Chandigarh, January 15
The Punjab government today decided to launch “Swasthya Bima Yojna” aimed at facilitating health insurance cover for workers covered under the BPL (below poverty line) in the state as a pilot project in five districts from April 1.

A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal this morning. He said the unorganised sector workers belonging to the BPL category and their family members (a family unit of five) would be the beneficiaries under the scheme with an insurance cover of Rs 30,000 per family per annum on a family floater basis with a cashless attendance to all covered ailments.

The scheme would be implemented by Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC), which was the nodal agency.

An inter-departmental coordination committee of labour, health, finance, cooperation, rural and urban development and public relations had been constituted to finalise the modalities to implement the scheme in an efficient and meaningful manner.

It was informed in the meeting that the Government of India would contribute 75 per cent of the estimated annual premium of Rs 750, subject to a maximum of Rs 565 per family per annum and the remaining 25 per cent would be borne out by the state government. As per the BPL census 2002, there are approximately 4.5 lakh BPL families and the total expenditure involved would be around 33.75 crore, of which Rs 25.32 crore and Rs 8.43 crore was the GoI's and state's liability.

Badal asked the chief secretary to select five districts having maximum concentration of BPL families in which this scheme was to be launched. 

Amritsar, January 15
The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union (PCCTU) will court arrest on February 5 in Chandigarh if the state government failed to repeal the Punjab Affiliated Colleges Security of Service Bill- 2007.

Prof H.S. Walia, former president of PCCTU, said today that state executive committee members, along with 21 members of the union, would court arrest for non-fulfilment of demands made from time to time with the state government.

Earlier, the members of the union staged a dharna at Bhandari Bridge. The protestors, which include members of the PCCTU from Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts, also burnt the copies of the Bill.

Addressing the protestors, Professor Walia said there was no need of the Bill as the disputes between the teachers and the management of unaided colleges in the state could be referred to the tribunal boards constituted by the DPI, Colleges.

He said the new Bill had given ample powers to the management of these colleges in this regard which was against the decision of the Supreme Court.

SANGRUR: Non-government college teachers on Tuesday in the Punjabi University area districts expressed strong
resentment against the amended Punjab Affiliated Colleges (Security of Service) Bill, 2007, by burning copies of the Bill.

The private college teachers from Sangrur, Bhawanigarh, Mastuana Sahib, Bardwal, Sandaur, Barnala, Sanghera and Malerkotla gathered in front of the office of the DC here and burnt a copy of the amended Bill.

Chandigarh, January 15
The Punjab government has constituted a cabinet sub-committee under the chairmanship of Chief Minister to take necessary policy-level decisions on the issues relating to information technology in the state.

According to a spokesman, information and technology minister would be the vice-chairman of the sub-committee. The ministers of industry and commerce, finance and planning, revenue and rehabilitation, parliamentary affairs and transport would be the members. The chief secretary would be the member secretary.

Chandigarh, January 15
The Punjab government is in no mood for information sharing. More than two years after the RTI Act was passed, a whopping 20,000 public authorities in the state are yet to provide on their websites basic information mandated under the law. Among these are all state panchayats, 12,000 in number; all zila parishads, 133 municipal councils and 21 improvement trusts.

These figures were recently placed before State Information Commission, which took a very serious view of the glaring deficiencies in RTI Act implementation in Punjab. Under directions from the commission, Punjab chief secretary R.I. Singh has now written to all public authorities and department heads in Punjab to publish manuals, functions, duties of departments, names of public information officers and appellate authorities and all the 17 manuals required to be shared under Section 4 of the RTI Act.

Directing time-bound compliance across the state, Singh stated in his letter: “The responsibility shall rest with your office in case any adverse decision is taken by state information commission for not doing the needful.” The commission has, meanwhile, directed the public information officer (PIO) of chief secretary’s office to be present on January 23 in their chambers and bring with him a time-bound plan of implementation of RTI Act provisions in Punjab.

Meanwhile, Punjab’s performance with RTI Act is nothing short of dismal. Analysis of Punjab-related RTI Act disclosures available on the Government of India website, checked this evening, shows that more than half of the 187 branches of different departments of the state government have failed to furnish complete information under RTI Act, something that had to be done within four months of the enactment of the Act in June 2005.

More than 30 branches like finance, revenue, elections, education, legal affairs, industries and commerce and town planning are such as have not posted a single piece of information under RTI Act on their websites. Their folders upon being opened read “empty”. Important public authorities in this category are Punjab Financial Corporation, Punjab Alkalis, Punjab Infrastructure Development Board, Department of Land Records, Department of Revenue and Rehabilitation, Department of Census and Department of DPI (Elementary).

Offices of commissioners, Faridkot, Bathinda, Tarn Taran and Barnala divisions have also not disclosed anything at all under the RTI; similar is the case with the Department of Town and Country Planning, Punjab Rural Development Board and Legal Remembrance Cell.

