these students said they were declared unfit for the second time due to low haemoglobin. “A similar camp was held last time, where too I was not allowed to donate blood owing to paleness. Today again, the doctor tested my eyes and nails and suspected me to be anaemic,” said Neerja Singla, a BA-II student.

The low fitness level of students, most of them from rural backgrounds came as a surprise for the staff members on duty. “It is a shock for me to find these girls malnourished, whom we otherwise considered to be consuming pure and nourishing diet in their villages”, said a science faculty member.

But there were some girls, especially those coming from a sports background, were found to be very healthy. These girls finished donating blood much faster than others.

In all, 70 donors including students, faculty, their kin and members of Jaycees Club donated blood on the occasion. Lecturers from the Biology Department, Ms Kanwaljeet Kaur, Mr Surinder Singh and Ms Monica Khosla, took the initiative in donation followed by teachers from other departments.

Dr Sarita Verma, Principal, said both the students were fine soon thereafter. “The girls simply complained of dizziness. Their feet were lifted up by the doctor there on duty and they were okay. All those anaemic with Hb lower than 12 were misfit for donation and not allowed to take part in the camp,” she explained. 

Kapurthala, November 1
The chairman of Ek Onkar Charitable Trust, Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, will start a walk along 160-kilometre -long Kali Bein from tomorrow. The five-day walk is build awareness about environment.

Baba Seechewal, who has been cleaning the historical rivulet Kali Bein for the past six years, said that the walk would start from the spring of the Bein at Dhanoa in Hoshiarpur on Thursday morning and would culminate at Seechewal village in Jalandhar district on Sunday after passing through several villages.

Baba Seechewal said that the residents of the villages around Kali Bein would be made aware about the importance of the holy rivulet in the Sikh history, the connection of Guru Nanak Devji with Bein and the importance of keeping the Bein clean.

The chairman of the Trust said that Guru Nanak Devji had recited first Shabad `  Paun guru, Paani Pita, Maata Dharat Mahat’ (Air is guru, Water is father and earth is mother and all these have great importance in life). Guruji had realised 500 years ago the importance of preserving environment and he would spread Guru Nanak Devji’s message during the walk in view of his birth anniversary on November 5, he added.

The walkers will halt for night at village Prempur on November 2 after passing through Himmatpura, Shatabkot, Vadhaia, Terkiana, Begpur, Bhikhowal, Saidowal, Gallowal, Budho Barkat, Passi Bet, Khole, Safdarpur, Bhussan, Kaire, Santpur Kothe, Chakk Bamu, Basoa, Alampur, Kotla, Kahlwan, Ibrahimpur, Gilzian, Madda,Kmlapur, Talla, Miani, Pul Pukhta, Proze Rollian, Nathupur and Passwala.

The environment walkers will restart from village Prempur in the morning on November 3 and will have night stay at Bholath after passing through Thakuri, Bahadurpur, Talwani Daddian, Meerapur, Bhikhesshah, Awan, Nadali Begowal, Bagwanpur, Chanchakk and Bawli.

Similarly, the walk will resume from Bholath in the morning and will stay at Kanjli that night after crossing Khassan, Talwandi Manan, Bamuwal, Dhirpur, Muddowal, Dogranwala, Mustafabad, Subhanpur, Paharipur, Bootan, Dhamman, Badshahpur and Beeja.

In the similar way, the walk will have its night stay on November 4 at Sultanpur Lodhi after passing through Kapurthala, Bhawanipur, Bhagatpur, Ratta, Deslan, RCF Colnoies, Bhulana, Kothe Kal Singh, Khera Dona, Karhal, Mithra, Talwandi Paeen, Durgapur, Dudwindi, Jarjpur, Jainpur, Shikarpur, Kalewal, Meere, Maujewal, Harnampur, Randhirpur and Ghazipur.

On November 5, the walkers will restart to culminate at Seechewal village.

Nawanshahr, November 1
The heart-rending Patran episode in Patiala district, where a grave of female foetuses was discovered a few months ago, has exposed the heinous crime going on in the state. It has also underlined the urgent need of replicating the ‘Nawanshahr Model’ to fight the menace of female foeticide in other districts of the state, to build up a conducive environment to bring in positive change against gender discrimination.

