Hisar, April 5
The capital punishment awarded to five convicts in the Manoj and Babli killings is unlikely to deter khap panchayats in Haryana because the rural society continues to back the kangaroo courts on the issue of intra-gotra marriages.

One only has to randomly visit a few villages of the Deswali belt to come to the horrible conclusion that the killers are being generally viewed by the villagers as "martyrs for a social cause" and "protectors of society".

"They may be killers in the eyes of the law. For us they are martyrs. You can call them social soldiers who will make the supreme sacrifice so that society does not disintegrate", commented a 45-year-old man hailing from Belarkha village of Jind district. If this comment is not shocking enough, consider this: this is the viewpoint of a schoolteacher.

The opposition to intra-gotra marriages is so deeply ingrained in the rural psyche that death sentences simply cannot be a deterrent. A lawyer hailing from the same village explains why it is so. "Incest is a crime. Isn't it? Is there a society in any part of the world that approves of incest? A marriage between members of the same gotra is incest and the rural society will never excuse those who perpetrate incest", he says.

The death sentence is being debated continually and hotly in the entire belt. The tone and tenor of the debate is that of angst. The discussions sadly do not focus on how to curb the khap panchayats but on how the rural society can meet the challenge of such verdicts in the future.

A retired district judge, now settled in his ancestral village in Rohtak district, sums up the problem in this manner. "As a student of political science in the college and later while studying law in the university, I was taught that social sanction is what gives law the teeth it requires to serve its purpose. Unfortunately, the rural society does not give sanction to intra-gotra marriages on the one hand and, on the other, it does not approve of the courts' verdicts against those who perpetrate honour killings. Unless, the societal viewpoint changes, no amount of death sentences will curb kangaroo courts and honour killings", he said.

That also underlines the dilemma of politicians and bureaucrats who are often accused of turning a blind eye to the activities of the khaps. This is what a seasoned politician had to say by way of explanation. "I am a politician not a social reformist. If I were to go against what the rural society believes in, I will be hunted out in a jiffy. As their leader I have to preach, and not oppose, what they believe in", he says.

At a personal level, there are many who do not approve of the khaps and honour killings. But they are hopelessly outnumbered. Unfortunately, this silent minority sees no hope in the near future. "Social reforms are very slow processes and it will take several generations to finally accept intra-gotra marriages. Till that happens, death sentences or life terms will not stop honour killings", said an ageing farmer of Datasinghwala village in Jind.

Sirsa, April 5
The power utilities will release 2,36,913 power connections to BPL families free of cost under the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana at an estimated cost of Rs 240 crore. Of these, over 1,00,000 BPL connections have already been released.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda revealed this after inaugurating a 33-KV substation at Panihari village in this district recently.

He said that there would be no shortage of electricity in Haryana next year as power projects under construction were up coming at a fast pace as per schedule. People would start getting power for 20 to 22 hours daily from next year.

The first 600-MW unit of the 1200-MW Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Project at Khedar, Hisar was synchronised in December, 2009, in a record period of 35 months and the unit had taken the full load on trial on April 1. The second unit of this project was expected to be synchronised this month.

He said work on the 1500-MW Indira Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project at Jhajjar under a joint venture of Haryana, Delhi and the NTPC was in an advanced stage of construction. The first 500- MW unit of the project was expected to be synchronised in July.

The second and the third 500 MW units were likely to be ready in December and February, 2011.

The first 660-MW unit of the Mahatma Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project at Jhajjar was next in line to be commissioned in December, 2011, and another 660-MW unit-II by May, 2012.

Hooda said the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam and the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam had devised an ambitious Rs 300-crore plan to strengthen power transmission and distribution in Sirsa district.

Under this plan, the power utilities would construct 19 substations, including a 400-KV substation at Nuhianwali, a 220-KV substation at Chormar, three 132-KV substations at Khairkan, Dhudhianwali and Kurangawali and 14 33-KV substations at various places in the district. Besides, the capacity of nine existing substations was planned to be augmented.

The nigam plans to set up 2320 new distribution transformers and augment the capacity of 885 transformers. As many as 735 transformers would be installed this year.

The CM said that the utilities had commissioned 16 33-KV substations and augmented the capacity of 22 existing substations during the past five years.

The DHBVN set up 13,510 new substations, augmented the capacity of 864 existing substations and erected 3186-km distribution lines during this period to strengthen power distribution in the district.

