N E W S Monday, August 30, 1999 |
weather spotlight today's calendar |
29-crore
WB aid sought for technical courses CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 The Directorate of Technical Education, UT, has sent a project proposal worth Rs 29 crore to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, for strengthening technical education in the UT with World Bank assistance. The Secretary, Technical Education, Mr N.K. Jain, maintains that such a project will enhance the relevance of the technical education system to user agencies and improve the effectiveness of the system, besides upgrading knowledge and skills of students and the staff. Furthermore, the continuing education will cater both to formal and non-formal sectors of technical education under the Community Polytechnic Scheme, being run under the aegis of the Directorate of technical education. Emphasis will be laid on strengthening employment promotion cells and undertaking self-employment ventures. Giving details of the proposal, Dr S.K. Aggarwal, Director, Technical Education, says the World Bank has laid down three components for availing of the grant. These are capacity expansion in emerging areas, quality improvement, and efficiency improvement in polytechnics and Directorate of Technical Education. Under the capacity expansion component, a grant of Rs 1,929 lakh has been sought for introducing diploma courses in computer engineering and fashion design and a post-diploma course in information technology at Government Polytechnic For Women, Sector 10. New courses in computer engineering, industrial and production engineering and mechatronics and a post-diploma course in information technology have also been proposed for Central Polytechnic, Sector 26. A separate department for continuing education will be set up at both polytechnics. Under the quality improvement component, the Directorate has sought a grant of Rs 757 lakh for modernising laboratories and workshops, a scheme for faculty development, a centre for promoting industry-institute interaction and a learning resource utilisation centre in both polytechnics. With a view to further strengthen the Directorate of Technical Education, the project provides for Rs 286 lakh, which will be used to procure additional infrastructure facilities to perform effective monitoring activities to achieve targets laid down in the World Bank project proposal. Though the project proposal has been approved by the Chandigarh Administration, it is scheduled to be discussed for the release of final grant of World Bank Assistance at a high-level meeting of the World Bank team, officials of the National Implementation Unit for the World Bank assisted project for technical education and the Ministry of Human Resource Development on September 3 at Calcutta. The project is to be
completed within five years, starting from 1999-2000. |
Protesters
seek arrest of Minakshi's in-laws CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 To protest against the police for not arresting the accused in the Minakshi dowry death case, a number of social and women's rights organisations gheraoed the Sector 34 police station here today. Minakshi (23), a resident of SAS Nagar and married in a Panchkula-based family, was allegedly poisoned by her in-laws. She died at the Sector 32 Government Medical College and Hospital on August 19. A case under Sections 304-B and 498-A was registered, but none of the four accused has been arrested so far. The protesters alleged that the police was dilly-dallying on the issue of arrest. After holding the dharna, the protesters called on the DSP (South) and lodged their protest, before marching towards the house of the in-laws of Minakshi, where they held a siapa. They threatened that the struggle would continue till the arrest of the accused. The protesters were lead by Ms Harjinder Kaur, President of the Sikh Nari Manch, Ms Shila Didi of the Istri Sabha Punjab, Mrs Satinder Dhawan, President of the Mahila Nayaya Morcha, Mr Harjinder Singh Billa, President of the SAS Nagar Municipal Council and employees' leaders, including Mr Tarlochan Singh. Earlier, to mourn the
death of Minakshi, a shradhanjali samaroh was organised
by these organisations at Phase VII in SAS Nagar. |
Mahajan's
effigy burnt CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 Several senior Congress leaders today condemned the alleged statements by the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Parmod Mahajan, and the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, against the Congress and its President, Ms Sonia Gandhi. In a press note issued here, the party leaders, including Mr Ram Pal Sharma, Mrs Lalit Joshi Bhardwaj, Mr Manjit Sahdev, Mr H.S. Lucky, Mr Subhash Chawla, Mr Sandeep Singh and Mr Kamaljit Panchhi, said the highly uncivilised statements by these two leaders showed the signs of frustration in the BJP and its allies. They said the BJP and its allies only wanted to gain political mileage by raising the issue of the origin of the Congress President. Failing to make any dent in the Congress popularity, they had now thrown away all moral values and started a virulent campaign against the Congress leaders. They alleged that the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, was also party to it as he was maintaining silence on the issue. Meanwhile, a procession was organised by the Mani Majra Block Congress Committee in to protest against the statement of the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Parmod Mahajan, against Ms Sonia Gandhi. Angry Congress workers
