Bathinda, November 30
The Bell 403 chopper belonging to Ranbaxy Group's Ran Air service that went missing on August 3 on the borders of Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh killing four people had one of the pilots who had his roots in Bathinda.

Capt Rajesh Gaur had spent some days of his life in the lanes of this city. The mortal remains of all the four have not yet been recovered fully as these could not be found. The city remembered the pilot once again today when the Bathinda Vikas Manch paid tributes to Capt Gaur at the local DAV College.

Eyes with tear welling up spoke for themselves at Capt Gaur's house where his elder brother Dr R.N. Gaur lives. Dr Gaur while narrating the incident, said, "The chopper went missing on August 3 and the remains were found after 103 days. We had no clue about where Rajesh had gone, we were still expecting his arrival until we got a call somewhere from Andhra that a shoe with a feet in it, a tooth and a skull have been found along with four identity cards. Some people from Venkatpura had gone in search of some herbs when they spotted the remains of a crashed helicopter and spotted human bones where four identity cards were also found. They were scared and kept the identity cards with them for eight days. Finally, they showed them to the doctor of that area who asked them to inform the police. The police then informed us and we went there searching for him. Before we got to know his whereabouts, we had thought that the last contact Rajesh and other members made with the Hyderabad traffic control was from Chhattisgarh. We were expecting their bodies to be in Chhattisgarh but we were totally unaware about their chopper crashing in Andhra Pradesh, else we would at least have got his body."

Dr R.N. Gaur's son said, "Our family members who had gone to search Rajesh were troubled by Naxalites in that area for five days. Capt Gaur was the only one who volunteered to click pictures in his team of militants holed up in Kargil at the time of the Kargil war. The chopper had left Rajnath Singh at Raipur and was going for refuelling but it could not reach its destination. The weather had become inclement resulting in poor visibility. Capt Gaur's son Karan had spoken to his father two hours prior to the incident and his father had told him that he does not want fly today. Karan had asked him not to fly but it was his dedication towards his duty which took him up but never got him down alive."

Capt Gaur has two kids and a wife who stays in Delhi. Unfortunately, the family has not got any benefits after his death due to an inquiry going on about the accident in Delhi. Its report has not been tabled before the Home Ministry. "They would get the benefits only after the inquiry is complete and the report is tabled," Dr R.N. Gaur's wife said.

Dr R.N. Gaur said, "The Chief Minister of Punjab had asked us about what we wanted to be done in this regard. We told him that we want to open a charitable trust in Rajesh's name and that the aviation club from where he took his licence should be named after him."

Bathinda, November 30
Twenty five lakh persons, including four lakh kids, contacted the HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) across the world in the year 2007. The same year, 21 lakh reportedly died due to AIDS (Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), including 3 lakh kids. And at present, over 1.5 crore children are living their lives as orphans since their parents could not survive the disease. The data is shocking. Equally painful is the end of a person infected with the virus. Ever since the virus was identified in 1981, the scientists could not invent a medicine that could cure an HIV positive person. The only alternative available is prevention. And spreading awareness among the society can only prove helpful. The efforts are on. But a lot still needs to be done.

The Red Ribbon Express that chugged off from New Delhi on December 1 last year would reach the point of its departure tomorrow on the 20th World AIDS Day, after spreading awareness about the incurable disease across the country. India is currently ranked at number three in the world as far as number of persons with HIV positive status was concerned. South Africa and Nigeria stands first and second respectively.

According to information, over 2.4 million Indians are HIV positive. Out of them, 87.4 per cent contacted the virus due to illegal sexual relations, 4.7 per cent got infected due to PTC (parent to child), 1.7 per cent due to blood transfusion or transplantation of a body part and 1.8 per cent acquired the virus for sharing syringes (mostly drug addicts) or due to the use of infected needles (especially by quacks and RMPs).

The rest 4.1 per cent contacted the disease while getting tattoos done, due to infected shaving blades or for some unspecified reason.

The Malwa, infamous for drug addiction, is among one of the most vulnerable regions. According to details available from the local civil hospital, 79 HIV positive cases were reported in Bathinda district in 2007 and the figure is 80 from January till date.

In India, first HIV positive case was reported in 1986. The figure has now grown to 2.4 million in the span of 22 years.

“The figure could be much high since about 60 per cent of the Indians do not know about their HIV status,” says Narinder Kumar Bassi, a community AIDS educator appointed by UNAIDS in 2001. The UNAIDS is a joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS supported by UN’s 10 organisations. Since his joining the international body, he claims to have sensitised close to 4.5 lakh people on the dreaded disease. They include students, teachers, defence personnel, prisoners and railway staff. For the endeavour, he was conferred with the UNAIDS Civil Society Award in 2006.

