|
|
|
|
Hi-tech driving institutes to come up in state
Rohtak, January 22 While the institute in Rohtak will be set up in Kanheli village, the second one will be in Bahadurgarh town of Jhajjar district. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has laid the foundation stone of both institutes recently. Shinzo Nakanishi, managing director and CEO, MSIL, was also present on the occasion. The company will help in setting up, managing and running the institutes. “The two institutes will form an integral part of Maruti Suzuki’s ongoing corporate social responsibility initiative - the National Road Safety Mission - announced in December 2008, claimed a spokesperson for the company. Under the mission, the company plans to train five lakh persons in road safety across India in the next three years. Hooda observed that the institutes would help in developing the required infrastructure facilities and services and these would go a long way in sensitising the people regarding the importance of traffic rules and safety. Around 12,000 persons are likely to be trained each year in these institutes. According to company officials, the venture was part of the overall promotion programme of the company regarding safe driving practices through different formats, including company’s driving schools. “We realise that as a subject, road safety is very vast and requires an integrated approach of different stakeholders such as public, vehicle manufacturers, government and civil society”. This initiative with the Haryana government will act as a catalyst for other organisations to join the road safety effort in the country, they added. While the state-of-the-art Bahadurgarh Indian Driving Training and Research Institute (IDTRI) is spread over 12 acres, the Rohtak facility has 17.5 acres under its occupation. Both institutes will offer classroom training as well as test tracks for enhancing driving skills. Maruti Suzuki will, in fact, bring in advanced training module that is based on international lines. The advanced driving simulators will help impart training in safe environment. Hostel facility would also be available for the learners. In addition, these facilities would also house a vehicle-tester line for vehicle fitness that would evaluate older vehicles for their suitability to ply on roads. Once fully operational, these two IDTRIs are expected to train around 3,000 candidates every month. Maruti Suzuki presently operates two institutes in Delhi and trains around 5,000 persons per month. While utilising the existing two institutes in Delhi and 47 driving schools across the country, the company plans to enter into partnerships with more states in future. The pioneering work and infrastructure of the IDTRIs has caught the attention of the government and general public alike. Today, several government departments and agencies in Delhi have made it mandatory for their drivers to undergo periodic skill training and evaluation at the IDTRI. The Delhi government has issued a directive that commercial vehicle drivers, seeking to renew their driving licence, apply for mandatory certification from the IDTRI.
|
|
Beopar Mandal to broaden base
Chandigarh, January 22 The decision was taken at a meeting of the state executive of the mandal held here on Wednesday, which was presided over by its president Bajrang Dass Garg, who is also the chairman of Confed. The influence acquired by the mandal in the past few years is attributed to the closeness of Garg with Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Garg is among a few private persons who have been appointed to head various government boards and corporations. A large number of Congressmen are still waiting for this honour as various boards and corporations continue to be headed by bureaucrats. The executive committee decided to appoint former president of the All-India Hotels and Restaurants Federation, Manbeer Choudhry of Karnal, as vice-president of the mandal. Mukand Sharma of Jhajjar, Naresh Singla Beejwale of Hisar, Hanuman Kedia Siwani, president, Haryana Gwargum Association, and Sulekh Jain of Panipat were appointed as secretary, state propaganda secretary, state organising secretary and joint secretary, respectively. President of the Haryana Khadi Gram Udyog Association, Ramesh Khattar, Dinesh Singla of Panchkula, Azad Bansal of Jind, Naresh Narang of Indri, Prem Chand Singla, Sunil Kumar Singla, Ishwar Chand Malposia of the Kathmandi Association of Rohtak, and Rajendra Mohan Bansal, president of the Haryana Dhup Agarbati Association, were nominated as members of the executive committee. Sohan Singh Gujjar, Baldev Seth, Bhopinder Kumar, Devraj Toshamia and Vikas Bansal were nominated as presidents of the Jhajjar, Yamunanagar, Ambala city, Bhiwani city and Ladwa city units of the mandal. Addressing the meeting, Garg said he was first a trader and then the chairman of Confed. Therefore, he would not tolerate any injustice with any trader in the state. He said a meeting of the general body of the mandal would be held at Ambala next month to discuss various problems being faced by the trading community. The meeting would also discuss the high rate of VAT on certain goods in the state due to which the businessmen in the state were in a position of disadvantage. The issue of VAT would also be taken up with the Chief Minister so that the steps would be taken by the government to reduce it, Garg added.
