Jalandhar, March 9
The Punjab Technical University ( PTU) is going to spend Rs 15 crore each on the construction of four Punjab Institutes of Technology ( PITs) and the proposed Punjab Institute of Management, announced the PTU Vice Chancellor Dr Rajneesh Arora here today.

The foundation stone of PIT at Mansa, he said, will be laid on March 26 by the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal.

The PTU, he disclosed, had decided that students to be enrolled for the M.Tech and MBA courses at its own campus would have to clear GATE and CAT respectively. All admitted students would receive a stipend of Rs 8000 per month during the the two year degree courses.

Scholarship for weaker section students has been introduced for the first time from this session, he said. A sum of Rs 2 crore has been earmarked for the purpose but the modalities for disbursement, he admitted, are yet to be finalised.

The Board of Governors has also sanctioned Rs 2 crore for a ‘Prototype Development Innovation Fund’ which could be availed collectively by any top 20 research scholars, college students, professionals, mechanics or experts from the state. “The project plans would have to be sent to the Director of IIT Ropar and cleared by a team of experts,” the VC informed.

The University also hopes to added to its corpus of Rs 500 crore this year with the transfer of Rs 17.8 crore more to the existing amount.

The University’s income is expected to be in the region of Rs 452 crore in the coming year and its expenditure around Rs 434 crore. This would include a sum of Rs 40 crore as income from interest on the fund. Meanwhile, expenses on salary head have increased from Rs 10 crore a year to Rs 14.5 crore.

Based on the Super 30 scheme made popular in Bihar, the PTU is mulling over a plan to offer free coaching to bright but poor students from rural background for clearing the joint entrance examination to IITs. The Vice Chancellor said that the University has plans to start coaching in Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Engineering and Techology, Ferozepur, its affiliated college.

The proposal was cleared at the Board of Governors (BoG) meeting held at Chandigarh to finalise the budget. According to the plan, the University will hold an entrance test for class X students in May. The top 50 students would then be offered free studies till Plus Two, free accommodation, food, books and uniform.

“Our idea is to provide an opportunity to those students who otherwise cannot afford to take expensive coaching for the purpose”, said Dr Arora.

Chandigarh, March 9
With an apparent move to appease the urban vote bank of the BJP, the Punjab Cabinet today decided to resolve the issue of VAT refund to traders and businessmen by allowing them special concessions. Further, the Cabinet expressed serious concern over the delay in implementing decisions for the urban areas on account of the delay in receiving opinion from its Legal Department.

It has been decided that in the case of VAT refund, the claimant can now furnish an indemnity bond and get up to 80 per cent of the claim instantly. But the claimant will have to give an undertaking that, if found to be incorrect (the claim), the claimant will repay the government.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has further asked Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal to make a list of all cases that were sent to the legal remembrance cell for vetting, but have not been returned for months. This included the decision to allow allottees of PUDA, GLADA, etc to get properties allotted to them, registered on their names on rate applicable at the time of allotment. In some cases, this move will save owners several lakh as the current market prices are much higher than the allotment rates.

The Cabinet considered outsourcing important legal work, but it was said that the government was not finding enough experts on Constitutional Law to cope with the increased work load. At the same time it was also said that the government did not have enough time, prior to the next general election, to recruit more people in the legal remembrance cell.

But at the same time to fill pending vacancies in various other departments, the Punjab Cabinet gave an approval to filling the 8,027 vacant posts in various departments, which would entail an additional burden of nearly Rs153 crore on the state exchequer.

Also, with an apparent eye on the next general election, the Cabinet also gave an in-principle approval to the policy for regularising the services of work charged/daily wage workers and employees working on 89 days/ad-hoc/temporary basis in the light of a recent judgment of the Supreme Court of India.

Keeping in view the ongoing Budget Session of the Punjab, the Cabinet also gave approval to presenting several bits of legislations to the House. These include the Punjab Civil Services (Regularisation of Certain Conditions of Services) Bill 2011, Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Fund Ordinance, 2010, Punjab Value Added Tax (amendment) Ordinance 2011, (Punjab Ordinance No 4 of 2011), Punjab Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (Amendment) Bill 2011, etc.

Further the Cabinet gave approval for the amendment of section 9(1) and section 9(A), 17 and 18 of the Punjab Security of Land Tenures Act, 1953 and amendment of section 7 (1), 15 and 20 of the PEPSU Tenancy and Agriculture Lands Act, 1955. It also approved grant of extension for reconstitution of superseded market committees till December 2011 for making amendments in the provisions of Punjab Agriculture Produce Markets Act 1961.

