Ludhiana, July 10
Contradicting the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast of deficit rainfall in the state this year, scientists at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) led by the head of its Agricultural Meteorology Department, Dr GS Bains, have instead predicted a good monsoon and said farmers have reason to cheer.

According to the PAU department’s weather advisory this year the monsoon’s northernmost limit touched Punjab, including Amritsar and Chandigarh, by June 30. However because the monsoon did not further advance due to westerlies hindering its movement over the Bay of Bengal, Punjab has not yet received any significant amount of rainfall, the advisory said.

PAU agrometeorologist Dr KK Gill said conditions were now favourable for further advancement of the monsoon in the state and adjoining areas during the next few days with “both branches of the monsoon becoming stronger”. “After each wet spell normally there is an interval of about six to eight days in which rainfall gets subdued and the monsoon’s northward advance is also halted,” he added.

Bains said rainfall received till date this month is 26.4 mm against the normal 58.2 mm. "This is just the amount for two days and more such spells will ensure rainfall above normal," he said.

Gill said a low pressure area is likely to form over west, central and the adjoining northwest areas of the Bay of Bengal around July 12 and with this the southwest monsoon was likely to revive next week. Under the influence of the approaching southwest monsoon, thunderstorms with light rain are also likely in isolated places in the state, he added.

Interestingly, the International Research Institute for Climate & Society at Columbia University has also come out with predictions on the Indian monsoon similar to those made by the PAU scientists. 

Chandigarh, July 10
It is not only Punjab, but all states that want the present pattern of central funding or aided schemes to be replaced by state-specific funding schemes, says Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, identifying terrorism, populism and vendetta as factors that had been wreaking havoc with the fiscal health of the state during the past 28 years.

“Punjab cannot claw its way back to prosperity till it is rid of its mounting debt,” he said, while politely turning down the Opposition’s proposal for a joint delegation to the Centre to seek a special bail-out package for the state. Wrapping up the debate on budgetary proposals at an extended session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha here this afternoon, he held that no package would be enough to put the state’s economy on a firm footing. What would a package of few thousand crores do to a state where the salary bill per month was Rs 8,000 crore.

Central assistance or grants was a sovereign issue. No state was happy with the present system of fiscal federalism.

Finance Ministers of all states met the Chairman and members of the Finance Commission urging them for special grants for meeting recommendations of the Pay Commission as well as for funding state-specific schemes.

The debate not only saw Opposition benches asking the Finance Minister to quit the “hot seat” for being denied a free hand “to end subsidies and levy new taxes” to keep the revenue deficit within bridgeable limits, but he was also accused of depending on centrally funded schemes and grants in presenting an “empty and directionless budget”.

Manpreet, in his almost an hour-long end of the debate speech, reiterated that he was answerable both to the House and people of Punjab for his budgetary proposals.

Linking the debt, that has become unsustainable now, to the start of turbulence in the state in 1981, he said it multiplied 10 times between 1983-84 and 1993-94.

Coming to waiving Punjab loans by the Centre, he said only expenses incurred on fighting terrorism, maintenance and upkeep of security forces besides supply of arms and ammunition, had been waived. Starting with a debt of Rs 880 crore in 1981, the present debt of the state was expected to be over Rs 60,000 crore. This debt was primarily incurred in discharge of national duty.

The Finance Minister said the Central assistance or grants were hardly 8 to 10 per cent of the total annual plan.

He also announced special packages of Rs 5 crore each for Panjab and Punjabi Universities, besides Rs 2.5 crore for maintenance of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Rs 1 crore for sewerage system in Jalandhar Cantonment and Rs 1 crore for water supply scheme in Faridkot.

Earlier, Sunil Kumar Jakhar, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Nripjit Singh Brar and Makhan Singh from the Congress, AS Shahi and Anil Joshi (BJP), Jagbir Singh Brar and Virsa Singh Valtoha also joined the debate.

Patiala, July 10
Patiala Mayor Ajit Pal Singh Kohli virtually landed in a piquant and rather embarrassing situation when as many as 26 SAD-BJP councillors, led by BJP leader and Senior Deputy Mayor Anil Bajaj, urged Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in black and white today to replace Kohli as a Mayor.

