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SP Oswal gets Padma Bhushan
Padma Shri for Baba Sewa Singh
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Medals for 17 cops
Chandigarh, January 25 As many as 17 Punjab police personnel have received awards on the eve of Republic Day. While two officers have received the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service, another 15 officers have received the police medal for meritorious service.
State gets new trainer aircraft
Man accuses Sukhbir of assault
Improving Sex Ratio
Badal-Kalia Report
IED in car fails to explode
Upgradation of Rajasansi Airport
All employees eligible for extension in service
State to honour Faridkot doc
No info on Maoist leader’s stay: Punjabi varsity
Class VII boys flee home
Man stabbed to death at secretariat
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SP Oswal gets Padma Bhushan
Ludhiana, January 25 Talking to TNS from New Delhi, Oswal said he was grateful to the state and Central governments for having chosen him for one of the highest awards. He said, “I am also grateful to society and the people in my organisation, who worked as a team to achieve greater heights.” Born in 1942, Oswal passed his master degree in commerce with gold medal from Panjab University, Chandigarh. The Vardhman Group established in 1962 has today blossomed into one of the largest textile business houses in India. It has the largest yarn manufacturing capacity in the country with over 7,50,000 spindles. The group achieved a turnover of Rs 3,200 crore in 2008-09 and employs around 23,000 persons at its various plants, offices and branches. Oswal has contribution in the area of agriculture. In 1999, 2001 and 2002, when the yield of cotton in the state had fallen to a level that scared farmers, he took the initiative of adopting a village in 2003 to test if with good practices adopted, the yield could be brought to international levels. Subsequently, he founded consortium of mills and a bank under the name of “Village cluster adoption programme” to fund the project to increase coverage.
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Padma Shri for Baba Sewa Singh
Chandigarh, January 25 Baba Sewa Singh, who came into limelight for the manner in which he along with Canada-based Raghbir Singh Bains and a retired IGP of Police, Sukhdyal Singh Bhullar, worked tirelessly to ensure that 500th birth anniversary of Guru Angad Dev was celebrated with traditional fervour in accordance with Sikh tenets and rituals. And the meticulously celebrations were held without any glitches. It is not only his role as “Kar Seva walle Baba,” but also the pioneer work he had done in rural Punjab as an environmentalist, social empowerment of rural girls and also for overall human development in the border belt. Baba Sewa Singh had not only played a pivotal role in the upkeep and maintenance of historic gurdwaras at Khadoor Sahib in time for the Guru Angad Dev 500th birth anniversary celebrations in 2004, but also took upon himself the onerous task of making that town in the border belt green by not only planting but also with subsequent personal supervision of thousands of traditional trees, including Neem, in the area. Not many are aware of the work on social empowerment of girls Baba Sewa Singh has done in the recent years. It was because of him that about 75 girls from the rural belt of Khadoor Sahib have joined the all-women battalion of the BSF, besides joining the Chandigarh Police after preparatory training at the Sri Guru Angad Dev Institute of Careers and Courses set up by him. Besides, 31 girls from the institute have become eligible for recruitment in the Punjab Police. He has associated a retired Brigadier with the task of training the girls for recruitment in various security forces. He is also rightly credited with the setting up of a multi-media Sikh museum, the first of its kind in the world. It is located next to Gurdwara Angitha Sahib in Khadoor Sahib. Besides, a senior secondary school, run under the guidance of Baba Sewa Singh, is perhaps the only rural school in the country that has eight ‘smart’ rooms equipped with computers and other visual aids. Also a Gian Sewa Kendra had been set up to prepare students for entrance tests for admission in medical, engineering and other courses. The most visionary act of Baba Sewa Singh has been setting up of an eight-storied Nishan-e-Sikhi Tower that is almost complete now.
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Medals for 17 cops
Chandigarh, January 25 Pawan Uppal, superintendent of police, Recruits Training Centre (RTC), Punjab Armed Police (PAP), Jalandhar, and Gurdev Singh, assistant sub-inspector, posted at Sahnewal police station, Ludhiana, have been awarded the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service. Bhushan Kumar Garg, IG, Security; RN Dhoke, DIG, Intelligence; Praveen Sinha, SP, currently posted at the National Police Academy Hyderabad; Gurdev Singh, SP, Punjab State Human Rights Commission; Naginder Singh Rana, DSP, North, Ludhiana; Hardevinder Singh, DSP Traffic, Mohali; Ranjodh Singh, Inspector at the office of DG prisons; Kabal Singh, inspector at the office of the AIG, Amritsar; Dilbag Singh, inspector at the Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur; Kartar Singh, sub-inspector at police lines, Ludhiana; Sohan Lal, sub-inspector at RTC, PAP, Jalandhar; Mohinder Pal, sub-inspector at PPA, Phillaur; Harpal Singh, assistant sub-inspector at the office of the ADGP IVC-cum-HR; Devinder Kumar, head constable at the office of the SSP, Ludhiana rural; and Inder Mohan, head constable at the office of the SSP, Fatehgarh Sahib, have been awarded the police medal for meritorious service on the eve of the Republic Day.
