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Signals Officers to get new Mess
After demolishing a dilapidated mess building built in 1908 by the British, the Vajra Corps officials laid the foundation stone of a new Vajra Signal Officers’ Mess on Thursday.
Prayers were held by the priests of different religions, following which General Officer Commanding, Lt-Gen Noble Thamburaj, laid the foundation stone. The new building will cover a larger plinth area of 960 sq metres and will be built at a cost of Rs 50.79 lakh. Once completed, the mess will be able to cater to the needs of 29 to 40 officers. Recalling the history of the demolished building, the officials said the last British officer to occupy it was Capt R.H. Hayes. “He occupied it till July 1942. The records of its occupancy from 1942 to 1949 are not traceable. It was handed over to the Army Corps of Signals in 1949 and then on it functioned as the Station Signals Mess”, Brig Lidder, Chief of Signals Corps, said. He added that the building was shared by the 11 Corps Engineering Signal Regiment and the 11 Corps Operating Signal Regiment till merger on October 8, 2001. From then on, it was with the 11 Corps Signal Regiment till its demolition in August this year, he informed. Showing the model of the project, Brig Lidder said the new mess would be built around an open space. There would be two lawns in addition to this space, he said, adding that there would be a lot of room for recreation as well.
Intel MoU to benefit small, medium
enterprises
The Intel Corporation will shortly sign a Memorandum of Understanding with SME Business Services, a joint venture company of the state-owned Punjab Infotech, benefitting about two lakh small and medium enterprises in Punjab. It will help these units become more efficient through e-enablement and market themselves better internationally using the Internet.
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Mr Deepak Nanda, Managing Director and CEO, SME Business Services, said the company would organise three levels of educative programmes on the use and benefits of adopting IT. Level one would be the state level, which includes exhibitions. Level two would be organised with various industry associations and level three programmes in industrial areas/focal points where there was high density of SMEs. The company is using best of the breed, internationally renowned, well-established and patented World Access of Network Directories technologies to bridge the gap between the local SMEs and the global market place by networking with major global online directories for delivering the top class services to the SME segment. Officials said their portal www.sme.in had connected member companies to lakhs of international products and services buyers and sellers in 177 countries with 20 international trade directories in 16 international languages. In the past few months, the company has brought trade worth millions of rupees and has invited foreign opportunities to local industry. Seminars had been conducted at Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar to educate SMEs about the advantages of IT/Web-based marketing engine. Emphasising upon the need for the initiative in the fast changing local and world economy, Mr Nanda said SMEs were the backbone of Punjab’s economy. “Their competence and participation in the dynamic global trading environment will dramatically increase by using this state-of-the-art multi-lingual marketing engine,” he added.
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Break-up costs go up in Phagwara
2004 2005 2006 Total complaints 743 764 573
Phagwara’s divorce rate is going up and so is the cost of break-ups. Increasing number of couples in the city is opting for peaceful out-of-court settlements. For that they don’t mind shelling out money — at times as high as Rs 25 lakh.
Advocate R.K. Sharma says: “People are getting smarter. Many couples have their deals worked out before they enter court, seeking divorce by mutual consent. Divorce has become a big business and compromise doesn’t come without a cost, which is naturally huge.” The average cost of compromise is somewhere between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh but in some cases it has gone up to Rs 25 lakh, says another advocate on condition of anonymity. “So mentally well-prepared and focused are the both parties that even the best efforts of judges and lawyers to reunite them fell flat,” adds Sharma. J.S. Baweja, a Jalandhar-based advocate who has handled more than 600 divorce cases, agrees with the statement. “Earlier divorce cases were very rare but now one to two cases come every week,” he says. “With rise in the number of divorce cases, there has been an increase in settlement money also,” says Baweja. “The judicial process is lengthy and people think it is better to negotiate rather than going through the grind. A way out can be that some maintenance should be given to women till the case is pending in court,” suggests Varinder Chopra, a member of the Coordination Committee, Family Counselling Centre, Phagwara. In many instances, one party files a dowry complaint against the other to mount pressure. “Only 10 per cent of such complaints are genuine. The rest are filed to generate pressure for a better bargain. Once the deal is struck, the complaint is withdrawn,” says Vinayak Mehta, in charge, Women and Child Welfare Unit. In 2005, 764 dowry harassment complaints were filed. Actually, only 43 cases were registered.
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Harleen is Miss Punjaban Kapurthala City
Harleen Kaur of Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia (NJSA) Government College, Kapurthala, became first Miss Punjaban Kapurthala City. She won the contest amongst 34 contestants between the age group of 15 to 21 years. Contestants were from eight schools and colleges of Kapurthala city.
