The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

HEALTH

After education, Amity fans out in the social sector
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 2
Apart from providing world class education opportunities to youth of India, the Amity group has also been active in the field of social development under the banner name of Amity Humanity Foundation. As part of its continuing endeavour to provide better living standards to the physically and mentally challenged people, the group today held its 2nd rehabilitation camp in the densely populated Chirauri village, situated in Loni block of Ghaziabad. According to Dr Ashok K Chauhan, founder president, Ritnand Balved Education Foundation (RBEF), Amity Humanity Foundation has been established for the betterment of the most neglected sections of the society.

Under this cause, a scheme has been started from 8th April 2002 for the rehabilitation of physically challenged people.

“Under this scheme, a rehabilitation and medical check-up camp was organised on 3rd May 2002 in Jawli village and today it was held at Chirauri village,” says Dr Chauhan. More than 200 individuals were medically examined in this camp.

In this camp, emphasis was given on the rehabilitation and operation of the physically challenged persons, many of whom were also provided with tricycles and wheelchairs. Two children, who were polio affected, were even operated by Dr M L Gupta in his Sahibabad located clinic after he checked them in the camp.

During the camp, Major-General Surinder Kumar, director, Amity Humanity Foundation, said that approximately a month before the camp was organised, a door to door survey was done to collect health related information.

In this survey, information from 1,413 families was collected. The total population covered by the survey was 8,865. As many as 392 people were found to be physically or mentally challenged.

According to Dr Chauhan, the majority of the handicaps-179 individuals-were found out to be suffering from eyes and vision related problems. Moreover, while 63 persons were found to be hearing impaired, 23 suffered from speech impairment. Seven persons were both deaf and dumb, the survey said.

Ninety-three persons were found with disfigured bodies. Many were also afflicted by polio. According to the survey, nearly 4.40 per cent of the population of the village was disabled in one form or another.

Besides, many villagers were affected with epilepsy. In view of the above figures, the health of the villagers was completely unsatisfactory.

The survey showed that in Jawali, out of the 960 families surveyed, 400 people were found out to be handicap in some form or the other. It was a sad state of affairs since Jawli is one of the biggest villages of Loni block and had a population of 15,000 people.

According to the head of the Gram Sabha, Mr Saheb Singh, “the lack of first aid facilities in the village was mainly responsible for the poor health of the villager’s”.

During the camp, those suffering from various diseases and handicap were recommended to the area hospital and other specialists for check-up. Major-General Kumar said that those patients requiring cataract operation, were given letters on behalf of the Mahanand Mission Government Hospital, Ghaziabad.

According to Dr Chauhan, those involved in the camp which was organised in the primary school included, Dr M L Gupta, Dr Madhuri Gupta(Neurologist), Dr A K Rastogi(Eye specialist), Dr Reera Chowdhary (Eye specialist)and Dr Preeti Rastogi(ENT specialist).

According to Dr Chauhan, this scheme is presently for three months and the objective is to continue this programme extensively for two-years in Ghaziabad.

Free medicines to poor patients increased
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 2
A non-government organisation today claimed that poor patients suffering from tuberculosis and AIDS in the Capital were now being provided medicines free of cost at the hospitals because of the innovating pooled procurement system.

This new system of procurement has increased the access of poor patients to good quality anti-tuberculosis and anti-retroviral drugs for treatment of HIV/AIDS.

The Delhi Society for Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs (DSPRUD) working in tandem with the Delhi Government and World Health Organisation has increased the availability of drugs for the poor patients from 30 to 40 per cent upto 90 per cent.

DSPRUD president Prof Ranjit Roy Chaudhury told reporters here that poor patients, who were earlier forced to pay money, were now getting free medicines at the hospitals.

This was possible through pooled procurement system under which no drugs are to be purchased directly by individual hospitals which saves about 35 per cent money.

This money could be used for the purchase of more medicines by increasing both access and availability of medicine. However, anti-AIDS drugs would be given only in cases of HIV transmission from mother to child while anti-TB medicine would be freely available to all poor patients, he clarified.

SPORTS

CISF celebrates shooters’ success at Commonwealth Games
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, August 2
It’s celebration time in the Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) headquarters in Delhi at the unprecedented success achieved by the Indian shooters in the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Manchester as a third of the members in the shooting squad belong to the CISF.

The Indian shooters have so far clinched 10 gold, six silver and two bronze medals at the shooting ranges at Bisley. The echo of the golden shots is reverberating at the CISF headquarters in New Delhi’s Lodhi Road. Ace shooter Anjali Ved Pathak Bhagwat, who has already shot three gold medals, is the CISF’s star performer. Samresh Jung, a silver medallist, is another medallist from the CISF.

The CISF Director-General, Mr H. J. Dora, reflected the jubilant mood prevailing in the CISF rank and file when he congratulated the exemplary performance of the shooters in the 17th Commonwealth Games in glowing terms.

“Their performance is a tribute to the sporting excellence we are striving for in the core competency areas identified by the CISF sports nursery. It shows what a focused approach can achieve with consistency of efforts”.

Mr Dora was particularly referring to the special thrust given by the CISF in its new sports policy that identifies specific sports like judo, taekwondo, wrestling, weightlifting, boxing, handball, kabaddi and hockey, besides shooting, for focused promotion by identifying and nurturing talents from a young age with requisite training and infrastructure facilities.

The CISF shooters include Anjali Ved Pathak, Samresh Jung, Kuheli Ganguli and Sushma Rana. They have an enviable record both in the national and international arena. In the Commonwealth Shooting Championships, 2001, held in England, CISF shooters had made an impressive collection of 13 medals—five gold, four silver and four bronze. The tally rose to 22 medals (six gold, 12 silver and four bronze) in the prestigious European Championship Circuit in 2002.

