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Cong delegates to pay for Capt’s rally Bhattal: High command to decide on CM’s post
Cong to harness youth power
Of kabaddi and drugs: Misnomer to call it a World Cupper
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Capt is a liar, says Sukhbir
BJP to start poll campaign with Advani’s Chetna Yatra
Secrecy in appointments violation of
RTI: Punjab CIC
Now, jobs in power dept for Gobindpura farmers
Send pension cases of retired school teachers, DEOs told
‘Wanted’ list reviewed ahead of poll
Govt to set up complaint cell at Fatehgarh Sahib
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Cong delegates to pay for Capt’s rally
Ludhiana, November 10 In order to make the rally “successful”, prominent Congress leaders of six assembly segments (for which the rally would be held) have been reportedly told to pool in Rs 1 lakh each. In all, Rs 25 lakh has to be collected. Congress leaders termed it as a “routine affair”, but a few delegates who have been told to cough up Rs 1 lakh each said “it was sad that now even workers were being told to contribute money for rallies”. A delegate, on anonymity, said, “We were shocked when a senior leader told us that all of us will have to pool in Rs 1 lakh each. I am not even a contender for party ticket from any of the six constituencies and still I have to pay. Leaders who are eying party ticket should pay this money.” A veteran leader said earlier whenever the party organised such rallies, only senior leaders used to contribute. District Congress Committee (Urban) president Pawan Dewan claimed he was not aware about any such matter. “Still, if any of the leaders have been told to contribute they should not have a problem, as it is a routine. Such has been the system since long.”
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Bhattal: High command to decide on CM’s post
Jalandhar, November 10 Bhattal is considered one of the contenders for the top post. Congress leaders, Gulchain Singh Charak, Jagmeet Singh Brar, Mohinder Singh Kaypee had projected the PPCC chief as the undisputed leader of the Congress at the Congress rally at Nadala yesterday. Charak had gone a step ahead, describing Amarinder as “the lion of Punjab”. Bhattal said: “Our priority right now is winning the elections. It is up to the high command and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to take a decision on who will occupy the top post if the party is voted to power.” On the possibilities of a poll alliance with the Lok Bhalai Party headed by Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, Bhattal said: “The Congress has not received any such offer so far. Anyway, we welcome like-minded parties.” Bhattal was accompanied by senior Congress leaders Avtar Henry, Raj Kumar Gupta, Arun Walia and Varinder Sharma. Avtar Henry criticised Baba Ramdev for extending his support to the
SAD-BJP alliance.
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Cong to harness youth power
Sources say though the party has chalked out a programme to allocate ticket to at least 15 youths, there is a feeling that the unemployment dole will be far more effective in attracting young voters. Congress leaders, including party incharge Gulchain Singh Charak, say the issue will be discussed by the manifesto committee. Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa, who has taken up the issue with the party leadership, said when in power, the Congress had decided to launch a scheme under which an unemployment allowance of Rs 1,000 was proposed to be given to matriculates, Rs 1,500 to graduates and Rs 2,000 to post-graduates. An estimated sum of Rs 450 crore per month was to be spent on this scheme then. The cost could now be in the range of Rs 700 crore per month. Bajwa said he in all probability this scheme would be taken up by the party’s manifesto committee. Pradesh Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh has been saying at rallies addressed by him that there are 44 lakh unemployed youth in Punjab and the Akalis have miserably failed to utilise their potential. The PCC chief has promised creation of new jobs in both agriculture and industry if the Congress returns to power. Sources say the Congress is attracting youth from all sections, particularly those from the Backward Classes, to its rallies, whereas the Akali youth base primarily consists of “kakas” from rich Jat Sikh families. Party vice-president Lal Singh says the large turnout of young people at the Congress rallies is owing to the fact that most of them do not identify themselves with the Panth. “The Congress youth bank is much more representative due to the transparent manner in which elections were held to the youth body, giving grass-roots workers a chance to rise through the ranks,” he maintained. Besides attracting the youth through proposals like unemployment dole, the Congress is determined to give them greater representation in the elections. Party sources said former youth presidents and party MPs Vijay Inder Singla and Ravneet Singh Bittu would have a role in this. As in case of the Lok Sabha elections, assembly segments from where the Congress had been losing repeatedly would be allocated to young candidates.
