The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	After Gidderbaha, now CM to visit Gurdas turf Chander Parkash/ TNS Abohar, April 16 Now, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will make an attempt to erode the base of his brother Gurdas Badal in the predominantly rural assembly segment of Balluana, neighbouring Abohar, by holding a mega Sangat Darshan function there on April 22. This will be the first Sangat Darshan function of Chief Minister Badal after Gurdas Badal parted company with him and started preparing fto pose a challenge to him in the next assembly elections from the Lambi segment. The last Sangat Darshan by Badal was held in Balluana segment about one and a half years ago. Balluana, which is represented by the SAD (B) MLA Gurtej Singh in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, remained a bastion of Gurdas Badal for decades. Gurdas Badal used to be the only leader of the region, whose decision used to be considered as final in political matters. However, political equations changed fast after Gurdas Badal along with his son and former finance minister Manpreet Badal parted company with the SAD (B) and its patron and CM Parkash Singh Badal. To keep the flock together and bring a section of the party workers and functionaries out of the influence of Gurdas Badal and his associates, Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal laid foundation stones of various irrigation projects in Balluana assembly segment on January 25 last. He tried to win over the rural populace by seeking to remove the problem connected with the shortage of water. Now, Chief Minister Badal would hold a mega Sangat Darshan function either at Danngar Khera village or in a marriage resort on April 22, where he would distribute crores of rupees to 72 panchayats of villages falling in Balluana assembly segment. During the day-long Sangat Darshan, the Chief Minister, who will be accompanied by the irrigation minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, would also address the problems of people of the area. Earlier, Chief Minister Badal held a series of Sangat Darshan on April 8 and April 12 at 16 villages, falling in Gidderbaha assembly segment, which is considered as a stronghold of Manpreet Badal. By spending considerable time and giving liberal grants, Badal is trying to revive his old ties with the people of this segment. Badal also held a series of Sangat Darshan in his home constituency, Lambi. Sanjeev Godara, political advisor, SAD (B), who claimed that people of this assembly segment and its neighbouring constituencies, who were feeling neglected by Gurdas Badal, were happy as Badal was directly taking care of them. DC KK Yadav said Badal would not lay any foundation stone as he would have long meeting with the people to redress their grievances and provide them with funds for various development projects.
	Tackling waterlogging: Chief secy inspects Shajrana model Tribune News Service Fazilka, April 16 Punjab Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal inspected the project connected with removal of waterlogging by adopting an Israel-based model, which was being run by the public-private organisations at Shajrana village of this subdivision, late last evening. The project was being jointly executed by the Punjab Agro Industries Corporation Limited (PAIC), a state government organisation, Sampuran Agri Ventures, Fazilka, a unit of food-processing company Nasa Agro and Kirloskar Group. Under the project, water bodies would be created over the land, which had turned waste due to waterlogging, to make the saline water flow in it, creating crystals of sodium, cleaning the water for agriculture and drinking purpose and ,subsequently using the surplus water for production of fish. Aggarwal, while speaking at the function, said this was the new model of tackling waterlogging in the region, which had become a major problem for the farmers for the past many decades. Aggarwal, who was accompanied by senior functionaries of different departments of the state government, said the Punjab government had been taking care of each and every problem of farmers and were trying to remove it in a phased manner. He said if the project produced desirable results, it could be used for solving the waterlogging problems in other areas of Punjab. Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav said Aggarwal also interacted with the farmers of Shajrana village to know as to whether the project was acceptable to them or not. He added that the project was being implemented in about 400 acres of land at the village, which was waterlogged, and it had already been approved by the Punjab government. Sanjeev Nagpal, MD, Sampuran Agri ventures, Fazilka, said the project was a befitting answer to the problem of waterlogging in the Malwa region of Punjab. The concept could be used to make 1.25 lakh hectares of waterlogged areas in the south-west Punjab useful for fish farming, dairy farms, orchards, food-processing industry, packaged drinking water, biogas and power generation. The concept of Kissan Uthaan was developed when a delegation, led by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, went to Israel in July 2009 and saw how the wasteland was being converted into water reservoirs and agro-processing was integrated with power generation, he added. Meanwhile, a section of the farmers of the region urged Aggarwal for providing them electricity connection for tubewell motors on priority basis.