Like every year, this year too, he has designed a framed poster that advises people to get themselves aware about the disease if they wished against contacting the virus.

This year, the poster contains the illustrations that convey that the virus does not spread among a particular caste, creed, gender or a country.

“If you are aware, only then can you secure yourself from contacting the deadly virus, Bassi says.” He strongly believes that if you are faithful to your spouse you are quite safe. Bassi adds that before marriage, parents get the ‘kundlis’ of their children compared but never ask about the HIV status of their child’s counterpart.

HIV is not contagious, assures Vijay Goel, who has adopted two HIV positive children. I feel proud of my deed, he adds. Goel heads the Sahara Jan Seva, an NGO working in Bathinda.

Bathinda, November 30
It was believed that around five million people were HIV+ in India but a national household survey stated that there are over 2.4 million people who are affected by this disease physically. The number of people affected by this disease in other ways goes up very high. The first case of AIDS in India was detected in 1986. Since then, many cases have been reported in all states and Union Territories.

The southern states take a lead and Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have the highest number of AIDS cases. The North-east comes next with Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland taking the lead.

The maximum cases were reported to have acquired the disease through sexual contact and using injections for drugs.

But there have been few cases of parent to child and acquiring AIDS post marriage. It is sad but it is a fact that there is no government law that makes it mandatory for a couple to go ahead and get their HIV test done before tying the knot. India is a conservative country and people do not come out for such causes.

Bhumika, residing in Delhi, who got married in 2007, said, “No one even thinks that the person you are getting married to might be HIV+, whereas we must sit down and think to get ourselves tested for our partner’s and our safety as this disease is incurable. Not only a partner would get this disease but even the child who would be born to the already affected couple has high chances of being HIVpositive.”

Her husband Manav said, “One can not force such laws in a country like India because people are conservative and marriages can break if one partner forces the other to have this test. It never crosses your mind that your partner can have AIDS. The only way to curb this problem is by educating people about it.”

NGOs have been working to spread awareness about this but people do not do the needful due to various reasons. Shyness, embarrassment, apprehension, hesitation are all factors resposnible for this but they prevent us from doing the needful to stop AIDS.

Neelam Bajaj, civil surgeon, Bathinda said, “There is as such no law that forces an individual to get himself tested for HIV because we can not enforce such a law. People in India are very shy and conservative and would even get offended if forced to get tested for HIV. It is difficult to bring about a revolution in a country like India. The government has been trying to spread awareness using various forms of the media and has been successful to a great extent in countering HIV. Education is the only way we have through which this disease can be handled.”

Apart from educating people and spreading awareness, we must vow on the World AIDS Day to treat the victims of this disease with warmth and understanding.

There have been cases in which AIDS patients have committed suicides, injected their blood into someone else in buses, cinema halls etc because the humiliation they go through is intolerable.

The ones who humiliate them are no one else but us. Couples should volunteer and get HIV tests done pre marriage because afterall, after marriage we get associated with someone for life, so for our and somebody else’s life, this initiative should be taken.

Bathinda, November 30
The age-old maxim ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ still has many takers today in spite of the Supreme Court banning corporal punishment in December 2000. The court had banned it only in schools but unfortunately, corporal punishment is not limited just to schools, it is meted out in almost every Indian home.

There were cases reported about children being hit to death and children losing vision and other severe cases of thrashing that drove the judiciary to take note of such incidents and stop the unforgiving hands of many teachers in Indian schools.

Parents said it was good to ban corporal punishments in schools but at times hitting a child becomes mandatory and they can not avoid it. Satpal, who stays on Power House road, said, “My child goes to a good school and teachers are not allowed to hit the students but there are situation when I lose control and hit my child. I think that sometimes it is needed, else the child would get spoiled when he grows up. Fear has to be instilled in a child’s mind for not doing certain things which are wrong. If we don’t get violent at all then the child might indulge in wrong things because he would have nothing to fear.”

Neetu, mother of a 10-year-old kid said, “I won’t like anyone hitting my child for whatever he does. But children at times get incorrigible and one has to resort to a cane. Else, children refuse to listen. I don’t handle my child always using a cane but sometimes I have to.”

Children spend more time at home as compared to school and they learn more at home. If the government feels that it is enough to ban corporal punishment at school then it has to rethink because the factors that were kept in mind before banning the act would take place even at home. A child can get injured even at home and punishments can have a severe impact on a child’s psychology.

