Bathinda, May 17
Annindita Mitra, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), Patiala, and wife of Dr S. Karuna Raju, Deputy Commissioner, Bathinda, fell ill today under mysterious circumstances.

Annindita, who was staying with her husband Raju for the past day or so, was rushed to the local Civil Hospital in a critical condition. From the Civil Hospital, she was shifted to a local private multi-speciality hospital, where she is under treatment.

Annindita was put on life support system in the private hospital. The doctors, who attended on her, said her condition was improving gradually. She was shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital.

Neelam Bajaj, Civil Surgeon, said the blood pressure of Annindita was not recordable when she was brought to the Civil Hospital. She added that as her blood pressure was falling continuously, Annindita was shifted to a private hospital.

The Civil Surgeon said that she along with Deputy Commissioner Raju were attending the meeting of the District Planning Board today when a message in connection with Annindita falling ill was suddenly received. She along with the DC rushed to the Civil Hospital immediately. Bajaj said she was not aware of the reasons as to why Annindita fell ill seriously, adding that she would be able to comment on it only after talking to the doctors, who attended on her when she (Annindita) was brought to the Civil Hospital for treatment.

Senior civil and police officials, who reached the private hospital soon, cordoned off the area, where Annindita was being treated and did not allow anyone including the media persons to go near. Information gathered from the private hospital revealed that the blood pressure of Annindita had stabilized. A team of medical experts had been called from Ludhiana for her treatment. The life support system was removed late in the evening and she had started taking medicines orally.

Raju said that Annindita was recovering. He, however, did not make any comment when asked how Annindita fell ill suddenly.

Bathinda, May 17
"Incentives to Girls for Secondary Education," a Centrally sponsored scheme, launched to create an environment to reduce the drop-out rate of girl child belonging to Scheduled Caste families, is failing to yield the desired results as even three years after their selection as beneficiaries, no girl in Bathinda district could avail of its benefit.

Finding the attitude of the government indifferent regarding the implementation of the scheme, parents of most of the selected girls have lost hope.

As per the scheme, every girl child, belonging to the SC category, who passes class VIII examination and enrolls in the secondary school, will get some money (in thousands) deposited in her name that she will be entitled to withdraw on attaining the age of 18 years.

Creating an enabling environment to promote the enrolment of girl child belonging to scheduled classes in the secondary schools and ensure their retention up to 18 years of age was the objective of the scheme.

After the government did not keep the promise, a majority of the parents, who were expecting the grant to be utilized for their daughter's further studies, started withdrawing their names from the senior secondary classes due to financial problems.

According to sources in the education department, after the district education office was asked to conduct a survey in 2008-09, the process was hurriedly completed and about 1260 girls were selected as the beneficiaries.

The district education office, after opening the bank accounts of these girls, reportedly sent their cases to the state from where it was forwarded to the Central Government, seeking the grants to be deposited in their account within the stipulated time as the money was to come in the bank account of each girl directly.

Sources informed that while selecting the beneficiaries, the education officials considered the SC girls in the age-group of above 15 and below 16 years and studying in class IX of the government and the government-aided schools.

Ironically, hundreds of the selected girls crossed the conditional age of 18 years but the government did not deposit a single penny in their bank accounts, which was otherwise supposed to be deposited without any lapse of time.

However, the district education office, following a similar procedure and the directions, kept on selecting the beneficiaries and found 1553 girls in 2009-10 and 2138 in the year 2010-11.

But even after completing all the formalities, hardly any of the selected girls could see any amount in her bank account till date. When asked, the district coordinator of the scheme, Rajwinder Kaur failed to give any satisfactory reply but maintained that the issue would be taken up in the next meeting of the state education department.

Bathinda, May 17
The ministerial staff (clerical cadre) have voiced concern that despite their pen-down strike for the fifth consecutive day today, the state government has neither been paying attention towards their long standing demands nor feeling the pain of the masses who have been suffering due to its apathy towards their demands.

District treasurer of the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU) Ashok Chopra admitted here today that the common man had been suffering in a big way due to the pen-down strike. But the PSMSU was not responsible for it as the state government had turned a blind eye towards their even already accepted demands so far, he added.

