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Three firms chosen for IT education in
schools Chandigarh, March 31 The bidders were required to have a vast experience in computer education, besides an average annual turnover of Rs 3 crore or more. The selected companies are Zee Interactive Learning Systems Limited of New Delhi, Tata Infotech of New Delhi and IEC Software Limited of New Delhi. The companies are expected to set up the required infrastructure here within eight weeks of receiving the letters. For running courses for Classes VI to XII in local government schools, Zee Interactive has been selected. The firm will charge Rs 85 per student every month for the courses. There are three college-level courses. Stream A is for students who have not studied computer science at any stage. Stream B is for students who have studied this in Classes XI and XII. Tata Infotech has been chosen for running the Stream A and Stream B courses in colleges. The company will charge Rs 149 per student per month for the courses. The Stream C includes Microsoft certified courses for students having adequate knowledge of computers. It has eight tests from the Microsoft Certified Course Curriculum and clearing any of these shall entitle a student to be called a Microsoft certified professional. Clearing four more tests will get a student the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer Certificate. After clearing another set of four tests, a students will become a Microsoft certified systems engineer. Rates quoted by competing firms for running the Microsoft certification courses are too high. A subcommittee of the Administration headed by the Joint Finance Secretary, Mr K.A.P. Sinha, will negotiate with the companies on price. The vocational courses prescribed by the CBSE for Classes XI and XII are available only in three schools so far for 150 students. The IEC Software Limited will charge Rs 177 per student per month for running these courses. On March 26, representatives of Zee Interactive and Tata Infotech were here to sign the agreements, but IEC Software Limited has not signed one so far. The firm is reportedly avoiding contact with the Administration. The Administration might award this contract to some other company if the firm did not respond within two days, sources said. |
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Net facility for PEC
labs Chandigarh, March 31 The issue of Internet connectivity started when students complained that Internet facility was not available in the laboratories, which was hampering research. The Principal assured them that optical fibre for providing Internet facility in every laboratory of the college had been laid and every laboratory of the college would get Internet facility next month. The Administrator also agreed to the request of students to set up a cyber café exclusively for the students of PEC. The cyber cafe would remain open till 2 am for boys. Girl students would get an exclusive slot from 6 pm to 8 pm as they had to be back in the hostel on time. This came after General Jacob agreed to the request of the students to set up a reading room-cum-cyber café to facilitate study in a proper environment. The General emphasised that the PEC must focus on research activity and students should be encouraged to spend more time in the laboratory. The college should make an endeavour for attracting regular research scholars to work here. The capacity of the college hostels needed to be increased, he added. He suggested that PEC must have a regular liaison with the existing industry and students should be encouraged to do projects for the industry. In his opinion, the campus, spanning 146 acres, was under-utilised. Later, the Administrator went to the microprocessor laboratory and interacted with the students. He visited the seminar room, where two students, Mudita and Aarti, were giving a presentation on Role of Interrupter in Central Processing Unit. The General asked the students to continue and sat throughout the presentation for 15 minutes. He sought the opinion of students of desirability of five-day week in colleges. The students complained about the erratic power supply in the hostels, especially during the past three days. They also complained about lack of geysers. They felt the mess charges were excessive. Later, the Administrator went to Software Technology Park of India, located on the PEC campus. |
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No action in false document