Where some people think that hitting a child is needed at times, there are some who feel that hitting is a cowardly act and proves to be of no use. Nivedita, a housewife and mother of two children, said, “Hitting a child is a cowardly act and it does nothing except scaring a child that has negative effects on a child’s overall mental development in the long run. It’s always better to make a child understand the difference between right and wrong. Even my children make me get angry at times but I never resort to hitting them. I have never even slapped my children.”

It was found that a majority of people today are not in favour of corporal punishment unlike the earlier times when no one could tell parents not to hit their child because the possessiveness factor crept in. “In earlier times, parents felt that only we can hit our children, not any teacher. But in the end, they thought they could hit their children, whereas today most of the parents are not in favour of handling a child violently. The reasons are many, better education, awareness and nuclear families where only parents have a hold on the children,” said Anita, a school teacher.

Neelam Verma, principal of Silver Oaks School, said, “Corporal punishment has been banned by the Supreme Court and we don’t allow it in our school. It is better to encourage a child to do better things in life. Hitting is no way of correcting someone. We must appreciate children and reward them. No one should indulge in corporal punishment. People who do so are frustrated in life and they find no other means to correct a child.”

Bathinda, November 30
Gurkamal Kaur, president of the women’s wing, Punjab, visited the city today on her way back from Rajasthan and announced that Ranjeet Kaur Romana, president of women’s wing, Bathinda, being replaced by Amarjeet Kaur (ex-municipal councillor, Pratap Nagar) was a rumour. There were doubts that Harminder Jassi (MLA) and Ashok Kumar, president of city Congress, had made Amarjeet Kaur the president of city’s women cell.

Gurkamal said, “You can not throw a person out like this. Ramana is still the president of women’s wing of the city. I don’t understand who created this confusion and why was it created.”

Mansa, November 30
"Terrorism should be fought unitedly by rising above political and religious affiliations," said Hardev Singh Arshi, National Council member of the CPI, while addressing a gathering on the occasion of the death anniversary of Dharam Singh Phakhar at Dalel Singh Wala village today.

Arshi further said terrorism had become a major problem for the world. He criticised the economics policies of the UPA government that had allegedly widened the gap between the rich and the poor in the country. These policies had increased unemployment and poverty, he added.

He called upon the people to strengthen the Left and democratic forces in 
the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing the gathering, ex-MLA Butta Singh criticised the 'anti-people' policies of the Akalis and the Congress. He appealed to the people to take to the path of Dharam Singh Phakhar. It is notable that Dharam Singh Phakhar was the hero of the Muzara movement in Punjab. He fought for the rights of the poor and raised his voice for giving land to the cultivator. He became an MLA in 1954 from jail from Budhlada constituency.

Among others who addressed the gathering were Nihal Singh, Atma Singh Atma and Gurdyal Singh. On this occasion, plays were also performed by the team of Megh Raj Ralla. 

Bathinda, November 30
As many as 250 students were imparted training in first aid at a 15-day-long camp organised by the Khalsa Girls Senior Secondary School here with the assistance of the United Welfare Society and the Red Cross. On Saturday, the concluding day of the camp, the blood groups of nearly 150 students were tested free of cost.

During the camp, first aid lecturer at the school Maan Singh trained the students of class VI to class XII on how to give first aid to the injured. Besides, they were imparted training on life-saving techniques. Lab technician of a private laboratory took the blood samples of the students and issued them their respective blood group cards.

A.S. Sodhi, executive member of the society, through his lecture on blood donation, exhorted the students to come forward for an altruistic act.

Principal Najar Singh said the students were now capable of acting on time during emergency situations. Since they were now aware of their blood groups, they could offer their blood in case of need, he added. — TNS

Hanumangarh/Abohar, November 30
Having disappointed fans a few days back by not keeping the date for campaigning, film star-turned- parliamentarian Raj Babbar, who had joined the Congress a few months back, today attracted an enthusiastic crowd in Sangria as he finally arrived to address an election rally in favour of the party candidate Param Navdeep.

His visit washed off the impression created by the party rebel Gurdeep Singh Shahpeeni by moving through the bazaars with a large number of supporters, the political pundits observed. Like Param Navdeep, BJP candidate Damyanti Beniwal too faces a potential rebel in Krishan Jakhar.

Raj Babbar by lambasting the BJP in his inimitable style puctuated with dialogues, drew heavy applause at regular intervals during a hard hitting speech. He said the saffron party leaders had exploited the soft sentiments of millions in 1957 by seeking a mandate for banning cow slaughter. Later, they sought votes for Ram temple and for scrapping Article 370 of the Indian Constotution which equipped Kashmir with a special status.

