Bathinda, September 26
This is perhaps for the first time in the recent past that a study is being carried out here to find out the impact of drug-addiction on the health status of family and children of drug addicts.

The Bathinda health department, which has taken up this project, has selected villages situated on the outskirts of the city, for the project.

These villages are infamous for rampant drug addiction and most of the deaths related to drug menace.

The study aims at having first hand information about the prevalence of drug abuse among the addicts, besides its impact on their children and family members.

It would also study the pattern of drugs, the health status of children of addicts and the awareness of drug addiction among children.

Most of the residents of the areas earn their livelihood by working as watchmen, rickshaw pullers, truck drivers and labourers. The local men begin to consume liquor, narcotics and later start looking for high-potency smack, opium, capsules and injections, the study says.

The comprehensive study, which has been undertaken, is likely to be completed by February 2009. It would be based on house-to-house survey in the locality. A batch of two interns — one male and one female — has been trained for this purpose.

They would collect information related to identification data, including nutritious assessment, routine investigations, prevalent diseases and health problems, history of illness, history of past illness, personal history, besides height, weight, growth pattern of children, addiction deaths and their details etc.

The detailed information about educational status, absenteeism, academic performance, part-time work, social habits, behaviour patterns would also be taken.

Neelam Bajaj, civil surgeon and co-supervisor of the project, said that further action plan based on the detailed report would be recommended for taking corrective measures with the help of various NGOs actively working in that area.

She added that the study could benefit the people of these backward areas. She said this was the first time that a study was being conducted to assess the impact of drug abuse on family and children of the drug addicts.

According to the study, poverty, Western lifestyle, anxiety, chronic tensions, frustration, peer pressure, physical inability to do a job and curiosity are the main causes of drug addiction.

The easy access or availability of drug, the failure to prevent illicit traffic of narcotics and psychotropic substances, lack or non-existence of efficient and effective centres of de-addiction, lack of proper appreciation of the situation and corrective measures on the part of the government are other indirect, yet important causes.

Abohar, September 26
More than 75 per cent of the would-be-teachers will be participating in the three-day-long talent search competitions that began today, Venita Singh, principal of the DAV College of Education here, said in her inaugural speech. She expressed a hope that the event would help the institution in retaining supremacy at the PU youth festivals.

On the first day, the students participated in the mehandi, rangoli, knitting and embroidery competitions.

Bathinda District and Session Judge Kuldeep Singh would be the chief guest on Saturday evening whereas the morning session would be presided over by Suversha Narang, councillor and district planning board member. On the day, contests in shabad, bhajan, folk singing, geet, ghazal, traditional songs, skits, histrionics, mimicry and mime would be held. — OC

Bathinda, September 26
Finally, a calendar for unlimited year is out. A prodigy from this city has done it yet again. Sababbi Mangal, director of the iEducations Brain Mensa here, has not only made but have also memorised the calendar. He has also developed a technique to memorise the calendar in an easier manner and that too in just an hour. Just a fortnight ago, he had made public the calendar for 1,50,000 years.

“I have invented the calendar for the years 0001 to infinity and I can tell the day of any date between this period within seconds,” claimed the 20-year-old.

He added that no further records would be possible on making, memorising or inventing the technique to memorise the unlimited year calendar. The copy of the calendar is with the TNS. The memory man informed that his book ‘Memorise Unlimited Years Calendar in one hour’ offering at least three techniques to memorise the unlimited years calendar would be out within 10 days.

A B.Sc (honours) in mathematics, who had been working on the technique for four years now, has staked a claim with the Guinness Book of World Records for his feat and today he sent back the signed copy of the agreement to the international body. He hopes to get the record of making and memorising the unlimited calendar on his name within two months.

On September 17, Mangal got his invention registered with The Registrar of Copyrights, Ministry of Human Resource & Development, New Delhi.

Besides managing a brain development company, he has also authored books on memory and brain power. They are ‘Secret of Intelligence Memory’, ‘Make your mind mental calculator’ and ‘Toppers strategy’, which would be out by December, he informed. Mangal added that the books would ease down the job of students to memorise important dates in history, counting tables, chemical formulas and equations, geometry and trigonometry formulas or inventor’s name and his invention.

