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Daduwal says no threat to Nandgarh’s life
Engineering student dies as gas geyser proves fatal
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Not only uranium, high nitrates in groundwater too
BSF holds free medical camps
Steps to promote Punjabi not enough, say litterateurs
AIDS awareness figures in folk art
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Daduwal says no threat to Nandgarh’s life
Bathinda, March 3 Daduwal further said he could not understand why Jathedar Nandgarh had expressed apprehension, regarding threat to his life from him, as he (Daduwal) was a Sikh preacher and not a killer. He, however, said he respected Jathedar Nandgarh, being an elderly person, and also the Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib. Daduwal said though there were differences between them for the past two years, but he had never spoken even a single work against Jathedar Nandgarh. With regard to a question that Jathedar Nandgarh had accused him of trying to dethrone him from the post of Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Daduwal said the post of the Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib is not a ‘jagir’ of Jathedar Nandgarh’s family. But he (Daduwal) had no intentions to become the Jathedar of the Takht. Daduwal also said he had not held any meeting with any top SAD leader to become the Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib as he did not want to become the Jathedar of the Takht. Regarding an allegation against him for keeping arms, he said every citizen had the right to keep licensed arms. Daduwal said he had been serving the Sikh religion under the banner of his organisation “Panthic Sewa Lehar” and would continue to do so. However, he said Jathedar Nandgarh had issued him a certificate in the past that he was a Sikh preacher. But now, Nandgarh was jealous of him and wanted to stop the propagation of Sikh religion, being done by him, he added. Daduwal also said he wanted that the Jathedar should not indulge in any such controversy. He also said he would welcome every person who would effect a compromise between them. |
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Engineering student dies as gas geyser proves fatal
Abohar, March 3 As per information, his father Surinder Sharma and mother Suman Sharma had gone to teach in a private school reportedly run by the family. A woman, the domestic help, later found Rachit alias Shanky lying on the floor unconscious as she arrived for duty in the Dharam Nagari locality. On getting the information, the shell-shocked parents shifted him to a private hospital but the boy could not be saved. A pall of gloom descended over the locality as this was the second tragedy to strike the family in less than a year. Shanky's brother Sahil had died of cancer a few months back. |
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Not only uranium, high nitrates in groundwater too
Faridkot, March 3 But in its study, "A Report on living Soils", based on Assam, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Karnataka, the Greenpeace India, a voluntary organization in the field of ecology and environment, revealed that due to the rampant use of chemical fertilisers, mainly urea, and the drinking water in the Malwa region was heavily contaminated with nitrates. Twenty per cent of all sampled wells in the Malwa region have nitrate levels above the safety limit of 50 mg per litre as established by the World Health Organization (WHO), revealed the Greenpeace study report. The source of the water pollution was nitrogenous fertilizer, especially urea, the report claims. A month back, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) had also revealed that the high use of phosphate fertilizers - having a high concentration of uranium (70-100 ppm) - could be a reason for the groundwater contamination with uranium in Punjab. The BARC's findings came after the Punjab and Haryana High Court sent a questionnaire to the premier atomic research centre, asking if the agrochemical processes were responsible for uranium toxicity in Punjab waters. In its report, Greenpeace has revealed that the production of every tonne of phosphate fertiliser by dissolving phosphate rock in sulphuric acid, yields five tonnes of phospho gypsum as by-product. And due to the presence of the naturally occurring uranium and radium in the phosphate ore, this is toxic and radioactive. Cadmium inputs to soil from the rock phosphate fertilizer production has also been a concern with long-term implications for soil fertility and human health. Gopikrishna, one of the authors of the report and a campaigner with Greenpeace, said the study on the health of the soil was conducted to bring out the perceptions and observations of the farmers and experts on soil health. In the Malwa region of Punjab, there was a 750 per cent hike in the consumption of urea and phosphate over the last 40 years, said Dr OP Rupela, another author of the report and former scientist with International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics, Andhra Pradesh. The data from the stakeholder survey reveals that the chemical nutrients applied per unit of land area is reaching alarming levels in the social audit districts. It is touching 574kg/ha in Bathinda, Punjab, 432kg/ha in Sambalpur, Orissa, and 388kg/ha in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, said Dr Rupela. Dr Jasbir Singh Gomti, a development officer with the agriculture department, who is conducting over 40 camps every year to educate the farmers about the judicious use of fertilizers in Faridkot, Moga and Muktsar districts, said in the last six years, 10-12 per cent farmers have started using the fertilizers as need-based. "We are hopeful of more and more farmers using the LCC and chlorophyll meters to examine their crops before using fertilizers," he said. |
