|
|
|
|
Army chief, CM honour ‘Kunj Stars’
Dera man found dead
|
|
|
|
Study: Hindi makes the brain work harder
Parents beat son to death
We will last full term, claims Surjewala
Shun metropolitan bias, UGC urged
Looking Back
Panipat textile units have reason to cheer
CM’s Ellenabad rally on Nov 23
Withdraw case against villagers or face stir: BJP
Journalism standards have dipped: Experts
MNS not against Hindi, says leader
Three die in accidents
War heroes honoured
Boy killed over mobile phone
|
|
Army chief, CM honour ‘Kunj Stars’
Karnal, November 15 Addressing alumni at the ‘Old Boys’ Meet-2009’ at Sainik School, Kunjpura, he said the process to bring reforms and qualitative improvement in primary, secondary and higher education had been set in motion and new courses with vast employment potential were being introduced in technical institutes. Private universities were being set up to supplement efforts of the government and to attract world-class education and research institutions to the state. Rajiv Gandhi Education City was being developed at Kundli on the Delhi-Haryana border. The first women’s university in North India, Bhagat Phool Singh Women’s University, had been set up at Khanpur Kalan in Sonepat while the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) was coming up at Rohtak and a central university at Mahendragarh. Hooda, an alumnus from the school, said the school was one of the premier institutions in the country and the only one of its kind in the state. “Whenever I visit the school, it feels I’m visiting a religious place”, Hooda said, going down the memory lane. The primary aim of the school was to provide able cadets to the National Defence Academy and it had accomplished this task exceedingly well, Hooda said. Haryana was a small state, but it was a matter of pride that every tenth soldier in the defence forces hailed from the state. Hooda reiterated his government commitment to the welfare of soldiers, ex-servicemen and their dependants. The Chief Minister announced a grant of Rs 21 lakh for the school. Speaking on the occasion, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Deepak Kapoor, also a school alumnus, Kunjpura, lauded the achievements of the school and said it had so far contributed 26 generals. He urged his old colleagues to contribute liberally to the development of the school and make the “Golden Jubilee celebrations” to be held next year a resounding success. He complimented the principal and staff for maintaining high standards of education and discipline. Earlier, the Chief Minister laid a wreath at Sai Kunj War Hero’s Memorial. The CM and General Kapoor honoured “Kunj Stars” with mementos and commendation certificates. Hemant Sharma, president, Old Boys Association, honoured the CM and the Army chief with a coat each. The association presented a trophy to the General, which he returned to the school.
|
|
Dera man found dead
Yamunanagar, November 15 The deceased’s licensed revolver was also found lying near his body outside his room on the dera premises. The family members of Tarlok Singh alleged that he was murdered and the matter required a thorough probe to arrest the accused behind it. However, the police so far has termed it a case of suicide. Earlier, former head of the dera Sant Tarlochan Singh was also allegedly shot dead in 1990. The security men of the dera, who were deployed at the main entrance gate of the dera, spotted Tarlok Singh lying unconscious outside his room at about 5 am. Incidentally, the sevadars of the dera, who were deployed outside the deceased’s room, were sleeping when the incident took place and informed by the security men of the dera. The body was handed over to the family members after a postmortem. The body was cremated after 4 pm. “The main gates of the dera are opened at 4 am daily as people begin visiting the gurdwara. Sant Tarlok Singh was fine last night and he had dinner with me,” head of the dera Sant Jagmohan Singh said. “There is no question of committing suicide. Tarlok Singh was fine and he had no reason to take such an extreme step. He was murdered and the matter needs to be investigated,” he further added. “Tarlok Singh had to record his statement in a case pending in the court regarding the dera land dispute on November 23. He was taking care of all legal matters and other important works of dera, he added. DSP (crime) Mukesh Kumar said a team of the FSL from Madhuban accompanied by senior police officials visited the spot and took the samples. So far, from preliminary investigations it appeared to be a case of suicide. The exact cause of the death and truth would be revealed after a FSL report, he added. |
|
Study: Hindi makes the brain work harder
Manesar, November 15 City-based National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) has derived an inference that learning Hindi has an advantage over the Queen’s language as it exercises more area of brain. In the first-of-its-kind study in the country, scientists from NBRC have revealed that reading Hindi involves more areas of human brain than English. Both sides of the brain function while reading Hindi but only the left side works while reading
