Chandigarh, March 5
With the fate of 82,000 Scheduled Caste college students who have not been paid their annual fee for the current financial year hanging in balance, the Punjab Government has now approached the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to intervene and get the central assistance of Rs 69 crore released from the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry before March 31 this year.

Punjab is due to get Rs 69 crore under the centrally sponsored Post-Matric Scholarship for SC Students scheme. This money is to be released to the government and private institutions that have admitted SC students for various courses without charging them any fee. The situation has become serious for the state with private institutions putting pressure on the students to pay their dues and in some cases even threatening to cancel their admission.

Chief Secretary SC Agrawal has in a letter to the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister yesterday claimed that the state government had submitted its proposal to the the Social Justice ministry well in time and had subsequently even replied to queries raised by the ministry. The letter says despite this, the required funds had not been released to the state. Agrawal has also claimed that release of funds to the state under the scheme has not been satisfactory for the past four years, hinting at discrimination against Punjab.

The Chief Secretary has urged the PMO to bring the matter to the notice of the Prime Minister so that directions could be issued to the Social Justice ministry for the release of funds so that SC students could benefit in the current financial year itself.

The state is apparently not taking any chances. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has also written to Social Justice minister Mukul Wasnik yesterday. The letter is far from cordial, with the Chief Minister taking pains to stress that his government has answered each and every query raised by Wasnik’s ministry. Badal has also claimed that all references being demanded by Wasnik are lying in the latter’s office and that these had been sent by special messengers.

Wasnik had in an earlier reply in January to a letter written by Badal, while justifying the earlier track record of release of funds, had asked for a detailed justification for the abnormal increase in the projected number of beneficiaries. He had also demanded that the the state give details regarding the increase in professional colleges in the state.

Punjab has the highest scheduled caste population in the country comprising 28.5 per cent of its population. While Punjab is still to be released any money under the scheme, the Centre had released Rs 570 crore to Andhra Pradesh under the scheme this year. Uttar Pradesh has been released Rs 498 crore and Maharashtra Rs 100 crore. 

Jalandhar, March 5
The new excise policy (2011-12) of Punjab has virtually rendered over 500 families jobless besides forcing over 55 members of the Wholesalers of the Denatured Spirit (L-17A) Association, Punjab, to close down their business establishments.

Taking a note of the new excise policy, the members of the association held a meeting and criticised the Punjab Government for discontinuing the L-17A licences from the next financial year.

They apprehend that a strong lobby of licence seekers that could not get licences in 2005, has played a role against them. Talking to The Tribune, RK Arora, president of the association, said no prior notices were served on them by the government before cancelling their licences. The government should have informed the wholesalers at the time of depositing the renewal fee (Rs 10,000 per annum) of their licences, he added.

The decision has caused a major set back to the traders dealing in denatured spirit as well as 500 families, across the state, that are directly or indirectly earning their livelihood from this trade, he claimed.

The association has also sent a representation to the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister, demanding a review of the decision.

As per the new excise policy, the government has discontinued the L-17A licences as these were not found to be serving any useful purpose.

The government has, however, kept a provision that the Excise and Taxation Commissioner, depending on the requirement, will grant the licences in the current year.

The policy reads: A lot of substitutes of denatured spirit are available in the market. As a result, the demand of the denatured sprit has declined sharply. The business of L-17 licence is becoming more and more unviable.

The existence of the L-17A licence which is an inter-mediator between the distillery and l-17 licences increases the price of the denatured spirit further. The denatured spirit, therefore, becomes costlier than other cheap substitutes.

Patiala, March 5
Rejecting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s model of economic growth, eminent academicians here today emphasised on turning back to the Nehruvian model of economic growth, which was not based on any rigid dogma but focused on human welfare and battling poverty. The current model of growth was introduced by Manmohan Singh in the early 1990s, when he was the Finance Minister of India. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, preferred the model of mixed economy, which stood for simultaneous participation of public and private sector to rebuild the country.

Presenting his paper here today at the international seminar organised by the Punjabi University on Peace, Security and Economic Development in South Asia, Dr Kuldip Singh, Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science at GND University, Amritsar, said that putting an end to the poverty, ignorance, disease and inequality of opportunities were key goals of Nehru. However, the current model of development was promoting inequitable distribution of wealth leading to its accumulation in the hands of a handful of families.

