Bathinda, July 5
As many as 18 new leprosy cases were detected in a year in various government health institutions of the district. Notably, none of these patients belong to Punjab.

It is also learnt that majority of the leprosy patients are migrant labourers, who act as carrier of the disease, from the states like Bihar, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.

During the financial year 2010-11, 18 new leprosy cases were diagnosed in the health centres and hospitals of the district. These included 13 men, four women and a girl child. Besides, 50 patients (old and new) remained under treatment upto March 2011 in the district while 39 patients were given full treatment ranging from six months to one year.

It is reported that only five to six leprosy cases from Punjab were diagnosed in the government hospitals and health centres of the district during the past four financial years (2007-08 to 2010-11) while the remaining leprosy patients (about 80) were from other states.

Talking to this reporter, District Leprosy Officer Dr BS Gill said the leprosy disease was caused due to infection of myco-bacterium leprae. He said long contact infection leads to multi-bacillary leprosy, for which treatment was given for one year while in the case of pauci-bacillary leprosy, the patients were given treatment for six months. The treatment is provided to the patients free of cost by the government. The disease was curable if diagnosed at the early stage, he added.

Dr Gill said the disease affected several parts of the human body like skin, fingers of hand and foot, eyes, nose and nerves. He said the signs of leprosy were white spots on the skin with no sensation, hair loss and loss of sweating. Besides, wounds on the skin of hands and feet, especially fingers and toes were the other symptoms of the disease, he added.

Baghapurana (Moga), July 5
Terming the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of judicial officers by the Supreme Court to probe stashing of black money in Swiss and other foreign banks, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab has said it was a reflection of the lack of faith of the apex court in the seriousness of the Congress-led UPA Government in tackling corruption.

Talking to the media after holding a Sangat Darshan here today, the Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the UPA Government was dragging its feet in making public the names of account holders in the Swiss banks, due to which the apex court had constituted the SIT in view of the interest of the country and its people.

Lashing out at the UPA, he said the Union Government has lost the faith of people after the disclosures of recent multi-crore scams in various departments.

Sukhbir, while criticising frequent hikes in petroleum prices, said the SAD-BJP Government had been demanding a transparent price fixation formula including the linking of MSP with the price index but the Congress was out to help the multi-national oil companies.

Adding that there was no justification for 11 price hikes in petroleum products during the last nine months at a time when the price of crude oil in the international market was touching a record low of $90 per barrel, he questioned the rationale of the Union Government in asking the states to reduce tax on oil products when the Centre was taking a lion’s share of 70 per cent from taxes collected from the state, leaving Punjab with a meagre share of 1.3 per cent.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included local MP Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, former education minister Jathedar Tota Singh, district planning committee chairman Tarsem Singh Ratia, district party president Tirath Singh Mahla, president of Moga Municipal Council Barjinder Singh Brar and many other local level leaders. 

Fazilka, July 5
The Aarhtiya Association (Fazilka) has flayed the recent procedure of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to give bonus payment on purchased wheat directly to the farmers instead of giving it through commission agents.

The Association through a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner-cum-Procurement in-charge of the Agriculture Produces has stated that the FCI had purchased 204,102 quintals of wheat from Fazilka grain market during the rabi marketing season 2011-12. The FCI had made the payment of purchased wheat to the farmers through the commission agents.

However, now on July 1, the officials of FCI distributed the proforma (pre-receipted bill) amongst the commission agents and asked them to get it filled by the farmers as the amount of the bonus at a rate of Rs 50 per quintal announced by the Central Government would be directly paid to the farmers. The officials directed that the farmers could collect the cheques of the bonus amount directly from the office of the FCI. There is resentment amongst the commission agents and farmers over the decision.

Aarhtiya Association president Daya Krishan Sachdeva said all other procurement agencies have paid the bonus amount to the farmers through commission agents. However, now instructions of the FCI could disturb the present fabric of the commission agent and farmers.

