R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
NEW DEAN: Dr Amarjit Singh Dua on Friday took over as Dean, College Development Council of Guru Nanak Dev University. He had recently retired as Principal from Government College, Zira. He has 37 years of teaching experience. He had been honoured with Best Teacher Award and Desh Seva Rattan Award.

SAPLING PLANTATION: The State Bank of India, Town Hall branch, organised a sapling plantation function at Government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) here on Friday. Speaking on the occasion, the Assistant General Manager, Mr G.D. Gupta, said students wanting to pursue higher courses could avail of an education loan.

PO HELD: A proclaimed offender (PO), Jarnail Singh, resident of Mudhal village, has been arrested under the Excise Act at Majitha police station. This was stated in a press note here on Thursday by the SSP, Ms Shashi Prabha Dwivedi.

BATHINDA
HAILED: Mr Suleman Khan, president, Muslim Human Welfare Society, on Friday said the Muslim community was happy over the decision of the Centre to set up a separate Wakf Board in each state.

MEETING: Mr Jaspal Singh, Labour Commissioner and Director of Factories on Friday said that all measures should be taken to ensure the safety of those working in major accident hazards (MAH) units and other industries. Addressing a meeting of officials and representatives of industries, he said industries should implement safety measures, as per norms devised by the authorities.

FATEHGARH SAHIB
DE-ADDICTION CENTRE: Mr P.H. Vaishnav, former Chief Secretary of Punjab and Chairman of the Society for Services to Voluntary Agencies (SSVA) on Friday visited the local Civil Hospital. He had come to inspect the drug de-addiction centre started by the District Red Cross Society with the help of the SSVA. The society had given Rs 5 lakh to the Red Cross for this project. Mr Vaishnav was accompanied by Mr B.B. Mahajan, executive member-cum-director of the organisation. Dr P.L. Goyal, Civil Surgeon, briefed the team about the treatment being given to the drug addicts and urged them to give more funds for the social cause.

JAIL REFORM: The Central Government has sanctioned Rs 30 crore for reforming the jails and the state government has chalked out a comprehensive plan to modernise them. A special barrack for only women prisoners is being constructed in all central and district jails on a priority basis. This was stated by Mr Malkiat Singh Birmi, Minister for Jails, on Saturday. He said the Indira Gandhi Study Center, Delhi, had agreed to open a center for the prisoners in the jails. He said the department had taken various steps to curb the menace of corruption in the jails and it was for the first time that more than 500 persons had been transferred.

PRIZE DISTRIBUTION: Mr S.K. Ahluwalia, Deputy Commissioner will distribute prizes among those who secured first, second and third positions in the Teej festival ‘Teean Teej Deean’ held on August 1 at Aam Khas Bagh, Sirhind. According to a press note, the function will be held on August 11 at Star Resorts, near Octroi No. 4, Sirhind.

LUDHIANA
BREASTFEEDING WEEK: The Ludhiana unit of the Food Nutrition Board, Government of India, observed World Breastfeeding Week from August 1 to 7 at ICDS project, Sanaour, District Patiala. A two-day orientation course for trainees was held at AWTC, Patiala. An exhibition was also held. Importance of mother’s milk was highlighted. Mr Anant Ram and Mr Dalbir Singh demonstrated preparation of low-cost simple recipes. A slogan-writing competition was also held.

SCHOLARSHIPS: The Rotary Club, Ludhiana north, will give scholarships worth Rs 1 lakh to deserving and needy students during 2003-2004. This was announced by the project director of scholarship programmes, Mr Sohan Singh, in the business meeting of the club here recently. He said he would be contributing Rs 25,000 from his own pocket and rest would be collected by other members. The president, Mr S.P.S. Dua, also spoke on the occasion. Those present in the meeting were Mr R.S. Behl, Dr S.S. Johl, Mr Tulsi Das Jaitwant, Mr Navneet Sehgal, Mr Manmohan Kalanori, Mr Sohan Singh, Mr Gurjit Singh Bajaj, Mr Charanjit Behl and Mr Amanjot Singh.

BEST SINGER: Students from nine schools of the city participated in an inter-school patriotic group and solo song competition. The contest was organised by Parampara, a social organisation, at Saraswati Modern School, Civil Lines, here on Saturday. Each school was represented by a group song team and a student participating in solo song competition. The team from Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School, Sarabha Nagar, presented a song ‘Mera mulk mera desh’, while the solo song was ‘Vande Mataram’. Students from RS Model Senior Secondary School sang ‘Hindi se kaho, Muslim se kaho’ and the solo item was ‘Mera rang de basanti chola’. Other participating teams included those from the host school, Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, BRS Nagar, BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Guru Nanak International Public School, Kundan Vidya Mandir, GRD Academy and DAV Public School. After the contest, a team from the host school presented a group dance item on ‘Phulon ka chaman’. Ankush Sharma from RS Model Senior Secondary School was declared the best singer in solo song category. In the group song category, Sacred Heart Convent School team stood first. The team also won the first overall prize. The second prize in the category went to Kundan Vidya Mandir. The judges on the occasion were Ms Namita Sharma from the Government College for Women, Ms Archana Khumaria and Mr Ranjodh Singh. Ms O.S. Negi, president of Parampara, Mr Gurcharan Dhanda, secretary, Ms Kamla Jain, Principal of the host school, were present on the occasion.

