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NRIs pitch in for tighter security at Golden Temple
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Raise paddy MSP to Rs 1,800: CM
Congress to make Gujarat Sikh farmers’ eviction a poll issue
Cost of mid-day meals up, teachers bear the brunt
To shortlist LS candidates, Bajwa to meet Joshi today
Aam Adami Party may tie up with PPP for LS poll
On Congress agenda is youth-centric poll manifesto
Amarinder opposes move to set up school on university campus
Cong workers rally against property tax
Nod for cashless cancer treatment
University to set up centre in Kenya
PSPCL snaps power supply to rural water works
Nine get three years’ RI for church attack
16 get life term for double murder
Undertrial commits suicide in Ropar jail
Head constable commits suicide
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NRIs pitch in for tighter security at Golden Temple
Amritsar, December 23 Talking to The Tribune, NRI Inderjit Singh Thind said a total of 22 high definition cameras would be installed within the Golden Temple Complex. He said 14 cameras were being put up in the first phase while the remaining would be installed in the second phase. He said these cameras were being installed within the sanctum sanctorum and the causeway leading to it, besides some key points in the "parikarma". He said all the cameras would have 30 frames per second for smooth people motion tracking capability. "These cameras are equipped with high optical zoom to facilitate face recognition. These also have custom designed tracking software and recording ability up to 30 days, besides backup and restore capability. The cameras have a 30-minute colour recording capability in power outage situations," he added. As per a release issued by the SGPC, the cameras are also being installed at significant points like Akal Takht and "Lachi Ber" within the complex. Each of these cameras cost $5,000. A separate control room has also been set up near the Akal Takht secretariat to monitor the activities being captured in the new cameras. The new security system is designed and installed by a US company. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, SGPC executive member Rajinder Singh Mehta and SGPC Secretary Manjeet Singh felicitated the San Jose Gurdwara Committee members and other NRIs. Those honoured included San Jose Gurdwara Committee president Hardev Singh Takkhad, general secretary BS Dhillon, Sukhdev Singh Beniwal, Inderjit Singh Thind, Surinder Singh Purewal, Milap Singh, Daljeet Singh Dhalu and Onkar Singh.
Makkar fails to meet U'khand CM
SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar could not meet Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna today as the latter had to rush to Delhi due to an emergency situation. Makkar, who was in Uttarakhand capital Dehradun, was scheduled to meet him to take up the demand for allotment of land to facilitate reconstruction of Gurdwara Gyan Godri Sahib at Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar. Gurdwara Gyan Godri Sahib was set up at Har-Ki-Pauri in memory of Guru Nanak Dev who visited the place in 1504-05 and had an interaction with local "teerth purohits".
About the cameras
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Centre must focus on quality education, says Maluka
Disfavours policy on passing all students till Class VIII Tribune News Service
Patiala, December 23 Maluka, who was here to inaugurate the Government Senior Secondary School at Rajpura Colony along with Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, said after various states had demanded amendment of this particular clause, the Central Government had constituted a committee under Haryana Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal to take views of various states in this regard. “I was also a member of the committee and the committee had proposed that this particular clause should be changed,” he said. “The decision whether to send the students to the next class or not should be left to the states as it is their internal matter. I feel, its must to hold exams and fail students if they are not studying properly to ensure that they take keen interests in their studies during initial classes for a strong educational foundation,” he added. “However, the Central Government is yet to take notice of the committee’s recommendations,” he added. He categorically said this particular clause had set a very poor trend in schools and there was a lot of indiscipline since the students had become fearless regarding their evaluation. He said, “Students are of the view, come what may, they are going to be promoted to the next class and this is affecting the academic standards of government schools.” Maluka said the school, which was inaugurated today, was the first government school in Punjab that had been built in accordance with the guidelines of the Right to Education Act as far as infrastructure was concerned. He said the state government was going to spend Rs 25 crore on purchasing furniture for primary schools out of which Rs 10 crore had already been released.