But, he regretted, neither by winning in state Assemblies nor in the parliamentary elections, the BJP ever tried to stick to these slogans. The BJP government in Rajasthan conspired to defame the UPA government, led by the Congress, by detaining funds released under the NREGA and other welfare schemes, he charged. The Vasundhara Raje-led government preferred to earn interest on the funds instead of passing on the benefit to poor and jobless people, he said.

Coming down heavily on the rebels for opposing the official candidates, Babbar said those who can betray the party would also betray the masses. He hit BSP hard besides the RSS and exhorted the electorate to discard such forces who believed in dividing people on the basis of caste, creed, region and religion.

Predicting a landslide win for the Congress during the December 4 polls, he promised to get a railway overbridge and LPG centre for Sangria. Though he was a bit late, but thousands waited for him and stayed till the dispersal of the rally. 

Sriganganagar/Abohar, November 30
Controversy further haunted the election campaign of BJP candidate Gurjant Singh Brar who had earlier been elected from Sangria constituency but this time opted to contest from Sadulshehar due to the delimitation exercise.

The geographical breadth and width of the segment touches Abohar on the Hanumangarh road in the north and Hindumalkot on the south. Brar is pitted against potential Congress candidate Santosh Saharan and firebrand former CPI (M) legislator Het Ram Beniwal who had spearheaded the farmers' agitation in Gharsana.

Brar had deserted Sangria lamenting that the number of Sikh voters had decreased due to reorganisation of the constituency and hoped to win the support of the community which dominated more in Sadulshehar. But quite an embarrassing situation has developed during the last three days.

The official organ of Dera Sacha Sauda reportedly claimed that Brar had met the Dera chief and sought his blessings for the electioneering. There was no denial from Brar. Then, Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Ferozepur MLA Sukhpal Singh Nannu (BJP) campaigned for Brar and a section of the media reported that they promised more canal water if Brar is elected to the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha.

Today, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal was contacted on his way to Sadulshehar by some media persons in village Khatwan near Abohar as he arrived to bless a newly-wed couple. Questioned on the issue, he feigned ignorance about Brar's visit to the controversial Dera for seeking blessings. Badal rather said that Brar is a BJP nominee and it was up to the BJP to see where he goes. "Since we have an alliance with the BJP, it is our moral duty to campaign for their candidates whosoever he may be," Badal replied before leaving for Sadulshehar along with his cavalcade to address two election rallies. 

Sriganganagar/Abohar, November 30
In a decision of far reaching implications, the Dera Sacha Sauda followers, in one of the important assembly segment, Suratgarh, in Sriganganagar district, today unanimously resolved to extend support to the Congress candidate Ganga Jal Meel in the ensuing Assembly elections.

Well-placed sources while confirming the much awaited development said that no formal directive was issued by the headquarters at Sirsa during the two-day congregation attended by several thousand followers from different regions.

The congregations were confined to collection of 990 units of blood especially for Thalassemia sufferers and Armymen besides arranging 19 dowry-free marriages. The Sadh Sangat's political committee reportedly preferred to convey to all in charge of the Naam Charcha Ghars in about 50 towns of West Rajasthan to decide locally as to who should be supported. This activated support seekers over the night and the first confirmation came in from Suratgarh.

Congress nominee Ganga Jal Meel on Sunday morning visited the Naam Charcha Ghar and addressed the gathering after the Naam Charcha was over. Hundreds of men and women raised hands to express support for him.

He was later weighed against sweets also by the Premis as the followers are called. Meel was quoted as saying that he would leave no stone unturned to ensure smooth and fear-free Naam Charcha 
not only on Sunday but on other important occasions also, sources said.

Similar decisions were expected from other centres, it is learnt. The development is being considered significant as the poll campaign is scheduled to conclude by Tuesday evening. 

Mansa, November 30
Ex-soldiers have demanded that items which are provided through canteen should be freed from VAT that is levied at four per cent. They said that VAT was levied at one per cent in Chandigarh and was nil in Himachal Pradesh.

The demand was raised during a meeting of ex-soldiers which was held at Mansa today. The meeting was presided over by Captain Jeet Singh. Addressing the meeting, Singh said that their was a need to set up a Sainik rest-house in every district. He also said that the amount given away as award should also be increased.

The ex-soldiers demanded that one member from amongst them should be nominated in the panchayat institutions. During the meeting, Captain Teja Singh said that one rank and one pension demand should be accepted.