New Delhi, March 9
Voicing concern about rising incidents of cancer in the entire southern region of Punjab during the Zero Hour, nominated member HK Dua requested Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to take steps for setting up “a big cancer hospital” there so that patients do not have to travel all the way from Abohar to Bikaner for treatment.

Recounting the plight of patients who travel on the Train No. 339 every night from Abohar to Bikaner, the former Editor of The Tribune said the train had acquired the dubious distinction of “cancer train” because nearly 100 cancer patients travel by it from Punjab for diagnosis and treatment at the Acharya Tulsi Regional Cancer Treatment and Research Institute, Bikaner.

According to official figures, 2,875 cancer cases have been diagnosed in Bhatinda and 929 in Hoshiarpur.

Bhatinda showed a prevalence of 75 cases per lakh population whereas Hoshiarpur showed a prevalence of 46.47 per lakh population, the Health Minister told the Rajya Sabha yesterday after the issue was raised during the Question Hour. Apprising the House about a special programme under which Rs 100 crore would be spent for treatment of cancer patients in 100 districts, Azad also said that the government had released funds for development of Oncology wing in medical colleges in Faridkot, Amritsar and Patiala in Punjab to supplement the efforts to fight the disease.

“We have started a pilot project in 100 districts in which Rs 1 crore would be spent on chemotherapy in each district and it will cover a population of 15-20 crore,” Azad said, terming the effort a part of the recently-launched National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS).

The new programme envisages providing diagnostic services, basic surgery, chemotherapy and palliative care to cancer patients at 100 districts across 21 states during 2010-11 and 2011-12, Azad said, replying to the query on increased number of cancer patients in Bhatinda and Hoshiarpur districts.

The Health Minister said a high-level team comprising experts from the Indian Council of Medical Research and other reputed institutes had visited the region to look into the matter in September 2010 and recommended that a regional cancer centre be set up there along with a molecular genetics laboratory.

Some preliminary research has been carried out about the prevalence of widespread cancer in Southern Punjab, which is rich in agriculture, particularly, in growing cotton for the rest of the country. Research tends to suggest that pesticides and fertilizers that are being widely used and the consequent pollution of the water is leading to cancer in Southern Punjab.

Chandigarh/SAS Nagar, March 9
Claiming to be the son of a farmer, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday gave a BKU (Lakhowal) delegation a patient hearing and announced to convene a joint meeting with the Finance and Agriculture Ministers soon after the Budget session of Parliament for an in-depth discussion on issues worrying farmers in the country. He also promised that every year, before the Budget, the government would bring out a report on the state of Indian agriculture.

President of the Punjab unit of the BKU, Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, who opened his heart to the PM over the growing discontent, distress and frustration among farmers of the country in general and Punjab in particular, held that deliberations during the meeting that lasted for over an hour were meaningful. Never before, any Prime Minister had spent so much time with a delegation of farmers to listen to their long-standing demands. Also present throughout the meeting were the Union Agriculture Minister and the Minister of State in the Prime Ministers’ Office (PMO).

Meanwhile, the Punjab BKU deferred till further notice the proposed farmers’ march to Delhi, which was to be undertaken today. Instead, Lakhowal, while addressing a thanksgiving rally at Mohali, briefed state farmers about the negotiations the delegation had with the PM yesterday. He said in case the Centre did not honour its commitment and promises, the BKU would not hesitate in reviving its agitation.

“We could not have asked for more. The PM took keen interest in discussing all our major problems and promised to refer our memoranda to various Central ministries for their comments and inputs in resolving the demands of farmers,” Lakhowal told TNS after the meeting.

From the acquisition of cultivable land to remunerative prices for the farm produce, the delegation used the opportunity to impress upon the PM to lower the rate of interest to 4 per cent on loans advanced to the farm sector other than the crop loan. The delegation that comprised Rakesh Tikait, Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, Yudhvir Singh,Putnaiyah, Satnam Singh Cheema, Gurnam Singh, Deewan Chand Choudhary and Rajveer Singh also insisted on an effective mechanism for the implementation of the MSP.

Another important issue taken up at the meeting, says Lakhowal, was giving consideration to sensitivities of GM crops besides safeguarding interests of the country’s farmers while engaging with organisations like World Trade Organisation and Free Trade Agreements.

