Amritsar, February 14
Lamenting Punjab’s slipping to fifth position on almost all economic indicators, Dr GK Chadha, member of the Economic Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister, and CEO, South Asian University, today said poor governance had been the primary cause of dismal economic scenario in the state.

Dr Chadha was here to deliver keynote address at UGC seminar on “Social and Physical Infrastructure in Punjab: Status and Implications for Development” organised by Guru Nanak Dev University.

He said rapid deterioration of physical and social infrastructure, including education and health, in the state was the reason behind the ills. He alleged the state had performed badly in maintaining available infrastructure, emphasising Punjab must have hi-tech infrastructure facilities and for this, there was dire need to enter into public-private partnership. Dr Chadha was highly critical of the populist measures of the government, like free power to certain sections, as such measures affect value addition in the economy.

He also remarked that along with increasing the literacy rate, the state must go in for knowledge-based economy to increase productivity.

Dr Chadha also released project report on ‘Tractorisation of Punjab Agriculture: Ownership and Utilisation Pattern’.

Dr Jai Rup Singh, Vice-Chancellor pointed out the deteriorating state of public educational institutions was primarily due to lack of government’s priorities for education. He also emphasised in the institutions of higher learning, quality research was essential for any kind of human resource development and economy as whole.

Earlier, Dr RS Bawa, director of the seminar, welcomed the guests and introduced them to the theme. He stressed on the need to undertake drastic measures so that success story of Punjab did not remain mere fiction.

As many as 75 scholars from the universities, including those from Haryana, Himachal and Delhi are participating in the seminar.

Bathinda, February 14
The Punjab unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI) today announced its candidates for the Bathinda and Faridkot seats of the ensuing Lok Sabha (LS) elections. Hardev Arshi has been nominated from Bathinda and Kushal Bhora for Faridkot parliamentary segment.

Addressing a press conference here today, Dr Joginder Dayal, member of the national executive, CPI, said the Punjab unit of the CPI would form a third front of the Left and democratic parties to defeat the SAD-BJP alliance and the Congress party in the ensuing LS elections. This decision had reportedly been taken by the CPI keeping in view the ongoing alleged communal danger and terrorist activities in the state, he added.

Dr Dayal said the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Lok Bhalai Party, the Forward Bloc and other Left groups would be considered for forming an alliance.

He also said the CPI central executive committee would meet on February 21-22 and decide to contest two more seats — Sangrur and Ferozepur.

Dr Dayal said the Badal government had “failed” to implement most of the promises made to people in its manifesto during the previous Assembly elections. Due to this, agrarian crisis was prevailing in the state.

Dr Dayal also said the SAD-BJP alliance and the Congress were generally pursuing the same economic policies, which fulfilled the desires of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the World Bank. He said these policies were not only crushing the common man but also affecting the middle class, farmers and traders.

Criticising the policies of the NDA and the UPA, he said that due to the pro-imperialist policies, the country had been facing economic meltdown in different fields. A common agenda would be prepared to face the people in the elections, Dr Dayal said.

The CPI was holding a massive rally at Mansa on February 27 to show its strength in the state, he added.

The National Council member of party and the candidate for Bathinda LS seat, Hardev Arshi, and Kushal Bhora, candidate for Faridkot parliamentary segment, also addressed the meeting and criticised the policies of the UPA and the SAD-BJP governments.

Ferozpur, February 14
More than 150 companies of the paramilitary forces have been demanded from the Election Commission of India for smooth conduct of Lok sabha election in the state, said Kusumjit Sidhu Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, at meeting with senior officials of Ferozpur and Faridkot divisions here today.

The meeting held to review preparations for the general election , Commissioner BS Sudan, Deputy Commissioners Megh Raj, VK Meena, Rahul Tiwari, Rajat Aggarwal and Satwant Singh, besides other senior officials from Ferozpur, Moga, Muktsar, Faridkot and Bhatinda, took stock of poll preparedness.

Sidhu told the DCs to work out communication plans in their districts by February 20 and evaluate the sensitivity of the polling stations under their jurisdiction. She also issued directions to ensure videography of all events.

Sidhu also said the DCs had been advised to ensure the booth-level officials were present at the polling stations on February 22 and 23 for coordination of polling- related issues in collaboration with polling agents of political parties.

Chandigarh, February 14
If number of Gold Cup-cum-prize money kabaddi tournaments being organised in towns and cities are any indication, meltdown appears to have left Punjab untouched.

