The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

NEWS AND VIEWS

PUNJAB

HARYANA

JAMMU & KASHMIR

HIMACHAL

REGIONAL BRIEFS

NATION

OPINIONS

LETTERS

BUSINESS

SPORTS

WORLD

SPECIAL COVERAGE

CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

J A L A N D H A R E D I T I O N

Teachers of aided schools sans salary for seven months
Jalandhar, August 9
Most of the aided school teachers have not been paid their salaries for the last seven months. Thanks to the undue delay by the Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government in releasing the 95 per cent grant-in-aid to majority of the 476 aided schools of the state.

Farmers hold march against US firm
Amritsar, August 9
Members of the Kheti Virsat Mission, Mission Agaaz, Lok Kalyan Samiti and other farmer groups of this district carried out a “Tiranga March” against a private USA-based seed company here yesterday.

Man involved in looting cases held
Amritsar, August 9
The CIA staff of Amritsar rural police today succeeded to nab a notorious criminal involved in snatching and looting incidents in Amritsar and neighbouring districts. The accused identified as Baljit Singh, alias Balli, was caught with a stolen Safari, besides a .12 rifle was also recovered from him.

EARLIER STORIES

	Dug-up road creates problems for residents, commuters August 8, 2011
	Army treating civilians as second class citizens in cantt: Gurkanwal August 8, 2011
	Admn ruffles lawyers’ feathers, begins demolishing chambers August 7, 2011
	Wife, her paramour booked for man’s suicide August 6, 2011
	Gang of robbers busted, 3 held August 5, 2011
	Cong drags in BJP MLA August 4, 2011
	Sonu Giri murder case: Victim was ‘brutally tortured’ August 3, 2011
	Youth ‘killed’; residents go on rampage August 2, 2011
	Former AFSO booked for embezzlement August 1, 2011

Members of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Naujwan Sabha, Punjab and Haryana, burn copies of the Lokpal Bill and protest against the UPA government in Jalandhar on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

Three held with 5 kg of charas
Nawanshahr, August 9
Under a special drive launched against drug peddlers in the district, the Pojewal police led by SHO Ramji Dass during a naka at Sighpur village nabbed three ‘drug peddlers’ and seized 5 kg of charas from their possession.They have been identified as Imtiaz Mohammad Butt, Mohammad Syad Lone and Toha Rasul, all residents of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir. They were travelling in a Scorpio.SSP Narinder Bhargav in a press release issued here today said the nabbed accused had been smuggling drugs from Jammu and Kashmir and selling it at various places in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

	Teachers of aided schools sans salary for seven months Dharmendra Joshi Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 9 Most of the aided school teachers have not been paid their salaries for the last seven months. Thanks to the undue delay by the Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government in releasing the 95 per cent grant-in-aid to majority of the 476 aided schools of the state. Even the majority of grant-in-aid files for the last quarter of financial year 2010-11 submitted by the schools have not been cleared so far, sources in the Education Department said. The schools submit their grant-in-aid files to the DEOs of their respective districts from where these are forwarded to the DPI (secondary). The DPI office sends these files to the Finance Department for final clearance, the sources said, adding that the Finance Department dedicated one Deputy Comptroller Finance and Accounts (DCFA) and three Sectional Officers (SOs) for the purpose of clearing files regarding grant-in-aid of aided schools. The sources further stated that the grant-in-aid files could not be cleared by the Finance Department as the sanctioned posts of the DCFA and the three SOs remained vacant for several months. These posts were filled recently, but the three SOs posted here were given additional charge, they added. So, they have started clearing the files but the work is too slow to clear the backlog. Only 40 per cent files of grant-in-aid claim submitted by some districts can be cleared so far, the sources added. In this way, only 40 per cent of the total 5,500 teachers working in these aided schools have been paid salary, but that too only till March this year. So they have not been paid salary for the last four months. Whereas the other 60 per cent that is 3,000 teachers of the aided schools are without salary since December, the sources added. Neither Education Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan nor DPI (Secondary) Avtar Chand Sharma could be contacted to know their versions despite repeated attempts. Interestingly, the aided schools will submit the estimate for grant-in-aid sanction for the financial year 2011-12 after clearance of the pending claim of the last quarter of the last financial year, the sources added.
	Farmers hold march against US firm Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 9 Members of the Kheti Virsat Mission, Mission Agaaz, Lok Kalyan Samiti and other farmer groups of this district carried out a “Tiranga March” against a private USA-based seed company here yesterday. The march started from Jallianwala Bagh and concluded at Gandhi Gate, popularly known as Hall Gate. Deepak Babbar of Mission Agaaz said similar marches were being taken out in different districts of the state. He said the campaign of marches would conclude on August 17 at Malerkotla.
	Man involved in looting cases held PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 9 The CIA staff of Amritsar rural police today succeeded to nab a notorious criminal involved in snatching and looting incidents in Amritsar and neighbouring districts. The accused identified as Baljit Singh, alias Balli, was caught with a stolen Safari, besides a .12 rifle was also recovered from him. The police authorities revealed that Baljit Singh was kingpin of the gang while his accomplice Rajan Patti managed to escape. Two of their other companions were lodged in Gurdaspur jail. During interrogation, Baljit revealed that they had snatched the Safari from Gurdaspur after seriously injuring a man who was coming from Mukerian side. They also looted Rs 75,000 and a laptop, besides two mobile phones from him. They admitted that they had earlier snatched Rs 15 lakh from the Lakkar Mandi area in Amritsar about a year back. Their two accomplices Prince and Daman Pandit who were involved in many more such incidents were languishing in Gurdaspur Jail. Baljit confessed that they had been going to Amritsar for committing a similar crime. They were also wanted in murder, attempt to murder, dacoity and looting cases in Gurdaspur, Batala and Hoshiarpur. The police authorities said a case under Sections 379, 411, 420, 468 and 471 and the Arms Act has been registered at the Kamboh police station against them.
	Three held with 5 kg of charas Our Correspondent Nawanshahr, August 9 Under a special drive launched against drug peddlers in the district, the Pojewal police led by SHO Ramji Dass during a naka at Sighpur village nabbed three ‘drug peddlers’ and seized 5 kg of charas from their possession. A case under Sections 20/61/85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against them.