case Chandigarh, march 31 This girl candidate had secured admission to the Dev Samaj College of Education at Ferozepore in this session. The DC’s letter says that, “verification through the Subdivisional Magistrate of Mukerian shows that this certificate has been wrongly issued and is not genuine.” The matter was reported in a letter to the PU Vice-Chancellor. The PU Registrar then sent a message of confirmation of receiving the complaint to the DC Hoshiarpur. Sources said the matter had remained pending for a long time with the PU till past week when the official concerned forwarded the related papers to the office of the VC. The VC is learnt to have assured everyone of a quick probe in this case. The certificate signed by the Tehsildar of Mukerian shows the girl as a permanent resident of Talwara from birth. It had been alleged that the girl was a resident of Delhi during her previous education, which meant that her claim for a seat in the college was not genuine. One of the university fellows said, The university “should not have delayed the issue for so long. The verification letter of the DC shows the truth. A change in order, if justified, needs to be communicated at the earliest.” Mr Ved Prakash, one of the complainants, said “it was clearly established that the certificate had been obtained fraudulently, which had spoiled the career of a worthy student. A probe is needed to let the facts come out.” |
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PU to have 2 hostels for
tribal students Chandigarh, March 31 This was stated by Mr Oram while delivering the presidential address at the “Millennium tribal cultural programme—2001”, organised by the All-India Tribal Students Association,
Chandigarh.The Central Government proposes to bifurcate the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Commission soon to facilitate the welfare of Schedules Tribes and tribal areas in the country, he informed. The minister said the Panchayati Raj Act had been extended to the scheduled urban areas wherein one-third representation of the tribals in the local bodies had been made statutory. The total outlay of the Tribal Finance Corporation was now to the tune of Rs 500 crore. Referring to various other measures taken by the Central Government, he said that intentions and desires of the government were clear after the constitution of a separate ministry for the tribal welfare. He said there had been persistent demands for the inclusion of many communities in the list of SCs and STs and the government was considering every case on merit. The tribal students welcomed the minister with a Mizo song. The participants in the cultural programme included students from Himachal, Jammu and Kashmir and North East. |
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New web
site to offer free e-mail service Chandigarh, March 31 The website, apart from offering free e-mail service, will offer other free resources like Online Discussion Forums where queries relating to computers can be posted which will be answered by professionals from all over the world. One can log on to the website for queries relating to computers and Internet, graphics and multimedia, MS DOS problems, MCSE Resource information etc. For each of the forums, individual topicwise chat rooms are also available. The site has also been equipped with the facility to search Usenet Newsgroups with actually subscribing to them. Other important searches available are Shareware, Computers, Education, Employment and The Web. Users can also get a free webpage and can even upload their photograph to be made visible on the site.
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Spring camp for
kids Chandigarh, March 31 The programme culminated today after a two-hour performance by the children wherein they enacted play Snow-White. |
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Colonel Srivastava administered
oath Chandigarh, March 31 In response to the prosecution’s questions, Colonel Srivastava stated before the court that he had been deployed at the Southern Glacier in the Siachen Sector during June, 1999. He said Major Bhatnagar, who was Company Commander of “C” Company in the battalion, joined duty after remaining on 60 days’ annual leave from April to May, 1999. The court, however, disallowed the prosecution question asking the witness if any company from 5 Para had taken part in the operations. The court thereafter adjourned till April 14. |
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Dealer unable to pay back loan, wife
kidnapped Chandigarh, March 31 In his petition, Ludhiana district resident Chanderpal today alleged that his wife for 18 years was picked up while she was shopping on February 28. Efforts to trace her proved futile till March 18. On that day, two moneylenders informed him that his wife was in their custody and would be handed over only after the money was paid, he further alleged. Taking up his petition, Mr Justice S.S. Nijjar of the High Court directed Senior Superintendent of the Ludhiana police to ensure that the petitioner’s wife was located and produced in the court on April 17. Going into the background, the petitioner had earlier stated that the money was borrowed in July, 1999, after losing Rs 70,000 in lotteries. On February 13, the respondents came to his house and threatened him with dire consequences before manhandling him. He had further alleged that action was not taken against the respondents by officers present at the Durgi police station even though they were informed about the incident the next day. The counsel for the petitioner had added on his behalf that Chanderpal was, on the other hand, taken into custody and detained at Delhon police station for five days. |
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Co ordered to refund Rs
