R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
SENATE MEETING: The Senate meeting of Guru Nanak Dev University will be held on March 22 in the Senate Hall of the university here. Besides, other matters, the annual budget estimates for the financial year 2003-2004 will also be presented at the meeting.

WORKSHOP: Guru Nanak Dev University will hold a two-day workshop in connection with the assessment of colleges in Guru Nanak Bhavan auditorium here on Sunday and Monday.

DHARNA: The Punjab State Pensioners Confederation has announced to stage a dharna in front of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s residence on March 22. Mr Aftar Singh Afat, patron of confederation, urged the Chief Minister to look into federation’s demands. He alleged denial of total dearness relief of 52 per cent to widow pensioners and unilateral transfer of pension account from treasury office to banks.

BATHINDA
SODOMY CASE: The thermal plant police station has registered a case against Bhola Singh, a nihang, for sodomising a student of Class IV of Sivian village near here. Sources said the medical examination of the boy was got conducted at the local Civil Hospital. A case under Section 377 of the IPC has been registered.

FREE COURSE: Mr Rakesh Narula, president, Bathinda Vikas Manch, in a press note issued here on Wednesday said the Northern India Technical Consultancy Organisation (NITCON) had agreed to impart free computer education to a group of 25 students, free of cost.

FEROZEPORE
FUNDS RELEASED: The Punjab Government has released Rs 736.13 lakh for various development works to be undertaken shortly in the border district from the Border Area Development Fund. This was disclosed by Mr Pratap Singh Bajwa, PWD Minister, while presiding over a meeting of the District Planning Board. He stated Rs 49.57 lakh would be spent on the rural water supply scheme and Rs 65.37 lakh would be spent on other planned works.

DORAHA
SOCIETY SET UP: A Sahnewal area welfare society has been set up under the presidentship of Mr Sukhjit Singh Hara, block president, Congress. According to Mr Sukhjit Singh Hara, and Mr Tejinder Singh Ghola, vice-president, the society aims at providing any sort of financial or medical support to the people of the surrounding 25 villages. A total of 51 members have been included in this society.

KHAMANO
BUS OVERTURNS: Six persons, including two women, were injured when a CTU bus overturned after hitting a divider near a petrol station here. According to information available the bus was going towards Ludhiana from Chandigarh. Two injured were identified as Jagtar Singh of Chachrari village, near Jagraon, and Sukhwinder Singh Saini of Sahibzada Fateh Singh Nagar, Ludhiana.They were rushed to the local Civil Hospital.

LUDHIANA
BEE-KEEPING: A 10-day training programme on bee-keeping for farmers was organised by the Department of Entomology in collaboration with the Department of Extension Education, Punjab Agricultural University. Giving this information, Dr Jaswinder Singh Bhalla, coordinator of the courses, said over 46 participants of the course were trained by various experts. The participants were told to visit the university for a kisan mela to be held on March 22 and 23.

CONDEMNED: The local Masihi Welfare Society has condemned the move of the Gujarat Government in appointing the police officials for conducting a survey of Christian families settled there. Stating this in a press note, Mr Nthaniel Gill, president of the society, said such a duty should instead be assigned to the employees of the education or some other department.

NAHAN
SEMINAR: A seminar on pre-natal determination of sex and female foeticide, was held at Zonal Hospital here. The ADC, Mr Subhash Kalsotra, expressed concern over decline in the female ratio in the state. The Chief Medical Officer, Dr Sneh Gupta, disclosed that population of women had decreased at the rate of 6 per cent which could pose serious problems for the society. Suresh Rattan of the Rotary Club said there was a bias in the society against the women which should be removed with involvement of NGOs.

SAMRALA
PROMOTED: Nine patwaris of Ludhiana district have been promoted as qanungo by the Deputy Commissioner (District Collector) ,Ludhiana, Mr Anurag Aggarwal. Four patwaris from SC category are: Mr Shingara Singh, Mr Tehal Singh, Mr Harbans Singh, and Mr Prem Singh, while the five patwaris belonging to general categories are: Mr Rajinder Pal , Mr Paramjeet Singh, Mr Nirmal Singh, Mr Ravinder Singh, and Mr Jasbir Singh. Sweets and laddoos were distributed on Thursday in the court complex here by the Patwar Union, Samrala.

STATE PENSIONERS: Mr Prem Sagar Sharma, president of the Punjab State Pensioners Mahasang, after holding a meeting with the Chief Secretary to the Government of Punjab, said here on Thursday that the Chief Secretary had accepted the demand of a deputation of the body and had issued orders that the pensioners could get payments either through treasury or through public sector banks.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

DHARAMSALA
VICTORY RALLY: The Health Minister, Ms Chandresh Kumari, was on Wednesday given a warm welcome when she returned home for the first time after being sworn in as a minister. She was received by hundreds of her supporters at Gaggal and was brought to Dharamsala in a big motorcade. The Health Minister later held a victory rally in her constituency.