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Sehajdhari Issue
SGPC to file fresh affidavit in court
Challenges HC locus standi in Sikh matters
Amritsar , December 28
In a volte-face, the emergency meeting of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee executive committee today decided to stick to the definition of Sikh mentioned in the Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925 according to which only a Kesadhari could be a ‘Sehajdhari’.

Ranjeet Singh (centre) from Jammu, who has won the Mr Singh North India contest, along with runners up, in Pathankot on Sunday. Photo: Dhawan

Making bureaucrats accountable
Punjab CM’s move on better governance
Chandigarh, December 28
Announcing the formation of state administrative reforms commission has come as good news for those for curtailing powers of Punjab’s bureaucracy appropriated during the era of terrorism.

Looking Ahead-I
Global meltdown big challenge for govt
Chandigarh, December 28
Though battle for political supremacy will be the event to dominate first half of the new year, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government will have to walk a tight rope to minimise the impact of the global financial meltdown so as to keep the economy and infrastructure development going.

Inside Babudom
Ex-bureaucrats jubilant over reforms panel
Chandigarh, December 28
Announcement by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at a rally in Jalandhar about the setting up of an Administrative Reforms Commission to streamline the functioning of the state administrative machinery has brought cheers to superannuated bureaucrats.

Flights cancelled, trains delayed
Cold wave, fog paralyse life in region
Amritsar, December 28
Intense cold wave and dense fog paralysed life in the region with air and rail services remaining disrupted due to bad weather and poor visibility. Large number of residents remained indoors due to foggy conditions while visibility was between 10 and metres. The minimum and maxi mum temperatures of the holy city were recorded as 1.6 degrees Celsius 10.6 degrees Celsius.

POLITICS

State politics — looking back and ahead
Jalandhar, December 28
Political scene in 2008, by and large, remained hot and it is likely to be so in the next year due to persistent political rivalry that appears to be bordering on enmity among two main political families of Parkash Singh Badal and Amarinder Singh in the state. As the Lok Sabha elections draw closer, political temperature will go up further in the coming months.

COMMUNITY

Medical College, Amritsar
Alumni to revamp lecture theatre
Chandigarh, December 28
In an effort to pay back to their city and educational institute, the medicos passed out from Medical College, Amritsar, have decided to renovate the lecture theatre of the college which lies in a state of dilapidation. At least 104 alumni of the college reached here from different parts of country as well as abroad, including the USA, UK, Canada, Hong Kong and China to participate in the silver jubilee celebrations of batch 1978-83 being organised by the Chandigarh chapter of the college.

Tubewell scheme to be re-launched
Mehraj (Bathinda), December 28
“It is a misconception that we have been selling power to other states to earn profit. In fact, we are returning the electricity units that we had borrowed during the summer,” said H.S. Brar, member, distribution, Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB).

89 pc cases of lung cancer due to smoking: Surgeon
Ludhiana, December 28
Eighty-nine per cent of those suffering from lung cancer are smokers and every smoker consuming one pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years is more susceptible to this disease, said Dr M S Bains thoracic surgeon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York. He was speaking on "Surgery for early lung cancer" at ongoing annual conference of the Association of Surgeons of India (ASICON 2008) in Ludhiana.
Dr MS Bains

ASICON 2008
Mohali surgeon’s two papers rated best
Ludhiana, December 28
Two papers of Dr Pankaj Garg, senior consultant, Fortis Super-speciality hospital, Mohali, were presented in the best paper category here at the ongoing international conference of of the Association of Surgeons of India. He is only from north India and only one to receive double honour out of seven awarded at the conference.

Akali MLA Bhullar dead
Chandigarh, December 28
Gurdip Singh Bhullar, sitting Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA from Nurmahal, was found unconscious in his room at MLA Hostel, Sector 4, here this morning. He was taken to the Sector 16 Government Multi-specialty Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. The police has so far ruled out any possibility of foul play in his death.

Gurdip Singh Bhullar

Amritsar villagers raise voice against war
Amritsar, December 28
Various farmer organisations and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) today raised their voice against war and emphasised that the government should use diplomatic channel to persuade the Pakistan government to take action against the terrorists operating from their land.

• Joshi not our member, says sabha