The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Cong parallel functions: Differences to the fore Varinder Walia Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 6 Fissures appearing in the Congress in the Majha region during the visit of former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, PPCC working president Mohinder Singh Kaypee and CLP leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal do not augur well for the party, especially at a time when parliamentary elections are round the corner. Though the official rally organised by Congress MLA Om Parkash Soni at Putligarh Chowk was attended by all the senior party leaders, Bhattal and Kaypee were conspicuous by their absence from the “parallel function” jointly organised by Sukh Sarkaria and Harpartap Singh Ajnala, which was basically a show of strength. Bhattal, Kaypee and Congress Working Committee member Iqbal Singh did not know about the parallel function. Earlier, Capt Amarinder Singh attended the dinner hosted by Soni where a large number of party leaders from the Majha belt, including Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran, participated. Some of the senior leaders openly recommended the name of Soni for the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency. The senior party leaders pointed out that it was due to the division in the Congress that many BJP and SAD candidates had won the elections in the previous assembly elections since the leadership had failed to persuade the rebel candidates to withdraw their candidature in favour of the official candidates. Some of the senior leaders, including Dr Raj Kumar, Sunil Dutty, Yoginder Dhingra and Navdeep Goldi, who did not attend the party’s rally at Putlighar Chowk, took active part in the parallel rally. It may be mentioned here that Soni and Sarkaria are in the race for the Congress ticket from the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency. Talking to The Tribune, Soni alleged that Dr Raj Kumar was trying to create division in the party while it was the need of the hour to project a united fight against the ruling SAD-BJP alliance. Though most of the speakers projected Soni as a prospective candidate from Amritsar in the first rally, Bhattal said such decisions could be taken by the party high command and not by any individual. Former minister S.S. Shahbazpuri was the first to recommend the name of Soni as the next candidate for the Amritsar seat. The slogans of “Soni zindabad” also rent the air. Interestingly, the PPCC acting president honoured Harjinder Thekedar with a “siropa” whose re-induction in the party at the behest of Capt Amarinder Singh had kicked off a controversy. Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Presidium), led by Daljit Singh Bittu, suffered a jolt when Gurjatinder Singh Bhikhiwind, one of the five members of the presidium, with his supporters, joined the Congress in the presence of Amarinder Singh at a rally organised by Om Parkash Soni here yesterday. Yesterday, two SGPC members Ravinder Singh Khalsa and Surinder Kaur joined the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal led by Sukhbir Singh Badal. Simerjit Singh Majithia and Gurteshwar Singh Majithia, son and grandson, respectively, of the late Parkash Singh Majithia, a former minister, joined the Congress. Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Iqbal Singh were present at the rally.
	For Future Sake Education, health to be priority areas: CM Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, February 6 To provide qualitative education and health facilities to every person, the Punjab government will lay special emphasis in the 2009-10 Budget to create new infrastructure in health and educational institutions. Talking to mediapersons at Talwara, 80 km from here today, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said 15 degree colleges and two universities would be opened next year in the state. To overcome the problem of shortage of teaching staff in colleges, recruitment would be made very shortly. Three model schools were being opened in each assembly segment. Criticising the last Congress government in Punjab, the Chief Minister said it had done nothing to enhance power generation. The SAD-BJP government was setting up four new thermal plants and on completion within the next two years, the state would have surplus power with it. Referring to his ongoing “vikas yatra”, Badal said that he was getting first-hand information about the functioning of the state government. Later, he addressed a public rally in which he criticised the UPA government for its step-motherly treatment towards Punjab. Badal also criticised Capt Amarinder Singh for his unreliable statements against his family members to mislead the public. Later, he distributed cheques for Rs 2.67 crore among 152 panchayats of the area for various development works and Rs 2 crore to the Dasuya municipal council. He gave Rs 5 crore for constructing a building of Government College, Talwara, and Rs 13.72 crore for installing 23 deep tubewells for irrigation water in the Dasuya segment. Later, addressing a public meeting at village Johlan, near Garhdiwala, Chief Minister announced that 44,000 acres of land located near rivers in the state would be allotted to those farmers who were presently possessing them at nominal prices. He gave cheques for Rs 3.85 crore to the village panchayats of the segment and Rs 1 crore to the municipal council, Garhdiwala.
