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Badal meets brother Gurdas
Rs 4.53-cr UGC grant for Punjabi University
Bailable warrants against Amritsar DC
Vendetta Cases
Patiala police solves two murder cases
No LCD in Bibi’s cell, says IG (Jails)
St Kitts PM to meet Punjab ministers
Gill re-elected Sahit Akademi president
HC tells govt to decide on vacant posts in 3 months
Woman raped in police lock-up
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To complete the picture, put in a doc
The SAD-BJP government has clubbed health and education among its top priorities. Within days of taking over for the second term, it announced a series of initiatives in education, but correcting all that ails health would be a formidable task.
The infrastructure is in a shambles, there is chronic staff shortage at health centres, hospital beds are far fewer than required, and, above all, the state has little finances of its own to address the grossly inadequate services. The only recourse is Central grants. There prevails a near emergency-like situation in the failing supply of essential medicines to hospitals and the lack of subsidised medicines for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
Begin with policy
The government first needs to formulate a health policy that addresses specific needs. The state is at present almost entirely dependent on the Central government for running its social sector programmes. It has to provide budgetary allocations for specifics like its announced “war on cancer”. The general approach to administration has to be such that it promotes a healthier environment for the population — like supplying clean water and ensuring sanitation. The policy must identify mechanisms to improve access to public health services for the urban poor, and reduce the cost of public health in rural areas. Like other sectors, health also suffers from poor infrastructure and acute shortage of manpower, which results in the rich depending almost entirely on the private sector while the poor going almost without health services.
Build infrastructure
In Punjab, there are 21 district hospitals and 35 sub-divisional hospitals with a total bed capacity of 8,090. The rural areas have 129 community health centres, with an additional bed capacity of 3,970. Even the combined capacity is extremely inadequate for the population of 2.77 crore. At the block level, there are 118 Community Health Centres (CHCs) — one for each. Besides, 448 Primary Health Centres have been set up to provide 24x7 services for delivery. But most of these centres lack a specialist, and a general physician takes care of even specialised tasks. Across Punjab, there are only 379 Senior Medical Officers and 45 directors or deputy directors, and those too are involved largely in administrative work. For the entire health infrastructure, there are 1,342 general duty physicians and 1,800 specialists. There are 900 unfilled positions of doctor. Among the Zila Parishad run medical facilities, 245 of the sanctioned 1,186 posts of doctor are vacant. Similarly, 82 of the 178 posts of radiographer — the backbone of modern day medicine — are vacant. As many as 27 out of 200 ophthalmic assistants and 129 of 285 dentists are also not there. What’s more, even the “sanctioned posts” as they exist today are based on a cadre review that took place in 1971. The population has increased manifold since then, but the sanctioned posts remain unchanged. For example, there are no specialised positions for eye, ENT or psychiatry in the rural health care centres.
Alternative approach
Punjab perhaps needs to consider the Canadian and British models, where the state provides free health services to the entire population. To deal with the load of patients, Canada has introduced the concept of a nurse practitioner, where a trained nurse takes care of minor health issues and refers cases to a physician only when his attention is required. There can also be a substantial reduction of pressure on the health infrastructure if alternative systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Unani and Homoeopathy are promoted. But the government has been unable to attract talent in these because of low wages. Out of a sanctioned strength of 507 Ayurvedic doctors, 250 positions are vacant.
Primary to tertiary
The Community Health Centres (CHC), considered the First Referral Unit, have no surgeon, gynaecologist, paediatrician, etc. It is a general physician who provides care, whatever be the ailment. In districts hospitals, there is overcrowding and it is not uncommon to see two or three women share a bed in the delivery room. Cities like Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar, with a population of over 25 lakh, need more than one large government hospital. There is infrastructure lying idle too. Major hospitals in Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur have specialised dialysis units, but these remain non-functional either due to poor maintenance of equipment or staff shortage. Most hospitals either do not have power backup, or it is non-functional. The government has announced a “war on cancer”, but there are very few oncologists available in the state. Even a city like Ludhiana, considered a medical hub, has only one or two cancer specialists, that too in the private sector. There is no provision for mammography (to detect breast cancer) in government institutions. Collaboration with NGOs such as Roko Cancer is inadequate in terms of the demand. A mammography costs Rs 1,500-Rs 2,000, which is out of the reach for the poor. Hardly any government-sponsored camps are organised to provide the facility closer to women’s homes.