Among those who chaired differet sessions at the seminar were Dr RS Sidhu, and Dr MS Sidhu, both renowned economists from the PAU, Ludhiana. Commenting on Dr Kuldip Singh’s paper, Dr Baljit Singh Mann said definitely the state’s intervention was required in administering economic development. However, raising a vital question, he said corruption had permeated all vital organs of the state when the Nehruvian model was in vogue and it was also true in case of the new liberal model of development. What model of growth could eliminate corruption from the system that was the key issue facing the country at the moment? Earlier, commenting on the paper presented by Varinder Jain and Dr C Vinodan on energy security and cooperation among various countries in South Asia, Dr BS Ghuman said there were questions that needed to be addressed regarding over exploitation of resources of generate energy. 

Patiala, March 5
KD Chaudhri, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), has informed that the PSPCL has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with M/s D-Development Engineers Pvt Ltd, Faridabad.

As per the agreement, the PSPCL will daily get 2 lakh units of power from the M/s D-Development Engineers Pvt Ltd. The PSPCL has signed the agreement for a period of 20 years.

The agreement was signed by the PSPCL, Director Distribution, Arun Verma, and Head, Biomass Division, M/s D-Development Engineers Pvt Ltd, BS Jangra, at the PSPCL Headquarters, here today. “In the Biomass Thermal Plant in Gaddadhob village, all types of Agro mass such as cotton, mustard and paddy straw is used as a fuel. This way, the plant helps farmers financially, as company purchases agro waste worth Rs 15-20 crore in a year. On the other hand, it provides employment to youth of Punjab,” Chaudhri said.

Chaudhri further informed that the plant in Gaddadhob had been set up by M/s D-Development Engineers Pvt Ltd., at a cost of Rs 45 crore. “The indigenous air-fed fluidised bed combustion boiler technology is being used in the plant with the 92 per cent PLF (Plant Load Factor), which is highest in Biomass plants in country,” he said. 

Chandigarh, March 5
The state Congress today said it would propose to bring in stringent legislation in the ongoing budget session of the state Assembly to make death by negligent driving punishable by at least one year of imprisonment besides imposition of heavy penalties to curb the increasing number of lives being lost in road accidents in the state.

Party spokesman Sukhpal Singh Khaira said other punitive measures should also be brought in to check use of cellphones during driving besides drunken driving. He said a strict regulatory force should be formed for this purpose and that action should be taken against VIPs also.

Khaira said six persons were killed and 22 injured in a minibus-truck collision in Ferozepur yesterday and that rash driving took the life of two young boys crushed by a private bus operator at Dalam village in Amritsar. He said more than 4,000 human lives were lost due to road accidents in Punjab and 5,000 were left permanently handicapped annually, but apparently even this was not enough to open the eyes of the government. 

Chandigarh, March 5
Touched by harrowing tales many members of the overseas Punjabi community have to narrate about their efforts to protect their ancestral landed property back home, a group of People of Indian Origin (PIO), in collaboration with some public-spirited legal luminaries and social activists, have volunteered to start an organisation to work as a watchdog for them.

The society --- PIO Welfare Society --- was formally launched here last evening, where Justice Surya Kant was the chief guest. The society also launched its web site --- www.piowelfaresociety.co<http://www.piowelfaresociety.com> --- to provide online counselling for those members of the overseas community who need assistance in their unending litigations, including those pertaining to property and land-grab cases.

Vancouver-based Hardev Singh Bal is the co-chairman of the society that has Canada-based Amarjit Singh Sangha as its president and SS Gill, also of Canada, as its secretary.

“The idea of forming this society and launching the web site is to help hundreds of overseas Punjabis in North America and the UK besides providing an independent and credible channel for assistance in getting their legal battles adjudicated or settled as quickly as possible,” says Bal.

He adds that “many of overseas Punjabis are dismayed and frustrated by the manner in which their cases, including trivial disputes like apprehension of breach of peace, get stretched over years.

Bal says that the PIO Welfare Society was grateful to eminent jurists like Justice Surya Kant who want all such malpractices to be checked and stopped. “We have been overwhelmed by some public-spirited lawyers who have volunteered to help and provide us the basic guidelines. Amit Chaudhary, Assistant Advocate-General of Punjab, for example, has been a great help in framing the constitution of our society.”

Among others to lend a helping hand include social activists Darshan Singh Harvinder and Dr Anil K. Gupta of Delhi.

The society promises to take up other cases, including those pertaining to matrimonial and immigration frauds besides transnational crime.

Bal and his team already had held meetings with not only Chief Ministers of most of north Indian states but also with other top political leaders to solicit their support and help for members of overseas Punjabi community in distress.