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789 new recruits join BSF
Fazilka, March 3 This was the maiden programme in the area when a large number of soldiers participated in an event like passing out parade. The parade was reviewed by DIG, BSF, Vimal Satyarthi, who administered the oath to the soldiers. The young soldiers had entered into the BSF portal in December 2011. They came from different parts of the country with the dream of joining the first line of defence of the country. They underwent physical training to survive in the most inhospitable terrain and learnt the art of fighting the enemy with precision. They displayed excellent timing, perfect coordination and a high standard of discipline in the true tradition of the force today. Speaking on the occasion, DIG Satyarthi exhorted the young soldiers to maintain high standards set by their predecessor on the border to defend the country and in internal security while assisting the civil authorities. "Thorough training has been given to the soldiers so that they could discharge their duties with dedication and honestly,” Satyarthi added. During the passing out parade, four soldiers, Ujjwal Kumar Dass of 18 Battaion, Shivraj Singh of 22 Battalion, Sushil Sharma of 2nd Battalion and Parvinder Kumar of 23 Battalion were awarded medals for performing meritoriously during the training. Commandant of the 30 Battalion, SPS Sandhu and other Border Security Force officials were also present at the passing out parade. |
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BSF holds free medical camps
Abohar, March 3 He informed that such camps would be organised in villages Gokulgarh, Bhurasar and Anandgarh during the next few days. The 56th Battalion of the BSF organised such a camp in village 14BD. Officiating commandant Ram Pal Dagar was the chief guest. A team led by Dr Satish Legha examined about 550 patients who had arrived from different
villages. |
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Steps to promote Punjabi not enough, say litterateurs
Muktsar, March 3 The famous Punjabi writers were here in Muktsar to attend a one-day National Punjabi Conference, organised and accomplished by the Guru Nanak College for Girls. While talking to the TNS on the sidelines of the seminar, Prof Waryam Singh said, “Punjabi language is not in the hands of those who are purely attached to it. Moreover, only a few teachers in the government educational institutes know Punjabi and most of them are doing it for time pass. This is not the fault of teachers. The system is responsible for it, which should be changed.” Expressing his resentment against the state government, in very clear words, he said, "No political party is committed towards promoting Punjabi. So, I have no hope from either the Akali Dal or the Congress.” Echoing almost similar views, Padam Shri Surjeet Patar said, "All schools in the state are not even teaching Punjabi to their students. A number of private schools across the state have even banned the use of Punjabi in the schools.” He added, "Though the state cabinet had said that Punjabi must be taught in all schools, yet some big private schools created hurdles before its implementation." "Punjabi must be taught in all schools, be it private or government, from Class I. Only then will the language get its due honour," maintained Patar. He further said the writers must also have in-depth knowledge of subject before writing and it must not be done to earn profit alone. During the seminar organised on the topic “Punjabi Literature culture and media: Image of women", a number of participants expressed their views. |
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AIDS awareness figures in folk art
Sriganganagar, March 3 Artists have started moving out to perform ahead of Holi festival in the villages and urban localities. Earlier, Swang themes drew variously from themes of morality, folk tales, lives of inspiring personalities, stories from Indian mythology. Rashtriya Sahitya Academy award recipient Rajasthani poet Mohan Alok said Swang incorporates suitable theatrics and mimicry (or nakal) accompanied by song and
dialogue. It is dialogue-oriented rather than movement-oriented. Religious stories and folk tales are enacted by a group of persons in an open area or an open-air theatre surrounded by the audience. According to another academy award recipient and former principal of Raisinghnagar based college, Dr Mangat Badal, tradition credits Kishan Lal Bhaat for laying the foundation of the present style of Swang about 200 years ago. Since women did not participate in the dance-drama form, men have traditionally enacted their roles. In temple-based religious theatre, Indian epics and Puranas are the major source material for characters, while the community-based secular theatre is of lighter variety. Prolific writer and educationist Janak Raj Pareek said noted mythological themes for Swang artists include Prahlad Bhagat, Gopi Chand, Bharthari, Harish Chander, Raja Bhoj, Kichak Badh, Draupadi Cheer Haran, and other tales from old literature. Also popular are Punjabi romances like Puran Bhagat, Heer Ranjha, etc. With the advent of British rule in India, says Khazan Makkar, a keen observer of literature and culture, Swang also acquired the dimension of social comment. Increasingly, the life of the villagers and self-contained rural institutions were exposed to people and situations they found difficult to comprehend.
— OC |
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Sikh preacher Baljeet Singh Daduwal said here today that there was no threat to the life of the Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib (Talwandi Sabo) Balwant Singh Nandgarh from him.
Muktsar, March 3
