The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

HEALTH

Second pulse polio round on January 15
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 5
The stage is set for the second round of pulse polio drive in the district on January15 and a high-level meeting of health officials reviewed the arrangements here last evening.

Dr Rana Harinder, Director, Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, Dr V.K. Goyal, Deputy Director, Immunisation, Dr Rajinder Kaur, Civil Surgeon and Dr G.B. Singh, Medical Officer Surveillance for WHO, participated in the meeting. Senior medical officers, block extension educators, lady health visitors and paramedical staff of the Health Department were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr G.B. Singh said a comprehensive strategy should be evolved to ensure that no child in the age group of 0-5 years was left without administering polio drops.

Dr Goyal focused on new management techniques to reduce the infant mortality rate while stressing on the need for institutional deliveries. He asked the supervisory staff of the department to ensure compliance of the PNDT Act which could go a long way in improving the sex ratio in the state.

He said in a bid to discourage female foeticide and improve the sex ratio, the state government had introduced an incentive scheme under which the panchayat concerned would get a grant of Rs 3 lakh for achieving equal male-female population.

Dr Rana Harinder dwelt upon different welfare schemes of the Health Department and urged the staff to work with dedication.

Dr Rajinder Kaur and Dr Kuldip Kaur Sahni, District Immunisation Officer, explained about the arrangements for the second round of the pulse polio drive under which more than 5.25 lakh eligible children were to be vaccinated.

Wander, others to be honoured
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 5
Dr G.S. Wander, an eminent cardiologist and Director, Hero Heart Centre, will be conferred with the Dr (Miss) Edith Brown Memorial Award for Health and Medical Sciences for his outstanding contribution to the field of medicine.

The award will be presented to him at the annual Lohri mela organised every year by the Malwa Sabhyacharak Manch during Lorhi celebration. This year the mela is being held on January 10.

Addressing a press conference here today, the chairman of the manch, Dr KK Bawa, president, Mr Pawan Dewan and organiser Prof MS Cheema said nine other people from different walks of life would also be awarded on the occasion. They include Jugraj Singh, Dr Gurminder Sidhu, Jaspal Bhatti, Ravinder Grewal, SRPS Pawar, Satwinder Bitti, Gurcharan Singh Gill, Hardev Singh Sangha and Jagdev Singh Jassowal.

Mr Bawa said that this year again the theme of the Lohri mela would be saving the girl child. He pointed out that Lohri was traditionally associated with celebrating the birth of a male child, “but we want to propagate the idea that the birth of a female child should also be celebrated”, he said.

ADMINISTRATION

Taxation Bar for abolition of audit provision
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 5
Raising eyebrows over provision of audit by chartered accountants in case of sales exceeding Rs 50 lakh, the District Taxation Bar Association (Sales Tax) put forward a demand with the newly elected Chairman of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, Mr Harish Rai Dhanda, to get the same abolished.

The advocates who have been registering a decline in their business as the CAs are permitted to conduct the audit, also demanded that the limit of Rs 40 lakh for income tax audit, be raised to Rs 2 crore.

The president of Taxation Bar (Sales Tax), Mr Bal Krishan Gupta, secretary Arun Kanwal, vice president Kanwaljit Singh Sethi; joint secretary Vinay Kashyap; honoured Mr Dhanda for his unanimous election to the coveted post of chairman.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Dhanda promised the lawyers to raise their demand before the Chief Minister of Punjab and before other authorities.

Mr Naval Kishore Chibber, president, District Bar Association, vice-president Sunil Dutt, Punjab Tax Bar Association chairman Ashok Juneja and President B.R. Kaushal also shared their views. Mr Ashish Thamman, Mr Chander Sehgal, Mr Rajesh Malhotra, Mr R.B. Garg and Mr H.S. Ubhi were also present on the occasion.