Three of Gold Cup Kabaddi tournaments, including those in Banur and Bhawanigarh - are in progress since yesterday while many other cities , including Jalandhar, Gurdaspur and Ludhiana are waiting for turn to organise cash prize- rich kabaddi tournaments in next few weeks.

Busy public places, shopping centres, railway stations, state and national highways and places of worship in the state are adorned with colourful flexi boards announcing dates, prize money of these gold cup kabaddi tournaments. Some of these flexi boards are also about rural sports festivals and special religious congregations.

“It is not only Kabaddi, cash prizes and prizes like luxury cars to outstanding raiders and stoppers in these tournaments, Punjab is in the middle of scores of rural festivals where besides kabaddi, bullock cart races, indigenous sports events are main attraction,” says Sukhvir Singh Grewal, chief organiser of mini Olympics at Kila Raipur.

Circle Kabaddi, as it is known in this part of the country, got tremendous boost last week when Punjab Council of Ministers resolved to recognise it as regular sport. Earlier, only national style kabaddi was recognised in Punjab and rest of the country.

The minimum prize money being offered at any of these Gold Cup Kabaddi Tournaments is Rs 5 lakh. Since the beginning of this year, different towns in Punjab have already played host to 30-odd gold cup prize money kabaddi tournaments and another 20 to 30 are in the pipeline for two to four weeks.

These tournaments are in addition to major prize money kabaddi league which Punjab government is planning to organise with the winners carrying home prize money of Rs 1 crore. This proposed kabaddi tournament will be played on the pattern of IPL Cricket or NHL Hockey events with matches at different venues on different dates.

The organisers are toying with the idea of kabaddi in floodlights to ensure maximum TV coverage and generation of revenue.

Though men behind most of these special gold cup-cum-prize money tournaments are mostly non- resident Indians yet contribution of locals, especially rural youth clubs, has been growing .

Some top kabaddi players earn substantially well between January and March every year. This time, doubts were raised whether Punjab would be able to sustain these gold cup kabaddi tournaments because of meltdown. Not only has the prize money gone up but number of tournaments, too, has almost doubled this year. Most of the senior Akali leaders, including Ministers, are members of organising committees for these tournaments. Every Akali leader of substance makes sure to gets best of the kabaddi players for his tournament and the prizes offered are better than his rival leader.

After kabaddi, rural sports festivals, too, have gained in stature by introducing more and more of conventional events, including hockey, soccer, basketball besides track and field events . At Jarkhar, near Ludhiana, the organisers, have gone not only for construction one of the best basketball courts but also are contemplating to get an Astroturf on their own in the village. The village runs one of the good hockey academies for schoolboys.

Similarly, Kila Raipur, that has shown the way to other rural and youth clubs how to be self sufficient in organising these annual sports festivals, has continued to blend the festival well with traditional and conventional events besides providing a forum for folk and culture by holding Punjabi folk music akharas on each of four nights of the festival.

These kabaddi tournaments and rural festivals serve as platform for government and non-government organisations to check the growing drug addiction in the state.

Sangrur , February 14
To discuss pension scheme, from June 1, 2003, of teachers, other staff , 2,000 retirees of government-aided schools of the state, the Punjab Chief Secretary has convened a meeting of the committee in his office on February 16. The pension and retirement benefits of aided schools’ teachers and employees had been stopped by the Amarinder government.

Chief adviser of the Punjab State- Aided School Teachers and Other Employees Union Manohar Lal Chopra said the committee, comprises the Chief Secretary, the Principal Secretary (Finance), the Principal Secretary (Education), the Advocate- General Punjab, the Legal Remembrance Punjab, the DPI (Secondary) and the DPI (Elementary), had been formed by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at a meeting with the union on December 17 last.

The Education Secretary had submitted a report to the Chief Secretary, which would now be discussed by the high- level committee on February 16. After discussion the committee would submit recommendations to the Chief Minister for a decision, he added.

Punjab and Haryana High Court has already given verdict in favour of pension for teachers and other employees of aided schools.

Ludhiana, February 14
‘Grant of central university status was the best solution for the woes of Punjab Agricultural University. The move on this has to come from Punjab government,’ said Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission to Dr Manjit Singh Kang, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, who called on him in Delhi to seek funds for the university . Dr Kang said here he had called on Dr Ahluwalia to seek the central status for the university or one- time grant of Rs 1,000/ crore.

