Abohar, November 25
Punjab health authorities today gave approval to the local civil hospital authorities to start storing blood units in its blood bank so that it could be made available to the patients in emergency to save their lives.

The blood bank in the local Nehru Memorial hospital was closed down as the officials concerned could not get its licence renewed from the Blood Bank Licensing authority (Chandigarh) in the past more than two years. When the district health authorities tried to get the licence renewed and an inspection of local blood bank was done, four discrepancies were found in its infrastructure and hence its functioning was closed in the recent past. Notably, a migratory labourer also died in the local civil hospital a few days ago as she could not be given blood within the reasonable time.

Kanwarjit Singh Kakkar, civil surgeon, said principal secretary, health, Punjab, who came to know about it through the news item appeared in columns of The Tribune, took a serious note of it and hence he ordered that all the formalities must be completed to make it functional again.

He added that all the formalities connected with making the blood bank eligible to store blood units, were completed and all the required documents were sent to head-office.

Now, director, health services, Punjab, had given permission to store blood units in the local blood bank for two years. The blood units would be brought from the blood bank of civil hospital (Fazilka) to store it in the local blood bank.

He assured that discrepancies, which had been found in the blood bank, would be removed by the Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC) shortly as per his information so that the blood bank could be made eligible for taking blood from the donors and subsequently storing same. 

Abohar, November 25
The blood bank in the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital would become functional again by December 4. The decks were cleared today during a meeting that Vijay Luxmi Bhadoo (chairperson of the Punjab State Social welfare Board) had with the principal secretary (Health) Satish Chandra at his office.

Bhadoo informed the correspondent over the phone that she apprised the health secretary of problems being faced due to closure of the blood bank by people of three Vidhan Sabha segments in this sub-division that had got the maximum number of private hospitals. Discrepancies, if any, should not be allowed to result in death of any person for want of blood, she submitted.

The principal secretary today gave an undertaking to the licensing authority that the prescribed equipment would be provided by the state government within the next few days to meet the standards of a perfect blood bank. A letter to this effect has been faxed to the Central government, Bhadoo claimed. 

Bathinda, November 25
The Centre for South and Central Asian Studies, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda organised a function to commemorate the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women at the varsity campus, here today.

In his presidential address, Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Jai Rup Singh opined that nature has always given more strength and security to women as compared to men as women have the important responsibility of continuing the life cycle. He said that genetically women are stronger as compared to men. He explained how violence evolved against women.

Sociologist Prof Balwinder Arora of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar also presented various layers of this catastrophe. Prof Arora stressed on employment, education and empowerment of the women to curb the menace.

Another sociologist, Prof Rajesh Gill, Chairperson, Centre for Women's Studies and Development, Panjab University, Chandigarh, in her speech highlighted various incidents of violence against women which occur in daily life in cities and villages but get neglected largely.

Earlier, in the first part of programme, an essay writing competition was also organised with a theme “Measures to Eliminate the Violence against Women,” in which students of different schools of the University expressed their views and knowledge.

The event was concluded with the consensus that it is the responsibility of every citizen especially younger ones to eliminate this social evil. — TNS

Abohar, November 25
The DAV College here honoured its students who brought laurels in the PU annual exams held in April this year. Besides, those who had secured top positions in the September test in different classes were also honoured during a function held in the college auditorium, principal Dr BB Sharma informed.

Among the toppers in the PU or at state-level were Nishu, Devi Lal, Shaina Garg, Amanpreet Singh, Ashutosh, Kanu Sidana and Priyanka. The September terminal exam toppers included Shweta, Nishant Middha, Jyoti Bala, Rajinder Kumar, Madhu Bala, Manpreet Kaur, Gurleen Kaur, Neha Kamboj, Ravi Kumar, Sunaina Rani, Preeti Sehgal, Raghu and Sukhwinder Singh. Prof Anil Makkar exhorted the students to work hard. 

Bathinda, November 25
The Bathinda police this evening brought two accused in Malout boy's kidnapping case, namely Daljeet Singh of Aspala and Kampal Singh of Sarava Bodla (both villages in Muktsar district), to Bathinda after procuring their transit remand from a CBI court at Ambala.