Lakhowal said other demands that figured at the meeting with the PM included health insurance and watching interests of farmers in drafting the Seed Bill. The delegation also tried to convince the PM that like the Railway Budget, it would be ideal if the country had a separate agriculture Budget also.

The PM reiterated the government’s concern for farmers’ welfare and assured that their interests were paramount and would be protected at all times. The government, he said, had already enhanced the MSPs very substantially over the past five-six years. It would continue to strive to protect farmers’ interests through the MSP mechanism. Regarding the land acquisition, the PM promised that a separate meeting would be organised between the Ministry of Rural Development and farmers’ organisations.

Amritsar, March 9
Former Punjab Finance Minister and rebel SAD leader Manpreet Badal today announced that his ‘soon-to-be-launched party’ would allot 50 per cent of the tickets to youth and women in the forthcoming state Assembly elections.

Interacting with the media prior to his rally here today, Manpreet said, “We would give opportunity to new and fresh faces.” He said, “We are not looking for famous faces. We are here to end personality-based politics and people would vote for us on the basis of our principles.”

He also announced that his father Gurdas Badal would contest the Assembly elections from Lambi, the constituency of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Manpreet said he would spell out the name, the constitution and the core agenda of his party at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of martyr Bhagat Singh. “We will also tell people as to what prompted us to form the party and what would be its roadmap vis-à-vis key sectors like health, education, agriculture and industry.” He said the party would kick off its two-month membership drive on the same day. He said with the current lot of political parties failing to address the state’s issues in the last 64 years, the third front was the need of the hour.

Whether he would go it alone or form an alliance with other parties, he said, “Our priority is to first have our party in place. We would then assess our strengths and weaknesses. Also having an alliance would also mean diluting our agenda. It will be premature to comment on the issue.”

On the possibility of his resignation from the Punjab Assembly, Manpreet said he hasn’t made up his mind over the issue yet. “Though I am not bound to resign, I will think about it.”

On the fate of the two SAD MLAs who have joined hands with him, he said it is for them to decide whether they want to resign or not.

On his role in the forthcoming SGPC elections, he said he has not given it a thought, as at present their entire focus in on launching a new political party.

Jalandhar, March 9
The All-India Left Coordination today alleged that the Hasan Ali Khan’s case had proved that the Centre was not serious to dig out black money and check the practice of money laundering in the country.

Criticising the government for investigating only tax evasions by Hasan Ali but not sources through which he amassed assets of $8 billion, representatives of the coordination rued that it was strange that the government itself had “adopted the role of money launderer for such people, who could get all their crimes condoned by simply paying income tax”.

The representatives were here today to announce the schedule of a national-level agitation against corruption and price rise and a protest march to Parliament on March 14.

At a press conference organised here, Swapan Mukherjee, central committee member of the CPI (M-L) Liberation, said the only fact being propagated in Ali’s case was tax evasion committed by him to the tune of Rs 40,000-50,000 crore. The government was least interested to investigate how a stud farm owner had managed to amass assets of over $8 billion, he added.

The coordination is a conglomerate of four Left parties, the CPI (ML) Liberation, the CPM (Punjab), the Lal Nishan Party, Maharashtra, and the Left Coordination Committee, Kerala.

Amritsar, March 9
Sikh leaders to urge the Centre to facilitate the return of kin of ex-militants to the state on the lines of the policy adopted by the J&K government.

Sikh leaders have urged the Centre that the same principle be applied for the relatives of Sikhs figuring in the blacklist.

Former Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, Tarlochan Singh said, “We expect that the same yardstick should be applied for the Sikhs as well.

We are only seeking visas for Sikhs featuring in the blacklist and their relatives to enable them to visit their country and pay obeisance at holy shrines like the Golden Temple.

The government can bar those who have a criminal case registered against them.”

He said the Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur had responded positively to the issue.

He said he had even urged the government to form a panel of Congress MPs from Punjab to review each case in the blacklist. He claimed that the J&K government’s offer has not been extended to the Sikhs belonging to Jammu, who had moved out of the country in 1984, which is unfair.

Jaswinder Singh Dhaliwal, patron of the NRI Sabha, Punjab, said, “The government should first make the blacklist of the Sikhs public so that we know who feature in it and for what reason.”

DSGMC chief Paramjit Singh Sarna said they have already filed a petition in the Delhi High Court to allow the entry of 169 Sikhs who figure in the blacklist and the court had directed the Centre to take a decision by April 9.

“There is no clear cut policy on the basis of which these people have been put in the blacklist,” he pointed out.

