The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Baba Sewa Singh’s efforts lauded Amarjit Thind Tribune News Service Khadoor Sahib, February 12 Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Manohar Singh Gill has lauded the services in the field of education, female foeticide and other social evils, rendered by Baba Sewa Singh Kar Sewa Wale and congratulated the Baba on being conferred the Padam Shri for his pioneering social work in this backward border area. He was in the city to inaugurate the newly-constructed Bibi Amro Girls Hostel of the Guru Angad Dev College here this afternoon. Gill also urged other religious personalities to indulge in building more educational institutions, especially schools for girls in the interior areas of the state. He also urged religious personalities to carry out such activities in addition to propagating their religion. Not mincing words, he said mere lip service could not remove the evils plaguing our society. Eradicating female foeticide and crimes against women were the need of the hour since this was the only way that the skewed sex ration could be corrected in the larger interests of the society, he emphasised. Commenting on the dismal school infrastructure in the state, he said that was why our students were unemployable. Most of the schools do not have a decent building and even if you find a good building, there are no teachers. “It is the society and the state which are the losers in such a scenario. I have clearly told the officials that my MPLAD should only go for building schools and colleges,” he pointed out, amidst applause from the audience. Recalling the contribution of former CM Partap Singh Kairon in the field of education during his service days, he said whatever infrastructure was still available or useable, was the result of the planning and farsightedness of the former political stalwart, he added. Speaking on the occasion, Baba Sewa Singh humbly accepted the award on behalf of the people who tirelessly work with him and added that he would do whatever was in his hands to construct more facilities for the children of the poor in the countryside. Others present on the occasion included Sikh scholar Dr. Raghubir Singh Bains, DS Khaira, Principal, Guru Angad Dev College and GS Gill, Principal, Baba Gurmukh Singh Uttam Singh Senior Secondary School.
	Journalists can help promote Indo-Pak ties: SAFMA Kusum Arora Tribune News Service Jalandhar, February 12 The members of the South Asian Free Media Association, (SAFMA) today said journalists on both sides of the border should put pressure on their respective governments through articles and news published in their newspapers for better Indo-Pak ties. Imtiaz Alam, Editor of South Asian Journal - a quarterly magazine of South Asian Journalists and Scholars, under the SAFMA, said this during its annual meeting here today. He said journalists and scholars should write on real issues concerning India and Pakistan, so as to promote a culture of dialogue and an environment of peace between both the nations. “Media on both the sides should act as a solution for continuing peace talks between India and Pakistan”, he added. Elaborating the need for media to work on peace initiatives, eminent journalist and former BBC Correspondent, Satish Jacob said, “The Indian government is spending an amount worth crores on Indian jawans for manning the Line of Control. It is high time that the governments reconsider the need to resume bilateral talks for a peaceful environment.” Jacob also lamented the scenario of Indian media in the present times. The eminent journalist initiated a discussion on the media losing it’s credibility due to rising commercialisation and competition. The famous journalist raised an open platform for the audience, including journalists and scholars, to express their views on media and its credibility. Further SAFMA also embarked on establishing an ambitious South Asia Media University (SAMU) at its headquarters in Lahore for improving higher media education in South Asia. “The university would invite two bright female journalism students from Indian universities from Punjab for its two-month courses. We are also planning to start six-month media courses in the coming times as well,” he added. Alam also said SAFMA is all set to start its own Punjabi Radio in which programmes from Indian and Pakistan territories would be available at both sides through the internet. “We have almost completed the modalities for starting up the Punjabi Radio. And we are hopeful that it would begin soon”, he added. Among others who spoke on the occasion were Sardar Pyara Singh Bhogal, Sanjay Pandey, Dr. Kamlesh Singh Duggal, Dr. Ranbir Singh, Parminderjit Singh, Satnam Singh Manak, Chanchal Manohar Singh and Davinder Davi. The meeting was also attended by journalism students of the Guru Nanak Dev University, Regional Campus, Ladhewali.
	Mahashivratri celebrated with fervour Tribune Reporters Hoshiarpur, February 12 Shivratri was celebrated with great enthusiasm here today. People, including women and children thronged the temples of Lord Shiva and performed Puja for their mental peace and prosperity. They also recited sankirtan. All temples were tastefully decorated and illuminated to mark the celebrations. Thousands of persons thronged Guru Daronacharya and Pandava temples of Lord Shiva at Shivbari, Gagret and Kaleshwar Mahadev to pay their obeisance on the occasion. They offered milk, water, billpatti etc. on the Shivlingam. Langars of various edible goods were also arranged on the occasion. Batala: Shivratri was celebrated with here today with great enthusiasm. Thousands of persons from all walks of life started pouring at the Achaleshwar Temple on the Batala-Jalandhar Road. Devotees took a holy bath in the sarovar of the temple. The Achaleshwar Mandir Trust arranged many types of langars for the visiting pilgrims. However, the Batala police had made elaborate security arrangements to meet any untoward incident.
	6 of in-laws’ family booked Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, February 12 Six members of a woman’s in-laws family have been booked for killing her girl child and torturing her for dowry. A case under sections 302, 498, 506, 511, 314, 315 and 34 of the IPC has been registered at Bhikhiwind police station against the six. The accused have been identified as Dilbag Singh, his father Surmail Singh, mother Pal Kaur, sisters Rajwinder Kaur and Beant Kaur, residents of Maniala Jai Singh village (Patti), and another relative Harpal Singh. The case has been registered on the complaint of Navjeet Kaur, the wife of Dilbag Singh. The complainant, who is residing with her parents at Gandiwind Sarai village, 30 km from here, said the accused had poisoned her newborn daughter to death to whom she had given birth on February 16, 2008. They had threatened her with dire consequences in case she disclosed this to anyone. Navjeet said her in-laws had been demanding more dowry and they threw her out of the house sometime back.
	Language panels run behind schedule Amaninder Pal/TNS Jalandhar, February 12 After a brief interval of hope, promotion of the mother tongue is again in doldrums in nearly all the districts of Majha and Doaba region. Nearly all districts of the region have failed to organise meetings of District Language Committees, as per schedule. The District Language Departments in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Hoshiarpur have organised just one meeting of the said committee, after the inception of such committees, which were constituted in the mid of last year. As per schedule, such meetings should be held after two month-intervals. However, the Language Department in Jalandhar and Kapurthala also toed the same, Nawanshahr is the only exception, where two such meetings were organised. The committees were formed at the district-level with a minister from the district as Chairman and the Deputy Commissioner as Vice Chairman. District Education Officer (Secondary) and District Public Relations Officer, along with eminent scholars, journalists and social workers, were also taken as members of the committees. The District Language Officer is supposed to serve as the convener of these committees. “A politician is taken as the Chairperson of these committees and everybody knows the casual attitude of politicians towards such issues. Moreover these committees are nothing but an eyewash as they do not possess any power to enforce use of Punjabi in offices”, said Dr. Sarbjit Singh, eminent Punjabi critique and General Secretary of Kendri Punjab Lekhak Sabha. It is the same reason that nearly 40 eminent Punjabi writers and 20 journalists submitted their mass resignation from these committees last year, he added. However Director, Language Department, Balbir Kaur refuted such perceptions. “There is no such delay on the part of politicians or officers. As far as I know, next meetings in all the districts across the state have already been fixed. If, however, meetings in some districts have been postponed, it might only be due to unavoidable engagements of Chairpersons, not due to their non-serious approach,” she added. The setting up of these committees was delayed in Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur.