Bathinda, April 6
The government as well as private colleges in Punjab have started offering many new-age courses, curbing the need for the students from Punjab to go to other states to study. Punjab Education Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka said this while speaking at a function held by the Baba Farid Group of Institutions (BFGI) to felicitate him.

The minister said the government will soon start working towards the concretisation of the policies that he had announced after becoming the Education Minister. The policies include filling up vacant posts of teachers in schools and colleges, limiting the ex-India leave to a maximum period of three months, among others.

Not letting go of an opportunity to make a barbed comment at the Congress, Maluka said, “It had been a trend that the SAD-BJP and the Congress ruled in the state by turn. This time also, the Congress was content that it was it was its turn to come to power. But the people showed that turn did not matter, it was work that did. They showed their faith in the work done by the Akali government during its previous tenure,” he said.

Elaborating on the point, he said, “Similarly, students need to understand that it is not the degrees that matter the most, but what they’ve learnt. Everyone needs to shun corrupt practices. For the politicians too, I would say, being committed to a party is important, but what is more important is to be committed to the nation and its people.”

All the politicians and academicians at the function swore to not only shun corrupt means but also to fight against the corrupt elements in the system.

MLA from Bathinda (Urban) Sarup Chand Singla, preferred to keep his speech short and simple. He promised the gathering that the government was ready to walk shoulder to shoulder with the public and work towards the uplift of society.

Mantar Singh Brar, the MLA from Kotkapura, drove home his point by narrating various anecdotes. He reiterated that corruption needs to be weeded out of the system. “We need to come together and fight corruption, favouritism and the ills of the education system like allowing the students to cheat in the examinations. Children need to be taught that degrees matter but intelligence matters more.”

Earlier, in his address, chairman and managing director of BFGI, Gurmeet Singh Dhaliwal, thanked the dignitaries for sparing time to attend the function. He then went on to point out the shortcomings of the existing education system.

“The most important feature that our education system lacks is career guidance and counselling. After passing out of school, students choose a course either under parental pressure or under peer pressure. Students should be given proper guidance to make them realise where their interest lies,” he said.

Talking about the need for teachers and parents to be role models for the youngsters, he further added, “Parents who adopt corrupt means to get a degree for their children don’t understand that they are ruining their ward’s career. Teachers who allow their students to cheat during the exams, in exchange for a paltry sum of money, earn no one’s respect. If we want our children to stay away from social ills like corruption and drug addiction, we will have to lead by example.”

Bathinda, April 6
To provide better cardiac care facilities to the children in the region, the authorities of the Max Healthcare will start paediatric heart surgery in a year at the Max Super Speciality Hospital here.

This was disclosed by the Regional Director of the Max Healthcare, Dr Mahesh Inder, following the formal launch of the Cardiac OPD Services at the local Max Super Speciality Hospital today by Dr KK Talwar, the director of Cardiac Sciences of the hospital.

Dr Mahesh further said the starting of paediatric heart surgery at the Max Hospital here would take about a year as it required expert cardiac surgeons for the purpose.

He also said Dr Talwar would visit the hospital on first Friday of every month to check the patients in the OPD and conduct operations while a team of cardiologists would function under the supervision of Dr Talwar during the remaining days of the month.

Dr Talwar said in case his team required his services on any other day, he would come to the hospital to perform the surgery. He said the patients, suffering from various cardiac diseases, could now get best treatment at their doorsteps. And hence, there was now no need to go to metro cities for the same.

He also said people were suffering from heart ailments as they had stopped physical activities and were now taking junk food frequently. He said sweets were not good for health because of their high sugar and cholesterol content. He asked the people to take care of their health to avoid heart attacks.

On the occasion, a heart patient, Saudagar Singh, was also presented before the mediapersons. Singh revealed that a stent had been inserted into his body. He said he was doing fine and hadn’t faced any problem even after a month of undergoing angioplasty. He said he had spent almost Rs two lakh on his treatment.

Dr Anand Yadav, a cardiac surgeon at the hospital, said the hospital had all types of facilities to perform heart surgeries, like bypass and angioplasty. He said he had performed about 10 operations and all had been successful.