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State gets new trainer aircraft
Chandigarh, January 25 Disclosing this here today, a spokesman of the Chief Minister’s Office said Baron G58 was equipped with full Digitised Glass Cockpit, which would enable trainees to undertake flying as per the international laid down norms. This was the only twin-engine trainer aircraft available in the northern region and had a seating capacity of four passengers, besides two seats for the pilot and co-pilot, the spokesman added.
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Man accuses Sukhbir of assault
Chandigarh, January 25 Identifying himself as All-India Hindu Welfare Committee president Naresh Kumar Shegal, the petitioner has asserted that a “murderous attack was made on him with lethal
weapons by five unidentified persons on May 11, 2009. Though a number of representations were submitted to
the police authorities, it did notregister any FIR. Shegal said he and his family were receiving regular threats and they apprehended threat to their lives and liberty. However, no action had been taken so far to protect their lives
and liberty. On August 27 last, the petitioner said, he was attacked with weapons and was admitted to the Kotkapura Civil Hospital. The same day, a police official visited the hospital, but he did not record Shegal’s statement. Accusing the police and Sukhbir Singh Badal of direct involvement in the attack, he said his security was withdrawn on the ground he did not apprehend any threat to his lifeand
liberty. Shegal said neither any action had been taken against the accused, nor had he been provided security. He was still apprehending threat to his life and liberty at the hands of anti-social elements. Elaborating, he said, “In the last many years also, a number of attacks were made upon the petitioner and his family. Some of attacks were made by Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) activists and some by bad elements and the cases were pending invarious courts.” In his petition against the Union of India, the State of Punjab, the Director-General of Police and others, Shegal said a direction be issued to the respondents to protect the life and liberty of the petitioner and his family by providing security of any central force, as they were apprehending threat to their lives and liberty at the hands of anti-social elements as well as local police officials. Taking up the petition, Justice Sabina fixed February 16 as the next date of hearing in the case.
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Improving Sex Ratio
Fatehgarh Sahib, January 25 Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was supposed to distribute the cheques among village panchayats, failed to reach the venue. Punjab Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla did the needful. Speaking on the occasion, Chawla said the panchayats could utilise these funds in various developmental works for the uplift of girl child and other pending works of their villages. She said the sex ratio in the state had improved. “During the 2001 census, the state recorded a poor ratio of 796 females per 1,000 males. The recent surveys have shown this figure soar to 838 last year,” she said. She said 1,700 doctors had been recruited by the state government. Also 1,180 doctors were recruited through zila parishad, 312 through the Punjab Public Service Commission, 102 through the National Rural Health Scheme and 43 other doctors through direct recruitment. Besides, the recruitment of doctors, other staff for hospitals in rural and urban areas had also been recruited due to which the number of infant deaths had reduced to a great extent, she said. Talking about Health Department’s tirade against drug abuse, Chawla said drugs worth Rs 8 crore were seized last year and habit forming medicines worth Rs 1 crore had also been destroyed by the department. Heart surgeries of 150 children studying in recognised schools were done free of cost and 350 more students would be treated by the department. Chief Secretary of Punjab Health and Family Welfare Department Satish Chandra said besides getting government aid, the village panchayats should also raise funds from other donors for the betterment of health services in rural areas. This year, 100 panchayats of the state would be honoured for improving their sex ratio. Meanwhile, some artists from Amritsar staged a play called “Sirjana,” based on female foeticide.
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Badal-Kalia Report
Chandigarh, January 25 The recommendations have also been assailed by various Left organisations and political parties, including the Communist Party (Marxist). Even the Congress has come out openly against some of the recommendations describing these as anti-working class and inflationary. Opposing the withdrawal of the free power and water facilities, members of the BKU organised over 200 protest demonstrations in different villages of the state, including in Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda, Barnala, Moga, Amritsar, Ferozepore, Gurdaspur, Faridkot, Ludhiana and Muktsar districts. Sukhdev Singh Kokri, general secretary, Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta), told The Tribune on the telephone that there was widespread resentment not only against the withdrawal of free water and power supplies but also against the reduction in the number of units of free power supply to the weaker sections. He said the recommendations reviewing farm sector subsidies were made under diktats from the World Bank and other financial institutions. Among those who addressed the protesting farmers and their families were Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Jhanda Singh Jethuke, Surjit Singh Dhaban, Inderjit Singh Jhabbar, Sadhu Singh Takhtupura and Hardip Singh Tallewal. Most of the speakers held that the Badal-Kalia report was only the beginning as the Punjab Government had been seriously contemplating the bifurcation or unbundling of the Punjab State Electricity Board to put
an additional load on farmers and farm labourers. They maintained that the levying of Rs 50 per BHP was a ploy and the charges would be subsequently raised to Rs 1,000 per BHP per annum against six monthly charges proposed now. They also threatened to intensify their agitation. The SAD-BJP government also came under attack for its failure to keep the promises it had been making to representatives of farmers’organisations from time to time. Even those arrested in connection with the incidents of arson and violence during a massive protest by a group of farmers’organisations were still facing criminal charges. The maximum number of protest rallies were held in Bathinda. Almost everywhere protesting farmers were joined by a large number of women and their family members. In some of the villages, even farm labourers joined the rallies.
