TRAINING PROGRAMME: The Art of Living Foundation will organise first Youth Training Programme for Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh at the Mata Mansa Devi Complex. According to Mr Sunil Gulati, sewa coordinator, the programme will be inaugurated by the Principal Secretary to the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr M.K. Miglani, on Friday at 6.30 p.m. There will be regular satsang upto February 28 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. everyday at the Mata Mansa Devi Temple. On February 27, on the occasion of Sant Ravidas’s birthday, there will be a blood donation camp and mental and health check-up camp. Mr Gulati said 108 youth in the age group of 20 to 35 years would be trained at the programme. The aim of the programme was to impart training in health, hygiene, human values, unity in diversity and homes for homeless in villages of the country. 

EVENING WITH AZAD: The National Education Development Trust (NEDT) will organise an evening with Prof Jagan Nath Azad, a renowned Urdu poet, here on Saturday. Lieut-Gen B.K.N, Chhibber, former Governor of Punjab, will be the chief guest, according to Dr S.V. Bhalla, director, programme, Ajit Karan Singh International Public School, Sector 41-B, Chandigarh. 

ALBUM RELEASED: Punjabi pop singer Satwinder Bugga launched his album “Kuri Punjaban Lagdi E” at Press Club here on Thursday. Released by TPM Music Company, the album has eight tracks, five of which are rhythmic and dance numbers and three soulful sad numbers. “The album reflects the true Punjabi culture and the videos for two songs “Kuri Punjaban Lagdi E”and “Ishq Ishq” have posturised in good taste,” said Satwinder Bugga while addressing mediapersons. He was accompanied by well known music director of this region Charanjit Ahuja. 

PANCHKULA
CAMP FOR FARMERS: The Agriculture Department and Krishi Vigyan Kendra organised a training camp for farmers at Raipur Rani in order to promote sunflower cultivation and cultivation of other oilseeds. Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner, Ms Jyoti Arora, said the training camp had been organised to disseminate information regarding the latest technological advances in agriculture and breaking from the traditional crop rotation and shift to cash crops. The DC also asked the farmers to help the administration in the proper maintenance of tubewells and dams to ensure a proper irrigation in the area. Among others present on the occasion were Dr R.L. Bhathla and Dr K.L. Banga. 

ELECTED: Mr R.L. Sharma was elected president and Mr Ram Prakash Gharu as general secretary of the Central Government Pensioners Association, Panchkula. It was also resolved at the meeting not to increase the annual subscription/fee and awareness about the pensioners be spread among civil pensioners and family pensioners. 

AMBALA
SEMINAR: The Chief Post Master General, Haryana circle, Mr T.R. Sharma, has been selected by the Government of India to participate in a seminar on Postal Service Management being held at Tokyo, Japan. Delegates from 12 countries will participate in the seminar to deliberate on the problems being faced in postal services by the participating countries and to discuss the measures to be taken from improving the quality of service. Mr Sharma has already worked as United Nation’s consultant in 1988 in training field, a release said. Although Haryana is mostly a rural circle, it is leading at the national level in the growth of speed post business consecutively for the last three years by achieving average growth of 146 per cent in business every year. 

DEMAND: Shiv Sena activists demanded that a police official who was suspended in the Lal Kurti girl’s death case should be reinstated on Thursday. A delegation of Shiv Sainiks including general secretary Shiv Charan met the Inspector-General of Police, Ambala Range, Mr Alok Joshi, to apprise him of their demand. 

FATEHABAD
LIFE TERM FOR THREE: The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr Darshan Singh, on Thursday sentenced a man and his two sons to imprisonment for life for the murder of a youth. The court also directed them to pay Rs 7,000 as fine. The three were being tried for the murder of a youth after taking him to the fields on the pretext of putting fertilisers there. Mr Dayal Chand, father of the victim Om Parkash, in his complaint with the police alleging that Ram Murti and his two sons, Tek Chand and Satpal, residents of Pilimandori village, had strained relations with his son. He alleged that they took him to the fields and after murdering him buried the body under a heap of turi. The police later recovered the body.

BAN ORDERS: The Deputy Commissioner, Mr O.P. Indora, on Thursday issued orders banning smoking at public places like auditoriums, health centres, hospitals, libraries, judicial complexes, railway stations, bus stands, all government offices and other public places. The City Magistrate, Mr R.C. Pawaria, told mediapersons that violation of these orders would attract punishment under the law.

MEETING HELD: A meeting of the district unit of the Haryana Kisan Sabha was held here on Thursday. The sabha demanded immediate announcement of the minimum support price for wheat for this season by the Central Government. It condemned the alleged atrocities being committed on the ‘Khanak’ labourers by the state government and demanded that the arrested labourers be released immediately.

HAMIRPUR
ACTION COMMITTEE FORMED: People of the Mewa area of the district have formed an action committee under the chairmanship of Mr Kashmir Singh Thakur, a senior CPM leader, to fight for their rights. The committee has been formed after the alleged failure of the state government to accept the people's pending demands. Mr Ishwar Dass Dhiman, the HP Education Minister, represents the area in the state Assembly. The action committee has decided to organise a rally at Shambhu -da-Tal, near Bassi, on March 10.

FRIENDS MEET: BJP dissidents of the Nadaun Assembly segment of the district have decided to join hands to protest against the alleged non-cooperative attitude of the party MLA. They have decided to organise a friends meet after the one held here on February 24. It would be followed by community lunch. Mr Kamal Nanda, pradhan of the Dhaneta gram panchayat and an RSS activist, and Mr Sudershan Jain, a senior BJP activist of the area, are the two main brains behind the meet.