Amritsar, December 1
Aimed at generating awareness about the causes and precautions of AIDS, various programmes were conducted in the city to mark the World AIDS Day.

As a part of its ongoing endeavour to rein in the spread of HIV, NACO (National AIDS Control Organisation) and State Aids Control Societies are joining hands with HLL Lifecare Limited (formerly Hindustan Latex Limited) to aggressively promote condoms through non-traditional outlets such as paan shops, groceries, general stores etc., in 10 districts of Punjab, Haryana as well as Chandigarh.

The main objective of this project is to fight AIDS, which has assumed epidemic proportions in the country today.

An infotainment event was conducted by HLL Lifecare Ltd. - to sensitise and to create awareness among truckers about condom use and to prevent HIV/AIDS, STD and unwanted pregnancy - at Transport Nagar in Amritsar.

During this event, a team demonstrated condoms at a public place. An informative street play, on the concept of promoting condoms, was presented.

Truckers, kalasis and mechanics were the target audiences for this event.

HLL will create access to condoms through new condom outlets and ensure adequate supply of condoms to the existing outlets. Ensuring supply of condoms through non-traditional outlets will not only increase availability but also increase social acceptability and general awareness about the benefits of contraception and safe-sex practices.

The programme will address a wide range of issues on HIV/AIDS, condom usage, social stigma, promotion of condoms etc.

In the first year of the programme, HLL will be selling 26.2 million condoms through 15,542 outlets across the selected 10 districts.

An awareness seminar on AIDS was also organised at the office of the civil surgeon Dr Chandanjeet Singh Kaundal, wherein he advocated that awareness is the only way to prevent this deadly disease.

“Poverty and illiteracy are two major obstacles in educating people about this disease. But if such seminar are organised from time to time, our message would reach them,” said Dr Kaundal, while apprising about the newly-opened OST centre at the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.

On the occasion, an AIDS awareness exhibition and a play, titled “Jaan Leva”, were also organised on the same theme. Meanwhile, a lecture on AIDS awareness was organised by the department of NSS of DAV College, Amritsar.

Dr Gaurav Thukral, deputy medical superintendent, Fortis Escorts Hospital, was the key speaker on the occasion. Dr Thukral detailed about the causes of the disease and the precautions. “Out of the eight fluids present in the body, AIDS can spread through four fluids which are blood, breast feed, semen and vaginal fluids,” he said.

Motivating participants to shun the myths associated with the disease, Dr Thukral said people suffering from AIDS should not be shunned from the society.

NSS officers Prof Sandeep Kumar, Prof Arif Nazir, Prof Balram Yadav, Dr Poonam Rampal, along with nearly 150 NSS volunteers, attended the lecture. 

Hoshiarpur, December 1
The Health and Family Welfare Department today organised a seminar on ‘Universal Access and Human Rights’. Addressing the gathering, Civil Surgeon Dr Ravi Dogra said discrimination with HIV/AIDS patient was a violation of human rights as HIV neither spreads by touching and kissing nor by living together under the same roof and sharing utensils.

HIV positive children should be admitted in schools and hostels like normal students and there is no need of isolation.

In his key note address, SMO Dr Ajay Bagga said more than 2.5 million persons in India were HIV positive and due to awareness generated in the country under the aegis of NACO by the Health Department and NGOs, infection rate has declined in the country and further spreading can be curtailed by increasing the level of awareness.

A poster competition was organised in government multipurpose training school (female) in which students securing first, second and third position were awarded with cash prizes of Rs 500, 300, and 250, respectively along with mementoes and certificates by zila parishad chairperson Surinder Kaur.

Jalandhar, December 1
In another attempt to bring transparency in the working of the traffic police and allowing citizens to approach with complaints and grievances, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal launched a website of Jalandhar (City) Traffic Police here today.

With the launch of the website www.jalandhartrafficpolice.com, the database of traffic violators will be a click away. This will not only ease getting access to records of violations but also help in bridling the violators.