Chandigarh, April 5
Launched in April 2005, the National Rural Health Mission (NHRM) is yet to fully take off in Haryana. These are the findings of the report submitted by the Comptroller and Auditor-General on the performance of the Health Department.

In its report, the CAG points out that perspective plans were yet to be prepared for all districts and those prepared were based on incomplete household and facilities data due to incomplete surveys. Out of 20 districts, the department had a plan in place only for 11.

Consequently, the state programme implementation plan, which was to be prepared by aggregating the district perspective plan, was not reflective of the ground position.

This lack of planning had a cascading effect on the implementation of the mission. No district level and sub-district level budgets were prepared with the result that funds were allocated on receipt from the Centre, without any reference to requirement which in turn resulted in money remaining unspent.

The infrastructure development is far behind schedule and no primary health centres and sub-centres were constructed despite the availability of funds, the CAG maintains.

There was no augmentation of diagnostic and clinical facilities as per the IPHS and most of the health centres lacked full quorum of doctors, para-medical staff and nurses. The report points out that there was a shortage of 61 per cent doctors and 50 per cent para-medical staff in CHCs which were checked, while there was a shortfall of 43 per cent doctors and 69 per cent other staff in PHCs which were checked. As a result, targets for many components under various health programmes could not be achieved, while some programmes suffered from lack of basic medicines or vaccines and the improvement in key health indicators till March 2008 was indicative that the targets to be met by 2010 were unlikely to be achieved.

The CAG also mentions that a number of pregnant women did not register themselves for prescribed antenatal check-up. Even registered pregnant women did not show up while the number of institutionalised deliveries, too, fell short of the target of 50 per cent in the initial years.

The report has recommended that the perspective plan for each district should be prepared for the period 2008-12 after conducting household and facility surveys. Also, construction of new health centres should be taken up on priority and posts of doctors and para-medical staff be filled up at the earliest to ensure the availability of proper health facilities. Further, IEC activities need to be invigorated to educate rural population about healthcare awareness.

Chandigarh, April 5
Every year campaigns are launched by official agencies to dissuade farmers from sowing "Saathhi" variety of paddy and burning wheat stubble and paddy straw and other agriculture residue after harvesting.

The "Saathhi" variety of paddy, which draws its name the fact that it takes just 60 days to mature, has been a favourite with farmers, who sow this variety immediately after harvesting wheat. It matures when the time comes to transplant other varieties of paddy. Thus, the farmers are able to get one additional crop between the wheat-paddy rotation.

However, "Saathhi" needs lot of water for irrigation because when it is sown, the summer is at its peak, with no rain. The farmers have to depend on tubewells for the survival of this variety of paddy. This not only puts pressure on the power system during the summer, but also adversely affects the underground water table.

Therefore, the government has decided to take punitive action against those sowing "Saathhi". Now, the sowing of this paddy variety has been greatly reduced.

Similarly, the official agencies have been trying to educate the farmers about the ill-effects of burning crop residue after harvesting. The burning not only leads to pollution, but also deprives the soil of much-needed nutrients, if the wheat stubble and paddy straw are ploughed back into the fields.

The government has now instituted awards for controlling this menace in the state. According to Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati, a scheme will be launched to give awards as an incentive to the three best blocks in each district that report substantial progress in controlling the menace of burning of wheat stubble and paddy straw. The amount would be used by Panchayat Samitis on conducting awareness activities on environment.

Under the scheme, cash awards of Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 would be given to the first, second and third blocks in each district. Letters will be written to all sarpanchs in the state, apprising them about the ill-effects of burning agricultural residue in open fields.

The Agriculture Department is also providing subsidy for rotavator, bailer machine and cutter-cum-binding machine, which would help control the menace of burning of agriculture residue.

The Haryana Pollution Control Board has also organised extensive awareness programmes in all 119 blocks to discourage the farmers from burning agricultural residue. The board had also sponsored jingles on various radio stations in the, in addition to putting up posters mentioning the harmful effects of burning of agriculture residue at prominent places in each village. 

Panipat, April 5
In order to ensure safety of employees and establishments, the authorities of the Panipat IOC refinery conducted a mock exercise on chemical (industrial) disaster at the refinery training centre.