also burnt the effigy of Mr Mahajan on the occasion. |
Dry days
in UT CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 The Union Territory of Chandigarh will observe September 3 to 5 and October 5 to 7 as dry days in view of the Lok Sabha elections . Mr M. Ramsekhar, District Magistrate, in a press note has said that no liquor shop, hotel, restaurant, club and other establishment would be allowed to sell liquor on these days. The storage of liquor by individuals shall not be allowed to exceed the limit as prescribed under the current exercise policy in vogue during the said period for which the necessary checks will be carried out by the Excise Department. The District Magistrate
has also directed all the excise and taxation officers,
the police and other magistrates to take the necessary
steps to prohibit the movement of liquor from the
adjoining areas of the Chandigarh parliamentary
constituency. |
Adult
education plan for PU staff CHANDIGARH, Aug 29In a significant move, the Department of Adult Education has launched a move to educate the illiterate staff working on the campus of Panjab University here. The department has surveyed and prepared a list of all the illiterate workers in different departments. Peons and gardeners can be seen walking to their classes with books in their hands. The first batch, comprising about 40 workers, has begun. It consists largely of students averaging 40 years. Dr Ajaib Singh, director of the department, says the classes have better results than the department's drive in rural colonies. A significant section of students who join classes in colonies leave the course midway. To ensure better attendance, the department has talked to the Vice-Chancellor about holding the classes during office hours of the university. Dr Paramjit Kang says besides reading during office hours, presence of fellow workers in the class ensures 100 per cent attendance in the class. An employee who attends classes says he is happy studying. "All these years I withdrew salary by putting my thumb impression at the place of my signature," he says. Now he can read small story books and religious texts. The programme was funded by the University Grants Commission till 1997. All the projects now are taken up by the university on its own. Dr Ajaib Singh feels that there is no paucity of funds. The course has a three-month basic learning class, followed by post literacy classes. Other members of the teaching group are Ms Renu Gandhi, Ms Prabha Vij and Ms Sween. The basic course deals with the mother tongue and mathematics. The study contents mainly revolve around cleanliness, sanitation and health facilities. The course for children
in colonies had promised a good future. They were
considered equivalent to primary school pass-outs on
completion of classes. However, a sizeable number of
children quit classes. The ground work needed more
attention for the success of the course, Dr Ajaib Singh
said. |
Jet Airways flight from
Delhi begins on October 15 CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 Chandigarh will be linked to the national capital by a flight of Jet Airways from Delhi on October 15. Delhi will also have flights connecting major metropolitan cities, said Mr Suresh Nair ,general manager of the Jet Airways in a panel discussion on emerging trends in civil engineering,organised by the Institute of Tourism and Future Management Trends here today. Civil aviation and tourism will be the fastest growing sectors in the 21st century, said Mr Sanat Kaul, joint secretary ,Civil Aviation.Mr Kaul said already 80 per cent of air travel worldwide can be classified as tourism related.As the world shrinks, ,globalisation and deregulation will bring in price war and reduce monopoly,making it cheaper for the middle- class to travel by air. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has estimated that in the next 15 years ,$350 billion will be spent on new airport infrastructure to meet the anticipated traffic demands. Mr Gurdip Singh,deputy managing director of Indian Airlines, said that 285 billion passengers travelled by air worldwide in 1998 out of which North America grabbed 50 per cent share.The growth of the airlines industry was directly linked to economic development of society. Mr Gurdip Singh said a vast field of opportunities existed for the youngsters in the airlines industry because of buoyancy in the economy of the country.He urged the youth to be competitive,acquire knowledge of the technology, especially computers. In his presentation,Mr K.P.s.Srivastava, executive director of the Airport Authority of India, said civil aviation was essential instrument for the economic development of the country.Delhi airport generated about 25000 direct and indirect jobs in related sectors like airport, cargo agents, customs, immigration and security. Mr A.Bhinder,Manager,
Air India, also spoke on various aspects of the airways
industry. |
Congress