“Just read the text you want to memorise once and you will remember it forever. The technique is to make more use of imagination and eye memory. About using the right part of the brain, the creative one,” the director said.

Bathinda, September 26
The Community Police Officer (CPO) scheme, launched by the previous senior superintendent of police, Bathinda, Naunihal Singh, is apparently not running properly.

To control the crime in the city and to provide more security covet to the city resident, the scheme was introduced in December, 2007, and for that purpose altogether 125 persons were appointed as CPOs but today there are only 56 working in the city.

The scheme is funded by the residents to keep a check over the day-to-day crime like snatching, eve-teasing, thefts and also to keep an eye over the anti-social elements of the areas.

The CPOs were appointed after a proper physical test, most importantly, the eligibility criteria for the post of CPO was similar to a constable. They were also given uniform, torch, stick and whistle.

The CPOs were assured of monthly salary of around Rs 2500-3000, which was to be collected from the 100 houses of their working place. The CPOs were under the supervision of the concerned area police station and beat officers. It was mandatory for the CPOs to maintain the register, keeping all kind of information about the inmates of the areas.

Despite, all efforts the scheme is losing its sheen everyday. People had not responded to the scheme and the charges for CPO service are also not being provided properly.

Owner of the security guards company, Yuvraj Singh, who provided the CPOs, said over phone from Ludhiana, “We launched the scheme optimistically, but people and local police did not respond. Moreover, the VIP duties of the police in Bathinda also played a role in the failure of the scheme.”

“The full payment for the last month is yet to be made. The payment was to be made through around 60 cheques, but till date only 22 cheques were given.” he rued.

Mansa, September 26
The Sports Department, Punjab, would be organising the Punjab State Rural Games here from September 27 to September 30.

The games would include athletics, archery, football, hockey, kho-kho, kabaddi, volleyball and weightlifting besides tug-of-war and wrestling.

Padmashree Pragat Singh, director of sports, Punjab, informed the mediapersons here today that as many as 1,969 players and 300 officials from all the districts of the state would be attending the games.

For the first time, block-level tournaments were organised across the 141 blocks of the state. About 1.5 lakh players from rural background participated in these tourneys, he added.

The director further said the Government of India was going to implement a new scheme, ‘Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan’, for which the state government had sent its proposal.

As far as the rural games are concerned, Pargat informed that various committees for accommodation, catering, press & media, security and transport had been formed to make the games a successful event.

He added that Parminder Singh Dhindsa, PWD (B&R) minister, Punjab, would inaugurate the games at the Nehru Memorial College, Mansa, on September 27.

Balwinder Singh Bhunder, general secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal (B), would also grace this function.

Kumar Rahul, deputy commissioner, Mansa, informed that on September 29, there would be a cultural evening for the players at the open theatre of the college.

Meanwhile, SSP Manminder Singh said security arrangements were in place.

Talwandi Sabo (Bathinda), September 26
The effort of the Punjabi University, Patiala, to take higher professional education to the doorsteps of the rural under-privileged got a shot in the arm with the Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, laying foundation stone of the Rs 20 crore advanced professional studies centre at university's Guru Kashi Campus here today.

Another event marked laying the foundation stone of a religio-cultural complex by Badal on 4.25 acres of SGPC land, donated to the Punjabi University. The complex, aimed at preserving and promoting the religious and cultural ethos of Punjab, will cost Rs 3 crore. The University has already floated tenders for completing both these complexes in a year's time.

According to Dr Jaspal Singh, Vice-Chancellor, the advanced centre will have a science and technology complex that will house the Departments of Bio-Technology, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, while the computer centre will run such courses as B.Tech. (Computer Science), and B.Tech. (information technology). The complex, inter-alia, will also have a modern, state-of-the art library. "We have kept ample provision for the further expansion of centres to run more professional courses as in TV and Film Production and Management Studies, building an open-air theatre, auditoriums and workshops for the preservation of vanishing art forms of Punjab", he added.

