Bathinda, December 17
Appointment of patron of the Youth Akali Dal (YAD), a wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and former Punjab minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia as the president of the YAD is on the cards if indications given by two senior SAD leaders during YAD’s district-level meeting held here today are to be believed.

During the meeting held at Gurdwara Hazi Rattan Sahib here, former Punjab minister and district president of the SAD Sikander Singh Maluka said it was a matter of days when Majithia would take charge of the YAD as its president. He also sought nod from the gathering by asking them to raise their hands in support of his proposal to appoint Majithia as the YAD president.

Later, Rajya Sabha MP Balwinder Singh Bhunder said Majithia has almost become the president of the YAD. He said that they had even requested ‘Badal Sahib’ to appoint Majithia as he had the potential and competency to shoulder the responsibility.

Bhunder told TNS that they were taking steps in this direction and probably he (Majithia) would be made the YAD president soon.

However, when a newsperson asked Majithia as to when the new president of the YAD would be appointed, Majithia retorted, “Tuhanu kahda fiqar hai’ (Why do you worry about it?).

About party tickets for YAD workers in the ensuing Assembly elections, Majithia said, “We will seek 33 per cent of the party tickets for youths from the SAD president. He has already given a sufficient representation to youths in market committees, trusts, boards, corporations and other bodies.”

Meanwhile, Majithia asked youths to understand their social as well as political responsibilities. He asked them to get Punjab rid of social evils like drugs, dowry, female foeticide, if they wanted to bring a change in the society.

The meeting was attended by a large number of youth Akali workers besides SAD leaders and activists.

Among others present on the occasion included SAD’s Bathinda constituency in-charge Sarup Chand Singla, Mayor Baljit Singh Birbehman, national general secretary of the YAD Gurpreet Singh Maluka, district president of the YAD Balkar Singh Brar, senior SAD leaders Amarjit Singh Sidhu and Darshan Singh Kotfatta, and district press secretary Om Parkash Sharma.

Earlier, Majithia was welcomed by the SAD and the YAD leaders at Kot Shameer village. He was escorted to the city in a cavalcade comprising a large number of motorcycles, scooters and other vehicles.

Bathinda December 17
Showcasing a new ray of hope to young political aspirants of Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) has decided to ensure a minimum of 25 per cent representation to the Youth Akali Dal (YAD) workers in the forthcoming SGPC polls.

Meanwhile, YAD patron Bikramjit Singh Majithia has announced that YAD workers were all set to organise marriages of at least one poor girl in each of about 12, 800 villages of Punjab. Such YAD workers and youths motivated by them and opting for dowry-free marriages would be brought forwarded in the YAD’s organisational set-up.

“SAD chief Sukhbir Badal has assured us that youths from the SAD would be given a minimum of 25 per cent representation in the SGPC polls. It can be even more than that,” said Majithia while speaking to The Tribune. He was here to attend a YAD rally today.

A large number of YAD leaders were already “adjusted” by the SAD as they were given tickets during the last Assembly elections.

“The SAD and YAD have a powerful social agenda, according to which, we are going to work for upliftment of the poor and downtrodden. For an instance, YAD workers have been directed to hold marriages of poor girls in Punjab villages. To start with, we are arranging marriages of at least one girl in each village and entire expenditure incurred on these marriages would be borne either by our organisation or workers. Workers have been asked to organise more than one marriage in each village. Besides, we are also going to initiate a plantation drive in villages under our drive to ensure green cover in rural areas,” said Majithia.

Chandigarh, December 17
The issue of grant of concessions to the Bathinda refinery being established by HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) is set to get more complex with Punjab Industries Minister and BJP legislature party leader Manoranjan Kalia today saying he would ask the Chief Minister to consider further concessions to the refinery project keeping the state’s financial position in mind.

The issue of proposed concessions to the Rs 19,000 crore Bathinda refinery, which is nearing completion, has already triggered protest by both the Congress as well as former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal who has rebelled against the SAD.

The Industries Minister, while talking to TNS, claimed the refinery promoters had the right to demand concessions and that the state was willing to have a fresh look at the case. He, however, said the state had limited resources and that its fiscal position did not permit much largesse. The minister said the state was already giving a Rs 250 crore per annum interest-free loan to the refinery for a period of five years amounting to a total concession of Rs 1,250 crore. He said HMEL had agreed to this earlier but was now demanding more incentives stating the global slowdown as well as concessions being given by other states to refinery projects would make Bathinda refinery unviable.

He said the company had also pointed out that a Rs 1,300 crore ancillary hub would have a multiplying effect on the state’s economy and give a boost to its industrial development. Stating that the promoters had their points, he said it was also a fact that no state government except for Punjab had given any cash loans to refinery projects in their territories. “They have only deferred VAT collections”, he added.