Medicine purchase
The drug policy of the government has a constraint that every purchase has to be done after inviting tenders. In medicines, sources say, the cheapest is not really the best. A drug purchased cheaply is likely to be less efficacious and may even be substandard. To address this, the government could take a decision to purchase all medicines from public sector companies such Hindustan Antibiotics and IDPL, to ensure both quality and low price. With the high incidence of accidents on Punjab’s roads, the government needs to ensure that the trauma centres that it has built provide quick and efficient treatment. There is a need to locate these centres closer to the highways at regular distances so that a victim is reached in minutes. The ambulance service (108) launched to deal with medical emergencies is good, but the 240 ambulances are inadequate. The manifesto promises
Drastic change
— Madan Mohan Mittal, Punjab Health Minister
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CM promises steps to check waterlogging
Middha (Muktsar), April 5 Badal, on a five-day tour, said: “I am much concerned about the issue (waterlogging). We have appointed one more superintending engineer in Muktsar. Now, both the superintending engineers will find out some method to weed out the problem. Not only in Muktsar, I have directed all deputy commissioners in Punjab to clear the drains before the start of the rainy season. They have also been told to give a detailed report in this regard.” The Chief Minister also accepted that the policies framed earlier by the state government to tackle water-logging could not prove to be of much help. “This time, we will keep a check on the functioning of the officials from time to time.” Last year, the farmers here had suffered huge losses due to water-logging in the fields. Thanking the electorate for electing him with a big margin, the Chief Minister said it was his duty to fulfill the aspirations of the people. He said he had also directed the officials in the Health Department to submit details of their requirements so that the government could provide better healthcare services. “In the next three months, the government will further improve the healthcare services,” said Badal while quoting his recent decision of appointing teachers in schools and colleges. Accompanied by Panjab University (Chandigarh) Vice-Chancellor Dr RC Sobti, Sulabh International chairman Bindeshwar Pathak and a number of other senior government functionaries, Badal said a large number of toilets would be made in the area for the betterment of the public and a team of experts from the university would conduct a survey in the villages to know about their requirements and problems.
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Badal meets brother Gurdas
Lambi (Muktsar), March 5 At least that appeared yesterday when the Chief Minister, soon after landing in his native Badal village for his thanksgiving tour, straightaway headed to his younger brother's house to enquire his well-being. On why he visited his "separated" brother Gurdas, father of People's Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Badal, the Chief Minister said: "We are brothers and still emotionally attached. I don’t see why we cannot even though we contested against each other in the recent elections. I will meet him in future as well." He, however, refused to disclose the details of his conversation. A security official deployed with Badal said the Chief Minister went to his younger brother's house late last evening around 8:45 pm and stayed there for half an hour. "Both the brothers had a confidential conversation inside the house and no third person was allowed inside the home during that period," the official said. The Badals were famous as "Ram and Laxman" in the area before they separated due to "political compulsions". However, during the campaign Badal (also known as 'Pash') didn't utter a single word against his younger brother
'Dass'.
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52 crushers sealed
Chandigarh, April 5 The Congress, meanwhile, has demanded a CBI inquiry into the mining scandal exposed by The Tribune. The Congress has alleged that a political mafia was causing huge losses to public exchequer, besides destroying the ecology of the state. Referring to the exposure of illegal mining of sand and gravel along the Sutlej in Ropar district, former Congress legislator Sukhbpal Singh Khaira said this was just the tip of the iceberg as a statewide political mafia was patronising this illegality. The mining mafia has set up more than 20 new crushers in just two villages of Agampur and Suhara in Ropar district along the Sutlej. More than 600 trucks ferry sand and gravel from these two illegal mining sites doing business worth more than Rs 4.5-crore each day. One can gauge the quantum of illegal mining in the entire state. Interestingly, even these illegal miners have to pay royalty to their political masters and the rate of royalty Rs 1800 per truck. The Congress alleges that this trade cannot flourish without the connivance of bigwigs of the ruling alliance. Illegal mining is causing losses of hundreds of crores annually to the public exchequer. For instance, only 13 quarries in Ropar have been allotted mining permits by the state government, but mining is virtually negligible, which clearly indicates that the mafia is having a field day and earn many more times by mining from illegal sites. Although the legally auctioned sites across the state fetch less than Rs 100 crore annually, illegal mining costs the state exchequer more than Rs 500 crore. Besides, illegal mining has imbalanced the ecology and environment of Punjab. Once an abode for migratory birds on the foothills of the Shivalik mountains, the river beds are now lined up with stone crushing machinery. Similarly, there is huge air pollution due to illegal mining along the rivers of the state. The Congress has for long been demanding investigations into illegal mining for the past five years and has raised this issue many times in the Vidhan Sabha too, but to no avail. The party urges the Governor to order a CBI inquiry into the matter. "Our demand is
