The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	State Bureaucrats’ Property Details Wait for information keeps getting longer Manish Sirhindi Tribune News Service Panipat, December 5 The details about the property assets possessed by state bureaucrats after joining the services seems to be hardest to extract, as even after two years of filing an RTI, a final verdict on the issue is till eluding the masses. On December 16, 2009, RTI activist PP Kapoor had filed a petition before the Haryana State Information Commission (HSIC) after he was denied information by the SPIO attached with the office of the Chief Secretary to the Government of Haryana related to the property details owned by all the IAS, IPS, tehsildars, assistant tehsildars, HPS and HCS officers posted in the state at the time of their joining the duty and at the end of 2009. Despite snubbing the SPIO for denying information to the activist on the ground that he was undergoing imprisonment in connection with a case registered against him in connection with a protest organised by his trade union in 2005, the commission so far appears to be reluctant to pronounce a final verdict in the case, which was refereed to the double bench of the commission in February this year. Incidentally, during the same period, the HSIC had on August 9, 2010, ordered disclosure of assets of DP Jangra, district food and supplies controller, Yamuna Nagar, and his family members while settling an appeal filed by one Shamsher Singh. Jangra moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the verdict, where the decision pronounced by the HSIC was upheld, thus allowing disclosure of his assets. However, even after more than eight months of this judgment, the HSIC is still considering the cases involving the state bureaucrats. Early this year, the Department of Personal and Training of the Union Government had passed an order directing all the IAS officers to submit their annual property returns by April 4, which was uploaded on the official website of the department for public scrutiny. The Chief Minister had also directed his ministers and legislators to disclose their assets. Last year, in the midst of political heat over scams, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had decided to make public the assets and liabilities of his ministerial colleagues. Details about the assets and liabilities of all the ministers were placed on the website of the Prime Minister's Office. The Central Information Commission (CIC) had on August 28 last year pronounced a verdict in which it had stated that the property details of the bureaucrats could be made public as these were not confidential. Kapoor said his fight was in public interest as the property details of the bureaucrats could enable law-enforcing agencies to initiate required action against those suspected of having amassed assets over and above their known sources of income. He said former Chief Information Commissioner Meenaxi Choudhury had constituted the double bench to decide this case, but she retired and came in present CIC Naresh Gulati, who was another former Chief Secretary of Haryana. Incidentally, his asset details, too, were demanded in the RTI and the same were denied. The double bench of the commission comprising Prem Veer Singh and MR Ranga, both state Information Commissioners, were supposed to take up the case on September 29 this year, but the proceedings were deferred as one of the information commissioners was not available on the said date due to some work. After this, December 5 was fixed as the next date of hearing, but even today the case was adjourned to a future date. Kapoor said he had sought details till the end of 2009, but now that two years had already lapsed, he would be pleading before the commission to provide the property details till November 2011.
	Panipat among 43 most-polluted industrial clusters: Survey Manish Sirhindi/TNS Panipat, December 5 An environmental survey conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, and other institutions, has found Panipat to be among the 43 most-polluted industrial clusters of the country. During the survey, a team of experts assessed the pollution levels of 88 industrial clusters of the country located in 16 different states. The survey was undertaken to ascertain the pollution in air, water and soil so that the clusters could be classified on the basis of the pollution level, so that experts could design action plans to tackle the problems accordingly. The survey was conducted on the basis of the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) of each industrial cluster and that of Panipat was found to be more than 70. This indicated adverse effects on environment and human health. According to the report prepared by the CPCB, the pollution index was intended to act as an early warning tool, which could help policy makers enforce corrective measures on priority basis. The survey concluded that Panipat, along with 43 other industrial clusters was “critically polluted” and needed immediate remedial measures to be put in place considering the far-reaching consequences of the problem. Other than Panipat, the clusters that were found to be in the critical category included Vishakhapatnam and Patancheru-Bollaram in Andhra Pradesh, Vellore, Cuddalore, Manali and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, Mangalore and Bhadravati in Karnataka and Kochi in Kerala. The clusters of Korba in Chhattisgarh, the Najafgarh drain basin in Delhi, Ankaleshwar, Vapi , Ahmedabad , Vatva, Bhavnagar and Junagarh in Gujarat, Faridabad and Dhanbad in Jharkhand, Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Chandrapur, Dombivalli, Aurangabad, Navi Mumbai and Tarapur in Maharashtra, Angul Talchar, IB valley and Jharsuguda in Odisha, Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab, Bhiwadi, Jodhpur and Pali in Rajasthan, Ghaziabad, Singrauli , Noida, Kanpur , Agra and Varanasi-Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh along with Haldia in Howrah and Asansol in West Bengal were also included in this list. Besides, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the IIT, Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee, Delhi Technological University, TERI University, BITS Pilani, the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Public Health Foundation of India and experts from various organisations, institutions, universities, industries and the NGOs also participated to conduct the survey and assess the CEPI of these clusters. The experts said with a scientific study in hand it would now be possible for the policy makers to come up with effective measures to check the ever-increasing problem of pollution in these clusters.