Contractor moves court against dues
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Raise paddy MSP to Rs 1,800: CM
The Agriculture Department forwarded a proposal to the Commission for Agriculture Costs & Prices (CACP) seeking a hike in the MSP of the common variety of paddy from Rs 1,310 in 2013-14 to Rs 1,800 per quintal in 2014-15. Likewise, the department also sought an upward revision in the MSP of paddy grade ‘A’ variety from Rs 1,345 to Rs 1,890 per quintal. An official spokesman said the Chief Minister demanded that the MSP of maize be hiked from Rs 1,310 to Rs1,815 per quintal and that of cotton from Rs 3,700-4,000 to Rs 5,300 per quintal. Similarly, the proposal stipulated an increase in the MSP of moong from Rs 4,500 to Rs 6,100 per quintal, maha and arhar from Rs 4,300 to Rs 5,900 and Rs 5,800, respectively. Besides, the Chief Minister also envisaged an increase in the MSP of groundnut from Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,200 per quintal. Badal said the hike was necessitated to boost the crop diversification plan especially for the promotion of crops like maize, cotton, moong, maha, arhar and groundnut in the state.
Dr Diwan Singh Kalepani museum inaugurated
Siswan: “A country that does not remember the sacrifices of its martyrs becomes weak. We (Punjabis) are just 2 per cent of the country’s population, but when it comes to sacrifices, we have touched the figure of around 80 per cent,” Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said. He was here to inaugurate the state-of-the-art Dr Diwan Singh Kalepani museum today. The museum has been set up by the martyr’s family. Dr Kalepani was tortured to death by the Japanese in Cellular Jail at Port Blair. Badal announced that the expenditure on the museum’s maintenance would be borne by the state government. “The construction of the museum was our (the government) job. As it has been set up by the family, its maintenance will be the responsibility of the state government,” Badal said, adding that Rs 5.75 lakh would be earmarked in the budget of the state’s Cultural Affairs Department under a special scheme. “The government will also provide Rs 28 lakh as grant-in-aid on the demand of the family for carrying out other extension works.” The Chief Minister said memorials of martyrs should be built so that the future generation get to know about them. “Such memorials will act as a light house to infuse the spirit of patriotism, secularism and nationalism among them,” Badal said. The state government had planned to built monuments in the memory of Baba Moti Ram Mehra in Fatehgarh Sahib, Bhai Jaita in Sri Anandpur Sahib, Bhagwan Valmiki in Sri Ram Tirath (Amritsar) and Guru Ravi Dass in Khuralgarh (Hoshiarpur) under its flagship programme to preserve the state’s cultural heritage, the Chief Minister said. Badal said Dr Kalepani’s family would be honoured during a state-level function on Republic Day.
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Congress to make Gujarat Sikh farmers’ eviction a poll issue
New Delhi, December 23 The Congress today decided to moot a law in its Lok Sabha poll manifesto to prevent such forced eviction by the governments in power. The 2014 Lok Sabha manifesto was discussed at length at a meeting with focus on issues facing the minorities. The last such meeting had addressed the problems of SCs and STs. There was unanimity on the need for a legal mechanism to prevent such eviction as seen in Gujarat. “Legitimate places of residence and livelihood cannot be taken away by governments on technical grounds. There has to be a mechanism in place to prevent such forced migration, the kind we witnessed in Gujarat where Sikh farmers suffered at the hands of the Modi Government,” said a Congress source, adding that party vice-president Rahul Gandhi favoured such a law. Sikh farmers from Punjab and Haryana were invited after the 1965 war to settle in Kutch. Three years ago, the Modi Government froze the land holding of 1,000 farmers, citing the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948. This law prohibits the sale of agriculture land in Gujarat to people who are not traditional agriculturists. The development led to panic among the 5,000 Sikh farmers in the region. Although recently the Gujarat Government decided to remove the freeze on the land holding of 52 such farmers pending the decision of the Supreme Court (Modi Government has moved the SC against the state High Court order favouring farmers), the Congress does not want the noose round the BJP-SAD alliance to loosen. “The issue is still relevant and was raised by Sikh participants at today’s open manifesto meeting,” party leaders. Former Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, told The Tribune: “There was a demand by the Sikh community for a legal mechanism to prevent such forced eviction as seen in Gujarat. We are for a law to prevent forced migration not just of minority but also majority community in future and our manifesto will reflect that.” ON CONG AGENDA
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Cost of mid-day meals up, teachers bear the brunt
Faridkot, December 23 It forced the teachers to contribute from their own pocket to keep the hearths in schools burning. In Faridkot district, for 55,541 primary and elementary students in 426 government schools, the teachers had to cough up Rs 25 lakh in the last one year to meet the increased expenses on meals due to high inflation. Anjali Bhawra, Secretary, Education Department, said since cooking cost for mid-day meals was fixed by the Central Government, the schools had to manage with the money they got under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. The department pays Rs 3.34 per student as cooking cost in primary schools. The cooking cost includes the prices of vegetables or pulses, oil, spices, sugar, milk and fuel. It was last revised from Rs 3.11 to Rs 3.34 per student at the primary level in December 2012. In Faridkot district, against the expenditure of Rs 5.75 crore on mid-day meals in one year, the department allocated Rs 5.50 crore. It thus owes the shortfall of Rs 25 lakh to the teachers. Under the scheme, primary class (I-V) students and elementary class (VI-VIII) students of government and government-aided schools are served mid-day meal in schools. While there is an allocation of 100 gm cereal (wheat or rice) for every primary student, an elementary class student gets 150 gm of cereals per day. In Faridkot, the annual cereal consumption is 13,200 quintals. There are 950 cooks engaged on a salary of Rs 1,200 per month to cook meals.