forced poll: Chautala PANCHKULA, Aug 29 The Haryana Chief Minister , Mr Om Prakash Chautala, criticised the Congress for destabilising the country and forcing an election. Addressing a joint rally organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) here yesterday, Mr Chautala said the money to be spent on elections could have been adequately utilised for the socio-economic development of the nation. The issues relating to Kargil and the foreign origin of the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, dominated the rally. Appreciating the policies and contribution of the BJP over the Kargil issue, Mr Chautala said it was the maturity and wisdom of the BJP under the leadership of Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, which won international support on the issue . Mr Chautala alleged that the Congress had a long tradition of breaking governments and destabilising the country. He said that on June 25, the Congress offered its support to the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) and withdrew it within less than a month. Mr Chautala claimed to win all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. Accusing the Congress of scams and corruption, he urged the people to vote for Mr Rattan Lal Kataria (BJP) for the Ambala parliamentary seat. Mr Chautala promised prompt implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission report for the Haryana Government employees. He said that Haryana would witness a complete transformation in areas of self-employment and promotion of the small-scale industries. Lower interest rates and a 15 per cent subsidy would be the unique selling preposition for various schemes for the promotion of self-employment and small-scale industries in the state. Mr Chautala proposed abolition of the Essential Commodities Act and the "inspector raj"for free trade and economic development of the state . Mr Kataria, Mr Pradeep
Chaudhary, General Secretary of the INLD, Haryana unit,
and prominent local leaders of the BJP and the INLD also
addressed the rally. |
BJP trying
to capitalise on Kargil: RRD CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 Col Harsharan Singh (retd), Rashtriya Raksha Dal (RRD) candidate for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, today criticised the BJP and its leadership for trying to capitalise on the Kargil issue in stead of expressing their regret to the countrymen as well as the widows of martyr. He said: ''The country must realise that there is the need for pragmatism in our dealing with neighbours. While peace is highly desirable we must realise that international relationship must be based on equality and justice. The most important factor governing this relationship is inter-play of national interest.'' In his door-to-door
campaign, he also visited Sarangpur village last night
and sought the support of the residents. |
Mr Kartar Singh Hothi (Ind) A retired PCS (Allied Services) officer, who had been closely associated with the Department of Cooperative in Punjab, Mr Kartar Singh Hothi, is now a practising lawyer at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He is contesting the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat. He started his career as a clerk in 1960 and graduated in law from Panjab University in 1972. He was selected to the PCS (Allied Services) and appointed Assistant Registrar, Cooperatives. He also worked as Managing Director of the Amritsar and Gurdaspur Central Cooperative Banks and had to face a tough time as Managing Director of the Batala Cooperative Sugar Mills in 1989 when militancy was at its peak. He also worked as Managing Director of the Patiala Cooperative Sugar Mills, besides holding positions like Additional Managing Director, Markfed, Spinfed and then officiated as Managing Director of the Constofed. Subsidies, corruption, lack of transparency are some of the issues which have prompted him to enter electoral politics. Retaining of Chandigarh as a union territory, extension of its boundaries, check on further "migration" to the city, rehabilitation of migrants on lease-hold basis, better facilities for colonies, exemption to women from wearing helmets, lowering of driving licence age to 14 years, simplification of lease-hold to free-hold conversion scheme and making Chandigarh free from stray dogs and cattle are some of the items on his election manifesto. Mr Ravi Parkash Kansal (Lok Shakti) A known spokesman of the city's traders community, Mr Ravi Parkash Kansal has been into active politics for more than a decade now. Initially a supporter and active worker of Mr Harmohan Dhawan's Janata party, Mr Kansal has been the founder President of Mr Ramakrishna Hegde's Lok Shakti in Chandigarh. For him electoral politics is nothing new. He unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha elections also. Mr Kansal has been associated with the Retail Karyana Merchants Association in various capacities and has been advocating for a long time rationalisation of sales tax in northern India and for amendments to the Food Adulteration Act. A crusader and a go-getter, he is advocating retaining of Chandigarh as a union territory, simplification of sales tax structure, amendment to the building bylaws, licences for all rehri workers and all those engaged in informal avocations, better facilities for slum-dwellers and extension of ''lal dora'' and reservation of jobs for original domiciles of Chandigarh.
