Ferozepur, November 21
Ronjan Sodhi, a shooter of this district, has given a best gift to countrymen on Gurpurb by winning the first gold medal in double trap (shot gun) shooting event in Asian Games, being held at Guangzhou, today.

By winning the gold medal - the third for India in the current edition of the prestigious Games - Ronjan has made the beginning of an era where shooters of India have started dominating the show.

Three months ago on September 21, Ronjan Sodhi (31) had brought laurels to the country by winning a gold medal in the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Final, held at Izmir (Turkey).

“I was expecting that my son will bring honour for the country, Punjab and his family. Baba Nanak has given us one of the best gifts on the occasion of his birth anniversary. Ronjan has the potential for making this mark and hence he did it today,” said Ronjan’s mother Gitanjali Sodhi, who along with her husband Malwinder Sodhi and other members of the family, celebrated his son’s victory in their bungalow located on the Mall road of the cantonment area here.

Malwinder Sodhi, who himself was a national-level shooter, said he had thrown a small party to celebrate the big occasion, adding that: “The gold medal won by Ronjan belongs to the whole country.”

“Now I hope my other son Birendeep Sodhi, who is a member of the Indian shooting team and core group, and has won medals in the Commonwealth Shooting Championship and the Asian Shooting Championship, will also win gold medals in Olympics and Asian Games,” he added.

Meanwhile, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, former international shooter and senior Congress leader, said Ronjan had become the hero of the country.

TNS reports from Chandigarh: Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday congratulated Punjab’s promising trap shooter Ronjan Singh Sodhi, who bagged the third gold medal for India in Guangzhou Asian Games in men’s double trap shooting event. Besides this, he has also helped his team in winning a bronze medal in the double trap event. In a congratulatory message, Sukhbir said Ronjan’s rare feat would play a significant role in motivating more youngsters to take up the sport of shooting. The government would soon organise a function to honour the medal winners of Commonwealth and Asian Games belonging to Punjab with highest cash prizes in the country, he added. Sukhbir also wished good luck to the Indian hockey team playing classic hockey in the ongoing Asian Games.

Chandigarh, November 21
If there is any one word that describes the Department of Local Bodies, Punjab, aptly, it’s “incorrigible”. Over the past one year, various municipal bodies and improvement trusts across the state have been issuing auction notices, carrying pictures of political leaders despite instructions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in that regard.

The violations have also been brought to the notice of the officials several times, but it seems no one is really bothered.

Last month, the Jalandhar Improvement Trust once again issued an auction notice carrying pictures of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia and chairman of the improvement trust Baljit Singh. The advertisement was an announcement for the auction of plots and booths in Jalandhar.

On November 11, an advertisement issued by the Barnala Nagar Sudhar Trust (Barnala Improvement Trust), announcing a draw of lots, devoted huge advertisement space to the photographs of the CM, the Deputy CM, MP in the Rajya Sabha Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and chairman of the Sudhar Trust Inderpal Singh Chahal.

While advertisements are for everyone to see, Local Bodies Department officials seem helpless in taking action against them. Sources said several instructions had been issued to the local bodies that violated directions of the court, but everything seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.

Improvement trusts and the municipal bodies are considered independent entities and tend to not follow the instructions issued from the headquarters.

“In 2006, I had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, following which a Division Bench had ordered Punjab to draft a policy to reduce expenditure of public money on advertisements eulogising leaders or political parties,” said city-based advocate HC Arora.

Punjab had given undertaking to the court that tender notices and auction notices issued by the 
government would not carry pictures of any politician. However, these promises made to the court are violated every now and then.

Patiala, November 21
Ahead of the November 26 roadshow of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Capt Amarinder Singh in his hometown Patiala, grand preparations are on in the Congress camp to make the road show a big success.

Various Congress leaders are convening series of meetings and party cadre is being mobilised to ensure that maximum Congress activists turn up at the roadshow. Notably, on November 26, it will be Amarinder’s first visit to Patiala after being elevated as head of the Punjab Congress.

According to the senior Congress leaders, they have planned to greet Amarinder in a big way right from Zirakpur to Patiala. Big hoardings and banners are being put up on the entire route and in Patiala to give a rousing welcome to Amarinder. Congress MLA from Dakala Lal Singh, who is spending most of the time in preparation for the grand reception of Amarinder. “I am sure that November 26 will be a memorable day for the Congress, as the entire party is eager to give a rousing welcome to Amarinder,” said Lal Singh.

