The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Tough job market: Govt thinks skill devp centres may hold the key Our Correspondent Nawanshahr, January 27 Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal laid the foundation stone of the polytechnic institute to be set up at a cost of Rs 12.5 crore at Behram village today. Technical courses like computer engineering, electronics and communication, civil engineering and mechanical engineering would be started in the institute, which would help provide technical education at the doorstep of the rural youth, said the CM. “The technical education is the need of the hour to enable the youth to tap the various employment avenues in the present era,” further said the CM adding that keeping in view the urgency to evolve a mechanism to eradicate unemployment, the state government had chalked out a comprehensive plan to revamp the education system from the school level. Besides, the government had made a plan to set up skill development centres on the pattern of Jahan Khela in Hoshiarpur district at all the district headquarters in the state to impart training to the youth for development of different skills to tap job opportunities in the present day job market. While enumerating the other projects for accelerating the pace of development as well as to ensure extension and augmentation of the basic civic amenities to the people of the state, Badal said the government had chalked out a plan to provide safe drinking water and sewerage facilities to both the rural and urban areas. Besides, a mega project has been started to check release of industrial or other wastes into the river waters. He said though agriculture had ceased to be a lucrative venture, the state government could do little to help the farming community as it was the Centre, which has the power to fix the prices of the crops, diesel, fertilisers, seeds etc. Badal urged farmers to go for some innovative measures to minimise costs. He said the government had chalked out a plan to provide agricultural implements on rent to the farmers through cooperative societies. Reciprocating the demands put forth by the Banga MLA, Chaudhary Mohan Lal, the CM announced a grant of Rs 10 lakh for the construction of a community hall at Behram.
	Laggards need to pull up their socks: Dy CM Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 27 Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the notification pertaining to the police commissionerate system in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar districts under section 8 of the Punjab Police Act, 2007, would be issued next week. The Punjab government took a decision in this regard last week on the lines of the metro cities of the country. Badal was here at the Deputy Commissioner’s office to address a meeting of the district grievances redressal committee. Presiding over the meeting, the Deputy CM said the government would soon launch a systematic exercise to identify inefficient and corrupt employees in the state. He also said the state was looking forward to honour employees who were toiling hard to serve the people. Badal further emphasised on the policy of ‘perform or perish’ and said besides monthly appraisal of district police chiefs, the state would soon start appraisal of civil officers as well. Issuing strict warning to the officers, he said, “Laggards will have to pull up their socks as officials slacking in their duty would not be spared,” he warned. Expressing satisfaction over the pace of construction work of the local Khalsa College railway overbridge, he said the bridge would be completed within 9 months. It was assured that that the Damoria overbridge would be completed by March 2011. Later in the day, Badal paid a surprise visit to the local Suvidha Centre and enquired about the routine functioning and various facilities being offered at the counters. Badal was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Ajeet Singh Pannu, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Avinash Chander, Adampur MLA Sarabjit Singh Makkar, Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Jagbir Singh Brar, SSP R.K. Jaiswal, Chairperson Women Commission Punjab Gurdev Kaur Sangha and others.
