EDUCATION

NCERT English tutorial for Afghans
Smriti Kak

New Delhi, July 29
After imparting specialised training to Afghanistan police officials by the famous Punjab Police Academy in Phagwara, it is now the turn of the National Council of Education, Research and Training (NCERT) here to do a bit for the Afghans. A 20-member team comprising Afghan diplomats will reach the Capital next month for a three-month training programme.

The visitors are arriving for two different courses. While one batch will be trained by the police authorities the second batch will be coached in a basic communication programme in English by the NCERT.

According to NCERT officials, the Ministry for External Affairs has requested them to conduct a month’s training course for the diplomats. The aim of the programme is to introduce and develop the basic communication skills.

“The Government of Afghanistan has asked the MEA to help them in training their diplomats. The MEA, in turn, has asked us to prepare a curriculum for these people so that they can effectively communicate in English”, pointed out Prof Puran Chand, Head of the NCERT’s Publication Division.

The NCERT on its part is well prepared to face the challenge. Language experts have been roped in to prepare the curriculum and teach the visitors. A core committee consisting of more than 10 experts has been constituted to prepare the course module for the special training programme.

“We are meeting later this week to give a final shape to this programme. We have already worked out the modalities and have prepared extensive coaching material for teaching them. Since we have to teach them communication skills in a very short period of time we have had to make use of audio-video tools and other techniques. Our aim is to be able to help them improve their skills”, adds Prof Puran Chand.

The classes for this special batch will be held on the NCERT campus from August and the duration will be about eight hours. The faculty will include Prof S. Ram, a retired professor of the NCERT, who is also a part of the team that prepares the NCERT texts. Experts from within the NCERT faculty, IGNOU and National Open School (NOS) apart from some school principals and senior teachers from the Capital are also going to be a part of the faculty.

COURTS

Official nod must for refitted CNG buses: SC
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 29
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Government of NCT of Delhi that no retro-fitted/ converted CNG buses be allowed to ply until the Transport Commissioner is satisfied, and certifies that they conform to the safety norms as laid down in the 19 November 2001 Gazette notification.

The Supreme Court also directed the Government of India to explain why extension till 18 November 2002, had been given to the Gazette notification on safety norms when it was “a matter of safety” of converted or retro-fitted buses.

The court heard the affidavit of Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) and of the Government of NCT of Delhi regarding supply and demand of CNG. The counsel for IGL sought time to consider the report of the Bhure Lal Committee and submit to the court the installed capacity, compression capacity and dispensing capacity of IGL– present and projected.

A prayer filed by the Government of Haryana regarding the implications of stopping the trucks transiting through Delhi at the Delhi border was also heard. The Government of Haryana made two points: One, that the road infrastructure being inadequate to handle the diverted truck traffic, time should be given to develop the roads with adequate carrying capacity for heavy vehicles; and two, that the peripheral expressway should be allowed to bypass Delhi and shifted into the alternative alignment suggested by the Government of Haryana.

On the scheme of Delhi Police to stop all trucks not destined for Delhi, the Supreme Court directed the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana Police to render all assistance to the Delhi Police to comply with the orders of the court.

Govt asked to consider removing curbs on blood donors
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 29
The Delhi High Court today asked the Centre to consider removal of the restriction on rickshaw-pullers and prisoners donating blood if they make it on their free will. A Bench comprising Chief Justice S B Sinha and Justice A K Sikri said the government might consider removing the restriction on them, while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). 

“By putting these restrictions, a large section of public are not able to donate their blood even to their own relatives in extreme emergencies,” a private organisation, Joint Action Council (JAC), said in the PIL. Such restrictions would put those poor patients in great danger whose relatives could not afford to buy blood from blood banks, JAC counsel Ravi Shankar Kumar said. 

The Union Health Ministry had issued a notification on April 5, 1999, fixing certain criteria for blood donations in which various restrictions were imposed on people belonging to these categories, the PIL said. The notification also provided for charging processing fee of Rs 500 per unit of blood or its products issued to the patients in private hospitals or private wards.

Lok Adalat settles 1,403 cases
Our Correspondent

Ghaziabad, July 29
Some 1,403 cases were resolved at the Lok Adalat organised by District Legal Aid Authority and Rs 5.94 lakh were collected by way of fines.

Thirteen lakh rupees were distributed as compensation for victims of road accidents from the insurance companies. Lok Adalats were held in various courts of Ghaziabad district under the chairmanship of Addl. District Judge A. K. Aggarwal.

The secretary, Mr V S Patel, said 1,403 cases were disposed off in the various courts of the district. These included 1,229 cases of economic offences, 151 revenue cases, 10 divorce cases and 8 cases of motor vehicle accidents. Besides, at Hapur 296 cases were settled while Rs 45,900 were collected as fines and penalties. At Garh Mukteshwar, 94 cases were amicably settled and Rs 15,950 were collected as fines. Similarly in Modi Nagar, 15 cases were settled. The cooperation of women litigants’ was very significant, Mr Patel added.