As per the schedule finalised, it is expected that Amarinder along with his wife Preneet Kaur, will head for Patiala from Chandigarh on November 26 morning. “En route to Patiala, Amarinder will attend a function being organised by MLA Babbir Singh Sidhu at Zirakhpur at 10 am. Thereafter, senior Congress leader Hardyal Kamboj along with other Congress activist will greet Amarinder in Rajpura and Banur. Besides, Amarinder’s cavalcade will also stop at Pehalkalan, where Congress MLA from Ghanaur Madan Lal Jalalpur has organised a function,” said Congress leaders.

Lal Singh will receive Amarinder at Bahadurgarh, whereas Nabha MLA Randeep Singh, Dharmsot MLA Sadhu Singh and former MLA Ramesh Singla have planned a function near Sadar Police Station. Former Congress MLA Jasjit Singh Randhawa will also be organising a function to greet Amarinder. “Congress workers in thousands will welcome Amarinder in his hometown,” said Prem Krishan Puri, president of the District Congress Committee (Urban), while adding that in Patiala, Amarinder’s roadshow will pass from Sirhindi Gate, Bus Stand, Lahori Gate, Sherawala Gate and several markets and will finally converge at DCC (U) Office. “The draft of the welcome procession will be placed before all senior Congress leaders, for which a meeting has been called tomorrow,” he added. 

Chandigarh, November 21
Several Punjab Congress leaders today supported the PPCC President, Capt Amarinder Singh’s charges against the SGPC for “misusing” the community funds for political purposes. These leaders also criticised the SGPC President, Avtar Singh Makkar, and SAD general secretary Prem Singh Chandumajra for denying the facts about the misuse of SGPC funds.

In a joint statement, several sitting and former Congress MLAs, including Jeet Mohinder Sidhu, Sukh Sarkaria, Jassi Khangura, Arvind Khanna, Rana Gurjeet, Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi and Sukhjinder Randhawa, maintained that the PCC President had stated only the facts. “It is a common knowledge that the SAD has been misusing the SGPC funds for party functions,” they remarked, while adding that instead of seeking proof for the charges, the SGPC should get its accounts audited independently.

The Congress leaders asserted that every Sikh had a right to ask the SGPC as to how and where the huge money was being spent. They reiterated their allegations that the Akalis had been robbing the SGPC money for their own agenda.

“Let the SGPC President and Chandumajra explain as to how much money is being spent on Dharam Prachar,” they demanded and pointed out that the SGPC had gone absolutely astray from its stated purpose. The Congress leaders said they had sufficient evidence that the SGPC funds were being used for the Nanhi Chhan campaign being led by the Bathinda MP, Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

Faridkot, November 21
The padyatra of the Punjab Youth Congress led by its president Ravneet Singh Bittu, MP, that is targeted to make the youth aware of the failures of the SAD-BJP government reached Faridkot on Sunday.

Before reaching Faridkot, Bittu along with local leaders of the Congress went to Sandhwan, the native village of the late President, Giani Zail Singh, and paid him floral tributes.

Claiming that he has got a “massive response” from the people in the Malwa belt to his ongoing padyatra, Bittu said hundreds of youths were daily joining the youth wing of the Congress. “The motto of the padyatra is to spread the message of Rahul Gandhi among the masses of Punjab. The message says the Youth Congress is for the common people,” he said.

He said the Punjab government had failed badly on all fronts and it was doing little to eradicate unemployment and drug menace among the youth. He alleged that the pro-people schemes of the Union Government were not being implemented properly in the state, depriving the masses of the benefits of the welfare schemes.

Bittu said the farmers of the state were also in a pitiable condition as their produce was still lying in the grain markets and the procurement agencies were harassing them unnecessarily.

He also went to the residence of former Education Minister and local Congress MLA Avtar Singh Brar where he addressed party workers. He asked the party workers to work dedicatedly for coming to power in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Later, he went to Baba Farid Gurdwara and paid obeisance on Gurpurb along with his supporters. 

Moga, November 21
With the assistance of the Centre, the state Agriculture Department has initiated a move to bring in agricultural reforms at the village level to propagate quality wheat seed by setting up seed farms.

