|
|
|
|
Panipat industry
Panipat, December 18 After Faridabad, Panipat is home to the second largest industrial hub in the state. But so far as the labour laws are concerned, these are as good as non-existent. This has been the reason why a large number of industry workers have been holding agitations in support of their long-pending demands such as implementation of minimum wages and compliance to the protective labour laws as stipulated under the Industrial Disputes Act. But the efforts have proved to be futile. In addition, there is a lot of child labour employed in the units. The handloom, pit loom and power loom units produce everything from blankets, bed sheets, bedcovers, curtain cloth, to carpets and all kinds of linen. Barring blankets, which are produced from shoddy yarn, the rest is either exported or sold in the domestic market. A lot of women and young girls are also employed in shoddy yarn units and entry in the production area is forbidden. According to senior trade union leaders, till date registration of the workers has not been satisfactory. Benefits like that of ESI or PF have been eluding a large number of workers, who are even denied the right to take weekly offs, including on gazetted holidays like August 15 or January 26. They are even not given the revised minimum wages as asked by the state government. Some industrialists prefer to employee women and children as they are paid less as compared to the male workers even as they work as long as men do. Even children can be spotted working in a number of industries. Dinesh, a 13-year-old worker from Bihar, who is engaged in one of the woollen mills, work for more than 16 hours a day. He has studied only till class IV and sheer economic necessity and fear of losing the job make him endure the hard working conditions. “If I refuse the double duty, then the employer says that I need not come the next day,” he says. Rakesh, a worker, said before 1996 they were paid Rs 70 daily. Later it was increased to Rs 90. Today it is not more than Rs 120 a day. The labours are even forced to work in unprotected atmosphere without any security gear. Many complain of breathlessness due to inhaling the fine dust from the thread and other chemicals. A major part of the workforce comes from Bihar and Uttar
Pradesh.
|
|
Former Deputy CM’s second marriage
Hisar, December 18 Bhajan Lal was quick to disown Chander Mohan, alias Chand Mohammad, after he converted to Islam and married his longtime girlfriend Anuradha Bali, alias Fiza. He also struck the right chords in the conservative Haryanavi society by siding with Chander Mohan’s first wife Seema Bishnoi and her two children from Chander Mohan. This helped him tide over the immediate crisis. Although Chander Mohan has already paid the social, financial and political price of his renegade action, Bhajan Lal and his family are also likely to suffer further humiliation. Already Anuradha Bali has given subtle hints of contesting Chander Mohan’s seat if any other party puts up Seema. Should that happen, a no holds barred battle is sure to ensue. Anuradha has made several caustic comments against Kuldeep Bishnoi in the media in the aftermath of her marriage. This included the Bhajan Lal and Kuldeep Bishnoi have exercised great restraint in their public reaction to Chander Mohan’s second marriage. Both avoided any mention of Anuradha’s name. However, in return, Anuradha has yet to extend these niceties to Bhajan Lal and Kuldeep Bishnoi if her utterances in the media are any indication. Sources close to the family say the way Anuradha is articulating in the media after her marriage, they expect her to be a bigger source of political trouble than perhaps Chander Mohan himself. Every political family has a lot of skeletons in their cupboards and should they tumble out because of a family member, the political fallout cannot be avoided at any cost. They also fear that should Chander Mohan get frustrated in the months to come because of political or familial isolation, he could also be a big source of political trouble for the rest of the family. However, they believe that Chander Mohan will maintain his calm as he is not given to throwing tantrums. Nevertheless, the worries for the family are genuine and here to stay. The Bishnoi clan is also perturbed by the newly wed couple is regularly appearing on television channels causing embarrassment to it. They see a political design behind this. On the flipside, the Kuldeep Bishnoi camp has gained from Chander Mohan’s disownment by the family. The Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) cadres are happy that they no longer have to answer uneasy questions about the relations between the two brothers and their respective political affiliations.