	Farmers switch over to fruit, flower cultivation for better returns Bhanu P. Lohumi Tribune News Service Karnal, December 5 A silent revolution is underway in the rural areas of Karnal with small and marginal farmers switching over from wheat-rice cropping pattern to vegetables, fruits, flowers and spice cultivation for remunerative returns. The farmers have realised that the cultivation of rice and wheat in small landholdings is not a profitable proposition and they must diversify to other crops like seasonable vegetables, fruits and flowers for remunerative returns. Samaura village located on the Karnal-Yamunanagar road with a population of 2,500 has emerged as a major vegetable-growing area and green chillies and radish grown by the farmers here has earned a name in the market. Samaura, spread over 300 acres, has become a model for other villages. The farmers of this village have taken land on lease in the adjoining areas for the cultivation of seasonal vegetables, fruits, flowers and spices for supplementing their income. The village has also developed as a major market and farmers from here and adjoining areas gather outside the village with fresh vegetables and other agri-produce, while buyers from different areas make a beeline and the entire produce is sold within no time at high prices. Long queues of tractor-trolleys, bullock carts and utility vans laden with green chillies, radish and other vegetables are a common sight, indicating that the agri-produce of this area is the first choice of the buyers. The villagers have developed direct grower-buyer chain, completely eliminating the ‘aarthis’ (commission agents) and there is no exploitation of growers. Man Singh and Dharm Singh, progressive farmers, said the cost of radish cultivation, inclusive of all expenses, was about Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 per acre, while the produce was sold for Rs 35,000 to Rs 45,000 and the farmers got an assured income of Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000 per acre. Further, the crop was ready in just three months. Balbir Singh, sarpanch of the adjoining Khera village, who also grows green chillies, said: “The cost of cultivation of green chillies, which matures in six months, is about Rs 15,000 to 20,000 per acre, but it fetches price between Rs 50,000 and Rs 60,000 per acre in the market and the farmers get handsome returns”.
	Jind villages to get 253 solar lights next month Bijendra Ahlawat/TNS Jind, December 5 The district authorities have announced to install 253 new solar lights next month as a part of a campaign to provide street lighting in the rural areas. A majority of the villages lack proper street lighting and owing to inadequate power supply, the available lights remain non-functional at any point of time. According to officials concerned, the department concerned had taken up a project to provide solar lights in every village of the district so that the problem of inadequate lighting could be tackled to a certain extent, though it was not disclosed how many lights each of the village would be getting under the drive. It is claimed that solar lights had already been provided to many villages already, the authorities target to install another 253 lights in more parts of the villages during the next month. While the gram panchayats and elected local bodies representatives have been asked to cooperate, the villages which were provided this type of lighting system include Gulakani, Taloda, Surjakhera and Kalta villages where around 184 solar lights were installed during 2009-10. The installation work of solar lights was undertaken after an application was submitted by the gram panchayat of the village concerned and which agree to deposit some amount towards the cost of the lights, claimed an official of the Non-conventional Energy Department. The deposit was sought mostly from the village bodies whose local earnings had been good, it is added. The department has also invited applications for sale of solar lanterns to the common man in the district. The department provides a subsidy of Rs 650 on such a lantern whose market cost was about Rs 1,450 at present. The department targets to sell about 335 such lanterns during the present financial year against a sale of around 103 lanterns that were sold in 2009-10 in the district. But on the other hand there appeared a concern over the maintenance of such lights as there had been complaints of lack of care and replacement of worn out parts, said sources.
	Housewife lauded for act of bravery Our Correspondent Rewari, December 5 A housewife, who became the victim of an attempted chain snatching case, was appreciated for exceptional act of bravery by the Police. Vijay Laxmi, wife of former Subedar Bal Kishan of Vijay Nagar colony, overpowered the miscreant Sanjay, after he tried to snatch her gold chain. She was honoured by SP Vikas Arora who endowed her with a citation. Stressing on the need to be vigilant, the Superintendant of Police said that such acts of courage by the women folk would subdue the desire of the criminals in the bud. Vijay Laxmi said that it was because of her husband’s motivation that she overpowered the miscreant at the spur of the moment.
	Two get 7-yr RI in robbery case Our Correspondent Rewari, December 5 RS Chaudhary, Additional Sessions Judge, Rewari, has awarded rigorous imprisonment for seven years and a fine of Rs 10,000 to gangsters Hoshiar Singh and Maman Singh Yadav, both residents of the Bhiwadi area of Alwar district in Rajasthan, in an armed robbery case. According to the prosecution, the accused had looted Rs 312,759 at gunpoint from a branch of Punjab National Bank at Mirpur village on September 15, 2009. However, when branch manager Bhagat Singh refused to hand over the keys of the cash almirah to them, they thrashed him and snatched the keys from him.
	No most wanted left in Panipat dist Manish Sirhindi/TNS Panipat, December 5 The Police Department has claimed to have wiped out all most-wanted criminals from the district with the arrest of Anil Babel, who was wanted in four cases of dacoity. Pankaj Nain, district police chief, said here recently that all the most-wanted criminals of the district had been traced and nabbed by the police. The SP said in November, the police had solved four cases of murder, 11 chain snatchings and three cases of dacoity. Besides, the police was also successful in arresting 27 bail jumpers and busting two gangs of robbers. The police nabbed four persons who were involved in forging documents to procure SIM cards. Following this, special instructions were issued to the SIM card dealers to remain more vigilant and ensure that no cards were issued on fake identifications.