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Ailing Khalsa refuses medicine, shifted to gurdwara hall
Mohali, December 23 Gurbaksh Singh, whose fast entered the 40th day today, was taken to Fortis Hospital. He has been shifted from a tent on the gurdwara premises to the shrine’s meeting hall. Harpal Singh Cheema, acting president of the SAD (Panch Pardhani) and member of the organising committee of Sikh Bandi Rihayi Lehar, said Gurbaksh Singh refused to take medicine and, hence, was not
hospitalised. Reliable sources say Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has directed that a team of doctors from Fortis be sent to take care of Gurbaksh Singh. Meanwhile, Gurmeet Singh, Lakhwinder Singh and Shamsher Singh, lodged in the Burail jail, Chandigarh, in connection with the Beant Singh assassination case, could not be released on parole this evening because the IG (Prisons) reportedly refused to exercise his powers in this regard. Sources said he wanted the recommendation of the UT Administrator, who is also Punjab Governor, for releasing the three inmates. The Burail jail authorities have reportedly sent a letter to the Patiala Depty Commissioner regarding parole for Lakhwinder Singh and Shamsher Singh. Sources said the Patiala Deputy Commissioner has sent a report to the Punjab Government, stating that the administration had no objection to the release of Gurmeet Singh on parole. Meanwhile, a Panthic sammelan, to extend support to Khalsa’s cause, was held at Gurdwara Amb Sahib here. Among those present were representatives of the Sant Samaj , Damdami Taksal and Dal
Khalsa. Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira and former DGP Shashi Kant were also present. Khaira appealed to the authorities to take a lenient view of Sikh extremists Jagtar Singh Hawara and Balwant Singh Rajoana. He said like Sonia, who had pardon Rajiv Gandhi's assassins, “ we should also adopt the same approach towards Hawara and Rajoana.”” Sangrur: Members of various Sikh organisations staged a dharna in front of the district administrative complex here against the “excesses” being committed on Sikhs. Among the protesters were GS Rampura, SAD (Amritsar), Khalsa Vichar Manch chief Shinderpal Singh Duggan, Freedom Fighters Organisation chief Harinderpal Singh Khalsa, Darshan Singh Kohrian and Bachittar Singh. It is learnt that various Sikh groups have become active abroad in support of Khalsa. As many as 500 activists held a rally outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on Monday. The organisers announced a relay fast in solidarity with Khalsa. Speakers urged boycott of Akali leaders visiting Canada. Jagdish Kaur, who lost her husband and a son during the 1984 anti Sikh pogrom, also spoke. In Sacramento, the World Sikh Council America Region (WSC-AR) expressed concern at the developments and demanded an appropriate judicial review of the cases of Sikh detainees highlighted by
Khalsa. Clergy calls meeting Amritsar: Akal Takht chief Giani Gurbachan Singh has called a meeting of high priests to deliberate on the issue of Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa at the Akal Takht Secretariat on Tuesday. Expressing concern over Khalsa’s health, he said the community needed brave persons like him. — TNS
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To shortlist LS candidates, Bajwa to meet Joshi today
Party insiders said senior members had been deputed to interact with state unit chiefs for the purpose. Sources said PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa would meet CP Joshi and Madhusudan Mistry tomorrow to discuss suitable candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. Joshi would thereafter submit a list of the names to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and the party parliamentary board. Bajwa may be renominated from Gurdaspur. Ravneet Singh Bittu and Vijay Inder Singla are likely to be refielded from Anandpur Sahib and Sangrur. Perneet Kaur, Manish Tiwari and Mohinder Singh Kapayee are likely to be re-nominated from Patiala, Ludhiana and Jalandhar. The Congress high command may opt for fresh faces in other constituencies. The party will have to select suitable candidates for the Amritsar, Bathinda, Faridkot, Ferozepur and Khadoor Sahib constituencies which elected SAD candidates last time. Sources said Bajwa would meet AK Antony, who heads the committee to decide on alliances with regional parties. Earlier, there was talk that the Congress was keen on an alliance with the Manpreet Badal’s PPP. However, former CM Amarinder Singh is strongly opposed to such an alliance. The latter, who is a CWC member, favours a pact with Left parties. But these parties are a part of the Sanjha Morcha headed by Manpreet Badal. The party high command may take a final call on the issue after due discussions.