Chopra said the district treasury's strong room had also remained closed during these five days due to which stamp papers could not be issued to the stamp vendors.

He said if the state government failed to accept their demands by this weekend, then the union could decide to intensify their agitation in the days ahead. Meanwhile, the members of the PSMSU, while observing the pen-down strike, held a rally on the premises of Mini-secretariat here today.

In the rally, the ministerial staff of various departments, including health, education, treasury, irrigation, public health, PWD B&R and Deputy Commissioner's office took part.

The main demands of the union include release of a grant of Rs 100 crore for the clerks and stenos etc in lieu of higher pay scale (10300-34800) for them, 20 pe rcent house rent allowance to employees in Bathinda and Patiala and conveyance allowance to the ministerial staff.

The protesters were addressed among others by the patron of the union Darshan Singh Bajaj, district president Sukhpal Singh Sidhu, district general secretary Kewal Bansal, district treasurer Ashok Chopra, Balwinder Singh (DC office), Birbal Singh (Agriculture), Natha Singh (Health) and Kulwant Kaur (Public Health). 

Ferozepur, May 17
Punjab Congress Chief Captain Amarinder Singh today said the chief whip of Congress legislature in Punjab Vidhan Sabha and MLA, Guru Harsahai, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, has been made vice-president of Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee (PPCC) as per the recommendations of the party high command.

Amarinder made the statement while interacting with the Congress workers at a banquet hall, located on Faridkot-Ferozepur road, today.

He said all the names, which had figured in the list of the office-bearers of the party’s organisational set-up in Punjab, had been approved by the party high command.

He said as some of the senior leaders like Avtar Singh Brar, Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa and others could not be accommodated in the party’s organisational set-up, he had made a request to the national president Sonia Gandhi to allow him to expand the party’s organisational set-up.

“The Congress party has set up new criterion for determining the total number of leaders to be inducted into the party’s organisational set-up. The recently formed body of Punjab Congress has been set up according to that new criterion,” Captain added.

“To accommodate the left out deserving candidates, I have urged Sonia Gandhi to allow the Punjab Congress to follow the old pattern in constituting its state organisational body,” he pointed out. He made it also clear that winnability would be the main criterion for the selection of the party candidates to be fielded in the next assembly elections.

He added that the Congress would go on its own into the elections. The Captain said he was not worried about factionalism in the Congress as it always happened in a party that believed in internal democracy.

However, he said he was worried about the incident that took place in Ferozepur a few days ago, where two groups of the Congressmen clashed in presence of the senior party leaders.

Captain Amarinder Singh, who was upset over the change of route to be followed by his cavalcade to reach the first venue from the helipad, also expressed his displeasure over the conduct of a particular Congress leader, who stopped other Congress leaders of the area from attending the function held at the City Plaza banquet hall.

Abohar, May 17
Physical disabilities have been no deterrent for Raju Chhabra in pursuing social welfare activities. He was honoured as an ideal worker by DC KK Yadav on behalf of the District Red Cross Society.

Raju is a familiar face for hundreds of card-holders, who throng the fair price shop run by him in Nai Abadi. He assists less educated residents in getting ration cards and photo ID cards prepared. He likes to pen short poems and couplets.

He has also been instrumental in organising blood donation camps at the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital here on behalf of the District Red Cross Society.

Bathinda, May 17
The Punjab government has simplified the process for starting old-age pension to the elderly under its social security scheme.

Presiding over the meeting of the District Planning Committee here today, chairman of the committee, Sikander Singh Maluka said that an aspirant for the old age pension would have to submit his age proof, a copy of the ration card, and the Sarpanch and two members of the village panchayat concerned as witnesses for getting the old age pension started.

After this, the process for the old-age pension would be completed in three months whereas earlier it was completed in six months, he added.

During the meeting, the chairman of the committee also got information from the officials concerned about the ongoing development works in their respective departments. In the meeting, Deputy Commissioner Dr S. Karuna Raju, ADC (D) C. Sibin, Bathinda SDM KPS Mahi, Civil Surgeon Dr Neelam Bajaj and members of the committee participated.