3,25,000 Chandigarh, March 31 It further directed the respondent to pay Rs 15,000 as compensation for harassment, mental agony, loss of health and litigation expenses. The Forum had allowed the complaint and adopted the schedule of payment as approved by the company law board in its order referred to above with a direction to the opposite party company to abide by the aforesaid schedule and to make repayment of the matured amount aggregating to Rs 3,45,000 along with interest as per order of the company law board. It was clarified that the complainant had already received Rs 20,000 on April 15,1999, during the pendency of the complaint out of the matured amount. The opposite party shall also consider the application of the complainant for making payment on compassionate grounds, if any made, according to the order of the company law board. The complainant had filed a complaint in the forum that he had deposited amount worth Rs 1,51,725 and Rs 18,207 bonds floated by Hindustan Financial Limited. He alleged that both bonds matured in February, valued at Rs 1,87,500 and Rs 22,500, respectively. As per the averment made to the complainant, inter-alia, warrant valued at Rs 1,87,500 when presented in Delhi on maturity for payments was dishonoured with the remark “Exceeds Arrangement”. The second warrant was lost by the complainant. In spite of visiting the official of the company, the complainant failed to get payment of the matured amount. The bench comprising Justice K.K Srivastva, Mr P.K Vasudeva, Mrs Devinderjit Dhatt had observed that the impugned order is unsustainable on
correct appraisal of the facts of the case in hand and consequently the appeal filed by the complainant was allowed. |
On the crest of divine
melody Chandigarh, March 31 The presentation of Wadali brothers followed the award conferring ceremony by the Pracheen Kala Kendra. The Kendra authorities today awarded titles to three veterans in appreciation of their contribution to the respective fields. Among the awardees are Wadali brothers, who got title of Sufi Kala Ratna, Gulzar Singh Sandhu and Gursharan Singh, who got the titles of Patrakar Vachaspati and Natya Nayak, respectively. The honours were done by Mr L.M. Goyal, Chief Secretary Haryana. What followed the award ceremony can little be described in words. All what one can record is that Puran Chand and Pyare Lal Wadali spilled magic all over — by mellifluously combining the powerful lyrics of Sufi faqirs. From Bulle Shah’s Ghunghat chuk o sajna hun sharmaan kanu rahkiyaan to the legendary Sufiana invocation in the form of Damadam mast kalandar — the singers presented the most sensitive poetry in a purely classical style. Lacing the magical lyrics of Baba Bulle Shah — Id aaye mera yaar na aaya, rabba khair kare ode dam di...yaar aave taan mein id manaavan, bina yaar de id na kam di — with dazzling virtuosity and bewildering command over the ragas they left the listeners spellbound. They sung the traditional Damadam song with power and grace. They also gave the history behind each of the three incidents narrated through the qalaam. For the first time ever, one traced the roots of the famous song — Lal meri pat rakhiyo bala jhoolelalan, sinddi da, sevan da, ali shah baaz kalandar.... The evening remained dipped in mirth and joy, even as the gathering was thirsting for more of
Wadalis, when they left the stage after rendering the magical honeyed lyrics of Waris Shah’s Heer — ni mein kamli yaar di
kamli..... |
Kalakriti-2001 inaugurated Chandigarh, March 31 In the pottery section, works like The Silver Creations, Black Gems, Blue Shades, The Diplomats, The Knights and Green Effect, reflected the creative talent of these young minds. A perfect blending of vibgyor shades was the hallmark of these works. Senior students displayed their fabric paintings, jute works, photo frames, Rajasthani paintings, rangoli and alpana designs, while junior students participated in collage making, besides
designing decorative thalis, cards, filecovers, cushions and tablemats. Tiny tots of the KG section, too, actively participated in the exhibition with their beautiful flags, glass images, bead work and mirror work. They also made candles and toy clowns. The exhibition was inaugurated by Justice D.V. Sehgal, while Mr D.P. Saroya , DPI (Schools), and Mr I.P.S. Bedi, President of the Independent Schools Association, were the guests of honour. |
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Museum displays Sanghol
