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Suwidha centre gets closer to ISO certification
Jobless linemen block traffic for 2 hours
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Hustle & bustle back in govt offices as staff resume duties
Change in social mindset can raise sex ratio
Students of Malwa college shine in athletic meet
Pharmacists to hold state-level dharna in the city on Dec 7
Disability awareness programme held
Man robbed
Two hurt in separate mishaps
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Suwidha centre gets closer to ISO certification
The district administration had already applied to the QS Certification Services, Jaipur, seeking the ISO Certificate. This certificate is issued, on the basis of customer focus/satisfaction, continual improvement, leadership and involvement of people etc. As per information, at present the ISO Certificate (ISO-9001:2008) is only with Ferozepur at the district level while the Bathinda's Suwidha Centre after obtaining the same will be the second in the state. Sources told TNS that the Jaipur-based company, QS Certification Services, has already done its first phase work by sending a representative to the Suwidha Centre last week. The representative checked the services at the Centre last Monday. He checked the delivery time of various services, provided by the Centre to the public at its counters. The representative also checked the board put up outside the centre, mentioning various services. This board contains details of required documents and the fee for getting the works done by the common masses. The fire safety equipment, fire extinguishers, put up at the Suwidha Centre, was also checked by him that has the expiry in the year 2012. He also checked the sanitation conditions at the Centre and suggested the staff to have dustbin at every counter so that torn papers could not find scattered on the floor. The electricity wires of the Centre were also seen by the representative to ensure safety of the staff and the people visiting centre. He did this to ensure that the centre should not have any naked wire on its premises. He also checked the reverse osmosis (RO) system at the Centre, from where visiting persons drink water. Besides, the Suwidha Staff was also told to put up flex boards inside the centre, mentioning dos and don'ts for the public and the staff. For example, on the flex board for public it should be written 'Don't make a noise', 'Get your work done by standing in the queue', and for the staff 'Behave politely with the public', 'Don't use mobile while on duty', 'Don't leave counter during duty hours'. It is also learnt that the representative of the company had told the Suwidha authorities to inform the company after fulfilling these conditions. After that the checking will be done again by the representative of the company. If the Company representative finds the Centre a fit case for issuing ISO Certificate then the company will issue the same and the Bathinda's Suwidha Centre will become second district level centre that will have this certificate. Sources said these conditions would be fulfilled by the Suwidha authorities in the next one or two weeks to obtain the certificate. |
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Jobless linemen block traffic for 2 hours
Bathinda, December 5 Earlier, the administration had put a condition that the protesters should first lift their dharna staged at the traffic light chowk in front of the main gate of the bus stand here, if they wanted it to arrange their meeting with the Chief Minister. However, the protesters remained adamant and said they would not lift the dharna until the administration sought time from the Chief Minister for the meeting. Duty magistrate Avtar Singh Makkar thrice asked the state leadership of the Unemployed Linemen Union, Punjab, including president of the union Pirmal Singh, to lift the dharna and the road blockade, but in vain. The protest continued for more than two hours. At around 2.30 pm, two police vehicles, including a riot control vehicle, arrived
at the protest site giving rise to tension among the protesters. However, the leaders started asking the protesters from a public address system that they should not be afraid of the police and should continue with the protest even if the police used force against them. Nevertheless, around 3 pm, the administration relented and got appointment from the Chief Minister to hold a meeting with the union leaders. Later, the duty magistrate told the gathering that the state government had invited three members of the union for talks, for which the time and place had been told to the union leaders. State president of the union Pirmal Singh thanked Makkar for arranging their meeting with the Chief Minister and asked the protesters to lift the dharna. Pirmal said six members of the union’s state committee, namely Pirmal Singh, Rajinder Singh, Jagtar Singh, Bhola Singh Gaggarpur, Soma Singh Bharro and Nirmal Singh Mahla, would meet the Chief Minister
in Bathinda tomorrow at 7.30 pm and talk about appointment of 4,000 linemen in the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited. He said the counselling of these linemen had already been done, but they had not been issued orders for appointment so far. Earlier, the protesters had gathered outside the Mini-secretariat here and marched towards the bus stand chowk carrying red flags in their hands and raising slogans against the state government and in favour of their demand. During the road blockade, commuters faced great inconvenience as they had to remain seated in their buses till the blockade was lifted. Besides, vehicular traffic was also affected adversely and commuters had to take alternative routes to reach their destinations. Meanwhile, 10 persons, including five woman relatives of unemployed linemen, here started observing a chain fast today in order to maintain pressure on the government. |