Patiala, March 5
The Punjab Government has released money to Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, Punjabi University, Patiala, and Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, to carry out a survey in 18 remaining districts to get data on farmers, who committed suicide in recent years.

“We have got Rs 16.50 lakh and will resume the work on this project at the earliest,” said Dr Rajinder Singh Sidhu, Dean, Basic Sciences, PAU. Earlier, in first installment, the PAU was given Rs 5 lakh. Money has also been released to two other universities.

Dr Sidhu, who had come here today to take part in the international seminar on peace, security and development said the Economics Department of the PAU would conduct the survey in four districts. These include Mansa, Barnala, Moga and Ludhiana.

Earlier, the PAU was given a pilot project to conduct such a survey in Bathinda and Sangrur districts. Punjabi University and the GNDU will conduct the survey in seven districts each.

In fact, the PAU has almost completed the survey of Mansa district. “We are analysing it,” said Dr Sidhu. The PAU had to suspend the survey in other districts as money was not released to it.

During the survey of Bathinda and Sangrur, the PAU had enlisted 2,890 farmers, who ended their lives by committing suicide. Keeping in view such a high number of suicides, the state government has to order the survey in remaining districts also. 

Patiala, March 5
Following numerous threat mails being sent to the police, mediapersons, political leaders and religious leaders, the Punjab Police top brass has asked the district’s cops to issue necessary directions to cyber cafe owners in Punjab to collect identity proof of the customers. Necessary instructions have been issued by the police chiefs concerned to ask the SHOs for a strict compliance of these orders.

Sources said, “Since cyber crimes are on the rise in recent times and cyber cafes are found to have been the source of many such crimes. Cafe owners have been asked to maintain a register detailing the use of the Internet by their customers and provide maximum information to the police when required.”

In recent cases the Patiala police had registered a case against a MBA student for sending threatening e-mails to senior police officers, staff and MBA students, Punjabi University, Patiala. Many a times certain groups have taken responsibility of certain acts of terrors, including bomb blasts by sending mails.

In another e-mail controversy, the Babbar Khalsa International had threatened to eliminate senior BJP leader from Ludhiana Satpal Gosain, Beas MLA Manjinder Singh Kang, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Youth Akali Dal Longowal chief Ranjit Singh Nikkra and former deputy speaker Punjab Vidhan Sabha Bir Devinder Singh.

“The cafe owners should be aware of the misuse of cyber space for anti-social and anti-national activities and therefore it is important that such details are kept in records,” claimed a senior police officer.

In written orders passed by Patiala DC Dipinder Singh, the cafe owners have been told to keep a record of the websites operated in the main server for not less than six months. 

Amritsar, March 5
The All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) and the Sikhs for Justice, which brought the Hondh Chhillar massacre to the fore, today claimed to have unearthed yet another similar incident, which had claimed the lives of 17 innocent Sikhs in Pataudi town of Haryana on November 2, 1984.

AISSF President Karnail Singh Peermohammed claimed that a gurdwara at Pataudi was set afire by rioters on November 1, 1984, forcing all 30 Sikh families to run for their lives. “While one group chose to stay back for the safety of their houses, another took shelter at the local Hari Mandar Ashram. On November 2, the assailants surrounded the houses of the Sikhs and started throwing petrol bombs into them, which led to the death of 17 persons. The mob was carrying swords, petrol and lathis. They ransacked the Sikhs’ houses, burnt them alive and looted their property,” he further claimed.

He said an FIR (number 282-83) was registered at the Pataudi police station in this regard on November 12, 1984, and it had the names of over 15 persons, who were accused of killing Sikhs on November 2, 1984.

“However, the then Sessions Judge, VM Jain, acquitted all the accused due to lack of evidence on April 26, 1986, ” he said.

The AISSF has also released a list of 17 persons, including three women, who were allegedly killed by the rioters besides producing a copy of the FIR to corroborate their claim. The AISSF chief said: “It is shocking to hear about the Sikh genocide of Pataudi and raises a question as to what was the extent of loss of life of Sikhs during the organised and planned attacks in 1984. If there are two grave incidents of violence in Haryana within a few miles, it is quite possible that there will be hundreds of such sites throughout India where Sikhs were subjected to genocidal attacks.”

Meanwhile, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal adviser to the Sikhs For Justice, said the “discovery of the Pataudi massacre is another living paradigm of the “Sikh genocide” and a constant reminder that justice has been denied and eluded the victims of the 1984 riots”.