The innovative, pragmatic and sometimes even unconventional measures to ensure better sex ratio, known as ‘Nawanshahr Model’, has caught the attention of the media, government agencies as well as NGOs throughout  the country. It has also been acclaimed by the Director, PNDT Act. He has also sought the project report from the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Krishan Kumar, for replicating it in other parts of the country. Besides launching a massive awareness drive with the active cooperation of the NGOs under the aegis of the district-level NGOs coordination society UPKAR and tightening grip over the ultrasound scan centres under the PC/PNDT Act, Mr Krishan Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, launched a programme – “Social auditing of pregnancies and births”, with a view to making the society accountable for every pregnancy and birth.

A complete record of the pregnant women, including the details of  month of pregnancy, expected date of delivery, previous children, age, visits of ANMs, telephone number has been computerised into a specially designed software.

The record, especially those in the first trimester of pregnancy, is consistently monitored. A lady operator from DC office gives a telephone ring just to enquire about the general well-being of the expecting mother. Such monitoring leaves an invisible impact on the minds of expecting mothers as well as their in-laws that somebody is monitoring and watching them, ultimately discouraging them not to go for a sex determination test and then MTP subsequently.

Telephonic enquiries are also conducted from expecting mothers whose expected date of delivery has been matured to know about the birth and sex of the infant. In case if there is none, investigations are conducted as know about the foetus and under what circumstances it was aborted. The process of ‘social auditing’ facilitates better enforcement.

The Deputy Commissioner has strengthened the network of NGOs under the UPKAR and girl students pass on information regarding pregnant women in their vicinity. Mr Krishan Kumar has exhorted lady teachers and girl students to act as “ambassadors of drive against female foeticide” at the grass-roots. Besides launching awareness campaign, rather unconventional measures like – ‘mourning the death of unborn girls’ in front of the errant parents and clinics and ‘sting operation’ with the help of a pregnant lady, willing to cooperate with the administration and UPKAR have also been adopted to create a fear psychosis in the society. The unconventional measures against female foeticide have been proving helpful in exposing the nexus of doctors and midwives. The drive against female foeticide, which was launched in October, last year, has started delivering encouraging results. The recent surveys being conducted jointly by the health department and UPKAR have shown considerable improvement in sex ratio in the district.

Jalandhar, November 1
In the absence of any government grant for the second year in a row, the district dental authorities were forced to rope in certain public sector financial institutions to celebrate the Dental Fortnight that started today. The fortnight is aimed at providing free dental check-up and treatment facilities to poor and needy patients.

Even last year, no government grant had been provided and the district dental authorities had to involve some banks, including the State Bank of Patiala and Citizen Cooperative Bank, and the District Red Cross Society. These institutions had funded dentures and other facilities provided to the poor and the needy during the camp.

The same story was repeated this time.

The Dental Fortnight, being observed by the Punjab government from November 1 to 15, was inaugurated at the district level by the Punjab Local Bodies Minister, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, here today.

Apart from the Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, the dental check-up camps are also being held at the School Health Check-Up Centre in Basti Guzan, Civil Hospital, Nakodar, and Civil Hospital, Phillaur.

Sources in the local Civil Hospital revealed that it was for the second consecutive year that the district dental authorities had to arrange for funds for observing the fortnight by roping in banks and the District Red Cross Society.

“Though the fortnight is observed by the Punjab government, no government grant has come in so far. Same was the case during the last year, when 3,322 patients were treated during the fortnight,” said an official.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh said the poor and the needy patients would not only be provided free dental check-up but also they would be provided with free dentures during the fortnight. He claimed that 158 health centres in the state had been provided with requisite equipment through the Punjab Health Systems Corporation by the Punjab government.

The minister said that with a view to providing better healthcare to people in rural areas, as many as 1,193 rural health centres had been transferred to Zila Parishads, which had already recruited doctors.

Dr Ashok Sharma, District Health Officer, Chaudhary Surinder Singh, Chairman, Zila Parishad, Mr S.S. Johl, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, Mr Surinder Mahey, Dr J.P. Singh, Civil Surgeon, and Ms Sarojini Sharda, Deputy Director, Local Bodies, also attended the programme.