Ludhiana, March 23
Putting to rest speculations over the existence of a ‘black list’ of NRIs, the Union Government has released a list of NRIs from Punjab to the state government for its final word.

The list that has been sent to the Home Department of Government of Punjab comprises about 200 names of NRIs, highly placed sources in the department said.

‘‘The Punjab government has been asked to clear the list and let the Union Government know whether the names should be deleted from there or not. Most of the names have been cleared by the intelligence agencies, who claimed they had no problem if the NRIs visited India,’’ said the sources.

They added the ball was now in the court of the Punjab government. ‘‘If they want the names dropped, it can be done easily. So the controversy over the list can be put to rest.’’

Meanwhile, Secretary, Home Department, Punjab, AR Talwar said they were yet to get a copy of the list. He said whenever they received it, they would send it to the DGP for clearance.

The issue of the ‘black list’ had been hogging headlines for the past many months. Almost all political parties were trying to harp on the issue but nobody was clear how many names were there on the ‘black list’.

Meanwhile, a Punjab legislator from Quila Raipur constituency, Jassi Khangura, today announced a webpage and online petition seeking reform of the NRI ‘black list’.

Khangura said he had already written to the Prime Minister on this issue and now requested NRIs and those with families overseas to visit the page and spread the word requesting the Prime Minister and Home Minister to review and reform the Union Entry ‘Black List’.

Khangura stressed, “We need to ensure that the diaspora are not victims of dubious claims against them, resulting in their being banned from entering India without due cause. We have every reason to believe that some land grabs have taken place after getting people’s names added to the list via fraudulent means. Clearly this is not an acceptable scenario and does nothing to improve India’s relations with the diaspora.

The petition has been started online at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nrientryblacklistreform/ and Khangura said, “I hope that we can get a genuinely constructive review of this matter, by demonstrating how important it is to people.”

Chandigarh, March 23
Registration of all marriages, and verification of NRI grooms’ antecedents are some of the suggestions the state wants to be implemented for ending vacation marriages. The recommendations are part of report by the “Parliamentary Committee on Women Empowerment”. It was tabled before the Lok Sabha in January.

As a petition filed in public interest for framing a policy to protect Indian women “from being exploited” came up for hearing before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Punjab Department of Home Affairs and Justice Secretary Sameer Kumar asserted in an affidavit that the committee has already called for stricter norms to protect the women.

It has asked the government to consider enactment of uniform personal laws for all religious communities on marriage, divorce, maintenance, property rights and related issues; and to incorporate special provisions in them with regard to NRI marriages.

Quoting the report, he said the registration of marriages with NRIs would not only help women fight her case, but also enable the embassy to have full information on marriages. The committee has asked the government to ensure verification of NRI bridegrooms in the country of their residence.

The state government should also be informed. 

Hussainiwala (Ferozepur), March 23
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal today categorically said there was no vendetta politics in the state.

“There is a clear mention in the address made by Governor in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in the beginning of the current session that neither there is a politics of vendetta in Punjab nor it will be in future,” Badal said while talking to media persons after addressing a state-level function organised here to commemorate the supreme sacrifices made by Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev for the Independence of the country.

“We are focused on development of state instead of political vendetta,” he said.

To a question, he even went to the extent of saying that he would welcome his political opponents to hold common functions to pay homage to such national martyrs.

When asked that thousands of Congress workers had been implicated in false criminal cases ever since the SAD-BJP combine came to power in Punjab, he said these were baseless allegations and claimed that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal never indulged in politics of vendetta in his political career spanning over five decades.

He kept mum when asked about his comments over the move of the Punjab government to withdraw criminal and corruption cases registered against politicians.

However, when asked whether the Constitution permitted withdrawal of cases registered against the politicians, he said, “We are examining the cases as per the provisions of the Constitution.”

He also did not comment when asked whether corruption cases registered against him, his family members and former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh should reach to their logical end or not.

Tarn Taran, March 23
Tension prevailed in this area today after the death of a leader of the All-India Khet Mazdoor Union, who allegedly died following a raid conducted by the police on his residence in Palasour village, 4 km from here, last midnight. The deceased has been identified as Kashmir Singh (60).

The raid was a part of the series to arrest leaders of 22 kisan and mazdoor organisations since last night, who had announced to stage a three-day dharna in front of the office of the IG, Amritsar, from March 25.

State secretary of the CPM Charan Singh Virdi, state secretary of the CPI Bhupinder Sambhar, along with leaders of other pro-Left mass organisations, reached at the local Civil Hospital, where a postmortem examination of the deceased was to be conducted.

