Bathinda, April 17
During the three-day pulse polio campaign, held from April 15 to April 17, the Bathinda district achieved 98.3 per cent of its target, fixed for administering the anti-polio drops to the children in the age group of 0 to five years.

The district had fixed a target of covering 1,75,212 children while it managed to cover 1,72,257 children during the three-day campaign.

Notably, during the last three-day pulse polio campaign, which was held from February 19 to February 21, the district had exceeded the target of covering 1,75,212 children.

During that campaign, anti-polio drops were administered to 1,76,775 children, registering 100.89 per cent achievement of the target, fixed for the district.

According to the information, during the first day of the pulse polio campaign on April 15, as many as 84,158 children from 0 to five years of age were administered the anti-polio drops at 702 polio booths, and by 53 transit teams and 37 mobile teams in the district.

On the second day of the campaign on April 16, as many as 48,192 children were administered the anti-polio drops by the health workers during door-to-door visits and by the transit and mobile teams in the district.

On the third day and the last day of the campaign, as many as 39,907 children were administered the anti-polio drops in the district by the health teams by visiting house to house, besides the transit team and the mobile teams.

Talking to Tribune News Service, District Immunisation Officer, Dr Manpreet Kaur Rupal, said the district health authorities had formed 1,350 teams of two members each for administering the anti-polio drops during door-to-door visits.

She said the teams had been formed to visit 2,54,308 houses in the district, so that no children remained uncovered by the campaign.

She also added that as many as 2,400 workers had been deputed at the polio booths on the first day of the campaign.

Dr Rupal further said as many as 148 supervisors and 20 district supervisors had been appointed for the whole of the district for monitoring the entire process of the pulse polio campaign.

She said district programme officers had performed the duties of the district supervisors for the smooth conduct of the national programme.

Bathinda, April 17
With an aim to promote menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls, supply of sanitary napkins (pads) to the adolescent girls at a nominal price has begun in Bathinda district under the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

Bathinda has become one of the five districts of the state (Moga, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Muktsar and Faridkot) that have been selected for implementing the scheme in the first phase.

According to information, six health blocks of the district, Sangat, Goniana, Ballianwali, Nathana, Talwandi Sabo and Bhagta, have received the sanitary napkins directly from Hindustan Lever Limited Company, supplied by the company on behalf of the Government of India.

Sangat, Ballianwali, Nathana, Talwandi Sabo and Bhagta blocks have received as many as 1,15,200 sanitary napkins each, while Goniana block has received 57,600 sanitary napkins to be distributed among the adolescent girls, especially in the rural areas.

These napkins will be given at a subsidised price to the girls in the age group of 10-19 years.

Each pack, priced at Rs 6 only, carries six sanitary napkins. These packets will be given to the girls by the ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers in their respective areas. The pack, which has been supplied by the NRHM, Government of India, has been given the name ‘Freedays’ (Beltless sanitary napkins).

When contacted, District School Health Medical Officer-cum-Nodal Officer for the sanitary napkin scheme, Dr Kundan Kumar said the sanitary napkins had been handed over to the ASHA workers in Goniana, Nathana and Talwandi Sabo blocks so far.

The ASHA workers in the Goniana block had already started supply of napkins to the adolescent girls.

He said the ASHA workers were busy with the pulse polio campaign and that now they would now begin supplying the sanitary napkins in all six blocks in a big way.

Dr Kundan further added that the ASHA workers would also hold monthly meetings in their respective villages during which they would educate the adolescent girls for menstrual hygiene and also supply the sanitary napkins at a nominal price. During the rest of the days of the month, any adolescent girl could approach the ASHA worker for getting the napkins, he added.

With regard to the response of the girls towards the sanitary napkins, Dr Kundan said the results would be clear only in a couple of months.

Bathinda, April 17
The light, albeit scattered, showers late on Monday evening made the night temperature dip, much to the delight of the residents of Bathinda and its surrounding areas.

The weather anomalies that had started on April 9, with a strong dust storm lashing through the city, interrupting power supply and damaging the standing wheat crop, is still making its presence felt.