Anguished over Mayor’s alleged “anti-combine” acts, particularly, his alleged “negative role” in the recent Lok Sabha polls in respect of the combine candidate Prem Singh Chandumajra, the councillors have not only sent a memorandum to the CM but, they have also vowed to remain united till they get Kohli removed.

Kohli was already facing wrath of the BJP councillors in the 50-member House for his alleged outburst against a woman councillor during the meeting of the general house of the civic body on July 6. Earlier, he had courted countroversy for his stand-off with the then MC commissioner Mohinder Pal Arora.

The incident was however, refuted by certain councillors supporting Kohli even as, the BJP councilors had also staged a sit-in against him on July 7 and had worn black bands to register their protest against the Mayor. The uproar in the house had started when Anil Bajaj had sought transparency in distribution of funds announced by the CM during his sangat darshan” programme.The Mayor was, however, not available.

Anil Bajaj, accompanied by Sohan Lal Jalota, Jaspal Singh and Amarinder Bajaj, alleged discrimination and an “absence of transparency” in disbursal of the sangat darshan funds. They said even during the general house meeting, no development issue was discussed and what was pondered over was a couple of issues pertaining to problems of certain officials. “The result of his attitude is before one and all and was evident from the outcome of Lok Sabha poll. It is not a matter of leadership but, we would accept whosoever is made Mayor by the CM,” they said, adding their struggle would continue till removal of Kohli.

Chandigarh, July 10
Debate on the Punjab Budget, set in motion by Leader of Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, veered around grants and financial assistance from the Centre as both treasury benches and the Opposition took turns and blamed each other for the poor fiscal health of the state.

While the Opposition reminded the ruling SAD-BJP alliance of various Central schemes that have been mentioned by Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal in his budgetary proposals, treasury benches retorted back saying the Centre was doing the state no favour but only fulfilling a Constitutional obligation of devolving a part of the taxes it was collecting from the state.

Though Bhattal volunteered to take her own party delegation to get Punjab additional “1000 MW of power to overcome the current power crisis facing the state,” Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who intervened thrice during her speech, politely turned down the offer saying he himself would get the state its due from the Centre.

She wanted the House to be informed as to how the state government expected to mobilise resources as it had failed to generate even a penny against a promise of covering Rs 1,000 crore deficit in the last Budget.

Bhattal reeled out figures saying that during the past three years, the Central assistance to Punjab was the highest ever. Criticising the Akalis for supporting the non-confidence motion against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the 123 Nuclear treaty, she said the ruling alliance should have the courage to appreciate what good the UPA government had done to the state.

She also questioned earmarking of funds for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes saying even the last year’s allocation was mostly diverted to other areas. Assailing the budgetary proposals, she said the state had forgotten its freedom fighters as not a word had been mentioned in the proposals.

Congress MLA Jasbir Singh Khangura cautioned the Finance Minister against possible leak of budgetary proposals and said besides the Budget at a glance and other documents, another document with explanation of proposals should be given to all MLAs.

Harish Dhanda, while supporting the budgetary proposals, blamed the Centre for the deteriorating fiscal health of the state.

Chandigarh, July 10
It is two and a half years since Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal has been a hero in virtual space. Bloggers have taken to him because of his simplicity and humility and his ability to call a spade a spade. His consistent stand against subsidies in Punjab stoked feelings of a change in the coming.

Sadly into his third Budget now, the tide is slowly turning against the Finance Minister, not only in virtual space, but also in the Vidhan Sabha and amongst the common man, all of whom were his ardent fans only a short while ago.

A blogger, who identifies himself as ‘the brave pen’, puts it like this: “Manpreet Singh Badal is a man I admired. Admired, I said. I don’t admire him any more. I listened to his Ghalib couplets devotedly and thought that he is a man who is sincere. But, since he became the Finance Minister of the state, he is a confused man. He wants to have his cake and eat it too. Mr FM has failed to understand that be it subsidies or any other issue on earth, either you can be for it or you against it. ...but he is trying to do exactly that.

Manpreet is further advised: “If you can’t perform as FM in the given circumstances, change track, ask for a job you love. Agreed that you can’t ask Sukhbir Badal for help, but you certainly can go to your uncle (Parkash Singh Badal) and ask him to give you a challenge you can take.”

Another blog on Bharat Sandesh, says: “We all know that Manpreet is a well-meaning person, but unfortunately he has not been allowed to pursue his ideas and skills in this Budget. It is like putting a Fiat car’s engine (Badal) in the shell of a Mercedes car (Manpreet). I question, can it work?