Dr Sharad Gupta, an interventional cardiologist at the hospital, said the hospital was fully equipped to handle emergencies like heart attacks, chest pain and rhythm disorders. Besides, the hospital also had 24x7 diagnostic services and pharmacy support, he added.

On the occasion, a cardiac anaesthetist, Dr Gagan Pal Singh and general manager (Operations) of the hospital, Dr GS Battu, were also present.

Bathinda, April 6
The park situated adjacent to the community centre of Model Town Phase III is a picture of neglect. Biggest of all the parks under Bathinda Development Authority (BDA), the park is not being properly maintained, much to the chagrin of visitors and th residents of the area.

A large number of people from Model Town Phase- III, as well as other nearby areas, flock to this 2.5 acres open space that stands in urgent need of maintenance.

Except for the walking track and a few ill-managed shrubs, the park wears a shabby look. Being situated at the center of locality, the the park is frequented by a number of elderly people, women and children from the neighborhood.

The PWD department is responsible for maintaining the park that is bereft of even seasonal flowers that are in full bloom around. The beds meant for flowers have turned into puddles of dirty water with stray dogs frolicking in them. People say even planting hedges could spruce up the park and enliven the surroundings.

“The park has great potential to be developed on the lines of leisure valleys situated in Sarabha Nagar in Ludhiana and in Chandigarh. With so much open space and splendid surroundings, it can become a favourite hangout for the city denizens,” said Rakesh Arora, the president of the Phase III Welfare Society.

He added that the BDA had handed over all other parks in Phase-III to the respective area welfare associations for maintenance, except this one.

The Phase III Welfare Society has been pursuing the matter with the BDA for the last four years, but the BDA officials refuse saying the park is yet to be fully developed. “BDA plans to install a fountain and do landscaping, which has been pending since long,” Arora added.

An elderly visitor to the park, Gurdeep Singh demanded that there should be sheds or canopies where senior citizens could sit and spend their time. “We are a coterie of retired men and we feel that erecting a few sheds would not only add to the park’s beauty but save us from sun during the warm evenings too,” he added.

Executive engineer, public health, Vasu Dev Anand, said he could not comment as he was busy preparing for a meeting. Meanwhile, ACA BDA, Dr Abhinav Trikha said he would look into the matter.

Bathinda, April 6
Raj Kumar, accused of murdering his brother-in-law in cold blood, allegedly for not being allowed to marry his deceased wife’s youngest sister, showed no signs of remorse at the Cantonment police station.

33-year-old Raj Kumar, a labourer from Uttar Pradesh (UP), was arrested for murdering his brother in law, Guddu, last evening at an under-construction house in Model Town Phase-III.

Terming it a cold-blooded murder, SHO of the Cantonment police station, Inspector Kuldeep Singh, said Raj Kumar wanted to punish all those who were opposed to his re-marriage.

The SHO added that the parents, brother and brother-in-law Guddu of the 15-year-old sister-in-law, whom Raj Kumar wished to marry, were against the marriage.

In a bid to teach all of them a lesson, he first decided to kill the girl’s mother but decided against it. He even once thought of killing Guddu’s wife, but feared that Guddu might end up marrying the 15-year-old sister-in-law.

He finally decided to kill Guddu so that he could see Guddu’s wife, parents and brother crying.

A case under the section 302 of the IPC has been registered against the accused on the complaint of the victim’s brother-in-law, Rajeev Kumar.

Rajeev said he has three sisters. One was married to the victim, another to the accused, while the third sister is residing at their village in UP. Raj Kumar was under the impression that the girl’s parents were under the influence of his Guddu.

Raj Kumar was a gas cutter deployed in a factory in Gujarat. He used to call Guddu and his wife, asking them to arrange his marriage. He arrived in Bathinda only two days back to personally meet the girl’s family.

Raj Kumar’s wife had died around one and half years ago and he had four daughters one of whom died three months after her mother’s death.

Two of his daughters stay with his parents and one with his in-laws.

Bathinda, April 6
The handicraft fairs have helped artisans rise from the ashes and go back to work. Such fairs have not only eliminated the middleman in business, but have also created a win-win situation for the manufacturer as well as the buyer.

