Ludhiana, November 28
The Bengal Institute of Health Sciences, Raikot, has stirred up a controversy by calling upon the rural medical practitioners to join the certified vocational courses of one year in Community Health and Care of Elderly, being started at the institute.

Rural Medical Services Association (RMSA) state president, Dr Aslam Parvez, taking a strong notice of the statement of the above institute wherein an open invitation has been given to the quacks to join the courses, said, "The Bengal Institute of Health Sciences, by accommodating quacks in their courses, is promoting quackery against the recent orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh. The Rural Medical Officers, who are qualified MBBS doctors, along with paramedical staff working in village dispensaries are dispensing quality health services to the rural populace."

Dr Parvez said they would report the matter to the Department of Health and Family Welfare for immediate action against such advertisements/publicity, which is harmful for the medical fraternity at large.

Interestingly, the statement issued by the institute also says that the certificate course in care of elderly can also be done by women students who have passed class VIII with two years of "practical experience". The word practical experience is ambiguous, as an eighth class student can't have practical experience in "care of elderly".

It also states that any 10th pass candidate can do the course from home in open schooling system.

However, Dr AK Banerjee and Dr Madhu Meeta, the Bengali couple running the institute, denied having promoted quackery directly or indirectly. "We have fought against quackery, as we are responsible MBBS doctors. This course will only enrich the knowledge and skills of the medical practitioners in villages, enabling them to facilitate patients with initial medical assistance," the duo said.

They also said that the above courses would have 50 seats each followed by an examination at the end of the courses conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Ministry of HRD, and New Delhi.

The institute also runs a nursing education course with GNM Staff Nurse Diploma and B.Sc nursing degree college affiliated to the Punjab Nurses Registration Council, Indian Nursing Council and the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences.

Ludhiana, November 28
Armed robbers struck at a doctor’s house on Dhandra road and took away cash and jewellery worth over Rs 2.5 lakh at gunpoint this afternoon.

Dr Baldev Singh, a resident of GK Vihar, said five armed assailants with their faces covered came in a car and gained entry inside the house.

Before he could react, two assailants took out their pistols and pointed towards Baldev and his wife and asked them to hand over the cash and jewellery.

After taking the booty, the robbers locked them inside the house and fled.

The police has registered a case against five unidentified assailant.

Ludhiana, November 28
College students, especially girls, are allegedly enjoying puffs of charas and smack in hookah bars these days.

The startling revelation was made by one Brij Lal, alias Birju, and Rajinder Kumar, alias Billi, both residents of Hargobind Nagar, who are currently in police net on drug-peddling charges.

The police recovered 237 gm of smack and 200 gm of charas from Birju and Billi following a checking near Ganda Naala Puli a few days ago.

During the interrogation, the duo revealed that it used to sell the contraband to students and their core buyers were college-going girls, who used drugs during their alleged visit to hookah bars.

It is learnt that following the development, the police has started conducting strict vigil around the hookah joints.

The duo said they were introduced to the girls through the boy students, who are attending tuition classes along with the girls.

Police sources said they were operating near girls colleges of the city.

The cops are currently scanning their mobile phones to get further details.

Imaninder Bedi, SHO Division No 8, said both accused have a criminal background and they were previously booked in several cases of assault.

Recently, the police conducted a raid at some of the major hookah joints of the city following complaint that contraband was being served in these hookah bars.

The police nabbed several students during the raid who were later let off following a warning.

Ludhiana, November 28
The final of “Eloquent Minds-2009”, a declamation contest organised by JCI I in collaboration with the Indian Express, was held at BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar. As many as 21 students participated in the contest. Mahesh Arora, former GLC of IJC, was the chief guest, while a number of officials from JCI attended the event, along with members of the school management committee.

Results: English: Anishka from DAV Public School stood first, while Kanika Kamboj from BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School stood second;

Ludhiana, November 28
Minister for Jails, Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Punjab, Hira Singh Gabria said the government would put in efforts to promote Punjabi culture and language in the state. While addressing a gathering at Gujranwala Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, Gabria today said it was unfortunate that today's generation was not paying much attention towards the rich cultural and heritage but Punjabis needed to be united for strengthening the language.