The Finance Minister was not spared in the assembly also. Speakers continually questioned how he could present a Budget which did not cater to resource mobilisation. “We have been let down,” said Congress legislator Sunil Jakhar. He went on to say, “What is missing in the Budget is Manpreet himself”. Jakhar even had a take on Manpreet’s Budget presentation saying “Auron ko nasiyat, aap miyan phaziyat”.

Sangrur, July 10
Tension gripped Gurdwara Sachkhand Angitha Sahib, Mastuana Sahib, today for several hours as one faction of the gurdwara’s managing committee, led by its president, Sant Baba Sadhu Singh, wanted to make payment to contractors from the gurdwara’s golak money (cash offered by devotees), while the other faction, led by its vice-president, Baba Surjit Singh Duggan, wanted to deposit the golak money in the bank account of the gurdwara.

Due to the presence of hundreds of supporters of both factions, the situation was so tense that the police had to make elaborate security arrangements. Besides, DSP Kuldip Sharma and three SHOs of the police stations of Sangrur, Bhawanigarh and Longowal, policemen in uniform and plain clothes were present on the premises.

Gurdwara Sachkhand Angitha Sahib was recently in the news due to the construction of a Sikh shrine, replicating the Golden Temple, on its premises.

The golak was opened today in the presence of representatives of both factions. After counting the cash, Baba Sadhu wanted to make the payment to the contractors from the golak money, while the other faction was putting pressure to deposit it in the bank.

However, after some resistance, Baba Sadhu agreed to deposit the golak money (more than Rs 2 lakh) in the bank. On this, Baba Sadhu and Baba Surjit went to the bank at Badrukhan village and got the money deposited there.

Though the matter was settled peacefully, later a group of four or five persons, allegedly belonging to the Baba Surjit faction, went towards the site where the buffaloes of the gurdwara have been kept. Supporters of Baba Sadhu caught hold of one of them and allegedly beat him up on the plea that the persons had come to carry the buffaloes with them from there. 

Chandigarh, July 10
The interviews for admission to MSc (Hons School) 1st year in anthropology will be held on July 15 at 11.30 am on the department premises in accordance with a merit list to be displayed on the department’s notice board on July 13. Meanwhile, the counselling for admission to MSc (Human Genomics) 1st semester and MSc (Hons School) 1st year in botany will also be conducted on July 15 with the former slated in the office of the Director, NCHGSR, Pharmaceutical Extension Block, PU, and the latter in the botany department.

Jalandhar, July 10
Higher education is a mess in Punjab. There is no regular DPI (Colleges). Of the 55 government colleges, 18 colleges (33 per cent) are without regular principals. About 40 per cent posts of regular lecturer are vacant in government colleges. Sanctioned strength of regular lecturers in Punjab is 1,873. Of these about 700 posts are vacant for the past several months.

There are government colleges that have only one or two regular lecturers. Show in such colleges is being run with either guest faculty or part-time lecturers. Obvious reason for the prevailing mess at the higher education level is the failure of the government to take decisions.

First take the instance of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. The Punjab government took more than four months to select a Vice-Chancellor for this university. Previous Vice-Chancellor Jairup Singh had resigned in February this year and his successor AS Brar, who was selected last week, is yet to take the charge. Already admission process has started in the university. Several other important posts in the university are vacant. Earlier, the post the Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Technical University remained vacant for several months. The government have even failed to run the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on which already Rs 150 crore had been spent.

The government is dithering in filling the post of DPI (Colleges) despite the fact that the departmental promotion committee (DPC) had made it clear on April 4 that Karnail Singh should be appointed DPI after the retirement of Roop Aulakh. Earlier, the government had opted to appoint Aulakh as DPI and promised Karnail appointment to the post immediately after the retirement of Aulakh on May 31. But, no appointment letter has been issued to Karnail yet.

Even Government College, Ludhiana, state’s largest government college, is without principal. Government College, Gurdaspur, is also without a regular principal. “A meeting of the DPC to select regular principals was held in January and selection was made to fill vacant posts of principal from promotion quota. However, the government has been issuing appointment letters to selected persons in a piecemeal manner”, said Jaipal Singh, president of the Government Colleges Lecturer Association (GCLA).