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Hustle & bustle back in govt offices as staff resume duties
Bathinda, December 5 The ministerial staff had been on mass casual leave (on all working days) since November 22. Their return to their offices came as a breather to the people as they had been returning empty-handed daily since November 22 without getting their works done due to the agitation. The ministerial staff resumed their duties today following an appeal by the a Cabinet sub-committee that they should join the duties as their demands regarding hike in the grade pay of clerks, assistants and superintendents, have been accepted by the state government to a great extent. However, the issues relating to more grade pay for senior assistant and superintendent will be discussed and finalised at the Cabinet sub-committee's meeting, which would be held tomorrow. During a visit to the Mini-secretariat here, the ministerial employees were seen congratulating each other and the union leaders for the 'victory'. Interestingly, some women employees along with their male counterparts went to the office of district general secretary of the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union Kewal Bansal and asked him to celebrate the 'victory' by organising a party. However, Bansal appealed to the ministerial employees of this district to work overtime so as to complete the pending works at the earliest so that people should not suffer more. He also said that during their mass casual leave agitation, the work had been adversely affected in 42 government departments, including the DC office, treasuries, education, health, public health, animal husbandry, PWD B&R, employment, irrigation and colleges. The entire ministerial staff of the district treasury office here was on mass casual leave since November 22. However, with the resumption of duties by the ministerial staff, the salary bills of the employees from various government departments today landed at the treasury office here. Officiating district treasury officer Ashok Chopra said he had directed the staff to pass the salary bills on priority basis so that the employees could get salaries in a day or two. Meanwhile, the work of medical examination of the newly-recruited employees started at the Civil Hospital here after a gap of 13 days. According to a report, the medical examination of about 80 employees was conducted today. Fact file
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Change in social mindset can raise sex ratio
Bathinda, December 5 “Everybody blesses a newly married couple saying ‘god bless you with a son soon but no one ever says as to god bless you with a daughter like Kalpana Chawla, Indira Gandhi, Jhansi ki Rani or Kiran Bedi. I do not know, how long would it take for the people to change their mindset,” said a local resident Rajesh. The reasons include dowry, poor economic background, deep-rooted social mindset and others. Unfortunately, of late the technology worked against the girl even before the birth in the form of female foeticide. The Supreme Court, taking a serious view of the sex-selective discriminatory practices, directed the Centre to implement the PC and PNDT Act in all its aspects. Now, the question arises as to what can help improve sex ratio – the PNDT Act alone or changing of mindset towards a girl child, facilities, social awareness, education, an individual’s initiative the way film actress Sushmita Sen has taken or others. A conversation with many medical practitioners revealed that there is demand for gender determination of the fetus by patients for various reasons. This is really shocking and points towards the deep-rooted conventional mindset of the society towards a girl child. The observations highlight the need for sensitisation of the society towards the hazards of adverse gender ratios and changing of attitudes towards girl children. No doubt, the PNDT Act has been helpful in improving the sex ratio. However, a majority of doctors feel that in many instances the Act has resulted in harassment to the doctors as well as patients.
speaking out “The Act was introduced with a noble intension and has also been effective to check female foeticide to some extent. However, it includes a lot of formalities due to which patients in genuine or emergency cases have to suffer unnecessarily. For instance, the PNDT Act is morestrict during the 12 to 14 weeks period as this is the time wherein the sex determination of the foetus can be done. But again this is the only period when congenital abnormalities can be detected,” “It is difficult to fulfill all the formalities meticulously due to many reasons including shortage of time in a busy clinic, frequent changing of staff, ignorance of patients, migrant patients who do not have sufficient identity proofs. It does not make any difference to lose one or two patients but the worst part is this that the genuine patients suffer without any fault. I think changing of mindset toward the female children can really help eradicate the menace of female foeticide.” “The contribution of the Act to check female foeticide cannot be denied.
However, besides enforcing of the Act, it is more important to change the attitude of people towards a female child as to who know that a girl who is unwanted today can be Kalpana Chawla in future. Until the mindset of people is changed, no Act can eradicate
the menace of female foeticide completely,” “The Act has been helpful to improve sex ratio to some extent. However, the doctors as well as patients feel harassed at times cannot be denied. For example, in case the scanning report of a patient is normal in the first three months of pregnancy, but in the fourth month she bleeds profusely, no doctor tends to attend the patient to avoid complications.” Dr Amrit Sethi, Eye Specialist, former president, IMA Punjab.