Jalandhar, March 5
Indians, who are still stranded in Libya, are struggling for their survival and safe rescue.

Ten youths, who were stuck in Graiyan and reached Jalandhar last night, claimed that the majority of Indians were unable to reach Libyan International Airport in Tripoli, as they were stranded at places that were 200 km to 400 km away from the airport.

Talking to TNS, the youths, Barinder Kumar of Nawanshahr, Amarjit Singh of Jalandhar, Gurtej Singh of Moga, Raj Kumar of Jalandhar, Manpreet Singh of Morinda, Balbir Singh of Jalandhar, Harbansh Singh of Hoshiarpur, Avtar Chand of Nawanshahr, Jagdish of Nawanshahr, and Prince of Kapurthala thanked the Union government for airlifting them from the Tripoli airport.

All of them were employed with a Graiyan-based construction company and were living in a camp on the outskirts of the city when a mob allegedly set their camp afire. The youths said they faced a tough time there, as miscreants looted them of cash and other belongings and they had to spend many days without food.

They claimed that it took them 10 days to reach the airport and for this, they had to travel through forests. Even after reaching the airport, they faced problems, as the majority of them failed to show identity proofs to the embassy staff and scrambled for seats in planes at the airport. However, somehow they managed to provide their identity proofs as some of them were having ID cards issued to them by the company.

Jalandhar, March 5
Nearly 400 sports goods manufacturers here observed one-day strike today to put a pressure on the Centre for withdrawing proposal of imposing the one per cent central excise tax (CET) on them during presenting the Union Budget.

The sports goods manufacturers under the banner of the joint action committee (JCC), specially constituted to spearhead their agitation, did not only closed their establishments today but also staged a dharna at Basti Nau Chowk before carrying out a protest march in the area.

Later in the afternoon, a delegation, led by their representatives Ravinder Dhir and SK Kohli, also submitted a memorandum to Lok Sabha member from Jalandhar Mohinder Singh Kaypee in this regard.

Dhir and Kohli said, “The agitation will continue till their demand for the withdrawal of the proposal is met.” Dhir said the sports goods manufacturers had already been suffering a lot for past several years as the government did not fulfill their demands of abolishing VAT and CST on the lines of the BSP government in UP.

The sports goods manufacturers had to pay 4 per cent VAT, 2 per cent CST with form C and 4 per cent CST without form C whereas those of UP had been given full relaxation from VAT and the CST. 

Chandigarh, March 5
The Panjab University Syndicate today modified admission rules for students who hail from other states and seek admission to local colleges.

Students who have cleared Class XII from UT schools will now be eligible to apply in the city colleges under the 85 per cent UT pool.

The Syndicate today gave the nod to a letter of the Chandigarh Administration mooting this proposal. The condition of having passed ‘one lower examination and having studied for two years in Chandigarh’ has been removed from the policy.

Syndicate members also approved a ‘golden chance scheme’ floated by Vice-Chancellor RC Sobti, which provides an opportunity to clear compartment or re-appear exams in September 2011 as per the new syllabus.

“Under this scheme, students can appear for any exam in which they may have got compartment earlier. They can also apply for improvement exams and upgrade their score,” said Sobti.

University officials said the exam would benefit hundreds of students, who were unable to pass an exam in the past.

The Syndicate also approved a significant proposal that all students and former students, who left studies midway for any reason or wanted to improve performance in any course, will be allowed to complete courses through the University School of Open Learning (USOL) subject to fulfilment of certain conditions.

Another long-pending proposal of university employees today made headway and 39 daily wagers on the campus were given regular jobs.

The decision was taken for those who have been working for 10 years or more.

The Syndicate also approved that the Dean of University Instruction will act as Director-Principal of the Dr Harvansh Singh Judge Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital.

The VC also announced that President Pratibha Patil would visit the university on March 17 and deliver Dr VN Tewari memorial lecture on the campus.

n Students clearing Class XII from UT schools eligible to apply under the 85 per cent UT pool

n According to the new guidelines, students from all batches can appear in improvement exams

n Those who left studies midway can complete these from the USOL

Chandigarh, March 5
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has warned that non-resident Indians (NRIs) will sever ties with their homeland if the practice of their implication by the police is not put to an end.

The call to “nip the evil in the bud” came on a petition filed by Ajit Singh of London’s Hay Mill Closs after the Bench of Justice Satish Kumar Mittal and M Jeyapaul held the NRI was implicated in his co-brother’s murder case. In fact, the Bench ruled an accident case was converted into murder for implicating the NRI.