Among others who were present on the occasion included Captain Guljar Singh, Krishan Singh, Amarjeet Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Baldev Singh, Bachitar Singh and Karnail Singh.

Fazilka, November 30
Mismanagement and lack of a permanent policy for promotion in the education department of Punjab has resulted in such a situation that about 90 per cent of the Senior Secondary schools in Punjab are without regular principals. In Ferozepur district alone, 97 per cent of the schools and both the senior secondary schools of Fazilka town are without principals.

Of the 81 senior secondary schools in Ferozepur district, only the senior secondary school of Ferozepur and Girls Senior Secondary school of Zira have regular principals while 79 schools are being run by officiating 
principals.

Ironically the principals of both, the boys and girls senior secondary school of Fazilka town, have been recently transferred to the state headquarters at Chandigarh as Assistant Director, Public Instructions, Secondary and Elementary, leaving both the schools with officiating principals.

In the surrounding villages of Fazilka, all the 13 senior secondary schools in villages of Azamwala, Karnikhers, Sabuana, Jandwala Miransangla, Nihal Khera, Kheowali Dhab, Dangar Khera, Chimnewala, Ladhuka, Lalowali, Tahliwala Bodal, Dabwala Kalan, Jandwala Bhimeshah are vacant. As many as half of these schools were upgraded many years back but they are being managed by the officiating principals ever since their upgradation.

According to Raj Kishore Kalra, the patron of a non-government organisation (NGO), Shiksha Sudhar Committee, the Education Department had in the year 2001 decided to stop direct recruitment of principals. It was then decided to fill up the vacancies of principals by making promotions. Of the vacancies to be caused, 55 per cent of them were to be filled up by promoting lecturers while 30 per cent was to be filled up by promoting headmasters and the remaining 15 per cent by promotion of vocational teachers.

However, unfortunately this decision did not acquire a practical shape. No promotion has been given in the last eight years and no direct recruitment of principals has been done.

Kalra revealed that of the total 1304 senior secondary schools in the state, nearly 1200 are awaiting appointment of regular principals. On the other hand, since the framed policy of the department is not being followed by the department itself, an equal number of senior lecturers and headmasters of the department, eligible for promotion, have retired from the job. Others who are now eligible for promotion are anxiously awaiting their turn. When they would be promoted is anybody's guess.

Kalra has lamented that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Education Minister Upinderjit Kaur have time and again made announcements that the standard of education shall be improved in all the government schools of the state but the million dollar question of appointing regular principals in remains unanswered.

Siksha Sudhar Committee, Punjab, has in a memorandum sent recently to the Chief Minister and the Education Minister, demanded that all the vacancies for the principals of senior secondary schools of Punjab be filled up for efficient management of the schools. The committee has suggested that these posts can easily be filled up by promotions. It shall not entail considerable financial burden on the exchequer as the promotees would be entitled only one additional increment. 

Mansa, November 30
The Mazdoor Mukti Morcha has decided to launch a campaign in favour of demands of labourers from December 10. The Morcha would hold dharnas at the block, tehsil and district level from December 10 to January 10.

After this, a signature campaign would be started and nearly 10 lakh signatures would be received from the labourers in support of their demands. The decision was taken at the state committee meeting of the Mazdoor Mukti Morcha held at Baba Bujha Singh Bhawan in Mansa yesterday.

State secretary of the Morcha Bhagwant Singh Sammaon said that along with this, a rally of the labourers would be held at Chandigarh in the last week of February 2009.

In this rally, a charter of demands complete with signatures would be submitted to the chief minister of Punjab. He informed that the demands of labourers include waiver of loans, Rs 200 as daily wage for them and plots for constructing houses. 

Abohar, November 30
Om Parkash Manda of village Bhagsar in this sub-division, who had been nominated as president of the Punjab state unit of Meghwal Samaj Sangh, today completed the formation of the state working committee.

The office-bearers appointed by him are: Chairman Ravi Kant Parihar, vice-chairman Deen Dyal Bharia, vice-president Maninderpal Megh, general secretary Khajanchi Ram Bhukal, joint general secretary Subhash Chander Nambardar, cashier Ram Partap Panwar, joint cashier Kanshi Ram Rathi, chief adviser Ram Lal Samria, legal adviser Rajesh Kumar Parihar, press secretary Satpal. Advisers : Prem Kumar Birat, Manphool Panwar, Amarjit Barupal, Budh Ram, Sardul Chauhan, Om Parkash, P. Bhagat, Prithvi Raj, Mange Ram and Manphool Jaipal, a release informed.— OC