Institutions of higher learning like Patiala University and Punjab Technical University are also yet to open their accounts in terms of disclosures under the RTI Act. A surprise find in the list of the RTI Act offenders is Punjab Vidhan Sabha, with nil entries on the website.

Among departments, the worst performer is revenue. Out of 27 branches of this department, 25 have made incomplete disclosures under the RTI Act; six of these 25 have made nil disclosures. the Finance Department is next in line, with 90 per cent of its branches yet to furnish full information.

Chandigarh, January 15
The state election commission has issued instructions for the forthcoming panchayat, zila parishad and municipal poll, putting January 1 as the cut-off date for determining the area of residence of a voter. Moreover, paper ballots and not electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used for the poll that are scheduled anytime in the first week of March.

The commission has told the deputy commissioners that the electoral rolls being revised under instructions of the Election Commission of India are to be published with January 1 as the cut-off date. The final list will be treated as the basis for inviting objections regarding discrepancies in voters list of the panchaytas and municipalities.

The DCs have been asked to publish the electoral rolls along with area of each panchayat and ward-wise voters list for each municipal area. The last date for filing objections will be January 21. Disposal of claims and objections regarding discrepancies in the draft electoral roll will be done by January 29 while the publication of the final electoral rolls after removing objections is February 9.

The DCs will ensure that the additions or deletions in the local bodies electoral rolls are similar to the Assembly voters list of January 1. The objections can be made with respect to territorial jurisdiction of voters in the panchayats and municipality areas.

Two copies of the electoral rolls will be supplied free of cost to every political party for which a symbol has been exclusively reserved by 
the commission.

Nabha, January 15
On the complaint of Nabha MLA Kaka Randip Singh, a high-powered Vigilance team of the Local Government Department reached town from Chandigarh today and raided the Municipal Council office to verify the allegations.

Randip, alleging large-scale malpractices in the council, had requested the authorities to find out the black sheep facilitating influential persons in the preparation of fake documents and encroachment on the land belonging to the Municipal Council.

Recently, two prime locations were allegedly encroached on in the town with the help of big guns in the council. In one case, the executive officer had written to the police to find out the accused helping provide map bearing fake signatures of the council officers.

Randip had also alleged that the council authorities were adopting own system while allocating development works in the town. He said no rules were being followed, to please a few persons some of whom were even the employees of the council.

The Vigilance team, led by senior vigilance officer Ajay Kanwar, today visited different spots of encroachments and interrogated council officers and other persons in this regard. They also took the record of the council in possession to find out irregularities in the allotment of work. About 12 Congress councilors who met the team, asked for a fair probe in these irregularities.

However, Randip claimed that he had already warned Gautam Batish to mend his ways and added that he had asked him to put down his papers as council president. Council president Batish, who recently joined the SAD (Badal), said the move was aimed at him.

Mohali, January 15
Travel by air-conditioned (AC) buses will be very much within the reach of the common man in Punjab, as the fare in these buses will be only 10 per cent more than ordinary buses, and for the first time radio cab services will be introduced in Mohali, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala.

This was stated by principal secretary, Department of Transport, D.S.Jaspal, at the inaugural function of the Oil and Gas Conservation Fortnight held at NIPER here today. He said the objective of introducing these facilities was to encourage the use of public transport in order to reduce traffic congestion and pollution caused by ever-increasing number of private vehicles.

Giving further details, Jaspal said the tariff structure was revised under the new transport policy and now air-conditioned buses would have to pay only Rs 50,000 as road tax per year.

He said a fleet of 50 radio cabs would be made available in the four cities for solving the transport problems. These cabs would be available round the clock.

Earlier, H.S.Bedi, general manager of Indian Oil Corporation in Punjab, said energy requirements were increasing even as India was emerging as an economic global power. But nearly 70 per cent of the oil requirements were being met through exports. Oil production in the country was limited to only 34 million tones against the demand of 120 million tones. 

Ropar, January 15
Private companies have uprooted the milestones of Guru Gobind Singh Marg put by the SGPC along the road leading to Anandpur Sahib. The milestones, bearing the name of Guru Gobind Singh, have been thrown alongside roads in muck in utter disregard of religious sentiments.

The disregard shown by the private companies towards milestones of Guru Gobind Singh Marg has peeved many. People say that company officials should have shown respect towards milestones. All these milestones were meant to guide the tourists to most pious religious places of Sikhs. The milestones are located along the entire stretch of the road.

They also alleged that the route was used by Guru Gobind Singh and his troops. However, now the Punjab government is making people pay through their nose for visiting the religious places around Anandpur Sahib.

The centuries-old historic road has now been handed over to private companies owned by influential politicians.