As per the agri-met department of the PAU regional station, Bathinda, the weather’s oscillation between harsh sunshine, partial cloudiness and occasional showers can be attributed to the western disturbances.

Although the sun shone bright throughout the day, the maximum temperature recorded on Tuesday was 32.4 degree Celsius and the minimum temperature was 18.0 degree Celsius, a far cry from the maximum and minimum temperature recorded two weeks back.

According to the news coming from the weather room, the weather is expected to be pleasant, especially in the evenings, for the next two-three days. The weatherman predicted that there is a possibility of dust storms and thunder storms in the next two-three days.

Although the maximum temperature may go up to 36 degree Celsius, weather is expected to be pleasant for the next couple of days, thanks to an overcast sky.

Bathinda, April 17
The Bathinda Deputy Commissioner, Kamal Kishore Yadav, today held a meeting with the officers to review the various on-going development works in the district.

During the meeting, he got the reports from the officers, regarding traffic planning, sewerage, jogging tracks, roads, and construction of illegal buildings.

Addressing the officers, Yadav emphasised the preparation of a solid plan to ensure the smooth flow of traffic in the city so that the residents do not face any inconvenience while walking on the roads or driving through the city roads.

He also stressed on the cleaning of city drains before the onset of the rainy season.

He also asked the authorities concerned to complete the work on astro turf, being laid at the Rajindra College here, well in time. He asked the authorities to make sure the traffic lights were in order.

Bathinda, April 17
Couldn’t manage to catch a Hindi blockbuster at a theatre near you? Wondering whether the latest release is worth the cost of the tickets or not? Well, fret not. For you can watch the blockbuster that you missed out on, as well as the latest release for just `30. And for that meagre cost, you will also get to watch a few more films.

Thanks to the piracy industry running successfully in the city, buying a pirated DVD of the latest release (Hindi, Punjabi) the very day of its release is not a big deal. In fact, it looks like quite a good deal for the customers.

The shops lining the Gole Diggi market sell these pirated DVDs and CDs brazenly, with the DVDs of the latest releases displayed prominently on the shelves of the shops.

The cherry on the cake for the buyers is the fact that they can choose the combination of the films that they want to watch, all for `30, flat price for a DVD full of pirated films.

“DVDs of the latest releases are available with us the day the film opens in the theatres. This is the cheapest deal that one can get when it comes to watching films. The cheapest way of watching a film at a theatre is to wait for it to be screened at one of the single screen theatres in the city. And this means watching the film after at least a week of its official release. But for such theatres too, none of the tickets is available for Rs 30,” said one of the shopkeepers at Gole Diggi.

Although the prints of these DVDs are clear to a large extent, sound may be a problem sometimes. One may occasionally even see people suddenly getting up and walking away and then realise that the film was being video recorded while it was being played at a theatre.

According to an Ernst and Young 2008 report on ‘The Effects of Counterfeiting and Piracy on India’s Entertainment Industry’, the Indian film industry lost almost $959 million (Rs 4,937 crore approx) and 571,896 jobs due to piracy.

Although piracy causes loss of business, especially to multiplexes, multiplex managements opine that the movie lovers will not settle for a sub-standard DVD, just to save money.

“Pirated DVDs of the latest films available in the market do not hit our business big time. The DVDs can’t match the picture and the sound quality that one can enjoy while watching the film at a theatre. That is why the cost of a multiplex ticket is high,” says Bimal Bharali, assistant manager at Big Cinemas, Bathinda.

The wide acceptance that is given to piracy in the city is evident from the fact that not a single report has been registered at the Kotwali police station against these video parlours in Gole Diggi.

When contacted, SHO, Kotwali, Jaspal Singh said, “We haven’t received any complaint against the shops selling pirated DVDs and CDs.”

Bathinda, April 17
Professor Anwar Alam, a renowned scholar and Director, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi, delivered an extension lecture on "India's politico-economic relations with its South and Central Asian neighbours" to the students and faculty of the Central University of Punjab, Bathinda today.

Well-versed in contemporary socio-political and economic environment in and around India, Prof Alam stressed upon the need for strategic cooperation between India and its South Asian and Central Asian neighbours.