English. The study involved processing of Devnagari script using techniques of functional magnetic resonance imaging. “We have for the first time studied the processing of Devnagari script in the human brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (f-MRI),” said Nandini Chatterjee Singh, who led the multi-disciplinary team of researchers. “Our paper presents the cortical activations while reading the script. In Devnagari, consonants are written in a linear left-to-right order with different sounds and vowel signs positioned non-linearly above, below or on either side of the consonants. “As a result, for certain words in Devnagari, the vowel precedes the consonant in writing certain words but follows it in speech, making it a unique case for investigation,” she informed. “Our results suggest bilateral activation, i.e. participation of both hemispheres of the brain in reading phrases of Devnagari script. The specific areas involved from the left hemisphere are the insula, fusiform gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus, similar to what has been observed for reading alphabetic scripts such as English and the superior parietal lobule from the right hemisphere, as also seen while
reading syllabic scripts such as Japanese. “Devnagari has the properties of both alphabetic and syllabic scripts and hence the results showed both kinds of activations. In addition, there was bilateral activation in the middle frontal gyrus and the occipital areas which we attribute to highly non-linear visuo-spatial processing required for reading Devanagari,” said Chatterjee. “It is the first functional magnetic resonance imaging (f-MRI) study, a non-invasive method to study cortical activations online, providing the images of a working brain while reading Hindi. The task of reading involves processing of visual codes that stand for different aspects of language. Scripts of the world vary in the way they represent languages
in writing. “Several studies have been done with respect to reading in English; for example as against Chinese and vis-a-vis the neural networks involved. “While there are common areas or circuits involved in reading across scripts, script-specific activations have also been reported in literature,”
she claimed. The present study is the first in a series of studies that have been carried out at NBRC. Future studies will be concerned with brain mechanisms involved in reading two or more scripts, which is a more natural phenomenon in India as almost all school-going children in India learn to read in more than
one language. The study was conducted with individuals who primarily read Devnagari. “Our target was individuals who primarily read Hindi and have been doing so for the last 20 years. While it is difficult to find in India a population that reads only Hindi and no English, we could manage to find individuals who primarily read Hindi and have been doing so for the last 20 years,” she said. Regarding the study, Dr Satyapal Singh, chairperson, Punjab University, Chandigarh, said: “It is true that studying mother tongue is very necessary as it provides us with community experience and lineage, but it is even essential to study other languages as well because if we miss the knowledge that is available in other language we will still remain undeveloped.” He added that now people could scientifically learn their mother tongue. |
|
Parents beat son to death
Jind, November 15 The incident took place after the victim identified as Mandeep (19) had a quarrel with his father Dharambir and mother Guddi over money, which he asked his mother to give him. Sources said the boy’s parents were fed up of his “habits” and the relations between him and his parents were strained for quite some time as they suspected that their son had been in a bad company and had been misusing or wasting the money. According to the complaint, Mandeep was assaulted both by his father and mother with sticks after he allegedly quarreled and misbehaved with his parents. The body of Mandeep, who succumbed to head injuries on the spot, was hidden under a cot lying in the room. However, the matter got revealed when grandmother of the victim Kamala asked about the whereabouts of the boy. On finding the body of his grandson lying under the cot, she informed the matter to
the police. The body was recovered by the police, which registered a case of murder against the parents of the boy. In another similar development, a 32-year-old man died after he was allegedly hit by a stick during a quarrel between two groups at Dindwara village here last night. The deceased identified as Rajender, a local resident, had been trying to resolve a dispute between the two groups at Balmiki Mohalla over an assault made on a girl by a youth.
|
|
We will last full term, claims Surjewala
Kaithal, November 15 At a function organised at the RKSD College stadium, several senior Congressmen, organisations of traders, farmers and other professions, felicitated the newly appointed minister. Addressing the gathering, Surjewala said the real credit for his victory goes to the voters who had risen above factors like caste and creed and reposed faith in him. He said he would ensure development of the entire district besides Kaithal constituency.