|
|
Samadhan-2008 to settle 13,000 cases
Gurgaon, December 18 The District and Sessions Judge, Raminder Jain, who is also the chairman of the District Legal Services Authority, said nearly 13,000 cases were expected to be solved during the event. Justice T.S.Thakur, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, will inaugurate the mega lok adalat in Gurgaon in the presence of Justice Ashutosh Mohanta and Justice Adarsh Kumar Goyal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. "An effort will be made to settle the maximum possible cases of mutual consent at Samadhan-2008, which is the biggest-ever lok adalat organised in the state," revealed Jain, pointing out that the purpose of organising this event was to provide an opportunity to the parties in dispute to get their maximum number of cases settled without following the lengthy judicial process. "At the same time, it is an effort to ease the burden of judicial officers by settling maximum pending cases in their courts," he added. Jain said nearly 13,000 cases were expected to be settled at the Mega Lok Adalat of Gurgaon. "Of these, 529 cases would be of civil nature and 1,710 of criminal nature. In addition, 6,744 summary cases and 140 pre-litigation cases are also expected to be settled in the mega lok adalat," he maintained. Jain further disclosed that the district administration officials empowered with judicial powers would try to settle around 3,800 cases pending in their respective courts. These include 40 cases of both SDMs, 2,933 cases relating to ACP traffic, 659 cases of Tehsildars and 178 cases of other revenue officials. "The decisions of lok adalat carry equal weight as that of other civil courts and no appeal can be made in any court against the decision of a lok adalat," he asserted. 5,488 cases settled at lok adalats
Kaithal: As many as 5,488 cases have been disposed of in special lok adalats held in Kaithal during November 1, 2008 to December 17, 2008. This was disclosed by R.S. Baswana, district and session judge here today. He said the settled cases included claim petitions under the Motor Vehicles Act, cases under the Hindu Marriages Act, cheque bounce cases, civil, criminal, summary cases under the Motor Vehicles Act, mutations, bank cases. Sessions judge Baswana said under the guidance of the Chief Justice the Punjab and Haryana High Court, justice Tirath Singh and the executive chairman of the Haryana State Legal Service Authority, justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, a mega lok adalat would be held at judicial complex here on December 20 and 21. Justice L.N. Mittal, administrative judge, Kaithal, would inaugurate this lok adalat, titled “Samadhan 2008”.
|
|
Five-star hotel to come up in Karnal
Panchkula, December 18 The novelty of this project would be the fusion of breathtaking architectural beauty with an exclusive business model, says Richie Arora, chief (operations) of the group. While banking on the strong middle class and emerging high lifestyle standards among the Indian society, Arora said the great Indian middle class phenomenon with its vast demographic spectrum spanning from the hip youth crowd to the young urban professionals and upper middle-class families right up to the affluent echelons have disposable incomes that even American marketers can only dream of. “Industry estimates show that about 1.4 million Indians spend over $10,000 on luxury brands internationally which translates into a market size of $14 billion. Even if a fraction of this spending shifts to India, that's still a lot of money to be taken lightly,” said Arora while substantiating his point. The 124-designer suites and rooms hotel proposed to be located on the GT Road touching Sector 45, Karnal, is expected to be opened before the Common Wealth games in 2010. “Reliving the experience of Paris in India, we present ‘Paris Plaza’ as a future fashion destination of India, having the advantage of attracting unparalleled visibility due to its perfect location, with more than one lakh vehicles passing through this stretch daily with an average of 7,500 premium luxury cars. Moreover, it is a central axial point being equidistant from major cities of the richest and the most prosperous belt of Haryana, Punjab and Western Uttar Pradesh,” added Arora. Counting on the facilities and attractions to be unfolded before the visitors, he said having eight floors with twin basements, the hotel would house two sports centres, conference halls and banquets, world cuisine in India's largest restaurant, top 10 world’s fast casual food brands, a fashion plaza having top 10 Indian and international fashion and jewellery houses with 40 showcases along with a luxury car boutique. A dining plaza along with the roof top swimming pool, spa and health centre would also be available to the visitors, he said. Moreover, this lifestyle centre is to prove more of a weekend holiday destination with Karnal Haveli on its opposite side along with Savoy Greens (McDonalds), Haryana Tourism complex, Karna Lake, and Highway Golf Course, he said.
