Pesticides affecting reproductive health of Punjabis
Dr S. G. Kabra, from the Institute of Health Management Research (IHMR), Jaipur, said Punjab needed to reorient its agriculture based on chemical fertilizers and other hazardous pesticides to avoid a catastrophic health scenario.

Oriental Bank to focus on rural areas
The Oriental Bank of Commerce has decided to increase its annual funding by more than 30 per cent to boost sagging agriculture in the country.

Punjab needs policy change
Urbanisation and development should go hand-in-hand said Dr Isher Judge Ahluwalia, a noted economist and Vice Chairperson, Punjab State Planning Board, at a conference on “Housing and Colonisation” organised here recently by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Nandini’s short stories present pain of relationships
Steeped in rich tradition of Hindi literature, Nandini Malhotra has come out with a short stories book ‘Ek Haqiqat Ek Afsana’. A collection of 22 stories, the book makes interesting reading, which succeeds in binding the readers through its excellent narration.

Divali — time for potters to make money With the approaching festival of Divali about 300 potters of the holy city get busy in preparing ‘divas’ and other items, besides raw material for the ‘anaars’ to be supplied to manufacturers of firecrackers. This is the only occasion for the potters to make hefty earnings. With the introduction of fridges and water coolers long ago, people don’t use earthen pots to keep drinking water cool. A potter girl shows earthen lamps before putting them in a furnace in Amritsar. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

 

Hanuman’s blessings and Langoorwala Mela What ‘Durga Pooja’ is to West Bengal and ‘Dandiya’ is to Gujaratis, Langoorwala Mela is to the holy city of Amritsar. Couples come to the ancient ‘Bara Hanuman Prachin Mandir’ in the famous Durgiana Temple to seek blessings for a male child. Children dress as Lord Hanuman at Langoorwala Mela at Durgiana Mandir during Navratras in Amritsar. — Photo by RS

McDonald to open outlet in holy city
The world’s largest fast food chain, McDonald, would launch its maiden restaurant on the outskirts of the holy city. It would be the first ever-international food chain to have its presence here.

DAV International bags overall trophy
The local DAV International School bagged the overall trophy at the All-India Mahatma Hans Raj Aryan Youth Festival while Police DAV public school,

Don’t shun drug addicts, help them, say experts
A seminar on ‘Drug Addiction and Youth in Punjab’ was organised by Guru Nanak Dev University in which experts and social scientists presented a unanimous view that the evil of drugs could only be eradicated with the active participation of the public.