Bathinda, January 30
To compel the Union government to accept their long standing demands, the Anganwari workers and helpers from across the country will gherao the Parliament in New Delhi on February 24. The Anganwari workers’ unions have started mobilising workers and helpers to make the programme successful.

The main demands of the unions include government employee status for Anganwari workers and helpers, pension and gratuity for workers and helpers, and arrangement of government buildings for housing Anganwari centres.

In connection with the protest to be held at New Delhi, a meeting of the Bathinda zone of the Anganwari Mulazam Union Punjab (CITU) was organised at the Teachers’ Home here today. It was attended by the Anganwari workers and helpers from Bathinda, Moga, Muktsar, Ferozepur and Faridkot districts.

State president of the union Usha Rani called upon the Anganwari workers and helpers to attend the Delhi protest in a big way so that the Union government could be forced to take an initiative to accept their demands at the earliest. She said their rally would be a historic one as the Anganwari unions of different trade organisations would raise their voice from a common platform.

Bathinda district president of the union Parkash Kaur Sohi said about 1,000 workers and helpers from the Bathinda zone would participate in the rally and gherao the Parliament. She said that for the purpose, preparations were being made by the union throughout the zone at block levels.

The Anganwari union leaders also said as the prices of essential commodities were rising on a fast note, a meager amount of honorarium was insufficient for the Anganwari workers and helpers to meet monthly expenses of their households. They also asked the government to enhance their monthly honorarium immediately till it accepted and implemented their demand for government employee status.

Chandigarh, January 30
After industrialists from the state failed to come up with the required investment for the establishment of Adarsh Schools — the pet scheme of CM Parkash Singh Badal — the government has now got an “offer” from deemed universities in the state to establish the same.

An official release here said each deemed university had given an assurance to adopt a minimum of 10 Adarsh Schools and that all these schools would be commissioned by June. It said representatives of various deemed universities and private engineering colleges today called on Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal and offered to set up a minimum of 10 Adarsh Schools each in the state.

At a high-level meeting with the Deputy CM, they said they were interested in setting up Adarsh Schools because besides providing free education to the economically poor students of Punjab, these schools would also become a feeding channel for their upcoming universities. They sought the Deputy CM’s help in the allotment of sites for setting up Adarsh Schools at the earliest so that construction work could be started immediately.

Krishan Kumar, Director General School Education, gave an assurance to the Deputy CM that he would identify 160 sites that would be allotted for the construction to the deemed universities within one month.

Appreciating the gesture of the deemed universities, the Deputy CM asked the Secretary (Education) to put a precondition while granting licence for a deemed university that the institution would have to operationalise five Adarsh Schools in one year of getting the licence and another five within two years.

Krishan Kumar said that out of the 61 allotted sites, 31 Adarsh Schools would be operational by June whereas another 30 would be operational by October. — TNS

Bathinda, January 30
A two-minute silence was observed to pay respects to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary at the Mini-secretariat here today. A contingent of the Punjab Police also reversed arms as a mark of respect.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) C. Sibin paid tributes to Gandhi while officials and employees of various departments also took part in the programme.

Led by its president Ashok Kumar, the District Congress Committee (Urban) observed the day as “Balidan Divas” here. He urged the gathering to follow the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi for strengthening the integrity and unity of the country.

The Suraksha Helpers, the Bathinda Vikas Manch, and the Yoga Sewa Samiti also organised a programme to pay tributes to Mahatama Gandhi and the martyrs who had sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the country. On the occasion, Rakesh Narula, Sham Kumar Sharma, Radhey Sham Bansal, Om Parkash Sharma and DK Garg paid tributes to the martyrs.

Abohar/Sriganganagar: The students in large numbers paid tributes to the Father of the Nation on his ‘Balidan Divas’ in Abohar and the twin districts of Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh. During the meeting that was organised by the Punjabi Sabhyachar Manch in Sawan Public School at Abohar, scores of students, teachers and social workers pledged to solve social problems through the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi. Intriguingly, liquor vends were found to be open everywhere as the police and civil administration feigned ignorance over the norms for observing a dry day. Social activists pointed out that the shops had not been closed even on Republic Day.

In Hanumangarh, leprosy awareness rally, organised by Gautama Buddha Elementary School, was flagged off by the civil surgeon Dr Arun Kumar after garlanding Gandhi's statue at the Tilak Circle. The students carrying placards marched through the main roads. An exhibition of painting by the students was also held. Block Congress committees organised a prayer meeting in Sriganganagar also.

Ferozepur: At a solemn function organized to pay tributes to the Father of the Nation, on his martyrdom, held at the historic Gurudwara Saragarhi, senior civil and police officials besides representatives from various government departments observed a two-minute silence and took oath to follow in the footsteps of the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the cause of the nation.

Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav, Dr Kaustubh Sharma, SSP, Jaskiran Singh ADC, G S Pannu, SDM, besides other officials were also present on the occasion. A contingent drawn from the Punjab Police reversed their arms to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi.

