Jalandhar, May 5
The ambitious “postgraduate Indira Gandhi scholarship for single girl child” scheme of the University Grants Commission (UGC) has virtually failed to take off in the region owing to its poor publicity and restricted norms.

This despite the fact that the district has some leading girls colleges and co-educational institutions where single girls can avail the benefit of the scheme. The scheme aimed at providing higher education through scholarship to single girl child was introduced by the UGC on the initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2005.

Under the scheme, every year 1,200 single girl children, who take admission in the first year of a master’s degree programme in any recognised university or a postgraduate college, would be given a scholarship of Rs 2,000 per month for two years (10 months in a year).

However, ever since the scheme came into force very few students applied for scholarship. And those who came forward did not fulfil the eligibility criterion.

The college authorities maintain that despite being a welfare scheme, it has actually failed to evoke response from the students.

Recently, DAV College handed over a cheque for Rs 32,000 to one of its students pursuing MSc (chemistry). Principal V.K. Tewari said despite publicising the scheme and displaying it on the college noticeboard we did not receive much response.

“The scheme is bound with limitations and the UGC should expand it to bring more single girl students under its ambit,” he added.

Some colleges also maintain that the UGC schemes are not much popular among the students. Academicians say the UGC schemes are advertised only in Employment News which elicits a lukewarm response. “Such welfare schemes should be advertised in other newspapers for better response,” said Principal Dr Jaspal Singh Randhawa of Lyallpur Khalsa College.

Principal Sarita Verma of BD Arya Girls College, Jalandhar cantonment, said though they announced the scheme in the college but not even a single student could avail the benefit.

“The students who applied for the scholarship were from PG diploma course and their applications were not accepted. The UGC authorities have a rigid format and it is 
not much practical,” she maintained.

The HMV authorities said those students who applied for the scholarship scheme were from Classes XI and XII. “There was no student from postgraduation level who could fulfil the eligibility criterion. It is owing to this reason that not many students could avail the benefit of this scheme,” she added.

Jalandhar, May 5
Government apathy has turned the veterinary dispensary at Kukkad Pind, near here, into a dilapidated structure. Instead of delivering treatment to the livestock of the village and surrounding areas, it now houses some homeless families.

The dispensary was established in the mid-seventies and a post of veterinary pharmacist was sanctioned to deliver services like routine immunisation, emergency care and routine check-up of livestock. Leaving initial years, the dispensary remained chronically nonfunctional due to short tenures of professionals posted here in the past three decades. Now, in the absence of any employee, the dispensary is nonoperational for the past two years.

Residents of Kukkad Pind, Kot Kalaan and Kot Khurd villages are ultimate the sufferers as they have to take their livestock to a veterinary hospital situated 2 km away from their villages.

Jagtar Singh, sarpanch of Kukkad Pind, said the villagers were forced to call experts form other villages and pay a heavy amount as consultation fee.

“We are paying Rs 150 per injection for artificial insemination (AI) and Rs 400-500 in case animal is ill. If a doctor is available here, at least we can buy medicine, but do not have to pay prescription fee,” said Jagtar Singh.

Interestingly, no authority holds responsibility to run the dispensary, as there is no record of existence of any such dispensary in the records of both Department of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development and Department of Animal Husbandry.

“The dispensary is not included in the list of total 22 veterinary dispensaries, which were transferred to our department a few years back,” said secretary, Zila Parishad (ZP), Jalandhar, A.S. Bains.

Even the Department of Animal Husbandry is in no mood to own this dispensary. “As per our record, the dispensary was set up by the village panchayat on its own and even the staff was employed and paid by the panchayat itself”, said an employee in the office of the Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry, Jalandhar.

However, sarpanch Jagtar Singh said the staff was employed and paid by the government. “I cannot tell whether it was Zila Parishad or Animal Husbandry Department, but it is clear that the staff was not at all employed by the village panchayat,” said Jagtar Singh.

Tarn Taran, May 5
Burning of wheat stubble almost had SDM Bakhtawar Singh and his driver killed when their official Gypsy was hit by a speeding truck, whose driver went blind due to heavy smoke emanating from the fields.

The SDM and driver of the Gypsy were injured in the accident, which happened late last evening near Naushehra Pannuan village, 18 kms from here.

The district police taking serious note of the incident booked six farmers for violating the prohibitory orders of burning wheat stubble. The sources said cases under section 188 of the CrPC have been registered.