	Plot distribution: Dalit families allege bias Satish Seth Kaithal, December 5 Getting a 100-yard plot by Dalit families under the scheme announced by the state government has become a nightmare for those who are yet to get plots and have to make rounds of offices to pursue their claim with the officials of the district administration. A large number of women from Kutabpur and Karora villages reached the mini Secretariat here recently and met Additional Deputy Commissioner PK Sharma and submitted a memorandum demanding allotment of the plots. The residents of Kutabpur said they had not been allotted plots under the scheme, while a number of other residents had been allotted the same. They claimed that the authorities were discriminating against them despite the fact that they possessed yellow cards and their names figured in BPL list. Many of them said they had no place to live and they wanted to build a house. Echoing similar sentiments, Dalit residents of Karora village alleged that while a number of natives of their village had been allotted plots under the government scheme, they remained deprived. They showed copies of ration cards issued to BPL families and said they had meagre sources of income, adding that when the government had launched the scheme it should ensure that the deserving people should get the plot. ADC PK Sharma assured the Dalits that their claims would be examined by the respective block development and panchayat officers and those deserving would be allotted plots as per the government policy.
	Programme on retail management held Yamunanagar, December 5 In order to create awareness and encourage self-employment opportunities, a five-day Management Development Programme (MDP) on Retail Management was held at Shree Siddhivinayak Engineering and Management Institutions, Shahpur-Bilaspur, near Yamunanagar, recently. The programme was organised with the support of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Haryana’s Directorate at Karnal. MK Sehgal, chairman-cum-CEO, said the role of retail management and entrepreneurship was just not only limited to upbringing and improving economy of the nation, but also encouraging innovation and employment. He also deliberated on the latest implications of Foreign Direct Investment. In the inaugural session, Tirlok Gupta, assistant director, MSME, Karnal, introduced the programme and its objectives to the students. He also highlighted the tremendous employment opportunities available in the retail sector. Vikas Gupta, deputy director, MSME Development Institution, talked in detail about business promotion techniques, retail services, ‘7P’ factor in retail and supply chain management. He highlighted the importance of time management, decision making, competitive strategy and effects of retail promotion. Dr Rajni Sehgal, director-general of Sidhhivinayak Institutions, said such programmes were a part of enhancement of skills of students and retail management was attached to everyone’s life. — TNS
	Manch for opening AIEEE centre at Rewari Our Correspondent Rewari, December 5 The Dakshin Haryana Vikas Lok Manch (DHVLM ) has sent a communication to Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Human Resource Development, urging him to direct the Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Delhi, to set up an examination centre at Rewari to facilitate the appearance of thousands of examinees of south Haryana and the surrounding areas of Rajasthan in the All-India Engineers’ Entrance Examination. Copies of the communication have also been despatched to the Chief Minister of Haryana, the Chairman of the CBSE and others. The DHVLM said that while the examinees were required to mention four examination centres out of a list of tentative centres, in order of preference, in their admission forms recently, they were virtually optionless as almost all the proposed centres were at far-off places. The manch said that while the CBSE had set up examination centres at Hisar, Ambala, Kurukshetra, etc in Haryana as well as at Jaipur, Ajmer, Kota, Jodhpur and other remote places in Rajasthan, it had bypassed south Haryana comprising Rewari, Mahendragarh, Gurgaon and Mewat districts. Stating that Rewari, which possessed fine rail and road linkages with other parts of south Haryana as well as the surrounding territories of Rajasthan, was an appropriate place for opening an examination centre for the AIEEE, Ranbir Singh Yadav, general secretary of the DHVLM, urged the HRD Minister to instruct the authorities concerned to set up the examination centre to save thousands of examinees from their present predicament which was a heavy drain on their time, money and energy.
	Another legal awareness van flagged off Nawal Kishore Rastogi Rewari, December 5 Buoyed up by the success of the first legal awareness mobile van which familiarised the residents of as many as 12 villages of the district with the essential facets of the legal services during the second half of November, Sneh Prashar, District and Sessions Judge-cum-chairperson of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), flagged off another van at a samaroh in the judicial complex here recently. Highlighting the plus points of the mobile van services, initiated by Justice SK Mittal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Chairperson of the State Legal Services Authority, the District and Sessions Judge said the second van, manned by Legal Aid Council advocates Ram Kishan, Sanjay Chaturvedi, Kusum Yadav, Anita Yadav and others, would disseminate valuable information about legal services and human rights among the residents of Naichana, Siha, Manethi, Khori, Kharkhara, Masani, Mirpur, Bikaner and several other villages of the district by December 15. Stating that owing to lack of pertinent awareness, people were often unable to make judicious use of their legal rights which landed them in trouble, she called upon the ruralites to derive the benefit from the LAMV services at their doorstep. Simultaneously, highlighting the importance of Lok Adalats, the judge asserted that while rural Lok Adalats served as an effectual conduit for dispensation of cheap and speedy justice, the settlement of cases through mutual consent led to more goodwill and harmonious relations as well. Functionaries of the district judiciary as well as members of the Bar Association were also present on the occasion.