Both Communist parties held the police responsible for the death of Kashmir Singh and have threatened to launch an agitation in case the police failed to register a case against the police party, which conducted raid on the residence of Kashmir.

However, SP Tejinder Pal Singh Maur termed it as a natural death and said further action would be taken after a postmortem report.

Workers of the Communists parties staged a dharna at the Civil Hospital. Virdi said the raid was the clear violation of the human rights as the communist workers were planning to stage a dharna at the IG office demanding the arrest of the accused responsible for the murder of kisan leader Sadhu Singh Takhtupura.

Hussainiwala (Ferozepur), March 23
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal today admitted that the dreams for which Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev laid down their lives to free India from British occupation, were yet to be realised.

"It is sad that the aspirations of our freedom fighters have not yet been realised. They dreamt of an independent India free of illiteracy, unemployment and starvation," said Sukhbir, while addressing a state-level function organised on the occasion of the 79th martyrdom day of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his two associates.

The Deputy Chief Minister said martyrs were not restricted to any region, religion or faith. They belonged to all, irrespective of caste, colour and creed. He added that his government was committed to perpetuate the legacy of freedom fighters.

He announced that the irrigation system in Punjab was being revamped to provide water in the border pockets for irrigation purposes.

Before addressing the audience, Sukhbir along with his ministerial colleagues and other leaders garlanded the statues of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev and laid a wreath on the samadh of BK Dutt and Vidyawati (Punjab Mata). He also paid rich tributes to the martyrs of 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars.

He also honoured relatives of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. He also announced a grant of Rs 50 lakh for the beautification and development of the local memorial.

Unmindful of their status in the country, the district administration meted out “shabby” treatment to the kin of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, who especially came here from Saharanpur (UP) and Faridabad (Haryana), to pay homage to the martyr.

While small-time politicians were seated in the front row along with Sukhbir Badal, kin of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, including his nephew Kiranjit Singh Sandhu, Yadwinder Singh, grandson of his (Bhagat Singh) brother and his wife, were made to sit in the second row. There were other similar lapses also.

Jalandhar, March 23
Thousands of commuters were put to inconvenience today who were travelling on the Chandigarh-Nawanshahr-Jalandhar and Chandigarh-Machhiwara-Nawanshahr-Jalandhar stretch of the highway.

The Nawanshahr-Jalandhar stretch of the highway remained closed for some hours today because the government had organised a function to pay tributes to Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Khatkar Kalan village near Nawanshahr. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal presided over the function.

The vehicular traffic from Chandigarh to Jalandhar was diverted to Garhshankar from Nawanshahr. Many people were not familiar with the Garhshankar route so they faced a lot of difficulty. In fact, Chandigarh-Jalandhar highway further connects to Amritsar, Batala, and Gurdaspur roads.

“All of a sudden we were told to divert to Garhshankar. They should have given a notice in advance with regard to the proposed diversion of traffic on this route”, said a family travelling in a car.

Even some people who were to go to Jalandhar and further got back to Rahon from Nawanshahr to take Rahon-Phillaur- Phagwara route to reach their destination. There was no official at Rahon to guide the commuters.

“First, we went to Nawanshahr from Samrala via Rahon. At Nawanshahr, we were told to divert to Garhshankar to reach Jalandhar. As we were not familiar with the Garhshankar route, we returned to Rahon to reach Jalandhar via Phillaur”, said another family travelling in a jeep.

At Khatkar Kalan, the function was organised at a distance from the highway. In view of this, there was no need to close the highway for traffic. 

Chandigarh, March 23
Who is the real Bhagat Singh? Definitely not the one depicted in advertisements released by the Centre and the Punjab government on the martyr’s death anniversary, if his family members are to be believed. Family members of the Shaheed-e-Azam want both the Centre and the state to make amends and use the “real” photographs of the martyr.

At present the photograph used officially by the state government to depict the martyr is based on a group photograph of the Lahore National College Dramatic Society. A painting was made based on this photograph, which is being used for official purposes.

Bhagat Singh’s nephew Kiranjit Singh, while talking to The Tribune, said though the photograph of Bhagat Singh in a hat was more famous at the world level, the Punjab government should at least use the original photograph of the martyr in official advertisements. He said the photograph being used at present was a morphed one on which facial features had been changed and a beard added. Kiranjit said Bhagat Singh did not have a beard at 17 when he was photographed at National College.

