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More depts to be brought under RTS Act
Nawanshahr, November 17
A commission will soon be set up in the state to ensure proper implementation of the Right to Service Act. The commission will establish direct contact with the people and will record their feedback to make it more effective and comprehensive.

Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal inspects work at a suvidha kendra in Nawanshahr on Thursday Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal inspects work at a suvidha kendra in Nawanshahr on Thursday. Photo by Parmod Bharti

A daily wager entitled to minimum pay: HC
Chandigarh, November 17
A Full Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that a daily wager, ad hoc or contractual appointee hired against regular sanctioned posts after undergoing a fair selection process shall be entitled to “minimum of regular pay scale from the date of engagement”.

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	More depts to be brought under RTS Act Our Correspondent Nawanshahr, November 17 A commission will soon be set up in the state to ensure proper implementation of the Right to Service Act. The commission will establish direct contact with the people and will record their feedback to make it more effective and comprehensive. Chief Secretary, SC Aggarwal, said this while presiding over a meeting of the officials of various departments, panches, sarpanches and prominent citizens of the district here on Thursday. The meeting was aimed to create awareness about the Right to Service Act. He said, the state government will bring more services under the purview of the Act for the convenience of the common man. Aggarwal said the Act will be a mechanism to provide time-bound and hassle-free delivery of services pertaining to the various departments notified under the Act. Stressing on the need to create awareness about the Right to Service Act, he called on representatives of the Panchayati Raj institutions to tell him about the hindrances being experienced by the people as well as make suggestions regarding proper implementation of the Act. He also asked the district administration to organise awareness seminars at block level. Sarpanches of Mahalon and New Tapparian Khurd villages urged the Chief Secretary to bring problems related to Powercom and tubewells under the purview of the Right to Service Act. Aggarwal also took stock of the progress of ‘Sanjh Kendras’ set up to provide hassle-free and time-bound delivery of various services related to the police department.
	A daily wager entitled to minimum pay: HC Saurabh Malik/TNS Chandigarh, November 17 A Full Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that a daily wager, ad hoc or contractual appointee hired against regular sanctioned posts after undergoing a fair selection process shall be entitled to “minimum of regular pay scale from the date of engagement”. The significant directions by the Bench of Justice Hemant Gupta, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Jaswant Singh came on a bunch of petitions filed by Avtar Singh and other petitioners against the State of Punjab and other respondents. The Bench asserted: “We hold that daily wagers, ad hoc or contractual appointees are not entitled to minimum of the regular pay scale from the date they were engaged merely for the reason that the physical activity carried out by the daily wager and the regular employee is similar, but such general principle shall be subject to the following exceptions: “A daily wager, ad hoc or contractual appointee against the regular sanctioned posts, if appointed after undergoing a selection process based upon fairness and equality of opportunity to all other eligible candidates, shall be entitled to minimum of the regular pay scale from the date of engagement. “But if daily wagers, ad hoc or contractual appointees are not appointed against regular sanctioned posts and their services are availed continuously, with notional breaks, by the State Government or its instrumentalities for a sufficient long period i.e. for 10 years, such daily wagers, ad hoc or contractual appointees shall be entitled to minimum of the regular pay scale without any allowances on the assumption that work of perennial nature is available and having worked for such long period of time, an equitable right is created in such category of persons. “Their claim for regularisation, if any, may have to be considered separately in terms of a legally permissible scheme. “In the event, a claim is made for a minimum pay scale after more than three years and two months of completion of 10 years of continuous working, a daily wager, ad hoc or contractual employee shall be entitled to arrears for a period of three years and two months”. The matter was placed before the Full Bench in “terms of the order passed by the single judge of this Court for consideration of issue of equal pay for equal work in respect of daily wage employees of the state government”.
	British Columbia minister visits Dhahan Kaleran Our Correspondent Nawanshahr, November 17 “Education and the health are vital to the development of the society, hence, the contribution in providing better education and healthcare facilities being made by the Guru Nanak Mission Medical and Educational Trust, Dhahan Kaleran, is laudable,” said Michael De Jong, health minister, British Columbai, Canada. He was addressing a gathering during his visit to Dhahan Kaleran in the district on Thursday. Michael De Jong is presently in India as part of China India Trade Mission 2011 under the stewardship of Christy Clark premier of BC, Canada. “The visit to Dhahan Kaleran hospital will help learn more about the community service activities here as well as in strengthening mutual cooperation to devise a mechanism to make the community service activities more comprehensive and effective,” said Jong. The representatives of Budh Singh Dhahan, founder of the Guru Nanak Mission Medical and Educational Trust, Dhahan Kaleran, Van Dusenvary from Canada and Darshan Singh Tatla from UK submitted a written representation to Michael De Jong to seek his cooperation for the newly-founded Trust aimed at providing better healthcare and education services to the people of the most backward and remote Kandi area in the district. The Canadian health minister was apprised that 25 acres of land has been acquired to set up 500 bed hospital and education institutions. To start with, a 10-bed hospital has been started at Chandpur Rurki and free medical check up camps are being organised in the remote villages to provide healthcare services at the doorstep to the poor.
	Doctor ‘ignores’ minister, earns rap Our Correspondent Jalandhar, November 17 Jathedar Ajit Singh Kohar, revenue minister, Punjab, yesterday snubbed a lady doctor on duty at the civil hospital here for not receiving him at the hospital gate and not giving him VIP treatment. The minister had even threatened to open an enquiry against her. Reacting on the alleged behaviour of the minister, Navjot Singh Dahiya, leader of Peoples’ Party of Punjab and also an aspirant for an Assembly ticket from Shahkot in a statement issued today strongly opposed this VIP culture followed by a majority of the ministers of the state government. “It is ironical that when there is a shortage of doctors in government hospitals, these ministers harass and demoralise the staff on duty. If some patient dies due to the non-availability of doctors, these so called public servants will raise a hue and cry,” Dahiya said.
	Teachers hold protest Our Correspondent Nawanshahr, November 17 The teachers of RK Arya College, BLM Girls College and DAN College of Education for Women, under the aegis of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union, held a protest rally here at RK Arya College on Thursday. The non teaching employees also took part in the rally in support of the demands of the teachers. Vinay Sofat said the bonnazas announced by the SAD- BJP government for fulfilling its poll promises had proved hollow for the teachers of privately-managed government-aided colleges. The agitating staff are demanding implementation of the pension scheme, which had been lying pending for the past 15 years. Besides, no step has been taken to get 80 per cent share of the arrears of the college teachers from the UGC due to the implementation of revised pay scales, enhancing the retirement age to 65 years as recommended by the UGC, lifting a ban on recruitments imposed in 2003.
	Three booked for abduction Our Correspondent Phagwara, November 17 The police has registered a case under Sections 363, 366 and 120B of the IPC against three Delhi residents, Sandeep Tanwar and his parents. The case was registered against them for allegedly abducting a BSc-II student, Bhanu Priya, of Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh. The girl was studying at Lovely Professional University, Chihherru. DSP Sandeep Sharma said, Purshotam Dass, the victim’s father, lodged a complaint stating that he had received a phone call from his daughter on November 4. She said she is coming to Bilaspur, but she never came. The family alleged that their daughter has been kidnapped by her classmate, Sandeep, with the connivances of his parents. No arrest has been made so for, said DSP Sharma.