The main idea behind this move is to minimise the use of pesticides and enhance the production of quality foodgrains by promoting new improved varieties of wheat, which are resistant to various diseases like yellow rust, karnal bunt etc.

Under this “seed village scheme”, the department has selected 60 villages of Moga district- 12 villages in each of the five blocks. “In each village, 107 farmers have been selected and each farmer has been provided with 20kg of seed of the latest DBW-17, PB-550 and other good varieties of wheat so that they can develop their own seeds for the next cropping season”, said Dr Rajinder Singh Pandher, Chief Agriculture Officer of the district.

The aims of the scheme are quality control arrangements on seeds; establishment and maintenance of seed bank; propagation of biotechnology in agriculture; promotion of disease-resistant seeds; develop entrepreneur skills among farmers; development of improved varieties of crops; timely availability of quality seeds at the village level; quality assurance and promotion of seed industry; encouragement to export of quality seeds and the creation of national seed grid.

He added that it was therefore necessary to improve the stock of farm saved seeds for enhancing crop production and for this, seed production, seed distribution and other connected aspects would have to be improved and strengthened at the farmers’ level.

No matter, the new seed policy was introduced in the country in 2002 but over the years, it has not picked up at the grassroots level despite the fact that the government has provided with a 50 per cent subsidy.

Pandher said they were giving special emphasis to seed multiplication for building adequate stocks of certified quality seeds by providing foundation seed to farmers. Seed produced in seed villages would have to be preserved till the next sowing season. “There is also a provision of special assistance to encourage farmers to develop storage capacity of appropriate quality for storing seed produced by farmers on their farms”, he added.

Chandigarh, November 21
State jails will soon become safer for those serving a jail term and they will no longer remain nurseries for criminals. With the finalisation of the Punjab Prison and Correctional Services Act, 2010, that aims at bringing about a sea change in the atmosphere in jails, Punjab will be one of the few states that have modified the-116-year-old The Prison Act of 1984 that focuses primarily on the enforcement of discipline with no regard to the reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners.

The Punjab Prison and Correctional Services Act, 2010, has addressed the need for a gradual shift in penal philosophy towards the goal of reformation and rehabilitation of offenders. As per the final draft, the central theme behind the new legislation is “Hate the crime, not the criminals”.

The Prison Department shall be re-designated as the Department of Prisons and Correctional Services, in sync with the very purpose of the new Act. The difference will not just be restricted to the name, but also the very functioning of the department. The new role assigned will entail institutional care, treatment, aftercare, probation and other non-institutional services.

The philosophy behind the new piece of legislation that is expected to become a reality soon is “the approach of the state towards its subjects in all relationships has also been marked by humane values and considerations. The recognition of the offender as a human being and a product of society and as a potential valued member of the community requires a new approach towards dealing with those who are incarcerated. Contemporary developments in the area of corrections focus on the reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders with the mainstream of society”

The introduction to the Act says that the protection of society is of paramount consideration and crime-control policies are inextricably linked with understanding the causes of crime. Crime is a result of multiple factors, most of which are present in the environment of the person(s) taking to crime.

Instead of punishment for the crime, the jails after the implementation of the new legislation will aim at providing a safe, secure and humane correctional system. As per the draft that is yet to be adopted, the prison authorities will have to ensure that torture, cruelty and demeaning treatment will not be permitted. The authorities will in fact have to ensure right to dignity, basic minimum needs and access to law in the new Act. Punishments with shades of degradation will be completely barred.

At the same time the prisoners will be duty bound not to make false, exaggerated complaints and abide by all prison rules and regulations. Special emphasis is on gender issues, and the draft incorporates the latest developments in national and international laws.

The final draft of the legislation was drafted by a committee headed by the Deputy Director of the Institute for Correctional Administration, Dr Upneet Lalli. Other members included former Additional Director-General (prisons) BS Sandhu and DIG (prisons) Jagjit Singh. Punjab Jail Minister Hira Singh Gabria and DG (prisons) Anil Kaushik have also played a key role in the enacting of the new legislation.

Islamabad, November 21
Sikh pilgrims from India and other parts of the world, who are in Pakistan to take part in events marking the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, have asked the government here to deliver on a four-year-old promise of setting up a university in Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the founder of the Sikh religion.

