Yamunanagar, January 23
“Technology will continue to be a source of power in future. Technology domination is sought both by companies and countries, in fields as diverse as human genomics and nuclear weapons through mechanism of Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Control Regimes”.

This was stated by Dr R.Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India and Chairman, Scientific Advisory Committee to the Union Cabinet, after being conferred with the Seth Jai Parkash Memorial Award at the Mukandians’ meet held at Mukand Lal National College here last evening.

Justice Pritam Pal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh, presented the award to him. Dr Chidambaram, however, did not accept the cheque for Rs 51,000 which was a part of the award and instead asked the management of the college to transfer the money to Shankar Netarayala, Chennai.

Five Mukandians, Justice Pritam Pal, Dr Balbir Singh, Dr Ishwar Dayal, Mr Raman Saluja and Mr Pankaj Malik, were also honoured for their contributions in their respective fields.

Padam Vibhushan Dr Chidambaram (also former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission of India) said in his address that India should first become 100 per cent literate and an economically developed nation. He emphasised that for leadership to be real and meaningful wisdom, courage and vision were required, but “leadership can not be reduced to a system and incorporated into a training manual’.

Dr Chidambaram said critical technologies of India today ranged from strategic technologies to rural development-related technologies. “We need the world in the short term, world will needs us in the longer run in nuclear power and other related science and technology area”, he said.

Justice Pritam Pal in his address hoped that India would grow in stature in the coming years on account of character, integrity and enlightenment of individuals. He described himself to be a humble Mukandian.

Dr K.L Johar, President of the Mukandians and former Vice-President, Guru Jhambeshwar University, talked about the life of Mukand Lal. He said Mukand Lal believed in Gandhian philosophy and wanted to spread the light of education and for this purpose only he had started Mukand Lal institutions.

Dr K.L Johar, former Vice-President, Guru Jhambeshwar University, Mr Ashok Kumar, Chairman, Seth Jai Parkash Mukand Lal Institutions and Dr Ramesh Kumar, Principal of the college, were among others who spoke on the occasion.

Assandh (Karnal), January 23
The function to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Sir Chhotu Ram, held here today, highlighted the differences in the state unit of the Congress party.

Though the grandson of the legendary farmer leader, Mr Birender Singh, who is also the state Finance Minister, had organised the function but no senior party functionaries, including MLAs or MPs, were present there.

Mr Singh is the chief patron of the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Vichar Manch that organised the “Kisan Divas” function at the new grain market here.

Functionaries of the manch, who did not want to be quoted, admitted it was a political function. The organisers claimed that senior Congress party leaders Jagmeet Singh Brar and MP Sachin Pilot had consented to attend the function but failed to turn up.

Interestingly, scores of Congress workers, including Sumita Singh and Dr Arvind Sharma, the local MLA and MP, respectively, attended another function held by Jat Sabha in the memory of Sir Chhotu Ram, held on the campus of the sabha in Karnal this afternoon.

Addressing the function, the Finance Minister lamented the present SEZ policy and talked against the sale of land by farmers.

He emphasised the need to evolve a policy under which a farmer either gives his land on lease or gets due royalty against it's use for a specific period.

He said the farmers were being crushed due to the poor policies and advocated that the farmers should get higher returns for their produce.

Without naming any individual, he repeatedly blamed the politicians for their non-serious attitude towards the water problem which had a deteriorating effect on the condition of farmers.

Blaming the political class, he said those involved in petty politics branded the SYL issue as a “dispute”. He appealed to the farmers to follow the path shown by Sir Chhotu Ram.

Rajya Sabha member Harender Malik, senior journalist J. S. Anand and farmer leader Ghasi Ram also spoke on the occasion.

Rohtak, January 23
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has said that commercialisation of the media had adversely affected investigative journalism over the past few years.

