Jagraon, May 16
In a tragic incident that took place near a Jagraon village, a woman was allegedly poisoned to death by her son at their house late last evening. The incident took place at Akhara village, about 5 km from Jagraon.

The deceased has been identified as 55-year-old Gurmail Kaur, wife of Santa Singh, while the youth has been identified as Joga Singh.

As per information, Joga Singh had a love affair with a girl living in his neighbourhood for the past five years. The couple wanted to get married, but their respective families were against their marriage as they both belonged to the same village.

Agitated over the denial, Joga Singh allegedly mixed some poisonous substance in the food of his family yesterday. But when they sat to eat, they noticed some foul smell emanating from the food and threw it.

He then mixed the same poisonous substance in the tea, which was consumed by Gurmail Kaur. Santa Singh was also about to have tea, but he threw it since it smelled odd.

At night, the condition of Gurmail Kaur started deteriorating and she was rushed to a clinic in the village from where she was shifted to a private hospital in Jagraon. She died at the hospital late in the wee hours.

The police sent the body for a postmortem at the Civil Hospital. The deceased's husband alleged before the police that his wife had been killed by Joga Singh and his girlfriend Jaspreet Kaur. The police has arrested the youth and the girl.

According to Rachpal Singh, SHO of Sadar police station, a case has been registered under Sections 302 and 120-B of the IPC against the accused.

During preliminary interrogation, the accused confessed to his crime and also claimed that he was helped by his girlfriend, the SHO said.

Ludhiana, May 16
Both the minimum and maximum temperatures in the city have seen an increase in the past two days. Though the temperatures are not as high as that of last year, the weathermen predict that in the days to come, the weather will be clear and the morning and evening temperatures will see an increase of up to two-three degrees.

Meanwhile, parents have urged the school authorities to reduce the school timings before the summer vacation.

Dr KK Gill, an agro-meteorologist at Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), said the minimum temperature recorded today was 22.6 degrees Celsius and the maximum was 41.2 degrees. Last year, the temperature recorded during this period was 43 degrees Celsius.

"But both the minimum and maximum temperatures have gone up from the normal temperature by two degrees. Till Friday, both temperatures will see an increase of up to 2-3 degrees and the weather will be clear. We must be prepared to see more hot days," Gill said.

The prevailing temperatures were satisfactory for the crops, provided farmers irrigate the fields lightly after every seven-eight days. "There will be heat stress on the plants. As per long range weather forecast, the monsoon is well in time, but the picture will be clearer within the next two-three days after we get another forecast," she said.

Ludhiana, May 16
Until now, NRIs were falling victims of land mafia, but this time, an NRI woman allegedly hired goons to allegedly take possession of a house located in BRS Nagar.

High drama was witnessed at BRS Nagar here this morning when an NRI woman identified as Sukhwinder Kaur, along with nearly 30 men, allegedly barged in the house and threw an elderly couple staying there out of the house.

The accused also loaded the household articles belonging to the couple in a pickup truck and dumped it near a hotel.

Narrating the incident, 80-year-old Vishwamitter Kant, a retired teacher, and his wife Staya Bajaj (75), also a retired teacher, alleged that Sukhwinder Kaur forcibly entered the house and her men started picking up valuables one by one. “We objected to it and called the police. Before the police could arrive, she had thrown us out of the house,” he said. Except for a bed, everything was taken away by the accused.

HK Grover, son of the victim, showing the documents, claimed that the family had been living in the house for nearly 17 years. “Sukhwinder Kaur’s father Mohan Singh had taken a token amount of Rs 2 lakh from me in 1996 for the house.

The deal was struck at Rs 6 lakh, but before the registration could come through, Mohan Singh’s wife died. This led to a property dispute among his children. In 2007, Mohan Singh died and since then no one had come to the house,” he said.

“A few days ago, Sukhwinder Kaur lodged a complaint with the police, saying that my father had illegally occupied the house in her absence. We told the entire story to ACP Gurpreet Kaur. The ACP has still not filed her report on the issue,” he said.

According to Manjinder Singh, SHO Sarabha Nagar, Sukhwinder Kaur and her accomplices have been booked under Sections 448, 380, 506 and 511, IPC, for theft and trespass. The police has launched a hunt to nab the accused.