	New NSS district coordinator Our Correspondent Sonepat, December 5 Dr Jyoti Juneja, principal of the local Geeta Vidya Mandir Girls College has been elected as the district coordinator of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Maharishi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, at a meeting of the principals and NSS officers of different degree colleges in the district. According to the NSS coordinator of the MDU, Dr Ranbir Gulia, the university’s decision to appoint district coordinators is aimed at involving the maximum number of youths in NSS activities.
	Scientists issue price advisory to farmers Raman Mohan Tribune News Service Hisar, December 5 Scientists of the Department of Agricultural Economics of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University have issued an advisory to farmers on the prices of various crops which are likely to prevail in the coming weeks. The forecast of prices has been made after analysing the data for the past decade as well as the information gathered from traders and other stakeholders. According to the advisory, about 50 to 60 per cent of the total area under rice is occupied by aromatic basmati. During 2011-12, the area under basmati rice is estimated to exceed 60 per cent of the total area under rice mainly due to the inclusion of PUSA 1121 under the category of basmati. Basmati has covered about 7.50 lakh hectares out of about 12 lakh hectares under rice. Basmati paddy production in Haryana is expected be good in 2011-12 because of improved yields and moderate rains despite monsoon playing havoc in some parts of the state. Keeping in view the price trends, the price of basmati is expected to hover between Rs 1,650 and Rs 1,800 in the coming two months. As far as mustard is concerned, the prices of cooking oil are expected to remain high for the coming few weeks due to the increased demand during the wedding season. As such, the price of rapeseed and mustard will vary from Rs 2,550 to Rs 2,600 per quintal. In January and February next year, the price may range between Rs 2,450 and Rs 2,500 per quintal. Keeping in view the past trends and econometric analysis of the past 10 years, it is expected that the price of green peas during December would be between Rs 2,750 and Rs 2,800 per quintal. While in January next, the prices may decline up to Rs 2,650 and in February, may go up to Rs 2,825 per quintal. The severe fall in prices during January would be due to the high arrivals of green peas from Haryana as well as adjoining states. As for potatoes, it is expected that the price in December and January would vary from Rs 200 to Rs 215 per quintal. In February, the prices may increase up to Rs 225 to Rs 250 per quintal. There is wide variation in area under tomato among different districts of the state. During 2010-11, the highest area was in Karnal district followed by Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra and Ambala. In December, the prices of tomato would hover between Rs 750 and Rs 800 per quintal. In January and February, the price may range between Rs 750 and Rs 775 and Rs 700 and 750 per quintal, respectively.
	Recruitment drive held Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, December 5 As many as 11 B Tech final year students of the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET), Kurukshetra University, got placement in WIPRO during a joint campus recruitment drive here recently. Congratulating the director and faculty of UIET, Dr DDS Sandhu, Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, said efforts should be made to increase such placement drives in future. He congratulated the students and wished them a bright future. He said Kurukshetra University had developed resources in the campus on par with other prestigious institutions in the country. Sandhu said the university authorities were committed to provide all the necessary support and facilities for campus recruitment drives. Congratulating the students, Dr Dinesh Aggarwal, director, UIET, said there was noticeable improvement in the recruitment of UIET students this semester compared to the previous years. He said another IT major, INFOSYS, had recruited 22 UIET students in an earlier joint campus placement drive this semester. Dr Munish Gupta, convener (Training and Placement) UIET, said, “Some areas which are doing exceptionally well are computer engineering and electronics and communication engineering, where the placement has been good. This will go up since we are in talks with a few more companies”.
	Collaborative research project on cancer Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, December 5 Prof Isabel Rozas, Director of Post Graduate Learning and Teaching at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, is here at Kurukshetra University to deliver a series of lectures at various institutes of the university and interact with the faculty and research students. Stating this here recently, the KU spokesperson said that Rozas was visiting KU under the aegis of an international collaborative research project, the India-Ireland Cooperative Science Programme, which was recently awarded to Dr Ranjana Aggarwal, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at KU, by the Department of Science and Technology, Delhi. Lt-Gen DDS Sandhu (retd), Vice-Chancellor of KU, said the project would benefit faculty members as well as research students at KU and the University of Dublin. There was need to have such collaborative programmes and the university administration would extend support to faculty members who won such prestigious projects. Professor Rozas will motivate and guide KU students to apply for research in the area of design, synthesis and biological evaluation of DNA-targeting heterocyclic guanidine as an anti-cancer agent at Irish universities. The objective of the project is to explore the development of a new set of molecular therapeutics for what is a worldwide extended disease, cancer. This collaboration will bring together new synergies that can result in better productivity in terms of quality and quantity of research. During the tenure of two years of this programme, Dr Aggarwal and Professor Rozas would visit laboratories in India and Ireland to establish and advance research in this important area, said the KU spokesperson. Dr Aggarwal would visit Trinity College next summer to establish long-term collaboration with Irish universities in the field of DNA targeting heterocycles that would find applications in the important area of anti-cancer chemotherapeutics and generate and transfer technical knowledge between the two countries. The research outcome would be published and patented at the international level, said the KU spokesperson.
