KAITHAL
26 students get gold medals: As many as 16 students of class X and 10 students of class XII of OSDAV Public School, Kaithal, had been awarded gold medals at a function held in New Delhi recently. School principal Suman Nijhawan said the students were presented gold medals at a function organised by the managing committee of DAV College to celebrate Mahatma Hans Raj Day at Suraj Bhan DAV Public School, New Delhi, on May 9. The former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani was the chief guest. 

Workshop organised: A one-day district-level workshop on gender sensitisation and promotion of girls’ education under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan was held here on Monday. The workshop was organised under the national programme for education of girls at elementary level with motto to educate the girl child and save the nation. Deputy commissioner Vikas Gupta inaugurated the workshop and ADC Ramesh Verma, in charge, SSA, presided over the function. The deputy commissioner stressed upon the need of girl education in view of the prevailing illiteracy among the female population.

ROHTAK
MDU don to attend  international conference: Dr Suresh Chander Malik, reader, department of statistics at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) here, has been invited by the Forum for Interdisciplinary Mathematics to present his research paper at the 16th international conference on “interdisciplinary mathematical and statistical techniques” to be held at the University of Memphis, USA, from May 15 to 18. Dr Malik will present his research paper titled “Probabilistic Analysis of 2-out-of-3 Redundant System Subject to Degradation” at the international conference. He has more than 40 research papers to his credit.

YAMUNANAGAR
Vehicle insurance: In future, vehicles challaned for plying without insurance will be insured during lok adalats. Additional Civil Judge Ashwani Kumar Goel said this during a lok adalat organised under the aegis of the District Legal Services Authority at Deodhar village here on Saturday. The judge was of the opinion that most of the vehicles were challaned because owners ply them without insurance. Members of the authority have been asked to call agents providing general insurance. As many as 60 vehicle-related cases were disposed of during the lok adalat.

HAMIRPUR
Govt flayed: The District Congress Committee has criticised the state government for various steps taken during its 120 days of rule. Press secretary of the committee Sudarshan Sharma said 25 per cent increase in bus fare and steep rise in prices had affected the common man the most. He accused the BJP-led government of neglecting the PDS to help traders. 

Govt move questioned: The Himachal Pradesh Rangers Welfare Association has expressed concern over the government move to separate wildlife wing from the Forest Department. General secretary of the association S.S. Kashayap asked why only the lower staff had been chosen for separation from the parent department while top officers had been given the option to serve any wing at their will. The association has urged the forest minister to reconsider the move.

NURPUR
Ex-servicemen submit memo: The local unit of Ex-servicemen League submitted a memorandum against the recommendations of the sixth Central Pay Commission to the President through the SDM on Monday. A rally was held by them against these recommendations on Sunday. They are demanding a separate pay commission for serving personnel and pensioners of the defence forces. They have requested the President to order a review of the recommendations.

Jammu
Man commits suicide: A 40-year-old man allegedly committed suicide by jumping from a hill top near the Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra on Monday. The man, who was yet to be identified, came out of the cave shrine after paying obeisance and jumped from the hill top into a 1,000 feet gorge, officials said. He died on the spot and his body had been kept at a hospital in Katra for identification, they said.

SRINAGAR
Foundation stone laid: Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad laid the foundation stone of the Government Degree College building at Uri in Baramulla district on Monday. The double-storey building would be constructed at a cost of Rs 10.78 crore. It would comprise 12 lecture halls, 9 laboratories, a library and 2 toilet blocks with an open courtyard in the centre of the building. Azad also visited the existing college which was functioning for the past four months in pre-fabricated structures. Presently, the total roll of the college is 220, including 160 boys. 

16,000 vacancies: Saying that speedy disposal of files was the obligation of government functionaries, chief secretary B.R. Kundal on Monday exhorted the administrative secretaries to sensitise officials down below making it more efficient and responsive to public needs. The meeting was told that so far 16,000 vacancies had been referred to the Service Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB) for recruitment on a fast-track basis.

2 suffer burn injuries: Two mechanics from Rajasthan were injured, while working in a cement factory in south Kashmir on Monday, official sources said. Varinder Singh and Umeed Singh were working near the fire oven of a cement factory at Anchidoora in Anantnag when suddenly their clothes caught fire. However, before the flames could be controlled, both suffered burn injuries. They were admitted to the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences at Soura.