Tarn Taran, November 14
The Khalra Mission Organisation (KMO) has challenged the claim of the education department of the state government that 12,465 teachers (education service providers and teaching fellows) have been appointed in September by the department.

Harmandeep Singh, chairman, and Satwinder Pal Singh, chief spokesman of the KMO, while referring to the information provided on the website of the state education department, told The Tribune here today that the number of the teachers appointed were much less than what the website had claimed.

The KMO leaders said there were a large number of candidates who were selected in both the categories, that is the secondary and the elementary. Out of the 12,465 appointed teachers, 1,073 teachers were appointed in Amritsar district, whereas only 460 had joined their duties and in Barnala district 260 teachers had joined their duties out of 304. The leaders said in Moga district the situation was much humiliating for the department where only 196 teachers had joined their duties out of the 724 whom the department claimed to have given appointment orders and the same was the situation in all districts.

The KMO leaders said there were so many schools where a large number of posts of the teacher were lying vacant. They said in Government Elementary School, Gholian Kalan, block Nihal Singh Wala in Moga district, only two teachers against 13 vacant posts had joined, whereas in a school of Saidoke village of the same block all 10 posts remained vacant. In the schools of Mannuke village and Marri Mustafa of Moga district all posts, 11 and 10, respectively, were still lying vacant as no teacher had joined here. The leaders said all this had happened due to the mismanagement of the department.When Dr Upinderjit Kaur, education minister, Punjab, was contacted by this correspondent, Sukhdev Singh, the PA of the minister, who answered the call, said the minister was busy and could not talk to anybody.

Amritsar, November 14
The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development should notify the report pertaining to the new pay scales for university and college teachers without any delay in order to save the academic environment from getting vitiated all over the country.

Stating this while addressing a rally, state vice-president of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) H.S. Walia said they had chalked out a programme to intensify their agitation in case the government failed to fulfil their demands which include full and regular 95 per cent grants, lifting ban on recruitments, parity in grades and career advancement scheme of the DPEs and librarians, release of second instalment of 50 per cent DA merger arrears, besides covering of all teachers under security of service act and relaxation in refresher courses.

He said the teachers would go on mass leave to protest against the government near the office of the deputy commissioner, Jalandhar, on November 19. Similarly, teachers working in colleges affiliated with Punjabi University and Panjab University on November 24 and 28, respectively.

More than 3,000 teachers working in non-government aided colleges of the district today observed a two-period strike to protest against the indifferent attitude of the state government towards their long-pending demands.

Amritsar, November 14
The countries of the subcontinent which have been hard hit by global economic recession would get an opportunity to explore business ties during the five-day-long Punjab International Expo in December.

The expo would provide the business communities of both India and Pakistan to set up common markets and work with each other to device new business mechanism to uplift the sagging commercial trade in the future.

The leading chambers of commerce of India and Pakistan have decided to join hands to organise a five-day Indo-Pak international trade fair in the holy city from December 3 to 7.

Co-chairman of the PHD chamber of commerce and industry R.S. Sachdeva told The Tribune here today that the second edition of the fair would provide a large option to leading corporate and business houses of both countries to come together on one platform to explore various business opportunities and strengthen the economic ties during this stressful global economic meltdown.

He said the economic stakes of both countries were very high and it was imperative for the top business honchos and the policymakers to sit down and devise ways and means to further improve trade between the two neighbours. He said Pakistani business houses had shown keen interest to showcase their potential to forge business ties with Indian counterparts.

A big delegation of the PHD would be visiting Pakistan on November 23 to invite the Pakistan President, Asif Ali Zardari, and the Prime Minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, to inaugurate the event.

He said during the last Indo-Pak joint fair held in Amritsar in 2004 business worth over Rs 100 crore was negotiated and it gave an opportunity to the visiting Pakistani group to understand the business psyche and transact business on equal terms.