"There is no problem in the Act, however, to ensure its proper implementation is more important. We also want sex ratio improved but even the Act has not been very effective in improving the sex ratio as the attitude of people needs to be chaged first towards female babies," "The PNDT Act was introduced to check female foeticide. The implementing authorities must ensure that the idea of the Act is to save female babies and not to make patients suffer. The implementation of the Act must ensure that the guilty gets punished and innocent doctors do not get falsely implicated." |
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Vet inspectors take to streets
Bathinda, December 5 Their main demands were unconditional release of 131 veterinary inspectors and cattle owners who were arrested on December 3 at Badal village, cancellation of the case registered against the arrested inspectors and cattle owners, pay scales of Rs 10300-34800 with 4600 grade pay for Grade I Inspector, Rs 10300-34800 with grade pay Rs 4200 for Grade II Inspector, Rs 10300-34800 with Rs 3600 grade pay for Grade III Inspector, and introduction of promotional channel for the veterinary Inspectors. They were demanding promotion for veterinary inspector as senior veterinary inspector and for the senior veterinary inspector as veterinary extension officer. They said the demands, regarding pay scales and promotional channel had already been accepted by the state government at a meeting, held on April 25, 2011, with Chief Minister at Chandigarh, but to no avail so far. The rally was addressed among others by Bathinda district president of the association Harinder Singh, Sangrur district president Kewal Singh, Barnala district president Manjit Raj, Mansa district president Mohanjit Singh and zonal secretary Balbir Singh Lehra. District president Kewal Singh said in case the state government did not accept all demands then the veterinary inspectors would go to villages to make propaganda against the SAD-BJP government for exposing it before the people. He said their protest would continue even after the implementation of the election code of conduct. The leaders of the association also said that they would continue their protest till the issuance of notification, with regard to accepting their demands. They also appealed to the cattle owners to boycott the cattle fair. The veterinary inspectors also submitted a memorandum to the district administration for forwarding the same to the state government to accept their demands. Fact file
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Students of Malwa college shine in athletic meet
Bathinda, December 5 While Suresh Kumar completed the 5000 m run in 14.52 minutes and 10,000 m in 30.53 minutes, Kirpal Singh threw the discuss up to 54.34 m. Arpinder Singh created record in triple jumps as his attempt registered as 15.12 m while Raji CT completed 100 m hurdle race in just 14.62 seconds. In the high jump event, Purnima attempt was recorded as 1.52 metres. Besides, Manisha, Purnima, Dinesh Kumar Rao and Minakshi clinched gold medals in discuss throw, long jump, javelin throw and shot put & hammer throw, respectively. The girls team bagged silver and the boys team got bronze in 4X100 m relay race. The management of these colleges, including international athlete and president of the Bathinda District Athletic Association KPS Brar, Malwa College principal Dr CL Singla, Dean Prof NK Gosain, Malwa College of Physical Education principal Prof Darshan Singh and Dean Prof RC Sharma congratulated the athletes on their achievements and announced more incentives for outstanding sports persons. Records broken
Athletes of the Malwa College and the Malwa College of Physical Education, Bathinda created six new records. |
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Pharmacists to hold state-level dharna in the city on Dec 7
Bathinda, December 5 According to a press note the association issued here today it has been told that the pharmacists from all parts of the state would take mass casual leave on December 7 to participate in the dharna here. Ravinder Goyal said that in case the state government did not accept their demands then they would further intensify their agitation, for which the entire responsibility would be of the state government. Ravinder also said that resentment prevailed among the pharmacists as the Punjab government not paying attention towards their long standing demands. The demands included enhancement in the
grade pay of pharmacist from Rs 3200 to Rs 4200, senior pharmacy officer designation for grade II pharmacist, chief pharmacy officer designation for grade I pharmacist and pharmacy officer designation for pharmacist, and shifting of vacant posts of the pharmacists from rural dispensaries to hospitals, situated in cities and towns. |
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Disability awareness programme held
Bathinda, December 5 On the occasion, some disabled also took part in the discussion and got the answers of their queries from the state president. He appealed to the gathering to extend full support to those disabled so that they do feel lonely and neglected in the society. Jeeda also criticized the Central and the state governments regretting that they were not doing enough for the disabled rather they are giving them step-motherly treatment. He said even the differently aled face problem in getting the jobs as well as social security pension meant for them. |
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Man robbed
Bathinda, December 5 After coming to senses, 40-year-old Ram Kishor told that he is a
labourer. He was sitting near Gol Diggi around 6 pm. An unidentified youth offered him some sweet dish and started interacting with him. He did not know as to what happened with him after that. He was robbed of Rs 550. The president of the NGO Vijay Goyal said migrant labourers believe outsiders easily and become victims of such incidents.
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Two hurt in separate mishaps
Bathinda, December 5 In yet another mishap, a woman was seriously hurt after being hit by a motorcycle on the Hazi Rattan road. The injured woman has been identified as Sita, wife of Ramji Lal. She was rushed to the emergency ward of the local civil hospital where she underwent treatment. |
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Bathinda, December 5