The university has been facing financial crisis. Dr Kang told Dr Ahluwalia PAU that played important role to meet food deficit and green revolution.

Dr Kang told in 2008 procurement of 31 lakh tonnes more wheat saved the Centre from importing wheat at higher price than the MSP paid for procurement. The country saved Rs 5,000 crore in foreign exchange.

Dr Kang explained, PAU had diversified academic programme, developed state of art facilities in genomic research, nanotechnology, farm equipment, testing centre, residue testing laboratory, food centre, partnering genomic and agri-biotech research globally’.

PAU has budget deficit of 100 crore.

Dr Kang said the Rs 1,000 crore corpus fund would be sufficient for research and needs of the faculty. The PAU authorities moved the state government seeking central university status last year but it did not forward it to the Centre , it is learnt. 

Patiala, February 14
Some persons are born different and Samina Khan is one of them. Samina (29), a science teacher at Michele Clarke Academy Preparatory Magnet School, Chicago, has been awarded the Golden Apple Foundation Award for excellence in teaching.

Hailing from Malerkotla, near Patiala, she teaches African-American students of Class VI to VIII. Daughter of Malerkotla-based educationist Prof MH Khan, who retired from PPS Nabha.

Samina is happy having done her parents and country proud.

The award, one of the highest honours of the US in education, is given to educators of schools across America. It is for the first time in 22 years , since its inception- that the honour has been bestowed upon an Indian.

Samina is in India to visit her parents. She plans to visit a few schools here to learn more about Indian system of education. She was ecstatic when 100 persons, including her ex-principals, students and collegues, entered her classroom in Chicago and told her winning the Golden Apple Foundation Award .

‘I could not believe it . Though I was confident of my teaching methods but getting Golden Apple was far from mind. I don’t have words for the feelings I had when I received the award. I wore a lehnga for the award function that caught everyone’s fancy.

She thanked God and her parents for the award . Samina dedicated the award to her younger brother Tariq Khan who passed away recently . ‘He was my biggest strength and I really loved him. Being the first person of Indian origin to have won the award too added to the charm. I won it after seven years of teaching,’ she added.

Samina teaches classes VI to VIII at Clark Magnet School. She cannot forget her principal nominating her for the award without even informing her. Around 1,000 teachers were nominated for the award. They were asked to write 16 essays each on education. Of them, only 100 were shortlisted and then again the top 31 were selected.

Samina said,’I felt like a winner even before the announcement when the kids and their parents would come and tell me they saw my name on the award already. This was great compliment and coming from kids, it was more prestigious. ‘I had achieved what one could as a teacher -love and respect of the students.’

On how she came onto teaching, she said "I had a dream to teach African-American students. My entry into the school was by chance. I was pursuing my masters when I walked into the school and saw students learning science from textbooks. I asked their teacher to let me take them to laboratory to teach them practically. The students enjoyed it , and the school hired me," she recalls. She had cleared the Global Educators Outreach Programme before this.

Samina shared her secret mantra’Come into teaching if you genuinely love teaching kids ’.

Jalandhar, February 14
In a major employment drive, the Sikh Regimental Centre (SRC), Ramgarh cantonment, Jharkhand, will organise rally to recruit soldier tradesmen from February 16 to February 22.

A Defence spokesperson said candidates should be between 17 years and 6 months and 23 years. They should bring educational certificates with them to be considered for the job.

Candidates from Punjab, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir can attend this rally.

Candidates of Western Himalayan region should have: height 166 cm, chest 76 - 81 cm and weight 46 kg while for those of Eastern Himalayan region will be height 160 cm, chest 76- 81 cm and weight 46 kg.

For those from Western plains height is 170 cm, chest 76- 81 cm and weight 48 kg and for Eastern Plains it is height 169 cm, chest 76 - 81 cm and weight 48 kg etc.

Moga, February 14
Two bank employees were sentenced to three years of jail by the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) for breach of trust and forgery here, today.

Lakhvir Singh additional public prosecutor said clerk-cum-cashier Joginder Singh and Ram Singh peon of Punjab National Bank here withdrew Rs 1.50 lakh from the bank account of Kulraj Singh by forging his signatures on the withdrawal form on November 29, 1996. After an inquiry by Pavitter Singh senior manager of the bank complained to the police and an FIR was registered against the said bank employees under Sections 409, 467 and 468 of the IPC by the police. — TNS