Badal said the administrative reforms would be completely enforced from April 1, 2011 to bring transparency in the system besides overcoming the inadequacy to facilitate people of the state in a much better way.

He said this website has several interactive features like provision for citizens to make online suggestions, feedbacks and complaints, which could be duly registered and responded within a week. Badal said obtaining national permit was a cumbersome as well as costly process with transporters being forced to shell out Rs 3,000 per state every year for the permit.

He said he moved with the principal of ‘one country one permit’ and this national permit at a merge cost of Rs 15,000 would give freedom to the truck operator to operate his truck from Kashmir to Kanyakumari without any additional tax. The minister also launched a unique SMS service for the truck operators. This 24X7 SMS service would come to the aid of any truck operator who has been illegally stopped by any state authority. Police Commissioner Gaurav Yadav said the website with a database of over 70,000 entries contains details of challans issued by the Jalandhar (City) Police since April 2010.

The website is packed with information about the organisation and structure of the Jalandhar Police, contract numbers of traffic police personnel, traffic rules and regulations, roads marks and road signs, accidents and first aid information, emergency contact numbers, details of traffic marshals including their contact numbers and the activities of the traffic education cell.

Jalandhar, December 1
As a part of three-day nationwide strike against the ‘anti-worker’ policies of the government, scores of BSNL employees today observed “Anti-Disinvestment Day” by staging a protest demonstration in front of the office of the General Manager, Telecom, Jalandhar division, here today.

Addressing the rally, the speakers condemned the discriminating attitude of government, which initially debarred the government telecommunication companies from providing mobile services in 1995 only to facilitate the private companies and to dismantle the public sector units (PSUs) in telecom segment, including Bharat Sanchar Nigam, and it was only after a long wait of seven years that the PSUs were granted mobile services licence in 2002.

The speakers also criticised the Sam Pitroda Committee’s recommendation of 30 per cent disinvestment of the BSNL. They said the move of government would pave the way for privatisation of the department.

They condemned the another recommendation made by the committee which opined retrenchment of 30 per cent employees of the BSNL through VRS and other methods.

They said these ill-aimed moves of the government had forced 3 lakh BSNL employees to take this strict action of three-day nationwide strike.

Sawtantar Kumar and Dinkar Dutt, president and general secretary, respectively, of the National Federation of Telecom Employees (BSNL), and Sat Pal Badhan and Chanchal Singh, respectively, of the BSNL Employees Union, were among the speakers.

Meanwhile, insurance employees under the banner of the All-India Insurance Employees Association along with other central trade unions and independent associations of employees of other departments expressed their solidarity with BSNL employees in today’s nationwide demonstrations.

In a rally organised by the local unit of the National Zone Insurance Employees Association (NZIEA) in front of the local office of the LIC of India, employees passed a resolution to fight till last to defeat the ill moves of the government to dismantle the public sector units.

Surjit Ram, divisional secretary, NZIEA, Jalandhar, Ved Kumar, divisional president, NZIEA, Jalandhar, Rakesh Hastir, M.M. Pahuja, Rajinder Kumar, I.D. Chopra and Rajneesh Sehgal addressed the rally.

Tarn Taran, December 1
Mandeep Kaur Cheema, a gold medallist in 400x4 m relay race in the recently concluded Asian Games held at Guangzhou, China, was given warm welcome on her arrival at her native village Cheema Khurd, 32 km from here, today by the administration and the villagers. Mandeep was also the winner of gold medal in the same event in the Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi in October.

Kulbir Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Bakhtawar Singh, SDM, were among the other officials who welcomed her on her arrival at her native village.

The officials expressed their appreciation for Mandeep by saying that she had brought glory for the area as well as the nation.

Drums were beaten on her arrival. The representatives of different political, religious, social and other organisations were present.

Jasbir Singh, father, and Amarjit Kaur, mother of Mandeep, besides other family members thanked all the persons who came to welcome her.