Amritsar, July 24
The Punjab government has decided to increase its expenditure from Rs 367.75 crore to Rs 605.10 crore for developing and improving roads and transport system in the state. This was stated by information and public relations minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia today while distributing cheques among the victims of fire that had broken out at Chavinda Devi village, gutting a number of kiosks. The relief was given from the Chief Minister’s relief fund.

Describing the World Bank-funded project for construction and development of roads, Majithia said out of Rs 1,500 crore, the state would contribute Rs 275 crore during the current financial year. The government had also made a special component plan worth Rs 1,250 crore for welfare of the Dalit. Under the plan, the amount for houses has been increased from Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000, he added.

He said, “The government is planning to spend about Rs 22 crore on widening the Amritsar-Fatehgarh Churian road. Another project for widening of the Kathunangal-Boparai road has already been passed.” He announced a grant of Rs 5 lakh for the construction of a dharamshala at the Chavinda Devi temple.

Amritsar, July 24
Even as a host of senior leaders of the Congress, the BJP and the SAD camping in the city for the past one week to bring party cadres in election mode and to decide on allocation of ticket, the heart for people missing in their respective agendas. The key civic issues like lack of basic amenities still don’t figure in the election agendas for the parties.

While the BJP is blaming the previous Congress government and the corporation for not doing enough for the city, the Congress is relying on development works taken up by its government during the past five years to bring them back to power. City residents are hoping that at least the prospective councillors would fight the elections on real issues like water logging, pot-holed roads and mess on the GT Road due to the elevated road project.

After days of speculation over seat sharing between the SAD and the BJP, the two alliance partners have finally reached an agreement on numbers. While the BJP will contest 38 seats, the SAD will put up its candidates in 27 seats. This was disclosed by BJP state general secretary Kamal Sharma and former SAD cabinet minister Tota Singh. Both are conveners of the coordination committees of the two parties.

BJP state president Rajinder Bhandari has said that applications from all the wards had been received and the final list of candidates was likely to be out by July 25 evening. More than deciding on winning candidates, the top priority of the BJP would be to ensure that the candidate conformed to the party ideology. The issues, he said, would obviously be failure of the previous corporation to provide basic amenities to the people of the city.

“The Congress mayors have been insensitive to the grievances of the people and this would go against them when they face the electorate this time around,” he said. The party offices have been humming with activity as candidates lined up from the total 65 wards to apply for tickets. The candidates of the SAD handed over their applications to district president Bawa Singh Gumanpura.

Congress workers have also geared up for the elections and till now the party has not declared any alliance and plans to field candidates on all the 65 seats. Former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, during his visit to Amritsar, last week said the Congress was confident of sweeping the corporation elections as the SAD-BJP alliance had failed to fulfil its promises like the atta-dal scheme and the government was no longer in the hearts of people. PPCC chief Shamsher Singh Dullo also visited the city to interact with party workers on the corporation elections and discussed the strategy of the party and the ticket allotment process.

Addressing party workers here today, BJP MLA Anil Joshi said for proper redress of grievances of general public and development at the grassroots level, it was important that the BJP-SAD alliance was voted in at the corporation level as well so that there was proper coordination with the state government.

BJP district chief Bakshi Ram blamed the previous Congress government for bringing development to a standstill. “Roads are potholed and buildings are coming up without the maps being approved by the municipal town planner. All claims of development have been made in newspaper advertisements and nothing have translated on the ground,” he said.

Amritsar, July 24
Dr Darakshan Adurabi, president of National Socialist Party, Jammu and Kashmir said Kashmir was not a core issue. However, she added that Kashmir faces issues like unemployment, poverty, economic development etc. She was here recently for a meeting of party workers.

Hurriyat had no specific agenda for development, National  Socialist Party leader alleges

She said main stream leaders in the valley were posturing as separatists and fanning confusions among the masses while the separatist leaders, including the Hurriyat had no specific agenda for the development. She called for an economic revival of the state with industrialisation and to boost tourist infrastructure.

Commenting on the recent attack on the Lal Masjid in Islamabad in Pakistan, she said Pakistan was backing militants. She said militancy had no role to play in a democratic set up. She said terrorists were misguided youth who had fallen prey to orchestrated propaganda by fundamentalists. She advocated the return of young men who had crossed over to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to join the main stream.

Coming down heavily on the governance of previous PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Syed, Dr Darakshan said during his three year tenure the state was pushed back by a 100 years on political and economic front. But the present incumbent Ghulam Nabi Azad was trying to revamp the economy.

Amritsar, July 24
Group Captain S Rath, Station Commander, Air Force Station flagged off a motorcycle expedition to the highest motorable road in the world at Khardung La (18,385 ft) in Leh and back at the DAV College grounds. The expedition was organised by Second Punjab Squadron NCC (Air Wing Unit). The expedition consisting of ten riders, including nine NCC cadets was led by K. S. Saini, commanding officer of the unit, Wind Commander with Upender Singh Aulakh as the team manager.

