Jhaneri (Sangrur), February 7
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the SAD-BJP government would seek a mandate for continuity of the development process in the state. He said this while addressing the media at the foundation stone laying function of Adarsh School here today. With increasing standards of education, the electorate in India becoming aware about the need for continued development.

He said whether it was Delhi, Orissa, Gujarat, Bihar and Haryana, people have rejected the negative and vendetta-ridden populism and put their stamp of approval for continued development process.

Seeking “equitable” distribution of Punjab’s share in the Central taxes, Badal said states like Punjab that have been discriminated against in tax share devolving formula have every right to protest. He said the states which are given less share in this formula tend to protest while states like UP which are getting more share remain silent on the issue.

Denying the charge of misuse of central funds, Badal said central funds were basically state funds and a tiny percentage of which was given back to the states as per an outdated formula. He said Punjab has the right to protest as it was getting only 1.29 per cent share. He said the SAD-BJP government has been demanding a minimum share of 50 per cent in the central taxes.

Lashing at PPCC president Amarinder Singh for his “negative vendetta politics” Badal said, Amarinder was oblivious of development at the grassroots level as he was away from the state during his five year tenure as well as the four-year rule of the SAD-BJP government.

Earlier addressing an impressive public rally here, Sukhbir said in the first phase, 125 Adarsh Schools at an investment of Rs 1,000 crore would be opened in the state besides 16 proposed private universities have agreed to sponsor 160 more schools would also be opened in the state.

He said the entire land record of the state would be computerised by March 31 and work of DTO offices would be online with the registration certificates being issued by the dealers themselves by June 30.

Badal said by March 31, ambulances will reach the patient within 20 minutes by dialling 108 and over 120 ambulances would be pressed into service. He said the state government has chalked out Rs 600-crore programme to strengthen primary health services and within the next three months six big and 35 mini hospitals would be set up.

He said the Sports Department would organise Shaheed-E-Azam Bhagat Singh Punjab Games in the last week of February. He said the prize money for second world Kabaddi cup to be held in November has been doubled to Rs 2 crore while Rs 1 crore and Rs 50 lakh would be given to the runners up and second runner up team. Earlier, Badal laid the foundation stone of two Adarsh schools Rs 7.5 crore each at Jhaneri village and Balad Khurd in Sangrur. He laid the foundation stone of a Rs 4.5 crore Community Health Centre and distributed prizes to the winners of a Kabaddi tournament held here today.

Ferozepur, February 7
At last unity among the Congress leadership and the party rank and file of this border district unit seems to be emerging in connection with a party rally to be organised against omissions and commissions of the SAD-BJP government on February 9 here. The rally will be addressed by state Congress president Amarinder Singh.

Almost all leaders along with other functionaries have been toiling hard to make the rally a big success by ensuring the participation of a huge number of workers to be drawn from the nooks and corners of the district. Besides Capt Amarinder, leader of opposition and former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal is also expected to address the gathering.

It was a different scene altogether on December 19, 2009, when Capt Amarinder Singh addressed a workers’ rally in this town. The district Congress unit remained faction- ridden for months together after Amarinder’s rally. The factionalism in the local Congress leadership was also a cause for worry for the party high command.

The scene, however, has changed and almost all district leaders and other party functionaries have been trying to mobilise the maximum number of workers to earn appreciation from Capt Amarinder.

Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Chief Whip of the Congress in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and MLA, Guru Harsahai, who is in charge of the rally, said that arrangements to accommodate about 70,000 workers in the rally, being held at grain market of Ferozepur cantonment, had been made.

“The rally will mark the beginning of the protest against the “anti-people” rule of the SAD-BJP combine in Punjab and hence every Congress man will attend it,” Sodhi claimed.

Parminder Singh, general secretary, PPCC, claimed that the Youth Congress workers were trying their best to make the rally a success.

Sushil Goyal reports from Bathinda: To mobilise party workers to organise a Congress rally successfully to be addressed by the president of the PPCC, Capt Amarinder Singh, in Rampura Phul on February 11, Raninder Singh, son of Amarinder, along with the coordinator of the rally, MLA from Amritsar OP Soni, met the party workers at a meeting here today. He also heard their suggestions.

To a question, Raninder, who had contested the previous Lok Sabha election from Bathinda unsuccessfully, said that he was not away from the workers of Bathinda district as he visited them whenever the party gave him any responsibility.