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Aam Adami Party may tie up with PPP for LS poll
Chandigarh, December 23 Though formally nothing has been decided yet, sources said senior leaders of the APP recently held informal talks with top PPP leaders. PPP president Manpreet Singh Badal said there had been no formal meetings between leaders both the parties to form an alliance or make any political arrangement in the state. He said he was busy making preparations to hold political conferences at the Shaheedi Jor Mela in Fatehgarh Sahib and the Maghi Mela in Muktsar. Manpreet, however, said there were many similarities between the political ideology of the APP and the PPP. “Our party was the first to raise the banner of protest against the ‘lal bati’ culture. We have been constantly speaking against the VIP treatment to politicians,” he said. Earlier before the Vidhan Sabha elections in the state, there was also talk of a tie-up between the two parties. There are reports that to launch a wider political movement across the country in view the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, the APP would start interacting with like-minded political groups, fighting for a change in the existing political system, from December 25.
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On Congress agenda is youth-centric poll manifesto
He said the PYC would take feedback and suggestions regarding legislations, government schemes, allocation of central resources and youth-related issues. The drive will continue till January 15 in the state. “The leaders will visit educational institutions to interact with the youth. The proformas will be distributed among students to take their views. Besides, the youth will be encouraged to send their feedback on website or e-mail,” the PYC chief said. Chaudhary accompanied by local Congress MLA Gur Iqbal Kaur Babli and Youth Congress Nawanshahr chief Angad Singh interacted with the students for more than an hour to know about their aspirations from the government. He assured them to submit their views to Rahul. Earlier, Chaudhary told the media that the unemployment and drug addiction were the problems being faced by the youth in Punjab. He demanded a CBI probe into the disclosures about the involvement of SAD leaders in the manufacturing and smuggling of drugs by Jagdish Bhola.
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Will step up agitation, warn PIMS employees, hold march
Jalandhar, December 23 Holding banners and placards, more than 400 employees, including doctors, students, nurses, paramedics and clerks ended the march with a memorandum to Additional Deputy Commissione Praitam Singh. The employees raised slogans inside the District Administrative Complex against the government and the PIMS Medical and Educational Charitable Society that is headed by SAD minister Surjit Singh
Rakhra. In the memorandum, the doctors have appealed to the government to ensure that their pending salaries are released and that the studies of 300 MBBS students are not affected. Fearing closure, the students have asked the state government to resolve the issue. They apprehend that the Medical Council of India (MCI) may not grant approval to admissions for the next session. The employees will gather at the PIMS tomorrow to chalk out a the next course of action. With the employees on strike and patients keeping away, owners of canteens and shops on the premises have suffered huge losses. With the hopital virtually closed, they are finding it difficult to pay the monthly rent for the
shops. Kishan Singh, owner of 24-Hours Pharmaceutica said: “The daily sale was almost Rs 1.5 lakh in 2011 and 2012.This has come down to almost Rs 10,000- Rs 15,000 per day now. Today there were no customers as there were no patients in the hospital.”