justified keeping in view the involvement of the family of the Chief Minister in this illegal trade, as such there is no hope for justice from them". WREAKING HAVOC
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Rs 4.53-cr UGC grant for Punjabi University
Patiala, April 5 While Rs 1.5 crore will be utilised for purchasing modern equipment for sophisticated instruments centres, Rs 20 lakh each will be spent on improvement of teaching laboratories in the participating departments. Prof RC Gupta will be the coordinator of the project while Prof Devinder Singh and Prof Parveen Balgir will be co-coordinators. The UGC has also sanctioned another installment of Rs 33 lakh as assistance to the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology for infrastructural development and purchase of equipment. Dr Harvinder Singh Bhatti, coordinator and Head of the Department, said the funds would be utilised by the department in starting a new PG diploma course in social impact assessment under the innovative and emerging areas. Dr Bhatti said social impact assessment was an emerging and interdisciplinary area where the main thrust was on the pre-assessment of socio-cultural and environmental consequences of any planned development projects. In India, there was an urgent need for such study as the development was becoming uneven and unsustainable, he added. The Department of Economics has been sanctioned Rs 20 lakh by the Union Ministry of Finance for establishing a centre for development economics and innovation studies. Dr Lakhwinder Singh will be the coordinator of this project. Dr Jaspal Singh, Vice Chancellor, congratulated the departments and the coordinators for having worked hard in preparing the proposals submitted for the grants.
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Panel for pvt veggie collection centres
Chandigarh, April 5 Under the proposal prepared by the commission, private firms would be invited to take land on lease for a period up to 20 years so that appropriate infrastructure could be created by them at the centres. Kalkat said if this was done, farmers were likely to take to the scheme and the problem of marketing of vegetables would be solved. The commission has been encouraging small farmers to take to vegetable cultivation. It has set a target of ensuring one lakh farmers take to vegetable cultivation in the next five years. It has demonstrated net house cultivation, for which subsidy is also available, at 970 locations over the last three years. According to the model prepared for small farmers, they can earn a net income of Rs 1 lakh from one fourth of an acre put under net house cultivation. However, the major issue is marketing of vegetables, especially those in the exotic category, grown in net houses for which collection centres are being planned. However, Punjab Mandi Board chairman Ajmer Singh Lakhowal has his reservations about giving a go-ahead to private players. He says other initiatives in the field have failed because private players "hardly honour their commitments". He says the Mandi Board has already taken a decision to establish 14 pack houses, which are in various stages of completion with two pack houses of Ludhiana and Patiala having been completed. Lakhowal says the pack houses would have grading, washing, cooling and ripening chambers. Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal says private players should be allowed in the field only when the state successfully establishes its own marketing system for vegetables. He said this would create healthy competition and ensure farmers were not exploited at the hands of big companies. Progressive farmer Devinder Singh of Ludhiana, who is growing vegetables in net houses, says the state should help the growers. He says the setting up of private collection centers would amount to replacing one middleman with another. He advocates a model under which the state helps village societies to establish a pack house and market their vegetables themselves. the initiative
the concern Private players should be allowed in the field only after the state successfully establishes its own marketing system for vegetables. This will create healthy competition and ensure that farmers are not exploited at the hands of big companies — Balbir Singh Rajewal, president, BKU (Lakhowal)
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Enact law to check stubble burning: Agri Dept
Muktsar, April 5 Senior officials in the Agriculture Department feel that there is a need to enact a law to keep a check on this practice, which not only causes environment pollution but also affects soil fertility. Besides, it also sometimes leads to tragic fire incidents. Dr Gursewak Singh Sandhu, Joint Director (Expansion and Training), Agriculture Department, said: “This is a serious issue. Though the department creates awareness among the farmers about its ill-effects, they continue with the practice”. He said: “There are hardly a few incidents reported from across the state in the past when the police registered cases against farmers in this regard. It means that the ban under section 144 of the CrPC does not prove effective.” He added: “Last year, some recommendations were made to enact a law in this regard so that those involved in this practice could be penalised. The government should think over it”. On farmers buying spurious and cheap cotton seed from Gujarat, Sandhu said: “We can take action only on dealers buying or selling the seeds not approved by the department. But, there is no law to take action against any farmer”.
