The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Special lecture at CUP, Bathinda Poverty, illiteracy behind rising population: UK varsity Prof Nikhila Pant Dhawan Tribune News Service Bathinda, April 4 “It is commonly believed that increasing population gives rise to an increase in poverty, but it is the increasing poverty that gives rise to an increase in population,” said Dr Pritam Singh, who was at the Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, to deliver a special lecture on ‘India’s Federal Political Economy and Punjab’s Development Pattern’ today. Pritam Singh is the associate professor and director of Post Graduate Programme in International Management and International Relations at the Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom. Stressing upon the fact that the rate of literacy has a direct impact on the rate at which population grows, he said, “The rate of literacy, especially female literacy, is inversely proportional to the rate at which the population grows. The poor have more children for various reasons, the primary one being the utilitarian aspect. More children mean more hands earning money for the family. Secondly, the infant mortality rate is high among the poor class. If they have four children, they expect that at least two will survive.” “If the women are literate, they will know what is right for their body and when not to get pregnant. Take the example of Kerala. The state has the highest literacy rate in India and the lowest birth rate. The state also has the sex ratio which is favourable to women,” he further added. Focussing on the role of a strong primary education system, he added, “Primary education forms the backbone of any developing economy and country. Take the example of Cuba, which is not a very rich country. Like in some countries it is mandatory for the citizens to serve in the army, in Cuba it is mandatory for them to teach students for at least two years. This serves a dual purpose. First, the country’s education system keeps getting a constant supply of teachers and secondly, these teachers are exposed to the latest developments of the countries across the world and know where their own country lacks. The Indian urban middle class that controls various aspects of the country’s development should also pay attention to investing in the education system.” Not evading the volatile issue of quota in the education system, he said, “I’m in favour of quota in education for the very poor people. If they are not covered by the quota for free education, they will remain backward and the society will get into a vicious loop of poverty and population. Quota system is not unique to India. The US used to have quota for the ‘blacks’ and over the years, they progressed, both intellectually and financially. But in India, what needs to be done is that if a family has availed of the quota for two-three generations, it shouldn’t be available to them anymore, to avoid the misuse of the system.” Citing his own example, he said although his family wanted him to do engineering but he knew he had a more abstract bent of mind and changed to studying economics at an early age. He maintained that copying labour (making your child do what the children of your neighbours are doing) was a trend that was eating into the development of many bright students in India. He added that a child would be able to do his best in the area where his interest lies. Talking about the problem of brain drain, he said, “Migration is something that has been happening for years now. People of earlier civilisations used to migrate from the low fertile areas to the more fertile areas. Still people migrate from Australia to the US and from the US to Australia. Migration is not a problem, but if we want to curb the problem of brain drain, we need to question ourselves – if our own country is very good, why would anyone want to migrate?”
	Positivity percentage lowest in Muktsar dist Archit Watts Tribune News Service Muktsar, April 4 The Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which is spreading its tentacles across the state, has the lowest positivity percentage in Muktsar district, with 0.75 per cent positive cases, as per the latest report of the Punjab State Aids Control Society. In Muktsar district, out of total 27,174 persons tested at Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTC), 204 were found positive for HIV till February this year. Further, 13 of them have lost their lives while battling the disease at the Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) centres. However, with 4.94 positivity percentage, Jalandhar district is the most vulnerable to HIV. Out of 65,669 persons tested, 3,241 were found positive for HIV and 180 of them succumbed to the disease. Amritsar is placed second on the list of vulnerable districts with 4.72 HIV positivity percentage. Out of 1,93,985 persons tested, 9,154 were found positive for HIV and 246 of them lost their lives. However, the district has the maximum number of HIV positive cases and deaths too. On the other hand, positivity percentage of HIV cases is far less in Ludhiana. It is recorded at 1.86 per cent as out of total 1,58,830, as many as 2,960 persons tested positive for HIV and 210 of them died. As per the report, five HIV positive persons in Mohali district have lost their lives. The positivity percentage of HIV cases there is 0.87 per cent. In Punjab, 11,74,596 persons were tested for the dreaded virus and out of them 30,001 were found positive, while 2,083 died till February this year. The overall positivity percentage of HIV cases remained at 2.55 per cent. Muktsar Civil Surgeon Dr Gurdeep Singh Bhullar said, “It is the positive outcome of the steps taken by the staff and others involved in spreading awareness against AIDS.”
	Brick lining of Indira Gandhi canal Rajasthan CM blames Punjab Govt for delay Raj Sadosh Sriganganagar, April 4 Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gahlot on Tuesday squarely blamed the government of the SAD-BJP alliance in Punjab for the delay in the brick lining of the Indira Gandhi canal that originates from Harike headworks near Ferozepur. Addressing a rally at Gharsana, he said the Central government had released Rs 850 crore and the state was to contribute Rs 100 crore for the project that was "bound to bring revolutionary changes in the agricultural economy". The Punjab Government was last year requested to expedite the process for tenders as most of the lining work was to be done in its area. The 40-day closure in the canal system had become effective on Monday but the irrigation officials in Punjab said tenders could not be processed due to Vidhan Sabha elections. Since polling in Punjab was over early this year, there should not be any reason, except for political bias, that prevented the SAD-BJP government from expediting the process, the Rajasthan CM said. The Gang (Bikaner) canal that also passes through Abohar-Fazilka area was to be closed by next week, but the Punjab Government had not finalised the task for brick lining, he regretted. Gahlot said he would take up the matter with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in this connection. "I had got cleared Rs 446-crore project for the Gang canal during my previous term," Gahlot pointed out. The Rajasthan CM visited Gharsana, as it had been the epic centre of farmers' violent agitation for canal water. The opposition parties were allegedly trying to create trouble by planning a stir over the closure of canal system for renovation.
