The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Cong clean city drive to spruce up image
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 22
The Delhi Chief of Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, will launch a week-long clean city campaign on Tuesday to raise the level of civic consciousness among the people and consequently make the nation’s Capital a better place to live in.

Coming before the scheduled assembly elections later this year, the campaign is being seen as an attempt to minimise the incumbency factor and at the same time involve the people in the developmental and progressive programmes of the Delhi Government.

Political observers said this campaign would also provide an effective counter to the ongoing Parivartan Yatra by the Delhi Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party to expose the so-called misgovernance of the Dikshit government. The campaign is also being seen as the beginning of the Congress election campaign in the Capital.

Addressing a press conference here today, the Chief Minister said the campaign would be launched to make the city clean but its success would depend upon the advance preparations made by the city government departments, the municipal bodies and important central government agencies having large public interface. The largest groups to be covered would involve the corporate houses, the industrial areas, the residential welfare associations, market associations, NGOs, students, rehari patri associations, kiosk or stall owners etc. and other citizens of the Capital.

She said the success of the campaign also required a mass effort on the part of each department. It was not only to build awareness among its own employees but the challenge lay in motivating people to think about the garbage one generated and think about minimising it instead of expecting the municipalities, the railway and owners of the premises to clean up the garbage left behind them.

While addressing the media, she said that all heads of the departments were required to hold orientation meetings, workshops and educational campaigns in preparation for the campaign. The department concerned should involve school students and teachers in a big way towards building neighbourhood awareness programmes through them. The MCD, the NDM, the CPWD, the ASI, the Delhi Police and the Northern Railway had already given their commitment to contribute in cleaning and lifting garbage from designated points, working collaboratively. The PWD and the MCD would contribute in giving a facelift to roads and central verges besides attending to road repairs on a war footing.

The MCD had designed a clean city campaign and also designated its zonal deputy commissioners as nodal officers for the campaign. The Environment and Information and Publicity Departments would help in publicity awareness building and provide publicity material to make the campaign successful.

She said the Education Department of the Delhi Government as well as the MCD and the NDMC would discuss the issue with school principals, teachers and students and parent teacher associations would also be involved to make the city clean.

Steer clear of petty politics: Sikh Forum
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 22
The Sikh Forum has appealed to members of the DSGMC to keep the interests of the community and sanctity of the gurdwaras paramount and above the interests of their respective factions during the forthcoming executive elections.

The members have urged the elected members of the DSGMC to reaffirm and reinforce the trust placed in them by the Sikhs in Delhi. It pointed out that the Delhi sangat would not condone any acts of betrayal.

The forum urged the members to refrain from being affected by allurements and not to shift loyalties from one faction to the other. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Shiromani Akali Dal, Delhi, (SADD), led by the present president of the DSGMC, Mr Paramjeet Singh Sarna, had earlier engaged in a battle of words and hurled accusations at each other.

The Akalis, who have been traditionally in control of the DSGMC and the SGPC, earlier accused Mr Sarna of toeing the Congress line.

Mr Sarna, who himself does not need to seek re-election as committee president, is trying to muster member-support to enable his party to retain control of the DSGMC.

Among those who have supported the views of the forum include Lt-Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora, Justice R. S. Narula, Dr Amrik Singh and Dr A. S. Narang.

SAD has been trying to wrest control of the cash-rich DSGMC, which controls several historical gurdwaras and educational institutes in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, as it will give it extra bargaining power in the run up to the assembly elections. SAD is aligned with the BJP.

Senior Akali leaders, including SGPC member Manjit Singh Calcutta, are camping here to muster support for their candidates in the September 24 elections to the executive. While the elections to the DSGMC are held every four years, the executive is elected every year. The term of the present president had expired on July 24.

Despite persistent appeals by the Akali leaders, including Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, president of the SGPC, Mr Sarna has refused to merge his faction with the recently unified Akali Dal. The SAD leaders have also not taken kindly to Mr Sarna’s recent remarks that the Punjab leaders should leave the Sikhs in the National Capital Territory alone and let them take their own decisions.

Heavy-on-the-pocket, levy sugar tastes bitter
Jatinder Sharma

Rohtak, September 22
Although the festival season is round the corner, there are no takers for levy sugar in the state. As a result, the sugar quota allocated by the Centre for sale through the public distribution system (PDS) has lapsed.