	Marriages still a made in heaven affair Couples opt for registered marriage only out of compulsion — to get visa or resolve domestic disputes Rajay Deep Tribune News Service Bathinda, April 16 The government, to save people from facing legal complications related to marriages, including cases of duping by those already-married, has made the registration of a solemnized marriage quite a simple process. Still, a majority of the people here are reluctant to go for it. Compared to advanced cities, where for many newly-weds, the first journey from the wedding hall is to the the registrar's office, most people here go for the registration of marriages only when it becomes imperative. The information procured from the local Suwidha Centre in the Mini-secretariat complex revealed that a majority of the applicants for the registration of marriage certificate come when either the foreign embassies refuse them visa or in case, the courts insist on it during their petitions for divorce, legal separation, alimony or custody of children. Only a few couples willingly opt for the registration of their marriage, claimed the officials of the Suwidha Centre, adding that the total number of applications for registration of marriage range between 25-50 in a month. Ironically, the facts point out that a large number of the applicants is of elderly people who are now blessed with grandchildren. "Sometimes it becomes awkward moment for us, when the elderly, holding the hands of their grand- children, come to us to get their marriage registered. Before we ask, they themselves disclose that it was a compulsion for them to get their visa as their children had sponsored them for the trip abroad,” said the officials. Such people lack various documents which are otherwise required like the wedding card etc. In such condition, they fill the gap submitting the declaration given by councillors and nambardars, informed the officials. Terming the marriage registration certificate a solution to various legal complications, president of the District Bar Association, Rajan Garg said, "The marriage registration certificate is a legal document that authenticates a marriage and also proves beneficial at different stages of life. Rather than rushing for it only when it becomes a compulsion, people must go for it immediately after solemnizing their marriage." Staff in-charge of the Suwidha Centre, Jaswinder Singh said, "The fee and process for getting a marriage registered is simple but for reasons best known to people, they still shy away. If taken as mandatory, the data collected can prove useful in formulating and reviewing laws and policies regarding family planning, education, marriage, dowry and divorce.”
	Manual wheat harvesting still in vogue due to rising husk price Chander Parkash Tribune News Service Bathinda, April 16 The heavy mechanization of agricultural operations in Punjab seems to have failed to stop farmers from opting for manual harvesting of wheat as the practice has resurfaced with prominence this year.A large section of farmers including those with big landholdings, are opting to cut wheat manually and subsequently extract grains with the help of an electrically operated separator. What has forced the farmers to shift to manual harvesting of wheat instead of combine harvesters this season is the fact that the price of wheat husk per quintal is about Rs 300 to Rs 350 in the market this month as compared to Rs 150 to Rs 200 per quintal of wheat husk, which prevailed during the corresponding period last year. Harpal Singh, a leading farmer of Lakhe Wali village of Muktsar district, said farmers were trying to extract the maximum quantity of wheat husk this season by opting for manual harvesting to earn more by disposing it of in the markets at a time when its price would go up. He added that the quantity of wheat husk produced through machine was always less than the quantity produced through manual harvesting. Madhuvir Thind, another leading farmer of Patiala district, said both wheat grain and wheat husk are important as both bring in money. He said that a few years ago, the price of wheat husk had crossed Rs 500 per quintal. Kirpal Singh Aulakh, a farmer of Phoos Mandi village in Bathinda district, said so far, there was no problem of labour for manual harvesting. He said farmers could again shift to combine harvester if they face a shortage of labour. As per information, manual harvesters were taking 1.5 quintal of wheat and 80 kg of wheat husk in lieu of cutting one acre of wheat crop. The manual harvesters were rarely paid their wages in cash. Meanwhile, Sukhwinder Singh, a farmer of Kili Nihal Singh Wala village, pointed out that manual harvesting of wheat was taking place in areas which did not face labour shortage. He said that villages, situated in close vicinity of cities and towns, had been facing a shortage of labour and hence, farmers had been opting for mechanical harvesting.
	SC/BC employees seek quota benefits Sushil Goyal Tribune News Service Bathinda, April 16 The Gazetted and Non-Gazetted SC/BC Employees Welfare Federation, Punjab, today demanded from the state government reservation in jobs at the time of recruitment and promotions as per their population in the state. Chairman of the federation, Jasvir Singh Pal said they were fighting to protect the reservation in recruitment and promotions at all levels. He said the federation wanted that the reservation should be at least 35 per cent for them. He also claimed that there was a backlog of 42 lakh reserved posts in India while in Punjab it was around 35,000. He asked the Centre and the state government to clear the backlog at the earliest. Pal also lashed out at the SAD-BJP government by alleging that it had not filled up even a single post from the backlog so far. He said the Badal government had also not released scholarships for lakhs of students, belonging to SC and BC categories so far. He was here today in connection with a convention, dedicated to the 120th birth anniversary of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, and organised by the federation at the local Teachers' Home. Among others who participated in the convention included state president of the federation Balvir Singh, patron Shiv Singh Banger, general secretary Gurbakhash Singh and district president Malkiat Singh. The federation also urged the Punjab government to construct community halls at all district and sub-division headquarters in memory of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar so that the weaker sections of society and Dalits could organise their social functions there. The federation will also organise functions in memory of Dr Ambedkar in all blocks, tehsil and district headquarters till November 30 to disseminate the ideology of Dr Ambedkar among the masses for the uplift of poor and the down-trodden.