Baghchand, an artisan from Ajmer in Rajasthan, who is exhibiting his creations at the handicraft mela being held at Chhabra Palace here, said. Bagchand's father Rattan Lal, a national awardee, started churning out Rajasthani art work such as paintings in Kishangarh style more than four decades ago.

The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had honoured Rattan Lal for his works in 1981 and the latest recognition to his self-help group at Ajmer comes from the Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayat that honoured him in 2005.

"He kept on working at Ajmer but could not take his creation to other places the way we are able to do today through these creative fairs," added Baghchand, who is running the business along with his 11 siblings.

The Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, is holding the fair in collaboration with Mahila Kalyan Samiti, Mansa.

The organizer Balkar Singh, said the ministry has sponsored 70 per cent of the event, while the rest of the 30 per cent has been split among the artisans participating in it.

On display are artworks of 10 states including Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Bihar, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

Sohan Lal Moza has come from Kashmir with much sought after embroidered suits and tea-cosy sets. "This is the best way to reach out to the customer. As an artisan, we want respect and handsome remuneration for our work. Such fairs provide us with both these things," he added.

The venue bustles with Nuwood items, juttis, phulkaris from Haryana and Punjab, hand 
embroidered and painted works of Rajasthan, terracotta works from Delhi, Bhadwai carpets, chikan work from Lucknow, cotton and silk from Benaras, Khurja crockery from Benaras, Chanderi silk from Ashok Nagar in Madhya Pradesh, Bombay chikan, artificial and dry flowers from Nagaland and Bhagalpuri silk and cotton from Bihar.

Besides these block printings, Batick paintings and tie-and-dye are some of the dominating patterns available at the mela.

Bathinda, April 6
Farmers should work in sync with the latest technology available in agriculture, and take utmost care to conserve groundwater, said the Education Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka during the district level Kisan Mela held at the Kheti Bhawan, Dabwali road, today.

Maluka said farmers play a pivotal role in the agrarian economy of the country and have made the country self-sufficient. The minister claimed the government was committed to protecting the interests of the farmers. He appealed to the farmers to adopt technology for conserving water to ensure that the elixir of life does not go waste. He honoured progressive farmers with Rs 10,000 in cash prize and took a round of the exhibition.

Earlier, Director, Agriculture, Punjab, Dr Mangal Singh Sandhu inaugurated the mela. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sandhu encouraged the farmers to pay attention towards farming and allied activities, such as bee-keeping and vermi-compost manufacturing, in order to increase their source of income.

He encouraged the farmers to stay in touch with the experts in agriculture to get information about other sources of income related to farming.

Quoting figures, he talked about the diversification and market rate of products. He said agriculture is the spine of the economy in the state and in 2010-11, Punjab produced a record 278.90 lakh MT of grain and was conferred with Krishi Karman Award. Punjab contributes 50 to 60 per cent wheat and 35 to 40 per cent of paddy to the national pool. He said that during the 2012 season, around 95 per cent of the area under cotton cultivation would be under Bt cotton.

Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Rajinder Singh Brar said in 2012, cotton would be cultivated in 1.50 lakh hectares and paddy would be cultivated in 1.05 lakh hectares.

MLA from Bathinda (Urban) Sarup Chand Singla and ADC (Development) Dr Abhinav Trikha were also present at the fair. Scientist at the PAU regional centre Dr BS Sidhu and senior extension officer Dr JS Brar, among others, were also present.

Bathinda, April 6
Bathinda police today claimed to have arrested two boys for stealing a motorcycle from near the Rose Garden chowk.

Bathinda, April 6
On the occasion of the World Health Day on April 7, the Bathinda chapter of Art of Living will be organising a yogathon that would include teaching people about maintaining good health by practicing yoga.

Convenor, Vicky Singla said, "Yogathon will give a chance to the participants to perform the Surynamasakar 108 times. It is not necessary to be a yoga expert to participate in the yogathon. Anyone who wants to test his mental and physical strength is welcome." Yoga camps will be organised at the Rose Garden, Civil Lines Club, Government Polytechnic Colleges and MSD School, Santpura Road, from 6 am to 7:30 am and 5 pm to 6:30 pm. The participants will be guided by Surinder Kaur Monga, Nidhi Gupta, Sanjeet and Neetu Arora.