Quoting extensively from recent history and with the help of economic data, Dr Alam discussed the history and magnitude of India's trade relationships between countries like Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. He asserted that though 23 per cent of the world's population lives in South and Central Asia, only 2.3 per cent of the world's GDP comes from the region and of that also, 80 per cent is contributed by India alone. So, there is a great need for economic cooperation and trade in the area.

In recent times, driven by globalised economies, the governments of South and Central Asian countries have been focusing more on regional cooperation than on border disputes.

Focusing on important contemporary social, political and legal aspects of India's foreign policy and strategic, economic, political issues and safety concerns of the south and Central Asian region, Prof Alam traced the genesis of the conflicts, aspirations and associations of various nation-states of the region.

One reason why the improvement of relations between India and its neighbours is slow is the perception of India as a hegemonic country, he said. However, he saw a positive change in the situation now. Soon, China is going to be the largest trading partner of India.

He argued that India and its neighbours must have stability and peace and good economic and trade relations with each other for the overall development and prosperity of the area which is among the poorest and most backward in the world.

The discourse brought into focus some of the most vital aspects of contemporary political and economic situation in this part of the world. The lecture was followed by a brief interaction with the audience. Among those present were Prof Jai Rup Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Prof Pirthipal Singh Kapoor, former pro-vice chancellor of GNDU, Amritsar, Prof Harish Puri, Prof AK Dhawan from HAU, Hisar, Prof. Ramarao, Dean, Academic Affairs, Prof RG Saini and Prof PS Ramana, Dean, Students Welfare.

Bathinda, April 17
The residents of village Jangirana have opposed the setting up of a liquor vend.

In a press statement issued here, the president of General Samaj Party, Suresh Goyal, who is lending support to the villagers, has appealed to the district administration to ensure that the aforesaid liquor vend does not come up in the village.

In a representation to the district administration, the villagers have threatened to hold a series of agitation and dharna if the liquor vend is allowed to open.

Earlier also, people of other villages in the district had held protest and demonstrations against the opening of the liquor vends forcing the authorities to have a re-think on the issue. 

Bathinda, April 17
The All India State Bank of Patiala Employees Federation organised a blood donation camp at the zonal office of the State Bank of Patiala here today.

The camp was organized to mark the social identification programme week on the occasion of the 67th foundation day of the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA).

Seventy employees donated blood at the camp that was inaugurated by SK Gautam, general secretary of the federation who disclosed that similar blood donation camps and various social identification programmes are being organized at Mumbai, Delhi, Panchkula, Ludhiana, Patiala and Chandigarh.

These programmes will be concluded at a function at Zirakpur where the Federation's new building "Parvana House" will be inaugurated by CH Venktachalam, general secretary, AIBEA, the leading trade union in the banking industry.

SK Gautam, Yadwinder Gupta, Naresh Gaur, Narinder Bansal, Rakesh Jain, Vinod Kochar, Deputy General Manager, AGMs SK Garg, SK Bhalla, SK Jain, Lachman Singh, Lajpat Rai Goyal, D.K. Dhawan and SS Brara were present on the occasion.

After the blood donation camp, bags and books were distributed at the Goodwill Society's school.

Benches and fans were donated in a school situated in Ooriya Basti where the roof of a classroom was also constructed by the organisation.

Bathinda, April 17
A bus driver, biker and the driver of a Scorpio vehicle have been booked by the police for driving rashly and injuring two people. The bus driver, who hails from Jaito, has been booked by the police for rash driving and injuring a resident of Kotkapura.

The complainant, Jagdeep Singh, said he was hit by a speeding bus while he was on his way to Kotkapura in a car. Jagdeep said he received injuries in the accident while his car was also badly damaged. The accused has been arrested in this connection after being booked under sections 279 and 427 of the IPC for further investigations at the Thermal police station.

In another incident, a biker, Ajay Kumar has been booked under sections 279 and 337 of the IPC at the Kotwali police station for injuring a resident of Bhisiana. The complainant, Lachhman Singh, deployed with the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Bhisiana said he was coming from Uttarakhand and was trying to board a public transport outside the Bathinda railway station when he was hit by a speeding bike. Lachhman received injuries in the accident and was admitted to a hospital.