Surjewala pooh-poohed the Indian National Lok Dal surpremo Om Prakash Chautala’s remarks that the Congress, which had failed to garner a majority, had no moral right to rule the state. He reminded the former CM that his party too had ruled the state in the past at a time when only 27 of its members were elected to the state assembly. Coming down heavily on
Chautala, he said it was strange that a person who had forgotten all moral and ethical values while ruling the state was making such remarks now. The minister said several traders were murdered by criminals during INLD rule when they failed to fulfil their demands. He recalled several incidents such as the “murder of
Dalits” in Dulina, murder of a candidate Amir Singh in Meham and killing of farmers in
Kandela, which, he said, showed that Chautala had scant regard for morals and rule of the law. He said the Congress government would not allow criminals elements to raise their ugly head in the state. He highlighted the fact that the new Congress government, which now enjoyed the support of 53
MLAs, would definitely complete its five-year term. He particularly thanked Pundri MLA and Haryana Chief Parliamentay Secretary Sultlan Singh
Jadola, who was also present on the occasion, for his unconditional support to the Congress after being elected as an Independent
MLA. Rajya Sabha member Dr Ram Prakash said Randeep Singh would ensure the development of this area. President of All-India Khet Kisan Mazdoor Congress, veteran Congress leader Shamsher Singh Surjewala said that Randeep won by a thumping margin 22,500 votes even while Congress unfortunately had to suffer defeat in all remaining constituencies of the district. Former minister Tejinder Pal Singh Mann drew Randeep’s attention to the scarcity of water and power in some villages which had been merged in Kalayat constituency after delimitation. President of the Kaithal District Congress Committee chief Kaviraj Sharma presented a felicitation letter to the newly appointed minister. Earlier, Surjewala laid the foundation stone for widening of a 27-km stretch of road from Pehowa Chowk here to border of Khanauri town in Punjab. He said a sum of Rs 28 crore would be spent on the project, which would be completed in nine months. He also inaugurated the newly built structure at Guru Tegh Bahadur
Chowk. Prior to this, he asked Deputy Commissioner Amneet P Kumar to review the development projects in the district at regular intervals. He directed the district administration to ensure completion of 100-bed hospital here by March 31 next year and the railway overbridge by June 30. |
||
|
Shun metropolitan bias, UGC urged
Gurgaon, November 15 At a recent meeting with the UGC authorities, including members of the pay-revision committee, representatives of the federation requested them to shun the metropolitan bias that had characterised the earlier draft. Talking to The Tribune during his visit to the city, AIFUCTO vice-president Dr Vazir Singh Nehra said even the revised report of the committee had failed to address the concerns of a majority of teachers working in institutions having poor
facilities. The AIFUCTO has cautioned that if the revised draft is implemented in its present form, the teachers working in colleges or universities having poor facilities will not get the benefit of the new pay scales. “The report assumes that the best of opportunities are available throughout the country and the regulations seem to be governed by the flawed notion that the quality of higher education can be improved and accountability of teachers ensured by imposing a set of rigid and arbitrary norms,” observed AIFUCTO’s written representation submitted to the UGC authorities. “The committee has totally ignored the steps required for the provision of adequate facilities for the improvement of quality of teaching, research and extension education,” it maintained. The representation asserts that the “basic contradiction” in the original draft regulations is that “it seeks to measure academic quality in terms of quantity, academic input in terms of monetary input and equates standards with
standardisation”. Dr Nehra demanded that the point system proposed for the promotion of teachers be rationalised and other anomalies removed in the larger interest of the teaching fraternity. He further said the reference to the “impact factor” regarding recruitment and promotion was “totally unacceptable” as this parameter was mainly relevant for some science subjects and could not be used for all. “The report, if implemented in its present form, will lead to the teachers remaining engaged in pursuing their personal gains rather than focusing on the students,” he added. |
||
|
Defections bane of politics; No party in state has clean record