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Of kabaddi and drugs: Misnomer to call it a World Cupper
The hollowness of the claims of a World Cupper stand exposed by the sheer number of doping scams with almost every second player having tested positive for banned drugs so far. This is unprecedented in any international sporting event held under the watchful eyes of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) or the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). So far 22 of the 60-odd players have been sidelined and their further participation in the event has been suspended till confirmation of their blood samples. The organisers are picking at random two players from each playing team everyday. While the results of urine tests come quickly, those on the positive list are required to get their blood samples analysed immediately afterwards. The primary objective of the Punjab Government in organising this mega event is to dissuade the youth of the state from taking drugs. Intriguingly, almost every second participant has been found to be hooked to multiple steroids. At this speed, claims a worried organiser of the event, “we may not be left with enough players to participate in the medal rounds. Teams like the US, Canada, the UK and Australia already have three to five players each on the suspended list”. Strange as it may be, none of the participating teams seem to have taken the the pre-event warnings by the organisers that nobody on drugs would be spared. “The zero tolerance to drugs warning has gone unheeded primarily because those who were found guilty of taking drugs in the first edition of the event went scot free. They continued to participate in kabaddi tournaments worldwide, accepting cash and other awards. Twelve players were found guilty of doping in the first World Cup held in April last year,” said an organising committee member. When trials for the Indian team for the first World Cup were held, 19 players had tested positive. Five others had left the trials for fear of being caught. This time, 21 of the 50 players who participated in selection trials tested positive for banned steroids. That may be one reason that none of the 18 players found guilty in the second edition so far are from India or Pakistan. While WADA and NADA rules make it amply clear that once an athlete has been found guilty of taking banned drugs and his or her A and B tests are positive, he or she cannot be allowed any further participation in any sporting event for a specified period. But since the Circle Kabaddi or Punjab Style Kabaddi on which the Punjab Government spends a huge amount in organising the World Cup does not come under the banner of the Olympic movement, the punishment and penalty clauses remain unimplemented. Also, most of the participating teams cannot be technically called national teams as these are not recognised by their own National Olympic Committees. Countries like Canada, the US, the UK and Australia do not recognise kabaddi as a sport and no kabaddi is fully or provisionally recognised. Technically, it is a misnomer to call these teams as national teams. The same may be true of the Indian team which is selected not by the Amateur Kabaddi Federationof India but the Punjab Kabaddi Association.
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A protester who’s been to jail 12 times in 4 yrs
Faridkot, November 10 Such is the tale of hundreds of members of various unemployed unions who have been storming various government functions, particularly those of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, for the last over four years. Harpreet Singh (34) of Madak village in Faridkot is one such protesting lineman who claims he has been to jail over a dozen times in the last four years. He was allegedly beaten by police in full public view on November 8 at Faridkot during CM’s Sangat Darshan. He says it did not matter to him whether the Congress or the Akalis formed the next government, but what mattered was a job. At present, his wife, a housewife, was doubling up as a private tutor to meet the house expenses. Having done a two-year electrician diploma from the ITI, Faridkot, in 1999, Harpreet underwent three-year apprenticeship with the state electricity Board but is still without a job. Similar is the tale of over 7,000 other linemen who have been protesting for jobs but to no avail.
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Sarna man joins SAD
New Delhi, November 10 Harmit, who has been made president of the youth wing of the Delhi unit of the party and secretary-general of the All-India Youth SAD, is expected to provide a major boost to the SAD during the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee elections scheduled for next year. Sukhbir said the Congress had double standards and had always discriminated against the Sikh community. Even after 27 years of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, not a single culprit had been punished so far. On the other hand, barely nine years after the riots in Gujarat, 31 offenders had been awarded the life sentence. “ We all know the culprits behind the massacre of Sikhs. Instead of punishing them, the Congress has given them important positions in the party,” Sukhbir said. To a question on Anna Hazare’s movement against corruption, he said: “We welcome anybody who fights corruption.”
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Chandigarh: Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has ridiculed PCC chief Amarinder Singh’s denial that he had no role in the cancellation of the PM’s visit to Punjab, describing the statement as “the biggest lie of the century”.
He said Capt Amarinder Singh claimed that he had not made any attempt to stop the Prime Minister from inaugurating the prestigious Khalsa Heritage Memorial Complex at Anandpur Sahib. “Amarinder and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal first led a group from Punjab to New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to convince them that the PM’s ‘pilgrimage’ to Anandpur Sahib would damage the Congress prospects in the coming elections. “Both the leaders later gleefully told the media that they had succeeded in their mission,” he alleged.
— TNS
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BJP to start poll campaign with Advani’s Chetna Yatra
Chandigarh, November 10 During the three-day yatra in Punjab, the BJP plans to hold 21 welcome rallies and three big rallies. State BJP chief Ashwani Sharma said Advani’s yatra would reach Punjab on November 13 via Dabwali. On day one, it would pass through Pathrala Anaj Mandi, Sangat Kanchian, Jodhpur Rumana, Bathinda, Bhucho, Rampura Phul, Tappa, Handiyaya, Barnala, Mahal Kalan, Raikot, Guru Sar Sudhar, Mullanpur octroi post, and Ferozepur Road, Ludhiana. On the second day the yatra would start with a press conference at Ludhiana and pass through Phillaur, Goraya, Phagwara, Jalandhar, Kartarpur, Subhanpur, Beas, Khalchian, Jandiala Guru and Amritsar. On November 15 it would cover Kathunangal, Jaintipur, Batala, Dhariwal, Gurdaspur, Shala, Mukerian, Bhangala, Mirthal, Damtal and
Pathankot.