The call comes at a time when Punjab and other states are making efforts to bring the NRIs closer to their roots by organising activities, including the Parvasi Divas. It is significant as the NRIs have all along been complaining of implication in case, particularly matrimonial matters. They have been alleging that their parents back in India are harassed on allegations of dowry demand; and jurisdictions are silently shifted to India when a marriage turns sour to take advantage of the dowry laws.

In fact, the issue has come up for discussion at the level of the Centre, with the NRIs asking the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs to take a gender-neutral approach in tackling the problems. Acquitting Ajit Singh of the charges framed against him, the Bench ruled: “If such a treatment is meted out to the innocent NRIs by uniformed force, no NRI will think of a pleasant tour to India. It is high time such a trend is nipped in the bud itself, before it snowballed into a gigantic problem.”

The Bench added: “A case of accidental death was intentionally converted by a sub-inspector as a case of murder, implicating the appellant in order to fleece money from him…” The Bench asserted: “It is a classic case, where a citizen of the UK and an NRI has been shabbily treated, keeping an eye on his money….”

The Bench has also made it clear that it was for the state to provide relief to the NRI victims of implication. A false case has virtually pushed the appellant to penury. He has faced an ordeal and unknown hardship on account of false implication in a murder case. The state is bound to apply balm on the wounds the appellant has received on account of the irresponsible act of the personnel of the police force.

Ludhiana, March 5
“Don't feel shy in exposing corrupt officers irrespective of their ranks. No matter even if they are holding good positions in judiciary or in any public office,” said Justice MM Kumar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

He especially appealed to the members of legal fraternity to wage a war for exposing the corrupt officials with evidence. Without this we can't get rid from the menace of corruption. Virus of corruption is eroding our system. But there is no room for corrupts in our system. Corrupt people often deny the right of legitimate persons.

Our forefathers had sacrificed their lives in struggle for freedom. Now, it is our duty to come forward for cleansing the system.

He addressed a seminar on “How to be a good lawyer” organised by the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana's Legal Training Committee under the supervision of its chairman BK Goel at Panjab University Regional Centre Ludhiana today.

Chandigarh, March 5
Acting on a petition against SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, former Cabinet minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and five other respondents, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued notice to Makkar, others. The petition filed by Baba Tek Singh, mahant of Sri Gurdwara Gursar in Barnala district, alleges violation of a high court order passed in 1999.

In the petition placed before Justice Rajive Bhalla, Baba Tek Singh asserted that he had earlier also moved the high court by filing a petition against Jathedar Bharpur Singh and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal along with other respondents.

He had sought directions for protecting the “person and property of the petitioner and Sri Gurdwara Sahib Gurusar, Dhanaula”.

The respondents, in a written statement, had then claimed that the apprehensions of the petitioner of forcible displacement were wholly unfounded. It was further stated that no action would be taken by the district administration for dispossessing the petitioner, without complying with the provisions of law. The writ petition was accordingly disposed of vide order dated September 21, 1999.

Alleging violation of the order, the petitioner through counsel ML Saggar said on February 14 it was proclaimed that the possession of the gurdwara would soon be taken.

Going into the background, the petitioner said he had been an SGPC member for the past two decades and was associated with then SGPC president GS Tohra, who was removed under the political influence of Parkash Singh Badal.

Efforts were also made to dislodge his associates from the educational institutes being run with SGPC’s financial assistance.

He claimed that Badal wanted Jathedar Bharpur Singh to take possession of Sri Gurdwara Gursar and its properties along with the school run by it with the help of the local administration.

The petitioner alleged the visit of an SHO to pressurise the Principal and for helping Dhindsa and others to take control of the affairs of the Trust and the schools being run by it.

Ferozepur, March 5
As many as five pistols, nine magazines and 19 rounds of the same weapons were recovered by BSF officials during a search in the area falling under the New Gajniwala border observation post (BOP) today.

The officials carried out the search after getting a tip-off from troops deployed alongside the cobra fencing wire erected in the close vicinity of the border. Official sources said during the search inside the Indian territory this morning, five pistols made in Pakistan and China, nine magazines and 19 rounds were recovered from the place which is 150 m inside the Indian territory from the zero line. These arms and ammunition were buried in the ground where there was a thick growth of elephant grass.

In the past one week or so, activities by ‘anti-India’ elements and smugglers had increased alongside the Indo-Pak border falling in Punjab and neighbouring Rajasthan.