|
|
Schools celebrate annual day
Panchkula, December 18 Justice Mohinder Pal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court was the chief guest. The programme started with the customary lighting of the show with vandana, followed by a dance by the tiny tots. Students of classes II and III presented a qawali which drew a thunderous applause from the parents. The students of pre- nursery and nursery classes attired as noddy rocked the stage with their performance. The report presented by the students highlighted the achievements of the school. The audience could not help laughing during the funny performance of mice during “Pied Piper of Hamelin”. There were also a kathak dance and taekwondo display. A soul- stirring Arabian dance was also presented . ‘Maa Tujhe Salaam’, a Hindi play, was presented by the senior students . The cultural events came to an end with bhangra. The chief guest gave away prizes and certificates to the students. Kurukshetra:
While addressing the students at the annual prize distribution function of S.M.B. Gita Sr. Sec. School, Kurukshetra, held on the school premises here recently, Jagadguru Shankracharaya has said the nation and the students are associated with each other like mother with her children. Shankracharya added that the youth could be indulged in nation building by cultivating the nationalist spirit among them. Additional district and sessions judge Nilima Shangla called upon the students to work hard to achieve the top positions in the examinations as well as in other fields. Presenting the annual report, principal Ram Prasad Swami said Devi Chand, a student, had secured first rank at the state level in the senior secondary school examination, while Prabal Prakash, a class IX student would participate in the Republic Day parade in Delhi next year. Three students were selected in the parade from the state, he added. The students presented physical activities such as mass P.T., malkhambh, yoga, agnichakra and Stoop, while the war-skills were presented by NCC cadets were the centre of attraction. They also presented a cultural programme. Shyam Bihari Garg, president, Hindu Shiksha Samiti, Om Prakash Arora, chairman, school managing committee, Om Prakash Gupta, school manager and other eminent persons were among those present on the occasion. Gurgaon:
The preparatory wing of Lions Public school celebrated its annual function with much fanfare here. A fairy tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” prepared by the little ones left the audience spellbound. The ballet “Tarzan and Jane” with a message to save environment and “Cultural Amalgamation”, depicting brides of various states, also mesmerised the viewers. A variety of games and nutritious snacks kept the guests enchanted and asking for more. The Eco Club of the school displayed various ideas to conserve and preserve environment. K.C. Wadhwa, chairman of the school, appreciated the performance of the tiny tots. He exhorted the parents to nurture their children to become responsible citizens with moral values and patriotism. The cultural fiesta ended with a prayer for the victims of terrorism and releasing of white balloons as a sign of peace for all.
|
|
Honour for amateur innovators
Jhajjar, December 18 Talking about his invention, Chand Singh said if attached with electricity meter in line and it would start tripping mechanically if any unauthorised connection or line was diverted from regular lines. This device was a primary prototype that needed further value addition and patent, he added. As many as 30 other innovators from Kaithal, Karnal, Sonepat, Mahendergarh, Rohtak and Delhi were also honoured at this function in order to appreciate their innovative efforts and to encourage them to proceed with their novel ideas and imaginative approach. Talking to The Tribune, Kamal Jeet, executive officer of the Sristi Gyan Kendra, said these were the innovators who had invented simple devices for domestic use with an improved designs, agricultural inputs to enhance efficiency and reduce operational overheads. He said an innovation show was also organised during the felicitation programme wherein the innovators not only shared their scientific know-how with the farmers who came from different part of the state, but also made them aware of the latest techniques. “The aim of organising this event was to spread the message about the use of new technologies,” Kamal Jeet said, adding that the kendra was involved in documenting traditional knowledge and innovations. The function was presided over by Rohtak ADC P.C. Meena. Prof C.P. Sheoran, dean, faculty of law, MDU, also described various laws pertaining to protecting intellectual properties.