Consistently good performances in the ISSF World Cup, 2002, Sydney and Atlanta circuits earlier this year made Anjali the first Indian small bore shooter ever to earn a quota place for the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 in the women’s air rifle category.

As a special incentive, Mr Dora had felicitated the CISF shooters with cash grants to enable them to procure world class imported kits for the sport. The Commonwealth Games success shows that the CISF efforts have greatly paid off as the shooters have been quick to deliver, more than expected, to bring laurels not only to the CISF, but also to the country.

DDCA Sports Committee gets down to work
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, August 2
The Working Committee of the Sports Committee of the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) at its first meeting selected convenors/joint convenors and co-ordinators of various committees for the season 2002-2003.

Mr Vinod Tihara has been made a co-ordinator while Mr P. S. Chauhan has been put in charge of press and media. Like Mr Tihara, Mr P. K. Soni has also been made a co-ordinator while Mr Anil Kumar Chaudhary will be in-charge of the Umpiring Committee.

Mr Praveen Jain is in charge of the Ground Committee, Mr Ramesh Sachdeva is heading the Senior Advisory Committee and Mm M. K. Sharma will be the head of the League and Tournament Committee.

Mr Ashok Sharma will head the Sports Committee and Mr Brij Mohan Gulati the Net Committee. Mr Ajit Singh Madhok will be the joint convenor of the League and Tournament Committee.

The Sports Committee, with Sports Secretary Sunil Dev as the supreme authority, is the fulcrum of the DDCA’s activities as the association’s sustenance and name comes from sports activities, though the revenue is generated from the club facilities.

Jagadhari Workshop records win
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, August 2
Jagadhari Workshop, Moradabad, and Ambala Division scored fluent victories on the opening day of the Northern Railway Sports Association Inter-Divisional Football Tournament at Ambedkar Stadium in the Capital today. Northern Railway Sports Association general secretary H. V. Sharma inaugurated the tournament in the morning.

In the first match in the morning, Jagadhari Workshop Division beat Allahabad Division 2-0. Both the goals came in the first half when Jaswinder Singh struck the first goal in the 20th minute and Vinod Kumar (Junior) accounted for the second goal in the 34th minute. In the second match, also in the morning, Moradabad Division trounced Lucknow Division 5-0. A brilliant hattrick by Amit Chopra was the highlight of the match.

Sudhir Thapa and Mohd Nasir Kamal netted the fourth and fifth goal, respectively. In the last match of the day, Ambala Division routed Railway Protection Force (RPF) 4-0. Sunil opened the account in the 26th minute while Charanpreet Singh got the second goal in the 38th minute to complete the first-half scoring.

In the second half, Sunil and Charanpreet Singh found the mark in the 50th and 58th minutes, respectively.

Bikaner Division got a walkover from Firozepur Division as the latter failed to turn up. Bikaner Division will now take on Ambala Division. Saturday’s fixtures: Delhi Division vs Moradabad Division (12.30 p m); Bikaner Division vs Ambala Division (2 p m); Headquarters Division vs Jodhpur Division (4 p m)—Ambedkar Stadium.

St Marks School beat St Giri
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, August 2
St Marks School, Meera Bagh, defeated St Giri Public School by 18 runs in a league match of the Prabhu Dayal Memorial Cricket Tournament at the St Marks School ground in the Capital. A fine knock of 45 runs by Sarans Sharma was the highlight of St Marks’ close victory. Batting first, St Marks School were all out for 199 in 30.2 overs. But the St Giri School boys proved unequal to the task to overhaul this modest total as they could make only 172 for seven wickets in the stipulated 35 overs.

Vikas Dalal was named the man of the match. Sarans got the best batsman award while Nishant Sharma was adjudged the best bowler.

Scores: St Marks School: 199 all out in 30.2 overs Sarans Sharma 45, Mohit Narula 30 no, Nishant Kumar 5 for 54, Amit Mehta 2 for 18, Vikas Dalal 2 for 20).

St Giri School: 172 for 7 in 35 overs (Vikas Dalal 78, Ajeet Singh 20, Nipun Malhotra 2 for 23, Hansit Singh 2 for 32, Abhinav Kumar 2 for 30).

ADMINISTRATION

Police asked to regulate traffic to facilitate kanwarias’ journey
Jatinder Sharma

Rohtak, August 2
The Inspector General of Police (Rohtak Range), Mr Resham Singh, today directed the district police chiefs of Rohtak, Panipat, Sonepat and Karnal to order round-the-clock patrolling along the national highways passing through their respective districts in view of the rush of `kanwarias on these roads. He said that tens of thousands of ‘kawrias’, carrying the sacred Ganga jal (water) on their shoulders and walking barefooted have entered these districts enroute to their respective villages. The ‘kanwarias’ destined for the Bhiwani, Mahandergarh and Rohtak districts could be seen chanting slogans of `bam bam bhole’ on the roads passing through these districts.

Following the ban on entry of commercial vehicles not conforming to pollution norms in Delhi, the entire heavy vehicle traffic from western India and destined for Punjab, Himachal, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and Haryana has now been diverted to Panipat via Gurgaon, Jhajjar, Rohtak and parts of Sonepat district. The Panipat-Rohtak road, Mr Resham Singh said was narrow and unfit to carry such heavy traffic. Therefore, he told the district police chiefs, the vehicular traffic on these roads should be regulated and ‘kanwarias’ should be advised not to walk in the middle of the road so as to avert any untoward incident. The speed of the heavy vehicles should be restricted to 50 km and light vehicles at 60 kms per hour, he ordered.