Abohar
Ministerial staff meeting: Members of the Punjab state ministerial staff in the education department during a meeting in the Nehru Park on Thursday expressed resentment over enhancing eligibility conditions for the posts of clerks and denial of higher grade. Speaking on the issue, president Sachin Babbar and Vinay Bajaj said the Punjab chief secretary during a meeting had agreed that clerks would be exempted from typing test besides other fresh conditions for higher grade including 120 hours duration of the computer course, but so far, no notification has been issued.

Auto gas filling centre: The Indian Oil Company has made its seventh auto gas filling centre of Punjab functional at Guru Kripa Filling Station here. Abohar happens to be the first town in the region comprising Ferozepore, Muktsar, Faridkot, Moga districts of Punjab and Hanumangarh, Sriganganagar districts of Rajasthan to have such facility. Briefing newspersons, Sudesh Dhuria, owner of the filling station, said LPG gas will be available for the vehicles at Rs 30.36 per litre whereas petrol costs Rs 50 approximately.

Amritsar
Inderjit is GND varsity Registrar: Prof A.S. Brar, Vice-Chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University, has appointed Dr Inderjit Singh, Principal of Gujranawala Guru Nanak College, Ludhiana, Registrar of the university, while Dr Jagjit Kaur, Principal, has been made Director, Youth Welfare. The Syndicate approved the appointments at its meeting held here yesterday.

CHANDIGARH
Basmati Development Board set up: The state government on Wednesday constituted a 12-member Basmati Development Board to ensure the better development of the basmati crop and to facilitate its marketing in the state. Disclosing this here, a spokesperson said the board would consist of Financial Commissioner, Development; Secretary, Food and Supplies; Secretary, Mandi Board; Managing Director Markfed; Director, Agriculture; and Director, Research, PAU, besides other members. The major activities of the board would be to examine and review the status of cultivation of basmati crop.

Display of UN flag: The state government has issued instructions to display the UN flag on United Nations Day, which will be observed on October 24. Disclosing this here on Thursday, a spokesman of the Punjab government said the UN flag would be flown, along with the Indian Flag, on all buildings on which the National Flag was regularly flown in the state on United Nations Day. As  per the instructions, the UN flag will, however, not be flown on the buildings of Punjab Raj Bhawan, Punjab Vidhan Sabha and Punjab &  Haryana High Court but it may be flown on buildings of the district  headquarters.

Ferozepur
Entrepreneurship workshop: The micro, small and medium enterprises development institute (MSME-DI) conducted a six week entrepreneurship skill development programme (ESOP) on fashion designing in association with R-SETI, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Ferozepur. During the six-day programme, 25 women participants were provided comprehensive inputs on managerial and technical aspects for setting up and successful running a self-employment venture in the field of fashion designing.

Hoshiarpur
152 BSF women recruits pass out: Director-General Police (DGP), Punajb, P.S. Gill took the march past salute from 152 woman recruits of batch 189 in an impressive passing-out parade at Subsidiary Training Centre of the BSF at Kharkan, 12 km from here, today. Gill appreciated the turnout of these recruits who all are from Punjab. He said that after deputing woman recruits on the Indo-Pak border, there had been a considerable increase of working women in the field in the border areas. He appealed to them to perform their duties honestly and with dedication to serve the country as well as its people. Punjab Frontier IG Himmat Singh said that training to 20,600 women constables had been imparted at the STC, BSF, Kharkan.

Jalandhar
Chess lovers hail cabinet decision: Punjab chess players and game lovers hailed the decision of the Punjab cabinet to include chess in the state’s gradation policy.President of the Punjab State Chess Association Narinder Singh said the initiative of the Punjab Government would give the much-needed impetus to chess in the state. “The decision will go a long way in popularising the game,” he added.The Punjab cabinet had met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in this regard. The Punjab Olympic Association had already granted recognition to Punjab chess in 2007.

Jagraon
Park inaugurated at village: Zila parishad chairman Manpreet Singh Ayali and Maan Singh Garcha, member, general council, SAD, inaugurated a park at Chhapar village here. The park has been developed by the Ek Noor Sewa Society in the ground of village government school. The park was dedicated to the village where children and aged will be able to spend their leisure time. Different varieties of fruit, shadow and medicinal plants have been planted by the society with paved areas for walking. The bhog of Akand Path path was also oragnised by villagers.

Mansa
Five booked for forgery: Mansa police has registered a case of forgery against five persons for selling a piece of land of another person. According to information available, the case was registered on the complaint of Bhagwant Singh of Nangal Kalan, in which he alleged that Kulwant Singh had sold his land by using his name to some persons. Following the complaint, police registered a case.