Kalia, however, made it clear that HMEL was only asking for an interest-free loan of Rs 400 crore per year for 15 years. He said this amounted to a Rs 6,000 crore concession. He said there was no truth in Amarinder Singh’s statement that government was considering a Rs 20,000 crore concession.

Bathinda, December 17
Thirty six new cases of jaundice were reported from Bathinda city today.Of these 36 cases, 16 were reported from the local Civil Hospital while remaining 20 were reported to the district health authorities by private doctors and laboratories.

District health authorities on Friday also collected blood samples of 10 jaundice patients in the city and sent the same to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College at Faridkot for testing.

Moga, December 17
The Punjab State Ayurvedic Medical Services Association (PSAMSA) has threatened to launch a state-wide strike if the state government does not enhance their salaries at par with the allopathic doctors and give non-practice allowance, which have already been implemented by the Central Government.

Talking to The Tribune, Dr Navdeep Singh Brar, general secretary of the doctors' association, revealed that the state government has already agreed in principle to give salary at par with the allopathic doctors to the veterinary officers ignoring the demand of the Ayurvedic doctors.

The state government has revised the starting pay-scale of Ayurvedic doctors from Rs 7,220-11,660 to Rs 10,300-34,800 with a grade pay of Rs 5,000 whereas the salary structure of allopathic doctors has been enhanced to the initial payscale of Rs 15,600-39,100 with a grade pay of Rs 5,400, ignoring the Central pattern of parity in the revision of pay-scales. Moreover, the state government was also giving 25 per cent of the basic pay as non-practice allowance to the allopathic doctors but not to the Ayurvedic doctorrs even as the work profile of both has recently been 'clubbed together' by giving OPD work in hospitals to Ayurvedic doctors.

He said that the Ayurvedic doctors hold officer rank (Group-A) and work in remote areas where even basic amenities is not available. "Therefore, we should be given reasonably high pay-scales to maintain good living standards," he demanded.

The Ayurvedic doctors also demanded filling up of the vacant posts by government.

Barnala, December 17
In a shocking incident, a woman whose husband works abroad, was allegedly kidnapped by four persons from the main gate of her village Miliyaan in Shaina area of Barnala today and was later gangraped. The culprits later dumped her near a gurudwara in an unconscious condition and she was later shifted to Civil Hospital in Barnala.

Police, after getting the information, launched a hunt to nab the accused. Giving details, the woman Mandeep Kaur (name changed), whose husband works abroad in Muscat, said that as part of her daily routine, she went to a local gurudwara to offer prayers in the morning today and was returning when the accused Surjeet Singh Sita of the same village along with three other accomplices dragged her into a Tata Sumo vehicle.

After kidnapping her, the accused took her to a secluded place and gangraped her. She added that they also beat her up mercilessly and when she raised an alarm, they took her towards Dhanola. Since the vehicle developed some snag, they made her inhale some substance, and threw her in an unconscious state near a gurudwara in Dhanola. 

Abohar, December 17
The BJP, a partner in the ruling alliance, too felt the heat as former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal arrived on a two-day visit to Abohar sub-division to promote his Jago Punjab Yatra.

Suresh Phutela, former city president of the saffron party is among the local leaders who have issued an appeal to the people to attend the public rally on Saturday at Gandhi Ground, in the heart of the town here. Suresh is a former BJP councillor and eldest son of former MC president late Mukand Lal Phutela.

Significantly, the appeal released with his photo has mentioned his status as president of the local Beopar Mandal. It is pertinent to mention that Surinder Saluja, the first Hindu worker to join the SAD from the district long back, is convener of the public meeting. He had been working as general secretary of the district SAD and was a member of the general council of the party also. He shared the dais with Manpreet. estranged nephew of the CM during all the three meetings that were held in the villages of Balluana constituency. Accompanied by his father Gurdas Singh Badal, Manpreet drew crowds while addressing meetings in the village of Sardarpura, dominated by the Bishnoi community and Dharangwala and Bahavwala, villages with a large Sikh population. — OC

Moga, December 17
Taking a suo motu notice of the news report 'Man deceives woman into marrying him' published in these columns on Friday, the Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes has today asked the SSP of Moga Sneh Deep Sharma to register a criminal case against all the 13 alleged accused including two women as per the complaint of the young Dalit woman who was first deceived into marriage and then inducted into flesh trade.

Dalip Singh Pandhi, Member of the SC Commission, told TNS that he has asked the SSP to add relevant sections of the SC/ST Atrocities Act in the case and arrest the accused.

The main alleged accused Amandeep Singh, allegedly forced the young Dalit woman, a resident of Vandar village, into prostitution after fraudulently marrying her at a gurudwara. She was later raped. — TNS