Some experts have alleged that the roads might also be destroying historically significant places in the process of widening and strengthening roads. Already much of the original historical building of Anandpur Sahib has been lost due to the concretisation drive of the SGPC.

Most of the historical five forts of Anandpur Sahib, including Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, have lost their original identity.

In the recent past, the transporters of the area had also held a massive protest against the imposition of toll tax in the area. They had alleged that the government has sold their public road built with public money to a private company.

Due to the sensitivity of the matter, the district administration has decided to do away with the toll on road during the forthcoming Holla Mohalla celebrations. It was being apprehended that if toll it imposed during Holla Mohalla days, it might lead to clashes with the devotees who come to Anandpur in lakhs. 

Jalandhar, January 15
While police officials are silent about the arrests and recovery it reportedly made in the kidnapping case of city youth Gagan Mickey later released after paying Rs 1 crore ransom, the Punjab Youth Congress removed Sukhmeet Singh Deputy from the post of Jalandhar district Congress rural president after his name allegedly figured among the list of accused in the kidnapping.

Meanwhile, the president of the Punjab Youth Congress Vijay Inder Singla said councillor deputy was dismissed from the post of district Youth Congress rural president with immediate effect.

Singla said he was dismissed on the basis of media reports in which he had been mentioned as one of the accused in the kidnapping.

Meanwhile, SSP Arpit Shukla said a police team raided on Sunday evening at Kulwinder Singh alias Sonu’s house in Bajuha Khurd village falling under Nakodar police station as he was also wanted in the kidnapping case.

Denying no police personnel misbehaved with his any family member, Shukla said 13 cases of robbery had already been lodged against him in different districts of Punjab. 

New Delhi, January 15
GMR Infrastructure Ltd, which is modernising the Delhi airport, Fraport AG, Anil Ambani’s Reliance Energy and Singapore’s Changi Airports are among the 23 consortiums which have submitted bids for the modernisation of the Rajasansi international airport at Amritsar.

While there has been long-standing demand for the development of the Amritsar airport, the government today said it had received 23 bids from various consortiums for the commercial operations, maintenance of terminal building, development and operation of cargo facilities and cityside development of the airport.

The modernisation of Amritsar airport is part of the upgradation process of 35 non-metro airports in the country by 2010. It will be done through a public-private partnership in which 74 per cent of the equity would be held by the private consortium and the 24 per cent by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

The government had invited bids for the Amritsar airport as part of the first phase of the modernisation plan of the non-metro airports. Besides Amritsar, Udaipur airport is also part of this first phase.

A Civil Aviation Ministry spokesperson said here today was the last date for receiving the bids, which would now be opened and evaluated on Thursday.

Jalandhar, January 15
A new barrack for women prisoners has been built in the Central Jail here.

Confirming this, jail superintendent Gursharan Singh Sidhu said the women prisoners would be shifted from old to new barrack later this month as sewerage, water and power connections were to be installed in the new building and these would be in place in a week.

Actually, a new barrack for women prisoners was required as according to jail sources, usually more than three times its capacity of just 25 women prisoners have been lodged in the old barrack for several months. Due to overcrowding, the women prisoners are huddled in separate barracks and forced to live in insanitary conditions.

Chandigarh, January 15
The Cooperation Department, Punjab, has drawn up a project to help Punjab’s debt-ridden farmers.

Cooperation minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh said the farmers in rural areas would be provided essential commodities and consumer products at cheaper rates through the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS).

“It will be a mutually beneficial arrangement where the farmers and the PACS will benefit as the Punjab government will negotiate prices of commodities directly with the manufacturers and pass profit to be shared between the societies and the consumers. It will be like the Canteen Stores Department (CSD) in defence establishments, but there will be no subsidy from the government,” he told The Tribune.

Capt Kanwaljit Singh said orders had been issued to work out a framework of the project in 30 days. Once the project is completed, the scheme will be implemented in two weeks after that date, he said. “In 45 days, Punjab will have a scheme that other states will
replicate,” he said.

He said since the state was not in a position to provide any more freebies to the weaker sections of society, he had visualised this scheme that will benefit at least 50 lakh members of the PACS in all villages of Punjab.

This, he said, would also provide massive exposure to the cooperative set-up in the state that was now looking at value additions on farms to recover from the agrarian crisis.

With the implementation of the scheme, the cooperative societies will come in direct competition with other retail establishments.

It is estimated that the manufacturer passes 30 per cent profit to the wholesaler and the wholesaler gives another 10 per cent to the retailer.

Under this scheme, the 40 per cent that will be the profit of the PACS after negotiating directly with the manufacturers will be shared between the PACS and the consumers.

The PACS will purchase consumer goods like TV, fridge etc centrally and the supply will be picked from the companies’ nearest dealers to the PACS.