For the past many months depot holders in Haryana have not taken delivery of the levy sugar from the sugar mills. This is because sugar is available at much cheaper rates in the open market as against the price fixed for levy sugar by the Centre. The sugar mills in the state are in a fix as they cannot sell the PDS quota in the open market. As a result, the sugar stocks in the mills are mounting.

In Haryana, levy sugar is distributed to depot holders through Confed, a state government agency which also procures wheat etc. The mills supply levy sugar to Confed at the rate of Rs 1,256 per quintal. The agency charges Rs 8 per quintal as handling charges and supplies it to the depot holder at the rate of Rs 1,264 per quintal. The Centre reimburses the transportation charges incurred by the agency in supplying sugar to the depot holder.

The depot holder sells sugar to the ration card holders at the rate of Rs 1,342 per quintal. But for the past many months sugar has been selling at the rate of Rs 1,255 per quintal in the open market. Therefore, the consumers prefer to purchase their requirement from the open market.

A functionary of Confed told NCR Tribune that there is no demand from depot holders for sugar for the past many months. With the 2003-04 crushing season likely to start in the first week of October in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, the prices may not perk up in the months to come.

Meanwhile, all payments to farmers have been cleared for the sugarcane purchased by Rohtak Co-operative Sugar Mills during the 2002-2003 crushing season. The Managing Director, Mr P. K. Sharma, told NCR Tribune the mills had purchased sugarcane worth Rs 29.70 crore during the last crushing season and the last payment was made last week to the farmers. The security money, totaling Rs 1.33 crore, would be paid after the settlement of final accounts, he said.

CRIME SPIRAL
Spate of robberies in Delhi

New Delhi: A spate of robberies have been reported in the Capital in the past 24 hours. In the first incident, four persons armed with countrymade weapons robbed a 30-year-old interior designer of his Maruti Esteem car, gold ring, gold chain and Rs 4,000 in cash in the Vikas Puri area last night. The victim, Sunil Kumar, resident of Lok Vihar, was with his employee, Sikha (22), resident of Rohini, when the incident occurred. The police said that last night at around 9.30 the victim, who was driving his Maruti Esteem car, stopped opposite Pastry Palace, Vikas Puri, for some shopping.

When he came back, a youth armed with a countrymade weapon threatened him and got inside the car. Meanwhile, the girl opened the door and got out of the car. Subsequently, three persons armed with kattas also entered the car and threatened the victim to keep driving. The desperadoes, on reaching the Delhi Cantonment area, dropped the victim and sped away with the car and booty. The police have registered a case of robbery. Efforts are on to trace the culprits.

In another incident in Naraina this afternoon, three persons armed with hockey sticks and countrymade weapons robbed the ITC officials, West zone, of Rs 2.6 lakh when they were going to the Bank of Baroda to deposit their office money. The police said that at around 2.30 pm three persons along with a driver in a Maruti car were going to the bank when three persons on a Maruti Esteem intercepted them near the bank.

The suspects, armed with sticks, hockey sticks and countrymade weapons broke the windowpanes of the car and took away the bag containing Rs 2.6 lakh. In the third incident, four persons robbed a factory owner of Rs 10, 000, a mobile phone and a wristwatch last night in the Gandhi Nagar area of East Delhi.

Graft accused acquitted after seven years

New Delhi: A city court today acquitted a telephone exchange official in a bribery case which took place in West Delhi seven years ago after finding that the CBI had failed to prove that the accused had either demanded or accepted illegal gratification from the complainant. The Special Judge of the CBI, Mr Dinesh Dayal, set free Vijay Kumar Sehgal, the then Sub Divisional Officer at the telephone exchange in Rohini, holding that even if the alleged bribe amount was recovered from the pocket of the accused the CBI did not have any evidence of his having taken the money from complainant Brahm Dutt Sharma. TNS

CASTE MISMATCH
Lovebirds found hanging from tree
Our Correspondent

Meerut, September 22
That western UP is notorious for killing those who dare to fall in love and defy the delicate caste equations is an indubitable fact. This infamy again found an echo in a recent incident involving the brutal hanging of two lovebirds, Amrish and Sudha, from a tree.

Neighbours revealed Amrish, son of Shyam Pal, resident of Pachhali Patti, fell in love with Sudha Saini, daughter of Jai Bhagwan, of the same locality of Phalaoda town, about 35 km away from the district headquarters on the Meerut-Bijnore road. Amrish belonged to a scheduled caste while Sudha was an OBC. They courted for three years and were planning to get married. But destiny had something else in store for them.

