Jalandhar, August 18
In an initiative to provide quality education to one and all, the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs has started scholarships and a means-cum-merit scheme for students belonging to the minority community.

The scheme is part of the Prime Minister’s new 15-Point Programme for the
Welfare of Minorities.

As per the scheme, the students belonging to the Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities, notified as minority communities under section 2(C) of the National Commission for Minority Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, are eligible to apply for the scholarships of the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs.

The students belonging to minorities securing above 50 per cent of marks will be awarded scholarships in the pre-matric, post-matric and professional courses for the current academic year.

The last date of submitting the forms is August 31 and students can apply under one scheme at a time.

The forms will be sent to the Secretary, Welfare Department, Chandigarh, and forwarded to the Central government later on.

Under the pre-matric scholarships, the students of class I to V, whose parents have an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh, will be awarded Rs 1,000 a year as scholarship. For the students of classes VI to X under the same category, the scholarship is Rs 5,700 annually.

In the post-matric category, students of classes XI and XII, whose parents have an annual income less than Rs 2 lakh will be eligible. The students will be awarded a scholarship of Rs 7,000 annually.

Similarly, for the professional courses, the students whose parents have an annual income less than Rs 2.5 lakh will be eligible.

They will be given an annual scholarship of Rs 25,000. In Punjab, the Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib, has taken up the task of creating awareness among the masses at the grass-roots level.

A meeting in this regard was held at the district education office yesterday. Davinder Singh, a volunteer from the trust, said the scheme started two years back failed to evoke the maximum response earlier owing to lack of awareness.

The scheme also ensures full reimbursement of course fee of the students of the Dr B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, and the Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology (SLIET), Longowal, Sangrur district.

Apart from this, the scheme also covers courses in engineering and technology, cement technology, fashion technology, management, pharmacy, architecture, hotel management, MCA, medical and paramedical courses, design, veterinary sciences, chartered accountancy and law.

District Education Officer (Secondary) Joginder Dass said they would hold district- level meeting of teachers concerned for making the maximum use of the scheme.

While Ashish Kumar, a resident of Kabir Nagar, died on the spot, Ashok Kumar, a resident of Ram Nagar, sustained serious injuries.

The body was removed and sent to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem examination. Ashok has been hospitalised and said to be out of danger.

The management declared holiday in the school for a day as the news spread in the locality. The Railway police has initiated inquest proceedings.

Amritsar, August 18
A jeweller nabbed a robber, who along with his accomplice came to his shop in the Bhivani Nagar area on the Majitha road last evening.

Deepak, a young shopkeeper, caught hold of the robber armed with a loaded revolver who had entered the shop on the pretext of buying jewellery.

However, his accomplice managed to flee from the spot after observing the situation going out of control as the adjoining shopkeepers started gathering after listening to shouts of the victim.

He, however, succeeded in taking away ornaments weighing 1.2 kg. The arrested robber has been identified as Harpal Singh of Bhakna Kalan village, while his accomplice has been identified as Bittu of Naraingarh, Chheharta.

The shopkeepers handed over the robber to Majitha Road police station. One country-made pistol of .315 bore and one live cartridge was recovered from him.

A case has been registered under sections 392, 394, 379, 411 and 34 of the  IPC and sections 25,54 and 59 of the Arms Act against them.

Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, SSP, granted a commendation certificate to the shopkeeper Deepak for his act of bravery.

Hoshiarpur, August 18
Two pilgrims returning in a cars after paying obeisance at the shrine of Goddess Chintpurni were killed in separate road accidents on the Hoshiarpur-Dharamsala road last night.

According to police sources, Makhan Singh, who was returning with his friend Balwinder Singh, son of Sohan Singh of Sarhala Gatvan under Behrampur police station, died on the spot when a truck (PB-07V-6759) hit the car (HR-29J-8679) in which they were travelling near Naloian Chowk here last night.

In another accident, Jatinder Kumar died on the spot near local Banjer Bag. He was coming in his car (PB-2R-6871) from Chintpurni when a Himachal Roadways bus (HP-68-0297) hit his car at 10.15 pm.

The Sadar police has registered two cases under relevant sections of the IPC against truck driver Gurdev Singh, son of Hajara Singh of Satiana, and bus driver Romesh Chand, son of Kirlu Ram of Ghar under Baijanth police station (HP).

Hoshiarpur, August 18
The Consumer Forum, comprising President P.D. Goel and member A. S. Jauhar, has accepted the complaint of Tarlok Singh, son of Shanker Singh of Jia Chack, against the New India Assurance Company Limited (NIACL) branch office Dasuya.

The forum directed the company to pay the claim amount of Rs 2 lakh to the complainant with interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum from the date of complaint till realisation along with litigation expenses of Rs 1,000 within one month.

In his complaint, Tarlok Singh said the insurance company had repudiated the claim of his car (HR-06-H-3721) which had met with an accident.

He had purchased he car from Sukhwinder Singh and it was duly insured with the
NIACL, Dasuya.

The insurance company took a plea that as per record, Sukhwinder Singh had got the car insured and the complainant had got no concern with it.

Although the registered owner of the car was Tarlok Singh, the insurance was still in the name of Sukhwinder Singh.

The consumer forum held that the law was settled that on transfer of a vehicle, the benefit under insurance policy in force would automatically accrue to new owner.

It was an admitted fact that vehicle in question had been transferred to the name of the complainant but the insurance policy had not been transferred in his name.

This being so, the insurance company had no legal right to repudiate the claim
on the ground that the insurance policy had not been transferred to the name of
the new owner.