When asked about speculations that he might contest the next Assembly election from Rampura Phul, Raninder said he was working for strengthening the party and fielding others in the elections, instead of himself.

However, Raninder declined to make any comment about former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, saying , “I do not want to make any comment on Manpreet.”Besides, he also parried a question regarding seeking the Dera Sacha Sauda’s support in the ensuing Assembly elections, saying he was here in connection with the February 11 Rampura Phul rally of the party and not for the ensuing elections.

Soni said the PPCC had fixed a target of gathering one lakh people at the rally. 

Amritsar, February 7
Six years after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised it, the Centre on Studies in Sri Guru Granth Sahib is all set to turn into reality at Guru Nanak Dev University here.

Addressing mediapersons here today, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof AS Brar, said the centre, which would be established at a cost of Rs 47.05 crore, would start functioning from the coming academic session.

According to him, the centre would be fully funded by the UGC and the Union HRD Ministry on a long-term basis. Its total budget (recurring and non-recurring) during the next five years will be Rs 47.05 crore. The UGC had already sanctioned a budget of Rs 1.23 crore, he added.

On the functioning of the centre, he said overall, there would be a director, six professors, six visiting professors and 18 project fellows/JRFs to carry on the academic work. Besides, there would be technical and supporting staff to manage the library and the museum.

The VC said the centre would have six divisions, division for studies on interfaith understanding, division for scriptural studies, division for studies on musicology, division for hermeneutic & linguistic studies, division for social and cultural studies and division for scriptural translations.

Dr BS Dhillon, Professor, Department of Guru Nanak Studies, said the building of the centre would be based on Sikh architecture and with harmony of other buildings of the university campus. An auditorium and a conference hall with modern infrastructure and other facilities were being proposed as an integral component of the centre for this purpose. The building would come up at a cost of Rs 27 crore over the next 3 years.

The VC said for the proper interpretation of the message of Guru Granth Sahib and for the dissemination of research work done on it, the publication of books in various languages of India and world would be done. At presently, this work was not being done academically and in a systematic manner.

He said to facilitate scholars interested in taking up studies on Guru Granth Sahib, research tools in the form of bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, subject indices, glossaries etc would be made available.

He said the proposed centre, besides publishing this type of material, would also publish the research work done by the faculty and made it available at the international level. He said the proposed centre would enjoy full liberty in its research work.

To chalk out the scheduled academic programmes of the centre, there would be an advisory committee constituted by the VC. It would have eminent scholars of Sikh studies as its members. The centre’s governing body would have tenure of 2 years and it would meet at least twice in a year. 

Kuala Lumpur, February 7
The family of a Malaysian Sikh teenager, who had complained that his hair was cropped while he was asleep at a National Service camp, is considering legal options to pursue the case.

The youth, who woke up to find his hair shorter by 60 cm, said he would resume his training today. Basant Singh, 17, had left the Sungai Bakap camp in Penang after his controversial claim, which the National Service officials had denied. The Sikh youth had claimed that his metre-long hair, which had not been cut since birth, was snipped while he and 10 other trainees were asleep in the dormitory.

NS Department director-general Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said that Basant would not be exempted from training but could switch to another camp or could defer his training in the light of the incident.

It is understood that the teen's family was seeking legal advice on the matter, Star newspaper said today.

Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia president Amarjit Singh said the community viewed the "assault" on Basant seriously. "Many Sikhs are angry with the assault and are asking the status of the police probe," he said yesterday.

Sikhs, he said, were also concerned with the increasing number of incidents involving Sikh schoolchildren being asked to trim their hair, shave their beard or moustache or remove their steel bangle (called kara, another requirement under Sikhism), the paper said.

Khalsa Diwan Malaysia president Santokh Singh said many headmasters and teachers had claimed ignorance when told that Sikhs were not allowed to cut, trim or shave hair from any part of their body. Citing a recent example, he said a middle school student was ordered to shave his beard and moustache in early January, although his parents had written to the headmaster on the matter.

"The principal rejected this and maintained that the boy should shave," he said.

He said it was resolved by the Perak Education Department, which said it was wrong for the headmaster and school to issue the directive, the paper quoted Santokh Singh as saying. — PTI

Bathinda, February 7
A short spell of rain today brought delight for farmers with the prospect of a bumper yield of wheat, grams and oil seed crops.