The girl’s parents and family members forcibly married her off against her wishes six months back. But that, informs a neighbour, Ram Pal Singh Saini, did nor prevent Sudha and Amrish from eloping three days back when the former was on a visit to her parents’ place.

Their elopement shocked the girl’s family no end. With palpable caste tension in the locality, Sudha’s family started a hunt for the two.

In the morning an anonymous caller informed the Phalaoda police station that the two had been killed and their bodies were hanging from a mango tree. The police rushed to the area and brought the bodies down.

The town was on tenterhooks as both families live across the road. Also, the area has a high concentration of scheduled castes.

Senior Superintendent of Police Mukul Goel and District Magistrate Anil Mohan Prasad also rushed to the spot.

FACE TO FACE
Healer touch

AN attempt to revive the age-old chiropractic therapy, which had been lost to humanity, is being made by Dr N. K. Sharma. He has delved into Chinese books on Kung Fu and our ancient texts like Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads. He speaks to Nalini Ranjan about the intrinsic nature of this treatment.

Forty-four-year-old Dr N. K. Sharma is a Senior Consultant at Nehru Nagar-based Vidya Sagar Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (VIMHANS), Asia’s front-ranking institute of its kind. He is the first doctor of India to have introduced the chiropractic therapy in the country a few years back. This therapy is part of the alternative system of treatment and is a non-invasive, non-surgical approach for restoring normal body functions, which is very popular in highly advanced countries of the world like the USA, the UK, Australia and Germany. Armed with MD, PhD, D. Sc in Alternate Medicine, D.N. Sc. in Dietetics, M.B.B.S in Nature Cure System, N. D. and D.Y. in Natural Medicine and Yoga, C.F. Sc. in Forensic Sciences, P.G.D.P Sc. in Medical Psychology and P.G.D.H.H.A. in Hospital Administration, P.G.D.E. Sc. in Environmental Science, Dr. Sharma is perhaps one of the most qualified doctors in the field of alternative medicine.

Apart from these medical degrees, he is a postgraduate in four liberal subjects like English and Political Science. He is also a law graduate. His academic journey is still continuing. Dr Sharma is a visiting consultant to many prestigious hospitals and research centres of India and abroad. Statistically, he has been providing well over 90 per cent positive results in mitigating pain, pathos and anguish of the patients. Apart from VIMHANS, he is also associated with Daryaganj-based Delhi Hospital and Mayur Vihar-based Pain Management Centre.

For the benefit of patients, he has developed his own website –www.healthniks.com. Further, one can contact him through his round-the-clock helpline - 9810131450. Telemedicine service is also available on that number.

Excerpts:

What is chiropractic therapy?

It is a non-invasive, non-surgical therapy for the successful management of the ortho-neuro-musculo- skeletal disorders, spine problems and various other chronic disorders. It is a special technique and is about 5000 years old, which was lost to humanity. He rediscovered in the Chinese books on Kung Fu and our ancient books like Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads in the form of Merudand or Marmabindu Chikitsa. Some of the Baudha Bhikshus were the great practitioner of this therapy. It was rediscovered, developed and perfected in the USA.

Presently, it is taught in various medical colleges and institutions in the USA, the UK, Germany, Australia and other developed countries of the world. The therapy is being taught at 27 medical colleges of America and it is widely in practice in many advanced countries of the world. The treatment is based on balancing and harmonising the physio-chemical functions in the body through the harmony of nerves, emanating from the vertebral column, so that the bio-chemical functions attain the lost state of dynamic equilibrium, hence, the organs and the organ systems start functioning well. It controls the metabolism of our body through balancing the anabolic and catabolic systems of our body. The result of the therapy is phenomenal, quick and long lasting without any risks and side affects. In order to ascertain the nature and magnitude of the problem, necessary investigations are carried out which are optimally minimum as compared to the conventional system of medical practice. Since the human body is not surgically opened therefore there is no chance of infection, cross infection and complications. However, necessary help of magnetic field and Laser are taken in some cases in order to hasten the process of correction and recovery.

How effective it is as far as the recovery is concerned?

