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Allocation
of Farm Funds Cash crunch: MC needs public support, says Sidhu
Civil hospital awaits promised 100 beds
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Sharpening
Skills
Not a ‘fair’ deal
Social
Uplift
Beware, weather is changing
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States join hands to get criteria changed
Sarbjit Dhaliwal Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 23 As slow growth in the agriculture sector continues to be a worry for the Union Government which is facing a threat on the food security front, a special allocation of Rs 25,000 crore was made to jack up its growth rate in the next five years. Sources said more than 12 states would not be eligible for funds from the Rs 25,000-crore allocation if the distribution was made on the basis of the existing criteria. Among the states which have urged for a change in the formula are Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra. In this connection, director agriculture, Punjab, Balwinder Singh Sidhu, said the issue was raised at a meeting held in Delhi on Thursday. “I took up the matter with union agriculture secretary P.K. Misra, requesting him to change the criteria as on the basis of the present criteria, Punjab, like many other states, will not be eligible for allocation from the Rs 25,000-crore fund,” he said. At the meeting, representatives of Punjab, Haryana and Tamil Nadu, which have created their own network of irrigation, said they should not be punished by denying funds. They said criteria be devised in such a manner that the states having the best record in agriculture be rewarded with additional allocation from the fund. He said 30 per cent of allocation of funds would be made counting unirrigated areas of a state, whereas Punjab’s 98 per cent area was under irrigation. The other two major criteria for allocation are allocation made by the state to the agriculture sector compared to the previous year and percentage of the GDP growth. Meanwhile, a top-level team of the Planning Commission will interact for two days with the district collectors and planning secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir here on the national agriculture development programme. The team, comprising Abhijit Sen and B.N. Yugandhar, will reach here on September 28, it is learnt. It will mainly address the issue of preparation of district and state agricultural plans. The commission wants all states to prepare district-wise agricultural plans apart from the state agricultural plan. Without the approval of district and state plans, the commission will not allocate funds for the agriculture sector. The commission has told the state governments concerned to involve the representatives of people in framing the district agricultural plan. After the allocation of funds by the commission, their distribution will be made by the committee headed by the chief secretary of the state concerned. One joint secretary-level representative of the Union Government would also be on this committee. The commission is of the view that with district plans, the distribution of funds at the state level will be made in a better way and help achieve better results in the agriculture sector. However, to avoid diversion of such funds to some other sector, the Union Government will monitor the allocation through its representatives on the state committee.
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Cash crunch: MC needs public support, says Sidhu
Amritsar, September 23 Presiding over a first-ever meet for citizens partnership for governance, Sidhu said there was the need to identify and develop a model helping the citizens and government officials to overcome their inhibitions and develop a real dialogue between them to solve the city’s problems. Urging the public for support, Sidhu said the city could set up another example by maintaining public utility services through public-private partnership. A joint working panel could be set up to keep the city clean and running the public utility services without any hassles, he added. Talking about the financial crunch being faced by the corporation, he said the civic body must bring out a project for the city’s development. Promising a financial support from the state government, Sidhu said he would also ask the union government for help. “I won’t even shy to knock the doors of the World Bank to make Amritsar as a dream city,” the MP said. Appreciating the support of NGOs and the public in making Amritsar clean and green, he said their joint efforts had resulted in planting more than two lakh saplings during the past Mentioning his contribution of Rs 1 crore to boost the go-green campaign in the city, Sidhu said the biggest bane of the city was burgeoning encroachments and illegal constructions. “Soon an advisory board, comprising industrialists, intellectuals, doctors, engineers and public men, would be constituted. It would strengthen the working of the civic authorities which had been in serious trouble due to incompetence of administrative set-up which has failed to deliver and come up to the expectations of the people,” the MP said. Appealing to the public for their cooperation, Sidhu asked them to voluntarily remove their encroachments allowing easy flow of traffic and providing space to the pedestrians. He said once the public-private participation got strong, the corporation would find solutions to other complex issues dogging the city. |
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Civil hospital awaits promised 100 beds
Phagwara, September 23 But six years on the hospital still wears the same look. Enquiries made since several months reveal that the hospital, situated on the national highway, neither has any child specialist nor a gynaecologist. With no option left, patients have to visit private doctors, which often burn their pockets. Meanwhile, two MD, two eye specialists, two pathologists and two bone specialists have been included in the staff. When contacted, civil surgeon Ashok Nayyar said a request regarding appointment of specialists had been sent to the higher authorities. — OC |
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Job vistas: Programme to give students an extra edge
Our Correspondent
Nawanshahr, September 23 The college, in collaboration with the UGC, has already been providing free coaching facility for various civil, banking and railway competitive examinations to youths belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes. Deputy commissioner Gurpal Singh Bhatti has inaugurated the month-long “mass counselling programme” at Sikh National College. The programme launched by the state employment generation and training for youth department is aimed at making the youth aware of the new employment vistas in the present era of globalisation, self-employment ventures, various educational and vocational courses and subsidy and loan facilities for tapping employment avenues. Under the “mass counselling programme”, the youth is being made aware of the new educational, employment avenues and dynamics of the job market and new opportunities.Assistant commissioner (general) Upkar Singh, district employment officer Jatinder Kumar Sareen, Col Malkiat Singh, Sainik of Vocational Academy, Sainik Welfare Department deputy director Major Yashpal Singh, district education officer Balbir Singh Saini, district vocational coordinator Dinesh Kumar, Ram Gopal of district indutries department and Dr Devinder Kumar delivered lectures on different topics.