Yoginder Gupta Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 15 Bhajan Lal is associated with the art of defections. Perhaps, because of the manner in which he first toppled Devi Lal as Chief Minister after Emergency and then the way in which he brought the Janata Party Legislature Party almost in toto to the Congress in 1982. But Haryana had earned the dubious distinction of being the land of “Aya Rams, Gaya Rams” much before Bhajan Lal appeared on the political scene. Political defections in Haryana started immediately after the first assembly elections were held in 1967, almost a year after the state came into existence. Gaya Lal was elected Independent MLA from Hassanpur in Faridabad district. He changed his political loyalties a number of times within a short timeframe. Similarly, Hira Nand Arya, MLA from Loharu in Bhiwani district, changed his loyalties thrice in a single day. This put a question mark on the stability of the first Syunkta Vidhayak Dal (SVD) government in the state headed by Rao Birendra Singh.When mediapersons asked Rao if “Gaya Ram is ‘gaya ram’,” the Ahir leader replied: “No, Gaya Ram is ‘aya ram’. The media was not aware that by that time Gaya Lal had returned to the SVD fold. The phrase, “Aya Ram, Gaya Ram”, was put on the record of the Lok Sabha by the then Union Home Minister YB Chavan while seeking the approval of the House for the imposition of President’s rule in the state. Since then, defections have been the bane of the state’s politics. Unfortunately, no party can claim to have a clean record in this respect. In 1982 when no party had a clear majority, Devi Lal, who was heading the Janata Dal-BJP alliance in the state, managed to secure the support of certain Independents and staked his claim to form a government. The then Governor GD Tapase even gave him a date for the swearing-in ceremony. However, under pressure from the central Congress government, Bhajan Lal was hurriedly sworn in by Tapase as Chief Minister and asked to prove his majority in the House within a given timeframe. The Independents, who were under the “protection” of Devi Lal, escaped to join hands with Bhajan Lal. Some of them reportedly did so by scaling down rainwater pipes of the building in which they were housed.In 1999, Om Prakash Chautala of the INLD became Chief Minister with the support of several MLAs, who had deserted Bansi Lal, and the BJP. The INLD at that time had only 19 MLAs. Given the background of politics in the state, Bishnoi should have been more careful about his party legislators. Some of them were already in touch with the Congress and had expressed their willingness to ditch the party immediately after the election results were out. This was the main reason why the Congress was insistent that Bishnoi must extend support to the former “unconditionally”.
|
|
Panipat textile units have reason to cheer
Panipat, November 15 The proposal, which has been sent for the approval of the state government, will provide the textile exporter and traders with a centre to host international exhibitions. Besides, the centre will also have a research lab, a training centre, a community hall and a number of other facilities that will give a fillip to the local industry. Other than the textile industry, the centre will also benefit many other industries of the region. The textile centre of excellence will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore for which five acres near the Panipat refinery has been identified. Once the government approves the project, the work will commence immediately and is likely to be completed within two years. The centre will also assist in quality promotion that will enable the local textile industry compete globally. It will provide basic infrastructure and guidance to support and enhance quality in the textile industry. President of the Panipat textile cluster development society Ramesh Verma said: “As of today, the exporter and traders go to Delhi or other places to put up exhibitions of their products to attract foreign buyers. “It not only causes a lot of hardships to exhibitors, but also the cost of such exhibitions was quite high. “The centre of excellence will become a hub of traders and will immensely benefit the local businessmen.” The Panipat industry was known for exporting various items and with the coming up of the centre, the exports will get a further boost, Verma added. |
|
CM’s Ellenabad rally on Nov 23
Sirsa, November 15 Gopal Kanda, Haryana Minister of State for Home, Industries, Commerce, Sports and Youth Affairs announced this at a press conference here today.“Hooda will start rallies to thank the electorate for voting him to power once again and has chosen Ellenabad for his first rally, which will be held on November 23” said Kanda.The minister was accompanied by Bharat Singh Beniwal, who unsuccessfully contested the Ellenabad seat against INLD’s Om Parkash Chautala last month, Anil Khod, Hoshiyari Lal Sharma, president of the District Congress Committee and Shilpa Verma, president of the District Mahila Congress Committee. Ashok Tanwar, member of Parliament from Sirsa, was also present at a function of the Haryana Union of Journalists at Surkhab Complex here where Kanda made the announcement. The MP left as soon as Kanda announced that he had an important announcement to make on a communication from the Chief Minister. Earlier, local Congress workers met at Congress Bhawan and discussed reasons for the Congress poor showing in Sirsa. Ellenabad seat has been vacated by Chautala. He retains the Uchana Kalan seat. The INLD that won four of the five seats in Sirsa district last month has already started preparations for the byelection. Chautala’s younger son Abhey Singh has hinted to his loyalists that he may enter the fray. Gopal Kanda said today that Hooda had entrusted him with the responsibility of working with Congress workers for the success of the Ellenabad rally. He was once a confidant of the Chautalas. An interesting electoral battle is expected to begin between the ruling Congress and the INLD, which has returned to the assembly with 32 seats this time, once Hooda addresses his rally on November 23. |