	Ex-DGP Gill, Makhan Brar heading for another battle? Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service Moga, April 4 After losing the recently-held Assembly elections from the urban area-dominated Moga constituency, a former DGP of Punjab, Paramdip Singh Gill, is gearing up to make his presence felt in local politics. The election of the president of the District Bar Association, Moga, held here today came as a breather for him. One of his close confidants, Sunil Garg, a young lawyer, has been elected as the president of the association. Garg polled 134 votes while his nearest rival Gurdish Singh Khosa got 62 votes. Another candidate Paramjit Singh secured 50 votes. Interestingly, the election was held for the post of president only. The rest of the office-bearers were elected unanimously. They are Arun Sood (vice-president), Jagdish Bawa (general secretary), Sumit Mittal (joint secretary) and Ketan Sood (finance secretary). Meanwhile, after the withdrawal of a petition from the High Court challenging the formation of the Municipal Corporation at Moga, decks have been cleared for fresh elections to the local body, which has also triggered the political activities in the town. The state government may conduct the elections to the local body along with the other municipal corporations of the state, which are due in May this year. The ex-DGP Gill held a meeting of the outgoing councillors here last week. At least, 18 councillors participated in the meeting in which issues related to the local body’s election were discussed. The meeting also reviewed the development works in the town. A close confidant of Gill, while talking to The Tribune, revealed that the seat-sharing formula between the SAD and the BJP was also discussed during the meeting. The BJP leaders reportedly demanded at least 10 seats. It is learnt that Dr Micky Gill, a cousin of the ex-DGP, was trying to make inroads in the local politics and is eying the Mayor’s post. A few more local leaders from Gill’s camp are also nursing a desire to become the first Mayor of the town. Realising the renewed political activities of Gill, the outgoing president of the Municipal Council, Barjinder Singh Brar, popularly known as Makhan Brar, the son of Agriculture Minister Jathedar Tota Singh, has also pulled up his socks ahead of the local body elections. Brar has hosted a dinner for the local councillors and other important personalities of the town tonight. It may be mentioned that Makhan demanded a party ticket for himself from the Moga Assembly constituency, but the party leadership counted on Gill, who lost the polls. However, Brar’s father Tota Singh won the election from the nearby Dharamkot constituency and was inducted in the cabinet, which not only renewed their energy but also strengthened their influence in the party. The political activities in the town in the run-up to the local body elections apparently indicate a face-off between Gill and Brar for supremacy in the local politics.
	Arrangements not in place for wheat procurement Praful Chander Nagpal Fazilka, April 4 Although the process of procurement of wheat has already begun on April 1, arrangements in the local grain market and its 26 purchase centres have not been completed reportedly due to administrative shortcomings. There is no full-fledged district mandi officer (DMO), here ever since the new district of Fazilka was carved out in July 2011. The DMO, Ferozepur, has been given an additional charge of this district. Interestingly, the post of DMO, Ferozepur, is also lying vacant since long. The Deputy DMO Ferozepur has been given the officiating charge of both Fazilka and Ferozepur districts. As per the instructions of the Punjab Mandi Board, the secretaries of respective market committees are supposed to visit every purchase centre daily. Wheat would start arriving in the markets within a week or so. In these circumstances, no meeting has been held to plan arrangements for procurement. “No district-level meeting has so far been fixed in Fazilka for the arrangements to procure the Rabi crop,” admitted secretary of the Market Committee, Fazilka, Vijay Madaan. “The process of calling and opening the tenders for providing different facilities to the farmers at the grain market during the peak season has been hampered due to the absence of the DMO and the chairman of Market Committee,” informed Madaan. Notably, the Punjab Government recently removed the chairman of the market committees. The arrangements for cleanliness, potable water, electricity, temporary power connection for sifting machines, contract for lifting of kuttal (wheat straw) and other day-to-day arrangements are still being made despite the fact that it should have been completed before the commencement of the procurement in the month of March. The administrative works are also hit hard as the secretary, Market Committee, and other officials have to go to Ferozepur to attend the official meetings frequently as the district-level meetings of Fazilka are also held at Ferozepur. “We have sent several memorandums to the authorities concerned for permanent posting of the DMO in Fazilka but to no avail. If the meetings regarding the affairs of Fazilka district continue to be held at Ferozepur, it would hamper the procurement process in the coming days,” the Fazilka Ahrtiya Association president Daya Krishan Sachdeva pointed out. Sachdeva demanded that the government should ask the officiating DMO Ferozepur to visit the Fazilka grain market at least three days in a week so as to redress the problems of farmers, until a regular DMO was posted here.