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Not a ‘fair’ deal
Jalandhar, September 23 In the permission slip issued by the Suvidha Centre on September 18 (a copy of which is in the possession with The Tribune), the office has granted the permission for holding fairs and not a marriage function. Interestingly, the function is being held in the PUDA complex, which ironically is situated right in front of the DC complex. After misusing the permission, the organisers went a step further and dug up holes for erecting poles for a pandal. Infact, four days have passed ever since the poles were erected. When contacted, DC Ajit Singh Pannu clearly stated that one could not hold a private function or marriage function under the permission for holding fairs. On the condition of anonymity, a PUDA official stated that for holding any function on PUDA land the permission had to be taken from the PUDA authorities. Moreover, one could not hold any private function while the permission had been sought for holding a public function. Interestingly, not only has Kimti Lal misused the permission of the DC but also entered into an illegal act of having a “kundi” connection for the pandal from a transformer situated in the PUDA complex (see picture). “I have taken a kundi connection from the transformer situated near my house. I am not afraid to admit this,” he boasted. JE ‘connection’?
While Kimti Lal was admitting the truth of having a “kundi” connection, a PSEB junior engineer was present in the pandal. When asked about taking action against the erring organisers, he said even though the area fell under his jurisdiction, he won’t take any action since he was off duty. The JE also pinpointed the exact place from where the illegal connection was being taken. “In fact I was invited here to attend the marriage function and I had come to give shagun to the newly weds,” he added sheepishly. |
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‘UPKAR’ for concerted efforts to usher in change
Parmod Bharti
Nawanshahr, September 23 As many as 35 social organisations of the district were brought under the umbrella of UPKAR Coordination Society to launch a crusade against female foeticide and drug addiction under the slogan - “Dheean nu hass ke apnao, Puttran nu nashian ton bachao” (Accept the daughters happily and Save the sons from drugs). Presently, the UPKAR Coordination Society has 4000 members and 25 executive members including seven office bearers. The society has its own office here and also publishes a monthly Punjabi magazine - ‘Upkar Sargarmian’. Yashpal Singh Hafizabadi and Jaspal Singh Gidda, president and general secretary, respectively, while sharing details about the activities and achievements of the society with The Tribune said the society had so far conducted 50 awareness rallies, 150 street plays and 10 seminars on female foeticide with a view to bring about a change in the mind set of the society. Besides, the UPKAR Society had also undertaken some unconventional methods to create a fear of social boycott among the erring members of the medical fraternity and families. The society has organised three ‘Shok Sabhas’ in front of the houses of the families allegedly involved in the heinous crime of female foeticide to mourn the death of unborn girls. “The society has also assisted in three sting operations against the errant scan centres,” said Gidda. “With the concerted and consistent efforts, the sex ratio in the district has improved considerably. In the age group of 0-6, the present sex ratio in the district is 925 girls as per 1000 boys. While it was 808 girls as per 1000 boys according to the 2001 census, it has fallen to 775 girls as per 1000 boys according to the survey conducted by the then deputy commissioner, Krishan Kumar in 2005,” said Gidda adding that presently as many as 112 villages in the district have a balanced sex ratio including 70 villages where number of girls is more than those of boys in the age group of 0-6. Moreover, the UPKAR Coordination Society, with a view to ensuring women empowerment, has promoted girl education in the district. Computer training centres for girls have been set up with the helpof NRIs. “The education level and economic independence of the girls would ultimately help in bringing a positive change in the mind set of the society. The society is also helping the district administration in amicable settlement of the family disputes through Parivarik Mahila Lok Adalat”, further added Gidda. Besides organising awareness rallies and seminars for creating awakening regarding ill effects of drugs in the society, the Upkar Coordination Society has organised five drug de-addiction camps in which 250 youth have been treated. The society has also been making efforts for their rehabilitation with a view to channelising their energy towards constructive purposes; they are also being associated with the UPKAR Society.
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Beware, weather is changing
Ludhiana, September 23 Dr Malhotra also warned that special care must be taken about the children in this season. Since the temperature was varying too much, it could lead to ENT infections that might need prolonged treatment.
— TNS |
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