	Shortage of VAT D-3 forms irks traders Ravi S.Singh Tribune News Service Faridabad, December 5 The business community here is miffed at government’s failure to ensure regular supply of VAT D-3 form (‘outward’), an essential document relating to sale and transport of goods within the state. Expressing concern over the current spell of shortage of forms, the industry has sought government’s intervention in the matter. Vidya Sagar, Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Faridabad, confirmed that forms were unavailable in the past few days. “Things would be better soon,” he said. He attributed the shortage of forms to technical reasons. The forms are printed in a government Press in Chandigarh. An office-bearer of the Faridabad Industries Association (FIA) rebutted the official claim of the supply assuming normalcy. A delegation of FIA had raised the matter in its meeting with Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Gupta last week. The Deputy Commissioner had assured help. The business community rued the frequent shortage in supply of the forms. An industrialist, on condition of anonymity, said, “The business community constantly remains in suspense over the availability of forms which affects business schedules of the firms. The supply gets disrupted without prior official intimation and reason”. The Faridabad Vyapar Mandal said traders buy forms in black during times of scarcity. Jagdish Bhatia, president of the Mandal, said, “It appears that artificial scarcity is created by the government”. There are two categories of VAT D-3 forms, ‘outward’ and ‘inward’. The outward form is legally needed to transport goods worth more than Rs 25,000 sold by a manufacturing unit or a trader. The form is needed to give legal status to not only the sale of goods per se, but also to their transportation to buyers’ doors within the state. The authorities claimed that about 80,000 ‘outward’ forms are required each month in Faridabad. The business community has suggested that the government either get the form printed locally or make it available online. The government ruled down the idea of individual manufacturing units and traders getting the forms printed themselves. There is provision which allows a firm or a trader having Rs 50 crore turnover and VAT-payment of Rs I core in a year to get the ‘outward’ form printed by them. The private printers charge hefty amount which could prove to be a costly affair, sources said.
	Minister inaugurates teaching block at Rewari college Nawal Kishore Rastogi Rewari, December 5 Power, Forest and Environment Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav inaugurated the newly constructed Lajwanti Teaching Block as well as a computer lab at Kishan Lal Public College here recently. It is noteworthy that the first phase of the function was devoted to the commemoration of the 117th birth anniversary of late Kishan Lal Sharma, the founder of the college. Addressing the staff, students, college management functionaries and other citizens, the minister highlighted the importance of education in life while stating that well-educated Indian youths, who held high positions in various spheres in foreign countries, were bringing laurels to the country through their accomplishments. While exhorting the teachers to impart quality education to the students, Capt Yadav counselled the students to go in for technical and professional education as well to ensure employment for themselves positively. While urging the students to actively participate in sports and cultural activities, along with the pursuit of their studies, the minister announced a financial assistance of Rs 2.50 lakh out of his discretionary fund for the college. He said the credit for his present dignified status in life went to his teachers. Further expressing concern over the skewed male-female ratio in the district, he exhorted parents to provide good education to their daughters as well while stating that girls were coming in the forefront in almost every field. Besides Capt Yadav and RC Sharma also announced a gift of Rs 5,100 and Rs 2,100, respectively, for the students who presented a colourful cultural programme on the occasion.
	Promotion of pornography RTI activist for action against ‘Bigg Boss 5’ Bhanu P Lohumi/TNS Karnal, December 5 Close on the heels of a complaint filed by the Indian Artistes and Actors Forum (IAAF) with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for taking stringent action against Colour channel for indirectly promoting pornography by introducing porn star Sunny Leone in “Bigg Boss 5”, RTI activist Dev Ashish Bhattacharya has put the channel in the dock by filing a similar complaint with the Broadcast Consumers Complaint Council (BCCC) for “appropriate and salutary” action. In his complaint, Bhattacharya said, “Sadly, a huge pornographic industry was being promoted by ‘Bigg Boss 5’ as Sunny Leone has explicitly stated in her official website (Sunnyleone.com) that she is now on India’s biggest TV show and provided numerous links to hundreds of video streams of High Definition (HD) content which can be easily accessed by children and other vulnerable viewers.”