Government colleges at Zira, Sathiala, Mansa, Patti, Sardargarh, Nial Patran, etc, have only one to four regular lecturers. Even after two years of coming to power, the state government has failed to set things right at the higher education level what to talk about the school education where things are even worse.

Interestingly, the Baba Farid University for Health Sciences is yet to have its full-fledged campus though it was set up several years ago. The same is the case with Punjab Technical University (PTU), the administrative block of which was recently built. Earlier, it was being run from a ramshackle building in Jalandhar city.

The setting up of recently announced new universities and running these need a lot of money and planning. But, the Punjab government has failed badly on that front also.

Chandigarh, July 10
As many as 16 years have lapsed since four persons, including two police officials, were beaten to death in Hoshiarpur district after being mistaken for dacoits, yet the prosecution and the investigating agency has not succeeded in bringing the culprits to the book.

A prime accused in the case has died; some others are still at large. The Punjab and Haryana High Court today acquitted remaining eight others booked by the police  and later convicted by  the trial court.

The Division Bench of Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Justice Daya Chaudhary held: “The prosecution has miserably failed to bring home the guilt against the accused, as nothing has come out in the statement of the prosecution witnesses about their specific roles.”

“Accordingly, they are given the benefit of doubt. The appeal qua them is accepted; and the conviction and sentence by the trial court are set aside”.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Raj Kumar and constable Paramjit Singh of Phagwara’s city police station, along with Hussan Lal, Saran Dass and others, had gone to the house of one Chand Ram in Shergarh village in Hoshiarpur district in connection with a matrimonial dispute complaint.

After Chand Ram was asked to come along, he and others in the house raised hue and cry resulting in gathering of the villagers. Taking them to be dacoits, the villagers started beating them. In the process, Raj Kumar, Paramjit Singh, Hussan Lal and Saran Dass lost their lives.

Taking up the appeal against conviction and life sentence, the Bench observed: “Since Chand Ram, Sat Pal and Baldar Lal were declared proclaimed offenders; they were not tried by the trial court. Although sufficient evidence is there against them, in the absence  of trial, they cannot  be convicted”.

Chandigarh, July 10
Taking up a petition challenging the order granting extension on re-employment to Dr Sidhu as Punjab Director, Animal Husbandry, Justice Permod Kohli asserted there was no justification in allowing him to continue.

Justice Kohli also directed the state of Punjab and other respondents to immediately give the current duty charge to the senior most Joint-Director; and to fill up the Director’s post “by any of the available modes”, preferably by promotion from among the eligible Joint-Directors.

Justice Kohli asserted in case eligible Joint-Director was unavailable; the post would be filled through direct recruitment. If suitable person was still not available, the respondents could transfer officer from other departments of the state, or even from the Central government.

Fixing the main case filed by Joint-Director Darshan Singh for August 10, Justice Kohli asserted even though the competent authority had ordered the reemployment, there was still no justification in allowing a retired person to occupy the post in a perpetual manner for a considerable period, ignoring the petitioner’s claim. 

Amritsar, July 10
A Manager of Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) has been placed under suspension on charges of issuing “fake sanction letter of education loan” to the candidates who wish to seek admission in Australian educational institutes despite racial attacks there.

A high-level probe, ordered by the bank, is likely to see many heads roll as the scam has caused immense damage to the credibility of the Indian banking system in foreign countries.

The scam was detected following an Australian Embassy letter to a zonal office of the PSB here to cross-check the loans sanctioned to the candidates. The letter of the zonal manager was addressed to the students who got admission in an Australian university on the basis of “fake” sanction letter of education loan of Rs 7.50 lakh.

The subsequent inquiry detected the unholy alliance of travel agents and bankers who had been issuing “fake loan documents” to fulfil the important condition of foreign varsities, seeking guarantee worth lakhs of rupees from the aspirants. It also deprived the banks of its revenue and earning from the processing fee and interest on loan.

Zonal manager, PSB Amritsar II, Kulbeer Singh confirmed that a manager had been suspended in connection with issuing a fake loan certificate.

There are two zonal offices of the PSB catering to rural and urban branches. Following receipt of the letter, one of the zonal offices consulted its branch concerned and detected the anomaly.

Senior officials of the bank on condition of anonymity said it was difficult to detect the irregularity as no money was transacted. The ‘black sheep’ in the bank exploited this by issuing letters for sanctioning of loan on their own.