EDUCATION

Counselling sessions for IAS aspirants
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 19
The Centre for IAS and Other Competitive Examinations, Panjab University, will organise a counselling programme from May 20 to 23 for beginners who want to appear in the Civil Services Examination-2004. According to the coordinator of the centre, Dr R.K. Mahajan, the counselling sessions will be organised at the centre at 11 am on all days.

“Resource persons will discuss how to plan for this three-stage examination. The programmes will be largely focussed on queries of students regarding selection of optional subjects, nature of the general studies paper and improving knowledge of current affairs,” added Mr Mahajan. Candidates who recently appeared in the Civil Services (preliminary) examination will interact with candidates.

Panel to re-work BA-I English syllabus
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 19
Anthologies in English for the first-year of degree courses in colleges affiliated to Panjab University are to be compiled afresh. A committee has been set up by the university to undertake this task.

The university’s Faculty of Languages has proposed a panel of four teachers to re-work the curriculum for BA-I English (compulsory). Besides, a professor from the university’s Department of Correspondence Courses, the panel includes a lecturer from the MCM DAV College for Women, Chandigarh, and two lecturers from G.G.N. Khalsa College, Ludhiana.

According to sources, the decision to re-work the syllabus stems from guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission recently. Following the Vice-Chancellor’s directive, the Board of Studies in English had recommended changes to be incorporated in the curriculum.

Based on the changes recommended by the board, the panel will compile the anthologies, which include poetry as well as stories. Sources said English syllabus was being changed after a long time. Meanwhile, the university has also decided to amend the eligibility rules applicable to candidates seeking admission to the first year of BA or B.Sc courses as far as performance in English is concerned.

It has been proposed to make it mandatory for a candidate to pass in English at the Plus Two or equivalent level. The university’s present rule states that a candidate should have passed the lower examination “with English as one of the subjects”. It has been proposed to amend the rule to read as having passed the lower examination “with pass in English as one of the subjects”.

A person who has not passed in English at the Plus Two level would be permitted to join the first year of the degree course provided he qualifies in English in two consecutive chances.

SCHOOL WORLD
Geography
About Azerbaijan

THE Republic of Azerbaijan is located on the Caspian Sea, in the eastern area of Transcaucasia. To its north lies Georgia and the Dagestan area of the Russian Federation. It shares its western borders with Armenia and the southern borders with Iran.

Azerbaijan was the home of the Scythian tribes and part of the Roman Empire. Overrun by the Turks in the 11th century and conquered by Russia in 1806, it joined the erstwhile USSR in 1922. It became an independent country when the USSR disbanded in 1991.

Covering an area of 86,600 square kilometers, the northern and western aprts of the country are mountainous, while the central and south-eastern parts are plains. Its highest point, Bazar-Dyuzi rises 16,694 feet above sea level. Major rivers are the Kura and Araka.

Coastal areas have a sub-tropical climate, but inland winters tend to be bitter and harsh.

The literacy rate of the population is stated to be 97 per cent, and the republic is noyted for the logevity of the population. About 88 per cent of the population is muslim, while the remainder is orthodox christan.

Azerbaijan's natural resources include oil, iron, aluminium, copper, lead, zinc, precious metals, sulphur pynites, limestone and salt.

Chief agricultural products include grain, cotton, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tobacco and silk. Oil is its most important industry, with other major outputs including oilfield equipment, iron and steel, chemicals and textiles.

With a gross national income stated to be around 5 billion dollars, Azerbaijan has trade relations with CIS as well as European countries, Turkey, UAE, Italy and Iran.

FACT FILE

National Name: Azarbaijchan Respublikasy

Capital: Baku

Date of Independence: 1991

Type of Government: Republic

Population: 7.77 million

Currency: Manat

Official Language(s): Azeri, Russian, Armenian

Major Cities: Baku, Gandye, Sumgait

Continent: Asia

Website: www.president.az

COURTS

DISTRICT COURTS
IT returns scam: hearing put off
Our Correspondent

As per the prosecution, Mr Garg had been maintaining the record of the firms which did not exist in reality and had recovered from his possessions a number of related files, fake TDS from various places, CPU of the computers and other record files.

Beant Singh case

The statement of another witness, Budra Zaman, from Calcutta was today recorded in the Beant Singh assassination case. While deposing before the UT Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr Balbir Singh, stated that five persons, including Gurmeet Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Jaswant Singh, a woman and a child stayed in Classic hotel in Calcutta.

Giving details he added that his mother was the owner of hotel and he had been taking care of the hotel.

He further said five persons had stayed in the hotel from September 22 to September 30, 1995, and one of them made entry in the hotel register.

He said the CBI had shown him photographs, and he had identified three persons who had stayed in the hotel, The CBI had informed him that three are — Balwant Singh, Jagtar Singh Hawara and Kuldeep Singh. But today Budra Zaman failed to identify the two of the accused who were lodged in the jail claiming that after a lapse of so many years he could not identify them.

The nine accused include Jagtar Singh Hawara, Jagtar Singh Tara, Paramjit Singh, Shamsher Singh, Balwant Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Nasib Singh, Navjot Singh, have been facing trial for their alleged role in the assassination of the former Punjab Chief Minister of Punjab, Beant Singh and presently lodged in the Model Burail Jail.

Dy Director of zoo seeks regular bail
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 19
In just over two months after a first information report was registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau regarding alleged purchase of meat for animals at higher rates, Deputy Director of Chhat Bir Zoo Gurpal Singh today filed a petition seeking the grant of regular bail.

He was earlier booked for cheating and forgery under Sections 409, 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC, besides under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. According to the prosecution, the meat was purchased at higher rates from Saharanpur.

Claiming to have been wrongly implicated in the case, the petitioner had earlier contended that he was not a member of the high-level committee on whose recommendations the meat was purchased. He had submitted that the allegations were vague. He had asserted that the first information report was registered in the matter after a long delay.

Giving details, he had submitted that the matter pertained to the period prior to 2000, while the case was registered on March 4, 2003. Counsel for the petitioner had added that ironically the FIR was based on surmises and conjectures even though it was lodged after such a long time.

Taking up the petition against the state of Punjab and other respondents, Ms Justice Kiran Anand Lall of the High Court issued notice of motion for August 12.