|
|
Lok Sabha elections
Rewari, December 18 The move has been hailed by party activists here. Asserting that the present electoral alliance between the INLD and the BJP was a union of hearts of prominent leaders and activists of both parties, he said it was going to be a formidable force in Haryana. Exuding confidence of performing well in the coming Lok Sabha elections, Ranga said merits of the candidates would be given priority in the allotment of tickets. Born in a poor Dalit family of Dalia Ki village, near here, in 1955, M.L. Ranga has grown from strength to strength in his 20-year-long career through diligence and determination. Earlier, he held posts of the registrar, PGI, Chandigarh, from 1992 to 1995, and the vice-chancellor of Kurukshetra University from 1995 to 2000. He later entered into politics and was elected MLA on INLD’s ticket from the Bawal constituency of Rewari district in February 2000, after which he occupied a ministerial berth in the Chautala regime from 2000 to 2005. Before being elevated to the post of national vice-president of the INLD, he was the chairman of the state SC cell of the
INLD.
|
|
Panipat carpet industry on a roll
Panipat, December 18 The magnificence of Indian carpet weaving and its intricate patterns have substantially increased country’s carpet exports, placing it prominently on the international carpet map. Emperor Akbar brought carpet weaving to India in 16th century. Some of the most exclusive carpets were created during the Mughal period with each carpet infused with a magic of colours and design. After the Partition, Panipat became one of the most important centres of carpet manufacturing which went to export the produce to countries like the US, Belgium, Canada, Japan, Germany Australia, besides a number of Arab countries. The local woolen carpet industry is approximately 32 years old. At present, 149 numbers of units are engaged in this industry providing employment to 5,094 workers. After 1990's, the export of carpets is increasing every year. Panipat has been awarded gold trophy for making highest export in woolen hand-tufted carpets by the Export Promotion Council. Local carpet weavers use the asymmetrical or Persian knot that is tied with a strand of yarn around two adjacent warp threads, leaving some threads free at either side for lateral selvedges. Each knot is separated from its neighbour by a loop that is cut after the next shoot of weft. This knot is also called the “two-handed knot” as it can be executed both from right to left and from left to right. The process is more widespread as it is more rapid. Besides carpets, there are about 100 industrial units that are exporting a wide range of products, including durries, mats, table covers, bed sheets, curtains etc. In 1999-2000, the city exported products worth Rs 680 crore which rose to Rs 2,260 crore by 2007-08. As of today, there are about 60 carpet woolen spinning units in the district that are manufacturing 75 lakh kg of carpet wool each day with an annual turnover of Rs 273
crore.