The University already has a Yadavindra College of Engineering and a college campus at Talwandi Sabo in addition to the six neighbourhood campuses set up in Bathinda and the most backward villages of the neighbouring Mansa and Sangrur districts. 

Bathinda, September 26
The Ranbankura Division, led by Lieutenant Manish Upadhyaya, clinched the overall championship trophy of the South Western Command Athletics Championship that concluded at the Bathinda Military Station today.

L/Hav Krishna Murari of Sudarshan Chakra Division bagged the best athlete award. L/NK Jaibir Singh won the 42.5 km marathon while SWR M. Kanan of Sudarshan Chakra Division won the decathlon.

The four days athletics meet witnessed an array of track and field events. Around 150 athletes constituting eight teams from various formations of the Chetak Corps took part in the contest.

Lieutenant General R.S. Sujlana, GOC Chetak Corps, who was present among other senior officers at the concluding ceremony of the championship, applauded every effort that made the championship a success.

When asked that as he is about to hand over the baton, how was his tenure here and any specific achievement he wanted to comment on, he said, "It was a fruitful inning. We streamlined the operation ethos and witnessed overall development of the administration in the Corps. I was able to address some problems of the ex-servicemen. We will soon have a stadium here in the cantonment." Lt Gen Sujlana also said "I am going as a satisfied GOC from the Bathinda Military Station."

Later, Lt Gen Sujlana handed over the trophies to the winners.

Bathinda, September 26
The only winery in Punjab set up as a joint venture eleven years ago near here is lying shut as the government has so far not issued the licence for producing grape brandy.

The unit was set up near Kotshameer by Golden Agro Winery Ltd and Punjab Agro Industries Corporation as a joint venture to provide avenues to farmers for diversification to cultivation of grapes.

A substantial area in Bathinda, Mansa and Abohar is under cultivation of grapes and kinnow that are the raw material for winery.

Another small sector winery opened at Rampura some time ago has also died a slow death due to lack of any policy of the government. Wineries were flourishing in the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh where grocery shops have also been issued licenses for sale of wine.

As the joint venture unit failed to take off and became defaulter, the Punjab Financial Corporation has locked it. Subhash Garg, promoter of the unit, says that about 2 lakh bottles of wine produced in the unit were also lying locked inside.

Abohar, September 26
Former BJP MLA Ram Kumar Goyal laid foundation stones for various development works, estimated to be worth Rs one crore, in and around Khuyiansarwar village today. The projects included construction of link road from Dharampura village, an examination hall in a government school besides a community hall in the village.

Speaking on the occasion, municipal council president Shiv Raj Goyal informed that the state government had allocated Rs 5 crore for different development projects that were to be taken up in the assembly segment.

The former MLA later distributed cheques of Rs 2.5 lakh each to the heads of the government schools at villages Haripura, Killianwali, Tootwala, Jandwala Hanwanta, Panniwala Mahla, Pattibillah and Dhaani Toombadbhan. The cheques were given in the presence of the members of the respective village panchayats under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). Goyal cautioned against misusing the grants and advised the institutions to work in transparent manner.

Bathinda, September 26
The National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) declared dividend of Rs 32.6 crore for the financial year 2007-08 at its recently held 34th Annual General Meeting.

It may be mentioned that the Government of India holds 97.64 per cent shares and major portion of the dividend will go to the government.

While highlighting achievements of the company, G.S. Mangat, chairman and marketing director, NFL, said that the company had good start and recorded a profit after tax of Rs 35.9 crores in the first quarter of the current fiscal year 2008-09.

The total profit of the recent year was shown as Rs 108.65 crore and the production was 32.68 lakh Metric ton of urea.

Bathinda, September 26
Ambuja Cement Foundation, Bathinda, in association with local health department, organized a general health check-up camp in Bir Behman village today.

A team of doctors led by Dr Rohini and Dr Manish examined 315 patients of various diseases during the camp. — TNS