Inaugurating a news portal launched by the Haryana Union of Journalists (HUJ) last evening he said whereas earlier journalism was taken up with a missionary zeal, over the years commercial interests had become more important leading to deterioration in professional standards. “Newspersons now owe it to the society to ensure that the balance between the missionary spirit and commercial interests was maintained,” he added.

Mr Hooda said he had noted with surprise how very few genuinely investigative stories were appearing in the media after the wave of commercialisation had swept the industry. This did not augur well for the society, he added.

He hoped that the news portal would grow into a useful information tool for the entire state.

Earlier speaking at a function held at the local Jat High School he called upon private educational institutions to share with the government the responsibility of setting up quality educational institutions in the state.

He said that the future of any society depended on the future of its students. Recalling that the late Sir Chhotu Ram wanted quality education be made available to the poorest of the poor in the society, Mr Hooda said that private institutions should come forward to fulfill the dream of the late leader.

The Chief Minister said private institutions should focus on quality rather than introducing more courses to earn more money. These institutions also needed to assure the society that the donations given to them were being utilised properly.

Mr Hooda announced a grant of Rs 31 lakh for the construction of new building of Maharani Jat Kishori Kanya Mahavidyalya. He also flagged off a ‘Beti Bachao Rath’ which would spread awareness about the evil of female foeticide. This rath has been crafted by employees of Maharani Kishori Jat Kanya Mahavidyalya. Two of the employees would travel in the rath throughout the state.

Hisar, January 23
The Dakshin Haryana Bijali Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) plans to add 24,000 power distribution transformers to strengthen the power distribution system in its area at a cost of Rs 220 crore during the next four years.

A spokesman for the nigam said here today that with the installation of these transformers, the total number of transformers in the area of the DHBVN would increase to about 1 lakh.

The nigam has launched a massive drive for the repair and maintenance of the existing distribution transformers. The field officers have been directed to complete the task by September, 2007.

Under this drive, a special survey will be conducted and the transformers found installed more than five years ago will be overhauled.

Kurukshetra, January 23
A month long anti-foeticide campaign, organised by the Gyan Jyoti Saaksharta Samiti, will be launched by various NGOs at Panchayat Bhavan here on January 26.

Confirming this here today, Deputy Commissioner T.K. Sharma said the office-bearers of mahila mandals, saaksharta samooh, panchayats, Nehru kendras and voluntary organisations would participate in the campaign.

An anti-foeticide exhibition, which would be put up by the Health Department on the occasion of Republic Day here, would also be carried to all the villages of this district and through this exhibition people would be explained the bad effects of foeticide on our society, Mr Sharma said.

He said various welfare schemes and related literature would be made available at 168 Jan Chetna Centres.

The samiti's district convener, Mr Jagmohan Bansal, revealed that 753 classes were being conducted in 291 villages and 4,709 women and 2,036 men were getting education in these classes in this district.

According to a survey, a campaign to make 42,209 persons literate in this district was in progress, added Mr Bansal.

Rohtak, January 23
An eighth standard student was allegedly stabbed to death by two youths, the police said today.

The deceased was identified as Sumit, a resident of Subhash Nagar here.

The police has registered a case of murder in this connection and is investigating the motive behind the crime.

According to police sources, Sumit was returning to his house after attending tuition class last evening when he was attacked with a knife allegedly by another youth and one of his accomplices.

Sumit with multiple stab wounds was rushed to the PGIMS where he succumbed to his injuries.

The police has registered a murder case against the alleged assailants, who had absconded. — PTI

Sonepat, January 23
A young housewife allegedly poisoned her four-year-old daughter to death and later committed suicide by taking some tablets in her house in this district, the police said today.

According to police sources, a family quarrel was stated to be the main cause behind the incident which occurred at Sirsadh village in Gohana subdivision yesterday.

The woman, Anju, belonged to Gangana village and was married to Sandeep of Sirsadh village about five years ago.

The police has registered a case and sent the bodies of Anju and her daughter Sakshi for a post-mortem examination. — PTI