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Birender’s last-minute exclusion shows Hooda’s clout
Sirsa, June 20
Birender SinghBhupinder Singh Hooda By keeping Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh away from the list of ministers inducted in the Union Cabinet on Monday, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has once again been able to score points over his political rivals within the ruling party. Birender Singh’s last-minute exclusion from the list of new ministers after his supporters had already made preparations for celebrations is being seen Hooda’s victory

15th orientation course opened at Khanpur Kalan varsity
Sonepat, June 20
Dr Pankaj Mittal, Vice-Chancellor of Khanpur Kalan University, presents a memento to Dr C Rajkumar. The Vice-Chancellor of the local Jindal Global University, Prof C Rajkumar, inaugurated the 15th orientation course of higher-education teachers, organised by the UGC's Academic Staff College of BPS Women University, Khanpur Kalan.
Dr Pankaj Mittal, Vice-Chancellor of Khanpur Kalan University, presents a memento to Dr C Rajkumar. Photo: BS Malik



EARLIER EDITIONS


Hues & patterns

A seller arranges umbrellas in an attractive pattern in Karnal.
A seller arranges umbrellas in an attractive pattern in Karnal. Tribune photo: Ravi Kumar

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION
Jhajjar district to have park in every village
Jhajjar, June 20
With a view to maintaining greenery of rustic areas besides providing villagers a peaceful and attractive place to stroll in the morning and evening, the Jhajjar district authorities have decided to develop a park in every village of the district.

Now, online payment-based appointments for passport
Gurgaon, June 20
In order to resolve the issue of non-availability of appointments and to reduce failure of applicants to keep their appointment, the Union Ministry of External Affairs has launched an online payment system for booking appointments.

Department of Biotechnology 
Murthal varsity to start two specialised courses
Sonepat, June 20
Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, will start two courses in the Department of Biotechnology which are specialised courses and will produce employable students. For this, a grant of Rs 1.50 crore has been sanctioned to the department of the university.

Hoping against hope

A watermelon vendor waits for customers as he wraps himself in a polythene sheet during the rain in Karnal.
A watermelon vendor waits for customers as he wraps himself in a polythene sheet during the rain in Karnal. Tribune photo: Ravi Kumar

HAU signs pact with Odisha company
Hisar, June 20
Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Balaji Agri Biotech Private Limited of Odisha.

Dist planning panels to have non-official members also
Chandigarh, June 20
The Deputy Chairman of High Powered Committee,Phool Chand Mullana presided over a meeting here today stating that the District Planning Committees constituted under the 20-Point Programme would now also have non-official members.
Thanda Thanda Cool Cool!
A child enjoys splashing around in water at Splash Park in Karnal.
A child enjoys splashing around in water at Splash Park in Karnal. Tribune photo: Ravi Kumar

Philanthropist Swami Sadanand honoured
Rewari, June 20
Sexagenarian Swami Sadanand, chief of the Shri Krishan Pranami Vishva Parishad and a philanthropist of Haryana, has been honoured with the prestigious Bharat Gaurav Award for his valuable services rendered to the under privileged sections of society by the All India Technical and Management Council, Delhi.

Dist Innovative Fund set up for demand-related projects
Bhiwani, June 20
A District Innovative Fund (DIF) has been set up by the authorities for the implementation of demand-related projects. "Under the DIF scheme, the authorities have submitted eight proposals," said Bhiwani Deputy Commissioner Ashok Meena who presided over a meeting recently.

Big-headed baby stable, skull remodelling on
Gurgaon, June 20
Doctors attending on 18-month baby, Roona Begum, suffering from Hydrocephalus have stated that she is stable and progressing well. The baby was admitted to the Fortis Memorial Research Institute here on April 16 with Hydrocephalus, a condition that caused her head to swell to 94 cm in circumference - amongst the largest documented in the history of medicine.

Mewat medical college gets paediatric ICU
Nuh (Mewat), June 20
Prof Sansar C Sharma, Director-Principal, Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College, Nalhar (Mewat), inaugurates a paediatric intensive care unit on the premises of the institute. A state-of-the-art level-3 paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) has been set up at Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College and Hospital at Nalhar village in the district.