Ashwani Sharma, executive director of the refinery, while welcoming the delegates, said safety was an integral part of any industry, especially in the hydrocarbon industry.

He said serious concern evolving appropriate strategy for identifying, assessing and controlling industrial hazards had come up after the Bhopal incident and refineries had, therefore, developed an on-site emergency plan with the objective to minimise safety risks. Besides, such efforts also enable the authorities to improve emergency response and expedite rehabilitation.

While on-site emergency plan was in place, in case of situation getting out of control, it becomes extended emergency in refinery and safety of nearby population was of prime importance.

With this perspective an off-site emergency management plan had also been developed and issued by the deputy commissioner of Panipat.

For the plan to be developed further at the grass-roots level, the mock exercise had been organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) at the refinery.

Brig (Dr) BK Khanna (retd), senior specialist, NDMA, in a presentation said the exercise aimed at inculcating the culture of preparedness by identifying the gaps and improve plans and rescue capabilities to face actual disasters.

Sirsa, April 5
Select programmes of the community radio station of Chaudhary Devi Lal University are now available to Internet users.

The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication of the university has started a “podcast” service for this purpose.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda inaugurated the service in a formal ceremony organised at the Media Centre of the university.

Haryana Minister of State for Home, Sports and Industries Gopal Kanda presided at the ceremony. Chief parliamentary secretary Prahlad Singh Gillankheda, vice-chancellor BS Malik and deputy commissioner Yudhbir Singh Khyalia were also present.

The Chief Minister also released the March Issue of “Gaon Ki Aur”, a monthly journal of the District Rural Development Agency that is produced by students and teachers of the department.

In his address, Hooda congratulated the department for its innovative educational initiatives.

He said the community radio project of the department had received a good response in Sirsa.

Hooda said other varsities in the state were now following the footsteps of this department so far as the establishment of a community radio on their campuses was concerned.

Using the Internet, the varsity had now converted its local radio into a global venture, he added.

The Chief Minister also congratulated the host department for linking itself directly to the process of rural development by producing the DRDA journal.

Virender Singh Chauhan, CDLU radio director and chairperson of the department, said the local community was being extensively involved in the production of programmes on the CRS.

He claimed that the podcast service of the station was the first of its kind initiative in the entire northern India.

Kurukshetra, April 5
The scheme of the state government to provide free and uninterrupted supply of medicines to all OPD patients in government health institutions has become quite popular, especially in the rural areas.

A spokesperson of the Health Department said statistics showed that since its launch on January 1, 2009, the number of OPD patients has gone up by more than 55 per cent across the state and by more than 85 per cent in the rural areas. Encouraged by the response, the state government has decided to hike budgetary allocation for the purpose to Rs 29.22 crore, including Rs 15 crore under NRHM, in 2010-11 from Rs 26.25 crore, including Rs 14.28 crore under NRHM, in 2009-10, he added.

Comparing the figures, the spokesman said as many as 1.76 crore patients visited OPDs in 2009 against 1.13 crore in 2008 - representing an overall increase of 55.2 per cent. Though the exact urban-rural break-up of those visiting OPDs in 2009 is yet to be compiled, sources maintain that given the enthusiasm the scheme evoked, it should be about 85 per cent more than in 2008. The scheme had helped reduce prescription of propaganda medicine to zero, he added. Besides OPD patients, medicines are being supplied free of cost to casualty and delivery cases, including cesarean.

Giving details, he said drug procurement committees had been constituted at district-levels to decide on the medicines to be procured. The list of essential drugs includes 328 at general hospital-level, 112 at CHC-level and 98 at PHC and dispensary-level. Supplies of 102 medicines are procured from the PSUs while the rest are procured on the Haryana Rate Contract. Drugs can also be procured on DGS&D or ESI rate contract. Tenders are floated for the purpose and rate contracts are executed for two years after which tenders can be re-floated.

The drug monitoring software is in operation at the central store in every district. The integrated procurement division in Chandigarh ensured unhindered supply of medicines round the year. Reports on per capita drug consumption in all districts is compiled in Chandigarh on a weekly and monthly basis, the spokesperson added.

Ambala, April 5
Dr Sukhdip Singh, chief consultant of Patiala Eye Hospital and Lasik Laser Centre, underlined the need to have a regular eye check-up, especially after 40 years of age.