There are 3,500 PACS in the state out of which 1,100 are reported to be defaulting in payments etc owing to losses. This scheme will help defaulting societies.

Capt Kanwaljit Singh also announced that the Cooperative Department had tied up with the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) for distribution of its bills by the PACS in villages. He said more than one crore consumers in the villages would get direct benefit of it and in the process PACS would earn more revenue by collecting Rs 8 per bill.

He said out of this, Rs 5 would be paid by the consumer and the PSEB would give Rs 3 per bill to the PACS. This would also lead to generation of more funds for the societies.

The minister also announced the launching of rain insurance scheme (Barish Beema Yojna) in the state. This scheme was first implemented in Patiala division on experimental basis which has yielded good results.

Six thousand farmers of 350 PACS had paid a premium of Rs 72 lakh which would now get more than Rs 1.25 crore as compensation.

He said, “Under the scheme it is the weather that matters and farmer gets compensation if rain falls more or less than average”.

Chandigarh, January 15
Justice Rajesh Bindal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today referred Punjab’s former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s plea for blanket bail to the Bench of Justice Ranjit Singh.

As the matter came up for hearing before Justice Bindal, the former Chief Minister’s counsel R.S. Cheema told the court that the matter had been partly heard by Justice Ranjit Singh. As such, it should be placed before him. After taking note of the contention, Justice Bindal directed the placing of the matter before Justice Ranjit Singh.

Amarinder Singh had earlier moved the HC seeking directions for the grant of blanket bail to him in view of what he termed as politics of vendetta unleashed against him by the Akali-BJP government since it came to power in March this year.

“The SAD-BJP alliance led by Parkash Singh Badal does not seem to have any agenda except to unleash revenge against its political opponents,” the former CM had asserted. He had added that the manner and method adopted by the Punjab police in arresting its former chief S.S.Virk, while ignoring all norms and rules of law, showed the working of a vindictive mind, which could go to any extent to take revenge.

Describing it as “shameless abuse of power” and “mockery of provisions of law”, he had added that the state machinery was being misused for involving opponents in false cases.

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 15
Acting on a petition against Reliance Communication, Chairman Anil Ambani and others for an independent probe into the firm’s business methods, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of motion for April 9.

The notice was issued by Justice Harbans Lal on a petition by Mohali advocate Jasjit Singh. Seeking probe and registration of an FIR by the Punjab Police on the allegations of cheating him, the petitioner had added that he was also subjected to mental torture and harassment, besides criminal intimidation.

The petitioner submitted that on June 6, 2007, one Manmeet Singh, a representative of Reliance communications, came to him in connection with broadband service. 

He reportedly took an advance of Rs 500 and issued a receipt. Even though no connection was given, he received a phone bill of Rs 339 on June 27, 2007, with call details of phone number 3074352 in place of a broadband connection. The petitioner said again on July 27 last year, he received separate bill of Rs 522, with call details. Subsequently, other bills were also received.

The petitioner said he sent a legal notice to Reliance communications officials, including Anil Ambani, stating either he should be provided with the connection, or advance amount be returned to him.

The petitioner said he also gave a representation to Mohali SSP, the state DGP and SHO concerned.

However, no action was initiated. Instead, on October 6, 2007, he received a legal notice from Reliance asking him to pay Rs 862, failing which a criminal or a civil case would be registered. Following this, Jasjit Singh moved the High Court.

Mohali, January 15
The Punjab School Education Board released the datesheet for the Class X examination in government, aided and affiliated schools across the state.

Giving this information here today, board chairman Dalbir Singh Dhillon said the examinations would begin on March 14. Releasing the datesheet for the examinations, he listed the schedule of the written examinations that would end on April 5.

He said all theory papers would be held between 9 a.m. to 12.15 p.m. daily, but only health and physical education paper will be held between 9 a.m. to 11.15 a.m. He further said that from this year, 15 minutes additional time would be given to the students to read the paper carefully before the start of the examination. The blind and physically handicapped students will be given one hour more time to solve their paper.

Dhillon clarified that the centre superintendents concerned would display the datesheet for practical examination. He advised that the candidates who want to appear in the practical examination should contact their respective centre superintendents before the end of their theory papers, to note down the right dates, time and venue of their practical examination.

He said that the students would appear in their English examination (for regular and reappear both) on March 14. The cutting and sewing examination would be held on March 15 and the mathematics examination would be held on March 17. The health and physical education examination would be held on March 18.

On March 20, students would appear in the social studies. On March 24, students would appear in the science examination. The home science paper would be held on March 25. On March 26, students would appear in the Punjabi-A/ Punjab’s history and culture-A (for foreign students only) examination. On March 27, students would appear in the agriculture examination. On March 28 students would appear in Punjabi-B/Punjab’s history and culture-B (for foreign students only).