|
|
Keeping farmers update, the KVK way
Karnal, December 18 The purpose of this convention is to get feedback from the farmers about the benefits derived from the training imparted to them and also to keep them abreast with emerging trends in farm technology. The KVC organised the first such convention by inviting 250 selected farmers to share their experiences with scientists of the institutes as also with other farmers. The participants drawn from each block of Karnal district included a large number farm women and rural entrepreneurs. Dr Dalip K. Gosain, programme coordinator of the KVK, the brain behind the convention, said the objective was to know how the training imparted in different areas of dairy production, processing, beekeeping, agriculture, fisheries, home science and vermi-compost making had benefited the agricultural families and also to provide them a platform to share their success stories and experiences with others. Addressing the participants, Dr A.K. Srivastava, director, NDRI, exhorted the trainees to have constant interactions with this institute to remain updated with the latest technological development in different areas of dairying in particular and allied areas in general. Haryana could achieve newer heights using different technologies pertaining to scientific dairying to improve herd productivity and further augmenting the per capita yield and the availability of milk which presently was 650 g per day, he said, adding that dairying which had enormous potential could further enhance the income and generate employment in the rural areas. Dr S.L. Goswami, joint director (research), said a large number of dairy farmers and entrepreneurs had set examples by establishing their units which needed to be followed by others. Dr G.R. Patil, joint director (academic) of this institute, said the institute had evolved a large number of dairy processing technologies which when applied in making different dairy products could provide an edge to entrepreneurs in fetching higher returns. Progressive farmers Rajbir Singh (Dadupur village); Sultan Singh (Butana); Savitri (Nagla Rodan); Ishwar Singh (Sambhli); Gurbachan Manchanda (Phusgarh); Puja (Ganger); and Assim Nayer from Amritsar, Punjab, shared their successful experiences with the participants. Various institutes of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) located in Karnal and other sister concerns organised an exhibition to display various technologies and products on the occasion and 35 selected former trainees were honoured for their contribution in their area of
specialisation.
|
|
Higher MSP for wheat sought
Chandigarh, December 18 In a statement issued here , president of the party Atam Prakash Manchanda said in view of the global food scarcity, the government should encourage farmers to bring large areas under wheat cultivation. He said last year, the MSP of wheat was increased from Rs 800 per quintal to Rs 1000 a quintal. But during the same period the government imported wheat from Australia at Rs 1650 per quintal. Though this policy of the government was grossly against the interests of the Indian farmers, the latter produced a record quantity of wheat as a result of which the country did not have to import wheat this year. Manchanda said the Agriculture Prices Commission had recommended an MSP of Rs 1080 per quintal of wheat this year. This price, he said, was grossly inadequate in view of the sharp increase in price index in the past one year. The increase of a mere Rs 80 per quintal was not justified and was a cruel joke on farmers. The BJP leader said sufficient agriculture production was the only answer to the global economic meltdown. If the government assured a better MSP to the wheat growers, they would not only produce enough for domestic consumption but also for export. He said when the USA and European countries were diverting 90 per cent of their maize crop towards making ethanol, Indian wheat could be the best alternative in the current global food shortage. Accusing the Centre and the state government of not paying adequate attention to the agriculture sector, Manchanda said the governments were not making timely supplies of certified seeds, fertilisers and pesticides to the farmers. Meanwhile, Deepender Hooda, MP from Rohtak, demanded an adequate increase in the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat in the larger interest of the farming community when he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi last evening. In a statement issued here today, Hooda said the Prime Minister assured him that the interests of farmers would be fully taken care of while finalising the MSP. Hooda claimed that the UPA Government was pro-farmer and was making all efforts to redress the grievances of the farmers. It had implemented a number of revolutionary schemes for the benefit of the farmers and had increased adequately the MSP of various crops to ensure prosperity of the farmers. The Rohtak MP said while the UPA Government had made an increase of Rs 370 per quintal in the MSP of wheat in the past four years, the NDA Government had made a marginal increase of Rs 40 per quintal in the MSP during its entire tenure. Hooda also urged the Prime Minister to increase the budget of the National Capital Region (NCR) Planning Board to ensure speedy development of the cities falling within the NCR. The Rohtak MP also met the union road transport, highways and shipping minister T.R. Baalu last evening and urged him to get the National Highway No 10 (Delhi-Bahadurgarh-Rohtak) repaired immediately to ensure smooth flow of traffic on this road. Baalu assured him that the repair work of this road would be completed speedily. It may be recalled that the six-laning of this road had already been sanctioned and construction work was under way. He also urged Baalu that while widening National Highway No. 71 and 71-A (Panipat-Gohana-Israna-Rewari), special care should be taken of the shops and residential houses constructed along this road at Israna so that the people might face the least harassment.
