AGRICULTURE

Rice millers to boycott custom milling this season
Our Correspondent

Amloh, August 21
The local unit of the Punjab Rice Millers Association today decided to boycott custom milling during the 2005-06 season in protest against the indifferent attitude of the state government towards their demands. The decision was taken at a meeting presided over by association chief Randhir Singh Gill.

Rice millers have been up in arms for some time against the government decision to claim old recoveries worth lakhs of rupees from rice mills pertaining to gunny bags, custom milling and payment of paddy evaporation at the rate of paddy. With this, each miller will have to pay Rs 40,000 more after milling 70 truckloads of rice each year.

The quality cut, which had been charged at the rate of levy, is now being cut at custom milling rate. As a result, each mill will have to pay Rs 25,000 in excess as quality cut after 70 truckloads.

Also, the refundable security deposit of Rs 1 lakh per year of each mill, instead of being adjusted in the bills of custom milling, is been shown as recovery of balance from the mills.

The Food and Supply Department has also asked the mills to prepare files for milling during 2005-2006 season and sought a copy of no objection certificate (NOC) from 1997-98 and 2002-2003.

The association said the letter of relief for 2001-2002 provided to the rice millers by the Central Government on the issue of gunny bags had not been enforced by the Punjab Government so far.

Instead of hike in the rate of levy on rice, incidental charges, stitching charges, etc. have been imposed on the packaging material, while the paddy procurement price is raised every year, it rued.

With the new policy, each partner of a rice mill will have to get an affidavit attested from the tehsildar, which was earlier attested by the oath commissioner, causing inconvenience to share holders as they will now have to wait for the tehsildar during office time on working days.

The body has threatened to launch a stir if the government did not take a sympathetic view of their demands.

EDUCATION

Public Cause for filling of vacant posts of lecturer
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 21
Public Cause, a state-level social service organisation, views it seriously that more than 750 posts of lecturer, out of 2,281, are lying vacant in government colleges in Punjab. The number of colleges is 48.

There has been no recruitment of lecturers for the past eight years. The plight of instructional work in these colleges can be gauged from this ugly state of affairs, states a press note issued by organisation’s director Yashpaul Ghai.

The Punjab Public Service Commission had invited applications for 266 and 274 posts in 1999 and 2001, respectively.

As many as 392 lecturers were selected in February-March, 2002. But, the government scrapped the selections in May, 2003, due to job-on-cash scam and irregularities committed in selection in the wake of a Punjab Vigilance Bureau report.

So far as the selection of lecturers is concerned, the Public Cause does not think that money has played any role. The Vigilance Bureau has not made even a single disclosure about bribe payment in the selection of lecturers.

Most of selected lecturers belong to middle class families and they cannot pay bribes in lakhs. Moreover, the post of lecturer is not lucrative enough.

Incidentally, scores of selected lecturers are gold medalists and have earned M.Phil and Ph.D. qualification besides having cleared the National Eligibility Test.

The body feels that without any proof of payoff or irregularities, selection of lecturers should not have been scrapped merely on the basis of doubt or presumption.

Strangely enough, during the past 24 months since the scrapping of selections was challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the state government has failed to produce any specific reason or proof of payoff or irregularities committed in the selections, as is being alleged.

The Public Cause wants the state government to withdraw the scrapping orders and issue appointment letters to the selected lecturers.

NSS camp held at Cerah village
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 21
A one-day NSS camp was organised by the NSS unit to celebrate vanamahotsava at Cerah village, 15 km from here. The programme officers, Ms Harjeet, Ms Preet Daman and Ms Gurinder, were the organisers of the camp.The sarpanch of the village, along with the students, planted saplings in the gurdwara and village.

Ms Richa, president of the NSS unit, said,”Maximum damage had been caused to the atmosphere with the falling of trees which had led to global warning. Global warning was posing major problems to mankind. By planting saplings the problem could be solved to some extent. Besides, the trees made the surroundings calm and beautiful”, she said.

Prof Harjeet delivered a talk to create awareness among the youth against the ill-effects of drugs and intoxicants. Prof Preet Daman gave an encouraging talk on literacy.”It is only education, which promotes our intelligence, enable us to be industrious and ensure our progress”, she said.

The sarpanch of he village presented a vote of thanks and appreciated the efforts of the NSS volunteers and the programme officers.

Shabad gayan contest

Amloh, August 21
Under a programme of the Punjab School Education Board, Mohali, competitions in under-14 category of students of the Sirhind block No. 3 concluded here yesterday at Sansi Behra Elementary School.

Ms Parabhdeep Kaur, head teacher of the school, declared the results of winners: shabad gayan — Lakhbir Kaur, Shanti Preet Kaur, Satbir Kaur of Global Public School, Kaulgarh; declamation contest — Lavneet Kaur; drawing and painting — Navneet Kaur, song — Navjot Singh; solo dance — Harpreet Kaur. OC

CULTURE

International music sets Ludhianvis rocking
Shveta Pathak
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 21
For those who thought that foot-tapping Punjabi music was all that set Ludhianvis rocking, think again. City denizens are preferring international music over Punjabi and even Hindi songs.

If rising sales of CDs and cassettes of international music at local music stores are any indication, then Backstreet Boys, Shania Twain and even Lobo are giving the likes of Babbu Maan and Jazzy B a run for their money.

Music store owners attribute the trend to the growing cosmopolitan culture. “With an increasing number of multinational companies setting shop here, people from various parts of the country are working in Ludhiana. Besides, how can one ignore the MTV culture which seems to have augured well with party loving city residents,” said Mr Ajay Sharma, Assistant Manager, Music World.

Among top sellers in international music are Backstreet Boys, Friction and Jay Z Linkin Park.

Changing lifestyles have brought another shift in preferences, which have drawn them towards CDs instead of music cassettes. The result — it is CDs that form over 70 per cent of stocks in leading music stores.

While a lot of credit goes to efforts of manufacturers of technical gizmos, music companies like Sony and Universal too are offering attractive schemes to promote CDs. The CD that one would for nothing less than Rs 300 a couple of months ago, can now be procured for as less as Rs 99. Other attractive schemes include offers like additional CDs at low prices.

“Most people are buying CD players now. And the price differential between CDs and audio cassettes is also fast reducing which is why it is CDs that are selling much more. We have even reduced the stock of audio cassettes as there are not many takers for them,” said Mr Jagtar Singh, who works at a music store in Ghumar Mandi.

Following international music, it is Hindi film songs that are being preferred. “These days we have a lot of remixes that offer good party numbers, which is why Hindi music is also finding quite a number of takers. Residents are music lovers , though of course it is party numbers that are on the top of their priority list.’