It assures positive result in more than 70 commonly occurring, but chronic diseases like cervical spondylitis, lumbar spondylitis, slip disc, nerve compression, loss of curvature of the spine, scoliosis, migraine, vertigo, carpel tunnel syndrome, whip lash, frozen shoulder, golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, sciatica, knee, ankle and hip joint problems and other similar ailments, where normally surgery is recommended.

In a nutshell, this therapy is a boon to the human race. I have treated dozens of patients suffering from above mentioned diseases who had become despondent due to their prolong illness. It promises avoidance of surgery in many a diseases and at various places, thus cutting down the recovery time and the cost of treatment to almost less than 50 per cent of the cost of surgical intervention, with almost minimum or negligible cost of hospitalisation.

What are the major advantages of this therapy?

In many cases, surgery can be avoided. Minimum hospitalisation is required and some times it is not required at all. Optimally minimum investigative tests are required. The person under treatment can resume work in a very short period. Recovery is simultaneous with the treatment as no surgery is done. It is not a total substitute of surgery. However, in a large number of cases, surgery can be avoided or a situation can be achieved where with minimum surgical intervention and maximum result may be achieved. As compared to surgery and long time hospitalisation, the cost involved is less than 50 per cent.

What prompted you to pursue this holistic way of treatment?

The process of growth, expansion, innovation, discoveries and its application for the benefit of human beings is a never-ending and never saturating process.

There is always a scope for yet another first. Keeping in view this never fading faith and philosophy of mankind and after spending more than 10 years abroad as a researcher and health care advisor, I decided to bring a magnificent therapy, which recently was available in the highly advanced countries of the world only. I am an ardent follower of the dictum ‘If you can’t be a king, be a healer’ and having inspired by that proverb, I diverted all my energies to learn and accumulate as much knowledge and positive energy of thought and application as I could. Before choosing the path for the right application of my skills and knowledge in the field of health care management by becoming a healthcare professional, with a difference, where I apply the non-surgical, non-invasive and non-medicinal procedures for mitigating various types of ills that trouble the human beings and put them at disease. Every disease warns the human being through causing discomfort and sickness before getting itself translated into a disease.

Human body and its organs and the organ systems are the most complex and the biggest laboratory. It produces the antidotes to maximum diseases and a measured and considered external aid by a health care professional helps the defence mechanism work better in order to combat the disease and the health care professional provides an external help to the human machinery and the result is that the ailing person starts improving. The improvement is practically seen in those cases also where medicines, synthetic and semi-synthetic compounds could not prove to be of much help and the life continue to be in trouble.

What is the status of alternative system of treatment in our country?

There is complete disparity. In our county, alternate system of treatment is dubbed as second rate in comparison with the allopathic system of treatment. It is irony that most of the alternate systems of treatment have been developed and nurtured in developed countries despite their origin and roots from our country. It can be understood from the fact that in our country, the boards for Ayurveda and homeopathy were incepted in 1973 and 1976 respectively much later than the board for allopathy.

POLITICS

HVP to hold rally tomorrow in the teeth of ‘threats’
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, September 22
The Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) has decided to go ahead with the holding of a public rally on September 24 at Sirsa in spite of threats received from the administrative machinery and the leaders of the ruling INLD.

Addressing a meeting of the party workers at Bahalgarh village about 10 km from here yesterday, former Chief Minister and HVP chief Bansi Lal said that he and his son Surinder Singh, former MP and HVP secretary-general had received death threats from the INLD leaders if they addressed the rally and criticised Tau Devi Lal.

He said that he would ignore such threats and speak against Devi Lal and the Chief Minister, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, as he had done in other places of the state.

Expressing concern over the lawlessness in the state, he blamed the Chautala government for shielding the criminals.

Mr Bansi Lal condemned the ‘anti-farmer’ policies pursued by the Chautala government and alleged that the Chief Minister had betrayed the farmers and failed to fulfil the promises made to them for ensuring free power and water at the time of the assembly elections in the state. He said that he was in favour of the slab system for the tubewells in the state.

Mr Bansi Lal declared that when his party came to power, it would initiate a number of steps to benefit the masses.

He said that VAT would be withdrawn and introduced only when it had been introduced all over the country.

The HVP leader said that his government would also give an unemployment grant of Rs 200 per month to Class X and Class XII pass persons and Rs 250 per month to graduates.