	Importance of Bhagwad Gita highlighted DR Vij Kurukshetra, December 5 There is a need to understand the relevance of the Bhagwad Gita in the present day context. The Bhagwad Gita is relevant to all the times and addresses issues relating to the important aspects of life. This was stated by Justice Pritam Pal, Lokayukta, Haryana, who was the chief guest at a seminar on “Revisit to the Gita in the Context of 21st Century” on the occasion of Gita Jayanti organised by Institute of Sanskrit and Indological Studies of Kurukshetra University at the Senate Hall of the university here recently. Justice Pritam Pal said the Gita provided solutions to the problems of depression and negative thinking being faced by youth in the 20th century. “The Bhagwad Gita can provide youth the right direction in life and the purpose of meaningful living. The problems of terrorism and corruption can also be addressed through it,” he said. He added “I learnt the message of the Bhagwad Gita from my schoolteacher Ram Kishan at a very young age and that helped me to decide that doing one’s karma without desire of fruit is the greatest philosophy of life. Believing in this philosophy, I along with many of my class fellows who came from a small village could reach high positions in life”. Lt-Gen DDS Sandhu, Vice-Chancellor, Kurukshetra University, in his presidential address, said, “There is a need to analyse the Bhagwad Gita in the present day context so that its teachings and philosophy becomes available to the common man. The division in the present society and the world on the basis of language, water, resource sharing, colour, religion and culture is due to the fact that people do not understand the essential truth of life. The Bhagwad Gita can play a vital role in countering these divisions in society and lead us to path of happy living”. The proceedings of the conference must be disseminated to different universities in India and abroad, he added. Dr Rajendra Mishra, former Vice-Chancellor of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi, who gave the inaugural lecture said, “Although people know Kurukshetra as a battlefield, it has greater relevance as a ‘dharamkshetra’ as articulate by Lord Krishna himself who said that he reincarnates whenever there is rise of ‘adharma’ in society”. Dr Mishra added that the philosophy of the Bhagwad Gita was beyond the confines of any section or religious fraternity because it basically addressed issues relating to human being whose sensibility was primarily the same whether he belonged to India, Europe or any other country of the world. Prof Bhim Singh, Dean, Faculty of Indological Studies, Prof SK Sharma, Dr Rajendra Vidyalankar and scholars from neighbouring universities and students were present on the occasion.
	Y’nagar college wins zonal-level science quiz contest Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 5 MLN College, Yamunanagar, secured the first position and got a cash prize of Rs 50,000 in a zonal-level science quiz organised by the Haryana State Council for Science and Technology under the Haryana Government Department of Science and Technology recently. The winning team comprised Puneet Pasricha of BSc (III) Electronics, Prerna of BSc (III) Non-Medical and Oshin of BSc (III) Bio-Tech. The contest was part of the series of quiz contests planned by the council to popularise science among school and college students of the state. It organises quiz contests at college levels, including engineering colleges, in the state to create scientific temper among the students, to impart science education to the students through fun and entertainment, to create a deep urge for curiosity and to inculcate the spirit of asking logical questions and their prompt reply. The science quiz contest is organised at three levels - district level, zonal level and the state level. The best three teams are selected from each district (prizes are Rs 5,000, Rs 4,000 and Rs 3,000 for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively). These three teams participate in the zonal level science quiz contest (Prizes are Rs 50,000, Rs 40,000 and Rs 30,000 for the 1st, 2nd & 3rd positions, respectively). While the district-level contests are organised by college principals, the zonal and state-level contests are organised by the council. Three best teams are selected from each zone to participate in the state-level quiz contest (prizes are Rs 5 lakh plus trophy, Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively). The winner teams of the state-level competition will be given 50 per cent of the prize amount and the remaining 50 per cent will be given to the college concerned for carrying out science popularisation activities. Earlier in this series, MLN College, Yamunanagar organised the district-level contest and also won it. The quiz master was Dr Anil Pundir, associate professor of the college. At the zonal-level contest, the quiz master was Dr MS Marwah, professor, Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, Chandigarh.
	Company rolls out ‘Wheels of Hope’ Tribune News Service Gurgaon, December 5 Samsung India flagged off its social campaign “Wheels of Hope”, the company’s endeavour to spread knowledge on new age technology products and the world of Internet to students from the lesser privileged sections of society. Flagged off by JS Shin, president and CEO, Samsung (South-West Asia), here recently, the bus started it journey to reach out to students studying in around 35 MCD and government-aided schools in Delhi and NCR. The bus, which houses a computer lab with Samsung notebooks and netbooks, has been designed to give the children an exposure to the world of computers and the power of Internet. The children will also get a hands-on experience with Samsung laptops and tablets in the bus. The company will schedule experiential morning and evening sessions for the students on their school premises and hopes to reach out to around 7,500 students during the first phase of the programme. “Education is one of the key focus areas of Samsung’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. Through our new project “Samsung - Wheels of Hope”, we aim to open the doors to technology for the young students who do not have access to computers and Internet in their schools and at their homes. In 2012, we aim to spread this initiative to many more cities all over the country,” said Shin. The initiative is part of Samsung Hope Project, which focuses on community service in the areas of education, culture and social welfare.