|
|
Jind schools, villages get legal cells
Chandigarh, January 22 Stating this here recently, a spokesman for the Haryana Legal Services Authority said micro-legal literacy camps were being organised by the Jind District Legal Services Authority to provide basic legal information to the people. One such camp was organised at block office, Aleva, recently, which was presided over by SK Khanduja, civil judge, senior division. Khanduja said these cells would have to work with a sense of responsibility to create a society free from disputes. He advised panchs and sarpanchs to work actively under the cells for the promotion of brotherhood in the villages. Similarly, school-going children should also be provided basic legal information at an early age. He said Jind was a district where women-related cases were registered in the presence of woman advocates in police stations. The woman advocates had been empanelled for the purpose. The mechanism aimed at providing justice and protection to the women. Basic legal knowledge was like first aid and as such everybody should have it. Rural people were not availing full benefits of the schemes and programmes being implemented by the state government for their welfare because they were lacking in basic legal knowledge.
|
|
CCTV cameras at public places in Panipat
Panipat, January 22 Deputy commissioner Vijay Singh Dahiya has asked officials of various public and owners of private undertakings in the district to put up CCTV cameras. These include Naphtha cracker plant of the IOC’s Panipat refinery, stores of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and VPCL plant, besides the marketing division of the refinery, Panipat thermal plant, National Fertilisers Limited, power house of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), Bu Ali Shah Qalandar Mosque, Devi Temple, Bhim Guarda Temple, Jain Temple, Pehli Patshahi Gurdwara, 132-KV substation on the Gohana road, main telephone exchange, local bus
stand, civil hospital, flyover on the NH-1, under-construction mini-secretariat, Sky Lark tourist resort, sugar mill, Kala Amb tourist spot, Panipat Museum, PWD guesthouse, all hotels and railways stations in the district. The deputy commissioner said officials of these establishments had been asked to install cameras with recording facilities so that in case of any untoward happening takes place in or around these establishments the recordings could be used in cracking the crime. He said any laxity in implementing these orders would be dealt with strictly and persons found violating the orders could face legal action. The CTV cameras would enable the district police to step up its vigil to curtail criminal activities. This would also increase surveillance in public places, said the DC. He said the administration would be closing monitoring the installation of the CCTV cameras. The administration had already directed cyber cafes and financial institutions, including banks, operating in the district to install CCTV cameras and maintain complete recordings for at least three months.
|
|
Sukhbir’s elevation
Hisar, January 22 Among the happiest over the development in the neighbouring state are long-time friends and supporters of Ajay Chautala, son of Indian National Lok Dal chief and former Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala. His fans say it is now just a matter of time before Ajay Chautala will don the mantle like the Badal scion if the INLD is voted to power in the 2010 assembly polls. Their plea is that soon after the late Devi Lal became Deputy Prime Minister in the V. P. Singh ministry in 1989, he anointed Om Parkash Chautala as his successor in Haryana. So, Ajay Chautala’s fans are hoping that the senior Chautala will follow in his close friend Parkash Singh Badal’s footsteps and promote his elder son for the top slot in Haryana as and when the party comes to power. The success of Ajay Chautala’s ongoing padayatra has further strengthened his claim for gradual elevation to the top post. Ajay has just taken a leaf out of his grandfather’s life story who had embarked on a Nyaya Yatra after the Rajiv-Longowal accord in 1985. Devi Lal’s march had elevated him to the office of Chief Minister in 1987 with a record majority in the state assembly. Ajay’s supporters are happy their leader is trying to rejuvenate their party which has yet to recover fully from the drubbing it received in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls and the 2005 assembly polls. Supporters of Chander Mohan Bishnoi say their leader’s father former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal had already proclaimed the younger Bishnoi scion as his political successor and as such the junior Bishnoi is a candidate for the office of the Chief Minister of Haryana. They claim that Badal junior’s elevation to the second spot after his father had justified Bhajan Lal’s decision to nominate his younger son as his political heir. However, Chander Mohan has been facing desertions from his fledgling political outfit in the recent weeks because of his failure to reach a poll accord with the BJP or the BSP. This may spoil his party. The case of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s son Deepender Hooda who is presently MP from Rohtak Lok Sabha seat is slightly different. There is little doubt that the Hooda clan will like to see him sit in his father’s office one day, but that day is in their planning still some way far. He is a new entrant to the gory politics of Haryana having been elected to the Lok Sabha in 2006 for the first time. Nevertheless, the junior Hooda’s own coterie is happy by the decision of the Badal clan to elevate Sukhbir Badal’s political and official status. They say that in another five years or so, their young leader too will be a rightful claimant of the family’s political clout and consequently the office of the Chief Minister
of Haryana.
|
|
Sirsa to have 90 new anganwari centres
Sirsa, January 22 Deputy commissioner SK Goyal presided over the meeting. Dr Ved Beniwal, patron of the Haryana chapter of the Indian Medical Association, Geeta Kathuria, director of NGO Disha, Anand Bayani, social activist, Dhanpati Malik, project officer of the ICDS, Alka Yadav, district social welfare officer, and other members of the committee were present. "As many as 90 new anganwari centres will be established in the district soon under a plan approved by the ministry of minority affairs. The health department will set up delivery huts in all these centres and trained ASHA workers and delivery assistants will be deployed in these centres," the deputy commissioner informed the members. It was decided that the health and ICDS departments would jointly implement the programme of establishing delivery huts in villages. Deliberations were held on the proposal of setting up daycare units for children and mobile medical units for senior citizens of the district. Alka Yadav has been entrusted with the task of preparing a project of these units.
|
|
Join sports for bright future, ace shooter tells youth
Gurgaon, January 22 Having won gold medals at SAARC Games held in Kathmandu and Shooting World Cup in Germany, Seema has now set her sights on an Olympic medal. She was part of the Indian shooting squad winning the third position at Doha Asiad in 2003. Seema, who was invited to inaugurate the 46th annual athletic meet of Government Postgraduate College here, said, "My sincere advice to the youth is that they should inculcate interest in sports, as games not only improve our physical and mental health, but also help us in getting decent jobs, which is quite important in the prevailing scenario”. Seema, who got her present job as a traffic assistant with Air India on the basis of her achievements in sports, said, "It is all the more important for girls to carve their niche in sports, as it would give them an identity of their own." The views of this young, bright and promising girl are endorsed and appreciated by Dr Ranjana Lall, principal of the host college, who presided over the ceremony. Talking to The Tribune, Seema said, “I had tried for participation in the recent Beijing Olympics, but could not qualify. Presently, I am preparing for the next Olympic Games to be held in London." Hailing from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, Seema developed a flair for shooting when she was in school. She was inspired by a cousin, who used to practice shooting. Within a short time, she went on to represent the country and brought laurels for it from far and wide. Back home, Seema's parents, Om Prakash and Omkari, and her siblings, including five sisters and two brothers, are proud of her. Her younger sister, Aruna, even started practicing shooting and is doing well in the sport.
|
|
Sports,cultural tournaments for differently abled kids end
Fatehabad, January 22 As many as 150 differently abled children, visually challenged children, deaf and dumb children and special children suffering from multiple disorder participated. J. S. Ahlawat, deputy commissioner, Fatehabad, gave away the prizes to the winners, while city magistrate Satish Jain and district education officer Harcharan Singh Chhokar were present. |
|
UGC team to visit Sonepat varsity
Chandigarh, January 22 According to an official spokesman, the university, spread over 273 acre, has a fully residential campus. In addition to research facilities in various disciplines of engineering and sciences, presently six postgraduate and eight undergraduate programmes in engineering, architecture and management are being run on regular basis with an annual intake of about 550 students. The university has recently introduced Ph.D programme also. He said the university was in an expansion mode and lot of infrastructure was being developed, which included administrative block, teaching block, library, computer centre, girls’ hostel, convention centre, VIP guesthouse, VC’s residence and staff The university has recently appointed new teachers to comply with the minimum specifications required for an affiliated university. Vice-chancellor HS Chahal presided over a meeting of all deans, chairpersons, heads, and branch officers recently to ensure proper arrangements for the visit of the UGC team.
|
|
Street play on Gurgaon’s plight
Gurgaon, January 22 The play was a satire on the state of affairs in the city. It appealed to the residents to do their bit by not indulging in littering and be law abiding. At the same time, it stressed on the need for the administration to be self-conscious and work on sprucing up the city. Municipal commissioner Rajiv Sharma also witnessed the play. "IamGurgaon is a good platform to bring together all stakeholders of the city,” he said, adding, "It is every citizen’s desire to have a clean city. We can work together to make the city better in months to come”. Others present on the occasion included DLF RWA city general secretary Sudhir Kapoor and DLF consultant Arun Anand. Over 500 shoppers and residents of the neighbouring areas were also present. “This is a good initiative on the concept of people’s participation. It is heartening that issues that affect the lives of people have been highlighted. I am sure that this initiative will help in building partnership between the administration and the residents towards building a better city,” deputy commissioner Deepti Umashankar said. "The group has decided to adopt monthly issues to help spruce up the city. The theme for January is clean Gurgaon. For this, we coordinate with HUDA, MC, RWAs and other organisations to maintain cleanliness in their respective areas. Various administrative problems faced by the officers are also discussed and we try to sort these as well. We are also working hard to imbibe a sense of self-check amongst the residents,” Kapoor retreated. The street play was the first event organised by the group, which hopes to start a movement for a clean, green and safe city.