Abhay Sandhu, another nephew of the martyr, is even more forthcoming on the issue, saying the government should focus on Bhagat Singh’s ideology and not his physical appearance. He said the martyr’s photograph in a hat was a part of his national identity and should be given due importance. He said it was wrong on the part of the state government to protest against the release of a commemorative coin of the martyr in a hat.

Abhay said the government’s insistence on using a painting depicting Bhagat Singh with a beard reflected its petty-mindedness. He said in case a photograph of the martyr as a Sikh was to be used, it should be the original National College photograph. “When we have four photographs of Bhagat Singh as a child, college student, under trial and as a clean-shaven youth, why should we use any other photograph,” he added.

Meanwhile, Jawahar Lal Nehru University Prof Dr Chaman Lal, who has written “Jail Notebook and Other writings” on Bhagat Singh, said both the Centre and the Punjab government were showing utter insensitivity to protests made by the martyr’s family members as well as scholars against the manner in which he was being depicted officially. “Anywhere in the world, only real photographs are used to focus upon their national or international heroes and paintings are used only in case real photographs are not being available,” he added.

Professor Lal said the photograph of Bhagat Singh in a white turban was in the possession of his family members and also on the Internet. He said so was the last photo of the martyr in a hat taken in April 1929 by a photographer at Kashmere Gate in Delhi. 

Khatkar Kalan, March 23
Though thousands of people from all walks of life turned up here to pay tributes to Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, the immediate members of family of the martyr had to return home dejected.

Abhay Singh Sandhu, a nephew of the martyr, told The Tribune, “We have been humiliated as there was no one to receive us when we reached the venue. To add insult to injury, we were made to follow the security drill and were frisked. Not only this, even the handbags of the women members were checked minutely before they were allowed inside, he lamented.

Are we a threat to anyone, he asked, adding that this sort of a shabby treatment to someone who has been especially invited to grace the occasion is deplorable especially on an occasion when the entire country is paying tributes to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.

Sandhu was also miffed at the multiple functions organised by the political parties on this day. No one can apportion the credit for doing more in the name and memory of our martyrs, certainly not the politicians, he opined.

Sandhu was critical of the political tone and tenor of the function. Every speaker pays perfunctory tributes in just two lines and the rest of the speech is devoted to either eulogising their boss or claiming credit for various developmental works being carried out by their party.

The state government has plenty of occasions to highlight its achievements but it should respect the sensibilities of the people by not turning such a function into a party rally, he added.

Enquiries made at the venue revealed that the martyr’s family was also not served lunch after the function. Predictably, there was no one to see them off too.

The family members of the Shaheed-e-Azam included his nephew Abhey Singh Sandhu, Bhupinder Singh, Harjeevpal Singh Gill, Abhitej Singh, Amarjyoti Thind and Anush Priya Benipal.

Chandigarh, March 23
The SAD-BJP government takes pride in claiming it is focused on the youth. However, it has “failed” to take out a paltry Rs 8 lakh in the past two years for the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Youth Awards, which are given to youngsters who excel in various fields by the Youth Services Department. The award, which can be given to a maximum of two youths in each of the 20 districts in the state, carries a cash reward of Rs 10,000.

Youth, who were expecting to be awarded on the occasion of the martyr’s death anniversary today, claimed that the government was not processing applications for the grant of the awards in a time-bound manner. A few youngsters had gone on to bag the national award for youth services, but had been “ignored” by their parent state.

This has come in for criticism by Bhagat Singh’s family also. Martyr’s nephew Kiranjit Singh said it was sad that the government “failed” to encourage the youth to take up positive activities. He said the government should hold an inquiry to find out why the awards were not being bestowed annually.

The youth awards in the martyr’s name are given to outstanding youngsters for achievements in the fields of sports, academics, youth leadership and social service. Points are given for excellence achieved in each category. At the district level, the DC is the chairman of the committee that invites applications. Nominations are then forwarded to a state-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary, which clears the awards.

Kulwinder of Bathinda says he has secured a national award for youth services in 2002, but failed to be awarded by the state despite applying in 2002. Balkaran, also of Bathinda, claimed he had not received any intimation from the Youth Services department despite applying two years ago.

Youth Services Additional Secretary Daljit Singh claimed that the government had recently finalised 14 awards for 2008-09 and that they would be distributed at an appropriate function soon. He said applications for the 2009-10 awards were still to be received.

Youth, however, claim the fact that only 14 youth and not the full 40 could qualify for awards in 2008-09 as claimed by the Youth Services itself spoke of the “casual” attitude of the government towards this initiative. 