Ludhiana, May 16
Court Sessions Judge GS Matharoo has convicted Paramjit Kaur of Himmat Singh Nagar, Samrala, on the charges of killing daughter-in-law Rajinder Kaur by setting her ablaze.

She was sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life. A fine of Rs 10,500 was also imposed upon the convict.

However, the court acquitted co-accused Gurdev Singh, Rajinder’s father-in-law from the murder charges. He was behind bars for nearly two- and-half year. But he was convicted under Section 323 of the IPC for six months.

Initially, a case under Sections 307, 498-A & 34 of the IPC was registered against the accused on October 7, 2009, at the Samrala Police Station following the statement of badly burnt Rajnder Kaur. She succumbed to her injuries later on. The accused were booked for murder.

Before dying, she in a statement recorded at the Samrala Civil Hospital with Inspector Arvind Puri, she had stated that her in-laws were harassing her on the pretext of bringing insufficient dowry. She had also alleged that her mother-in-law and father-in-law used to beat her up.

On October 6, 2009, when she was working in the kitchen, her mother-in-law sprinkled kerosene on her and set her ablaze in connivance with the co-accused. Her husband had tried to save her by putting a blanket on her, the complainant added.

However, the accused pleaded innocence. But convinced with the cogent evidence following the examination of 11 witnesses, the court found the accused guilty.

Taranjit Singh, husband of the victim, had denied allegations levelled against his parents. 

Ludhiana, May 16
A group of around a dozen RTI activists have joined hands and will be holding a protest against Municipal Corporation Commissioner Malwinder Singh Jaggi on Monday. The activists say that neither the MC Commissioner nor other MC staff is taking the RTI Act seriously and that is why they have to protest.

The RTI activists, including Col Jagdish Singh Brar (retd), Jaswant Singh Zeerakh, Kuldeep Singh Khaira, Rohit Sabharwal, Arvind Sharma, Parveen Dang and Sarabjit Singh Kahlon held a meeting in this regard here today.

The activists will hold the protest at the MC’s zone D office located in Sarabha Nagar and will sit on a dharna from 9 am to 5 pm.

They said the MC Commissioner had been disposing of the cases related to the Right to Information Act without providing proper information.

Khaira alleged: “The MC Commissioner has been pronouncing some orders orally, but when we get written copies of the same orders, there is a lot of difference. I had sought information regarding building bylaws violations at Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar from the year 1995 to date. The MC failed to provide information from 1995 to 1998. On May 14, Jaggi had pronounced orders that a chargesheet should be issued against Assistant Town Planner of zone D and a show-cause notice against the ATP of zone A. Shockingly, when I read the written orders, the “strict actions” were missing and no such action was taken against them. The case was disposed of after 11 hearings and that also without providing information.”

He said another case regarding the exemption of house tax to buildings was disposed of by Jaggi on April 16. “During the eighth hearing of the case, he had directed that the information should be provided and the case was disposed of. But to date, I have not received any information,” Khaira claimed. Col Brar said whenever they applied for information with the MC, they never got it within 30 days, which was mandatory as per the Act. “We manage to get information only after several hearings,” he said.

Ludhiana, May 16
Thank your stars if your tenants are paying monthly rent on time and also willing for a periodic hike. For those occupying prime commercial property of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust in different parts of the city are neither paying rent since long nor those fixed decades ago, has ever been revised. The arrears of outstanding rent of several property leased by the LIT have gone up to Rs 14.75 lakh as on March 31, 2011.

Quoting from observations made in the internal and external audit reports of the LIT for 2010-11, which was obtained by them under the Right to Information Act 2005, the president of the Council of RTI said Rs 3.48 lakh was due as monthly rent against tenants of seven flats and 10 shops in Jawahar Market (Near Clock Tower), Rs 4. 66 lakh was outstanding against 13 booths leased out in Bhadaur House Market. And tenants of 31 shops in Lajpat Rai Market owed Rs 6.61 lakh till March 2011.

The audit report further noted that the demand and recovery register pertaining to the leased out property of the Trust was lying incomplete since June 1995.

Objecting to the failure of LIT authorities in streamlining the work for demand and recovery of monthly rent against its commercial property, auditors pointed out that several bona fide tenants had apparently sublet their shops and flats in gross violation of the terms and conditions laid down in the rent or lease deeds.

