HEALTH

Mother and child care programme
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Dec 7 — The Ludhiana Sakharta Samiti organised a mother and child care programme at Bhatian Bet, Hazuri Bagh and Kutebewal Raiya villages today.

Dr Ashwini Malhotra, Medical Officer, Jassian, told villagers about environment. He gave them the vaccination schedule for the expecting mothers and newborn babies. The villagers were also told about the causes and symptoms of dengue and significance of administering polio drops. Students of Government Middle high School, Jassian, presented songs on mother and child care.

Ms Neelam, coordinator of the programme, Ms Jaswinder Kaur, sarpanch, Bhatian Bet, Ms Balwinder Kaur, sarpanch, Hazuri Bagh, and Mr Sita Ram, sarpanch, Kutbewal Raiya, helped in organising the programme.

A similar programme will also be organised at Allowal and Goindwal villages on December 8 during which Dr Rupinder Singh Gill, Medical Officer, Ladowal, will bring awareness among the masses, informed Mr Darshan Singh, Block Project Coordinator.

North to be disease-free for cattle: Ajnala 
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Dec 7 — The Union Government has mooted the plan to set up a disease-free zone for cattle in the North. The zone comprising Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and the western parts of Uttar Pradesh. Punjab will be coordinating the project.

The Animal Husbandry Minister, Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala, said, all the ground work in this regard had already been done. The process of implementing the project is on and a few rounds of meetings have already been held. Mr Ajnala disclosed that the Rs 35 crore project would be totally funded by the Government of India.

The project will help a great deal in curbing and controlling various disease among the cattle which cause enormous losses to the states in general and the farmers in particular, he pointed out, while adding that the project may also help in generating enough jobs.

The minister said the Centre had also sanctioned a regional diagnostic laboratory for Punjab. This, he said, will be completed at a cost of Rs 9 crore. The laboratory was being set up at Jalandhar.

The National Protection Quality Control of Vaccines centre will also be set up in Punjab. The centre was earlier functioning from Orissa. All the vaccines manufactured within the country or imported from abroad will now be tested here only. The centre will be set up in the vicinity of Punjab Agricultural University here from next year.

SPORTS

Sachin, Sweety shine in athletics meet 
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Dec 7 — Sachin Dhanda and Sweety Thomas shined on the first day of the annual athletics meet of Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar, here today. Sachin and Sweety bagged gold in the long jump and discus throw, respectively.

The other results are as follows: shot-put: In the boys’ section: group A: Gurtej 1, Hargurdeep 2 and Inderbir 3; In the girls’ section: group B: Tanya 1, Sweety 2 and Ayushi 3; group C: Dimple Jagota 1, Pragya 2 and Sugendha Aggarwal 3.Long jump: In the boys’ section: group B: Aman 1, Sandeep 2 and Maneet 3; group C: Sachin 1, Feroz 2 and Rajat 3; In the girls’ section: group A: Alliana 1, Gurleen 2 and Parteet 3. Discus throw: In the girls’ section: group B: Sweety 1, Gurveen and D.Vardhi 2 and Bikomal 3.

ADMINISTRATION

DC for action against two officers 
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Dec 7 — Dissatisfied with the performance of enquiry officers into complaints submitted for redressal at the weekly sangat darshan programme, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sandhu, today recommended departmental action against two officers. He also sounded a note of warning to district and subdivision level officers to conduct free and fair inquiries into the complaints marked to them, failing which they would have to face stern action.

A total of 40 complaints were brought before the officers in the sangat darshan programme, convened at Bachat Bhawan here today, out of which 25 were settled on the spot.

Mr Sandhu asked the District Development and Panchayat Officer to personally conduct an inquiry relating to the complaint filed by Ms Nasib Kaur, a widow from Akalgarh, regarding encroachment on a plot allotted to her. The Deputy Commissioner expressed his disagreement with the findings of BDPO, Sudhar, who was earlier asked to look into the matter.

In a similar case involving encroachment on the house of Mr Ishar Das, a resident of Balliewal, Mr Sandhu asked the SDM (East) to probe the matter once again. He also directed that a case of ‘poor performance’ by BDPO, Ludhiana-II, be prepared and sent to his superiors for departmental action.

The Deputy Commissioner, disposing of a complaint by residents of Salempur, assured that the development grant of Rs 50,000 would be properly utilised. The District Education Officer was directed to ensure joining of duty by a visually challenged complainant, Mr Rajinder Pal Singh, who had complained that despite having been selected, he was not being allowed to join duty.

Mr S.R. Kler, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.S. Sandhu, S.P. (Operations), Mr H.S. Bajwa, S.P. (Headquarters), Jagraon, Mr H.S. Sidhu, S.P. (Headquarters), Khanna, and Ms Aneeta Darshi, Assistant Commissioner (General), attended the programme.