After interrogating the duo in some mysterious kidnappings of Haryana, the CBI police of Panchkula had produced them in the court today.

During the CBI interrogation, names of the two figured in the kidnapping of 20-year-old Nandan Nagpal of Malout, which had taken place in June this year near thermal plant here. Following the disclosure, the local Thermal police had applied for their transit remand to ascertain other related facts in the case.

Reliable sources in the police informed that both the accused would be produced before the Ilaqa magistrate on Friday to get their police remand.

During the preliminary investigation, the police suspected the kidnapping to be a well-planned handiwork of six persons, including two women. Out of these six, four, including two women, have been arrested while two are still at large.

According to details collected, Nandan was a student of the Khalsa College, Chandigarh, where Karamjeet Kaur of Barnala, who was undergoing coaching for UGC-NET from the Punjabi University, Patiala, approached him over phone and developed friendship.

As a well-planned move, the girl made a programme to meet Nandan in Bathinda on the day he was returning to his home in his car. As Nandan did not recognise her, he reached the spot and met a girl, who came in Innova car. Later, he left with her in the Innova.

After few miles, four persons in an Alto car intercepted the vehicle and kidnapped him. During investigations, the girl was later traced as Mandeep Kaur, wife of Daljeet Singh, an accused in the kidnapping. She was a student of B. Pharmacy.

Both the women were recently produced before the police by a municipal councillor of Malout.

During police interrogation, Karamjeet claimed that she had been misguided as the accused had sought her help to trap Nadan for some political reasons with a false claim that the police was aware of the entire incident. She was promised Rs five lakh for the help. She also informed that fearing police action, she had destroyed the mobile phone used in the crime.

Turning down the request of the Bathinda police for extension in her police remand, the court recently sent her to judicial custody.

Meanwhile, Mandeep is also under judicial custody till December 9. Before that, she has to undergo identification parade.

Confirming the facts, SHO thermal police station, Kuldeep Singh, who led the team that brought the accused duo from Ambala, informed that they had also been making efforts to nab the remaining accused, who have been identified as Jasveer Singh of Maniawala village (Malout) and his driver Pavittar Singh of Shergarh village.

When asked about whether the demanded ransom of Rs 3 crore was paid to the alleged kidnappers before they released the boy (on the third day of kidnapping), the SHO said the police was yet to ascertain the fact.

Bathinda, November 25
The Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU) has postponed its protest rally, which was scheduled to be held on November 27 in Lambi (Muktsar), to December 17. The decision came at the meeting with the Inspector General (IG) of Police, Bathinda Zone, Nirmal Singh Dhillon here today.

The rally was against the non-acceptance of their demands by the state government. The main demands of the union include payment of 43-month arrear of revised pay-scales, Rs 10,300- Rs 34,800 pay-scale to clerks and stenos, and imparting computer training to clerks by scrapping the typing test.

Talking to TNS this evening, state president of the PSMSU Darshan Singh Bajaj said Muktsar SSP Inder Mohan Singh had taken initiative the previous day for arranging a meeting of the union with the IG. Following which, a 15-member delegation of the union met the IG in his office here today and discussed their demands and the Lambi rally.

Bajaj claimed that the IG asked them to defer their Lambi rally as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had gone to the USA for some days. The IG assured them of arranging their meeting first with Principal Secretary to CM Darbara Singh Guru and later, with the Chief Minister on his return from the USA, Bajaj added.

Bajaj said in case their demands were not accepted after meeting with the Chief Minister, they would hold protest rally on December 17 in Lambi.

Darshan Singh Bajaj, Muktsar district president of the PSMSU Karamjit Sharma, Bathinda district president of the union Gurdev Singh Kot Fatta, Bathinda district finance secretary of the union Ashok Chopra and district president of the DC Office Employees Union, Muktsar, Nachhattar Singh Madhir were among the members of the delegation.

Bathinda, November 25
The names of all district presidents and office-bearers of the state executive committee of the Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Punjab, will be announced by December 10.

This was stated by state president of the BJYM Gurparvej Singh Sandhu "Shelley". He said after that, district and block executive committees would be announced and later, booth committees would be constituted.