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Sirsa dera protests against sale of tobacco products
Abohar, December 23 The first rally was flagged off from the sub-divisional complex here today.
The PGIMER team is scheduled for a two-day visit to Fazilka starting on December 26. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) say that the Punjab Government has not deputed any Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) or Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) here in the past three months. The SDM or DSP rank officers are required to enforce the prohibitory order. The administration has their grouses against the NGOs. It says that most of the NGOs have not responded to its appeal to fix “tobacco-free zone” signboards in the city. A few business organisations had put up the signboards, but the initiative was cosmetic. Abohar is the largest sub-division in the newly carved Fazilka district that has two Vidhan Sabha constituencies. Notwithstanding tall claims of good governance, the three sub-divisions in the district have only one SDM and he looks after Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal’s constituency Jalalabad. Though Abohar has emerged as the hub of narcotic smuggling routed through Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh districts in Rajasthan, the government has deputed only one DSP for the Balluana segment represented by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislator Gurtej Singh Ghuriana. The administration has designated nodal officers to enforce the ban in their respective areas, but one of them today said they were yet to be provided with challan books to penalise the offenders. There have been only two to three raids to check the sale of tobacco products in the city. The ban goes up in smoke as ‘rehriwalas’ have a field day selling ‘gutkha’ and cigarettes.
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Education Dept was rocked by scandals
Sanjeev Singh Bariana Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 23 Certain library books contained objectionable material.There were allegations of promoting firms that supplied substandard maps and practical copies to students through. The controversy is likely to generate more debate with the interim report submitted by Justice (retd) AN Jindal Commission raising questions on the role of former Director General School Education (DGSE) KS Pannu. The commission has blamed him for ordering substandard material. The Jindal Commission is learnt to have given a clean chit to Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka. A fact-finding team of the Human Resources and Development Ministry had earlier reported that the department had purchased books and science kits from funds released under the Sarv Siksha Abhiyan in violation of Centre’s guidelines. Pannu, in his report, had stated that the tendering process had been vitiated and that no effort was made to go through the contents of the books. Adarsh Schools
The year saw yet another Adarsh School, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s pet project, closing down, this time in Moga. More than 12 of the total 24 such schools have been shut down so far. Under a novel scheme, the government received applications from 500 panchayats offering land to private schools. These schools were expected to provide free education to 25 per cent poor but meritorious students of the area. But No decision has been taken on the issue till date.
Tackling absenteeism
The Education Department dismissed more than 600 teachers and employees for absenteeism. Most of them had gone on long leave abroad. Significantly, at least 475 schools were closed down for failing to conform to the Right to Education Act. This led to a greater rush of admissions in government schools. It is worth mentioning that rural schools continue to face staff shortage while a large number of schools in towns and cities have surplus staff. Most schools did not get funds for mid-day meals during the months of July and August. Also, there were reports of contractors abandoning supply mid-way.
Some good news
Despite complaints on poor supply, Punjab was placed second in the country by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development in the implementation of the mid-day meal scheme. Punjab, with an aggregate of 76.81 points, was a close second to Karnataka (77.79). It’s performance was way above the national average of 59. Punjab has been ranked among the top 10 states by the National University for Education Planning and the HRD Ministry in a report on school education. Punjab has improved its position from rank 13 in 2012 to rank 6 in 2013. On the infrastructure index, the state has risen from from the ninth rank last year to sixth this year.