Satnam Singh Manak, another speaker said unless Punjabis made it a habit to use the language in their daily routine, the language could not be promoted.

Harish Rain Dhanda, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, said the state government would leave no stone unturned for the strict implementation of Punjabi language at government offices/establishments. To promote the language, a seminar was organised by the Punjabi Vikas Manch.

Ludhiana, November 28
Touching words and phrases by Dakha MLA Darshan Singh Shivalik in the general house meeting of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation on Friday in favour of the residents of colonies situated on the outskirts of the city and over and 40 villages in the district failed to move the members of the house, including his fellow legislators.

A majority of the councillors, including those sitting on power benches, opposed inclusion of over 40 villages situated within 1-km area on the western end within the limits of the corporation.

“Residents of these localities who have been bearing the brunt of passing sewage pipes and open trolleys carrying solid waste through their areas, too, have right to live a dignified live. As they are not provided basic amenities by civic bodies of their respective villages, I impress upon the house to approve a proposal to include the area within the limits of the corporation,” said Shivalik, lamenting that the councillors were not allowing him to present his demand in the house.

According to a draftsman’s report presented by the drawing section of the corporation, Shivalik had pleaded that the residents of a large number of colonies situated on outskirts of some villages falling under his constituency were not being provided basic amenities by civic bodies governing those areas. He demanded inclusion of areas falling within 1-km of the city in the MC.

Over 40 villages, namely Lalton Kalan, Manakwal, Mehdoodpura, Dhandra, Kheri, Jhameri, Thakkarwal, Phoolanwal, Dad, Jhnade, Akalgarh, Baddowal, Hassanpur, Karimpura, Gahor, Daitwal, Bains, Iyali Kalan, Jhammat, Birmi, Iyali Khurad, Malikpur, Jainpur, Talwara, Baranhara, Balloke, Partap Singh Wala, Jhoorpur, Jassian, Hussainpura, Rajpura, Dogra, Ladian Kalan, Ladian Khurad, Bagga Kalan, Bagga Khurad, Rajowal, Kutnewal Gujjran, Barewal Dogran, Phaggowal, Majh, Talwandi Khurad, Manewal, Laffowal, Majra, KHurad, Goindwal, Raneke and Chola would be included in the city in case proposal is approved.

Office of Commissioner AK Sinha has already granted administrative approval for the case. 

Ludhiana, November 28
Rising incidence of obesity among Ludhiana women has led to a manifold increase in psychological as well as physical problems. It is evident from the shocking revelation made in a study conducted by a health centre, wherein, they revealed that more than 50 per cent women in the city lie about their weight.

Taking a pledge to fight against obesity, noted doctors from the city undertook a signature campaign on Anti-Obesity Day.

The study further pointed towards the burden of "shame and guilt" that overweight and obese women carried, which was evident from the fact that 60 per cent women tore off the size labels from their clothing. "Only 50 per cent women here are happy with their figures but only 41 per cent observe diet control while remaining have bad eating habits," the experts observed further.

Interestingly, 79 per cent of the women are worried about their waste sizes but only 37 per cent of the women believe in exercising.

Vandana Luthra, the chairperson of the slimming centre in a special message given to the city women stated that there was no pill in the world that could reduce weight, as it had to be maintained through exercise and diet control.

Branded as a silent killer, obesity has emerged as a serious health concern among urban Indians to which Red Cross Society president Archana Garg while launching a booklet on Anti-Obesity Day yesterday said more than children, parents had to take up the responsibility of their diet, of which unbalanced diet and junk food played a very important role that led to obesity.

The doctors further observed that obesity was unseen tension, which closed all doors for a long and healthy life. They advised that one should follow 25-25 and 50 rule in which 25 per cent comprised complex carbohydrates, whole grains, beans fibrous vegetables, 25 per cent protein and 50 per cent of vegetables and fruits coupled with physical activity.

