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TOP STORIES

Chief Khalsa Diwan-run schools
14 principals, teachers have fake degrees
Amritsar, July 5
It has come to light that 14 principals and teachers of the Diwan-run schools possess fake degrees. The Diwan is the oldest Sikh institute.A three-member inquiry panel, headed by then director education, Chief Khalsa Diwan, Darshan Singh, had also identified around 100 principals and teachers with the Diwan-run schools, mostly Guru Harkrishan Public Schools, who didn’t have B.Ed degrees.

Atta-dal
Food coupon option open
Chandigarh, July 5
Even though the promised cheap atta and dal scheme will be implemented from August 15, the Punjab government is keeping an option open to provide food coupons to the beneficiaries.

Badal for decentralised planning

Rabbon Uchhi (Ludhiana), July 5
With a view to decentralise the planning and development in the state, the Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, today unveiled an "innovative and an interactive process of governance" by taking it to the block level.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal pays tributes to Shaheed Baba Maharaj Singh Ji at Rabbon Uchhi village in Ludhiana district on Thursday. — Reuters

REGIONAL BRIEFS

YOUR TOWN

Amritsar
Chandigarh
Faridkot
Jalandhar
Ludhiana
Patiala
Sangrur

EARLIER STORIES

	Prosecution files amended chargesheet July 5, 2007
	Punjab protests to FM on meagre sum July 4, 2007
	SGPC refuses to recognise it July 3, 2007
	Badal approves Rs 85-crore Ghaggar project July 2, 2007
	43 Pak nationals released July 1, 2007
	Police picks up Dimpa’s supporters June 30, 2007
	Cong questions role of govt June 29, 2007
	Chahal’s judicial remand extended June 28, 2007
	Raninder scuttling investigation: SIT June 27, 2007
	Sarna to send dera chief’s apology to PM June 26, 2007

STATE OF COTTON CROP

Not downed by rains, but by mealy-bug. — Photo by Sukhnaib Sidhu

CM approves de-notification of 76,000 acres of farm land
Chandigarh, July 5
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today allowed de-notification of 76,000 hectares of agricultural land locked under the controversial Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900.

Amritsar MC inks Rs 273 cr pact on sewerage, water supply
Amritsar, July 5
The Municipal Corporation here has signed an agreement of Rs 273 crore for the revamp of sewerage and water supply system of the city with loan from a Japanese bank.

POLITICS

Tributes to Chohan
Cong flays BJP
Amritsar, July 5
The Congress today took the BJP to task for supporting the condolence resolution in the Assembly and paying tributes to “Khalistan” ideologue Jagjit Singh Chohan.Taking a dig at senior BJP leaders, who were present at the opening session of the Assembly, senior Congress leader and former MLA Jugal Kishore Sharma said the BJP had indirectly supported the cause of “Khalistan” for which Chohan had fought his life.

COMMUNITY

Amarinder govt gave Rs 1 cr, one acre
Record of proposed trauma centre summoned
Patiala, July 5
The government has summoned record of the proposed trauma centre that was to be brought in government medical college Patiala by a private trust. The acting director research and medical education (DRME) has summoned the records of the trauma centre from the office of principal government medical college here.

The foundation stone at the site for the proposed trauma centre at Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala. — A Tribune photograph

Separate directorate to run ayurveda research
Jalandhar, July 5
Government has appointed Dr Ashwini Kumar, principal, Government Ayurvedic College, Patiala, as the director research and medical education (DRME), Ayurveda. This is for the first time that a separate directorate will run the teaching and research in the field of Ayurveda in the state.

Chief parliamentary secy’s post
No violation of Constitution: Punjab govt
Chandigarh, July 5
The secretary, coordination, department of general administration (general coordination), Punjab, has stated in his counter-affidavit that office of chief parliamentary secretary (CPS) is not a constitutional post and therefore cannot fall under the category of member of council of ministers.

‘1.42 lakh farmers committed suicide in 8 yrs’
Chandigarh, July 5
Member of the national farmers’ commission and general secretary of the all-India kisan sabha Atul Kumar Anjaan here today said that 1,42,000 farmers committed suicide in the country from 1998 to 2006.

Vigilance to probe education trust pact
Chandigarh, July 5
The Punjab vigilance bureau has been asked to inquire into various alleged irregularities in the agreement under which land was allotted to the Dashmesh education trust, Patiala, which is run by a relative of B.I.S. Chahal, media adviser to former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

Harassment of 22 families
Case transferred to Tarn Taran SSP
Amritsar, July 5
The Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) has transferred the case of alleged harassment of 22 families aligned with the Congress and belonging to Madh village, near Rayya, against Akali workers to the SSP, Tarn Taran, P.K. Rai for a fresh inquiry into their charges.

