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Probe into ‘irregularities’ in MGNREGS from today
Trade, cultural exchange can defuse tensions between India, Pak: US envoy
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Transfer of MC lands to PMIDC
Regularisation of contract employees, daily wagers
Man dies of suffocation, 4 fighting for life
DGSE starts competitive exams
for Class V, VIII
Army motorcycle expedition flagged off
Concern over staff shortage in govt depts
Petrol pump, gas dealers’ union flays govt
Seminar on behaviour skills for cops
Go Green holds musical nite
Janian elected SAD (SC Wing) district chief
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Probe into ‘irregularities’ in MGNREGS from today
Jalandhar, January 9 Union Minister for Rural Development C.P. Joshi asked him to inspect the alleged irregularities following complaint by Jalandhar District Youth Congress (Rural) president Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary in this regard a few months ago. Jagdish Kumar will come to Jalandhar from New Delhi and look into the allegations levelled by Chaudhary in his complaint from January 10 to 13. Jagdish Kumar will not only make field visits, but also inspect the alleged irregularities during his four-day stay. In a letter, ADC (Development) Sarojini Gautam Sharda asked complainant Chaudhary to remain present in her office on January 10 in connection with the inquiry by Jagdish Kumar. Earlier, in August last year, Joshi assured a Youth Congress delegation of conducting a departmental inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the proper implementation of the MGNREGS. The DYC (R), led by Chaudhary, had organised a relay fast outside the Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner’s office to protest against denial of jobs and proper wages to workers under the MGNREGS from August 19 to 24. The relay fast was stopped on August 24 after getting assurance by the Union minister of appropriate action against those responsible for not doing justice with the MGNREGS. The Union minister had asked the DYC (Rural) leaders to come to New Delhi with record and a copy of the memorandum submitted to the Punjab Governor.
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Trade, cultural exchange can defuse tensions between India, Pak: US envoy
Amritsar, January 9 Citing an example of the USA and China, she said it was only due to bilateral trade practices that the relation between both the countries could be mended. “Otherwise, in 1971 that was not the case. We had tensions, yet we went in for trade exchange and today both have good relations,” she said. About the friction between India and Pakistan, she observed that the basic mindset of people from both sides would have to be transformed. “It has been observed that the children of both India and Pakistan sides, since Independence, have been fed with hatred stories about those living across the border. This notion, which is an outcome of political rivalries, has to be cleared.
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Transfer of MC lands to PMIDC
Jalandhar, January 9 Congress leader Tejinder Bittu said he was planning to meet PPCC president Capt Amarinder Singh tomorrow to finalise the plan for the protest. He alleged, “The move clearly seems to be an attempt to allow the sale of the prime lands where a statue of Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi stands and a park named after the first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru exists.” “All those hell bent at the transfer of the land are trying to ultimately sell it to some big fish and want to benefit themselves in the deal. But as Capt Amarinder Singh has already pointed out, we will not let this happen and revert all these events when our party takes back the reins. Our chief has already pointed out that the officers should not become tools in the hands of political leaders, or else they too would have to bear the brunt,” Bittu said. The issue pertains to passing of a resolution passed in the MC House meet on Wednesday related to transfer of 71 kanal and 13 marla land in the Model Town housing residential accommodation of officials and 120 kanal and 19 marla land of the Nehru Garden area to PMIDC under Section 25 of the Companies Act. “The sale proceeds of such lands would be used for providing civic amenities to municipal towns,” the agenda mentioned. The Congress councillors, led by Jagdish Raja, had pointed out that if at all the deal was to take place, the benefit should only go to the residents of Jalandhar and not other towns. Mayor Rakesh Rathour, when asked, claimed that the opposition was simply trying to spread notions. He tried to clarify his stand saying, “The ownership of land around Nehru Garden and Model Town has never been with us. So, no MC land is going anywhere. In fact, the state government is passing off its own land to the PMIDC. Why this controversy, I fail to understand?” Meanwhile, Congress worker and Punjab secretary of the RTI Activists Federation Anil Vashisht said, “We too are planning a protest against the Mayor and officials for inaction against unapproved colonisers.”
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Regularisation of contract employees, daily wagers
Amritsar, January 9 Later, they organised a march towards the residence of Health Minister Lakshmi Kanta Chawla, but they were stopped near Beri Gate by policemen, which were deputed in a huge number to thwart any untoward incident. Member of the PSSF raised slogans against the Punjab Government and Health Minister, who were adopting indifferent attitude towards their genuine demands. The activists handed over a memorandum regarding their demands to a representative of the minister. Earlier, braving the severe cold conditions in the region, a number of activists of the federation from three districts - Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran - held a rally at Gole Bagh here. Addressing the gathering, state general secretary of the federation Ved Parkash alleged that the state government was backtracking from its promises of regularising their jobs made on August 25 and December 6. They said the federation would hold a rally in the constituency of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal at Jalalabad tomorrow.