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Sukhbir woos Christian vote bank
Gurdaspur, December 23 A leader of the community claimed that some decades ago, they would vote en bloc for the Congress. But this had changed over the years. Sukhbir Badal arrived at the venue three hours late. This actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the organisers. Had he arrived on time (12.30 pm), he would have addressed empty chairs. Akali area chiefs and organisers hastened to ensure that every seat was occupied befiore the VVIP’s arrival. Sukhbir claimed the Congress would be doomed if it chose to project Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate. Wile taking pot shots at the Congress, he praised the BJP for “truly being a people’s party.” The rally came as a shot in the arm for former Cabinet Minister Sucha Singh Langah as a majority of Christians live in Dera Baba Nanak and Dhariwal. Langah is the halqa in charge of the Dera Baba Nanak assembly seat. Dhariwal, before delimitation, was his former seat. He showcased his organisational skills today by bringing to the rally the the maximum number of Christians from both these places. Munawar Masih, Chairman, Punjab Minorities Commission, demanded that the government should provide 200 units of free power to every Christian household. The Deputy Chief Minister paid little heed to the demand, leaving him red-faced. Prominent among those who were present were Gurdaspur MLA and Parliamentary Secretary GS Babbehali, former Speaker NS Kahlon, former Cabinet Minister SS Sekhwan and former legislator LS Lodhinangal. The DIG (Border), Lok Nath Angra, and Gurdaspur senior Superintendent of Police SS Gill personally supervised the security arrangements.
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Modi’s brother plans protest against Badal Government
Bathinda, December 23 Prahlad, president of the All-India Fair Price Shop Owners Association, is visiting different districts of the state to gather 26,000 depot owners for the protest. He is seeking better returns for the depot holders, in the form of salary or monthly allowance, and higher commission. He has raised a banner of revolt against the Atta-Dal Scheme of the Badal Government that has spelled trouble for the depot holders. Talking to mediapersons here today, Prahlad said he had been told that the Punjab Government had not paid dues to depot holders for several months. “The depot holders are paying for the Punjab Government’s largesse ” he said. Prahlad said while he personally supported his brother, his association supported or opposed him on issues. “We have gone against him in court four times,” he said. He said he wanted the Punjab Government to follow the Gujarat model for ration depot holders. He said the Gujarat Government paid transportation charges and acommission of Rs 110 per quintal to the depot holders.
Man on a mission
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Amarinder opposes move to set up school on university campus
He said the university was already short of space and needed more land for the construction of teaching and administrative blocks besides hostels. Moreover, he said, setting up a school on the campus would dilute the higher academic character of the university. The former Chief Minister said, “There is an entirely different academic culture in a university as compared to the school.” The standards of higher learning needed to be maintained, he added. He said, “Punjabi University is an institution of high repute and acknowledged internationally and setting up a school on the campus defies all logic.” Capt Amarinder said he was not against setting up of Adarsh Schools, but he was certainly against setting it up within the university campus. He said the government could easily provide alternate land for the school anywhere outside the campus.
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Cong workers rally against property tax
Sangrur, December 23 He said after Bhawanigarh and Malerkotla, protests would be held in Dhuri and Ahmedgarh on December 24, Sangrur, Dirba and Moonak on December 27 and Sunam, Longowal and Lehragaga on December 30. At Bhawanigarh, the protesters took out a rally through bazaars and staged a dharna in front of the municipal council office. They raised slogans against the state government and demanded withdrawal of property tax. Former MLA Surinderpal Singh Sibia flayed the government for burdening people with fresh taxes. At Malerkotla, a demonstration was held. Block Congress leaders, including Kulwinder Singh Jhaner and Farooq Ansari, urged the government to withdraw property tax. A memorandum was submitted to the Malerkotla administration.
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11% elderly in state face abuse
Chandigarh, December 23 A report on "The Status of Elderly in Punjab" was released here at CRRID by its Director General, Prof Sucha Singh Gill. "Declining fertility and increasing longevity have resulted in an increasing population of elderly people," said Ashwini Kumar Nanda, one of the authors of the report. It has been estimated by the United Nations that India's elderly population, which is at present 8.6 per cent, would go up to 20 per cent of its total population by 2050. Elderly abuse in form of disrespect, neglect and in economic and physical terms is a growing concern in Punjab. About 11 per cent such population is reportedly facing it. There are issues related to their social security. Long processing time for application of old-age pension, irregular disbursement, payment of insignificant amount of pension that was Rs 15 per month and was raised to Rs 250 per month in 2006 are among other concerns of elderly people as far as their social security is concerned. Interestingly, whereas the overall gender ratio is highly skewed (895 women for 1,000 men), in case of elderly population, it is the other way round. The study based on a sample survey says there are 1,084 women for 1,000 men in age group of 60-69 in Punjab and 1,214 in above 80 years category. "It is a fact that women experience more longevity compared to men", said Nanda, an expert in demography. Nearly 70 per cent elderly people work due to compulsion in rural areas and 52 per cent in urban areas. In case of women, the ratio is very high at 91.7 per cent. More than 52 per cent elderly women are financially dependent on their earning members of family mainly their sons.