Wing Commander Saini said the broad aim of the expedition was to attempt the world record for the launch and recovery of remote controlled aero-model flight at the highest altitude from the highest motorable road at Khardung La besides familiarising cadets with the culture, traditions and living conditions of people of the region.

He said the expedition also aimed at motivating the youth of the region towards such meaningful adventures to divert them away from the evils of the society, expanding their horizons and outlook of life at all levels. He said cadets would also carry a message to spread awareness on social issues like drug menace, environment protection, anti-female foeticide, education for the girl child and AIDS awareness to these regions. The team is expected to return on August 3 after covering a distance of approximately 200 kilometers. PictureP4

Amritsar, July 24
‘Kanyadan’, written by ace playwright Vijay Tendulkar and directed by Lillete Dubey, was staged at local Guru Nanak Bhavan here on Sunday. The award-winning play is the story of a daughter’s transformation into a wife and a mother. The play throws many questions on morality and social structure.

Playing the role of mother and father, finest theatre personalities Lillete Dubey and Rajendra Gupta were supported by Radhika Apte as the protagonist, Joy Sengupta and Raaghav Chanana.

The story revolves around a young woman from a politically active family that regards itself as progressive and liberal and decides to marry a socially inferior, but talented man. The play is the texture of modernity and social change in India through the forces this marriage unleashes. This gripping play, which is also laced with a gentle humour, is charged with an undercurrent of violence, uncertainties and anger, and concern itself with questions that are crucial to all societies grappling with change and social barriers.

Commenting on the play, director of the play Lillete Dubey said the key to women empowerment was that progressive education and educational institutions should come further for the same.

She stressed on the need of changed mindset as accepting a girl child as an individual in our society was yet missing. Her life was still governed by so-called social norm of deeply man-knitted social fabric as a daughter, sister, wife, mother or grandmother and not as a woman, she added.

On releasing the documentary on education strategy of Spring Blossoms which are based on the theory of Harward Gardner's multiple intelligence programme, she appreciated efforts made by the school.

The play, a production of Prime Time Theatre Company, was presented by Punarjyot Foundation, Centre for Preservation and Promotion of the Heritage of Punjab in association with Spring Blossoms Kindergarten School, Amritsar.

Look at the number “1089”. There is nothing special in its appearance, but there is a great mystery and history hidden in it.

With this number, you can very easily stun any person standing before you. It is possible as follows:

1. Write “1089” on a piece of paper and put it in your pocket.

2. Ask someone to think any three-digit number in which the first and last digits must be different.

3. Ask him to reverse the assumed number and subtract the smaller number from the greater number.

4. Now ask him to again reverse the three digits of the obtained answer (put zero at the left if necessary) and add it to the previously obtained answer.

5. Then take the paper out of your pocket and tell him that his answer is “1089” (because in this process the answer shall always be 1089; whatever may be the three digits to begin with).

Example 1:

Let us assume that 753 is the number that he has thought. Now proceed stepwise as directed in steps 3 and 4

753 - 357 = 396 + 693 = 1089

Example 2:

Let us assume that 100 is the number in which digits in units’ and tens’ places are the same. Now proceed stepwise as directed in steps 3 and 4.

100 - 001 = 099 + 990 = 1089

*** *** ***

An easy way to remember the table of “1089”

Table of “1089” is as follows:

1089 x 1 = 1089

1089 x 2 = 2178

1089 x 3 = 3267

1089 x 4 = 4356

1089 x 5 = 5445

1089 x 6 = 6543

1089 x 7 = 7623

1089 x 8 = 8712

1089 x 9 = 9801

Do you know what is special and easy about this table?

1. The first digit runs from 1 to 9, second from 0 to 8, third from 8 to 0 and the fourth digit runs from 9 to 1.

2. The first two digits go on increasing by 1 and the last two digits go on decreasing by 1.

3. In each product, the sum of the first and third digits is equal to the sum of the second and fourth digits. Is it not a superb sequence of digits?

The number “1089” has an amazing fact hidden in it.

We can easily see that the number “1089” is the square of 33 i.e. (33) 2 = 33 x 33 = 1089

Now see next:

1. 33 x 33 =1089

2. 333 x 333 =110889

3. 3333 x 3333 =11108889

4. 33333 x 33333 =1111088889

You can continue this product (up to 3 repeated 9 times) and in the end we get:

333333333 x 333333333 = 111111110888888889

You can see that these products evolve a special pattern of the digits 1, 0, 8, 9.

The number of occurrence of the digits 1 to 8 in each product is 1 less than the number of threes in any of the multiplicands.

Is it not amazing and mysterious about “1089”?

e-mail: paulusha.1@gmail.com