Female child labour preferred in domestic work: study
Ludhiana, July 13
There are millions of unfortunate children who are deprived of basic necessities of life and are forced by circumstances to work as domestic servants. Child labour is defined as the work of children under conditions that interfere with the physical development, education and recreational opportunities which they require. 

Railway commuters having tough time
Ludhiana, July 13
Railway commuters between Ludhiana and Ferozepore are having a tough time due to the shortage of racks at the railway station here. There are only four passenger trains, which take care of the passenger traffic between the two cities.

Drying of flowers — a lucrative business

	Ludhiana, July 13 Flowers with their amazing variety, colors and hues, their delicate scents are all-time favourites. Love for flowers is universal and so is the desire to preserve their beauty for a long time. Even under ideal conditions and best scientific solutions, the life of flowers cannot be prolonged.
	An attractive arch and a bouquet made of dried flowers.

Fans for schools land up in Mini-Sectt
Ludhiana, July 13
While the government does little to provide facilities to schools in rural areas, it does not hesitate to grab what is donated to these in charity. The fans installed in the lobby in front of the office of Sub-Registrar (West) in the Mini-Secretariat here is a typical example.

Officers donate blood for Nihang baba
Ludhiana, July 13
Top civil and police officials of the district administration donated blood for Jathedar Baba Baldev Singh Nihang Singh when he was operated upon for bypass heart surgery at a heart institute here yesterday.

Two bodies recovered
Mandi Gobindgarh, July 13
Acting on the statement of Ms Shinder Kaur, wife of Mr Beant Singh of Kumbh village, near here, the local police recovered the body of latter with multiple injuries. The post-mortem was conducted at Civil Hospital, Mandi Gobindgarh, on Friday.

Rapist nabbed by police
Sahnewal, July 13
The person who tortured and raped a minor girl of Raian village, was arrested by a police naka at Bhaini Sahib Chowk today. The accused, Kuldip Singh, was presented in the court and was remanded in police custody for one day. 

1 killed, 6 hurt in accident
Ludhiana, July 13
The police is yet to ascertain the whereabouts of the driver of a Tempo truck that was involved in an accident with an auto-rickshaw near Baddowal last evening in which one woman was killed and six were injured.

Imposter held
Ludhiana, July 13
The workers of a dyeing factory near Central Jail today caught a man posing as an Excise and Taxation officer who had come to the factory to raid it. He was stated to be in inebriated condition, but the moment the factory owners demanded his identity card he fumbled and tried to flee. 

BUSINESS

Contractors told to exercise restraint
Ludhiana, July 13
In view of a complaint by the Small Scale Steel Re-rollers Association of Khanna alleging that octroi contractors were harassing general public travelling by cars, a meeting was called by the Executive Officer, Khanna Municipal Council, in which representatives from both the association and the private octroi contractors took part.

Symposium on pest management
Ludhiana, July 13
The Indian Society for the Advancement of Insect Science, Ludhiana, and the Indian Society for Biocontrol Advancement, Bangalore, in collaboration with the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, ICAR and PAU are organising a symposium on “biocontrol based pest management for quality crop protection in the current millennium” at the PAU on July 18 and 19.

EDUCATION

Unaided colleges seek aid
Ludhiana, July 13
The Punjab Unaided Affiliated College Principals and Management Association held a meeting to discuss issues related to non-implementation of the 95 per cent government aid scheme for them.

PAU VC revokes order
Ludhiana, July 13
The Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University today revoked his orders of closing some gates of the university. The orders were passed yesterday that some of the gates would be opened only for a few hours on all working days.

COURTS

Forum directs PUDA to refund Rs 1,03,500
Ludhiana, July 13
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority to refund Rs 1,03,500 to Mr Harminder Singh, a resident of Model Town. The amount was charged by PUDA on account of non-construction charges. 

One of the paintings of Ravinder Raipury at an exhibition held at Students Home, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.  — Photo Rajesh Bhambi

Unique combination of art and photography Ludhiana, July 13 At a solo exhibition of his creations at the Students’ Home, Punjab Agricultural University, artist Ravinder Raipury displayed a unique combination of art and photography. The exhibition was inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. K.S. Aulakh, PAU. ‘‘I was always fond of photography and I considered it as my favourite hobby but now I have made it my profession. I got my masters in business management from Patiala after getting my BSc agriculture degree from the PAU. But I was led by my heart. Despite getting good job offers, I decided to take photography as my profession — but with a difference. I decided to specialise in portraits. After taking a photograph, I would use pencil for shading certain areas, then I used acrylic colours and oil paints to give my portraits three-dimensional effects.’’

HEALTH

Wrong diagnosis by labs a common feature
Ludhiana, July 13
“The whole family was very happy as I was going to have my first baby. My in-laws were excited and so was Ashwani, my husband. During my second trimester, I started running low grade fever and my in-laws took me to a doctor for a check up.

How to avoid cholera and gastroenteritis
Prevention is better than cure in the case of cholera and gastroenteritis. Cholera is an acute infection which spreads in water contaminated by human faeces. Today, it usually occurs only in areas where hygiene and sanitary conditions are poor. 

Admn urged to implement High Court’s order
Ludhiana, July 13
The Indian Crime Prevention Society, Punjab, has demanded to implement the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court against illegal, unauthorised and unqualified quacks practising in the city.

Badminton hall given a facelift

Ludhiana, July 13 A facelift has been given to the Lal Bahadur Shastri badminton hall by the local Municipal Corporation. A new wooden court has been prepared in one corner of the hall. Now there are four wooden courts in the hall. A table tennis hall has been constructed on the first floor.
The Shastri badminton hall in Ludhiana which has been spruced up.