Though the quantum of rainfall was not enough to meet one-time irrigation requirement, it brought the temperature, which was hovering near 25°C (at the maximum level), to the required level (below 20°C).

Some of the farmers whom TNS spoke to said the rain was quite beneficial for the crops of wheat, oil seeds and grams, as all these required watering and a dip in the temperature.

Sukhchain Singh of Mall Wala village said he had sown grams in his field and plants were getting brownish due to the high temperature. “Due to this problem, farm experts had suggested that I should keep watering the field, which was adding to the cost of input. As the rain has helped bringing the weather under the required condition, it will check the burden of extra irrigation and increase the yield,” he said.

Parampal Singh of Jodhpur Romana village, who had covered 10 acres under the wheat crop, said, “Rain has bring respite to me as it has partially substituted the requirement for one-time irrigation. Moreover, it has brought down the temperature to the level required for the crop during the season.”

Associate Professor (agronomy), Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Bathinda), Amrit Pal Brar, also termed the rainfall beneficial for all crops. He said besides the wheat and oil seed crops, it would show its positive results in increasing the yield of grams also. “The plants of grams have reached the siliquo (pode) filling stage. The rain will surely help in increasing the crop yield,” he added.

However, Brar apprehended that the rain might invite yellow rust pest for some susceptible varieties of wheat like PBW 343, DBW 502 and some unauthentic varieties brought by farmers from Uttar Pradesh. He suggested to the farmers to take preventive measures and go for tilt spray (Propiconazole) 200 ml per acre to check the menace in their fields.

According to information, nearly 2.51 lakh hectares in the district is under the wheat crop while the oil seed crops and grams have been sown in 2,000 hectares and 500 hectares, respectively.

Faridkot, February 7
Patron of the youth wing of the ruling SAD and former Punjab minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia today launched a scathing attack on the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre. He alleged that the wrong policies of the union government were responsible for the ills afflicting the nation and Punjab.

He was addressing a gathering during his ongoing tour of the state at Faridkot on Monday.

Terming the rising prices of onion, garlic, vegetables and other essential commodities as ‘unfortunate’, he alleged the union government has also ‘patronised’ corruption, adversely affecting the economy of the country.

Condemning petrol price hike, he said the wrong economic policies of the Congress were responsible for price rise.

He alleged that Sonia Gandhi and her colleagues had looted the state exchequer of Rs 1.76 lakh crore of public money in the 2G Spectrum scam, Rs 70,000 crore in the CWG scam and had stashed it away in Swiss banks.

He asked former Chief Minister and PPCC president Captain Amarinder Singh not to mislead the public. “If Captain Amarinder can prove having provided government jobs to 10 lakh youth in the state, I will take ‘sanyas’ from politics,” he added.

He said Captain Amarinder was ignoring the people of the state for personal pleasures.

Majithia claimed VAT collection has recently touched Rs 10,500 crore and was expected to cross Rs 14,000 crore by the end of the next financial year.

TNS reports from Patiala: SAD general secretary Prem Singh Chandumajra has flayed the Union Government on the issue of price rise. Speaking at a function organised to honour the newly appointed Managing Director of Co-operative Bank, Patiala, Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra, at Devigarh Road, here today, Prem Singh stated that economically weaker sections of society were struggling to manage their daily household expenses on account of sky- rocketing prices of essential commodities.

Ferozepur, February 7
Incidents of residents getting injured due to the unchecked use of kite strings made in China are on the rise with the beginning of the kite flying season.

Sunil (23) received cuts on his neck as he came in contact with such string while driving a two-wheeler near Army School in the cantonment area today.

Similar is the case of Bittu (22) who suffered a deep cut on his forehead and eyelids at a railway crossing on the Ferozepur-Zira Road yesterday. Parveen Kumar (55) received a cut on his nose after he dashed against china string near local TB hospital yesterday.

Similar reports have also been pouring in from various parts of Punjab. A few weeks ago, a teacher Kewal Singh of Amritsar died after his neck got cut when he came in contact with China-made kite string.

Despite a ban on its sale, the markets are flooded with these strings right under the nose of the district administration. Raids have also been conducted in some parts of Punjab to curb the sale of the same.

Deputy Commissioner, Ferozepur, KK Yadav, said there was no procedure to identify strings made in China.

The kite strings made in China make use of polythene, making them very sharp. The colours used in the strings make the strings not easily visible to the human eye.