Patiala, March 23
An internationally acclaimed novelist and niece of Late Jawaharlal Nehru, Nayantara Sahgal needs no introduction. Like her uncle’s writings, her compositions, too, are a great blend of political awareness and literary knowledge.

Talking to The Tribune, Nayantara said she was blessed to be born in a family where gender equality was the most fundamental principle and that’s what made her so independent and a person who is capable to hold a public opinion and express it when need arises.

Born and brought up in a strong political family, Nayantara felt that one could not separate politics from literature and vice versa. On politics in literature, she said politics was an integral part of literature. “How can any writing be aloof of politics when everyone is living in a political environment right from the time of birth till death?” she wondered.

Talking on the limitations on artistic expression, she said it was our duty to ‘hurt’ some sentiments. “Had we been scared, the widows would still have been burnt. Freedom of expression is very important, as there are occasions when art must enter into controversy. It’s only then that people read about it and it is widely analysed,” she said.

When asked about her views on Women’s Reservation Bill, she said it was undoubtedly a good beginning. “Although I have some legitimate fears on whether it would serve the purpose for what it has been framed, yet one has to be hopeful. It is a very small step. Once more women come into Parliament, it might bring change after some time,” she promptly replied.

Throwing light on her future projects, she said her next novel was a non-fiction titled ‘Jawaharlal Nehru: Civilising a savage world’ which would be released in October this year. The novel would give insights into how Nehru as a PM did a unique work in civilising a nation that was suffering from Cold War. 

Ropar, March 23
Candidates appearing for written exams for recruitment as teachers in 25 adarsh and model schools in state are a harassed lot.

C-DAC Mohali, the body conferred with rights to conduct exam, has changed examination centres of the candidates more than twice in a day causing great inconvenience to the candidates.

An aspirant for PGT (Physics) post from Kharar today travelled all the way to Amritsar to take the exam. “When I reached the venue, I was told that venue has been changed and was directed to approach a school near Jallianwala Bagh.

When I went to the changed venue, I saw that the school’s building has been dismantled long ago and it had now been shifted to some other place,” she rued, pleading anonymity. Similar chaos was witnessed at various centres of Amritsar, Bathinda and Sangrur today.

The Education Department authorities said this has led to considerable number of candidates failing to take exam timely. On its website, C-DAC Mohali has alerted candidates to check their exam centers latest by March 22, whereas today, too, the centres were changed.

Sources said the exam centres marked earlier are already in use due to ongoing board exams of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB).

“The government has decided to fill seats by March 31 and start classes by 1st April. In this haste, candidates are at receiving end,” rued another candidate from Ropar aspiring for PGT (Maths) post.

It is pertinent to mention here that 59,705 candidates are appearing for this exam throughout the state for different teaching and non-teaching posts in soon-to-be opened adarsh and government school in the state.

Education Minister Dr Upinderjit Kaur was not available for comments despite repeated attempts.

Jalandhar, March 23
The Union Government has relaxed specifications with regard to rice prepared from the controversial PAU 201 variety of paddy. Giving this information, president of Punjab Rice Millers Association Tarsem Saini told The Tribune today that the Union Ministry for Civil Supplies and Consumers Affairs had informed the state government through its letter number 8/21/208/ S &I dated March 23 that the relaxation in broken rice had been increased from 25 per cent to 28 per cent and in case of damage from 4 to 4.75 per cent for acceptance in the national pool.

However, the relaxation in damage had been given only for the districts falling in Patiala and Ferozepur divisions. In fact, the PAU 201 variety was transplanted mostly in these two divisions while farmers in rest of Punjab had opted for other varieties.

Earlier, the damage percentage limit was 3 per cent, but it was enhanced to 4 per cent on the state government’s insistence. Now, it has been increased to 4.75 per cent. Rice with damage beyond 5 per cent is not accepted in the national pool because it violates the rules framed under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

Saini said it was because of the relentless efforts made by Food and Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon that the specifications were relaxed. “We all are thankful to Kairon for saving the state as well as rice millers for whom the PAU 201 had become a big trouble”, Saini said.

About 40 lakh tonnes of paddy was procured during the last procurement season. Millers had refused to mill it because of high percentage of damaged rice prepared from it. It had become a big headache for the state government, which had spent about Rs 4,300 crore to procure it. “Now, we will start its milling”, Saini said.

He said the Union Government had made it clear that it was a one-time exception made in case of PAU 201 and would not be applicable in future.

As it was a one-time exception, the state government would have to tell farmers not to transplant this variety during the coming paddy transplantation season.