	Youth’s Exploitation LBP’s campaign from Feb 25 marjit Thind/TNS Jalandhar, February 6 The youth wing of the Lok Bhalai Party (LBP) would launch a statewide campaign on February 25 from Sangrur to highlight the mental, psychological and physical exploitation of the youth in the state. LBP chief Balwant Singh Ramoowalia said the unemployed and directionless youngsters were resorting to drug abuse to overcome their frustration. Education and healthcare had become a commodity only for the rich with the result that only 2 per cent of the rural youngsters were getting employment. As a consequence of such a dismal situation, travel agents were having a field day by luring such youngsters of making it big on foreign shores. Such unscrupulous agents were looting the gullible to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore annually, he revealed. Since the trend of going abroad could not be reversed. The need of the hour was such that youngsters were professionally tarried so that they could earn a living profitably. There was a great demand for the heavy vehicle drivers, physiotherapists, insulators and nurses, but there were no certified institutions in the state with the result that those who manage to reach foreign shores were forced to do odd jobs and were exploited by their employers. It was worse in the case of girls and there had been instances where their employers in countries like Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Ukraine and Cyprus had turned them into sex slaves, he revealed. Even the so-called nanny-care and air-hostess training centres were not up to the mark, he added. Ramoowalia said he was contesting from Sangrur himself but the party would also name candidates from Patiala and Bathinda in the coming days. He clarified that he would not merge his party with any other entity.
	Magnetic signals set to replace ECG, EEG Now heart, brain reports won’t lie Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, February 6 Indian scientists have developed an innovative nano-technological application that has an edge over the existing electrocardiograph (ECG) and electro-encephalograph (EEG) machines for detecting any malfunctioning of heart or brain parts. The new device, called Squid Magnometer, uses sensors that detect bio-magnetic signals rather than electric pulses from the neurons of the brain and parts of the heart, giving more precise results. Dr C.S. Sundar from materials science division of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, revealed this during his keynote address at the inauguration of a two-day conference on “Nanomaterials: Synthesis and application” organised by the postgraduate department of chemistry of DAV College here today. The scientist said his centre had developed the innovation on the recommendations of the department of science and technology, Government of India. He said the device would be sent to the National Institute of Mental Health and Allied Sciences (NIMHAS), Bangalore, which would test its applications before allowing it for common use. Outlining reasons for a higher precision, Dr Sundar said since various parts of the body, including the skull, emit electric charge, these could interfere and doctors could make a mistake in reaching out to the affected area of the brain. “The skull, however, does not discharge any magnetic signals leaving no scope of any error in the results. Similarly, the ECG fails to detect any malfunctioning on the rear side of the heart which the magnometer can easily read,” he said. Spelling out its added advantages, he said there would be no need to apply any conducting fluid to the body and putting up electrodes on the body. “There is no contact required for the magnometer to operate. The machine uses squid sensor which is one of the most sensitive sensors that accepts signals even from a distance,” he explained. Dr B.C. Ranu from the Indian Association of Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, discussed the utility of copper nanoparticles as efficient catalysts in improving the yield during organic reactions. Lalit M. Bharadwaj from the CSIO, Chandigarh, discussed the working of products, including DNA nanowires for sensors, targeted drug delivery and nano-robotics, micro-diagnostic kits and nanotubes.
	Seven nabbed with 5.47 gm smack Batala, February 6 The police seized 5.47 gm smack and 44,250 ml illicit liquor during a campaign launched against addiction in the district, SSP Naresh Kumar Arora said here today. ASI Kewal Singh arrested Varinder Chouhan alias Mangu, resident of Adarsh Nagar, Near Gurudwara Kandh Sahib Batala in a case registered under sections 21, 61and 85 of the NDPS Act. Police Station City, Batala and recovered 5.47 gm smack. Head constable Ranjit Singh of police station Qila Lal Singh, along with a police party, recovered 7,500 ml of illicit liquor each was recovered from accused Sonu, resident of Khatib village; Hardeep Lal, resident of Dharamkot village; accused Balkar Singh resident of Dharamkot village; accused Biro, resident of Shampura village; accused Kanso resident of Shampura village. Five cases were registered at police station Qila Lal Singh under sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act. On the same day, head constable Lakhbir Singh, along with a police party, recovered 6,750 ml illicit liquor from accused Parshotam Singh, resident of Bholeke village and under sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act, at police station Dera Baba Nanak. — OC
	Man, son booked on rape charge Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 6 The Islamabad police booked Shashi and his father Soni of the Haripura area for allegedly abducting and raping a minor girl (14) of the locality. The police registered a case under sections 363, 366, 366-A and 376 of the IPC after the medical examination of the girl. However, no arrest has been made so far as both the accused have absconded. According to the complaint lodged by the girl, she used to live in her maternal grandparents’ house where the accused lured her on the pretext of marriage. She alleged that on January 31, the father of the accused helped his son to take her to Jammu to get married. However, she alleged that after February 4, Shashi disappeared from Jammu, leaving her there after developing physical relations with her and did not return. She said she returned to her house and narrated the whole incident. Meanwhile, a 12-year-old girl was allegedly lured and abducted by four persons, including a woman, in Chhina Karam Singh village falling under Amritsar (Rural) police district here. According to the complaint lodged by the father of the girl at Ajnala police station, they had gone to pay obeisance at the gurdwara when accused Nachhatar Singh and his mother Chhindo, along with Vajeer Singh and Nainti, took his daughter away. He said he tried to locate his daughter, but in vain. A case under sections 363, 366-A and 120-B of the IPC was registered.