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Bailable warrants against Amritsar DC
The commission had on February 21 directed the DC to appear before it on March 21 after declaring that labourers were being forcibly held in a brick-kiln at Ajnala as bonded and issuing their release certificates in four weeks. The DC sent a labour inspector with a report which the commission trashed as a mere “eyewash”. The commission took serious note of DC Rajat Aggarwal’s continued non-appearance before it despite four notices in the past and issued bailable warrants in his name yesterday, directing the Punjab Chief Secretary to execute these by May 3. “If the DC undertakes to appear before us on May 3 by 3 pm and executes the bail bond, he will be released on bail,” the commission’s order says. The NHRC had sent the first notice to Amritsar District Magistrate (DM) on October 21, 2011, asking him to appear before it with an explanation on points raised regarding bonded labour in
Amritsar. This was followed by conditional summons on January 10, 2012, again seeking the DM’s appearance. “The DM neither sent the report nor appeared in person. Then summons dated January 16 were sent for his personal appearance on February 14. He still didn’t appear and sent a labour inspector with the report. “The DM hasn’t complied with NHRC directions, therefore the Chief Secretary, Punjab, is directed to call for his explanation and take appropriate action against him,” the commission had said on February 21. The same day, it gave the DM one last chance to release the bonded labourers and report compliance personally to the NHRC by March 21. This deadline too expired without any action. “We hope the DM will respond on bailable warrants which we issue only as a last resort,” commission sources said. Social activist Dhara had complained that brick-kiln owners in Amritsar were forcibly employing poor people as bonded
labourers. The commission then directed the Amritsar DM to investigate the matter under the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, 1976, check if the employer was maintaining records giving particulars of employees and the wages paid under the Minimum Wages Act.
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SIT formed to trace granthi’s killers
Amritsar, April 5 “The police is preparing the sketches of the suspects with the help of the description given by eyewitnesses,” he said. Preliminary investigations showed the killers were outsiders who had come to Tarn Taran only to commit the crime. “Their faces were not covered. Had they been locals, the people would have recognised them,” the SSP said. Sukhchain Singh, 28, was shot in the chest as he approached the suspects who were trying to steal a motorcycle outside Darbar Sahib. The killers escaped through the langar hall even as a sewadar tried to stop them.
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Vendetta Cases
Chandigarh, April 5 The PCC president brought to the CM’s notice the false case slapped on two-time Rampura Phull MLA at the behest of his political opponents on the day the results were declared. Giving details of the case, Capt Amarinder said a false case was registered against Kangar and 21 others on January 11, 2012, under various Sections, including 307, of the IPC at the behest of his political opponents. After investigations, the case was cancelled at that time. However, immediately after the poll results on March 6, the case was re-opened. Amarinder alleged that despite Kangar joining the investigation, the police told the court that he was not cooperating and his bail plea was rejected. Capt Amarinder hoped that the CM would take note of such cases and do the needful.
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Patiala police solves two murder cases
Patiala, April 5 Avtar's dead body was recovered on March 28 from Khanauri. The postmortem had revealed that the victim died of head injuries, Gill said. During investigations, Avtar's business partner and cousin Kuldip Singh accepted that he killed Avtar to usurp his property and money. "We have recovered Rs 86 lakh in cash and some property documents," he stated. In the murder case of Adarsh Colony resident Parvesh Kumar, whose body was found near Thapar University on April 3, the SSP said investigations revealed that Parvesh's wife Kaushalya Devi and her paramour Gurjant Singh, a driver, hatched a conspiracy and brought Parvesh near the university gate in a drunken state where Gurjant stabbed him to death with a broken liquor bottle.
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Two cleaners fall into manhole
Bathinda, April 5 Eyewitnesses said Ankit went into the manhole and fell unconscious. Yodha tried to save Ankit, but fell in the sewer waters. People standing outside pulled out Ankit. They approached the Sahara Welfare Society whose volunteers pulled out Yodha. The victims were rushed to the Civil Hospital. Senior medical officer Dr Satish Goyal said Mohit had regained consciousness and Yodha has been referred to Max Hospital. "We detected sewer water in Yodha's lungs and he may be put on the ventilator. Fearing that the infection may spread, we referred him to Max Hospital," he said. A spokesperson of Max Hospital said Yodha had been admitted to the ICU.