BRASS TRACKS
Environmental discipline needed to check depletion of ozone layer
by Dr K. K. Paul

Lata Mangeshkar with G.M. Durani and
C. Ramchandra. — Photo from the Net

SCIENTIFIC research continues to open new vistas of knowledge and improve the quality of life for the mankind. A few years ago who would have thought of any relationship between refrigerators and the atmosphere, but there is one indeed, and not a smooth one. The most convenient and popular coolants for our air conditioners and refrigerators, till recently have been a group of chemicals known as the chlorofluoro carbons (CFCs). But having realised that they were also the root cause for the fast depleting ozone layer, search for cheap alternatives has been in progress the world over for quite some time.

As is well-known, the atmosphere, up and around the earth, in a belt lying in between 20 kms to 30 kms, commonly known as the stratosphere, contains a huge concentration of ozone gas, which is formed in the atmosphere through lightening discharges during stormy weather. This concentrated form of ozone gas, all around us, covers the earth like an envelope and a protective shield. But for this protective cover, we would have been receiving along with sunrays a very harmful doze of ultraviolet (UV) rays. Excessive or prolonged exposure to these rays has long-term ill effects on human body, including skin cancer.

The Natural Environment Research Council of UK was the first organisation to scientifically prove that the chlorofluoro-carbons were inert chemicals under normal conditions, but up in the atmosphere, they reacted with ozone, leading to an increase in chlorine oxide and decrease in the quantity of ozone. It was shown that continuous depletion of ozone layer was leading to development of a hole in the atmosphere. This had, by August 2003, spread out almost to a record size of 28 million sq. kms in the sky over Antarctica in the southern hemisphere.

This gaping hole was allowing the passage of harmful UV rays to reach the surface of the earth and posed a serious environmental hazard. At the September 1987 conference of UN, it had been agreed that by the end of the century the use of these harmful chemicals would be reduced by 50 per cent. This famous decision is also known as the Montreal Protocol. However, the present state of neglect is a clear manifestation of environmental indiscipline. As the rate of depletion of ozone continued to assume dangerous proportions, restrictions had to be made more severe.

Parameters were further tightened by the European Union in 1993, so as to completely phase out these chemicals by 1995 and other related substances by 2015. But as we are all aware, the voluntary restraint is hardly adequate and coupled with poor enforcement, even in some advanced countries, the situation continued to deteriorate.

Severity and stringency of suggested controls has also opened up a whole new field of science with a lot of financial investment. Alternatives to the harmful coolants have now been developed. They conform to the new norms.

These coolants use a mixture of propane and butane gases (found in oil and petroleum fractions). But as the battle against the chlorofluoro- carbons appears to be reaching a decisive phase, attention is getting drawn to the nitrogen oxide emissions from high flying jet aircraft, which also react with ozone layer and may also be responsible for at least some of its depletion. While ozone gas forms the protective shield around us in the atmosphere, at ground levels it can be harmful even though its impact on human beings has still not been fully quantified and is still a matter of study and research.

According to some, its excess is harmful for lungs, while others claim its beneficial aspects as an antioxidant retarding the process of aging.

While its long-term impact on human body would be debated, it is already being used for treating sewage and detoxifying hospital waste and in water purification.

It is well known that environmental pollution is a natural by product of urbanisation. An analysis of quality of air in urban areas shows concentration of gaseous, particulate and photochemical pollutants. At the ground level, auto emissions, besides industrial sources, are responsible for large quantities of atmospheric sulphur dioxide, ozone and oxides of nitrogen. The impact of ozone on vegetation has been the subject of studies carried out at Cornell University and Institute of Ecosystem Studies in New York. They have come out with an interesting finding.

Growth pattern of cottonwood and some other trees in New York city and rural areas in the vicinity, was test studied for over three years and it was revealed that there was greater exposure to ozone levels in open fields and rural areas, while the pollutants in urban areas, to some extent, shielded the direct impact from ozone. This resulted in trees in New York city having a better bio mass and more lively growth than in the countryside. So while rural areas may appear as safe havens from urban pollutants for us, they have an adverse impact on certain forms of vegetation due to lack of pollution, which gives an over exposure to gases like ozone.

The voice of the nation

As Lata Mangeshkar enters her seventy fifth year next week, a lot is bound to be written and heard about her during the next few days. In fact, her entire career, initially as a child artist and later as a playback singer, has already been fully researched. However, it may be virtually impossible to measure her contribution in words.