Kite strings made in India do not cause injuries to human beings but its Chinese version has taken over those made in Amritsar, Bareilly and Lucknow though traders from all over the country come here to sell kite strings especially during the Basant Panchmi festival.

Harsh Bhola, a doctor in local Civil Hospital, said the three patients, who suffered cuts on parts of their bodies due to China-made strings, are responding well to treatment.

Chak Fateh Singh Wala (Bathinda), February 7
The high-voltage drama that the volunteers of the Alternative Innovative Education (AIE) Teachers’ Union had been enacting atop an overhead water tank at Chak Fateh Singh Wala village, the village of the in-laws of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, since morning, ended late in the evening, with the administration assuring them of fixing their meeting with the Chief Minister and the Education Minister on March 2 at Chandigarh.

The protesters were candidates who had failed to secure a berth in the merit lists for admission in the Elementary Teachers’ Training (ETT) course. The merit lists were issued by the Education Department last month and about 800 of the candidates had succeeded.

Earlier, there were nearly 2,000 volunteers, who had been lodging protests for admission to the ETT course for a couple of years but after bowing to their agitations, the government had allowed admission to 800 of them. The development resulted in a split in the union as a majority of the candidates wanted the government to give admission to all at one go.

Charging that the government had turned a deaf ear to their plea, the remaining candidates today adopted an old-fashioned strategy to protest to build pressure on the administration.

Eight volunteers, including three girls, carrying bottles of petrol in their hands, climbed atop an overhead water tank at the focal point at the village at about 11 am.

Raising anti-establishment slogans, they kept issuing threats of self-immolation by pouring petrol over them.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, SDM, Bathinda, KPS Mahi, reached the spot and attempted to initiate negotiations but the protesters refused saying they would discuss the issue only with the Deputy Commissioner.

However, the DC said he was busy in a meeting with the Deputy CM. After an hour-long negotiation, the officials fixed the protesters’ meeting with the Chief Minister and the Education Minister for March 2. Receiving an assurance in writing, all eight agitators climbed down the water tank and lifted their dharna.

Patiala, February 7
Functionaries of the Patiala Municipal Corporation have urged the Department of Local Government, Punjab, to give its nod, allowing the civic body to sell various properties of the MC, which are either given on a lease/rent from past three decades. According to the civic authorities, sale of the property given on a lease/rent would generate funds amounting to Rs 35 crore, which could be utilised for development of the city.

Speaking to The Tribune, Patiala Municipal Commissioner Manjit Singh Narang said, “During a meeting convened by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on August 12, 2010, the matter to sell off the properties on a lease/rent was discussed in detail. Subsequently, Badal had directed the Department of Local Government, Punjab, to look into the matter,” he said.

Narang further said though on June 15, 2009, a policy regarding sale of properties owned by the Urban Local Bodies was announced but since some technical issues in the policy required to be clarified, the Patiala MC couldn’t go ahead with its plans to dispose off the property on lease/rent. Documents in possession of TNS shows that on December 21, 2009, we had sent a letter to the secretary, the Department of Local Government, Punjab, urging him to clarify some of the issues, mentioned in the policy framed for selling of properties owned by the Urban Local Bodies.

“Furthermore, on September 21, 2009, even Patiala Deputy Commissioner Dipinder Singh had also shot off a letter in this regard to the secretary but so far there has been no response,” Narang said. Mayor Ajit Pal Singh Kohli said, “A civic body has once again sent a fresh reminder to the Department of Local Government, Punjab, on January 31, 2011.”

“Presently, the Patiala MC is generating a revenue of just Rs 6.5 lakh as a rent of municipal property. The occupants of a civic property, given on a lease/rent, are ready to buy the same at the DC rates. Hence, if the Department of Local Government, Punjab, positively responds to our request, we will be able to sell off various properties and can generate funds to the tune of Rs 35 crore. These funds will be pumped in for undertaking the development works in Patiala,” asserted the Mayor and the Commissioner.

Chandigarh, February 7
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today gave an approval to name the Majitha bus stand after the great statesman, reformer and the founder of the Chief Khalsa Diwan Society, Sardar Sunder Singh Majithia, in accordance with a resolution adopted unanimously by the Nagar Council, Majitha.

A spokesperson for the Chief Minister’s Office said today that the CM also gave his nod to allow red beacon atop on private vehicles of the Rajya Sabha members from Punjab as already allowed to the Lok Sabha members . — TNS

Jalandhar, February 7
National president of the BJP Mahila Morcha Smriti Irani today said the party would soon set up Nari Shakti Kendras in all districts of the country. The kendras would help women get employment and access to health facilities, besides helping them face problems related to the law and order.