Sachdeva pointed out that as per Mandi Board rule 11(B), the buyer would make the payment to ‘kacha arhtiya’ within two days and in turn, the arhtiya should make payment to the seller within three days. But the rule is being flouted now, added Sachdeva.

On the other hand, district vice-president, Bhartiya Kisan Union, Nishan Singh has in a press note, pointed out that farmers are busy in sowing paddy and cotton these days. So it is practically not possible for them to fill the proforma and visit the FCI office again and again to collect the bonus amount.

He has also demanded that the bonus amount should be given to the farmers through the commission agents.

Bathinda, July 5
Chairman of the local Improvement Trust Ashok Bharti flagged off a cow’s milk supply van of the Punjab Dairy Farms, Kotshamir village (Bathinda), here today.

It is for the first time that cow milk will be supplied to the residents of Model Town, Veer Colony and Shakti Nagar at their door-steps from tomorrow. Five more vans will be added to the fleet by the end of August.

On the occasion, managing partner of the dairy unit Ajay Kumar said the main objective of supplying the cow’s milk in the city was to meet the consumers’ demand related to natural and oxytocin-free milk.

He said the milk distribution van was fully equipped with modern technology and had features like insulated milk storage tank, digital milk releasing system etc.

Ajay Kumar said the consumers would have to just press a button to draw milk from the van as per their requirement.

The van would supply 1000 liters of milk everyday, he added.

He said the Punjab Dairy Farms was the second-largest dairy farm unit in Punjab and was capable of providing 5000 litres of milk everyday.

Sriganganagar, July 5
Des Raj Meena (22) of village Ghevra died today while participating in the 10,000 metre race as part of the physical eligibility test being conducted for recruitment of cops in the district police. Each candidate is required to finish the race within an hour.

Confirming the incident, SP Rupinder Singh said Des Raj complained of some problem in the morning. He had completed 25 rounds but faced the problem in the 28th round at the 55th minute and fell down after touching the finishing point.

He was rushed to a hospital in an ambulance but the doctors declared him as brought dead. The body was handed over to his brother, who was present at the stadium, after getting the postmortem examination conducted by a medical board. Senior police officers too visited the hospital. The state government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs one lakh to the bereaved family.

Preliminary investigation reportedly indicated that Des Raj was running on an empty stomach while experts had advised that each candidate must have light breakfast. As many as 6054 candidates had been allowed to appear in the physical ability test. There were instances when some fainted on the way but this was the only instance of death, officials said.

Bathinda, July 5
Under the banner of Private ETT Sikhyarthi Ilaqa Committee, Bathinda, private ETT students held a meeting at the Teachers’ Home here today to discuss the examination related problem in three colleges in the district.

The students also took out a protest march in the city.

Convener of the committee Gurpreet Singh said despite the passage of nine months, the examinations of the first semester were not being conducted. He said the state government was not paying attention towards their problem. He alleged that they had learnt that these colleges did not have recognition for the course. Gurpreet said if the date sheet for the examination was not issued soon then the students along with their parents would intensify the agitation.

Sriganganagar, July 5
The inmates in the Suratgarh sub-divisional jail have ended their fast. They were offered a cup of tea by the Additional District Magistrate Sant Kumar Budania, who assured that their complaint against the jail officials would be inquired into.

Meanwhile, the jail superintendent Sudhir Poonia has recommended shifting of four prisoners to another jail. A letter in this connection has been faxed to the DIG Jails, sources said. Poonia observed that the intentions of some of the protesters were not good. They had demanded more blankets in violation of the jail norms. It had come to light in the past that the inmates had torn the blankets and used the pieces to escape from three jails by converting it into a rope in different jails in the state.

Poonia agreed that despite of extensive checking at the entry and exit points, some elements succeed in carrying mobile phones with them, Suratgarh sub-divisional jail is no exception, he added. The points raised by the protesters would become a part of the inquiry, he assured.

Notably, about 20, out of 50, inmates of the jail had on Sunday evening started hunger strike after routine checking. They had levelled serious allegations against the jailer Shailender Singh, the latter had strongly refuted it.