Prof Sansar C Sharma, Director-Principal, Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College, Nalhar (Mewat), inaugurates a paediatric intensive care unit on the premises of the institute.

Campaign to replace defective power meters across state
Chandigarh, June 20
A massive campaign will be launched to replace all defective electricity meters across the state. This was said by Devender Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, (CMD) Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) and Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), today while addressing senior officers of the DHBVN at a meeting called to review its operational activities. Mohinder Lal, ADGP (Vigilance), Haryana, Power Utilities, and VK Chaudhary, Director, DHBVN, were among those others present at the meeting.

Deepender unveils martyr's statue
Jhajjar, June 20
Member of Parliament (MP), Deepender Hooda, has said how passionate is the younger generation of Haryana about joining the Indian Army today as well, adding that it can be gauged from the fact that as many as 60 out of 631 newly passed out cadets of the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, are from Haryana alone.

Hisar youth wins Vice-Chancellor's medal
President Pranab Mukherjee presents the Vice-Chancellor’s medal for the Best Male Student to Saravjeet Singh at National Law University, Delhi.Hisar, June 20
Saravjeet Singh, a Hisar youth, has won the Vice-Chancellor’s medal for the Best Male Student of the 2013 batch in BA, LLB (Honours) course of National Law University, Delhi. He has received the award from President Pranab Mukherjee at a convocation function held in the university recently.

President Pranab Mukherjee presents the Vice-Chancellor’s medal for the Best Male Student to Saravjeet Singh at National Law University, Delhi.

Farmers start planting paddy
Kaithal, June 20 The early arrival of the monsoon this season has given relief to farmers. Taking advantage of the advanced rains, farmers have started planting paddy. Due to the heat-wave conditions prevailing in the state since the beginning of May, farmers were not in a position to plant paddy. They had prepared paddy nurseries but found the conditions unfavourable for plantation. The recent early downpour has helped them in rural areas.

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Nature’s fury

A man walks out of a flood-affected area in Sonepat district.
A man walks out of a flood-affected area in Sonepat district. Tribune photo: Ravi Kumar




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Birender’s last-minute exclusion shows Hooda’s clout
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, June 20
By keeping Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh away from the list of ministers inducted in the Union Cabinet on Monday, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has once again been able to score points over his political rivals within the ruling party.

Birender Singh’s last-minute exclusion from the list of new ministers after his supporters had already made preparations for celebrations is being seen Hooda’s victory, as a berth in the Union Cabinet for Birender Singh would have meant strengthening of the hands of the anti-Hooda camp.

Only recently, Birender Singh had shared dais with Union Minister Selja in a rally organised by her protégé Rajya Sabha Member Ishwar Singh, where the speakers criticised the Hooda government severely accusing it of lopsided development in Haryana.

Sources said that Hooda impressed upon the Congress High Command that the elevation of Birender Singh would only provide strength to dissenting forces within the ruling party.

Birender Singh, a former minister who lost the Uchana Assembly seat to INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala in 2009 and was later elected to the Rajya Sabha, was made to resign as general secretary of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) a day ahead of the Cabinet expansion.

As a general secretary, Birender Singh has led the Congress to victory in Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal and it was being hoped that he would get a respectable ministry after his induction in the Union Cabinet.

A maternal grandson of peasant leader Chaudhary Chhottu Ram, Birender Singh has been having sweet and sour relations with Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda ever since he first took over the reins of power in 2005.

Having won the Uchana Kalan Assembly seat five times -- in 1977, 1982, 1991, 1996 and 2005 -- before losing it to Chautala in 2009, Birender Singh has held a ministerial birth in the Cabinets of Bhajan Lal, Bansi Lal and also Bhupinder Singh Hooda from 2005 to 2009.

The Jat leader has always nursed an aspiration of becoming the Chief Minister of Haryana and to his credit, he has never tried to hide his ambition.

That is the reason he has always been a sore in the eye for his chief ministers -- be it Bhajan Lal from 1980 to 1986 and again from 1991 to 1996 or Bhupinder Singh Hooda since 2005.