Addressing a meeting of the presidents and general secretaries of all Mahila Mandals of Punjab today, Smriti urged them to get involved in holding health camps, job fairs, forming self-help groups and seminars on micro-finance schemes. She said this would help more and more women align with the party.

The kendras would shelter women suffering harassment in the society. She said one such centre had already been set up at Amritsar. Another was functioning in Jalandhar in association with an NGO Sanjeevni. Smriti said her morcha had recently organised a job fair in UP for women from the Muslim community received an overwhelming response,” she said.

Claiming that it was her party that had raised the issue of 33 per cent reservations for women in the Parliament, she blamed the Congress party leaders for raising obstacles in its way.

During the forthcoming Assembly polls in Punjab, she said tickets would be allotted on the basis of merit.

She said she would be happier to offer tickets to even to ordinary, poor women from rural background provided they were socially active and morally upright.

“In Bihar we secured a ticket for a woman candidate in place of a sitting MLA and she won.” Out of the 13 women who were given party tickets, 11 won, she said.

She urged aspiring women candidates not to lose confidence in the race for a ticket. She asked them to hold training camps more frequently. After the meeting, she said she was leaving for UP to meet a rape victim.

Amritsar, February 7
The NRI Sabha Punjab patron and vice-president of the SAD’s NRI wing, Jaswinder Singh Dhaliwal, who was forced to take off his turban at an Italy airport last month, today claimed that now Sikhs would neither have to take off their turbans nor these would be checked by frisking at the airports in the UK.

In a statement released here, Dhaliwal claimed that the decision was taken by the UK’s transport authorities after a meeting with the Sikh Federation there on February 2. He said various Sikh outfits in Europe joined hands to raise the matter with the authorities following the media reports on the incident involving him in Italy. He claimed that the transport authorities in the UK had issued directions that neither a Sikh would be forced to take off his turban nor the turban would be checked by frisking.

He further claimed that the UK had also written to other European countries to follow these norms at their airports too. According to him, the UK Secretary of State for Transport, Phillip Hammond, told the Sikh leaders that the new norms, which would give due respect to a Sikh’s turban, would be implemented and their results reviewed. — TNS

Patiala, February 7
Equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, a tertiary cancer centre will be set up at Government Medical College (GMC), Patiala.

Funds to the tune of Rs 6 crore will be made available to the GMC for setting up the centre. While 80 per cent of the funds (Rs 4.80 crore) will be provided by the Union Government, the remaining amount will be made available by the Punjab Government.

Dr Harjot Kaur Bagga, the Head of Department, Radiotherapy, GMC, Patiala, informed that on Saturday evening, a team comprising of Professor and Head of Department, Radiotherapy, PGIMER, Chandigarh, Prof SC Sharma; programme officer, cancer control cell, Punjab, Dr Rakesh K Gupta; CMO, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Union Government, Dr Sawinder Singh and Punjab state surveillance officer, non-communicable diseases, Dr Deepak Bhatia visited the GMC, Patiala, and held discussions regarding the proposed tertiary cancer centre.

Head, Pathology Department, GMC, Patiala, Dr MS Bal stated that total of 65 tertiary cancer centres are to be opened across the country. — TNS

Chandigarh, February 7
The Sri Ganganagar police has claimed to solve four cases of looting of petrol stations and liquor vends with the arrest of Kulwinder Singh, a resident of Jaisinghwala, Bathinda district, near Sadhuwali checkpost, Abohar, on Sunday.

The police official claimed that the accused was physically handicapped and was involved in many looting incidents in the area.

However, the other members of the gang identified as Nahar Singh, Jaswinder Singh and Kewal Singh managed to flee from the spot. An employee of the Roadways Department got injured during the incident, the official added.

According to the police, they got information that the miscreants were moving towards the Punjab border after looting a petrol pump and a liquor vend. The police informed the Punjab Police about the incident and continued chasing the car. However, the car smashed the main gate of Shivpuri and overturned where the Punjab Police arrested the accused. Later, they handed over the accused to the Sri Ganganagar police.

The police said the accused had looted Rs 27,000 from the employees of Kailashpati Oil Company, situated on Sri Ganganagar-Suratgarh National Highway, on Friday.