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said they had met the PM over the issue many times but the Centre had not acted upon it.

“Many people named in the blacklist don’t have any cases registered against them,” he added.

Jalandhar, March 9
Members of the Punjab Nursing Association today staged a dharna at Company Bagh chowk here for half an hour to highlight their long-pending demands, resulting in traffic chaos at one of the busiest intersections.

The protest was a part of a statewide indefinite strike launched by staff nurses to press the government to concede to their demands for the implementation of the revised pay scale and the regularisation of the services of contractual staff nurses. Scores of nurses from Jalandhar and Kapurthala also burnt an effigy of the state government.

Raising slogans against the state government for not fulfilling their genuine demands, they threatened to intensify their stir if the authorities concerned failed to pay heed to their demands. “If the government failed to address our demands, we will organise a state-level protest in Jalandhar this week,” said Jasbir Kaur Thind, state vice-president the association.

Amritsar: Local residents, especially patients, had to face inconvenience today as nurses of government hospitals and Municipal Corporation employees continued to be on an agitation mode for the third day consecutive day todayx.

Even as the MC employees called off their strike in the evening after getting an assurance from the AMC Commissioner, nurses were adamant to continue their stir against the “indifferent” attitude of the state government towards their genuine demands.

The nurses today assembled in front of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital and blocked roads en route to the hospital while part-time corporation employees staged a dharna opposite to the official residence of the Commissioner, DPS Kharbanda.

Narinder Buttar, spokesperson for the nurses, said they would intensify their agitation if the government failed to accept their demands.

Moga, March 9
Hundreds of agricultural labourers, peasants, women and youths carrying red flags staged a protest outside the mini-secretariat today.

They were demanding implementation of hike in the minimum wages, providing employment to the job card holders and increasing job avenues for the youth at Moga on Wednesday.

The rally was presided over by the senior leader of the CPI Comrade Jagroop Singh and student leaders of the Students Federation of India (SFI) who announced to intensify the struggle of peasants against price rise and unemployment.

Comrade Jagroop announced to carry out a state-level protest at Hussainiwala in Ferozepur district on March 23 on the eve of the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh.

He demanded an increase in the minimum wages, creation of jobs, land reforms, housing for the poor and inclusion of all agricultural workers, workers in the unorganised sector and other low-paid occupations and poor peasants in the BPL category.

He demanded roll back in the fuel price hike as well as essential commodities along with jobs and houses for those belonging to the poor sections of the society.

He said NREGA seems to have failed to come up to the expectations of the actual beneficiaries in Punjab. “The state government claims to have introduced the scheme in an effective way to provide employment to the unemployed and unskilled workers but the ground realities, however, are otherwise,” he said.

Abohar/Ferozepur, March 9
In an unprecedented move, the Border Security Force (BSF) authorities have provided a seven-layer security cover to the Indo-Pak border falling in the Abohar and Ferozepur sectors of Punjab to frustrate the attempts being made by anti-national elements to push men, weapons and narcotics into Indian territory from across the border.

The BSF authorities have increased the security cover to seven layers after intelligence inputs received by them revealed that anti-India forces, operating from Pakistan, could take any risk to foment trouble in India.

Besides, all senior officers, including commandants of different battalions of the BSF, deployed to guard border, second in command officers and staff officers have been directed to be present physically on the border for 10 days and 10 nights in a month. They have also been directed to take active part in border domination exercise. — TNS

Amritsar, March 9
SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar yesterday strongly flayed the attack on the gurdwara at Dhaleke village in Moga district recently. He also sought strict action against the perpetrators of the act.

In a statement released here, Makkar said there is a widespread resentment among the Sikhs after the gurdwara was pelted with stones by the "anti-Panthic forces". He said any interference in the religious traditions of the Sikhs and any attempt to disturb peace in Punjab will not be tolerated. He has urged the state government to act tough in the case so that such incidents do not recur in the future.

Meanwhile, Makkar also expressed concern over the killing of a Sikh at California in the US and urged the PM to ensure safety of Sikhs living abroad. — TNS

Fatehgarh Sahib, March 9
Farmers of Fatehgarh Sahib are taking the banana route to reap rich dividends. The area under the banana cultivation has increased from the last year’s 20 acres to 25 acres this season and is likely to cross 50 acres by the next season.

Deputy Director of the Horticulture Department Jagdev Singh said: “We have already sown this unconventional cash crop on 24 acres, including the recent 6 acres at Amloh. We are trying to procure saplings for 5 more acres after which the area will rise to 30 acres in the district.