During all these eight years of the Hooda regime, Birender Singh’s relations with him have been far from cordial.

Birender Singh’s elevation as a Cabinet Minister within days of his diatribes against the Hooda government could have sent wrong signals about the clout of Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the ruling party.

Hence, his exclusion at the last minute is being seen as a victory for Hooda, as he has been able to establish his influence in the party high command through this action.

Though the High Command has tried to placate Birender Singh by including him in the Congress Working Committee (CWC), it has hardly any parallel with the ministerial birth he was expecting to get.

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15th orientation course opened at Khanpur Kalan varsity
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, June 20
The Vice-Chancellor of the local Jindal Global University, Prof C Rajkumar, inaugurated the 15th orientation course of higher-education teachers, organised by the UGC's Academic Staff College of BPS Women University, Khanpur Kalan.

The delegates from different universities and colleges attended the course.

Prof Rajkumar said, “The teacher has an important role to play in the overall development of the students.

He not only provides knowledge to them, but also teaches them the art of living.” He also stressed the need to providing practical and value-based education to the students.

“The pattern of education has changed with time and the demand for job-oriented education has increased," he added and also praised the efforts being made by the university in working towards women empowerment and providing education to them.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr Pankaj Mittal, listed the academic and other social activities being conducted by the university and said that the university was also making efforts for the socio-economic uplift of womenfolk in villages.

Besides the delegates, the university’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Dr Balbir Kaur, and Registrar, Prof Asha Kadian, were also present. 

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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION
Jhajjar district to have park in every village
Ravinder Saini

Jhajjar, June 20
With a view to maintaining greenery of rustic areas besides providing villagers a peaceful and attractive place to stroll in the morning and evening, the Jhajjar district authorities have decided to develop a park in every village of the district.

The decision will be implemented in the guise of a special campaign namely ‘mera gao meri bagiya’ (My village, my park) that will be launched from July 1 next. Significantly, the campaign will also ensure the participation of the villagers so as to motivate them to work in the direction of protecting and preserving the environment as well as keeping the villages clean and green.

Jhajjar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ajit Balaji Joshi while interacting with The Tribune said the move aimed at generating a new thought among the villagers about environment protection so that they could come forward to combat worsening condition of the environment for the social cause.

“Under first phase of the movement, parks will be developed in over two dozen villages of the district whose panchayats have shown a keen interest to provide two acres common land for the same. The parks will be developed on the lines of urban areas wherein all sorts of facilities will be made available for people from every walk of life,” said Joshi, adding that the campaign would last for five days in the first round.

The DC informed that work to develop the parks would be undertaken under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MANREGA) and Khanpur Kalan, Khanpur Khurd, Khorda, Naugava, Macchhrauli, Goriya, Mohanbaadi, Jharli, Matanhale, Madana, Dhandhlaan, Dighal, Chamanpura, Guda, Silani, Talav, Jasaur Kheri, Kheri Jasaru, Badsha, Kasar, Faizabaad, Beer Baraktabad, Dulhera, Aasudha, Badli were the villages where the drive would be carried out simultaneously.

“Panchayats of all these villages have already provided two acres for the parks and proposals for the purpose are also being sent by panchayats of several other villages as they know that parks are not only useful to maintain the environment healthy but also to provide such a calm place where people can bust their stress by doing walk and stroll in the morning and evening,” said Joshi, adding that besides sowing the aromatic plants, swings would be made available in the park for the children 
as well.

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Now, online payment-based appointments for passport
Sunit Dhawan/TNS

Gurgaon, June 20
In order to resolve the issue of non-availability of appointments and to reduce failure of applicants to keep their appointment, the Union Ministry of External Affairs has launched an online payment system for booking appointments.

The online payment system will be applicable for taking appointments for the Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) in Delhi with effect from June 21. The new system will be gradually rolled out to all PSKs across the country in the coming weeks.

With the establishment of PSKs in Delhi and Gurgaon, under the jurisdiction of RPO Delhi, the MEA had sought to deliver passport services to the citizens in a timely, transparent and more accessible manner.

