HEALTH

Plan to expand heart centre
Our Correspondent

Dr Jaison said that they were planning to have a new building for the heart centre near the trauma and emergency unit worth about Rs 7.5 crore. This would be set up in collaboration with the Jawaharlal Oswal Charitable Trust.

Workshop on neonatal resuscitation
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 21
In India, the rate of children who suffer from asphyxia at the time of birth is 26.4 per 1000 persons. The infant mortality rate is 30 per cent and the causes responsible for this are lack of adequate medical facilities, and untrained medical personnel, said Dr Daljit Singh, Professor and Chief, Department of Paediatrics, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, at a day-long workshop at the Dumra Auditorium here.

The workshop was organised by the Department of Paediatrics, DMCH, to impart training to paediatricians, obstetricians and general practitioners in neonatal resuscitation. More than 50 persons participated in the workshop.

The workshop was inaugurated by Dr S.C.Ahuja, Principal, DMCH. In the workshop, the pathophysiology of asphyxia, initial steps of resuscitation, bag and mask ventilation, chest compressions, endotracheal incubation and drug therapy was discussed which was followed by a practical skill training of the participants on mannequin and resuscitation equipment.

Dr Ahuja handed over the certificates to the successful participants during the valedictory function.

Dr H.S. Bains, Reader, Department of Paediatrics, DMCH, said birth asphyxia indicate inability to breathe properly at birth. "Oxygen supply to the brain and other vital organs of the body is reduced, causing damage, which is sometimes irreversible. It can lead to death or serious handicaps in the babies in the form of mental retardation and many kinds of other neuro-developmental deficits", he added.

SPORTS

Balraj Sharma for Asian Swimming Meet
Our Sports Reporter

Mr Sharma has been associated with swimming in various capacities. He is member, Asian Amateur Swimming Federation, executive committee, South Asian Swimming Federation, Vice-President, Swimming Federation of India, and general secretary, Punjab Swimming Association.

ADMINISTRATION

DC’s directive on development information boards
Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, August 21
Mr Vikas Paratap, Deputy Commissioner, while presiding over a monthly meeting to review the progress of ongoing development projects in the district, directed all BDPOs to install development information boards carrying all information regarding the development works, outside the community centres or at the entrance of the village within a period of one month. He said that the amount sanctioned for the project, date of start, date of completion of work and the name of the official inspecting the work and of contractor should be mentioned on these boards, so that transparency and improvement in the quality of work could be ensured and people of the village could verify the proper utilisation of the funds.

He warned the officials concerned that he would himself inspect the installation of such boards and if anyone failed to carry out the orders, those officials would not be spared. He said that it was the moral duty of all officials to ensure that the amount being sanctioned in the planning board meetings and by the CM during sangat darshan programmes for the various development projects was properly utilised. He also called upon the BDPOs to take required steps to make industrial focal points more functional and to encourage the public for the utilisation of community centres constructed there, so that the people could make maximum use of the facilities provided there and income at the focal points could be enhanced. He also urged to ensure that the grants released for the construction of houses under the Indira Awas Yojna to the families living below poverty line was properly used as per rules.

Taking a serious note of the unnecessary delay by different departments in submitting the utilisation certificates of the grants under various heads, the Deputy Commissioner directed all heads to submit the certificates within fifteen days otherwise action would be taken.

Reviewing the progress of new five-marla plots scheme for poor people, the DC directed the BDPOs to immediately get the resolution passed by the panchayats in the general house of gram sabha, presided over by the BDPO, so that all homeless could be provided with plots. He also urged the SDMs to personally visit the sites of the plots along with the other technical staff, so that a proper scheme for the construction could be carried out. He also urged all officials to launch the sapling plantation drive in the district, and directed the District Forest Officer to provide the required quantity of the plants to the different departments, so that all 50,000 plants prepared by the Forest Department were planted within 10 days in the district. He also directed the DFSC to take the samples of the diesel and petrol to check the adulteration.

Admn to check sale of spurious farm inputs: DC
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 21
Farmers have been asked not to harvest the paddy before time as it will bring the quality of the paddy down and also affect the yield, besides posing the problem of sale in the grain market. Stating this, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sandhu, directed the Chief Agriculture Officer to conduct field visits and educate the farmers about proper harvesting of paddy. Mr Sandhu was addressing the monthly meetings of different departments here today.

He said that 2.35 lakh hectare area was under cultivation in the district and about 12 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was expected in the mandis this year. Taking serious note of the menace of spurious fertilisers and farm chemicals, Mr Sandhu directed the Chief Agriculture Officer to take stern action against the dealers of fertilisers and pesticides whose samples had failed laboratory tests.

The administration had issued show-cause notices to defaulting dealers and if found guilty, their licences would be cancelled.

Mr Sandhu stressed the need for improvement in the quality of the fruit varieties and asked the Horticulture Department to get the technical expertise from Punjab Agricultural University and feed back from farmers for this purpose.

The SDMs were asked to check the apni mandis for selling the produce by the farmers directly, in the wake of complaints that other shops for the sale of clothes and utensils were also being put up in these mandis. He directed the officials of the Agriculture Department to ensure proper supply of fertiliser in the market.