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125 textile exhibitors line up at PAU
Ludhiana, November 18 The participants included two stalls from outside India — a Chinese company, Shuishan, and a German company. The first day of the exhibition, along with which international conference on textiles Texcon — 2005 also began, had industry visitors from throughout the state. Industrialists said they were looking forward to the latest in global technologies at the international exhibition. “We are very keen on knowing about the latest technologies being used across the globe. Rarely does one get a chance to learn so much under one roof,” said Mr V.K. Goyal, chief executive, Vardhman Spinning and General Mills. Whereas industrialists are considering the exhibition a good platform where companies have showcased their products, decisions pertaining to purchase will be taken only after detailed analysis. “Purchase is a decision that cannot be taken immediately. Thorough research has to be done,” said Mr Goyal. Mr Vinod Thapar, president of the Knitwear Club, said: “The machines showcased are good, though for knitwear industry there are not many stalls as the exhibition focuses on textiles.” He said he liked Japanese machine Shimi Seiki that offered 17-colour designs within 18 minutes. Industrialists also said they were happy that an international conference was being organised in the city. “Despite being a hub of textiles industry, we have to go to places like Delhi and Mumbai for conferences or events of such large scale. The conference would give us an opportunity to learn about various technical issues. It is good that the city is hosting such a big event,” said another industrialist. While the turnout of visitors on the first day was not so high, a larger number of visitors were expected during the rest of the three days of the exhibition and conference. Spread in an area of around 6,000 sq feet, the exhibition has four hangars — two hangars featuring spinning machinery and accessories, one hangar having dyeing, finishing, printing and accessories and another one having weaving, knitting, hosiery machinery and accessories. The exhibition expects to attract more than 20,000 business visitors and high-profile overseas delegations with core specialisation in textile and related sectors. A number of visitors from Pakistan, Germany, Thailand, Congo, etc. are also expected to visit Textech — 2005.
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While “Texcon — 2005”, an exhibition on textiles, claims to provide a global platform to industry, the Chinese participant in the exhibition has expressed dissatisfaction with the infrastructural facilities in the city and also complained of poor response.
Mr Brent Wu, manager secretary team, Shuishan Machine Company, the only participant from China, said: “I am not happy at all. The infrastructure here is very poor. I was told that Ludhiana is the hub of textiles industry. I have not even received a response to my satisfaction so far. In fact, so far, no visitors have turned up.” Mr Wu, who put up his stall yesterday, complained of poor power supply due to which he could not even test his knitting machines and also of lack of professional approach. Visibly irritated with the state of affairs, he said even small towns in his country offered much better facilities for exhibitions. However, it is not that Mr Wu is dissatisfied with Indian markets. “We have participated in Delhi, where we received a tremendous response. We expected something similar but we are disappointed,” he said.
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Medical insurance scheme for co-ops
Ludhiana, November 18 Giving this information at a meeting of inspectors and secretaries of cooperative societies in the district at Punjab University Extension Library here today, the Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies Mr Kanwaldeep Singh Sangha, said the members of co-operative societies would have to pay an annual premium of Rs 300 for the policy while an additional cover of the same amount for their dependant family members would also be available on the payment of Rs 30 per member of the age up to 60 years and Rs 45 in case of dependants between the age of 60 and 75 years. The concerned co-operative societies would be made to act as nodal agencies for the implementation of the innovative insurance scheme and each of the policy holder would be issued an identity card by the insurance company which would entitle the holder to avail of cashless treatment at the designated reputed hospitals. According to Mr Sangha, another salient feature of the scheme was that the insurance cover would apply to existing diseases and health-related problems of the beneficiaries. The underlying purpose of the insurance scheme for rural population, he added, was the strong desire of the state government to bring quality medical treatment and comprehensive health care within the reach of the rural people. He sought participation of the staff as well as members of all co-operative societies in the district to make the scheme a success.