However, a review of the operations over the past year revealed that a large number of applicants did not turn up at the PSKs after getting appointment. This was not only resulting in lesser utilisation of processing capacity of the PSKs, but was also causing denial of appointments for other genuine applicants.

With the launch of online payment-based appointments, applicants will be required to make payment at the time of booking appointment on the MEA website.

With this, only genuine applicants will book appointments and instances of applicants not turning up on the fixed date and time will reduce. Under the new process, payments can be made while booking an appointment on the website www.passportindia.gov.in by credit/debit cards or internet banking of the State Bank of India. Applicants can also use the challan option provided on the website and deposit the money in a State Bank of India (SBI) branch after generating the challan form online.

In such cases, upon the confirmation of payment receipt by the SBI in the online system, applicants can take appointment. Further, instead of the applicant choosing the date and time slot of appointment, the system will automatically give the earliest appointment available.

Hence the new regime was necessitated. For further information, the residents can log on to the MEA website or call up the National Passport Call Centre at 1800 258 1800.

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Department of Biotechnology 
Murthal varsity to start two specialised courses
BS Malik

Sonepat, June 20
Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, will start two courses in the Department of Biotechnology which are specialised courses and will produce employable students. For this, a grant of Rs 1.50 crore has been sanctioned to the department of the university.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor, HS Chahal, said in one project, sanctioned by the UGC, a grant of Rs 60 lakh and two posts of faculty members had been sanctioned and this project would work for five years. The department will start a Postgraduate Diploma in Forensic Biotechnology under this programme.

This course is a specialised course for the postgraduate students for training them in the area of molecular biology and DNA exploration leading to the study of crime and other forensic disciplines.

The VC said that another project to start an MTech Course in Food Technology was submitted to the Department of Commerce and Industries of the state government under the scheme of infrastructural development of the Union Ministry of Food Process and Industries.

“This course is a very demanding one and the students specialising in this area will be trained in various aspects of food science and technology,” the VC said and added that by looking at the expansion of food industry in and around Sonepat, the relevance of this subject becomes more important.

Under this programme, the VC said, the Department of Commerce and Industries of the state government has sanctioned Rs 75 lakh for developing different laboratories for this course. The university's focus was on exploration and research, which were beneficial for the country and society.

Prof JS Rana, Chairman of the Department of Biotechnology in the university who will be the coordinator for above two programmes, highlighted that both the courses were very important and innovative in nature. The students doing these courses would be trained in various practical aspects of the subjects and would be more employable. 

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HAU signs pact with Odisha company
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Hisar, June 20
Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Balaji Agri Biotech Private Limited of Odisha.

Under the agreement, the company has been granted a non-exclusive license for a period of five years for production and marketing of seeds of two hybrids of maize - HPQM-1 and HPQM-5 developed by the university.

At a function held on the occasion, Dr Ram Singh, director, Human Resource Management, on behalf of the university and Deepak K Agarwal on behalf of Balaji Agri Biotech Private Limited signed the MoU.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ram Singh said maize hybrids of CCSHAU were in great demand among private seed companies across the country.

He said the average yield of HPQM-1 and HPQM-5 was 55 q/ha and 58 q/ha in kharif, respectively. Besides, these hybrids were resistant against leaf blight, common rust and chilo partellus diseases.

Dr SK Sethi, principal investigator, Business Planning and Development Unit, said this was the 14th licence being granted to a private seed company for production and marketing of seeds of maize hybrids.

Dr Sain Dass, president, Indian Maize Development Association and former director, Maize Research Directorate, Dr HP Yadav, Head, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, and Dr JC Mehla, director, RRS Uchani, Karnal, were present on the occasion.

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Dist planning panels to have non-official members also
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 20
The Deputy Chairman of High Powered Committee,Phool Chand Mullana presided over a meeting here today stating that the District Planning Committees constituted under the 20-Point Programme would now also have non-official members.