RAKHI CELEBRATED: Kids of Lily Buds Pre-Nursery and Nursery School, Sham Nagar, Ludhiana, celebrated Rakhi with enthusiasm. Arjun Attri was chosen Mr Lily Bud, while Surbhi was declared Miss Lily Bud. Priya Gupta and Niket were given prizes for wearing best costumes. All children were attired in colourful dresses. Girls wore suits, lachas, lehngas and sported bindis, tikkas, bangles and dupattas. Boys wore kurtas-payjamas, achkans and jackets. Prof R.K. Gupta and Principal Ravneet Kaur blessed the kids.

DEBATE: An inter-house English debate was held in Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, BRS Nagar. The topic was “Why do parents and teachers expect us to be perfect? Were they perfect too?” The issue was hotly debated by the participants. The winners of the contest were: Classes VIII to X — Ishmeet Singh (Class VIII) 1, Hemant Saggar (Class X) 2 and Rasleen Dua (Class X) 3. Classes XI and XII — Shireen Bhatt (Class XI) 1, Navdit Sharma (Class XI) and Maninder Singh (Class XI) 2, Varsha Shrivastava (Class XI) 3.

INTER-CLUB CONTESTS: The Ludhiana branch of VLCC organised rakhi-making, bindi-designing and tattoo-designing competitions here on Saturday. Participants from leading women clubs of the city, including Niharika, Geetanjali, Ramgarhia, Aar Cee, Gayatri, Rupika, Sarabha and Venus clubs, took part in the competitions. Ms Shweta Verma and Ms Abhilash Oswal were the judges. The winners of the rakhi-making competition were Ms Gurdeep Kaur (Ramgarhia Club) 1, Mr Priya Kapoor (Venus Club) 2, and Ms Kanika (Rupika Club) 3. The winners of the bindi-designing were Ms Sukhraj (Sahiba Club) 1, Ms Bawa Maggu (AarCee Club) 2, and Ms Shelly (AarCee Club) 3. Ms Aman Basan from Gayatri Club was declared first in tattoo-designing competition, while Pavneet from Venus club got the second prize. The third prize was given to Ms Pretty from Ramgarhia Club.

CELEBRATIONS: A recitation and fancy dress Show was organised at Everest Playway and Nursery School, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Park, Ludhiana. The function was presided over by Mr Bachittar Singh, District Education Officer (DEO), Ludhiana. Tiny tots attired in colourful dresses gave an excellent performance. Children dressed as national leaders attracted the attention of everybody. Ms Manjeet Kaur, Deputy DEO, and Ms Sudesh Bajaj, DEO, were also present. They gave away prizes to the winners. Ms Asha Sharma distributed sweets among children. Mr Rajinder Krishan Sharma, president of the Association of Affiliated Schools of Punjab blessed the tiny tots.

TEEJ CELEBRATIONS: Tiny tots of DIL School came attired in colourful dresses to participate in Teej festivities organised on the school campus. Bhangra performed by students stole the parents’ heart. The school Principal distributed ‘kheer’ and ‘maalpoodas’ among children . Sweets were also distributed.

BAIRAGI MAHA MANDAL: The Bairagi Maha Mandal, Punjab, would promote education and would also provide financial assistance to poor but brilliant children so that they could become self reliant and attain their due place in society. This was announced by state president of the mandal Mr Krishan Kumar Bawa, while addressing a function organised at Rajguru Nagar here on Friday to present 'Bairagi Ratan' awards to Mr Surinder Bawa, Mr Ravinder Bawa and Mr Ashok Bawa for making significant contribution to their respective fields. Mr Bawa said the mandal would launch a concerted campaign to root out social evils and to create a just and equal society. He remarked that illiteracy was a blot on the face of modern society and it ought to be tackled at various levels. "It is only through education that the youth can meet the challenges in the fast changing world and keep pace with the scientific and technological progress."

OFFICE-BEARERS: Ms Sheila Didi has been elected president and Ms Mohinder Sanbhar has been elected as the general secretary, respectively, of the Punjab Istri Sabha. Ms Jeet Kumari, state assistant secretary of the Punjab Istri Sabha, said both leaders had been elected to the posts, at the state conference of the sabha held at Budhlada recently. The other office-bearers included Ms Bir Kalsi, Ms Iqbal Kaur Bhasin, Ms Hakam Devi, Ms Daljit Kaur Arshi, Ms Sushila Chain and Ms Kirpal Kaur as state vice-presidents.