“At 10.30 pm on Saturday, the 28th September 1929, history was born in the form of a baby girl to Mangeshkars in Indore,” writes Harish Bhimani, in one of the most comprehensive biographics on Lata Mangeshkar available so far.

Tracing the influence of stage and music on her childhood from her father Dina Nath Mangeshkar, who was at the peak of his career as a singer actor of Marathi stage at that time, Bhimani has brought out several hidden facets of Lata. There has been a lot of speculation on why she has never ever sung even a single song for D.P. Nayyar. For the first time we find Lata being quoted on the episode in black and white.

An MBA to begin with, Bhimani gravitated towards films and carved a niche for himself with his voice as ‘Samay’ of Mahabharat. It took about seven years of research and scores of celebrity interviews to complete this biography. It may be a record of sorts, but the author has claimed over 14 years of concert association, spanning 21 countries, 53 cities and 123 shows. Recounting her years of struggle, Lata’s first year of major success is mentioned as 1949 when eight of her films were released. She sang for Naushad in ‘Andaz’ and ‘Dulaari’, in ‘Barsaat’ for Shanker Jai Kishan, for Khem Chand Prakash in Kamal Amrohi’s Mahal besides some others.

It was her haunting rendition of ‘Aayega Aane Wala’ in Mahal, which rocketed her to an instant fame, never having to look back again.

The statistical section of the book shows her to be the only singer having sung for six generations of music directors. The first generation belonged to Anil Biswas,

Ghulam Haidar and Khem Chand Prakash, followed by Naushad and S.D. Burman. Later came Shanker Jaikishan, Roshan, Salil Chaudhary, Hemant Kumar and Madan Mohan. The fourth generation belongs to Ravi, Kalyanji Anandji followed by Laxmi Kant Payrelal, R. D. Burman and Rajesh Roshan, with the current scene being dominated by the likes of Anu Malik, Shiv Hari and some others.

The book has been enriched by numerous anecdotes, some can only be described as revealing as well as amusing.

Since Lata was not fully established by 1949, the song that made her famous ‘Aayega Aane Wala’ from ‘Mahal’ did not carry her name as the playback singer. Instead, it is attributed to Kamini, the screen name of Madhubala in the film. She has also sung for two father-son teams, Roshan and Rajesh, besides Dada and R. D. Burman. A storehouse of information, the book gives deep insight into the persona behind the golden voice and the taboos and the traditional value system followed by her throughout her life. Published by Harper Collins, the book is a collector’s item indeed.

(Dr K. K. Paul is Special Commissioner, Administration, Delhi Police)

Literacy campaign fails to motivate rural population
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, September 22
Notwithstanding the number of policy initiatives undertaken by the district administration to increase the literacy rate, they have failed to match the pace of the rapid population growth.

According to the 2001 census report, nearly 4.80 lakh people, including more than two lakh women, are still illiterate in the district with a total population of nearly 13 lakh. According to official records, the population in the district was 9,37,173, (1991 census report), which increased to 12,78,830 by 2001, registering an average annual growth of nearly 23 per cent.

On the other hand, the percentage of the literate people, which stood at 58.61 during 1991 census, increased to 73.71 in 2001, an increase of around 15 per cent. Interestingly, more than 37 per cent of the women population in the district is illiterate.

The number of literate person, according to the 2001 census, was 8,00,025, from the total population of 12,78,830. Of the total male population of 7,95,314 as many as 4,92,650 were found literate. On the other hand, the number of females found literate was 3,07,375 from the total female population of 5,83,516.

Another interesting fact of the literacy campaign is that it has failed to motivate the rural population towards this national programme.

According to the 1981 census report, the total number of literate persons in the district were 3,45,619, including 2,55,387 in urban areas and 90,532 in rural areas.

In 1991, the number of literate persons increased to 5,24,817, in which the number of literate in the rural areas was 1,29,419.

Even as a number of organisations in government and non-government set up are engaged and crores of rupees are being spent every year on promoting literacy among the people, particularly in the rural areas, these efforts have not succeeded in achieving the desired results.

A ‘Shaksharta Samiti’ has been working for the last three decades and nearly 28 non-government organisations (NGOs) have been receiving liberal financial grants for this cause, but the progress has not been satisfactory.