	Republic Day Ministers play to the gallery, announce projects worth billions Tribune Reporters Jalandhar, January 27 Ranjeet Singh Brahmpura, Rural Development and Panchayat Minister, unfurled the Tricolour during the 61st Republic Day celebrations held at Guru Gobind Singh Stadium here. Elaborating on the various projects taken up for the economic development of Punjab, Brahmpura said the government was taking up a project for the uplift of slum-dwellers. It planned to spend Rs 135.77 crore on a housing project for the underprivileged section of the society. The minister said projects worth Rs 2033.92 crore had been started for the development of Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bathinda and Patiala. The minister said the government was keen on encouraging sports and had allocated Rs 250 crore for the sports hub of international standards in 60 acre area of Burlton Park here. Gurdaspur: Local Bodies and Industries Minister Manoranjan Kalia unfurled the National Flag and took the salute from contingents of the Punjab Police, BSF, Punjab Homeguards and NCC cadets drawn from various schools and colleges. He said the Punjab government had sanctioned an amount of Rs 80 crore for the setting up of a foundry and machine tool cluster at Batala. Hoshiarpur: Minister for Media Education and Research, Forest, Parliamentary Affairs and Labour, Punjab, Tikshan Sud, unfurled the National Flag at the local Police Lines ground. He said in order to boost up the industry, a capital subsidy of Rs 350 crore had been distributed to the industrialists. The work for setting up the oil refinery with a cost of Rs 18,919 crore was in progress. Amritsar: Mayor Shwet Malik unfurled the Tricolour on the premises of the Municipal Corporation on the occasion of 61st Republic Day. He said emphasise would be made on making the city neat and clean, implement sewerage disposal system in all parts of the city and expediting the pending projects, which included elevated road to important destinations, storm water disposal project, road gullies and round-the-clock functioning of the disposal plants with the backup of silent generators. The special children of Institute for Blinds also celebrated the occasion in their premises at Lohgarh. A blood donation camp was organised by Sri Guru Ram Dass Blood Donation Sewa society in which as many as 87 units of blood was donated to mark the occasion. Phagwara: Republic Day was celebrated in Phagwara, Goraya, Phillaur, Apra, Bilga, Noormahal and Nakodar yesterday. Chief Parliamentary Secretary, PWD, Des Raj Dhugga hoisted the National Flag in Government Senior Secondary School for Boys. Panchayats of Narur, Gulabgarh, Rawalpindi and Chuck Hakim villages were hounoured for their appreciable achievement in improving sex ratio. Nawanshahr: The district-level Republic Day function was organised here at the ITI Grounds on Tuesday. Education Minister Upinderjit Kaur unfurled the Tricolur and took salute from the contingents of Punjab Police, Homegaurds, NCC cadets and Girl Guides.
	Breach in wall sends IAF in a tizzy Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Pathankot, January 27 Panic gripped the Indian Air Force (IAF) base here today when the Himachal Police detected a breach in the wall separating the IAF base and the civil airport which falls under the jurisdiction of the Kangra district. The breach, which civil authorities say was not a major cause of concern, but a development, which actually sent ripples among the IAF men at the Pathankot Air Force station, was detected by some HP cops who were at the Majra village (HP) on routine duty, where the hole was detected. The cops were quick to inform the higher officials and Nurpur tehsil DSP Hari Ram reached the spot. A Punjab Police party, led by DSP Naresh Dogra, and IAF security officials too reached the spot. The first thing the police did was to scotch rumours that there was a tunnel and clarified that it was simply a breach caused by removal of bricks by some identified persons. The owner of a stone-crusher Ranjeet Singh Lali, who regularly operates in the vicinity of the wall, was questioned. However, he said for the last few weeks he had not operated his crusher in the area where the breach had occurred. Not taking any chances, the Himachal Police have registered a case against unidentified persons under the Public Property Damage (PPD) Act at the Nurpur police station. The Gurdaspur SSP Lok Nath Angra said it was a simple breach and investigations were on to ascertain the cause of the gaping hole in the common wall separating the IAF base and the civil airport.
	Pangura gets another guest Amritsar, January 27 Just a week after a two-year-old girl child, another guest occupied the ‘Pangura’ (cradle) at the Red Cross Society premises here today. Incidentally, the common thing among the two was that both were girl children and were found in the Jhabal area in the Tarn Taran district. According to an official communiqué received here, the infant was spotted by the residents in a garbage dump. The police officials said they received the information about 12.00 noon through the residents. The girl was reportedly abandoned in a garbage dump at Panchayat land situated on the backside of the shops on the Khemkaran-Jhabal road. The concerned officials, upon not being able to find the antecedents of the infant’s parents, took over the possession of the child and admitted it with the Red Cross Society. Later, the child was handed over to Shishu Niketan, Jalandhar, after the completion of the formalities. It is pertinent to mention here that the enrollment with the Pangura has touched the figure of 17. — TNS