The audit team had referred the matter to the Local Government department, Punjab, so as to direct the LIT authorities to take appropriate steps for recovery of outstanding rent, eviction proceedings against occupants of shops and property that had been sublet and putting a system in place for suitable hike in the monthly rent or lease money of commercial property.

Ludhiana, May 16
Residents will have to go through inconvenience for another three weeks before the old GT Road near Clock Tower is repaired by the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation. This road was closed for vehicular traffic after a slab on it caved in on Monday afternoon. Ever since, the road has been dug up and the MC officials have been making efforts to construct a new slab in place of the existing one.

The MC officials had “slept” over the complaint for 19 days submitted by a local resident regarding a portion of the old GT Road caving in near the Clock Tower, here. Instead of repairing the road, they placed concrete slabs around it and on Monday, the road caved in.

The old GT Road remains choc-o-bloc with traffic throughout the day, with thousands of vehicles passing through it daily.

Shopkeepers who own shops near the spot that has caved in rue that they are suffering losses as they are not able to open their shops. “Had the MC acted on time and repaired the road well in advance, the slab would have never caved in. Now, they will be wasting public money for the construction of the slab and if they would have acted in time, only a small amount of money would have been spent,” said an area shopkeeper on condition of anonymity.

With the road closed down for vehicular traffic, the traffic has now been diverted to a single lane of the road or the commuters prefer to travel through other streets, leading to traffic congestion in the entire area.

Anup Sharma, who owns a shop near the Clock Tower, had brought this matter to the notice of senior MC officials twice- first on April 25 and then on May 5. He even submitted a written complaint in this regard and requested the MC officials to repair the road at the earliest so that no untoward incident took place. But the MC officials did not even bother to repair the road, which is hardly 10 meters from the MC Zone A Office at the Mata Rani Chowk.

MC Executive Engineer SP Kalra claimed that the slab would be constructed in the next three to four days. “We will not allow heavy traffic to pass from top of the slab for at least three weeks, while two wheelers might be allowed to pass through”.

Ludhiana, May 16
Sector officers, who were put on election duties by the district election office for more than five-six months, are yet to get their dues worth Rs 12,000 each as per a notification sent by the state election officer. Annoyed at the dilly-dallying attitude adopted by the authorities concerned, the sector officers said for all these months, starting from September 2011 to February 2012, they had to take care of their parent department in addition to performing the election duties.

An Agriculture Officer said about 15-20 persons, including executive engineers and Agriculture Officers, were put on election duties as sector officers during the Assembly elections held in Punjab. "We performed our departmental duties along with election duties all these months. But apart from getting about Rs 800 from the election office, we have not been paid anything for performing the election duties. We have come to know that a notification regarding this has been sent by the Chief Election Office, Punjab, according to which Rs 12,000 each has to be paid to the sector officers. Even after two-three months of the declaration of the election results, we have not been paid our dues," he said.

The sector officers were put on election duties in the Dakha constituency. "May be other sector officers have also still to get their dues. We do not know if money has been sent by the state government or the election office will generate the amount. But we should be paid on time," said another sector officer. 

Ludhiana, May 16
Naresh Kumar, a resident of the city, is paying the price for a fault committed by his namesake based in Delhi.

Naresh, an automotive paint trader, fell victim of the organised gang of swindlers, who had defaulted with various non-banking finance- companies by taking loan.

Narrating the ordeal Naresh said, “I decided to buy a car and applied for a loan from a car dealer as my business was flourishing. I was shocked when the car dealer denied loan on the pretext that I have committed multi-core fraud with various financial institutions. Hell broke loose on me; I have never defaulted on a single penny. But Credit Information Bureau India Limited (CIBIL) report stated that I am a bank defaulter and did no pay the installments of scores of loan in my name.”

In order to find the truth behind the entire issue, Naresh took the help of his friend Parveen Kumar, who is a financial adviser. “Little did I know that I would come across a huge list of car, personal and credit card loans in my name? The Delhi-based swindler forged my Permanent Account Number (PAN) card No (ANOPK8961H) and now I am paying the price for it,” Naresh added.