It was said at the meeting that work on new 26 reverse osmosis (RO) plants had been completed in the district. The officials were told to impart training to the employees, maintaining these RO plants, and create awareness among the people about the benefits of these plants.

The meeting was also informed that out of the total 5401 beneficiaries of the 'Single Batti" (single bulb) connections, connections had been given to 2320 beneficiaries so far. Maluka also ordered the civil supply authorities to maintain the records of every ration depot. He also asked the authorities to ensure the opening and closing of the depots on fixed timings. — TNS

Bathinda, May 17
To get the 20 Dalits of Selbrah village, near Rampura Phul, released from the jail, the indefinite dharna by the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) entered its fifth day here today.

Under the leadership of the state president of the LJP, Kiranjit Singh Gehri, the party workers and family members of the jailed Dalits today held a rally outside the Mini-secretariat here, demanding release of the arrested persons.

It may be recalled that these persons were arrested on May 2 on the charge of attacking the police on the evening of April 30 when a clash had reportedly taken place between the police and the villagers over the opening of a liquor shop in the Selbrah village.

Gehri said that if the arrested persons were not released by May 22, then the LJP workers would court arrest. He said their agitation would continue till the release of those arrested. — TNS

Ferozepur, May 17
Parents of thousands of school going children had a tough time in sending their wards to the schools as all the private school van owners went on strike today to protest against the incident that took place on May 13. As per the details, a private school van driver, identified as Kulwinder, was allegedly thrashed by some hoodlums when he tried to prevent them from teasing the girls in the van.

Since then, the private van owners have been demanding registration of case against youths involved in the incident and stringent action against them to ensure the safety of school going children.

The School Van Owners Union, while justifying the on strike, said this is the only way they can lodge their protest.

SSP Kaustubh Sharma said the police has already taken action in the matter. He added that instructions have been passed to supplement police patrolling outside the schools and colleges.

Baldev Raj, president, Private School Van Union, said the issue has been settled following a compromise with the accused as he along with some prominent persons has assured that such act would not be repeated.

Sriganganagar, May 17
President of the regional AWWA Veena Singh visited ‘Luv Kush’ Anaath Ashram at the Desert Corps Air Defence Brigade function as part of their Raising Day programme.

She has been involved in the noble cause for 30 years. A total of 1050 abandoned kids have been brought up by the Trust since its inception, out of which 568 kids have been adopted. There are 15 handicapped and mentally challenged kids in the institution.

Gifts were given to the Trust by the Konark Corps AWWA. This also included a draft of Rs 51,000 donated voluntarily by the men in uniform. — OC

Bathinda, May 17
Suspecting that Lance Naik Lalit Kumar, who was arrested for the possession of a kg of heroin on Sunday night, was involved in some anti-national activity, the sleuths of the Army intelligence today grilled him thoroughly in police custody.

Though the information has not been confirmed, he was probed reportedly to ascertain if he had leaked some Army secrets to earn easy money.

Besides, the district police also interrogated him a number of times during the day but failing to ascertain his involvement in other criminal activities, it was later decided to send him to the Joint Interrogation Cell, Amritsar, on Wednesday.

Sources in the narcotic cell that claimed to have nabbed the accused along with his accomplice Rattan Lal, a tailor, informed that Lalit Kumar had received the controversial packet from a friend of his brother-in-law, residing at Aurangabad.

However, the police officials mentioned that they could not ascertain the identity of the man, whom the contraband was to be supplied, as the accused kept claiming that he was an unknown person.

It may be mentioned that addressing a press conference, the SSP had claimed that Lalit Kumar had recently returned from his native place Bhiwani in Haryana where he was supplied the packet to deliver it to someone in Bathinda.

It was also maintained by the district police chief that Lalit was under a debt of Rs 3.5 lakh and he was promised a huge commission for transporting and delivering the contraband that would have offset his debt.

Reaching Bathinda cantonment on May 1, he made Rattan Lal his accomplice by offering him a handsome share in disposing of the consignment. But the duo was arrested after the intelligence wing of the district police received a tip-off about their plan and nabbed them from near the Cantonment police station.