Those who have been included as non-official members are B.R. Ojha for districts Faridabad, Gurgaon, Mewat and Palwal; Hoshiyari Lal Sharma for districts Sirsa, Hisar, Fatehabad, Jind and Kaithal, Pritam Singh Panjokhra for districts Ambala, Yamunanagar, Panchkula and Kurukshetra; Ranbir Singh Arya for districts Rohtak, Sonipat, Karnal and Panipat and V.D. Sharma for district Rewari, Mahendergarh, Jhajjar and Bhiwani. These members would help in effective implementation of 20-Point Programme.

Mullana also discussed with the concerned officers the works done under 20-Point Programme in the year 2012-13 and directed them to provide proper facilities and assistance to the poor and weaker sections of the society.

During the meeting, he was also informed about the works done by various departments.

Mullana was also told that on the basis of works done under various programmes, district Hisar has stood first and district Karnal stood second under the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) whereas district Hisar and Mahendergarh got first and second position respectively under the Self Help Groups (SHGs) programme. Similarly, district Rewari and Panipat bagged first and second position respectively under the Indira Aawas Yojna (IAY).

He also directed to take effective steps to further promote 20-Point Programme in the state.

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Philanthropist Swami Sadanand honoured
Our Correspondent

Swami SadanandRewari, June 20
Sexagenarian Swami Sadanand, chief of the Shri Krishan Pranami Vishva Parishad and a philanthropist of Haryana, has been honoured with the prestigious Bharat Gaurav Award for his valuable services rendered to the under privileged sections of society by the All India Technical and Management Council, Delhi.

The award was conferred on him by Digvijay Singh, AICC general secretary and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, and Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor at a national samman samaroh held at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi recently.

Swami Sadanand could not be present at the above samaroh due to his previous engagements, the award was collected on his behalf by Abhinandan Singh, officer on special duty at the mega technical institute of Prannath Pranami Universe (PSU), Hisar, and Yogesh Mohan Kaushik, Director, PSU.

A spokesman for the parishad said while Swami Sadanand had floated several committees such as Shri Krishan Pranami Free Polio Operation Samiti (SKPFPOS), Shri Krishan Pranami Poor Girls Mass Marriage Samiti (SKPPGMMS), Shri Krishan Parnami Bal Sewa Ashram Samiti (SKPBSAS), Shri Krishan Pranami Old Age Home Samiti (SKPOAHS) and Shri Krishan Pranami Goshala Samiti (SKPGS), the polio operation samiti organised camps at various places in Haryana, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Nepal and other states where operations of over 80,000 polio-affected persons were successfully performed free of cost in the past two decades.

Mass marriages of over 5,000 poor girls were solemnized under the auspices of the SKP PGMMS at various places in Haryana, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Nepal during the past one decade whereas SKPBSAS set up about 12 bal sewa ashrams in Haryana, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand in which about 1,000 destitute children were being taken care of. Besides, a number of old age homes had been established in several states.

The SKPGS set up nearly 40 goshalas at various places in Haryana , Gujarat, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Nepal in the past one decade.

In their key note address, Digvijay Singh and Shashi Tharoor expressed delight while bestowing the award on Swami Sadanand who, they said, was a celebrated character.

Notably, he was also honoured with the distinguished award ‘Prabal Gorkha Dakshin Bahu Puruskar’ by the Nepalese Government in appreciation of his acclaimed services recently.

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Dist Innovative Fund set up for demand-related projects
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Bhiwani, June 20
A District Innovative Fund (DIF) has been set up by the authorities for the implementation of demand-related projects. "Under the DIF scheme, the authorities have submitted eight proposals," said Bhiwani Deputy Commissioner Ashok Meena who presided over a meeting recently.

One of the proposal aims at setting up a 40-KV Solar Energy Power Plant for providing electricity to the offices of the District Information and Technology Society, the National Informatics Centre, e-Disha, the Deputy Commissioner’s office, the Additional Deputy Commissioner’s office and the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) hall.

“Solar energy is the best option in north India. It is available almost 330 days a year. As the power requirement in the offices is during the day time, so a solar power plant will be highly feasible to meet the electricity demand,” said Meena.