He visited the helpline of CIBIL from where he got he details of three non- banking financial companies (NBFCs’) from where he procured the details of car and other loans running on his name.

“The swindler had purchased a Mahindra Scorpio (HR- 26- AM- 5984) and Chevrolet Tevera (DL- 8 CNA- 1238). He got these vehicles financed from Reliance Capital in Delhi. Not only this, the swindler has managed to get a personal loan of Rs 1.58 lakh from the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). Shockingly, the swindler has usurped nearly Rs 1 crore from a credit card,” said Naresh.

Naresh recently visited the office of the Commissioner of Police and demanded the registration of a fraud case against the swindler.

However, the officials said Naresh would have to visit Delhi to get a complaint lodged as the frauds were committed there itself.

“I have not only suffered a financial loss, but the tag of being a bank defaulter has dented my image. It smacks of scam. The involvement of employees from financial institutions cannot be ignored. But the irony is that I would be considered as defaulter till the time my name figures on the CIBIL website,” added Naresh, who has sent a clarification to the CIBIL authorities on May 14.

Ludhiana, May 16
The Excise and Taxation department has tightened its noose around those indulging in the sale and purchase without bills and transporters who ferry goods without bills. A notice in this regard has been issued by the department. It states that apart from imposing fine, department will also initiate criminal proceedings against the offender. It can also land them in the jail.

Goods entering the state are checked by department officials at the Information Collection Centre (ICC) located at barrier. It is mandatory to get the goods registered at the centre. But a few dealers and transporters are not abiding by the law and skipping the registration of goods at the check point. Escape routes are being used by them to enter the state without getting the goods registered and thus evading taxes.

A senior official from the department said all transporters and dealers had been warned to abide by the law. In case anybody is found guilty, criminal proceedings would be initiated against him apart from imposing fine under the VAT Act.

“The dealers should stop hiring transporters, who use the escape route to evade checking, as it can land them into trouble,” A Venu Parsad, Excise and Taxation Commissioner, said.

Similarly, a few dealers, who have VAT registration number, are indulging in bogus billing and claiming input tax credit (ITC). “It is an offence not only under the VAT Act, but also under various civil and criminal laws,” the Excise and Taxation Commissioner added.

Tax professional, Jatinder Khurana, said the department had initiated a good step, but in the context of bogus firms, it should upload a list of bogus firms on its website so that no genuine trader was cheated.

It has been noticed that the trader come to know that it was a bogus firm after two years of dealing. It would prove beneficial for traders,” he added.

Ludhiana, May 16
The Punjab government will soon start three to six month training programmes for making youth self-sufficient. The industry and technical education will be given priority in the state. This was stated by Industry minister Anil Joshi, who was the city yesterday.

He added that to encourage industry in the state, land lower than the market rate will be given to the industrialists. “Shamlat” land in different villages is being surveyed in this regard.

“To stop the industry from moving out of the state, we are chalking out different schemes for the development and progress of the trade and industry in the state. Problems related to industry will be resolved on the priority basis,” he added. “Industrial policy will be reviewed shortly and after this we are sure to attract more industries in the state. In addition to this, Punjab will be made self-sufficient in power and no power cuts will be imposed on the industry after that,” added Joshi.

Trade centre would be set up in the city to bring together small and big industrialists of Ludhiana on one platform. “The government is looking for an appropriate place for setting up of trade centre. After this, Ludhiana will become an industrial hub not only in India but at international level as well,” he added. Joshi visited the ongoing garment exhibition being held in the city and later addressed the problems faced by the industry in an interactive session held at Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertaking.

The Knitwear Club submitted a memorandum to the Industry minister and mentioned the absence of exhibition centre. The hosiery industry holds more than 10 events per year like National Level Buyer Seller meet, Businessmen to Businessmen), Textile Machinery Exhibition and display of the products. “Though the industry is a great revenue and employment generator; despite this, it is facing problems like the absence of an exhibition hall. In the absence of a stable and spacious place, Ludhiana industrialists have to put up temporary set ups to organize the events and exhibitions, which consume both time and money,” said Vinod Thapar, chairman, Knitwear Club.

This industry, being vast and the oldest, has scattered in different areas of the city. It is still existing in non -designated areas. So this industry needs particular designated areas for growth. On behalf of the entire industry we request you to provide a new Focal Point, the Knitwear Club stated in its memorandum. 

