Amritsar, March 22
In order to promote voluntary blood donations, Guru Nanak Dev Hospital authorities through the district administration have written to sarpanches of various villages for exhorting people especially youth for voluntary blood donation.

Besides, the state-of-art blood bank set up at the hospital with the aid of the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) in close coordination with the Amritsar Blood Transfusion Council have decided to encourage the existing youth clubs for increasing their activities in this regard.

“After receiving the high-tech blood transfusion van fitted with ultra-modern equipments in which we can bleed the voluntary donors directly, the hospital authorities in association with the district administration has step up the efforts to promote voluntary blood donation and the sarpanches were called upon to help in this direction,” said Dr Neeraj Sharma, head, modern blood bank, GNDH.

At present out of total blood units donated in the hospital, about 40-50 per cent blood is donated voluntarily while remaining came through replacement blood donations. The blood bank is targeting to raise volunteer blood donations to 75 per cent. Approximately 17,000 to 18,000 units of blood are collected in the blood bank of the hospital every year, disclosed Dr Neeraj.

“Although we have not received any response till now, but we are hoping positive response soon,” she added.

Besides adding new youth clubs into their lists, the hospital authorities are also trying to revive and encourage the existing youth clubs. Though at present there are about 32 youth clubs situated in various educational institutes and organisations, but they are not functioning to their potential, she pointed out. “We are now trying to approach their representatives and encourage them to increase their activities in this direction,” said Dr Neeraj. Volunteer blood donation is far superior to the replacement blood donation. The GNDH authorities are trying to approach schools, colleges and the rural areas. 

Amritsar, March 22
Guru Nanak Dev University has cancelled examination centres at VMS College, Batala, and SJDAB College, Ranipur, Pathankot (Under Distance Education) for this year and the next two years after detecting mass copying at the centres.

The varsity found mass copying during the examination of English compulsory subject of BA/BSc Part-I at VMS College, Batala yesterday. The university authorities directed the students to appear at SL Bawa DAV College, Batala, for the remaining papers.

Prof RK Bedi, in charge (examinations), in a press release issued here revealed the flying squad caught 30 students involved in copying from the printed material and UMC cases were framed against them as per university rules.

He said the Vice-Chancellor ordered the cancellation of this examination centre established at VMS College, Batala for the period of next two years.

Earlier, the university has cancelled the examination centre at SJDAB College, Ranipur, Pathankot (Under Distance Education) for this and next two years as well keeping in view the complaints of mass copying.

Prof. R.K. Bedi, said on specific complaints a special flying squad was sent to the college on March 18. The visiting team caught the students copying from the printed material and books and UMC cases were slapped against them.

Prof Bedi said the students have been directed to appear in the remaining papers at SRPA AB College, Pathankot.

Amritsar, March 22
A delegation of the officers of the PWD along with Deputy Commissioner KS Pannu, conducted the preliminary inspection of the site to construct a 10-lane bridge, including three- lane flyover on Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) in place of Tara Wala Bridge on Amritsar- Jalandhar road here today.

The Deputy Commissioner informed that the existing bridge was over a century old and following manifold increase in vehicular traffic it had not remained wide enough to facilitate smooth flow of traffic.

Consequently, traffic jams had become a routine affair. Keeping this in view, a 10-lane bridge along with three-lane flyover would be constructed.

The bridge would consisted of four parts. First part is the three-lane bridge for straight traffic from Amritsar to Jalandhar, second part is the two-way bridge for right turning traffic from Amritsar city to Tarn Taran. The third part is two-lane high-level bridge for left turning traffic from Tarn Taran side to Amritsar city and the fourth part is a three-lane flyover for traffic from Jalandhar side to Amritsar city.

This multilane bridge would cost approximately Rs 23.65 crore. It is being funded by the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) and the work is being executed through PWD, he said. The bridge would be completed by the fag end of this year, he assured. 

Tarn Taran, March 22
Ajit Singh, sarpanch of Shakri village, 20 kms from here, and five others have been booked under Sections 186, 354, 506 and 332 of the IPC for attacking a school teacher on duty.

The accused not only beat up the teacher but also removed his turban when he was teaching in the Government elementary school in the village.

Deputation of different schoolteacher organisations expressed their resentment to Additional Deputy Commissioner Kulbir Singh the same day.

The teachers’ organisations have threatened that in case the administration failed to give them justice they would be forced to launch district-level agitation.

Besides Ajit Singh, the sarpanch, other two accused were Dilbag Singh and Gurbaj Singh while the remaining four were yet to be identified.

Amritsar, March 22
The district administration in association with Red Cross Society picked up 50 beggars from various parts of the city and brought them to Raain Basera.Under the Raain Basera programme started in February, beggars, who are picked up from roads, are put up at the basera building in old Dr Karam Singh ward. They were provided with three square meals a day, clothing and medical aid.

Deputy Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu while visiting the premises revealed that till now about 1,300 beggars have been sheltered at the Raain Basera complex out of which 565 have been rehabilitated after providing necessary treatment.