He said the department gave Rs 18,000 subsidy on banana saplings - Rs 12,000 for the first year and Rs 6,000 for the second year. Earlier, the conducive time to grow bananas was February-March, but now experts had stressed upon growing it in August-September.

“Good dividends and subsidy on banana plants encouraged us to grow banana on six acres in Saunti village”, said SC Singla, a retired XEN of Mandi Gobindgarh. Singla has grown bananas for the first time with the help of the department.

He said once planted, banana trees continued to give fruits for three years. Farmers could earn Rs 80,000 to Rs 1 lakh for three years after a gap of one year of plantation. The cost of planting the fruit and fertilisers ranges from Rs 18000 to Rs 20,000 per acre. Nearly 1,400 saplings could be grown in an acre and one sapling costed Rs 15.50, he added.

However, farmers like Sukhwinder Singh of Sidhupur had a bad experience. Sukhwinder had grown bananas on 1.25 acres in March 2009 and lost the entire crop of the first year due to frost. In second year, he earned only Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 due to absence of the local market and “exploitation in hands of commission agents”.

A member of the Punjab State Farmers Commission, Dr Bhagwant Singh Chahal, said farmers like Sukhwinder should remain in touch with experts. “Though relatively a new crop, the banana cultivation has now increased to 450 acres in Punjab. Soil and atmosphere is quite conducive provided farmers manage to stand on slippery task of production and marketing”, he said.

Chahal added farmers should get in touch with experts at the Center for Post Harvest Engineering and Technology in Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, and learn techniques of harvesting and find solution to other problems as well. The president of the Banana Growers Association of Punjab, Mewa Singh, said the area under the banana cultivation was increasing at a fast pace as the crop was yielding good results.

Dera Bassi, March 9
The Sharda Rehabilitation Foundation, a Mumbai-based social organisation, which is proving to be a boon for mentally challenged persons, has traced another such person belonging to Punjab, but his house could not be located till now because he was not in the position to tell clearly about the location of his house.

Members of the organisation have been trying to locate the house of this mentally challenged person. Before this, the members of this organisation had achieved success in finding the house of a mentally challenged person with the help of a The Tribune report in October last year.

The youth, whose home the workers of the foundation are trying to locate, says his name is Makhan Singh of Pathana village near Ludhiana. He also tells of ‘Keshopakdi’ village in his language.

Workers of the foundation have been facing the difficulty in locating the house of this mentally challenged person. Mansoor Rizvi, a member of the foundation, says that they were trying to find out the house of the mentally challenged person but could not locate it till now due to absence of proper identification.

Sharda Rehabilitation Foundation was formed in 1991 and provided medical treatment to nearly 1,000 mentally challenged persons, belonging to different states of India, and located their homes free of cost.

Chandigarh, March 9
The Punjab State Human Rights Commission has exceeded its jurisdiction by looking into the allegations of land grab, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled.

A Division Bench has asserted that the commission can look into the violation of human rights. But by initiating action in a land-grab case, it has overstepped its jurisdiction.

The significant ruling came on a petition filed by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd against the State of Punjab and other respondents, including the complainant.

Taking up the matter, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Augustine George Masih asserted: “The petitioner, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a government company engaged in the refining, storage, sale and distribution of petroleum products.

“It is aggrieved by two orders dated July 8, 2010, and order dated September 10, 2010, passed by the Punjab State Human Rights Commission, Chandigarh, by which cognisance on a complaint filed with regard to alleged land grabbing by the writ petitioner has been entertained and report has been called for from the Deputy Commissioner, Patiala.”

The Bench asserted: “We have read the complaint and the order dated July 8, 2010, and order September 10, 2010, impugned in the present writ petition. It is difficult to comprehend as to how the subject matter of the complaint could fall within the jurisdiction of the commission having regard to the definition of Human Rights contained in Section 2 (d) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.“The Human Rights Commission being entitled to go into the matters of violation of Human Rights as defined under the Act, we fail to see how the allegation of land grabbing allegedly made by the writ petitioner could form the subject matter of an enquiry/adjudication by the commission.

“We, therefore, unhesitatingly take the view that in the present case, the commission has exceeded its jurisdiction and the orders passed by it impugned in the writ petition were wholly without authority of law. The proceedings of the complaint as well as the orders passed by the commission, therefore, are set aside and the writ petition is allowed.”