First and second runner-up positions were also bagged by NJSA College, which had held its post-centenary celebrations a few weeks before. Sandeep Kaur was the first runner-up while Ramandeep Kaur was declared the second runner-up. Navneet Kaur and Gurpreet Kaur (both of Hindu Kanya College) had to be satisfied with the fourth and fifth positions, respectively. The Miss Punjaban Kapurthala City contest made its debut under the aegis of the Punjabi Sabhyachar Forum during a programme named as ‘Punjaban Mutiar-Folk Dance Competiton 2006’ on Tuesday. The Forum had held Miss Punjaban contest in Kapurthala last year too but only contestants from schools of Kapurthala had taken part in the contest, said the chairman of the forum, Mr. BN Gupta, adding that the forum would organise a district-level Miss Punjaban contest next year. In the folk dance contest, gidda competitions were held. Hindu Putri Pathshala Girls Senior Secondary School bagged the first position, while Kulwant Rai Jain DAV High School was second. Kamaliya Khalsa High School finished third. The chief guest of the function, former DGP Mr DR Bhatti, gave away prizes to the winners. The patron of the forum, Mr Jindra Arora, and Director, Mr Balbir Saraf, said the forum would organise more functions for the promotion of art and culture of Punjab.
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Punjab needs infrastructure to boost exports
Exporters from Punjab voiced concern over lack of proper infrastructure during the seminar on ‘Export Promotion from the State of Punjab’ organised by the Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO), Northern Region, and sponsored by the Indian Institute of Industrial Economics and Development Society here.
They felt the need of the hour was to develop a working culture without bureaucratic hurdles to lead to the path of prosperity. Mr Anand Seth, Joint Deputy General Manager, FIEO, read the key note address. It stated thatPunjab was exporting to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore annually. Mr Kadyraliev, Minister Counsellor, Embassy of Kyrgyzstan, New Delhi, was the chief guest. On basis of the data available, Amritsar with exports worth Rs 1,400 crore during the past financial year was third in the state while Ludhiana topped with Rs 6,100 crore. Jalandhar is second with exports worth Rs 2,800 crore. The exports rest upon high-quality yarn, textiles, readymade garments, hosiery, bicycle and pharmaceuticals.
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Police DAV win handball,
kho-kho titles
Police DAV School, Jalandhar Cantonment, won the under-19 boys title of the CBSE North Zone Handball Championship held at Shri Krishna Pranami School, Shivani in Bhiwani district, Haryana.
Harsimran Pal Singh was declared the best player as well as the best goalkeeper. The school also won the girls and the boys titles in the under-16 kho-kho held at Kulwant Rai. In the boys section Gurpreet Singh was declared the best player and in the girls section Jyot Veer Kaur adjudged the best player. Dawinder Singh in the boys section and Gurpreet Kaur in the girls section were declared the best chasers.
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Army Public School hosts principals’ meet
Tribune News Service A two-day Western Command annual meeting of principals’ of Army Schools hosted by Army Public School, Jalandhar Cantonment, began on Thursday at Vajra Officers’ Institute. The rendezvous between principals and representatives of the Army Welfare Education Society provided a common platform to discuss educational issues. The conference was opened by Lt-Gen A.N. Aul, Chief of Staff, Headquarters Western Command. The members primarily discussed the “Role of school in stress management among children”.Major-General Manmohan Singh, MD, AWES, presented academic excellence awards to schools and gave an update on AWES activities. Various other issues such as management of teachers for primary section, role of school towards parents and graduation ceremony for Plus Two students were also deliberated upon. Emphasis was laid on the need for AWES to support large scale research and upgrading of skills of teachers. The conclave also examined the frequency of pre-boards, internal assessment for Class IX and XI and a need to give impetus to the concept of value-based integrated learning. The first day of the meet concluding with a demonstration on computer aided learning software. Discussion on
child labour
A panel discussion on “Child labour: its prohibition and regulation” was organised at Guru Nanak Dev University College, Basti
Nau. Mr Inderjit Singh, Assistant Labour Commissioner, spoke on the provisions of the constitution on Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986. He emphasised on the provisions and procedure of punishment. He said as per a recent calculation, there were 1.77 lakh children employed in factories and other work places in Punjab. Mr Iqbal Singh, an advocate, talked about lacunas in the Act. He stressed upon that unemployment allowances, free education and family planning could be some solutions to the problem. Mr Surinder Saini, general secretary, Jalandhar Welfare Society, suggested that a child commission be set up to protect rights of the children. Dr Usha Kapoor, Principal, called for a check on educational expenses and need of a social change to solve the problem. Cultural extravaganza
A three-day cultural extravaganza organised at Hemkunt Public School, Pathankot Road, concluded on Saturday. The festival began with declamation contest on topics of social and national interests. Contests were held for dance and fancy dress shows. The students decorated the school tastefully exhibiting their talent. Prof Manjit Singh, Director of the school, emphasised upon the need of such activities in the educational institutions for overall development and personality of the students. Annual day