He said out of 50 beggars picked up from Durgiana Temple, Lohgarh gate, Hall Gate and other parts of the city several of them were suffering from mental illness and many of them were addicted persons. They would be provided with requisite medical aid by the civil hospital authorities. Those who required prolonged mental illness treatment would be admitted in the mental hospital.

Interacting with the DC, a couple of them who had come from other states complained of eye ailments. Pannu directed the medical authorities to make arrangements for the operation. He said those who came from other parts of the state would be sent back after ascertaining the credentials.

The Deputy Commissioner said since the launching of project, the number of beggars has reduced considerably. 

Amritsar, March 22
Dr MS Gill, Union Minister, Statistics and Programme Implementation, has sanctioned a grant of Rs 22 lakh for setting up of LPG crematoriums at Amritsar and Tarn Taran.Dr Gill in a communication to Deputy Commissioner KS Pannu said he sanctioned the amount for eco-friendly low cost cremation system in Amritsar and Tarn Taran. Out of the total amount, Rs 10 lakh would be spent on setting up LPG crematorium at Chatiwind Gate, Amritsar, and Rs 12 lakh for the same at Tarn Taran.

It is evident to mention here that District Administration had already initiated the process of setting up of two LPG crematorium systems in Amritsar - one at Durgiana Temple and other at Chatiwind Gate - with a view to reduce the dependence of cremating a body on wood, which is a cause of major forest degradation and pollution.

The administration has already placed an order for setting up of LPG crematorium system with Hi-Tech Engineering and Eco-Solutions Pvt Ltd, Cochin, Kerala.

The Cremation Ground Committee of Durgaina Mandir, Amritsar has already contributed Rs 6 lakh and Samshan Sewa Samiti Chatiwind Gate, Amritsar has already contributed Rs 2 lakh for setting up of crematorium units.

Similarly, the Tarn Taran administration has agreed for setting up a LPG crematorium and also contributed rest of the funds.

It is mentioned here that each LPG cremation unit will costs Rs 16 lakh. 

Amritsar, March 22
In order to clear the pending applications, the passport office here would organise a passport lok adalat in the office premises on April 6.JS Sodhi, passport officer, in a press statement issued here today, said the office would clear the pending passport applications under file numbers ‘w’ and ‘z’ submitted at various district passport collection centres till December 2010. The last date for registration is March 31.

He said it would be compulsory for the applicants who have not received passports to attend the lok adalat otherwise their files would be closed and they will have to apply again. Applicants who desire to attend the passport lok adalat should register with this office at e-mail rpo.amritsar@ mea.gov.in or through fax number 0183-2502104/08 or personally at counter no.5 in the office. They are to mention passport lok adalat - 6-4-2011 on the top of your enquiry form/letter, he added.

The applicant should also specify their file number and date of submission along with his/her contact telephone number, the passport officer said.

Amritsar, March 22
A one-day national seminar on the “Husbandry in the Vedas” was organised by the Department of Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit of Guru Nanak Dev University here today.Prof Surinder Singh, Dean, Academic Affairs, presided over while Prof Aniruddh Joshi, former head, Dayanand Chair, Panjab University, Chandigarh, was the chief guest.

Prof Singh said people should follow the Vedas to the lofty ideals of agriculture and animal husbandry and we should make the best use of water energy and energy sources. He said, “The Vedas are of specific importance. People have become materialistic and are getting away from natural and simple life style.”

Dr Lekh Ram Sharma said, “The Vedas throw light on agriculture and animal husbandry. According to the Vedas, agriculture is the most appropriate means of livelihood. Animals provide us with food, drinks and fuels. The Vedas warn against giving troubles to animals and give message to come forward collectively for the protection of animals.”

Prof Joshi said, “The main agricultural products of the Vedic period are rice, barley, peas, til, coconut, wheat etc. Animals help in maintaining ecological balance. The Vedas tell that the cow dung resists the poisonous rays of molecules.”— TNS

Amritsar, March 22
Expressing concern over declining credit-deposit ratio (CD ratio), Deputy Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu today reprimanded all the banks and government agencies and exhorted them to advance more loans to improve the ratio.

Pannu was presiding over the District Consultative Committee for last quarter of 2010 held at Bachat Bhavan here today.

Addressing the meeting, Pannu said CD ratio of the district was just 49.76 per cent as against the national target of 60 per cent.

He revealed that CD ratio in December 2008 was 53.99 per cent and in December 2009 it declined to 51.22 per cent.

He exhorted the bankers to advance more loans so that the CD ratio can be improved. The DC, however, expressed his satisfaction over the fact that Banks have achieved all the quarterly target allocation for the quarter ending December 2010.

Pannu said that though almost all the parameters including agriculture advances, advances to small scale industry etc. are satisfactory yet, Differential Rate of Interest (DRI) advances need to be focused upon. He informed that under DRI banks provide loan to extremely poor people at just 4 percent rate of interest but unfortunately the bankers have not taken much interest in the scheme as a result the DRI advances in the District are poor. Taking a serious note of the fact he directed each bank to forward at least 10 cases per quarter per branch under DRI.