The existing tube-lights and fans will also be replaced with energy-efficient LED lamps and tubes. The major benefits of the plant are not only to save electricity, but also to get rid of the discomfort due to regular power cuts.

"The power plant will supply power during the day as well as in night. However, the battery bank size will be kept optimum as most of the working hours will be during day. The life of the batteries will also be two to three times more, if it is used exclusively on solar power," said the Deputy Commissioner.

This proposal will have a total cost of Rs 60 lakh. Some other important projects include learning of computers on mobile van. The authorities propose to set up a bus fitted with 20 computers, where village youths can learn computer.

Another project aims at producing biogas in schools from biodegradable waste, food waste and kitchen waste. The biogas produced will be used in cooking mid-day meals. 

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Big-headed baby stable, skull remodelling on
Sunit Dhawan/TNS

Gurgaon, June 20
Doctors attending on 18-month baby, Roona Begum, suffering from Hydrocephalus have stated that she is stable and progressing well. The baby was admitted to the Fortis Memorial Research Institute here on April 16 with Hydrocephalus, a condition that caused her head to swell to 94 cm in circumference - amongst the largest documented in the history of medicine.

“There has been a considerable improvement in her condition over the past two months. We first set up an extra-ventricular drain to slowly reduce the intracranial pressure caused by the excessive buildup of cerebrospinal fluid and bring down the size of her head to manageable levels. Thereafter, a shunt was surgically inserted, providing a more permanent and alternative pathway to drain the fluid,” said the doctors at the institute.

Re-modeling procedures to correct her misshapen skull bones, caused by months of constant pressure, are envisaged. The first two of these have already been carried out successfully and pressure bandages to mould her head are being applied. Another correction to further shape the skull is planned soon. Following this, baby Roona may need further reshaping procedures over a five to six-year period.

Her treatment has been supported by the Fortis Foundation.

The treating surgeon, Dr Sandeep Vaishya, said, “Given the complexities of the case, the prognosis is much better than expected and baby Roona is responding well to the treatment protocol. She is reacting to stimuli and showing signs of cognition. A second remodelling of her skull bones is planned in the coming fortnight. This may well be the last of a series required in the current phase. ”

Hydrocephalus is the abnormal build-up of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the cavities surrounding the brain causing an increase in intracranial pressure within the skull and resulting in the dysmorphic expansion of the head.

A congenital malformation inhibiting normal CSF drainage or circulation, the condition results from complications related to head injuries or infections. In infants with hydrocephalus, CSF build up in the central nervous system, causes the fontanelle (soft spot) to bulge and the head to enlarge. Along with the obvious swelling, other symptoms include seizures, vomiting, headaches and irritability. Prolonged sustained pressure from the cranial distention can result in brain damage and blindness. 

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Mewat medical college gets paediatric ICU
Sunit Dhawan
Tribune News Service

Nuh (Mewat), June 20
A state-of-the-art level-3 paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) has been set up at Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College and Hospital at Nalhar village in the district.

The unit was inaugurated by Prof Sansar C Sharma, Director-Principal of the college, here recently.

Medical superintendent as well as the heads of all departments attended the inaugural ceremony. Representatives of the NBCC were also present.

Head of the Department of Paediatrics Prof Kundan Mittal said PICU was equipped with the latest and most advanced facilities and was one of the biggest units of its kind in the government sector. It had 19 beds, 12 monitors and eight ventilators.

Dr Sharma said they had planned to start new courses in intensive care at the institute in the near future. He appreciated the functioning of the department and said PICU was of crucial significance for the area and would cater to the needs of the local population.

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Campaign to replace defective power meters across state
Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 20
A massive campaign will be launched to replace all defective electricity meters across the state. This was said by Devender Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, (CMD) Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) and Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), today while addressing senior officers of the DHBVN at a meeting called to review its operational activities. Mohinder Lal, ADGP (Vigilance), Haryana, Power Utilities, and VK Chaudhary, Director, DHBVN, were among those others present at the meeting.

Devender directed the officers, including the Chief General Manager and General Managers of the operations wing, to start the campaign to replace defective meters in a strategic manner and complete it by the end of October 2013.