Shelley also said the BJYM had chalked out a plan to associate 10 lakh youths with it by February 2011. He said for the purpose, a special drive would be launched on January 12, the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. He further said the issues like unemployment and drug abuse would be on the priority list of the morcha during the drive. Other issues would include increasing activities of Naxalites and separatist/militant forces, rising prices and corruption.

Besides, the youths would also be associated with a national-level campaign 'India first'.

Meanwhile, Shelley flayed the UPA government on the Jammu and Kashmir issue. He said the separatist forces were flourishing in Kashmir while the UPA government, in place of controlling them, had been allegedly giving relaxation to them. He said despite arson and stone-pelting incidents in the valley, the government was talking about curtailing the special powers of the Indian Army.

Jodhpur Romana (Bathinda), November 25
After years of hard work, initiatives of the Department of Animal Husbandry to project livestock rearing as a subsidiary occupation besides traditional agriculture have started bearing fruit.

Speaking to a number of people in livestock rearing during the second day of the Punjab state zonal livestock and milking competition, being held at Jodhpur Romana village, it was observed that livestock rearing was playing an important role in the economic development of the people of the state -- not only those who were having small land holdings but others also.

"An experiment to step out of the traditional occupation of agriculture was not at all a wrong decision. It is providing me handsome income as well as name and fame," said Jaspal Singh of Tarkhanwala village in Muktsar district.

Winning the top medal in the milking competition today, a two and a half years old mare of Nukra breed, Rani, not only won Jaspal a cash award of thousands, it also let him interact with a number of officials and dignitaries present at the competition.

"The care we give our horses and mares returns us good income as livestock- rearing is emerging as a good subsidiary business. Besides prize money, we get handsome income while selling livestock to another person in livestock-rearing business," he claimed.

The views were endorsed by Mohammad Shamshad of Sangrur, who had come here with his two-year-old ram. He said sheep, ram rearing was also gaining recognition as one of the good vocations of the state farmers.

"No doubt we spend on the feed and care of the rams we have, but the expenses are just like investment. Our rams go to Delhi and Mumbai and win a number of competitions and provide us handsome prizes, including cash awards. Moreover, we deal in trading that fetches hefty amounts some times," added Shamshad.

Replying to a query, he said agriculture had become a traditional occupation with less profit and more investment and risk, whereas rearing rams is proving him a comparatively higher income.

Sukhchain Singh, who had come with a greyhound dog, said, "Observing the sale of pups is a much more paying trade than traditional agriculture. I treat it as a prime occupation and now run a kennel."

A dairy owner, Naib Singh of Mansa district, who had brought along his Murrah buffalo, also termed cattlerearing as a profitable trade.

Bathinda, November 25
Athletes from Mandi Phul zone grabbed the gold medal in the 800 m run in both boys and girls contests on the opening day of the three-day Bathinda District School Athletics Meet that began at Sports Stadium here on Thursday.

Vikramjeet Singh of Mandi Phul zone won 800 m run in the U-19 boys while Lavpreet Kaur also of Mandi Phul won first place in the girls category.

The second and third places in the U-19 800 m run were bagged by Manjeet Singh and Malkit Singh, respectively, both of Talwandi Sabo zone.

In the girls category of U-19 800 m run, the second and third places were bagged by Goniana Mandi athletes, Beant Kaur and Harjinder Kaur, respectively.

Earlier, industrialist Subeg Singh inaugurated the tournament in which 3000 athletes clubbed into 10 zones are vying for the top slot in U-14, U-17 and U-19 groups.

Noted handball player from Bathinda, Ajashanjot Ceema, who participated in the Youth Commonwealth Games held in Cameroon, and other players were felicitated during the opening ceremony of the meet.— TNS 

Bathinda: A lecture on female foeticide was organised by the local Anganwari Workers Training Centre on its premises on Wednesday. District Training Supervisor, First Aid, District Red Cross Society, Naresh Pathania delivered the lecture and asked the gathering not to do discriminate between girls and boys. 

He said girls should be given similar treatment on their birth as it was given to boys. An interactive session was also held. Principal of the centre Shelly appealed to the trainees to raise awareness against female foeticide. First Aid tips were also given to the trainees. — TNS