Dr Anju Verma, the in-house doctor, said the people were aware of the hazards of obesity but their hectic schedule coupled with their pressing concerns at work followed by family and the social front, forced them to ignore it but the need was to make them aware of the ramifications of extra kilos.

Ludhiana, November 28
Inmates of the Central jail here had a reason to cheer today as 150 of them spoke to their relatives back home after the launch of the telephone facility for them by Minister for Jails Hira Singh Gabria.Speaking on the occasion, Gabria said the facility was being provided through the PCO system to check the practise of using mobile phones by jail inmates.

The directions have been given to six jails, including Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Patiala, Gurdaspur and Nabha, to start the facility on priority.

Gabria said the decision to provide telephone facility to jail inmates was to enable them to communicate with their family members and lawyers.

“If we would provide them the facility, they would not have to indulge in the illegal practise of using mobile phones in jail. We hope that the facility would bring an end to the used mobile phones in jail," said Gabria, adding that strict action would be taken against prisoners caught using mobile phones. These prisoners would face difficulty in getting parole, the minister hinted.

He said video-conferencing would also be implemented in a phased manner for quick dispensation of justice. He also directed the jail superintendents to send the maps of prisoners well in time to the home department so that the cases of their release could be settled within a time frame.

He said adequate medical and paramedical staff would also be recruited for the hospitals of jails soon to provide better medical and health facilities to the inmates. A multi-specialty hospital for inmates would be launched soon.

Ludhiana, November 28
Owing to fluctuating gold prices throughout the day yesterday, there was less trading of yellow metal ornaments in the market. Most gold customers avoided its trading due to volatility in its prices and the business virtually came down due to uncertainty in the international market.

Experts opined that due to financial recession in Dubai, gold prices came down by Rs 500-700 in the morning (on November 27), but these bounced back again in the evening. Ludhiana Jewellers Association president Anand Sekri said the gold price had come down to Rs 17,500 from Rs 18,100 due to the recession in Dubai. But in the evening, the prices went up to Rs 17, 900 (per 10 grams for 24 carats).

"Though fluctuation is being witnessed in the market, our experience says that market will go up further in the coming days. Gold will cross the Rs 20,000 mark soon. Maybe this is the reason that the RBI has also made bulk purchases of the yellow metal recently," said Sekri.

Sekri further added that there were no customers for gold ornaments in the market due to its skyrocketing prices, but for investment purposes, buyers were still purchasing gold. "There are investors for 24 carat gold, who believe that gold prices will see new highs in coming times," said Sekri.

Amit Dhanda of Krishna Sons Jewellers here said the business of jewellers had come down to 40-50 per cent. "Except for wedding purposes, buyers are not making purchases of gold ornaments. It was a very bad day for goldsmiths yesterday. People kept on watching the market trends. Though there was no buying or selling in the local market, there are reports that Central Banks around the world are continuously increasing their gold holdings," said Dhanda. 

Ludhiana, November 28
Tightening the noose around the red category industry (dyeing and electroplating etc), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has asked the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) not to issue no objection certificate to these industries for the time-being.

Worried over the high-levels of pollution generated by certain industries, the Central Pollution Control Board officials also indicated that by the end of this year, the pollution norms would become more stringent.

A meeting of members of the CPCB, the PPCB and industry representatives from Ludhiana was held at Delhi recently. The meeting was convened to decide on the pollution norms for the installation of common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) at Ludhiana.

According to sources, the officials of central board have expressed their satisfaction over the results of samples taken from big industrial units by their team almost a month back. The officials said it was surprising that each of the big units had installed good treatment plants on their premises, which were discharging the water as per the board norms.

One of the industry representatives, who attended the meeting at Delhi, said it was not viable for small dyeing units to install quality effluent treatment plants.

“These are big giants in dyeing industry. The cost of each unit will be anything between Rs 60 lakh and Rs 1 crore. The total cost of our units will not be that much, how can we install such plants? This is the reason, we are pressing upon the government for installing treatment plants for small dyeing units in the city,” he said.