Growing troubles
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Nod for cashless cancer treatment
Chandigarh, December 23 A decision to this regard was taken by the Chief Minister while presiding over a meeting of the Health Department. There will be no need for getting any prior sanction for getting cancer treatment. Patients could get treatment at the empanelled hospitals by simply moving in. The department will organise awareness camps to allow an early detection of cancer. Badal also approved special screening for diabetes and hypertension for persons above 30. The project would be launched on a pilot basis in four districts, Nawanshahr, Mansa, Muktsar and Tarn Taran in February.
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University to set up centre in Kenya
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 23 He said the committee members include Dr Jasjit Singh as chairman, Dr Harjinder Singh as secretary, Sadhu Singh Devgan as cashier, Harjit Singh and Tejpal Singh. He said the committee would submit its report to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar in February. He said a memorandum of understanding would be signed after the completion of the project report and the work would be started by April next year. A delegation of Sikhs led by Rajinder Singh, general secretary, Mukund Sahib Gurdwara, Kenya, visited the varsity on Saturday to hold a meeting with Vice-Chancellor Dr Gurmohan Singh Walia and Dean, Academic Affairs, Dr Kanwaljit Singh, Dean, Research, Dr BS Bhatia and former Deputy Speaker, Punjab Assembly, Bir Devinder Singh.
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PSPCL snaps power supply to rural water works
Abohar, December 23 The reason behind snapping the power supply is non-payment of arrears. Members of the panchayat said villagers had not been paying electricity bills due to which the arrears had piled up to Rs 3.75 lakh. Other villages in the sub-division face the similar situation. The state government has been under fire over the “malfunctioning” of the Public Health Department. To correct the anomaly, the government had handed over the charge of the rural water works to panchayats but did not arm them with powers to act against the defaulters. To make the matter worse, the administration has not responded to repeated requests to initiate action against the illegal connection holders. As the village remains inundated with water overflowing from ponds, groundwater has become unsafe for drinking. The overflowing was triggered by encroachments on the ponds by “influential” villagers, but the Panchayat Department did take not action in spite of directions by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). An engineer in the Water Resources Department said the fluoride content in
groundwater in Abohar villages was found above PPM (parts per million) and
TDS (total dissolved solids) levels, making it unsafe for human consumption.
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Nine get three years’ RI for church attack
Hoshiarpur, December 23 The police had registered an FIR under Sections 308 and 325 of the IPC on August 14, 2005, on a complaint of Shahid Masih of Atal Garh village in Mukerian. He had alleged that Partap Masih, Tarsem Masih, Major Masih, Sareshtha Masih, Saloni Masih, Anvar Masih, Kali Masih and Mulakh Raj Masih attacked people with sticks in the CNI Church. The court fined them Rs 10,000 each under Section 308 the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They were awarded imprisonment for two years and a fine of Rs 2,000 each under Section 325 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
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16 get life term for double murder
Patiala, December 23 A case was registered at Bhadson police station on June 5, 2008 against the 16 accused. Sources said Gurcharan Singh had contested the panchayat elections and had won. However, Amrik Singh, one of the accused, wanted to be the sarpanch again. The accused fired at Gurcharan Singh and his son Chamkaur
Singh. — TNS
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Undertrial commits suicide in Ropar jail
Ropar, December 23 A judicial inquiry has been ordered. Jail superintendent Paramjit Singh Sandhu said Sanjiv was brought to the Ropar jail on December 12. He had behaved normally and even talked to his fellow inmates till 11 pm. His body was found hanging with the ventilator grill of a toilet this morning. The body was handed over to his relatives after a postmortem, said Sandhu.
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Head constable commits suicide
Moga, December 23 In the suicide note, the policeman had stated that he was committing suicide due to mental stress and no one should be held responsible for his death. He had also requested to initiate inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC in the case. Hailing from Zira subdivision of Ferozepur district, the deceased was on leave for the past few days after his transfer from the Police Lines to the City-I police station.
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