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Central scheme to raise literacy rate in 7 dists
Sanitation woes in border town
Father beats teenager to death, burns body to destroy evidence
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14-month-old suffers from acute flaccid paralysis
Wildlife sanctuary
Sub-canal project
Raw cotton
Football tourney
TV star enthralls all at annual function
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Central scheme to raise literacy rate in 7 dists
Bathinda, March 2 The districts selected for the purpose are Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Barnala and Sangrur. The scheme aims at educating nearly 8.07 lakh illiterate adults in the age group of 15 years and above before March 31, 2012. Since illiteracy is more widespread in rural areas in the region as compared to the urban areas, the programme will initially concentrate on the rural society. Later, the scheme would shift focus on urban areas. It would primarily focus on women's literacy, especially those belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minority communities and other unprivileged groups in rural areas. Through the scheme, the Central government also wants to reduce the regional, social and gender disparities prevailing in the region. Officials in the Education Department said the programmes under the mission would strive to impart functional literacy to illiterate adults, enable the neo-literates to continue their learning beyond basic literacy and acquire equivalency to formal educational system. Besides, it would also focus on equipping the neo-literates with skills to improve their living and earning conditions. Though the district administration and block-level officials have been given key role in planning, implementing and monitoring the programme, the mission will be implemented through Gram Panchayats at the grass roots level. To meet the target in time, the state government has planned to open schools at Panchayat level, constitute block and district-level coordination committees. Half of the staff would comprise womenfolk. After providing proper training, each volunteer appointed for the purpose would educate nearly 10 illiterate adults of basic literacy of 300 hours. While allocating special budgets for the cause, the union government has asked the senior functionaries of the state government to monitor the whole activity. |
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Sanitation woes in border town
Ferozepur, March 2 The low-lying areas are particularly affected due to the faulty sewerage system as the problem gets compounded during rainy days in absence of any provision of rain water disposal. Peeved over the frequent collapsing of sewerage system, the residents have resorted to several protests during the last few months. In Gobind Nagari, the sewer remained choked for days together and the residents had to wade through grimy water to reach their houses. Similarly, pathetic conditions are prevailing outside new Sabzi Mandi where the road has worn out leaving behind potholes due to accumulation of sewage. The condition outside the grain market on the Zira Road is equally bad as a blocked sewer has created almost a 20-feet wide ditch on the road outside the Golden Enclave thereby posing danger to the passersby. Municipal Council (MC) officials, when contacted, attributed the problem to mushrooming of unauthorised residential colonies in the vicinity of the town. “In absence of proper sewerage facilities, the residents resort to illegal connections, which lead to blockage of the sewer pipes,” revealed an official on the condition of anonymity, adding that internal bickering within the MC and paucity of funds has also slowed down the pace of development works. Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sukhpal Singh Nannu, who represents the Ferozepur city constituency, said the state government had already approved Rs 37-crore plan to improve the existing sewerage set-up besides laying new sewer pipes in the areas where the sewerage facility did not exist at all. He added that the work had been allocated to a Hyderabad-based firm and he would personally monitor the progress on a weekly basis so that the work on laying of new sewer lines was executed at the earliest. Nannu further said an order had also been placed to procure a new sewerage cleaning machine for the MC at cost of Rs 20 lakhs. “Earlier, we had to borrow the machine from neighbouring municipalities,” he said. |
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Father beats teenager to death, burns body to destroy evidence
Sriganganagar, March 2 A police party rushed to the village and found the half-burnt body of about 17-year-old Nirmala lying inside the house. On learning about the incident, SP Rupinder Singh asked ASP Sandeep Chauhan and DSP Kesari Chand Jandu to investigate the incident. Preliminary investigation reportedly indicated that Nirmala was allegedly beaten to death by her father during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday since she could not explain why she had gone to the house of the neighbours after sunset. Later, Sahi Ram set the body ablaze to destroy the evidence. Yesterday, he planned to dispose of the half-burnt body in a nearby canal but failed to do so. SHO PD Sharma said Sahi Ram had married one Tara Devi and was blessed with four children, including two girls. Nirmala was one of them. Tara Devi died of burns she sustained few years back. Sahi Ram was booked for intimidation relating to dowry and had to spend four months in jail. But later, he was acquitted by the trial court. He married another woman and was blessed with two children again. Nobody was present in the house when Sahi Ram allegedly committed the crime, the preliminary reports indicated. He has been booked under Sections 302 and 201 of the IPC on the basis of complaint by Kesara Ram of Rawla, maternal grand father of the victim. |
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14-month-old suffers from acute flaccid paralysis
Bathinda, March 2 A child specialist in the Women and Children Hospital here Dr Satish Jindal said two stool samples of the child would be collected for testing. The samples would be sent to the Virology Laboratory, Kasauli, to diagnose whether it is a case of polio myelitis or some other ailment, he added. Dr Jindal said this evening it was not the first AFP case in the district as 41 such cases in 2009 and 28 cases were reported in 2010. None of these cases tested positive for polio during investigation by the Virology Laboratory, Kasauli. Dr Jindal further said there were many reasons due to which a patient could suffer from the AFP and polio was one of them. However, there was no need to panic, he added. The physician said he had examined the patient the previous day and asked parents to collect two samples of his stool and later, inform the health authorities. The child has been suffering from fever for the past about 12 days. His parents also noticed decreased movement in his left leg. |
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Shivaratri celebrated with religious fervour
Bathinda, March 2 As part of Mahashivaratri celebrations, temples were decorated in the city and hymns in the praise of Lord Shiva were recited.