Several other organizations also held prayer meetings to mark the occasion. Members of the Patanjali Yog Samiti launched a signature campaign to mark this day during which they exhorted the government to take immediate steps to bring back the illegal money allegedly lying in banks outside the country.

Bathinda, January 30
Former Punjab minister and president of the local Shree Sanatan Dharma Dal Chiranji Lal Garg has hailed the decision of the local Municipal Corporation (MCB) to set up an electric crematorium at the local Ram Bagh (cremation ground).

Garg said that after the setting up of the electric crematorium, not only the wood being used to cremate the dead would be saved but it would also help in checking pollution. He thanked Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla for taking up the issue and getting it cleared from the MCB.

When contacted, MCB Commissioner Ravi Bhagat said the House of the MCB had passed the project at its meeting held recently. He said the total cost of the project was about Rs 60 lakh and the project would be sent to the Punjab Health Department for sanctioning of grant, as setting up an electric crematorium in Bathinda was the proposal of the department. He added that the Health Minister had recently proposed setting up of an electric crematorium in Bathinda to save wood. — TNS

Bathinda, January 30
A fire broke out in a cotton factory situated on the Bathinda-Dabwali road at Gurusar Sainewala village, about 10 km from here, this afternoon.

It reportedly took two hours for two fire tenders from the Bathinda Fire Station to extinguish the fire.

Jaswinder Singh, sub-fire officer, Bathinda Fire Station, said as per the owners of the factory, there was about 1700 quintal of ‘narma’ in the store of the factory, which caught fire due to an electric spark.

He said two fire tenders of the Bathinda Fire Station had been pressed into service to douse the flames though a fire tender from the NFL, Bathinda, also reached the spot.

The fire official also said as per preliminary information, the 10 per cent of the 'narma' stored in the factory got damaged due to fire.

However, the exact loss would be assessed later, he added.

Harike (Ferozepur), Jan 30
The land on which the Harike Wildlife Sanctuary is situated has not been transferred in its name in the revenue records for past 12 years. The failure of the authorities concerned has led to encroachments on about 1,000 acres out of a total of 86 sq km area of the sanctuary.

In a more serious implication, the Wildlife Department has often failed to establish its ownership over the encroached pieces of land in many civil suits as the land has not been transferred in the revenue records. The state government had issued a notification on November 18, 1999, bringing the 86 square kilometer area of the land, mostly belonging to the Irrigation Department, Central government, the provincial government of Ferozepur, Amritsar (now Tarn Taran) and Kapurthala districts under the ownership of Harike Wildlife Sanctuary. However, the mutation to this effect could not be carried out in the revenue records. The names of all villages of the three districts, brought under Harike Wildlife Sanctuary, were also mentioned in the notification.

The state wildlife authorities wrote to the senior civil functionaries of Ferozepur, Tarn Taran and Kapurthala districts in this regard a few months ago. Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife), Ferozepur, Sanjeev Tiwari, said he moved many applications to the SDMs of Zira, Patti and Sultanpur Lodhi sub-divisions of Ferozepur, Tarn Taran and Kapurthala districts to get the mutation done in the revenue records. Transfer of land in name of sanctuary will not only help get the encroachments removed but will also make its management easy, he added.

Ferozepur, January 30
Under the directions of Justice MM Kumar, executive chairman, Punjab Legal Services Authority, a special Lok Adalat was held here on Saturday.

The cases related to family disputes, matrimonial and others were taken up for on the spot settlement. District and Sessions judge Jaspal Singh said in this special Lok Adalat, about 313 cases were taken up, out of which 142 cases were settled on the spot. — TNS

Abohar, January 30
A UGC sponsored national seminar on the ideology and philosophy of the great Indian saint Swami Vivekananda was held at Gopichand Arya Mahila College here yesterday.

Dr Neelam Arun Mittu, Director, Vivekananda Studies Center, welcomed all the dignitaries.

Special Secretary (Finance), CS Talwar, was joined by Madhukar Diwedi, veteran journalist from Madhya Pradesh, Swami Dharamdev, Dinesh Vashisth and local college managing committee chairman Dev Mittar Ahuja in lighting the traditional lamps to inaugurate the seminar. Coordinator Sharda Grover conducted the proceedings of the inaugural session.

CS Talwar, Madhukar Diwedi, Swami Dharamdev, Dinesh Vashisth, Makhan Lal and other scholars also spoke on the occasion. — OC

Fazilka, January 30
Fazilka known for its wool trade and cotton production is fast becoming popular for the 1121 quality Basmati rice too. Credit goes to government’s efforts towards diversification of agriculture. Punjab Agricultural University and government agencies had appealed to the farmers to sow crops that consume less water.

Farmers began sowing the paddy variety of 1121 instead of the traditional ‘permal’ and ‘IR 8’ varieties of rice. Owing to good income form the crop, the crop is now being grown over one lakh acres in Fazilka.

In 2009-10, Fazilka grain market had recorded arrival of 45 lakh bags (each weighing 35 kg) of paddy variety of 1121, which increased to 53 lakh bags this year. The main buyers of this fine variety of rice are mega export houses.