|
'Concede
demands, get votes' CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 The Pind Bachao Committee has decided to extend its support only to that political party, the leader of which will announce that the demands of villagers will be conceded if it is voted to power. Addressing a gathering at the Kanthala Sahib Gurdwara near Ram darbar here, Mr Angrej Singh, President of the committee, said the villagers had resolved to vote for that party which would promise its support to their demands. Their demands include allotment of plots to those whose land had been acquired by the UT Administration and the abolition of the Periphery Control Act. Urging the villagers to unite on the issue of their demands, Mr Angrej Singh said if any party was interested in getting the rural vote, its leader, whether Sonia Gandhi or L.K. Advani, should come to Chandigarh and announce his or her support to their demands and that these demands would be implemented after his or her party came to power after the elections. "If anyone does not turn up, we will decide our future course of action. We form 70 per cent of the electorate in the UT," said Mr Angrej Singh. He demanded that all
those living in the UT for the last 10 years be given
ration cards. Mr Kartar Singh of Hallo Majra, Mr
Gurcharan Singh of Kajheri, Mr Satya Pal Gupta, a former
sarpanch of Burail, Mr Manmohan Singh, a former sarpanch
of Khudda Lahora, and Mr Kuldip Singh, a former sarpanch
of Kajheri, also addressed the meeting. |
Cycle
rally by BJP CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 BJP Yuva Morcha activists today held a cycle rally in support of the party candidate, Mr K.L. Sharma, here today. The rally, which started from Colony No 4, passed through Ram Darbar, Sectors 31, 29, 28 and 26, Bapu Dham, Mani Majra and Indira Colony and culminated at Daria village. Meanwhile, the Federation of Sector Welfare Associations of Chandigarh has decided to support Mr Sharma in the Lok Sabha poll. In a press note, the
federation said it would work for the victory of the BJP
candidate. |
Contestants
visit rural areas CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 Hectic poll activity of various local contestants for the coming Lok Sabha elections went on by visits to various sectors and rural areas of the city here today. Mr Mata Ram Dhiman conducted a door-to-door campaign in Dhanas, Khuda Lahora and Kumhar Colony, besides other places. Local issues, including public health and sanitation topped the party agenda. The Lok Shakti candidate, Mr Ravi Kumar Kansal, addressed gatherings in Sector 23 and Kaimbwala village. Many other villages were also visited. The New Congress Party
candidate, Mr Rampal Hans, visited Sector 12, Mauli
Jagran and Kaimbwala, besides other places. He stressed
on national issues. |
Need to
abolish 'lal dora' concept: Congress CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 Functions were organised in different parts of the city today in support of Mr Pawan Bansal, Congress candidate for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat. Addressing meetings at Attawa, Buterala, Badheri and Palsora villages, Mr Bansal promised to get more funds for the development of the villages which had been neglected in the past three years. He said there was the a need to abolish the concept of ''lal dora'' in the villages. Strengthening of the Panchayati Raj institution was required to strengthen the roots of democracy. Mr Bansal also addressed meetings of residents of Sectors 19 and 21-A here. Early in the morning Mr Bansal undertook a door-to-door campaign in the Sector 49 colony. A meeting was addressed
by Mr Bansal in Sector 32-C. Later the Autorickshaws
Union held a procession in support of Mr Bansal. |
Play on
Kargil by students CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 In an attempt to remember Kargil heroes, a group of students presented a Hindi play, 'Atmasamarpan', at the Polytechnic for Women, Sector 10, here today. Brig A.S. Kahlon, Director, Sainik Welfare, Punjab, was the chief guest. The one-and-a-half-hour play told the story of the life of a soldier and the hardships faced by him. The revelation of a soldier's life was well-received by the audience. The seven-act play was
written and directed by Dipeshwar Singh. The cast
included Vikramjit Bhatia, Jatinder Singh Sandhu,
Rupinder Kaur Johal, Deepak Sandhu, Arshdeep, Saurabh
Bhatia and Mona Singh. |
Kids