CONTEST: Ten teams from schools in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Doraha participated in Baba Gurmukh Singh Memorial Inter-School Shabad Gayan Competition organised in Guru Nanak Public School, Sarabha Nagar, here on Saturday. The team from Guru Harkrishan Public School, Dugri, sang the shabad ‘Kirat prabh ki’. ‘Chet basant bhala’ in raag ‘Tukhari’ was sang by the team from BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School. The team from Ramgarhia Boys’ Senior Secondary School sang the shabad ‘Prabh tere para ki dhoor’ in raag ‘Todi’. Other participating schools included Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Doraha, Nanakana Sahib Public School, Gill village, MGN Public School and CT Public School (both from Jalandhar), GGN Public School, DAV Public School and Ramgarhia Girls’ Senior Secondary School.

7 BOOKED: Seven persons have been booked under the NDPS and Excise Acts. Mr Narinder Bhargav, SSP, told newsmen on Friday here that Kuljeet Singh of Patti, Dilbag Singh of Tur village and Satnam Singh of Dharrar had been arrested under the NDPS Act, and Chanan Singh of Sohal village, Balwinder Singh of Veeram village, Kashmir Singh of Booh village and Gura Singh of Buraj Poohla village had been arrested under the Excise Act.

CHANDIGARH

150 SAPLINGS PLANTED: More than 150 saplings were planted by members of the Residents Welfare Association, Sector 28-A, here on Saturday. The exercise was carried out by Ms Harpreet Kaur Babla, a councillor, and Mr Devinder Babla, a local leader. According to a press note saplings of neem, jamun, mulberry, gulmohar and casia trees were planted on the occasion. Ms Babla said creation of a new green belt in the sector was high on the agenda. The Citizens’ Association, Sector 21, in collaboration with the Horticulture Department inaugurated a sapling plantation drive on Saturday. Mr Rajesh Gupta, councillor, planted the first sapling on the occasion.

HARYANA

AMBALA
DEMAND: The demand for a separate Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee was raised in a meeting held here on Saturday. The meeting was organised by the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee (ad hoc). Those present in the meeting demanded that a necessary Act in this regard should be passed before Baisakhi, 2004.

HISAR
REFRESHER COURSE: Developing countries should reap the benefits of the WTO regime, said Mr M.K. Miglani, Vice-Chancellor, Haryana Agricultural University, while addressing the valedictory session of a week-long refresher course on human resource management on Friday. Organised by the Academy of Research Education Management of the university, the course was attended by 36 participants from 20 developing countries, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Mongolia, Nepal, Mauritius, Maldives, Namibia, Kazakistan and Tanzania.

YAMUNANAGAR
CASH LOOTED: Three unidentified youth waylaid three persons in Khandwa village, about 10 km from here, on Friday and took away cash and other valuables at gunpoint. A case has been registered.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
JAGRUKTA SHIVIR: Dalit youth should take advantage of the training and financial facilities provided by the government under various schemes and plans in Himachal pradesh and set up their own self-employment units. This call was given by the local Bilaspur Sadar Congress MLA, Mr Tilakraj Sharma, while presiding over a one-day Jagrukta Shivir organised by the HP Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation here on Thursday evening.

KUMARHATTI
EXCLUSION SOUGHT: Dharampur residents led by Mr nanak Singh, vice-president of the Dharampur panchayat, on Friday made a representation to the Deputy Commissioner, Solan, and urged him to exclude the Dharampur Bhatol, Shiyardi Musalmana and Shiyardi Chamara villages from the jurisdiction of the Special Area Development Authorities.

SHIMLA
NOMINATED: Mrs Geeta Negi of Anu Basa village in Rohru has been appointed member of the State Commission of Women. She had been appointed for a period of three years.

SOLAN
EXPEDITION: Mr Ram Lal, Sports and Industry Minister, on Friday flagged off a 22-member mobike expedition from Kandhaghat. Organised by the Himalayan Adventure Club, the expedition is attempting to scale 19,000 foot-high Ladakh heights in two weeks. Passing through Chandigarh, mandi, Manali, Rohtang, Keolang, Baralaccha, Sarchu and Khardungla passes, the expedition will reach Marsimik Pass on August 15.

PARWANOO
SAPLING PLANTATION: The State Bank of India under the social banking scheme organised a sapling plantation drive in Sector 6 here, on Saturday .Mr Mohan Lal , Chief Manager, along with Ms Gupta, Assistant Manager, Mr Ravi Shekhar, Mr Navinder Singh, Mr Arvind Aggarwal, Mr H.L.Mohini, Mr Chouhan and Mr Nanda were present on the occasion. Saplings of ornamental and shady trees were planted on the occasion.

UNA
MELA ENDS: The Deputy Commissioner told this correspondent that the Chintpurni Shrawan Ashtami mela concluded here peacefully on Thursday. he said a sum of Rs 38.67 lakh was offered to the Mata Chintpurni shrine by pilgrims. Besides this, 373 gm of gold and 24 kg of silver were also offered. More than 13 lakh pilgrims visited the mela.