Pilgrims told the media they would press the government to set a deadline for the inauguration of Guru Nanak University.

Officials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), which manages the shrines of minority communities, and even federal ministers have told Sikh pilgrims over the past two years that the Prime Minister would lay the foundation stone for the university. However, no action has been taken so far to start work on the varsity.

“This time we will tell the ETPB chairman that if the government wants to win the hearts of Sikhs around the world, then he should announce the date for the groundbreaking ceremony,” Swinder Singh Doblia, a leader of the SGPC, was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune newspaper.

Bishon Singh, former president of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, said: “Sikh sangats from across the world have assured the Pakistan Government that the cost of the university will be borne by the Sikh community. I cannot understand why the process is lingering on like this.”

According to the ETPB, former premier Shaukat Aziz had announced on June 15, 2006, that the government would build the university. The ETPB had then allocated 360 acres for the university.

In 2007, at a meeting with Sikh leaders, government officials had said the allocation of land for the university had been increased to 2,500 acres. ETPB Chairman Asif Hashmi set up a project management unit for the university in December 2008 and appointed officials to work for it last year. — PTI

Amritsar, November 21
Local MP Navjot Singh Sidhu claimed that the holy city and its Sri Guru Ramdas International Airport would lose a staggering Rs 800 crore to Delhi’s new Terminal 3 Airport, following the withdrawal of Air India’s popular Amritsar-London-Toronto flight.

He said he was waiting for a reply from the Lok Sabha Speaker to raise the issue in the the current Lok Sabha session, which would culminate on December 13.

Sidhu said it was probably the first time in the nation’s aviation history that a most profitable flight was replaced with a hub-and-spoke model with a halt at Delhi. He claimed that the average load of Air India flights was 55 per cent, whereas its direct Amritsar-London-Toronto flight had over 80 per cent occupancy rate. — TNS

Patiala, November 21
Employees working with Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) have demanded an increase in bus fare in order to bail out the PRTC from financial crunch. According to the employees, the matter regarding the upward revision of the bus fare in the state has been pending since long.

“There has been no revision in the bus fare of the PRTC since July 1, 1998. In case fare revision of at least 15 paise per passenger per km was not done, it would become difficult for the corporation to meet its day-to-day expenses”, said Ramesh Bhatti, state president, PRTC Employees Union.

After increase in the diesel prices in June this year, the PRTC management had sent a proposal for increasing the bus fare by 10 paise per km to the Punjab Government.

“In the wake of hike in diesel prices by Rs 1.66 per litre by the Union Government, the PRTC would have to bear additional financial burden and hence the increase in the bus tariff has been proposed. A formal request has been sent to the Punjab government”, reads the letter written by PRTC chairman Ranjit Singh Balian to the state government in July this year.

Transport Minister Master Mohan Lal had admitted a few months back that it had become imperative on the part of the state to increase bus fares as the PRTC was running into loses. “In the wake of the above-mentioned facts and also considering the requests sent in this regard by the PRTC management to the state government, it is a must to increase bus fare by at least 15 paise per passenger per kilometer”, he said. 

Chamkaur Sahib, November 21
The Punjab Government will give Rs 15,000 as shagun during the marriage of girls from the Sain community, said Sewa Singh Sekhwan, Punjab Education Minister, during the 335th birth anniversary of Bhai Sahib Singh, one of the panj piaras (five beloved) of Sri Guru Gobind Singh. Sahib Singh attained martyrdom at Chamkaur Sahib.

Sekhwan claimed that the government would also develop a theme park in Chamkaur Sahib besides spending money on the overall development of the area. Sekhwan said, “The opposition parties have been falsely propagating that Punjab coffers are nil and is ridden with debt of Rs 70,000 crores. However, truth is that this money will be used for overall development of state and to provide subsidies to poor people and farmers.” This is for the first time the state government has observed birth anniversary of one of the panj piaras as state-level function.

The move has raised many eyebrows. People contemplated that the ruling party was trying to garner votes of the Sain community in wake of the forthcoming Assembly poll. Sources pointed out that the earlier representatives of the Sain community, to which Bhai Sahib Singh belonged, wanted to hold a function. The local SAD leaders took over the reigns of function and converted it into state-level celebrations.