Hoshiarpur, January 5
A plan to get insured the NREGA workers has been formulated. Any of the workers who had worked at least 15 days under NREGA in a year would be insured.

This was disclosed by Deputy Commissioner Megh Raj while addressing a meeting of the officials concerned for reviewing the ongoing work of NREGA here today. He said workers had to contribute Rs 100 each in a year and similar amount would be contributed by the government. The age limit of the worker should be between 18 year and 59 years. In case of routine death, the insured worker would get Rs 35,000, in accident death Rs 75,000, in case of complete disability on account of accident Rs 75,000 and in case of partial disability due to accident Rs 37,500.

As many as 34,168 accounts of job card holders had been opened of which accounts of 23,856 job card holders had been made online. Besides; photographs of 6,023 job card holders had also been made online. As many as 1,245 mates had been recruited.

A sum of Rs 1,932.12 lakh had been spent on the ongoing development works out of the available amount of Rs 2,409.12 lakh up to December 31, 2009, which was 79.15 per cent of the total amount.

All 28,274 workers had been accommodated. As many as 63,929 job cards had been prepared of which 62,571 had been made online up to December 31, 2009. He claimed that Hoshiarpur district was leading in Punjab in the implementation of NREGA.

Hoshiarpur, January 5
Chairman of Malta Boat Tragedy Probe Mission Balwant Singh Khera has demanded publication of an enquiry report regarding the human trafficking scam which was enacted by Shiromani Akali Dal and SGPC officials on Baisakhi at Vancouver in Canada in 2001.

The international and national media widely covered this scam following which Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at Amritsar assured a high-level probe in this scandal and punishment to the culprits.

In a press release here last evening, the Chairman of Malta Boat Tragedy Probe Mission stated that about nine years had passed but nothing had materialised in this connection so far. He alleged that ruling party and its religious counterpart SGPC sent about a dozen leaders, including the then two ministers of the Punjab government, one SGPC member and Punj Piaras for participating in a religious event on Baisakhi of April 13, 2001. He alleged that the ministers and SGPC membes took huge amounts from the Punj Piaras and dropped them there.

He further alleged that despite assurances, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal instead of taking action against the culprits was shielding them for reasons best known to him.

A deputation of the mission presented memorandums to all the five Takhts of Sikhs. The private assistant of then Jathedar of Akal Takht Joginder Singh Vedanti informed the mission that Vedanti had gone abroad and action would be taken against the culprits 
of this scam on his arrival to the country.

He appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene in the matter and refer the case to the CBI for exposure of this scam hatched under the garb of religious ceremonies. 

Nawanshahr, January 5
On a chilly morning, an unwanted guest from the nearby Shivalik Hills, who jumped over the boundary wall and managed to enter into the bedroom of a house in Kalaran Mohalla, situated at the Garhshankar Road, created a tumultuous situation here on Tuesday.

The, about one-and-a-half-year-old, male sambar strayed into the locality and its rescue operation turned into a big ‘tamasha’ for the residents of the area here.

Though the officials of the forest department were present there, they were almost viewing the operation carried out by wildlife activists - Nikhil Sangar and Sonika, thanks to the lack of proper arrangement as well as equipments with the forest department to tackle such a situation.

The sambar entered into the bedroom of a house at about 10 am following which the owner of the house immediately shut the door of the room from the outside and informed some mediapersons about it.

They in turn informed the officials of the forest department and an NGO, Wild Life Conservation Society, about the incident.

Nikhil Sangar, President, Wildlife Conservation Society, along with another wildlife activist - Sonika and Forest Department officials - Ravi Dutt and Vijay Kaushal, immediately reached the spot.

The people of the colony and the vicinity gathered there to view the operation. A number of people stood on the rooftops of their houses.

Wildlife activist, Nikhil, with the help of some youths in the vicinity, toiled for about an hour to overcome the sambhar, then loaded it in a vehicle and took it away to release it in the nearby forest. In the absence of any infrastructural facilities, a big rope was used to catch and drag the sambhar from the room. It was given first aid before loading it in the vehicle for sending it off to its natural habitat.

While the officials of the forest department refused to comment on the incident, wildlife activist Nikhil Sangar said due to the lack of basic infrastructural facilities, like tranquilising gun and a net to catch the animal without much toil as well as causing any injury to the animal and a vehicle to carry the animal, a lot of inconvenience had to be faced while rescuing animals. Lack of trained staff and proper facilities have made the forest department virtually dependant on NGOs to carry out rescue operations.

“The government should equip the forest department with proper infrastructural facilities. Besides, the people should also be made aware about the importance of preserving forests and wild animals to save the environment and ecological balance, in the larger interests of human life on earth,” further added Nikhil. 

Jalandhar, January 5
The birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh was celebrated in the city with fervour. People dressed in their traditional bests thronged the gurdwaras early in the morning to pay obeisance to the 10th Sikh Guru.

Langars and kirtans were organised at various places in the city to celebrate the pious occasion. Persistent cold waves failed to deter the spirit of the devotees. The city gurdwars witnessed heavy rush from early morning onwards as devotees turned up there in heavy numbers. The holy places were decorated with lights.

Earlier, hundreds of people participated in a nagar kirtan organised in the city on the eveof the Gurpurb.

Pathankot: Gurpurb was celebrated with fervour here on Tuesday.

On Monday, a nagar kirtan procession was taken out in the town, which started from Gurdwara Singh Sabha Sarian Mohalla. Schoolchildren and large number of devotees took part in the procession.

People visited various gurdwaras and joined the bhajan kirtan sessions at gurdwaras at Gurdaspur, Dinanagar, Sujanpur and Shahpur Kandi. Anil Vasudeva, Chairman, Pathankot Improvement Trust, Jathedar Dilbag Singh, member SGPC, also participated in the procession.

Kirtan, kavi darbar and religious discourses by Hazoori Ragi Jatha of Bhai Swaran Singh Jammu, Bhai Jaswant Singh, Bhai Ranjit Singh and Ragi Jatha of Bhai Amardip Singh Anmol, Batala were also held at Model Town Gurdwara.