The booked farmers have been identified as Salwinder Singh of Lakhna, Major Singh Chabal, Parsin Singh of Chohla Sahib, Daljit Singh of Cheema Kalan, Sukhwant Singh of Chaudhiwala and Gurjit Singh of Naushehra Pannaun.

According to sources, the SDM was going to Sarhali Kalan for some official work when the accident happened.

The Sarhali police has registered a case under sections 279, 337 and 427 of the IPC against the driver of the truck, who fled away from the scene.

Hoshiarpur, May 5
On account of acute shortage of staff, lack of funds and drying up of natural resources people of rural areas in the district, especially in sub-mountainous Kandi area are facing an acute scarcity of water in the scorching weather. The unscheduled prolonged power cuts have further aggravated the situation.

Founder president of the Social Democratic Party of India Jai Gopal Dhiman said here today that out of the total 1,390 villages in the district 650 were located in the Kandi belt where all natural outlets of water resources had dried up due to the failure of normal rainfall for the last five to eight years.

The inhabitants of Kandi areas almost depended upon the water supply schemes of the Public Health Department. It had become difficult for them to meet the water requirements of their milch animals.

Dhiman pointed out that many of the supply pipes of water supply schemes were leaking and demanding immediate replacement of them. Of the 22 sanctioned posts of sub-divisional engineers and 88 of junior engineers, 13 and 50 posts, respectively, had been lying vacant since long.

The Superintending Engineer of the Public Health Department, Hoshiarpur circle, Mukhtiar Singh, claimed that of the total 1,390 villages, 1336 had been covered under 497 water supply schemes. Water supply was being provided to 75 per cent of the area on contract basis. 40 litre water was being supplied to per member of the family from 102 Central Government-sponsored water supply schemes, whereas 70 litre each was being supplied from 395 water supply schemes installed with the help of NABARD and the World Bank.

The ground water level was below 850 feet from the average level in the Kandi areas. Tubewells at percolation wells had been installed in 11 water supply schemes in the Kandi area, which were catering to the water requirements of 30 villages. To cover up the remaining 64 villages new schemes had been prepared and sent to the state government for sanction and allotment of requisite funds.

The government was providing only limited funds for the salaries of staff and for the payment of electric bills. The department had no proper funds for the maintenance of 497 water supply schemes meant for the supply of water in rural areas of the district.

District Health Officer Yash Mitra said as per the request of the DEOs (secondary and elementary) as many as 143 water samples from supply sources of schools had been taken of which 17 samples had been found unfit for human consumption.

Jalandhar, May 5
The government has established eight nodal schools in the district to prepare candidates for clearing the NDA exams to be held in August.

Deputy Commissioner Priyank Bharti, who chaired a meeting of the principals and teachers of such schools at the Sainik Welfare Board office, said besides the nodal schools, 40 more additional schools had been identified from where students desirous of joining the forces would be coached during the summer vacations.

The classes would commence from next week and a three-member committee, comprising the DEO, DSWO and the vice-chairperson of the Sainik Welfare Board, would personally select the candidates for the training.

The selection of students from the schools would be held on the PAP campus. The schedule is: Government Senior Secondary School and Government Model Secondary School, Kartarpur, - May 10; GSSS, Dolike Rure, and GSSS, Bhogpur, - May 12; and GSSS, Nihaluwala, and GSSS, Ladowali Road, - May 14.

Similarly, students of GSSS, Bundala, Phillaur and Nadala would report at the venue on May 15.

The DC urged the teachers of the schools to motivate their students to join the forces to serve the nation. “This would also go a long way in meeting the huge shortage of officers, especially from our state, in the armed forces,” he pointed out.

Lt-Gen G.S. Sohi informed those present that presently there was a shortage of 11,000 officers in the Army, 2,000 in the Air Force and 1,500 in the Navy.

Lt-Col Manmohan Singh, Deputy Director, Sainik Welfare, and Brig K.S. Dhillon also spoke.

Jalandhar, May 5
Tension prevailed in the Gadaipur village when members of a Dalit community allegedly tried to take possession of a chunk of the village common land, which was objected to by members of the other community.

Members of the Dalit community allegedly erected tents to set up a religious building on the land early this morning. They were later evicted by the local administration by using force.

The problem had started after the village was merged with the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation some time ago.

Sub-divisional Magistrate Anupam Kaler, along with heavy police force, reached the site and evicted the occupants from the said land.

The district administration has called a meeting of officers of the local civic body and the members of the Dalit community to settle the dispute.