Speaking at a programme organised at a local school, he said people generally believed that if they could easily read newspaper their eyesight was normal while this was not the case.

He cautioned against the dangers of glaucoma and stressed the need for regular eye check-up. He said glaucoma was an asymptomatic disease and the only cure for this was its early diagnosis. He said in India, glaucoma or “kala motia” was under-diagnosed and widely prevalent as at least two crore people were suffering from it.

The eye specialist said, “Glaucoma causes progressive damage to the optic nerve at the point where it leaves the eye to carry visual information to the brain and if left untreated glaucoma progresses to gradually worsening visual damage and could lead to blindness”. He said once incurred visual damage was mostly irreversible and this had led to glaucoma being described as the silent blinding disease or the sneak thief of sight.

Dr Sukhdip Singh said intraocular pressure was a risk factor for glaucoma together with other factors such as racial ancestry, family history, high myopia and age. There is no clearly established difference in glaucoma incidence between men and women.

He said glaucoma was the second most common factor of blindness worldwide. An estimated 4.5 million people globally were blind due to glaucoma and this number would rise to 11.2 million by 2020. Due to silent progression of the disease, at least in its early stages, up to 50 per cent of the affected persons in the developed countries were not even aware of having glaucoma. This number could rise to 90 per cent in underdeveloped parts of the world.

Dr Sukhdip said there was no cure for glaucoma as yet, and vision loss was irreversible. However, medication or surgery, traditional or laser, could slowdown any further vision loss. Therefore, early detection was essential to limiting visual impairment and preventing the progression towards blindness. 

Sonepat, April 5
On the guidelines of the National Legal Services Authority, the process for setting up student legal literacy club/legal aid clubs in all colleges and schools in the district has been initiated by asking the principals and headmasters to enrol the volunteers for becoming members of these clubs.

The clubs are being set up with a view to utilising the energy and talent of students for the dissemination of information about legal aid programmes; to creating legal awareness among the masses; to encouraging them to emphasise and to bringing the needy and disadvantaged persons accessible to justice.

Giving details of the guidelines, District and Sessions Judge Virender Singh, who is also the chairman of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), informed that in colleges and universities, such clubs would be set up in association with the National Service Scheme (NSS) and in schools in liaison with the principals or headmasters. The clubs in the colleges may be headed by the NSS programme officer and by a teacher nominated by the principal or headmaster in the schools. Club members shall report their activities to programme officers in colleges and teacher in charge in schools.

The total members in each club shall not exceed 25. However, the authority may grant permission to any school or college to set up more than one club, if required.

The club members would be briefed by the DLSA and the Taluk Legal Service Committee (TLSC) about the salient features of important laws, modus operandi of legal services, pre-litigation settlement of disputes, lok adalats and ADR generally.

The club members would be encouraged to identify persons in their neighbourhood who deserve legal aid and who are in need of protecting their rights conferred by laws. The members with the recommendation of the PO or the teacher in charge may bring the person in need of legal services to the nearest DLSA or TLSC.

The DLSA and the TLSC shall keep a register of the clubs within their jurisdiction and a record of their activities and invite annual reports from clubs and such reports shall be preserved with other official records.

The DLSA and the TLSC shall evaluate the work done by the clubs and may institute cash award not exceeding Rs 2,000 for the best club in the taluk every year. In the same manner, the DLSA may select the best club from among the schools and colleges within the district for giving certificates and mementos to the best club.

Karnal, April 5
The Haryana Institute of Fine Arts (HIFA) organised Hasya Kavi Sammelan to mark the Fool’s Day at the local Gymkhana Club. The event was organised in collaboration with Sahyog International and was sponsored by National Finance Company, Global Galaxy and Shemrock International School.

Well-known poets like Surender Sharma, Hari Om Pawar, Manjit Singh, Praveen Shukla, Mamta Sharma and Sarvesh Asthana participated in the sammelan and presented some of their choicest couplets to amuse the audience.

The poets used sarcasm to mock a number of social evils and shortcomings prevalent in society in an attempt to generate general opinion against them. The event turned out to be a mega confluence of humour and satire as prominent poets from various parts of the country come up with their choicest couplets to stir mockery and even human conscience. The poetry that was introspecting for society was laced with humour of pastoral life of Haryana, which captivated the audience. Besides, one of the most relevant topics embarked upon by the poets was inflation which caught the attention of home makers.