|
|
Govt to rope in rural women for marketing
Chandigarh, December 18 Alive to the wariness with which these are going to be accepted, the corporation has decided to rope in village women themselves. Under the strategy formulated by the director, women and child development, Neerja Shekhar, their marketing will be carried out under the district managers of the corporation through Sakshar Mahila Samoohs (SMSs). “To begin with, the programme officers of the integrated child development cell will select and recommend 30-odd good SMSs located around the manufacturing units for selling napkins to the district managers. Later on, the area will be expanded to the entire district in a phased manner. We want to progress slowly and cover every woman ,” explains Shekhar. All programme officers and child development programme officers will invite manufacturing units to sell, whenever a meeting of women PRIs, anganwari workers, SMS groups is held in their offices. The napkins are being provided at a subsidised cost of Re 1 after the health department agreed to partially bear its cost of Re 1 since their use would play a positive role in the prevention of reproductive and urinary tract infections in women. This subsidy, the department feels, will bring down the cost of the napkin and will encourage more and more women to use sanitary napkins. It is proposed to pack the napkins in a pack of 2, 5 and 10. However, a pack of two napkins at Rs 2 will be prepared and sold for awareness and sale as a part of promotional session. These packs will carry the brand name “Mukti”on the packet, the address of the manufacturer and will also show that each napkin of Rs 2 is being sold for Rs 1 following the subsidy by the health department. The district managers of the corporation will arrange for advertisement, awareness generation and sale promotions sessions in all secondary and high schools for girls, girls’ colleges, SMS members, anganwadi workers and helpers on their pay day. “For organising these sessions, the help of SMS members will be taken for which they can be paid out of the funds given by health department. The publicity material for creating awareness on the need of using and methods of using sanitary napkin will be developed and supplied by the corporation to the SMS doing publicity through the district managers,” explains the director, adding that as a marketing incentive, 10 paisa per napkin will be given to any individual person whose sells the same.
|
|
Medical camp organised in Gurgaon
Gurgaon, December 18 More than 2,500 visiting school students and their parents consulted doctors from the hospital specialising in fields like pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology. The hospital's physiotherapist and dietician gave useful health tips to the visitors. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Kapil Garg, the general manager of the hospital, said the underlying idea was not only to provide free-of-cost medical consultation, but also to educate the parents about the efforts needed to keep their children and themselves fit. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Columbia Asia is an international healthcare provider operating a chain of modern hospitals across the Asian countries, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and India.
|
|
Open darbar for villagers held
Kaithal, December 18 About 215 complaints were redressed on this occasion. Most of the complaints related to the inclusion of names in the BPL list. The deputy commissioner directed officers of the departments concerned to take appropriate action in this matter. Residents of Dalit Basti Pai complained about the damaged transformer in their area which needed immediate replacement and the DC directed power board officers to replace the same by evening. While residents of Bhana village complained about non-availability of power in the morning and evening hours, putting life out of gear. The deputy commissioner assured appropriate action. A number of villagers put up their problems relating to old age, widow and disabled pension. Officials of the social welfare department were asked by the DC to take steps to redress grievances of the people.
|
|
24,873 covered in Yamunanagar
Yamunanagar, December 18 Yamunanagar is among the four districts of the state where the pilot project was launched last year. It become operational in March this year to benefit BPL families. The scheme provides smart card-based cashless health insurance cover up to Rs 30,000 to all BPL families for five years. So far 669 villagers have been given the benefit of the free medical aid worth Rs 50 lakh through RSBY. A total of 24,873 smart cards have been issued against the target of 42,529 cards in the district. “It helped the BPL families who cannot afford the medical expenses of various diseases even for operation due to their poor conditions. Now we have penal of hospitals include government and private where they can get medical aid up to Rs 30,000,” deputy commissioner Amit Kumar Aggarwal said. He added, “By just paying Rs 30 as registration fee, the BPL families can avail benefit up to Rs 30,000. This is a unique scheme which is helping the poor on a large scale”.
|
|
|
||
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