Ludhiana, November 28
As snatching incidents in the city are on the rise, Punjab DGP PS Gill has asked the SHOs to pull up socks.The DGP, who was here to attend a wedding, chaired a special meeting with all SHOs of the city and asked them to bring down the growing cases of snatching across the city.

According to sources, the DGP may pay surprise visits to the various police stations in the city.

He appreciated the efforts of cops, who arrested two drug paddlers and recovered cocaine worth Rs 10 lakh from their possession.

He also gave certificates to the police band.

Ludhiana, November 28
Supporting the directive by the department of telecom to bar services to illegal or unbranded handsets by November 30 in the interest of national security, the Indian Cellular Association (ICA) recently urged both consumers and traders to desist from purchasing and indulging in the transaction of such devices.

It also called for continued and vigilant efforts towards curbing the proliferation of the unbranded and counterfeit mobile handsets and accessories.

ICA president Pankaj Mohindroo said here recently that the telecom and mobility growth story in India had attracted world attention, as the nation had become one of the fastest growing mobile markets, recording sales of over one crore mobile phones and more than 10 million connections every month.

Given this scorching growth pace, it was equally important to promote responsible growth and address key issues emanating from the proliferation of unbranded, fake and non-IMEI handsets.

“It is widely known that the unbranded mobile phones after import disappear in the parallel gray market without record of movement or billing since there is no after-sale services offered or demanded.”

He said a thriving unbranded market, accounting for approximately 20 per cent of the market, had been a challenge for the industry and the government alike. “Telecom is one of the highest growing industries of India and perhaps the poster boy of the Indian reforms story. But, a growing unbranded segment can negate this growth and retard the progressive impact of a thriving telecom industry. The ramifications of a proliferating unbranded segment extend to even more critical areas, including the national security, in addition to welfare and safety of consumers.”

According to the ICA chief, a growing unbranded market could have severe repercussions for the country and its people. Such unbranded devices, which either possess no IMEI numbers or invalid, cloned IMEI numbers pose a serious threat to the national security, as these are untraceable devices. In addition, the unbranded handset segment strengthens the growth of the gray market, which adversely impacts organised mobile trade and denies legitimate revenue to the government.

To curb the growing unbranded mobile handset market, he added, the ICA had undertaken a massive campaign to sensitise the government and to educate mobile phone retailers and end users.

“As a part of the campaign, ICA has issued letters to all retailers outlining the legal implications of repairing and selling or dealing in the unbranded handsets along with providing them with an SMS solution to identify phones containing wrong IMEI numbers. The consumers to check the genuineness of their mobile phones can also use this SMS solution.

The nationwide awareness campaign also includes print and radio advertising on how and why to buy genuine products.

Ludhiana, November 28
To mark the death anniversary of Prem Kanta Barara, former district education official and national award winner, Prem Kanta Barara Memorial Educational and Welfare Society, Ludhiana, organised a function at Partap Public School yesterday.

The society honoured 28 meritorious students of different government schools. Each student was given scholarship of Rs 1,000 along with a memento and a set of books.

Two blind students of Vocational Rehabilitation Training Centre, Haibowal, were also awarded.

School uniforms were distributed among the poor students of Government Primary and High School, Sarabha Nagar, and Government Girls’ Senior Secondary School, Jawahar Nagar.

Dr Inderpal Singh, former vice-chairman Punjab School Education Board and former pro Vice-Chancellor Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, was the chief guest.

He paid rich tributes to Prem Kanta Barara and urged the students to work hard for attaining higher goals in life.

Dr Rameshinder Kaur Bal, director Partap Public School, former district education official Inderjit Kaur Bhatti, midday meal scheme district manager Tarsem Lal Banga spoke about the achievements of Prem Kanta Barara.

Daljit Kaur, music teacher and students of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Cemetery road, presented shabad and devotional songs.

President of society GS Barara presented the vote of thanks. Many educationists, including Dr JP Singh, chairman Partap Educational Trust, heads, teachers and students of various educational institutes were also present.