screened for mental retardation CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 Aimed at creating an awareness about mental retardation in children, the Government Institute of Mentally Retarded and the Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College Hospital, Sector 32, today organised a camp at Government Senior Secondary School, Dadu Majra Colony, Sector 38, today. More than 600 children of the area were screened and their intelligence quotient (IQ) assessed. The parents of these children were also provided counselling on the ways to deal with the problem. There were many queries for eye-check up and other medical related problems as well. An exhibition of various items made by students of the institute were also put up for display-cum-sale. The items included chalks, cards, rakhis, candles and other handicraft items. Charts describing the hows, whys and whats of mental retardation in children were also put up. Dr B.S. Chavan, Joint Director of the institute, said a follow-up programme for such camps would be organised to identify the mentally retarded children and how to make them a part of the main-stream society. Dr Chavan said that they also planned to start an orientation programme for the teachers of the school here, so that they could identify such children and refer them to the appropriate medical institutes. Mr N.K. Jain, Home Secretary, UT, who was the chief guest, assured financial assistance in setting up a genetic counselling lab at Medical College, Sector 32, to assist the parents of a mentally retarded child before planning for the next child. Mr Jain also said that
the government schools would be instructed to purchase
some of these items regularly from the institute so as to
provide avenues of employment for the mentally retarded. |
'TV has
changed lifestyle' CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 The Chandigarh chapter of the Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) organised a panel discussion on 'Invasion from the sky television raids our homes' here on Friday. Prof B.S. Thakur, former Chairman of the Department of Mass Communications, Panjab University, said research was still inconclusive on the effect of television on human behaviour though evidence was available that violence and anti-social behaviour could be learnt from this media. He emphasised that all media were neutral and it was dependent on the managers of media as to how they used it, and suggested the need for self-regulation amongst media operators as well as advertisers with a workable mechanism to enforce a code of conduct. Mr Jayant N Petkar, Chairman of the Department of Mass Communications, Panjab University, pointed out that television had certainly changed lifestyle of the people with television artistes and anti-heroes becoming the role model for the younger generation. Mr N.S. Johal, Reader in he Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, Punjabi University, Patiala, said television had literally become the third parent and the even the "baby-sitter" for children. He stressed the need to guard against the possible erosion of cultural values amidst the westernised concepts being beamed from sky. Prof Gulzar Singh Sandhu, former Editor of Punjabi Tribune and Desh Sewak, called for the need to create action groups to guide the parents and the children in differentiating between the "good and the bad". The Regional
Vice-President (North) of PRSI, Mr Charanjit Singh, said
the PRSI would take the lead in forming such an action
group to generate media awareness amongst school children
and help parents find alternative creative activities. |
B.Ed
(med) seats filled CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 All seats in the medical group of the B.Ed course in Government College of Education, Sector 20,were filled during the first hour of admission here today. The last candidate who secured admission in this college was placed at 292nd rank and had secured 158.25 marks. Giving admission figures, principal of Dev Samaj College of Education, Sector 36,Mrs Satinder Dhillon,said the last candidate who secured admission to the medical group in their college had secured 143.5 marks and was ranked 1453. In the two colleges affiliated to Punjabi University, Patiala, the last candidate to have secured admission in the non-medical group of Government College of Education, Faridkot, secured 142 marks and has 1655 rank. In the UT Colleges affiliated to Panjab University, the last candidate to have secured admission is placed at 3170 rank with 134.5 marks. In case of the colleges affiliated to Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, the last candidate to be admitted to Ramgarhia College, Phagwara had a score of 132.25 marks and was placed at 3211 rank. The co-ordinator of admissions to B.Ed, Mrs Satinder Dhillon,said the admissions for the general category seats in the humanities group of local and Punjab colleges will be made from tomorrow. While counselling for candidates who are eligible for defence quota will be held on September 3, the counselling for the students in border areas will be done on September 4. Meanwhile, principal of