NCC cadets vow to fight female foeticide
Our Correspondent

Rohtak, September 22
The NCC cadets of Gaur Brahman Degree College here took a pledge today to fight the menace of female foeticide. Mr Dalbir Singh Kaushik, NCC Officer of the college said the cadets expressed concern over this social evil.

Addressing the students, he said female foeticide is a legal offence as well as a sin. The evil had resulted in an alarming decrease in the male-female ratio. He exhorted the students to launch a crusade against this social evil. The cadets also undertook the plantation work on the college campus on the occasion.

President’s re-election

The re-election for the post of president, Non-Teaching Employees’ Association of Maharshi Dayanand University would be held on October 3. As per a notification issued here today, the nominations would be accepted on September 24 and 25 up to 4 pm and the withdrawal of nominations would be permissible till September 29 up to 4 pm.

Earlier, the elections were cancelled as a candidate for the post of president, Balraj Singh ‘Ballu’, had destroyed the ballot papers during the counting process after learning about his possible defeat on August 20.

NSS camp

A five-day youth leadership training camp under the National Service Scheme (NSS) would be organised from September 24 to 28 in Maharshi Dayanand University.

A spokesman for the university administration said today that the inaugural ceremony of the camp would be held on September 24 and Prof J S Yadav, a retired professor of Zoology Department, Kurukshetra University would be the chief guest. He would deliver a special lecture on environment on the occasion.

The participants of the camp would take out a procession highlighting ‘cleanliness’ on September 24 to commemorate the ‘Swachhta Divas’ (cleanliness Day). Special lectures on Personality Development, NSS Activities, AIDS, Pulse Polio Drive and Child Welfare etc would be delivered on September 25 and 26.

Woman attacks husband, in-laws
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, September 22
Fed up with her husband and in-laws, a married woman Mrs Ansuya with the intention of settling scores, assaulted them with the help of two brothers at Khewra village about 13 km from here last evening.

According to a report, a woman Ms Premwati sustained injuries in the attack and was immediately hospitalised.

The police are investigating the case. However, no arrest has been made in this connection.

Housewife takes poison

A young housewife Mrs Savita was hospitalised after she had swallowed some poisonous substance in her house at Sewli village about 12 km from here last evening.

According to a report, she took the step after being harassed by her in-laws for not bringing sufficient dowry at the time of her marriage. The police are investigating the case.

BSF jawan looted

Mr Mangal Ram, a BSF jawan was reportedly looted by a co-passenger in the Delhi-bound train between Sonepat and Delhi yesterday.

According to a report, the jawan was offered a cup of tea. He became unconscious immediately after taking it. The culprit then escaped with an attache case containing Rs 4,400 and other household articles, leaving the jawan unconscious.

Cases settled through Lok Adalats

As many as 32,168 criminal, civil, Hindu Marriage Act and the Motor Vehicles Act cases had been settled through 82 Lok Adalats, organised by the Haryana State Legal Service Authority in the district during the past few years.

According to official sources, these include 8,340 civil, 3,454 criminal, 952 Motor Vehicles Act, 302 Hindu Marriage Act, 132 bank cases and 9,455 cases of summary trials.

These Lok Adalats had ordered compensation to the tune of Rs 35.15 crore under the Motor Vehicles Act and a sum of Rs 45.76 lakh was realised as penalty during the disposal of summary cases. Similarly, the banks had realised Rs 43.59 lakh in the cases settled in the Lok Adalats.

Worker electrocuted

Ravi Ranjan, a 20-year-old worker was electrocuted while repairing a fault in the electricity wires of a boiler in a factory near Ahmadpur village about six km from here yesterday. According to a report, the victim belonged to Purvi Champaran (Bihar). The police have registered the case and sent the body for a postmortem examination.

One killed as vehicle overturns

One person was killed and two were seriously injured when a loaded Tata 407 vehicle overturned on G T Road near Haldana border about 25 km from here last evening.

According to a report, the vehicle was on its way from Delhi to Panipat. One of its tyres bursted near the Haldana border. It overturned and fell in a ditch along the road. The victim was identified as Anil of Bihar whereas the injured persons were identified as Kamal and Ashok and they were immediately hospitalised.

The Ganaur police have registered the case and further investigations were in progress.

DELHI DIGEST
Police to check sound menace
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 22
The Delhi Police have installed noise level metres in various zones of the police in the Capital to control sound made by loudspeakers, generators, fireworks, vehicles and pressure horns used by the vehicle.

