Effigy of Cong leaders burnt: In protest against scams, including 2-G spectrum and Adarsh Society, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad, led by ABVP state secretary Ashutosh, burnt an effigy of senior Congress leaders at the Fire Brigade Chowk here on Thursday. District convener of the ABVP Parteek Sharma and office secretary of the local unit Rishi Tiwari were present. 

Punjab & Sind Bank opens its 945th branch : Punjab and Sind Bank opened its 945th branch at village Khaira Khurd, in Mansa district on December 6 under its policy of financial inclusion. Ravinder Gosain, General Manager, LHO, Chandigarh, inaugurated the branch. Zonal Manager SS Kalra highlighted the facilities provided by the bank to all sections of society, especially the weaker section. 

NFL distributes woollens among school kids: The Bathinda unit of the National Fertilizers Limited (NFL), as part of its corporate social responsibility, distributed woollen items to needy schoolchildren and other essential items to schools in the vicinity of the Bathinda unit on Tuesday. In a press release, a spokesman of the NFL said the executive director, NFL, Bathinda, KB Verma, distributed the woollens to students from schools at village Mehma Serja, Joga Nand and the Anganwari centre of Gurunanak Nagar in Bathinda. Besides the officials of the NFL, panchayat members of the respective villages were also present on the occasion.

CHANDIGARH
State guests: CM Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday directed Chief Secretary SC Agrawal to declare every MP from foreign countries as a state guest and to extend usual courtesies and facilities during their stay in the state. He appealed to MPs of all countries to convey their itinerary/schedule of the visit well in advance to the Chief Secretary to the Punjab Government so that necessary arrangements could be made for them. 

HOSHIARPUR
Ayurvedic varsity: Guru Ravi Dass Ayurvedic University to be set up in Kharkan village on the Hoshiarpur-Una road will start preliminary functioning at Panchayat Bhawan here from January 22. Talking to mediapersons here on Thursday, state Minister for Medical Education and Research, Forest and Wildlife, Labour and Parliamentary Affairs Tikshan Sud said that the Controller of Examination of the Baba Farid University of Medical Sciences, Faridkot, Dr Ravinder Kaur, had been appointed nodal officer to speed up the work. 

Ayurvedic varsity: Guru Ravi Dass Ayurvedic University to be set up in Kharkan village on the Hoshiarpur-Una road will start preliminary functioning at Panchayat Bhawan here from January 22. Talking to mediapersons here on Thursday, state Minister for Medical Education and Research, Forest and Wildlife, Labour and Parliamentary Affairs Tikshan Sud said that the Controller of Examination of the Baba Farid University of Medical Sciences, Faridkot, Dr Ravinder Kaur, had been appointed nodal officer to speed up the work.