State Round-up
Shagun scheme extended to BCs, Muslims
Chandigarh, July 5
The Punjab government today extended the shagun scheme to backward classes and Muslims.Announcing this after a high-level meeting of officials, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said here today that by taking this decision the SAD-BJP government had fulfilled the promise made to the public in this regard.

Civic amenity project
Village ponds
PCS (judicial branch) exam

Same-sex couple splits
One attempts suicide
Batala, July 5
The love story of the same-sex couple, who got married against the wishes of their parents, today took a sad turn when one of them attempted suicide at the Sadar police station here.

Baljit Kaur, one of the two girls who went for a same-sex marriage, being taken to the hospital after she slit her veins at the Batala police station on Thursday. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

Baljit Kaur, one of the two girls who went for a same-sex marriage, being taken to the hospital after she slit her veins at the Batala police station

Chemists vow to fight drug abuse
Nabha, July 5
Retail and whole sale chemists pledged to weed out drug abuse here in the town. Last evening on the occasion of the election of their office-bearers, the members of the Nabha Chemists Association invited chief medical officer of civil hospital Nabha Dr Inder Dyal Goel and pledged in the name of God of not to sell habit- forming drugs without prescription. — OC

Worms in tap water
Sangrur, July 5
Panic spread among residents of the Guru Nanak Colony here yesterday as some of them found worms in the tap water of their respective houses in the morning. Scared of the worms in the water, some children even went to school without taking bath.

Meddling in affairs
MLA to move court against Bunny
Mohali, July 5
Kharar MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu today said he would move court against Jasjit Singh Bunny, who contested Assembly elections against him, for “usurping his authority in the constituency”.

Pensioners for reconstituted pay panel
Patiala, July 5
The Punjab Pensioners Welfare Association, Patiala, has demanded the reconstitution of the fifth pay commission, constituted by the previous government, so that employees as well as those who have retired can place their grievances before the panel for consideration.

COURTS

Order reserved on blanket protection
Chahal’s anticipatory bail plea adjourned
Chandigarh, July 5
Anticipatory bail pleas of B.I.S. Chahal and Today Home officials were adjourned yesterday when the case came up for hearing in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Raninder’s plea adjourned to July 17
Chandigarh, July 5
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today adjourned the hearing to July 17 on the plea of Raninder, Capt Amarinder Singh’s son, seeking blanket protection against arrest by the Vigilance Bureau or any other agency of the Punjab government.

ADMINISTRATION

Ahluwalia takes over as commissioner

Patiala, July 5
Surinder Krishan Ahluwalia, a senior IAS officer, took over as commissioner of Patiala division here today.Ahluwalia has earlier worked as deputy commissioner of Fatehgarh Sahib and held important assignments as commissioner of the Patiala municipal corporation and director public relations.

New commissioner of Patiala division Surinder Krishan Ahluwalia seeks blessings at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib on Thursday. — Photo by Bhushan Sood

CRIME

Synthetic desi ghee racket busted, 3 held
Barnala, July 5
The local police has unearthed a racket of synthetic desi ghee and arrested Rajesh Kumar, Roshan Lal and Karnail Singh.Addressing a press conference here today, Paramjeet Singh Garewal , SSP, Barnala, said the whole operation was supervised by Sukhdev Singh Bhatti, SP(D).

EDUCATION

Foolproof security for PMET
Faridkot, July 5
Having faced an embarrassing situation once following the leak of pre-medical entrance test (PMET) paper, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences is leaving nothing to chance this time. Now, the test will be held under foolproof security of the Punjab police on July 8.

ISRO plans weather stn at varsity
Amritsar, July 5
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has decided to set up an automatic weather station (AWS) on the Guru Nanak Dev University campus shortly. In the first phase ISRO has planned to setup a network of around 20 AWS in each state at various locations.

Plus II, BA compartment cases not eligible for promotion
Amritsar, July 5
The students who have been placed under compartment in +2 examinations or in the final year of graduation are not eligible for admission to a higher class. It is applicable even for taking admission into postgraduation.

Approval granted for MBA course
Fatehgarh Sahib, July 5
Cordia Institute of Business Management, Sanghol, has got the AICTE, New Delhi, approval to start MBA course from 2007-08.Institute director Dr R.K. Sharma said they had been allocated 60 seats in MBA-I for this session.

Mgmt school welcomes freshers
Patiala, July 5
The Punjab School of Management Studies (PSMS), Punjabi University, started its new batch of MBA (correspondence) students here on Monday.The course, which was introduced in 1984, has been popular among students across the country.

BEd Entrance
Roll Nos. dispatched
Patiala, July 5
Preparations for the BEd entrance test, being conducted by Punjabi University on July 15, are in full swing.Sources said 166 examination centres had been set up for 40,000 candidates in 21 towns, including all district headquarters of Punjab and Chandigarh.