Deputy Commissioners of Police, Assistant Commissioners of Police, inspectors and other officers in the police stations have been trained to handle the instrument, a press release said.

Blood donation camp

A blood donation camp organised by the Rotary Club Delhi Regency was inaugurated today by Rotarian, Rajesh Batra. While opening the camp, he said that blood donation was a great contribution to humanity which helped in saving invaluable human life.

Around 600 Rotarians donated blood. President of the Club, Dilip Daga emphasised the activities regulated by the club, a press release said.

SAD (Badal) general secretary

Sardar Kuldip Singh, a well-known social worker of Vikaspuri area, has been appointed as general secretary of the Delhi chapter of Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal Group) by the Shiromani Akali Dal national general secretary Sardar Onkar Singh Thapar at a public function.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Thapar said, with his appointment, the party would get ample boost, specially the youth wing. He has worked for communal harmony and the integrity of the Panth. If Badal and Tohra can be united, nothing is impossible. We should work for the unity of the panth, he added.

The president of the Delhi chapter of Shiromani Akali Dal Jathedar Avtar Singh was also present on the occasion.

Distance learning, future of education sector: CM

The Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, believes that distance learning would be the future of India’s education sector.

Speaking at the launch of ‘Mira Skool’, an educational software promoted by Apeejay Education Society here today, she said Delhi should be an information technology city and the IT should be used in schools, government bodies and management.

Mrs Dikshit said, “The burden of education is strong on growing children and education means developing an all-round talent. Children’s personality should develop in other domains as well. A child’s talent is not just about curriculum as maths and science. Technology plays a vital role here.” She said, “Technology is to be used to bring up slow-learning children. I am keen in reducing the digital divide in India.”

In an initiative that will revolutionise the education sector in India, Berssoft Infotech, the IT and software arm of the Apeejay Stya Group, have launched the education vertical software for schools.

NCR BRIEFS
MDU clerk commits suicide
Our Correspondent

Rohtak, September 22
A clerk of Result-2 branch of Maharshi Dayanand University reportedly committed suicide by consuming sulphos tablets today. The deceased has been identified as Om Prakash (40), a resident of type-I house on the university campus.

The colleagues of the deceased said he had been going through severe mental tension due to heavy workload. They said he had taken his son to the administration block last Saturday to assist him in his work.

Modern PNB branch

The people in Rohtak would be able to enjoy the benefits of multi-city and Internet banking as the Punjab National Bank here started ‘Anywhere Anytime Banking’ today at its Civil Lines branch in the heart of the city.

While addressing a customer meet on the occasion, a senior bank official said that the state-of-the-art information technology had been totally assimilated in the banking work culture and the PNB branch was one step ahead of other computerised branches.

He said the branch was fully computerised and was on the national network linked with the other PNB branches at important centres all over the country.

From today onwards, all banking requirements of the customers would be entertained at one point, glorifying the ‘single window concept’, he added.

He said that the Civil Lines Rohtak branch was put on the National Network from today and would extend “Anywhere and Anytime” banking through network branches.

This was an important milestone in technology initiative of the bank. As many as 1500 branches of the bank spread over the length and breadth of the country shall be inter-connected in the near future.

Speaking on this occasion, Mr K C Salota, Deputy Zonal Manager, Northern Zone, Chandigarh said that as a part of technological initiatives, the bank had computerised 3166 branches up to June 2003. It had installed 272 ATMs and the card base had crossed 3.66 lakh mark. Further, telebanking facilities had been provided at 115 locations while the remote access facility was being provided at 31 branches.

Reclamation of barren land

Sonepat: The Central Rural Development Ministry has sanctioned a five-year project for reclaiming 12,500 acres of barren land of as many as 10 villages—Kailana, Teori, Moi, Sardhana and Khubru in Gannaur block and Matand, Mundlana, Jagsi, Busana and Dhurana villages Mundlana block of the district with financial allocation of Rs 3 crore..

According to the Additional Deputy Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA), Mr Rajiv Ranjan, under the project, the Central Government will provide Rs 2.75 crore and remaining Rs 25 lakh will be contributed by the state government. The financial assistance of Rs 41.25 lakh, as first instalment for the current financial year, has already been received from the Central Government and state government’s share of Rs 2.75 lakh will be received soon.