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Farmers await paddy payment
Ludhiana, November 18 However, the official sources attributed the delay to a number of holidays during the last two weeks that caused delay in transactions. The officials also claimed that although the payment had been delayed, most of it had already been cleared by now. Various farmers' organisations in separate statements claimed that the payments were pending since October 24. The payments had been made to the farmers whose paddy had been procured till that date only. They said with the result the farmers were faced with severe economic strain as they had been made to take debts and loans. However, the District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC), Ms Simarjot Kaur, said that the payments had It was learnt that various procurement agencies owed Rs 959 crore to the farmers for the paddy procured till November 17 in district Ludhiana. Ms Kaur said of this Rs 825 crore had already been paid till today while the pending Rs 134 crore would be cleared by Monday only. The DFSC assured that there would not be any further delay in the payment to the farmers for their produce. It is learnt that the delay was mainly caused due to the holidays in the banks during the first half of this month. This led to delay in financial transactions. Otherwise, the officials maintained, there was no reason for any delay. Ms Kaur maintained that the procurement process was being monitored strictly and it was being ensured that the farmers did not face any harassment on any count. She said about 16 lakh metric tonnes of paddy had been procured in the district so far by various procurement agencies.
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Robbers strike at factory; loot cash, metal
Ludhiana, November 18 Around 15 robbers tied up four security guards of the factory with ropes. Then they locked them in a room and looted the factory at will. The SHO, Focal Point, Mr Warryam Singh, said the police had registered a case and investigations were on. He said the police had got vital clues about the identity of some of the robbers and raids were on to nab them. According to Mr Vimal Kumar, the robbers took away over four quintals of nickel, 100 kg of copper, three mobile phones, two cycles besides the cash. Two of the four security guards, Jatinder and Dharminder, told the police that the robbers barged into the factory and they (the guards) had no time to put up any kind of resistance. The robbers were armed with sharp weapons, wooden sticks and rods. No security guard was injured by the robbers.
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Bomb found in vacant plot
Khanna, November 18 He said the Deputy Commissioner Ludhiana had been informed and request had been sent for a team of experts to defuse the bomb. He said the bomb had been covered with sandbags. A police team had been deputed at the site, he added.
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Youth commits suicide
Ludhiana, November 18
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Panchayats want Khamano as Assembly seat
Khamano, November 18 Around 60 panchayats of the area through resolutions have appealed to the Chief Election Commissioner, Punjab, and other officials concerned to name Khamano as the seat in place of Bassi Pathana. Khamano Block Samiti president Harbans Singh Pandher said they would meet the Chief Election Commissioner in Chandigarh shortly to stress their demand. According to Mr Pandher, critical factors had been overlooked while bringing forth the proposal. A total of 72 villages of Khamano subdivision fell in the new proposed seat, while only 30 villages of Bassi Pathana subdivision came under the new seat. Also, Khamano was 25 km away from the district headquarter, Fatehgarh Sahib, while Bassi Pathana was only 4 km away. Due to this, Khamano had been ignored by respective administrations. They contend that if Bassi Pathana was made an Assembly seat, the fate of Khamano area would remain the same. Some other leaders of the area have demanded the rotation of reservation after five years so that people of all castes could avail of the opportunity. They also stressed the need for increasing the number of general seats.
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Johl sees big growth potential for country
Mandi, Gobindgarh, November 18 The objective of the seminar was to analyse the contribution of the service industry to the economic growth of the country and also to examine the trends and the present status of financial services in India. The Director of the institute, Dr B.S. Bhatia who was the convener of the seminar in his welcome note said sweeping and widespread changes in Indian economic system had made it more transparent and resilient. He stressed the need for investors’ education, saying that a majority of them still had investment perception only for saving. Mr Hukam Chand Bansal, a noted philanthropist and Chairman of the RIMT Group of Institutes, while welcoming the delegates, said India had firmly positioned itself as a competitive destination for FDIs. Steady liberalisation of regulatory and competitive environment had put the country on the radar of global corporations. Dr Johl said India had tremendous potential to grow, but lamented that it lagged behind in all areas of growth and development, be it physical infrastructure, education or health. He said growth depended a lot on the liquidity in the hands of the masses, which in turn depended on the balance between the growth rate and the inflation rate. He stressed the need for distinguishing between credit, which was a sign of growth and debt, which is a sign of decline. He expressed concern over the growing disparity between the rich and the poor because of alteration in the composition of the Indian economy where only 25 per cent of the population was absorbed and was contributing 60 per cent to the GDP whereas the agriculture sector, on which 70 per cent of the population was dependent, was contributing just 20 per cent to the GDP. Mr S.S. Rajput, Secretary, Personnel, Punjab, who presided over the seminar, said technological-driven changes had proved a boon for the financial sector. He highlighted the inbuilt advantages India had over China as far as the financial sector was concerned. Mr P.S. Dua, a noted financial expert and guest of honour on the occasion, said the capital market was now more vibrant and more regulated. The demat system and commodity trading had opened new vistas for the investors. The financial sector had kept pace with the growing needs of corporate and other borrowers. An RIMT journal was also released by Dr Johl. Prof N. Maheshwary, co-convener of the seminar, proposed a vote of thanks.