	Phapharana sugar mill starts power generation Capacity of the plant to be increased from 2MW to 3MW by next year Bhanu P. Lohumi Tribune News Service Assandh (Karnal), December 5 Uninterrupted power supply would no longer be a problem for HAFED sugar mill at Phapharana near here as the 2MW power plant of the mill has started electricity generation from the current season. The capacity of the plant, co-generating electricity from sugarcane residue (bagasse), would be increased from 2MW to 3MW by the next year and it would not only feed the sugar mill, but also ease the power supply situation in the nearby villages. Sugarcane residue was normally burnt in India but now it would be used for power generation. It would also reduce air pollution caused by the smoke emitted due to the burning of the residue. Anil Malik, managing director of HAFED, who launched the sugarcane crushing season, said the process of generating electricity from sugarcane residue was started last year and the power plant would be able to fully utilise its installed capacity, helping power distribution nigams to ensure better power supply to people in the adjoining villages. Malik said 20.30 lakh tonnes of sugarcane was crushed last year, while a target of 30 lakh tonnes had been fixed for the current year to produce 2.70 lakh quintals of sugar. Phapharana Sugar Mill with a capacity to crush 2,500MT of sugarcane per day was set up in 2008-09 and at that time the area under sugarcane production was limited. But at present, the area under sugarcane was 13,000 acres, he added. Referring to the incentives offered to the farmers, Malik said the sugar mill was providing interest-free loans to famers for the purchase of seed, fertiliser and pesticides. A subsidy of Rs 500 per acre was being given for sowing through automatic process, while 10 per cent subsidy was permissible on the purchase of insecticides. Besides, the farmers producing hybrid seeds were being given a subsidy of Rs 1,000 per acre. Malik added that the recovery of sugar had been increased and steps had been taken to increase the capacity which would result in the increased production of sugar.
	Team inspects Sonepat medical college BS Malik Sonepat, December 5 A seven-member team of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), led by the secretary rank senior IAS officer of the Union government, CL Dass, visited Bhagat Phool Singh Women Medical College, Khanpur Kalan, recently to inspect the existing infrastructural and other facilities available in this hospital, which is presently working on a trial basis. After carrying out the inspection of the operation theatre, ICU, emergency, X-ray and radiology wings in the hospital and the college premises, the team members interacted with indoor and outdoor patients who had come from the adjoining villages. During the meeting with Dr Siwach, director of the hospital, Dass said such kind of arrangements could be seen in private medical institutions only. He assured that UNOPS would provide the most modern and state-of-the-art machinery to equip the hospital with the latest medical facilities. Impressed by the infrastructural development and the future plans for the hospital, Dr Dass termed the complex as “rural medicity”. Dr Siwach explained about the government plans for this Women College and Hospital and said this complex was a dream project of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to provide the best possible medical treatment to the people in the villages.
	AIDS awareness, anti-drug campaign launched Bhanu P Lohumi Tribune News Service Karnal, December 5 The National Integrated Forum of Artists and Activists (NIFAA), a leading youth organisation of the region, marked the World AIDS Day today by launching a month- long HIV/AIDS awareness and anti-drug campaign here recently. The campaign flagged off by Navraj Sandhu Navraj, Financial Commissioner (Health), Haryana, at a state- level function organised by the Haryana AIDS Control Society, will cover all 21 districts of Haryana and a mega event will be held on New Year day in which 7,500 volunteers wearing red t-shirts, red sweaters and red caps will assemble here to form “world’s largest human awareness red ribbon”. Giving details, chairman of the organisation, Pritpal Singh Pannu said the campaign, supported by the Haryana AIDS Control Society and various social and educational institutions of the state, would also involve the youth on a massive scale in all parts of Haryana with the objective of educating the people, especially in rural areas about HIV/ AIDS and also caution them against the bad effects of drugs. Starting from Karnal, the NIFAA teams will cover all 21 districts in four phases to spread awareness on HIV/ AIDS. A 21-member team will make the general masses especially the younger generation of Karnal aware from December 1 to 2 about the dreaded disease through street plays, brochures, exhibition and speeches. In the second phase, from 6th to 9th December, the campaign will cover Panipat, Sonepat, Faridabad, Palwal, Nuh, Gurgaon, Rewari and Mahendergarh districts. The third phase will start on December 13 from Rohtak and will move to Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Hisar, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Jind and Kaithal till December 16. The last phase will cover Yamunanagar, Panchkula, Ambala and Kurukshetra on 21st and 22nd December. Meanwhile, girls of Government Women’s College held an AIDS awareness rally in the city. A painting competition was also organised at Dayal Singh College. There are around 40,000 AIDS patients in the state. Kurukshetra: The university NSS unit observed World AIDS Day and organised an awareness rally on the university campus here recently. Lt-Gen (retd) Dr DDS Sandhu, Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, flagged off the Awareness March of the students today. The red ribbon, the symbol of awareness regarding AIDS, was tied to the Vice-Chancellor and other officials present on the occasion by the programme officer. Addressing hundreds of NSS volunteers present on the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor emphasised the need to adopt safety measures so that the target of zero per cent HIV positive people by 2015 could be achieved. Hundreds of students along with 200 volunteers of the NSS participated in the awareness march. They were carrying placards and banners in their hands and shouted slogans. AIDS awareness rallies were held in Sirsa also. — OC
	Kurukshetra institute holds placement drive Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, December 5 A joint campus placement drive for BTech, MBA and MCA students was organised by Geeta Institute of Management and Technology (GIMT), Kanipla, 12 km from here, recently. Hina Joshi, manager-cum-marketing and recruitment specialist, Zscaler; Sajag Chikarsal, director, marketing, Cipher Cloud; and Vijay Raj Hans, manager, Extra Marks Education (P) Ltd, started the recruitment process with an online aptitude and technical test followed by group discussions and personal interviews. Zscaler shortlisted five students, Extra Marks Education (P) Ltd shortlisted 13 and Cipher Cloud short listed five students. The selected students will start their career as website developers, software engineers and managers. The students expressed their gratitude to the management and training and placement division of the institute. As many as 175 students participated in the placement drive. The management and administration of the institute congratulated the students and wished them bright and successful career.
