EDUCATION

ICAR award for PAU Director
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, July 22— Dr P.P. Gupta, Additional Director of Research (Veterinary), Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, has been awarded the national level Outstanding Teacher award for 1998-99, by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research for his outstanding teaching contributions in the field of veterinary pathology. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 25,000 and a citation.

The Union Minister of Agriculture, Mr Nitish Kumar, presented the award at a function held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, recently. This is for the first time that this award has been given to a PAU teacher.

In view of Dr Gupta's contributions to teaching, the ICAR and PAU had earlier awarded him the faculty level best teacher award for 1991-92 and the Meritorious Teacher award for 1992-93.The National Academy of Veterinary Sciences and Indian Association of Veterinary Pathology have also awarded him fellowships in 1998 and 1997.

Four postgraduate students of Dr Gupta have received the national level Best Theses awards. He has also made outstanding research contributions and is a recipient of several research awards like Science Pioneer Prize from Egypt, Fellowship of Egyptian Veterinary Association (1985), ICAR Team Research Award (1990) and ICMR Sriramachari Award in Pathology (1993).

Home decoration course a big draw
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, July 22 — The concluding function of a short course on Home decoration was organised by the Department of Family Resource Management, College of Home Science. Dr( Ms) S.K. Mann, Dean, College of Home Science was the chief guest on this occasion. Dr (Ms) M.K. Dhillon, head of the department welcomed the chief guest. The chief guest said the department had received an overwhelming response for this course. She said that home science is an inter-disciplinary field of knowledge which integrates concepts from physical, biological, agricultural, social, behavioural and environmental sciences. It prepares an individual to obtain recent scientific information for dealing with real

life situations and to cope with every day problems effectively by providing knowledge in the areas of home science.

She further said, ‘’A decorated home helps to create a good environment.’’

COURTS

Bindrakhia's case adjourned
Tribune News Service.

LUDHIANA, July 22—The District Consumer Redressal Forum yesterday adjourned the hearing till July 25 of a complaint against popular Punjabi singer Surjit Bindrakhia by a Sangrur resident, seeking compensation of Rs 4 lakh from the singer for his failure to turn up and perform at his son's marriage recently.

The complainant, Mr Shinder Singh, had booked the singer of the popular Mukhra Dekh ke fame and had also given advance payment for the same. However, the singer did not keep his promise.The complainant later moved the forum for compensation for deficiency of service.

The forum had, in its last hearing, issued summons to the singer to appear in person or through an agent to make a reply to the complaint. The singer sent one of his employees, Surjit Singh, to appear on his behalf on Friday.

CULTURE

Art and science exhibition
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, July 22 — With an aim to develop creativity in school students, an art and science exhibition was organised at Sanatan Senior Secondary School here today.

Working as well as non-working models of science; craft items like candles, huts, balls, sceneries, wall hangings and embroidery items were displayed by the school’s students of all ages.

For the science corner, majority of the students focussed on air and water pollution. Models of volcanoes, computers and wild life were also seen.

In the senior group (science), Sumit Jindal stood first, Puneet was declared second and Ranjana was awarded consolation prize.

In the junior group (science), Yashal stood first, Suraj was declared second and Akashdeep was awarded consolation prize.

In junior group (art and craft), Garina stood first, Supriya was declared second and Chetna Bansal was awarded consolation prize.

HEALTH

Doctors feeling victimised
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, July 22 — Growing incidents of mob fury against doctors are causing concern for all of them. Whenever anything goes wrong, the anger is let loose on the doctor. In fact, the doctors feel that the administration, including the police, take undue side of the public without verifying the facts.

According to Dr Gursharan Singh, Ludhiana President of the Indian Medical Association, there has been an alarming increase in the rate of attack on doctors working in various localities. Despite the fact that the doctors always act with transparency, in case of any unexpected result they are victimised. He narrated several such incidents where in doctors had to face the wrath of public.

Another doctor Arvinder Singh Nagpal had a horrible experience. He said, “I had to face not only the anger of the public but was also implicated by the police in Khanna. The then SSP of Khanna for the reasons best known to him took the side of the complainants despite knowing who was at fault.”

The IMA organised a meeting of various doctors to discuss the issue. Mr Gursharan Singh said, this was one of the most serious problems being faced by doctors. He suggested constituting a joint task force among doctors themselves who can tackle such situations.

In one of the cases a leading doctor had to pay Rs 40,000 to the relatives of a patient who had died. The doctors said, the entire case had been explained to the relatives of the patient and all risk factors had been explained to them. At the beginning they were prepared to take any risk. After the patient died, they started blaming the doctor and used all the influence to get money from him.

However, doctors agreed that there was a need for introspection among the medical fraternity. They said the doctors should explain the truth to the relatives of the patients. They suggested that the patient should not be kept in dark otherwise the expectations become higher.

The meeting concluded with a resolution aimed at setting up a task force which can strike into action at the times of crisis. They also regretted that there were some “black sheep” within the doctors’ community who tend to instigate people against their colleagues for petty and vested interests.

Speaking on the occasion, the IMA president assured the doctors that he will ensure that they get their dignity, respect and honour. He revealed that for last sometime the IMA had become inactive which was evident from the fact that there were just about 140 members in the IMA, while there are over 2000 doctors in Ludhiana alone.

Dr Rajesh Sharma, the district general secretary of the IMA, announced that the IMA will be organising several programmes for the general public.

ADMINISTRATION

AIYAD launches plantation drive
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, July 22 — The All India Youth Akali Dal today launched a plantation drive with party chief Amrik Singh Aliwal planting a sapling in the Community Club of south city here. Speaking at the function, Mr Aliwal emphasised the need to protect environment and to plant more and more trees for this purpose.

He announced that his party had fixed a target to plant five lakh trees all over the state during next two months and further assured that the party workers would take due care of the plants till these grew up into trees. The chief agricultural officer, Dr Gurcharn Singh, and the Divisional Forest Officer, Mr Gian Prakash, who were present at this occasion, said that their respective departments would extend all possible assistance in the campaign.

The AIYAD general secretary, Mr Agyapal Singh, giving details of the next programme for tree plantation in the state informed that party activists would plant saplings in Patiala (rural and urban) on July 27, in Jalandhar (urban and rural) on August 2, in Kapurthala on August 4, in Hoshiarpur on August 6, in Sangrur on August 9, in Mansa on August 11, in Fatehgarh Sahib on August 13, in Ropar on August 16, in Ferozepur on August 18, in Nawanshahr on August 20, in Moga on August 23, in Gurdaspur on August 25, in Barnala on August 27, in Bathinda on August 30, in Faridkot and Muktsar on September 1, with the campaign concluding at Amritsar on September 3.

District unit president of the party Rachhpal Singh Talwar welcomed the guests while Mr Yash Pal Singh Bhalla, Managing Director of VHB group honoured Mr Aliwal by presenting a sword and a shawl.