On roads, langars (free food) were also organised. Many devotees queued up at the local Prachin Shiv Mandir, Mehna Chowk, to pay obeisance to the Lord Shiva. Meanwhile, some religious organisations held 'Shiv Jagrans' in the city tonight. |
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Wildlife sanctuary
Abohar, March 2 Around 35 protected wild animals including 12 blackbucks and 23 blue bulls were severely injured in the same duration in the sanctuary. However, no incident related to hunting of the animals has been reported in the past 14 months. Most of the deaths of blackbucks and blue bulls took place due to barbed wires erected by the farmers around their farms to save their crops. Other reasons included their felling into canals and distributaries in the sanctuary. The development has caused a major discontent among the members of the Bishnoi community. “The number of killed blackbucks and blue bulls in the past 14 months is unprecedentedly high and is a matter of serious concern,” claimed Sanjeev Tiwari, district forest officer (wildlife), Ferozepur, who initiated census of the wild animals in the sanctuary area today. The wildlife department authorities now have planned that the NGOs would be involved to help them in catching the stray dogs and subsequently their release to faraway places. About 700 stray dogs were caught and were taken away from the sanctuary area in year 2009, he said. Tiwari disclosed that the honorary wildlife warden would be deployed in the sanctuary area for extending timely treatment to the injured wild animals to save their lives. Moreover, the state government had decided to set up two community reserves in the sub-division for the protection and conservation of blackbucks, blue bulls and sambar, who roamed in those villages, located outside the sanctuary. |
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Sub-canal project
Abohar, March 2 Speaking on the occasion, Ghuriana said the project had initially been sanctioned by Parkash Singh Badal as Chief Minister in the year 1997. However, it was suspended due to some reasons. Now, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal arranged final clearance and got funds allocated, he said. The construction of 7.25 kilometres length of the sub -canal originating from the Abohar branch canal is expected to cost Rs 3 crore. This will facilitate the irrigation of 3230 acres of agricultural land, spread over village Dharangwala, Kundal, Taja Patti and Ratta Khera. The Irrigation Department has been advised to get the construction work completed within three months. Notably the Deputy CM had recently laid the foundation stones for six such projects in the Balluana segment. On completion, the projects will also solve the problems related to drinking water in the rural areas, Ghuriana added. |
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Raw cotton
Fazilka, March 2 Today, the raw cotton was sold at a rate of Rs 7100 per quintal in the market here. Though the farmers are getting remunerative price of their produce, the uncertainty and fluctuation in the prices have been haunting the traders continuously. The main reason for the fluctuation and uncertainty in the domestic cotton market is that it is being controlled by the speculators, involved in forward trading in absence of any export policy. “The government should come out with a new export policy immediately to maintain the prices in the market for the benefit of the farmers and to end uncertainty as the target of export of 55 lakh cotton bales had already been achieved last month,” demanded Pakka Arhtiyas Association president Dina Nath Sachdeva. As per the Market Committee sources, there is about 400 quintals of arrival of the cotton daily these days during the fag end of the season, expected to continue for another fortnight. |
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Football tourney
Ferozepur, March 2 John Chhangloi scored three goals for the Tiger Division. He scored first goal in the beginning of the match. Again he increased the lead of the Tiger Division by scoring goals in the 17th and 85th minutes of the match. The remaining two goals were scored by Captain Aditya Thakur and Khambaik Mang in the 8th and 18th minutes of the match, respectively. The only goal, which went into kitty of the Golden Arrow Division, was scored by Kamal Singh in the 33rd minute of the match. In the second semi-final match, Rising Star Corps Troops and Pine Division fought against each other. Both the teams could not score goal against each other in the prescribed time of the match. The members of the Rising Star Corps Troops converted three penalty corners in three goals while the members of the Pine Division could convert only one penalty corner into goal. The penalty corners were given to both teams when they failed to score goals against each other in the extra time given after the prescribed time of the match was over. LN Jaspal Singh, Van Lalumpuria and K Lal Vulluaia of Rising Star Corps Troops scored one goal each, respectively, while Sukh Tshring Lipcha of the Pine Division converted the
penalty corners in the lone goal. — TNS |
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TV star enthralls all at annual function
Sriganganagar, March 2 Rakesh Negi, Commandant, 55 Bn, BSF and his wife Kusum Negi lighted the traditional lamp beforethe portrait of the goddess Saraswati to inaugurate the function. During the six-hour long cultural extravaganza Priyanka, Arshdeep, Pooja, Anmol Jagga, Arman, Charu Ojha, Karan Batra and other students not only entertained by folk songs and dances but also sought to transmit strong and effective message against foeticide, dowry and drugs besides bringing awareness on the environment. Principal Rituraj Kaur welcomed the guests and presented the annual report on the occasion. |
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