	A novel tribute to truckers Transport firm brings out book to highlight drivers’ plight Sunit Dhawan Tribune News Service Gurgaon, December 5 Mercurio-Pallia, a joint venture between Pallia Transport Company and Gruppo Mercurio SPA of Italy, launched a first-of-its-kind book titled “10,000 km on the Indian Highways” here recently. The book, unveiled at a function organised to mark the company’s golden jubilee celebrations, is a tribute to the truck/trailer drivers who remain unacknowledged despite their worthwhile contribution. The book describes author Ramesh Kumar’s travails on board car-trailers to capture the lives and ills of the drivers on the Indian highways. It also underlines the logistical problems faced by the transport companies operating on the Indian highways. “The driver community is plagued with multifarious difficulties and this issue needs to be addressed on a top priority,” said Vipul Nanda, CMD of Mercurio-Pallia, while addressing the gathering at the ceremony. He said through this book, they wanted to highlight the plight of hapless drivers so as to improve their living and working conditions. Elaborating on his experience, the author of the book, Ramesh Kumar, said the book was a result of his trips covering North-South and North-East sectors on heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs) carrying passenger cars, farm tractors, huge concrete pipes, plastic granules, etc. “Through these trips, I experienced the absence of adequate highway facilities for the lakhs of poor drivers who help supply food, clothing and other things of vital significance to the people based across the length and breadth of the country,” he said. Pallia Transport Company was established by Vipul’s father in 1962 from a small town called Pallia located on the Indo-Nepal border. In 1982, the company moved to Delhi and started working with Maruti Suzuki India in some limited sectors. By 2003, Pallia Transport had turned towards the car carrier business in a big way. Their fleet of car-trailers carried vehicles of Mahindra, Tata, Hyundai and General Motors, among others. Pallia Transport joined hands with a leading European car logistics specialist Gruppa Mercurio and expanded business into rail transport, pre-delivery inspections, stockyard management, etc. More recently, Mercurio was acquired by GEFCO, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Peugeot. With Peugeot setting up its small car plant in Gujarat, Mercurio-Pallia look after its entire car transportation business in India. As of now, Mercurio-Pallia is the third largest automobile carrier in the country.
	Validation workshop for school teachers held Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, December 5 A two-day state-level validation workshop for school teachers on “Training Module of Environment Studies”, organised by the Dharamjeevi Institute of Professional Education at Bagthala village, near here concluded recently. The workshop aimed at validation of training module developed by the Centre for Environmental Education (CEE), Ahmedabad, and a national body on Environmental Studies (EVS) for teachers working at the primary level. The workshop was inaugurated by Neena Rai Singh, an eminent educationist, and principal, Dayal Singh Public School, Karnal, and Sumedha Kataria, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kurukshetra. Teachers from DAV Public School, Maharana Pratap Public School, Pooja Modern School, Kurukshetra, Government Senior Secondary School, Ladwa, and Dayal Singh Public School, Karnal, participated in the workshop. Sumedha Kataria shared the importance of environment and the role of teachers in preserving the same for the future generations. Neena Rai Singh emphasised the need for environmental studies to make it a way of life and not to limit the same to the text books only. Seema Dhawan, convener of the workshop and principal of the institute, interacted with the participants and took their suggestions for further improvement of the module. The delegates actively participated in the workshop, read line by line of the module and suggested to include various interesting activities which could be organised outside the classroom for environmental studies. On the second day of the workshop, a resource person Dr Sushma Sharma, Professor, Faculty of Education, Kurukshetra University, motivated the participants to actively participate in such workshops. He also made them aware of the objective of environmental studies. Speaking on the valedictory function, JR Dheer, Professor of Education, Kurukshetra University, emphasised on the need to remove any kind of mental pollution from society. He said air, soil and water pollutions were bad for human beings, but mental pollution was worst as it degenerated the growth of humans. Vijay Sabharwal, secretary, DAV College Managing Committee, New Delhi, Shashi Sabharwal, managing director of the institute, and Shalini Rajput, vice-principal, also spoke on the occasion.
	People told to shun alcohol, smoking Our Correspondent Rewari, December 5 A special programme comprising a havan and a discourse by Acharya Ramesh, preceptor of Jhajjar Gurukul, was held at the Police Station Complex of Kosli here recently. Besides SDJM PK Lal, SDM Jaideep Kumar, DSP Dhanpati Devi and SHO Sarv Sukh, police personnel and distinguished citizens of the Kosli region participated in the proceedings. Acharya Ramesh highlighted the significance of a havan as environment purifier. He exhorted everyone to work for the elimination of female foeticide. Besides describing cow protection as a sine qua non for a healthy and prosperous India, he urged people to eschew drinking, meat eating and smoking. He emphasised the need to devote some time daily to remember God. A pledge seeking eradication of female foeticide was also administered to the gathering on the occasion. The SDJM impressed upon the participants to follow the teachings of Acharya Ramesh in letter and spirit.