He said for the purpose of introducing the system of automatic meter reading (AMR), meters with modem facility would be installed on the premises of all consumers, other than agriculture consumers, having 10 KW or more load.

He said the metering system should be accurate so that exact bill amount for the power consumed was given by consumers. He asked the officers to ensure that all distribution transformers were provided with downloadable meters and to see that there was no fault in any feeder meter.

The CMD said more stress would be given on reduction of aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses. All officials and officers, including line staff, junior engineers and sub- divisional officers, would be accountable and held responsible for performance of a feeder and the sub-division.

Devender said all electricity bill cash collection centres in the state would be computerised soon. With the computerisation of these centres, bill-related complaints would be decreased and the cash deposited by consumers would be credited to their accounts immediately.

He said the online Consumer Grievances Redressal System (CGRS) would be further improved so that all officials concerned of Discoms could know the status of the complaints made by consumers. The consumers have been given at least four facilities to register their grievances in the form of call centre, Bijli Suvidha Kendra, Consumer Grievances Redressal System, and traditional complaint centres. They could lodge complaint from any place by telephone or Internet.

He said the facility to get registered complaints through call centres would soon be extended to all districts of the state. Consumers of areas under the jurisdiction of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam are likely to get the facility of call centre for lodging electricity-related complaints within a week.

With the extension of this facility, the power consumers across the state would be able to lodge their complaints by dialing toll free telephone number - 18001801615. Consumers would be apprised about the status of their complaints regularly.

Mohinder Lal said online registration of complaints regarding power theft had been started and in the areas under the jurisdiction of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, about 300 complaints of theft had already been registered online.

He said a special programme to train officials of operation wings of the nigams would be started soon so that there was a perfection in handling the system and lodging of complaints and registration of FIRs was ensured in a time-bound manner.

Raids to detect theft of electricity would be intensified by the vigilance wing as well as the operation wing, Mohinder Lal added. 

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Deepender unveils martyr's statue
Ravinder Saini

Jhajjar, June 20
Member of Parliament (MP), Deepender Hooda, has said how passionate is the younger generation of Haryana about joining the Indian Army today as well, adding that it can be gauged from the fact that as many as 60 out of 631 newly passed out cadets of the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, are from Haryana alone.

MP Deepender Hooda unveils the statue of martyr Harvinder Singh at Dubaldhan village in Jhajjar.
MP Deepender Hooda unveils the statue of martyr Harvinder Singh at Dubaldhan village in Jhajjar. Photo by writer

Moreover, it is also another matter of pleasure for the state that the IMA cadet, Siddhant Suhag, who succeeded in achieving the most coveted award "Sword of Honour", is a native of Bisaan village in this historical district.

Deepender was addressing a gathering after unveiling a statue of martyr Harvinder Singh in Dubaldhan village under Bahadurgarh subdivision here recently.

"Every 10th personnel of Indian Army is from Haryana while it shares merely 2 per cent in total population of the country. The fact shows that people of Haryana are always ready to sacrifice their lives for the nation whenever required," said the MP, adding that Harvinder was one of the valiant martyrs who laid down his life for defending the motherland.

He said the state government was not leaving any stone unturned to provide all sorts of basic facilities at the grassroots level. Under the process, the government had taken another vital step to make health facilities available in every village of the state, he added.

"Besides this, the government is also redressing the grievances of the people on priority basis. Keeping in view the demand of the villagers, efforts are being made to develop the Dubaldhan minor so that nearby villages could get benefit of better irrigation facilities," said the MP.

Former speaker and MLA from Beri, Raghuvir Singh Kadian, said on the occasion that keeping in view the problems of farmers, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had taken many unprecedented decisions including better facility of power and water and remunerative prices of crops.

Earlier, Deepender Hooda laid foundation stones of an ITI building in Pahadipur village and laying of pipe lines from water station to Loharu feeder in Siwana village. He also interacted with people of Acchhej, Malikpur, Safipur and Gaudhadi villages and called upon them to contribute in developmental activities being carried out by the Congress government for the welfare of the state. 