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IED in car fails to explode
Jagraon, January 25 The shopkeepers near the site remained unconcerned as they assumed that the car was parked there because of a breakdown. When nobody picked the car till Saturday evening, the shopkeepers informed the matter to the police. In a joint operation, the door of the car was opened to find an exploded mobile phone from it along with a plastic can and some ash-like powder scattered on the rear seats of the car. The Air Force police sent the powder to the laboratory for testing and the car was bought to the Sudhar police station. During search, the plastic can was found to be full of urea with potash mixed in it. Iron pieces, nails, stone pieces, five bottles filled with petrol and an exploded detonator were also found. Today the bomb disposal squad from PAP Jalandhar was summoned. The nine-member team of the squad and after examining the contents finally declared it to be an IED. He said the attempt was unsuccessful as the detonator attached with the mobile phone, though it exploded, failed to ignite the other explosive material kept in the car.
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Upgradation of Rajasansi Airport
Amritsar, January 25 The four-member panel of MPs, headed by Union Minister MS Gill, comprised of Navjot Sidhu, Tarlochan Singh and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. It had made a number of recommendations regarding the upgradation of the airport in April last year. But, according to Sidhu, most of the recommendations were yet to be implemented. “I am not satisfied with the work done so far. I have now resolved to raise the issue in the next session of Parliament and will take up the matter personally with Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel,” said
Sidhu.
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All employees eligible for extension in service
Chandigarh, January 25 According to sources the state government will not conduct a scrutiny of the track record of employees or seek details from their departments while extending the service of employees who want to continue in service for another year. The extension will be treated as continuation in service. The extension, which will be notified in two or three days, will save the state government Rs 700 crore to Rs 800 crore as it will be able to keep the money due to these employees in the form of pensionary benefits in its kitty for one more year. The government is not offering any increment to employees who wish to continue in service for another year. Between 20,000 and 25,000 employees will be able to take advantage of this one- time measure. The measure, however, has been criticised by both SAD as well as BJP ministers who feel it does not benefit the state in the long run. Ministers, while speaking against this recommendation of the Sukhbir-Kalia Committee in the last Cabinet meeting, said it robbed the youth of the state of employment opportunities. Ministers also claimed that the promotions of middle-rung officers and other personnel would be affected resulting in disillusionment among them. Finance Minister Manpreet Badal was among the most ardent critics of the recommendations. He pointed out that extending the retirement age did not solve the problem and that the state needed to take decisions which resolved the issue in totality. Manpreet said the state genuinely needed younger and fresher blood to run the administration. He even gave the example of fresh recruitments in the Excise Department, which invited talent in excess of the qualifications advertised for the jobs.
Retirement age extension decried
Jalandhar, January 25 Organisation president Uma Kant Tewari said the decision was not employee-friendly as those seeking promotion in 2010 will retire without rising up to the due post. “Such a decision has led to groupism within employees. The decision of not granting extension to those retiring in 2011 or later is not wise. This will also put an additional pressure on the government, as it will be forced to pay pension liability to a large number of employees in 2011,” he pointed out. Members of the organisation have demanded that the retirement age of all state government employees be raised to 60 from 58.
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State to honour Faridkot doc
Faridkot, January 25 The recommendation by the police to honour Dr Garg has come in the wake of his contribution in treating over 100 policemen posted in the border district for diseases like hepatitis B and C. According to Dr Garg, “The policemen visit us for their annual check-up and we found this virus in as many as 150 policemen from Ferozepur alone, the treatment of which is very long and expensive”. The state government gave financial aid to patients, a total treatment cost of Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh for a patient suffering from hepatitis C and Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh for a patient suffering from Hepatitis B, he said. It may be mentioned here that hepatitis C has of late become a silent killer and at times a patient comes to the hospital when his/her condition becomes serious making the treatment very difficult for doctors. But, in this case, Dr Garg was able to treat the policemen as he had detected the virus on time. At present, Dr Garg is treating another 100 policemen from districts of Mansa, Muktsar and Faridkot. The major reason of diseases among policemen, based on interactions and their medical history, has said to be their long working hours that leads to intense fatigue amongst them which forces them to take injections of mutli-vitamins from village doctors where needles are hardly sterilised. In some cases, unprotected sex was also found to be one of the causes of the diseases.