Ludhiana, November 28
The Dharmik Ekta Welfare Society in collaboration with the Ludhiana Citizen Council organised a tree plantation drive near Kesar Ganj, Mandi, here today.

President of the society Ajay Sidhu said, “Pollution in the city has become a major problem. There is a need for each of us to adopt the motto of each one, plant one."

Area councillor Parminder Mehta, who inaugurated the drive, urged residents to grow more and more plants.

He said, “If you want your grandchildren to remember you, green trees planted by you can become a memorable piece of remembrance.”

Ludhiana, November 28
Blind players from all parts of the country participated in the track events on the second day of the NFB National Sports for Blind today.

More than 800 players from various parts of the country are participating in the three-day sports event, which is being held at Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana.

The participants have been divided in three categories, B1 (completely blind), B2 (partially blind) and B3 (partially sighted).

In the B1 category of discus throw (boys), Amit Kumar, Delhi, bagged the gold medal, the silver medal went to Dular Tigga of Jharkhand followed by Mahinder Singh of Faridabad, who won the bronze medal.

In the B2 category, the gold medal went to Devi Prakash of Delhi, the silver medal was won by Jaswant Kumar of Jodhpur followed by Chandi Kanwarpal of Delhi who won the bronze medal.

In the B3 category, Tripatpal Singh of Punjab bagged gold, silver went to Lakhbir Singh of Punjab while bronze medal was bagged by Karan Singh of Delhi.

The junior boys were excellent on the tracks, as Manoj Kumar of Dehradun won the gold medal in the 100 m heats under the B1 category. The second position went to Sishu Pal of Shimla.

In the senior boys 100 m heats under the B1 category, Sanjay from Shimla bagged the gold followed by Kapil Dev, who stood second.

In the 100 m heats under the B1 category (girls), Guddi of Dehradun won the gold followed by Poonam on the second position.

In the 800 m B1 senior boys, Kanahyia of Jodhpur won the gold, Joginder from Shimla won the silver and the bronze went to Ravi of Mysore.

In the 800 m B1 junior boys, Vandan (Delhi) won gold, Anad (Karnataka) won silver and Suresh (Mysore) won bronze.

In the 300 m B3 senior boys, Bal Mukand (Delhi) won gold, Gurbhinder Singh (Punjab) won silver and Murari (Rajasthan) won bronze.

In the 800 m B1 senior girls, Jyoti Malik (Ludhiana) won gold and Jaswanti (Delhi) won silver.

In the B2 100 m senior girls category, Sajala (Karnataka) won gold, Madhubala (Dehradun) won silver and Sunita (Dehradun) won bronze.

In the B2 100 m junior girls category, Rashmi (Dehradun) won gold, Kiran (Dehradun) won silver and Cheeka (Karnataka) won bronze.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar inaugurated the event and announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh for the event. Makkar has already given a grant of Rs 1 lakh for India-Pakistan-Nepal Triangular Cricket Series for the Blind to the National Federation of Blind.

Harmanpreet Kaur Chahal was bestowed with the Mai Bhago Award for bagging a gold medal in the sports for blind held in the US recently.

Yesterday’s results:

Discus throw ( B1 category boys): Amit Kumar of Delhi bagged a gold medal, Dular Tigga of Jharkhand won a silver medal and Mahinder Singh of Faridabad won a bronze medal.

In the B2 category, Devi Prakash of Delhi bagged a gold medal, Jaswant Kumar of Jodhpur won a silver medal, while Chandi Kanwarpal of Delhi clinched a bronze medal.

In the B3 category, Tripatpal Singh of Punjab bagged a gold medal, Lakhbir Singh of Punjab clinched a silver medal, while a bronze medal was bagged by Karan Singh of Delhi.

Manoj Kumar of Dehradun won a gold medal in the 100 m heat under B1 category (junior). The second position went to Sishu Pal of Shimla.

In the 100 m heats under the B1 category (senior), Sanjay from Shimla bagged a gold medal and Kapil Dev secured the second position.

In the 100 m heats under the B1 category (girls), Guddi of Dehradun won a gold medal, while Poonam secured the second position.