Abohar
Tributes paid to Rinwa: Madhya Pradesh governor Bal Ram Jakhar and a former union minister of state for Agriculture Sompal Singh on Saturday remembered Swami Keshwanand, a former parliamentarian and founder of the local Sahitya Sadan. The occasion was a meeting held at the Sethi Palace here to pay tributes to Prithvi Singh Rinwa (67), president of the Sahitya Sadan, who had died after a prolonged illness few days back.

Amritsar
Complaint against MS, ESI hospital: The vigilance committee of the ESI hospital here on Friday approached the principal secretary (health) and the director of the ESI regarding complaints against the medical superintendent (MS), ESI hospital. Principal secretary (health) Vijay Kain said he had referred the matter to the health minister for action. The vigilance committee alleged the medical superintendent generally remained on leave or tours and claimed house rent as well as non-practising allowance to which she was not eligible as per the rules.

Ferozepur
Two booked: The Zira police has registered a case against two persons, identified as Jagjit Singh alias Jagga and Balkar Singh, for allegedly running a fake currency racket. According to the police sources, the duo entered into a deal with one Gurtej Singh for exchanging fake currency of Rs 5 lakh for original currency worth Rs one lakh. However, Gurtej informed the police. A case under the IPC has been registered.

Hoshiarpur
Chain snatched: Two motorcycle-borne youths snatched a gold chain weighing two tolas from Jaswinder Kaur of Mukerian on Saturday. The accused went to Preet Book Depot and General Store when Jaswinder was alone at the shop. They demanded a bottle of shampoo from her and when she was handing over the bottle, they snatched her chain and fled. A case has been registered.

Jalandhar
Drug unit: HL Healthcare Private Limited-owned drug manufacturing unit based in Gagret in Himachal Pradesh will start its operations on Sunday. The unit, according to  HL Healthcare CEO Lakhwinder Singh, would be inaugurated by former Punjab excise and taxation department official Durga Dass Narang. The unit would manufacture an array of healthcare products and medicines which would be supplied in the region.

Nawanshahr
Satellite coaching classes: Satellite coaching classes for students of classes VIII to XII, studying in government schools of the state, will start soon. Besides, coaching classes for competitive examinations, including IIT, AIEEE, CET, PMT, will also be started.Director-general of school education, Krishan Kumar stated this on Thursday. Edusat classrooms in all government senior secondary schools having science streams will be made operational. Besides routine study in the schools, the best of the faculty in these subjects will teach alternatively via satellite. Earlier, the special coaching classes via satellite, in collaboration with the New Delhi-based NGO Gyan Sewa Trust, were organised in the government schools for 45 days.

Patiala
Dhruba, Gunveer top: Dhruba Jyoti Chakrabarty of Bathinda and Gunveer Kaur of Moga have topped in the law entrance t held by by Punjabi University, here for the LL. B (three-year) and BA LL. B (five-year) courses, respectively. They have secured 990 and 878 marks in respective examinations, the result of which was declared on Friday. Result and counselling details, were available on Punjabi University website punjabiuniversity.ac.in.

Plot auction: An auction for the sale of plots of Phulkian Enclave was held at Community Centre, Phase III, Urban Estate, Patiala, on Friday. As many as 15 residential and 14 commercial flats were sold for Rs 16 crore. The auction was conducted by DC D.S. Garewal. People from various states took part.

Liquor sale: To ensure peace during the municipal committee elections, district magistrate Dharamjit Singh Garewal has ordered the closure of all liquor vends on June 30. Also the hotels which serve or sell liquor have been instructed to stop the sale on that day.

Phagwara
Newspaper vendor killed: A newspaper vendor was killed and his companion injured when their motorcycle was hit by a private transport bus on the GT Road here on Saturday. Both the deceased Kala and his companion Happy were returning on their bike after distributing newspapers at Madhopur villages and Chaheru. The bus, coming from Jalandhar to Phagwara side, hit their motorcycle here. The police has registered a case against the bus driver.

Sangrur
Mechanical paddy sowing: Due to shortage of labour for sowing paddy Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has selected Sangrur for mechanical paddy transplantation using a Japanese paddy transplanter. Farmers were told about it at Kanoi village, near here, by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Kheri, and Farm Advisory Centre of PAU, Sangrur. Dr Jaskaran Singh, and PAU team, explained about the paddy transplanter. Farmers were told to reduce cost of cultivation and concentrate on balanced use of fertilisers and pesticides to save environment.

Suicide: ‘arrest accused’: The Khanauri police has not arrested the accused of the death of Ajit Pal Singh of Thaska village (near Khanauri), who consumed poison on June 14 and died on June 18 in a Ludhiana hospital., Daljit Singh, a relative of the deceased, has urged the Sangrur, SSP to arrest those named in the FIR), including deceased’s wife Ratinder Kaur, alias Ritu, and her maternal aunt Baljit Kaur.As per the FIR registered by Balbir Kaur, mother of the deceased the police registered a case under Section 306, of the IPC, on June 18 against seven persons, including deceased’s wife Ratinder, in connection with suicide of Ajit. who allegedly ended his life due to harassment and threats by the accused persons. The Moonak DSP was said to be probing the matter.

Tarn Taran
MP loses mobile phone: Mobile phone of Najvot Singh Sidhu BJP MP went missing here on Friday night. The MP was here to address election rallies in support of the party’s candidates for the local municipal council. Black Berry mobile set having ultra modern features was lost from the election stage .City SHO Devinder Singh denied having any information regarding the missing of the mobile set. There was great rush on the stage and in the convoy of Sidhu.