collections Chandigarh, March 31 The sculptures on display here show vibrant grace of the aesthetically cut figurines of Yakshis which easily sets them apart from the Gandhara collections of the museum. The museum authorities have just finished labelling the sculptures on the basis of the research findings by Dr. S P Gupta, former Director of the National Museum, New Delhi, who is also an expert on Kushana art. Discovered in the year 1987 at Sanghol in Ludhiana district, by an archaeological expedition headed by Mr G.B. Sharma, the sculptures were part of a stupa which was first constructed in third century BC. Experts opine that the Sanghol stupa was probably the work of the Mauryan King Ashoka. The hallmark of the collection is the female anatomy which exhibits perfect proportions and balance in the body parts. The physical charm has been heightened with the aid of ornaments, necklaces and girdle in particular, a large variety of hair-do, bewitching smile, bashful countenance and coyish eyes. Beautifully curved flower patterns is another attractive point of this collection. This particular collection has been given to the museum by Sanghol Museum in exchange of a beautiful cannon belonging to the 19th century Sikh period, said Mr V.N. Singh, Director, Government Museum and Art Gallery. Those sculptures are merely an eye opener to the visitors regarding the beauties the original Sanghol collections hold, said Ms Poonam Khanna, Assistant Curator of the museum. Discovery of the Sanghol collection has proved once again that Punjab has been a cradle of civilisations, says Geetika Katha, a scholar in archaeology. It also evoked an interest in archaeology among the young students, she added. A detailed brochure, giving the complete particulars of the Sanghol sculptures, is also being prepared by Prof D.C. Goswami, Chairperson of the Department of Fine Arts, Panjab University. |
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Young printmakers reflect life Chandigarh, March 31 The techniques employed by the students are varied. From line etching- aqua tint and wood cut to viscosity and computer graphics — there is great talent on display. Talking to the students revealed the hidden aspects of their character. Each one of them has chosen his or her own concept, developed it through the choicest medium and finally expressed it with freshness. The virgin thoughts, coupled with a creative instinct, has worked wonders. The efforts are laudable, especially keeping in view the fact that the attempt is untutored. Some very arresting works on the display are the ones by Paramjit Singh, Manjit Singh, Reshma, Niyeti Chadha and Payal Aggarwal. Other participants — Navdeep Kaur, Monita, Upasna, Sonika, Anamika, Sonal Bawa, Simmi, Sarika Arya, Taranjit Kaur, Prerna, Prabh Simran, have also put forth a powerful assembly of about 13 works each. The techniques used include etching, lithographs, woodcuts, photographs, and computer prints, all used to depict issues close to life and nature. Paramjit’s work, entitled ‘50 year routine’ in line etching and aqua tint, exhibits his maturity as a printmaker. Others works seek to reflect the beauty of life as seen through the play between light and dark. Says the artist, “My works are inspired by nature. Right since childhood, I have been inspired by the various natural forces.” Paramjit has exhibited 10 prints. Niyeti Chadha has related to her own self through her works. All her exhibits, which were earlier displayed at IndusInd Bank Art Gallery, have been put up again, with an odd addition here and there. Manjit Singh reveals in colour viscosity which he has especially picked up from Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur. The artist has displayed about 14 works in viscosity and other techniques. His inspiration is also nature. Arvinder has concentrated on displaying the various dance forms in graphic technique. He begins with Bharatanatyam and ends with Thai dance, exploring various techniques, from etching and wood cut to computer graphics. Sarika draws concentration from nature. She has worked mainly in line etching and aqua tint, displaying beautiful prints. Her dolphin is especially eye catching. The rarely-used serigraphy and crayons is the medium of Monita Khullar’s choice. She also works in line etching and produces some amazingly fresh prints. Reshma has replicated the architectural grandeur of Rajasthan in her works. Nature also figures prominently in her prints. The works of Payal Aggarwal are very contemporary. Her computer prints are perfectly conceived and executed, so are her other works. The exhibition, inaugurated by the Home Secretary, Mr R.S. Gujral, can be viewed till April 3. |
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Drawings set in precision and style Chandigarh, March 31 The jury comprising Prof Prem Singh, Shiv Singh and Prof Brahm Prakash met on the premises of Kala Bhavan on March 28 and shortlisted 57 works out of the invited 151. Apart from that they also declared awards for seven artists, namely Akshaye Aggarwal, Sukhvinder Singh, Vandana Rakesh, Rupinder Buttar, A.S. Bhullar, Basudeb Biswas and Rosy Khosla. Out of the seven awarded artists, only four (A.S. Bhullar, Vandana, Rosy and Akshaye) were present to receive the award of Rs 7,000 each. Some of the arresting works on display, apart from the awarded ones, are by Jaspal Singh, who draws masks with his brush. Pen sketches by H. Jhamb, a local artist, are equally appealing in form and style, so are the works by Preeti Bandish and Lalit Pant. A set of three women in ink and water by Sanjeev Kumar has a certain mystic quality and reflects the depth of the artist. Then there are the works by Delhi-based printmaker Sukhwinder Singh, which explore complications of human relationships. |
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