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Man dies of suffocation, 4 fighting for life
Phagwara, January 9 Four other family members were found unconscious who were sleeping along with Mansoor, a tailor, in the room. The incident happened in the wee hours today at Mansoor’s residence in Amar Nagar on the Phagwara-Khotrra Road. Those who fell unconscious were Mansoor’s wife Jora (30), daughter Shabhnam (5) and two sons Ibrahim (1) and Imran (6 months). They were taken to Gandhi Hospital where Mansoor was declared brought dead while the condition of other four members was still serious, said doctor Satnam Singh Parmar. Two other daughters of Mansoor were lucky as they were sleeping with their cousin in another room. The body of the deceased was sent to local civil hospital for the post-mortem examination. In the hospital, Mohammad Ansari, brother-in-law of Mansoor, said Rayees, Mansoor’s nephew, who was sleeping along with his cousins, was the one who found his relatives unconscious. He saw the angithi burning near them. According to the Dr Parmar, the suffocation might have been caused by the emission of carbon dioxide gas as a result of hard coal burning in the angithi. Meanwhile, SDM Amarjeet Paul enquired the health of the family members and assured free medical aid to them. The medical expenditures would be provided from Red Cross funds, said the SDM. |
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DGSE starts competitive exams
for Class V, VIII
Nawanshahr, January 9 The test would be organised at block, district and state levels. Giving this information, District Education Officer Darshan Kaur said the block-level competitive exam was held in the district on Saturday. Eight examination centres were set up in the district. As many as 622 students of Class 8th appeared in mathematic and science tests and 701 students of Class 5th took test in mathematics. Principals were deputed as controller-cum-observers at each centre. Besides, as many as three flying squad teams were pressed into service to monitor the smooth conduct of examinations, added the DEO. |
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Army motorcycle expedition flagged off
Jalandhar, January 9 To commemorate the occasion, the Mercury Explorer Motorcycle Expedition was flagged off by GOC of Vajra Corps Lt-Gen Munish Sibal here yesterday. The motorcycle expedition team of 15 members, including two officers, one junior commissioned officer and 12 jawans, will cover a distance of 6,142 km in over 42 days. The expedition will traverse through 14 states before finally terminating at Jabalpur on February 14. |
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Concern over staff shortage in govt depts
Hoshiarpur, January 9 In a press release here, both the leaders lamented that thousands of posts in the health and education departments of the state government had been lying vacant since long. Instead of making regular appointments, the state government had been recruiting staff either on an adhoc or contract basis. As soon as the service period of adhoc or contract employees was over, they were terminated from service. After their retrenchment, the employees had started agitating and the general public was the sufferer. The present agitation by the retrenched, adhoc and contract employees was due to the wrong polices of the state government. The leaders urged the state government to accept the demands of the agitating, retrenched teachers and to make fresh recruitments on a regular basis to meet the shortage of staff in the health and education departments.
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Petrol pump, gas dealers’ union flays govt
Jalandhar, January 9 The ministry in its advertisements had promised that the entire infrastructure, including land, needed to run the petrol would be provided by it. However, the ministry failed to keep its promise and around 70 such allottees, who were selected by the ministry in this regard from 1997 to 2006, are still waiting for the promises to be fulfilled, rued Surjit Singh, president of the union. He said the main reason behind the reluctance of the ministry was the unprecedented rise in the land prices, both in the urban and rural areas. — TNS
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Seminar on behaviour skills for cops
Nawanshahr, January 9 The women police officials and representatives of different NGOs associated with family counselling cells belonging to Ropar, Mohali and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar districts falling under Ropar Police Range attended the seminar. Dr Parminder Sidhu from the Department of Psychology, Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute and Karamvir Kaur from Department of Law, Lovely Professional University delivered special lectures to make the participants aware about the social and legal aspects to deal with the cases effectively. Dr Narinder Bhargav, SSP, Dharam Singh Uppal, SP (Operation), among others, also addressed the seminar. |
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Go Green holds musical nite
Nawanshahr, January 9 Resham Singh Thiara, Chairman, District Planning Committee, inaugurated the programme by lighting the lamp. A large number of people braved the extreme chill to enjoy the melodious singing of Sufi singer Dr Mamta Joshi. The GGIO also held a slide show to make people aware of the activities of the organisation. |
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Janian elected SAD (SC Wing) district chief
Nawanshahr, January 9 Chaudhary Mohan Lal, MLA, Banga, Darshan Lal Mangupur, Chairman, Zila Parishad, and Davinder Pal Kaur, Vice-Chairperson, Zila Parishad, also spoke.
— OC
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Amritsar, January 9