AMBALA
Roundabout inaugurated: Deputy commissioner Mohammad Shayin inaugurated Mind Tree Roundabout, which was previously known as polytechnic chowk. This roundabout had been designed and decorated by Mind Tree School, Ambala City. It was dedicated to promote education as joint efforts of society and school bodies. It depicts five women figures holding up a book and pencil.

BHIWANI
6-yr-old raped: A 6-year-old girl was raped at Bamla village on Saturday. The parents of the victim lodged a complaint with the police. The girl has been admitted to the Civil Hospital here in serious condition while the police has started investigation to nab the accused.

CHANDIGARH
Dhaincha seed: The Haryana agriculture department has planned to distribute 33,600 quintals of Dhaincha seed involving an investment of over Rs 6 crore to cover 2.80 lakh hectares during the current financial year to promote green manuring. While stating this here on Saturday, a spokesman of the department said it would also help in restoring the health of soil and reduce the use of chemical fertilisers.

KURUKSHETRA
Re-evaluation fee revised: Kurukshetra University has revised the fee for re-evaluation of answer books with effect from April 2008 examinations. Stating this here on Friday, assistant registrar, re-evaluation, Babu Ram Chaudhary said the university had increased the fee from Rs 200 to Rs 300 per answer book for BAMS, BPharmacy and engineering examinations while for all other examinations except examinations in the faculty of medical sciences, the fee had been raised to Rs 125 from Rs 100. Similarly, late fee had been increased by Rs 50.

UGC-NET today: The University Grants Commission (UGC) national eligibility test will be held on the premises of Kurukshetra University here on Sunday. Stating this here on Saturday, public relations officer, KU, Devender Sachdeva said the university had created 16 examination centres on the campus for smooth conduct of the test in which 4,807 candidates would appear.

REWARI
3 booked for harassment: The police has booked Prem Lata’s husband Sunil Kumar, father-in-law Jai Ram and mother-in-law Meera Devi, all residents of Nangloi area of Delhi, on charges of brutal harassment, criminal breach of trust and criminal intimidation. A case has been registered against them on a directive of the CJM’s court, which has issued it on a petition earlier filed by Prem Lata. She alleged that she was continually subjected to cruelty by her in-laws.

Jawan cremated: Constable Vijay Singh Yadav (30), a jawan of the fourth Battalion of the Chhattisgarh Armed Constabulary, was cremated at his native village, Surheli, with state honours on Saturday. Vijay Singh along with two other constables was reportedly killed in an encounter with the ambuscading naxalites during an anti-insurgency expedition carried out in the Orchha area of Raipur district in Chhattisgarh on Thursday. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

SIRSA
Programme concludes: The All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) sponsored summer school’s faculty development programme concluded here on Friday at engineering college of Jan Nayak Chowdhary Devi Lal Vidyapeeth. Dr Kuldip Singh Dhindsa, director-general, vidyapeeth, was the chief guest at the function. He said the programme started on June 16 with the aim of training developing skills among faculty members of technical institutes, increase industry-institute interactions and explore better communication skills at teaching.

Student booked: The examination staff at National College here on Saturday alleged that Vishal Deep, who had come to the college to appear in the examination of art and craft, ran away with the answer sheet. The police has registered a case against the absconding student on the complaint of central superintendent Paramveer Singh.

SONEPAT
Tree plantation programme: In order to create awareness towards environment among students and to seek their active participation in tree plantation, the district administration has planned to launch a 27-day special programme named as “Taru yatra” in the district from July 5. Deputy commissioner Ajit Balaji Joshi said every school student would be motivated to plant a sapling and take care of its growth for a year. The students who will take good care of their plants would be suitably rewarded and honoured in the presence of the Chief Minister.

CHAMBA
Study tour: Twentyseven students of the architecture department of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Trichi (Tamil Nadu), are on a study tour to Dalhousie-Chamba tourist circuit. The group includes 13 girls. They are staying at the Youth Hostel, Dalhousie. Leader of the group Prof Joseph Fernando said, “By visiting old historical buildings of Dalhousie and Chamba, our students will get an exposure to their architectural aspects.” The students visited century-old St Francis Church at Subhash Chowk. They will also be visiting other old buildings in and around Dalhousie and Chamba.

Plea to shift dispensary: The Himachal Pradesh Senior Citizens’ Forum has demanded the shifting of ayurvedic dispensary from Baloo to the regional hospital complex in Chamba town for the convenience of the elderly. In a letter addressed to health minister Rajiv Bindal, the senior citizens have said that Baloo is about 5 km away from Chamba town while the regional hospital was centrally located in the town.

Kangra
Decomposed body found: The police on Saturday recovered a decomposed body of an old man on the bank of Banner river, near Kangra bypass, the police said here. Kangra district police chief Dr Atul Phool Jaly said prima facie indicates the age of the man must be between 55 and 60. He said preliminary investigation indicates that as the body was away from the water of Banner Khad, so it was not a death due to drowning. He, however, said the investigation was pointing death due to a fall. The deceased has not been identified as yet and body was sent for the post-mortem examination.

MANDI
Office-bearers: The Mandi Press club on Saturday elected its office-bearers. President Hemkant Katyayan (Dainik Tribune), vice-president Ankush Sud (Zee Himachal), general-secretary Yogesh Kumar (Doordarshan), joint secretary Jatinder Kumar (Dainik Bhaskar), and treasurer Bhagat Singh Guleria (Ajit Samachar). While Dinu Kashayap, president of the progressive writers association and Ravi Rana Sahin, a senior lawyer, Mandi Bar are the returning officers. More than 50 press club members participated in the election.