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Secrecy in appointments violation of
RTI: Punjab CIC
Chandigarh, November 10 Chief Information Commissioner
(CIC) RI Singh said that objective of the Act was to provide and secure access to information under the control of public authorities so as to promote accountability in working of every public institution. He ruled that appointments to public offices are not a private or personal affair of the individual concerned, but are matters of public importance and public interest. The CIC gave these orders on a petition filed by appellant Yash Pal
Garg, against the Public Information Officer, Milkfed, Punjab. The former had approached the State Information Commission, Punjab, after he was denied information regarding service rules under which the post of a general manager in the state’s milk cooperative was filled; the resume of the appointee alongwith details of his qualification, experience and other documents; and the qualification added by the appointee during his service period in
Milkfed. The appellant was not given information by the Public Information Officer
(PIO) on the ground that the information sought for was about a third party and it had no relation with public activity, and was therefore exempt under Section 8(1) (j) of the Act. Giving his orders, the CIC rejected the claim filed by the respondent
(Milkfed) that information furnished by the general manager to the cooperative was held in a fiduciary relationship (where one in under duty to act for benefit of other) by the respondents. He said, “when candidates compete with each other for public posts, disclosure of their credentials/ testimonials/ qualifications or their merit in the entrance test / interview cannot be denied under the garb of fiduciary relationship …. Appointments to public body are matters of public interest. The public has a stake to know who and how and with what qualifications and on what criteria, a person has been appointed to a public post.” Setting aside orders of the
PIO, the CIC asked him to furnish the information sought by the appellant within 10 days, and has also directed the respondents to pay him a compensation of Rs 500, for the loss and determents suffered by the appellant.
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Now, jobs in power dept for Gobindpura farmers
Gobindpura (Mansa), Nov 10 In a bid to convince the farmers, the government had recently announced jobs for one member of each affected family in the Police Department. Even physical fitness and other tests were conducted, though appointment letters were yet to be received. Mansa Deputy Commissioner Ravinder Singh claimed the Electricity Department had issued a letter to him regarding the jobs. Also, the jobs would be out of the purview of the Punjab Public Service Commission and the Service Selection Board.
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Send pension cases of retired school teachers, DEOs told
Fazilka, November 10 The letter was issued as per the instructions of the state government in July this year, perhaps with an eye on the ensuing assembly elections. The pension to all retired aided-school teachers would now be paid regularly from October 2011. Arrears to the teachers who were deprived of the pension from June 2003 to September 2011 would be paid in five installments. Pay fixation for senior secondary school teachers with revised pay scale has already been implemented last month. Employee leaders lamented that the government had not paid salaries to aided school primary teachers for the past seven months. Notably, the government had stopped paying pension to the teachers who had retired after May 31, 2003, due to the financial crunch at that juncture. Since then, the number of teachers who have been deprived of the pension has risen to about 3,500.
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‘Wanted’ list reviewed ahead of poll
Patiala, November 10 A list containing the names of the terrorists has been circulated among various police districts to ascertain their whereabouts with a note saying that most of them were now in Belgium, the UK, the USA, Canada and Germany. “With the ISI’s role in the recent RDX recovery in Ambala last month still under probe, New Delhi is constantly monitoring Punjab”, said a senior police officer. Highly placed sources in the police said that 21 persons on the ‘wanted’ list were from Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ropar, Sangrur, Mohali, Amritsar and Jalandhar districts. “The counter-intelligence unit of the police department has prepared a ‘wanted’ list and sent it to its district officers to liaise with the SP (Detective) of the area on the matter,” he said. On the list: Bakshish Singh, Gurdial Singh, Gurinderjit S Mana, Gurmit Singh Amalo, Harbhajan Singh, Harjot Singh, Harminder Singh, Harpal S Cheema, Harwinder Singh, Jagdev Singh Alias Gursharanbir Singh, Jasbir Singh, Jaspal Singh, Jassa Singh, Kuldip Singh, Narinder Singh, Nazam Singh, Puran Singh, Ramandeep Singh Goldy, Sukhwinder , Supinder and Surmukh Singh.
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Govt to set up complaint cell at Fatehgarh Sahib
Fatehgarh Sahib, Nov 10 Addressing the gathering, the chief guest Deputy Director Gurbachan Lal said that now the beneficiaries of old age pension, widow pension, physically challenged and other beneficiaries would be able to get pension in time and all their problems would be sorted out in stipulated time. He said under the citizen charter, a complaint cell would be set up in which the names of officers along with their telephone numbers would be displayed so that the complainant does not face any difficulty. He said implementation of the charter would bring transparency in the working of the department and would be of great help to the public. He said that the officials have been directed to redress their grievances as well as get their work done with in the stipulated period, otherwise they would be held responsible for delay. District Social Security Officers Amrit Bala and Varinder Bains said that efforts were being made to take these schemes to the grassroots by involving NGOs so that the needy are benefited. They urged the social workers to bring only genuine cases.
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Jalandhar, November 10
Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday blasted SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar for "lying and concealing facts on the Darbar Sahib deficit". He challenged Makkar and the Badals to prove that the figures provided by him were wrong or else he would tender an apology at the Akal Takht. The PCC president said the total expenses incurred on Darbar Sahib during 2010-2011 were Rs 145,25,00000 against an income of Rs 122,11,20,000, a clear deficit of Rs 23 crore. 
Chandigarh, November 10
Chandigarh, November 10