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Farmers told to sow paddy after May 10
Chandigarh, April 5 A government spokesman said the Chief Minister had asked all deputy commissioners across the state to launch an awareness campaign to educate farmers to ensure compliance with these provisions. He said that since ground water was the most precious natural resource, it must be judiciously used by adhering to the norms of sowing of paddy nursery and its transplantation within the stipulated dates under the provision of Preservation of Water Act. The ground-water level has fallen at an alarming level in Punjab over the last few years as the farmers used to take to early sowing of seed, something that used to entail excess use of water for irrigation. However, the state government has now appointed special officials who keep tabs on farmers so that they do not indulge in early sowing of the seed.
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No LCD in Bibi’s cell, says IG (Jails)
Kapurthala, April 5 Today, I saw Bibi having food prepared in the jail itself.” He also said no LCD had been installed inside Bibi’s cell. Meanwhile, terming the probe by the IG as a mere eyewash, former Bholath Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira has demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter. “There has to be a limit on the number of visitors and the visiting time,” he said.
— TNS
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St Kitts PM to meet Punjab ministers
Dr Douglas is accompanied by Kevin M. Issac, High Commissioner of St. Kitts and Nevis in London, and Asot Michael, Foreign Minister of Antigua. During his Punjab visit, Douglas will be visiting Golden Temple. Thereafter, he along with other officials will visit Jalandhar. He will attend a dinner at a resort on the Pakhowal Road in Ludhiana, which will also be attended by Charanjit Singh Atwal, Speaker, Punjab Assembly, Tota Singh, Minister for Agriculture and Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Minister for Tourism, said Ashwani Gupta, Director, State Bank of Patiala. Dr Denzil L. Douglas and his delegation members will also interact with prominent industrialists of the state in Ludhiana, Gupta added.
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Gill re-elected Sahit Akademi president
Dr Sukhdev Singh Sirsa has been elected as the general secretary while Dr Joginder Singh Nirala as vice-president (out of Punjab). All three of them have been chosen unanimously while the election of remaining posts will be held on April 15. Expressing gratitude to Akademi members, Prof Gill said the promotion of Punjabi language and culture would remain his focus areas. "For the next two years, we will work for strengthening Punjabi language as a whole," he said. Prof Gill was born at Basantkot village, near Batala, in 1953, and since 1983,
he has been working as editor, Punjabi, at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
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HC tells govt to decide on vacant posts in 3 months
Chandigarh, April 5 The direction came on a petition filed by Bharat Bhushan against the State of Punjab and another respondent. In his petition placed before a Division Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Mahesh Grover, Bhushan had sought directions to “the State to fill all vacant posts in the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, especially the posts of section officers and junior engineers.” Direction was also sought for creation of other posts in the engineering wings of the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana. Along with the writ petition, the petitioner had enclosed copies of the communications exchanged between the corporation and the state authorities, indicating the precise number of vacant posts in different cadres. Responding to the petition, the Director, Department of Local Government, filed a short affidavit dated January 31 which said the director, vide letter dated January 20, had asked the Deputy Director, Local Government, Punjab, to submit a report on posts required to be filled after seeking necessary information from all municipal committees, Corporations and improvement trusts. Referring to the affidavit, the Bench observed: “It has been further stated that the Deputy Director, Local Government, Punjab, has in turn issued letters to the municipal committees, corporations and improvement trusts on January 23 asking for the requisite information”. At a hearing, Punjab Additional Advocate-General said some municipal committees, corporations and improvement trusts responded to the Deputy Director’s letter, whereas response from other bodies was awaited. “Once the same is received, the matter will be finalised and all existing vacancies filled and posts wherever necessary will also be created,” he argued. The Bench said: “There can be no doubt that it is the prerogative of the employer to take a decision with regard to filling vacant posts and also with regard to creation of new posts…. “What can be directed by us in the present proceeding is that the state government, on receipt of information sought for by the Deputy Director, will consider the information and thereafter take its decision in the matter and accordingly fill the vacant posts...”
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Woman raped in police lock-up
Tarn Taran, April 5 The accused, Paramjit Singh, raped Rajwinder last night. He said Paramjit had been arrested and a case had been registered against him under Section 376 of the IPC. — OC
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Health is at the top of our agenda. I have started a
review of the department, and asked the doctors to make the environment at hospitals and dispensaries congenial for patients. Special facilities will be provided to women and the old. Procurement and dispensation of drugs is also being reviewed to check pilferage. Zero tolerance will be shown towards illegal sale of drugs and psychotropic substances as well as female foeticide. You will see the face of the department change drastically.
New Delhi, April 5
Jalandhar, April 5
Ludhiana, April 5