BSF Senior Secondary School, Jalandhar Cantonment, celebrated its 39th annual day and prize distribution function. The open air theatre was jam-packed for the function. The programme unfolded by invoking the blessings of Goddess
Saraswati. The achievements of the students were highlighted in the school report tabled by Mr S.S. Khokhar, Principal. The students enthralled the audience with their performance in Himachali dance. An English play, ‘Mental asylum’ was staged by students of the senior section. Group song and orchestra exhibited the talent of budding artists. The “Krishna Leela” transported all to the realm of mythology. Hindi skit ‘Janamdin ka
uphar’ brought to light the changing status of women. Girls performed Bharatnatyam and stole the show. A parody, western dance and bhangra marked the finale of the programme. Chairman of the school, Mr Arvind Ranjan, IG, BSF, Punjab, was the chief guest. He gave prizes to the students. Ms Lalita Katoch, Headmistress, and school fraternity attended the show. Founders’ day
Apeejay Institute of Management, Hoshiarpur Road, celebrated the 87th birthday of its founder president Dr Satya Paul on Wednesday. The celebrations began with Sararswati Vandana, followed by one-act play, folk song and folk dance performances. To commemorate the spirit of Apeejay’s motto “Soaring high is my nature”, talks were delivered by students, Ridhima Gupta of MBA third semester, Anuj Dhadwal of BBA fifth semester and Aaruti Dua of MCA third semester. Dr Balram Dogra, Principal, shared the details of Dr Satya Paul’s biography and some of his illustrious achievements with the students. On the occasion, Dr Dogra announced the Dr Satya Paul Award for moral values for Mukta Joshi of MCA fifth semester. She also received a cash award of Rs 5,000. Poster making contest
A poster making contest on blood donation was organised by the Citizens’ Welfare and Protection Council, an NGO, on Saturday. Prof Anoop Vats, general secretary, said the contest was held to sensitise young students on voluntary blood donation and to prepare them as motivators to popularise a movement in this regard.
Ravneet Singh, Himanshu and Bhawna Rana were declared first, second and third, respectively. Dr
G.S. Nagi, Assistant Civil Surgeon, said human beings were mobile blood banks and withdrawal of blood from the bank could be automatically compensated by natural process within a limited frame of time. He added that donation of blood kept human body agile and fit. Grandparents’ day
Kids of nursery class from MGN Public School, Urban Estate-II, organised grandparents’ day. Various games were organised. Dance and antakshri proved to be enjoyable. It was an emotional scene for the grandparents as they saw their grandchildren coming up on the stage performing various items to amuse them. The function concluded with a tea party. An inter-house shabad singing contest was also organised in the school for the students of Classes V to VIII. Ms Jaspal Gill, Principal, gave prizes to the winners. Bhagat Singh remembered
Students of DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology paid tribute to
Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh by celebrating his birth anniversary on Thursday. A speech contest on Bhagat Singh was organised. A group discussion on “Need of Bhagat Singh in resurgent India” was also held. A poster making contest and a slide show on the life of the martyr proved quite informative. Cultural events created vibrancy amongst the hearts of would-be engineers. In the speech contest, Sania Chopra stood first, followed by Virdeep Kaur and Navdeep Samra. Puneet Chadha and Kriti Dua were awarded first and second prizes, respectively, in group discussion. Nazuk Sharma and Amit Sabharwal won prizes in poster making contest. Mr
C.L. Kochher, Principal and Director, presided over the function. Mr G.C. Kaul, Head of the Department of Punjabi in DAV College, Prof Lakhbir Singh from the same department, Mr Jagmohan Singh, singer and artist, and Master
Dharmapal, yoga expert, were the stars who decorated the evening.
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Ramgarhia college NCC cadet honoured
Tribune News Service A function was organised at Ramgarhia College, Phagwara, to honour Miss Bhavna, a student of PGDCA and Under Officer of the 8th Battalion. Bhavna got the silver medal in the ‘Health and Hygiene’ competition and the second prize in the quiz competition at the national-level Thal Sainik Camp organised by the Director-General of NCC in Delhi Cantt. The college Principal, Dr. P.S.Tyagi, Dr Tyagi presented her a memento. He also announced a fee concession for her brilliant achievements. Magic tricks
Magician S.S. Soni entertained students of GDR Convent School, Rawalpindi village in Phagwara here on Wednesday. He kept the students of the school spell-bound with his magic tricks. Mr Anil Sharma, Secretary of the school, thanked Mr Soni on the occasion. Forum meeting
Executive meeting of the Senior Citizen Forum, Phagwara, was held under the presidentship of Mr Jatimder Singh Kundi here on Wednesday. Mr Kundi in his address said the forum was committed to its promise to keep the interests of senior citizens as its priority. Mr Kundi further said a special meeting of the forum would be convened on October 12 in Phagwara in view of the rising crime rate in the city and to create awareness in the senior citizens about diseases like jaundice and dengue.
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