On the issue of visa restrictions, Sachdeva said the union ministry of home affairs had assured to give liberal visa to visiting Pakistanis for Punjab and added that more than 700 persons were expected to cross over for participation in the mega international event. He said till date more than 50 Pakistan business groups had confirmed their bookings and they expected more during the coming days.

At present India and Pakistan trade had been stagnant at $ 2 billion and this exhibition would provide bigger opportunity to further enhance the bilateral trade, which was in the interest of the two neighbours.

He said the Punjab government was the host state for the fair and had issued instructions for wholehearted support and participation to make this event a grand success.

Amritsar, November 14
The industrialists of Amritsar, who are major suppliers of blankets, woollen lohis and milk powder, have not been properly recognised at the national level.

Expressing his satisfaction that the city can meet urgent requirements of these items in the times of emergencies due to national disasters, Major-Gen R.K. Kaushal, a senior specialist of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and PM adviser on disaster management, talking to The Tribune said he had found that the traditional business community of the city had the capacity and generosity to come up with huge quantum of supplies during disasters and cope up with the needs of poor victims anywhere in the country.

Interacting with a group of local businessmen, General Kaushal said the city had the capacity to deliver substantial quantity of blankets, lohis and other items at any given time.

He said the city blanket units had overnight bailed out the Pakistan government during the urgent requirement of woollen material after the earthquake which hit the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) couple of years back.

He said the city could be relied on disaster management relief response system and added that the local industrialists lacked the national focus which was required for the NDMA to meet their urgent demands from here.

Earlier, General Kaushal said the city required modern firefighting equipment and high-tech trauma centres to meet the exigencies during disasters.

He suggested to the philanthropist business communities to join the government as partner and provide portable equipment and trauma vehicles to meet the urgent needs of the city.

Prior to this, Gunbir Singh, vice-chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Punjab, said the confederation would assist the NDMA in registering reliable suppliers for blankets, shawls and lohis, as well as milk powder from Amritsar, besides hosiery (sweaters, tracksuits, etc) suppliers from Ludhiana. He said the production capacity of manufacturers could be increased in times of national calamities.

Earlier, he interacted with district administration officials to understand the quick response to the disaster management schemes constituted by them.

He also addressed students of Khalsa College, who have plans to constitute a crisis management task force in the event of disaster in the region. An MoU will shortly be facilitated shortly between the industry and the NDMA.

Amritsar, November 14
Women should involve themselves more in the central government schemes that are specifically formulated for their economic and social uplift. This was stated by chairperson of central social welfare board Ratna, while addressing a gathering during women empowerment camp held at Verka.

The camp was organised by Capt Gurdeep Singh memorial education and social welfare society in association with the central social welfare board.

Ratna said the women, especially those in the border belt, should join the vocational and professional courses which would enable them to support their families. Rupinder Kaur, president of society, said though the fairer sex is making rapid strides in divergent fields but still a lot of women, especially in rural areas still require awareness to boost their confidence. “Women have contributed in the fields of medicine, engineering, politics, police force, administration and even in India’s freedom movement. They are in no way inferior to men and are capable of competing with them in every sphere,” she added.

She appealed to the women to join hands against female foeticide and other social evils.Harinder Chopra, director of the board and Joginder Kaur, CDPO, Amritsar, were among others those who addressed the gathering. 

Amritsar, November 14
Four persons, including two of a family, were killed in two separate accidents in the Amritsar Rural police district. In a collision between Indica car and a private bus near Talwandi Phuman village, three persons were killed.

According to information, the family of Subhash Chander, resident of Krishana Nagar here, was returning from Jammu in a car when a private bus of United Robin Company rammed into it. Chander’s wife Bimla Devi (52), grandson Manav (8) and his driver Jagtar Singh were killed on the spot. In another accident, an eight-year-old boy Jasbir Singh of Chachowali village was run over by a three-wheeler when he was going to school. 