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BSNL staff hold protest
Ludhiana, November 18 Addressing the protesting employees, Mr Balbir Singh, circle secretary of the Punjab unit of the union, said the hike was not in the interest of the BSNL, its employees and the nation. He alleged that the government decision to reduce the licencee fee from Rs 100 crore to just Rs 2.5 crore and the net worth from Rs 2,500 crore to Rs 2.5 crore paid up capital was aimed at weakening the state-owned companies. “The move will attract more and more foreign companies, along with small Indian companies, and it is bound to create an unhealthy competition in the Telecom sector,” he added. Mr Balbir Singh remarked that the proposal to abolish the ADC charges being paid by the private companies was all the more disturbing. The ADC charges being paid to the BSNL by the private telecom operators in lieu of providing telephony to 80 per cent rural population formed the backbone of the finances of the BSNL. The decision would not only affect the telecom services in rural India but would spell disaster for the telecom
PSUs. Mr Balwinder Singh, district secretary of the unit, said the BSNL was already facing threats from many quarters while the government was letting the situation go bad from worse. Charging the Union Ministry of Communication and TRAI with playing in the hands of the WTO, the World Bank, the IMF and the multinational companies, he maintained that all these agencies were trying to destabilise the state-owned companies. The indifferent attitude towards the absorption issue of ITS officers was a clear indication that the government was in no mood to save the BSNL and its 3.47 lakh employees. The development work of the BSNL had come to a standstill for the past two months due to the apathy of the government. Among others who addressed the employees were Mr Hari Narayan Singh, Mr Sikander Singh, Mr Tejinder Singh, Mr Avtar Singh
Jhandey, Mr Shingara Singh, Mr Nikka Singh, Mr Paramjit Singh, Mr Darshan Singh, Mr Kabul Singh, Mr Kirpa Ram, Mr Amar Singh, Mr Yogesh Kumar and Mr Parmjit Singh.
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A valiant soldier close to Netaji
Originally a resident of Threeke village in Ludhiana district, Sharma joined the Indian Army during the British rule in 1940 in the artillery regiment as a sepoy. However, soon he was overpowered by the freedom movement of the country and came under the influence of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He deserted the Indian Army and joined the freedom movement launched by Netaji. He was one of the founder members of the INA and remained close to his leader Netaji. Sharma was also instrumental in arranging a meeting of Netaji with German dictator Adolf Hitler through a German, Col Carpie, and this was the first meeting of Netaji with Hitler. Hitler had assured his support to Netaji for the freedom of India from the British. The INA flag was designed by a woman volunteer and handed over to Sharma, which was given to Netaji. He had a dream to hoist this flag at the Red Fort in Dehli after the freedom of the country. This handmade flag is still in the possession of his son Pawan Bhardwaj. Sharma was taken prisoner by the British during World War II and was brought to India and tried for treason. He was discharged from the Indian Army in 1940 and after Independence he settled down in Ludhiana where he started manufacturing hosiery machines. Dewan Jagdish Chander, president, All-India Freedom Fighters Organisation, paid tributes to Sharma and described him as a valiant soldier. Sharma was a selfless worker, said Mr Dewan.