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Rare vulture spotted Amritsar, January 25 The Pharaoh’s Chicken was spotted by Harbir Singh, a senior PCS officer, near Hariana and its flight was also captured by him on camera. Harbir is a keen bird watcher. The bird with a white back, according to Harbir, was a rare vulture species in India and even in South Asia. “It was a rare spotting of Pharaoh’s Chicken in this part of the region. I was amazed to see the bird and I spared no time in clicking it despite the fog. The bird kept soaring high in the sky in a majestic way,” Harbir said. Known as ‘brainy’ birds, capable of breaking even an ostrich’s eggs, the Egyptian vultures, it was learnt, were good scavengers.
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No info on Maoist leader’s stay: Punjabi varsity
Patiala, January 25 Though most of the university authorities were tight-lipped over the issue, some university officials, preferring anonymity, claimed that “no one from the police administration has so far contacted us on the issue and the university can’t order a probe on the basis of mere media reports.” The Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Jaspal Singh, while expressing ignorance over the matter, refused to comment on the issue. The Punjabi University security in charge, Col Sandhu (retd), said, “I can’t say anything and it would be better to talk to the university media in charge.” However, speaking to The Tribune, university’s media in charge Gurmeet Singh Mann said that media reports had suggested that the matter was serious but it would be premature to comment on it. “Unless and until cops come out with specific details, it is not that easy to confirm anything pertaining to this issue,” he added. Meanwhile, the local police has started investigations into the matter. Patiala SSP Ranbir Singh Khattra said they had a specific input that Kobad Gandhi had toured Punjab and impersonating as a Professor of Punjabi University, he was spotted in and around the university campus. “Since Kobad Gandhi is a politburo member of the banned CPI (Maoist) and is currently lodged in Tihar jail after he was arrested in September 2009 in Delhi, his activities in Punjab are a matter of concern. Currently, based on the information, we have registered a case and it will take at least a week to gather more information about his stay in Patiala,” said Khattra. Khattra also said that the police would investigate the matter and examine the necessary university records. “Once, we have substantial proof about his activities in Patiala, we will take action against those who facilitated him,” he said. Meanwhile, the intelligence wing of the police has also started gathering details about Gandhi’s stay in the university.
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Class VII boys flee home
Patiala, January 25 The students, who are in their teens, were however caught by the Patiala police and handed over to their parents. Besides cash amounting to Rs 13,000 the cops also recovered one suicide note from one of the student. The students, identified as Rishab Malhotra and Harjit Singh, are students of a reputed Patiala school. Giving details, Tripuri police station in charge inspector Hardeep Singh Badungar said, “At around 7 pm, the cops spotted two kids, one of whom was wearing school uniform. The cops got suspicious and took the duo with them”. During questioning, the boys said since they were not able to meet their parents expectations to fare well in studies, they made a plan to run away to Amritsar. The duos were caught when they were waiting to board a bus to Amritsar. During search, besides cash, the cops also recovered a suicide note from Harjit.
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Man stabbed to death at secretariat
Ropar, January 25 When he came out, Harinder Singh of Ghataur village in Kurali had an argument with him and both resorted to fisticuffs. Harinder pulled out a knife from his pocket and stabbed Netra in the chest repeatedly. Visitors to the complex as well as some cops remained mute spectators to the incident. Eyewitnesses said one of the cops tried to intervene, but Harinder threatened to kill him as well and the cop moved away. Harinder was a relative of Amritpal Singh of Akbarpur village in Ropar. Amritpal and Netra had a long dispute over their share in a car agency on the Ropar-Chandigarh road. Both parties had lodged several complaints against each other with the district police. SSP LK Yadav had marked an inquiry to the SP (headquarters) and Netra was here to meet the SP in this context. The Ropar police arrested Harinder, Sandeep Singh and Amritpal and booked them under Sections 302, 34 and 120-B of the IPC. SSP Yadav said the police was investigating the case. The Chandigarh police had booked Netra earlier in some criminal cases.
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Vardhman Group of Industries, SP Oswal, for the Padma Bhushan award. An announcement in this regard was made in New Delhi today.Talking to TNS from New Delhi, Oswal said he was grateful to the state and Central governments for having chosen him for one of the highest awards.
Of 130 Padma awards announced on the eve of Republic Day, Punjab has ended with just two coveted awards - one Padma Bhushan and one Padma Shri each. While the Padma Bhushan has gone to Ludhiana industrialist SP Oswal, Baba Sewa Singh of Rampur Khera has been chosen for the Padma Shri in recognition of his social service.