|
|
A life devoted to folk music
Karnal, January 22 Inspired by his father, Chander Bhan, himself a singer and lyricist, 37-year-old Krishan Lal has been obsessed with writing and composing songs since childhood, but he scrupulously chose to devote his life to folk music and devotional songs. He was also motivated by Ram Kumar Jauain who guided him to write lyrics. The low-profile talented artist is not much known outside Haryana but celebrity Haryana folk artists like Sarita Chowdhary, Rajinder Kharkiva, Narinder Kaushik, Ranbir Barvasnia and Naseeb Singh Runda have been singing his songs. Famous for albums like “Phool Mangaya” and “Kan Se Lagaya”, Krishan Lal has recently released his new popular album “Nakhre Wali Chori”. His religious album “Ek Put Dede Jogia” released three months ago became hit among thousands of devotees. Balaji of Mehadipur in Rajasthan enchanted him so much that he has so far released 40 cassettes containing devotional songs. Originally a Haryanavi folk singer, Krishan Lal has blend of Rajasthani, Punjabi and Himachali folk songs in his composition, and has become famous as interstate folk artist. He firmly believes that the devotional songs tuned to folk music and dance rooted in local soil gave eternal pleasure and brought the devotees closer to gods. He has no ambition to become a celebrity or enter the show business. He rather wants to dedicate his life to folk music and devotional songs.
|
|
Couple gets UGC research project award
Rewari, January 22 Among a total of 21 teachers from various universities all over India, Dr Yadav and his wife, Jyoti, are the only teachers in the subject of English from the state who have been granted the projects. While Dr Yadav has been awarded the project on “Redefining Aesthetics: The Portrayal of Dalit Women in Dalit Writings”, Jyoti has been entrusted with a project on “Ethnic Anxiety and Cultural Adaptability in Parsi Novels”. Similarly, while the UGC has allocated a sum of Rs 6,02,200 to Dr Yadav, Jyoti has been granted an amount of Rs 5,75,200 to carry out research in their respective areas. Dr Yadav, a resident of Manethi village of Rewari district, who earlier successfully did a research project pertaining to the English translation of folk songs of south Haryana under the UGC, will presently have to delve deep into available genuine literature on Dalits, while specifically working on stereotypical portrayal of Dalit women in the works of prominent male and female Dalit writers. Triple exploitation being faced by Dalit women, first as women, secondly as Dalits and thirdly as members of the economically weaker sections of the society, will form the cornerstone of exploration to be conducted by Dr Yadav. In the same vein, Jyoti, who is currently also pursuing her PhD on Parsi Novelists, will have a peep into Parsis’ flexibility as well as adaptability which have ensured their survival even amidst centuries of persecution. While during the accomplishment of such major research projects, the investigators are required to conduct field surveys and browse through relevant material lying in libraries for their thesis. Project fellows are also appointed by the UGC to facilitate their research work. Simultaneously, a mid-term evaluation committee of the UGC evaluates the project after one year and provides positive suggestions to the researchers. Thus, after the stipulated period of two years when the final findings of the research project are submitted to the UGC by the researchers, they are accordingly published in a book form for perusal by readers. It is note worthy that like previous years, this year, too, proposals for research projects were invited from college and university teachers by the UGC. The internal committee first screened the submitted proposals and a high-level committee comprising eminent scholars then interviewed selected candidates. Subsequently, the selected candidates, who were given the final nod by the high-level committee, which also ascertained the feasibility as well as the relevance of their proposed projects, were awarded the research projects by the
UGC.
|
|
Conference of Sanskrit poets
Chandigarh, January 22 According to director of the akademi Rameshwar Dutt Sharma, State Education Minister Mange Ram Gupta will be the chief guest on the occasion while vice-president of the Delhi Sanskrit Akademi Shrikrishan Semwal will preside over it.
|
|
Movies This Week
Producer: Mukesh Bhatt, Vishesh Films “Raaz” touted to be a supernatural thriller based on superstitions, opens today at Suraj-Panchkula, Anand-Sonepat, Everest-Rewari, Nigar-Ambala Cantt, Fun-Ambala City, Fun-Karnal, Movie Time-Karnal, Inder Palace-Panipat, Sun City-Hissar, PVR MGF Europa, PVR Ambience Mall, PVR Sahara Mall, SRS Omaxe, Big Palam, DT City Centre, DT Mega Mall (All Gurgaon), PVR Crown, SRS-Sector 12, SRS Pristine, SRS Shubham, INOX Leisure Movie Time Manthan Mall, Movie Time City Mall (All Faridabad) What to watch out for: Thrilling horror sequences, story, music, direction and lead stars performance. Slumdog Crorepati Director: Danny Boyle The Danny Boyle film “Slumdog Crorepati” set in India and New York also opens today at Fun-Ambala City, Fun-Panipat, PVR MGF, PVR Sahara, PVR Ambiance Mall, SRS Omaxe, Adlabs DT City centre, DT Mega Mall (All Gurgaon), PVR Crown Plaza INOX, SRS, SRS Pristime Movie Time Manthon, Movie Time City Mall (All Faridabad) What to watch out for: Debutant Mumbai girl Freida Pinto, Dev Patel’s performance, direction and AR Rehman’s music. ––
Dharam Pal
|
|
|
||
| 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 | |