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Hisar youth wins Vice-Chancellor's medal
Tribune News Service

Hisar, June 20
Saravjeet Singh, a Hisar youth, has won the Vice-Chancellor’s medal for the Best Male Student of the 2013 batch in BA, LLB (Honours) course of National Law University, Delhi. He has received the award from President Pranab Mukherjee at a convocation function held in the university recently.

Son of Dr Saroj S Jeet Singh, Dean, IC College of Home Sciences, and Dr Surjeet Singh, Professor, Plant Pathology, Saravjeet Singh has had a illustrious career since his school days.

Having cleared his Class X and senior secondary classes from OP Jindal Modern School, Hisar, with excellent marks, Saravjeet Singh has been an outstanding student consistently in National Law College, Delhi.

He worked as Fellow at Software Freedom Law Centre, Delhi, from March to May. During his internship from January to February this year, Saravjeet Singh worked extensively on jurisdiction issues in cyberspace and assisted in drafting a PIL challenging the validity of section 66-A of the IT Act and also in drafting a writ petition challenging constitutional validity of Intermediary Guidelines Rules, 2011.

During his internship in the Court of Justice BS Chauhan of the Supreme Court, Saravjeet Singh worked on various cases on Constitutional, Criminal and Arbitration Laws.

Prior to this, during his internship with Luthra and Luthra Law Offices, the Hisar youth worked on various issues concerning National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, and on various aspects of stamp duty on slump sales in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

From January 1, 2010, to January 31, 2010, Saravjeet Singh worked at the Centre for Environment Law, World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature, New Delhi.

He has also won awards at various Moot Courts held in the past three years and in the 52nd Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Saravjeet Singh was awarded the overall Best Applicant Award.

Teams from 80 countries participated in the competition and it was for the first time that a team from Asia was selected in this competition.

He assisted Usha Ramanathan in preparing the draft of ‘The Persons in Destitution (Training, Support and Other Services) Bill, 2013.

Currently, Saravjeet Singh is working as a Research Assistant to Chinmayi Arun for Phase I of the ‘Media Law and Governance Curriculum Development Project’ funded by the British Council at the Centre for Communication Governance, National Law, University, Delhi. 

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Farmers start planting paddy

Kaithal, June 20
The early arrival of the monsoon this season has given relief to farmers. Taking advantage of the advanced rains, farmers have started planting paddy. Due to the heat-wave conditions prevailing in the state since the beginning of May, farmers were not in a position to plant paddy. They had prepared paddy nurseries but found the conditions unfavourable for plantation. The recent early downpour has helped them in rural areas.

The demand for farm labour has also increased suddenly and farmers are experiencing shortage of manpower for their fields. —OC

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Movies This Week

Raanjhanaa
Directed by: Anand L Rai

Love they say is a feeling that grows stronger with time and Kundan’s (Dhanush) love for Zoya (Sonam Kapoor) never diminishes and he carries his feeling all through college and his heart flips when Zoya returns to his town in ‘Raanjhanaa’. Krishika Lulla and Eros International have produced the movie. Dhanush, son-in-law of south super star Rajnikant who shot into limelight here after his song ‘Kolaveri Di’ will be seen playing the lead opposite Sonam Kapoor in this romantic love story that releases across Haryana from Friday. Abhay Deol also plays an important character in this flick. Watch this new pair of Dhanush-Sonam Kapoor in this movie at theatres near you.

A still from the movie, ‘Shortcut Romeo’Shortcut Romeo
Directed by: Susi Ganeshan

‘Shortcut Romeo’, an action thriller, is directed by Susi Ganeshan. It’s a Hindi remake of the director’s own Tamil film ‘Thiruttu Payale’. Neil Nitin Mukesh plays the main lead with Pooja Gupta and Ameesha Patel in this flick.

Some parts of this film were shot in national parks of Kenya and forests of Masai Mara, near Kenya. Masai Mara is among the famous African safari destination, popular for its wildlife.

Belying its name ‘Shortcut Romeo’, it is an action film that opens on Friday at theatres across Haryana.

A still from the movie, ‘Shortcut Romeo’

—Dharam Pal

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