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Police to review case of insult
to National Emblem
Ludhiana, November 18 The complainant in the case, Mr Sanjay Kumar, president City Youth Club, Jagraon, has been running from pillar to post for the registration of the case in this regard. After failing to get a proper hearing in the case, he knocked at the doors of Union Home Ministry. Sanjay is hoping against hope that his plea would be upheld by the police now even as an earlier police inquiry did not find any basis for the registration of a case on the complaint. The SSP, Jagraon, Mr R.K. Jaiswal, said he had decided to have a re-look into the case for the satisfaction of the complainant. He said a previous police inquiry had found no ground for the registration of the case on the complaint. He said the councillor, Mr Atma Ram, did not touch the National Emblem with his feet intentionally. Sanjay, however, has alleged that the councillor showed utter disrespect for the National Emblem while stepping on the dais by putting his feet on the Ashok Chakra. He said all newspapers had carried the pictures of the meeting on June 15, 2004, but still the police had not taken any action. He also showed orders of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs pertaining to the case besides a copy of the probe by SDM, Jagraon.
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Transcending loneliness, aloneness
Loneliness is a situation where one feels neglected and unwanted. Lack of communication and absence of interaction sometimes create such feelings as defy specification. Like a shipwrecked person, one finds oneself on a deserted island where no familiar sound is heard except the cacophony produced by the winds. Self-pity engrosses the mind and the individual recedes into the cocoon of conflicting emotions. People advanced in age face this problem and find themselves the victims of ennui and anguish. Even in a familiar social circle, they find themselves totally alienated and estranged. In an Urdu couplet, such feelings have been expressed:
Bheer mein zamane ki ghut raha thha dum mera Unki yaad aayee aur mujhko kar gayee tanha (I was feeling suffocated in the crowd of people. Her memory wafted me into the bower of loneliness.) Aloneness is a craving for an escape from the hustle and bustle of life. Not merely an escape but an urge to enter into a dialogue with oneself. The aim is to be face to face with the innerself and to rediscover the true image of one’s consciousness. To be closeted with oneself like a long lost friend and to feel the warmth of togetherness and companionship is the end result of aloneness. It is like the search of another world, beyond the boundaries of the existing world. Dr Mohammad Iqbal yearns for the solace of his mind amidst the cluttering and clamouring around him. In the surroundings where ecological harmony exists, he wants to spend the rest of his life in utter aloneness: Marta hun khamoshi per, yeh aarzu hai meri Daman mein koh ke ikk chhota sa jhaunpada ho (I long for utter silence and I have an intense desire that I should live in a small hut by the side of a mountain.) In the stillness of the mind, one can delve deep into the sea of introspection. Time stands still for a while and the window on the past events and future speculations opens wide. In this period of timelessness, one ignores the immediacy of personal needs and establishes contact with the immutable paradigms of life. For that person, the need of the moment is to transcend selfish motives and venture into the domain, where the ‘finite heart’ yearns for the ‘infinite passion’. Aloneness is, paradoxically, not an urge to get away from the human beings but to find a detour to the stimulus at the bottom of human psyche. Beyond loneliness and aloneness, there is a condition of the mind when one steps out of oneself. Even while reading a good piece of literature, one feels somnolent to such an extent that the mind is grasping the content whereas the body seems to be none-xistent. In one of her odes, the Greek poetess Sappho says: “At times I am out of my senses and in my right mind”. These are the sublime moments when the individual is involved in deep contemplation and the consciousness of the self recedes into the background. — N.S. Tasneem
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Biz Clips
Ludhiana Food
complex: Khushi Ram and Sons would open a food complex in Ansal Plaza here. Mr Rakesh Gupta, director of the company, said here on Thursday that the food complex would be spread over three floors, including bakery basket, kitty hall, food restaurant and three banquet halls.
TNS Nabard: Nabard conducted an awareness workshop on scheme for development/strengthening of agricultural marketing infrastructure, grading and standardisation here on Thursday. It was inaugurated by Mr N.S. Anand, Deputy General Manager, Punjab and Sind Bank. Entrepreneurs and bankers from the city participated in it.
TNS SBI: State Bank of India has introduced a special facility that would allow its customers to remit funds in the name of third parties, make payments for bills under e-pay and issue drafts within a composite limit of Rs 1 lakh. The facility would be available free of cost.
TNS
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Ludhiana, November 18