Manawala (Amritsar), November 14
More than 13,000 persons were examined and provided spectacles, while 25 patients suffering from cataract were operated upon in the week-long free eye camp that concluded here yesterday. It was organised by the US-based Luxottica Foundation Group in association with lions clubs and the All-India Pingalwara Charitable Society. The camp was dedicated to the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

The camp was organised under a “Give the gift of sight” programme of the foundation group, which provides free vision care and eyewear to people in need across the USA and around the world who do not have access to eye care.

A team of experts from across the globe, including Italy, Germany, Canada and the USA, besides India, participated in the camp. They were equipped with the latest gadgets to provide on-the-spot checking eyesight and providing spectacles.

Mission manager David Brumen, talking to The Tribune, said the foundation group was a non-profit organisation established for providing free vision care. He said the mission was camping for the past one week in Pingalwara. The organisation was set up in 1991 and since then it has sponsored hundreds of missions across the world, he added. Every year the mission visits about 20 to 25 countries and it came to India for the first time.

Dr Balwant Singh Hansra, who was instrumental in organising the camp, said the mission had brought about 42,000 spectacles with it. He said about 135 volunteers from medical colleges participated in the programme. Jeevan Singh, a lion club member, said about 250 cataract patients were examined and of them 25 were operated upon at the government hospital.

Amritsar, November 14
Punjabi film “Sat Sri Akal” has been opened to excellent response from public at Sangam. The movie portrays the traditional values and sentiments which have strongly rooted in the Sikh religion.

A joint venture of Frankfinn Entertainment Company and Mata Triptaji Charitable Trust, Chandigarh, “Sat Sri Akal” is a tribute commemorating 300 years of Gurta Gaddi Diwas of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

It would be for the first time that “true-to-life” ambience of Sikh pilgrimage places like Sri Harmandar Sahib (Amritsar), Sri Hazur Sahib (Nanded) and Sri Bangla Sahib (Delhi) would be shown on the 35-mm format.

SGPC member Jaswinder Singh said it was not a mythological movie, but a family drama underlying the faith in the Almighty. The movie contained shabads sung by ghazal singer Jagjit Singh and the late young sensation Ishmeet Singh.

Complementing the filmmakers, he said the venture encouraged the Sikh youth to adorn the Sikh attire in complete which would send a strong message that Sikh “sarup” looked very good and the young generation should be given the message of Sikhism.

The movie has something for all from all walks of life to which they can associate and relate themselves. According to reports, the film was already making waves in the USA, Canada, the UK while it would be released in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore by the next week. Written by Arvinderjit Singh (Kittu) and directed by Kamal Sahni, the movie revolves around traditional values, love and faith towards the Almighty. The movie starcast include Sabat Surat Sardar, Mumbai-based Manpreet Singh as protagonist with famous Punjabi film actress Kim Verma as the main female lead.

K.S. Kohli, managing director of the Frankfinn group, was also present on the occasion. It has a decent love story going through ups and downs of life, splendidly told amongst heart-rendering gurbani sung by legends and foot-tapping songs. Music, a spellbinding and unique fusion of tradition and modernity, with eight gurbani shabads and three songs, all by celebrity singers, is one of the major highlights of the film.

Amritsar, November 14
The foundation day of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) evoked lukewarm response with only three members attending the function. SGPC president Avtar Singh was conspicuous by his absence. Jathedar Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh, in his message, said the SGPC originated in the 1920s with the Gurdwara reform movement.

The government recognised the exclusive right of the Sikhs to manage their religious shrines and Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, was passed by the provincial legislative assembly on July 9, 1925. It was implemented with effect from November 1, 1925 with creation of a ‘Board’, which was renamed as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee soon. The word Board still exists in the statute book. 

Amritsar, November 14
A three-week refresher course in computer science, electronics and IT was inaugurated at GND University by renowned academician Dr SS Bhatti, who is also former professor and head of department of applied physics of the university, on November 12. As many as 20 teachers from different colleges and universities of the state attended the course.