the Government College of Education, Sector 20 , Mrs S
Tangri clarified that admission to the reserved category
in the medical group were done today. Hence, the
candidate who had applied for admission to this group
from the defence quota was given admission on the basis
of his/her eligibility. |
Diarrhoea
dogs tropical areas CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 Due to the emergence of AIDS, increasing rate of influx of migrant labour to the cities and poor hygienic conditions,diarrhoea continues to be a problem in tropical countries. AIDS has also caused the re-emergence of diseases like gastrointestinal tuberculosis. These were some of the opinions expressed by experts on the second and the final day of the 'UpdateCME Gastro '99', a seminar on gastroenterology held at the postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). Talking about cholera, Prof Kartar Singh, said the common man needs to understand that patients suffering from cholera have all their absorptive mechanisms functioning properly, and so could be given oral feed. He said though the patient might be secreting fluids, oral feed in the form of glucose and electrolytes would help the patient recover fast. Dr Virendra Singh and Dr C Vaishnavi also talked on this subject and added that the main problem in diarrhoea was of not being able to produce body fluids, and that hydration was the cornerstone of therapy in any kind of dehydration. Dr Virendra Singh also mentioned that treatment of obstructive jaundice today could be performed successfully with endoscopy, which is both cheaper and safer than going through an operation. Dr D. K.Bhasin, who spoke on a bacteria called H.pylori and how to treat it, said initially only acids were thought to be the causative factors of peptic ulcers but doctors today knew that H.pylori was also one of the main reasons. Dr Bhasin informed that the PGI had been working on this bacteria for the past 12 years and had even made indigenous diagnostic kits. But a controversy over the role of this bacteria in gastric cancer still exists today. Dr Bhasin added that in case of hyper-acidity, one should look for the association of this bacteria. This part of the country has a lot of cases of poisoning due to drinking of toilet-cleaners and other acids, and spiking of liquor available in the open-market. This was stated by Dr R.Kochhar, who talked about the endoscopic management of corrosive injuries. He said new methods of endoscopic treatment for such cases were being evolved, which included a steroidal injection. He, however, stressed on the need to prevent such injuries. Prof N. M. Gupta
highlighted the importance of surgical approach to food
pipe perforations. |
SNIPPETS Impressive exhibition by students CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 An impressive exhibition of creative skills of students was put up at Manav Mangal High School, Sector 21-C, here yesterday. The alphabet tree and the tree showing birds in the nest taking care of their young ones were the main highlights of the section displaying the craft work of the junior wing. The models pertaining to mathematics, which were on display for the first time, exhibited concepts of similar triangles, congruent triangles, heights and distances. The students made some puzzles, which could be solved mathematically. The science section had working models like the burglar alarm and the formation of solar eclipse. The still models included the Bhakra dam project, the wool mill and the human skeleton. The social sciences projects emphasised on the women of today and the cultural heritage of India. Posters conveying messages on the importance of peace, saving the environment, the Kargil issue and the importance of immunisation were creative. A model showing a dove spreading the message of peace in the world and the tribute to Kargil martyrs brought out the hard work put in by students. Veterinary aid for pet owners CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 To provide free veterinary aid to local pet owners, the local chapter of the People for Animals (PFA) organised two camps in Hallomajra village and Colony No 4 here today. In a press note issued
here, the PFA said the camps were organised under its
second mobile veterinary campaign and as many as 50
animals were treated and vaccinated at the camps. The aim
of the camps was to provide veterinary assistance to pet
owners at their doorstep, the press note said. |
| Nation
| Punjab | Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu & Kashmir | | Editorial | Business | Sport | | Mailbag | Spotlight | World | 50 years of Independence | Weather | | Search | Subscribe | Archive | Suggestion | Home | E-mail | |