|
Withdraw case against villagers or face stir: BJP
Rewari, November 15 Addressing a press conference here today, he said a case of rioting, mischief and criminal intimidation under Sections 147, 148, 149, 427, 506 of the IPC was registered against the villagers on October 13, 2009, on a complaint filed by Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, now Finance Minister in the government. Kapriwas alleged that a month had gone by and the police had unleashed oppressive measures against the villagers at the behest of the minister. Furnishing details of the case, he said when the villagers protested against “inducements” offered by supporters of Capt Yadav to garner votes at Phideri village on the night of October 11, a gunman of of the Congress leader tried to assault the villagers, causing a ruckus. Subsequently, while the police made light of the villagers’ complaint, it registered a criminal case against them on a complaint lodged by Capt Yadav. Flaying the authorities for implicating the villagers in the case for “appeasing” the minister, Kapriwas sought that the case be withdrawn in the interest of peace and
harmony. |
|
Journalism standards have dipped: Experts
Sirsa, November 15 Speakers at a workshop on “Journalism - Changes and challenges” organised in the local Haryana Union of Journalists observed that wages of journalists had increased manifolds at the top level, but the prestige of journalism as a profession had come down. Gopal Kanda, Minister of State for Home, Industries, Commerce, Sports and Youth Affairs, Ashok Tanwar, MP from Sirsa, Hoshiari Lal Sharma, District Congress President, were the guests, while Jagwinder Patiyal and Yashwant Singh, both senior journalists, were the main speakers. The workshop was dedicated to senior editor Prabhash Joshi, who breathed his last recently. Patiyal observed that most of the impediments coming in the way of journalists were automatically removed if they have the courage to write the truth. “The biggest challenge before the journalists today is that most of the newspapers and news channel are owned by business houses, who decide their editorial policies that are suitable to their business,” said Yashwant Singh, editor of bhadas4media.com. Tanwar said some strong steps were needed to be taken to restore the lost glory of journalism. Kanda said Bhupinder Singh Hooda has taken several steps for the welfare of journalists and a new media policy had been formed.
|
|
MNS not against Hindi, says leader
Sonepat, November 15 Interacting with mediapersons during his visit to the town, he said: “Like the people and governments of other states, the MNS is committed to safeguarding the interests of people of its state in government and other sector jobs.” Mahale alleged that the incident of Abu Azmi was blown out of proportion by the media and explained that Azmi’s attitude was wrong in demanding oath-taking copy in Hindi though the assembly papers in Maharashtra were generally prepared in English and Marathi only. The MNS was of the view that the people with local domicile must be given preference in the jobs in their states, he said, claiming that the governments of other states also give preference to local job seekers. He also claimed that people in Maharashtra had rejected the Shiv Sena and the MNS had emerged as an alternative. |
|
Three die in accidents
Kaithal, November 15 The incident took place when Bittu, who was driving the tractor, and his servant Mantu were going from Sirsal to Nepawala village. A case of negligent driving has been registered. In another incident, Mangal Dass, a senior citizen, was killed when he was reportedly hit by an unidentified vehicle in Rajaund town here today. JHAJJAR: Three persons, including brother-in-law of State Home Minister Gopal Kanda, sustained serious injuries in a road accident on the Jhajjar-Gurgaon road here on Sunday. All injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital here but later referred to the PGIMS, Rohtak. The incident took place when the car they were travelling in collided with a truck. Jawala Prashad, brother-in-law of State Home Minister, his wife Maya Devi and car driver Sanjeev fell unconscious.
|
|
War heroes honoured
Sonepat, November 15 The day was observed as “Shaurya Samman Samaroh” by the management of the school. MPs Deepender Singh Hooda and Jitender Singh Malik participated in the function. Paying tributes to the martyrs, Hooda said the state government had taken full care of the families of the martyrs by introducing various welfare schemes. “We should never forget their sacrifices,” he said. Meanwhile, Jitender Malik said with the efforts of the state government, Sonepat has emerged as a major educational hub of the country. Earlier, Hooda laid the foundation stone of an auditorium and both the MPs announced a joint grant of Rs 5 lakh for its construction. |
|
|
Boy killed over mobile phone
Sirsa, November 15 The victim identified as Satish had a quarrel over the ownership of a mobile phone with Deepak here. Later, Deepak went home and retuned with his brothers - Krishan and
Ramesh. The trio allegedly beat up Satish and strangled him to death. The accused managed to flee after the crime. A case has been registered.
— TNS
|
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