Ludhiana, May 16
Located along the Budha Nullah, the picture is not so rosy in Ward No. 21. Be it potholed roads, garbage or choked sewerage, the ward has it all.

Litter dumped along Budha Nullah in the ward; (right) Sewage flows into Budha Nullah on the Old Rahon Road. Photos: Inderjeet Verma

Poor-quality roads welcome visitors to the area. And the situation worsens as you reach the banks of Budha Nullah, where garbage can be seen strewn all around.

Area councillor Anil Kumar himself admits that the solid waste management company named A2Z, which has bagged the contract of garbage collection, is not performing up to mark. He confirms that on Saturday and Sunday, garbage is not lifted from the area, which leads to several problems.

Area residents say emphasis needs to be laid on cleanliness and roads. They say even as the area councillor has been able to get sewer lines laid in some parts of the ward, the lines get choked sometimes. They also claim that the roads have not been re-carpeted for long.

The life of residents living around the banks of Budha Nullah is miserable. They lament that stink and flies have turned the area into a hell.

As the area houses a large number of small hosiery units, some of the unit owners dump garbage and waste material outside their premises, which does not give a pleasant sight to eyes. Even the green belt on old Rahon Road needs attention.

The sitting councillor, Anil Kumar, is from the Congress. He was elected to the MC house for the first time in 2007. This time also he plans to contest the elections from the same ward.

The ward consists of Sunder Nagar, Jagat Nagar, Guru Nanak Dev Nagar, Valmiki Nagar, Bajwa Nagar, Kalyan Nagar, Chowk Saidaan, Wait Ganj, Chawal Bazaar, besides some others.

Ludhiana, May 16
While some of the areas in Ward No 22 are developed, others have been crying for attention. Roads at Fareed Nagar, Bal Singh Nagar and Jagdeep Nagar need to be re-carpeted. As the elections are nearing, a few roads are being repaired in Jagdeep Nagar. The area councillor said the maintenance of drainage system was his first priority.

Stink emanating from the area has made the lives of residents miserable; (right) A footpath in a state of neglect. Photos: Inderjeet Verma

The ward is deprived of parks. The councillor said he had recently planted 800 saplings on a roadside.

Residents complained that contaminated water was being supplied to the area. They added that they had raised the issue a number of times, but nothing had happened. The councillor claimed that sanitation workers lifted garbage from the area. But one could still see heaps of garbage lying scattered on the GT Road.

Ward Councillor Sunita Fanta is associated with the BJP. The ward was reserved for women in the general category in 2007. The ward consists of Sardar Nagar, Fareed Nagar, Basti Gujran, Bal Singh Nagar, Jagdeep Nagar, Kabir Nagar, Vishwkarama Colony, Basti Jodhewal and Sarba Nand Colony.

Ludhiana, May 16
Art gave him a new lease of life at the age of 40. The septuagenarian makes art, not only to make a living, but for living, he says. It's the urge to create that keeps him going enthusiastically, even at this age.Vijay Kumar Thapar, is a city-based, self-made artist. He opened his week-long exhibition titled The Landscapes at Artmosphere Gallery today.

His paintings are raw, not refined, neither in detail nor the thoughts, but direct, reaching the heart without tickling the intellect and imagination. These appeal to the mind directly, a visitor said. Thapar has been teaching art to students at his residence.

His paintings are not bound to one subject, ranging from landscape, portraits, gods and a touch of abstract. There is a distinct, conspicuous preponderance of rural life. "My paintings are connected with nature. Nature, women have been favourite subjects of artists since time immemorial, and continue to be so," he says. Rural life has its allegiance with the nature and landscape, he says, and the scenic beauty of rural life finds its way in his paintings as well.

He went to Patna in 1985, for business, and came back 10 years later. When his business failed, art became his purpose of life, and hardly a day passes without painting, now, he says.

He said that he was inspired by the works of eminent artist Sobha Singh. Though he never met him, and hasn't created many portraits like him, but he always felt attracted towards his art.

He uses oils, water colours, fabric colours, pencils, knife for painting. Water colour on wet hand-made paper creates its own shapes and patterns, and depending on the pattern made, he accentuates the meaning he perceives in the formation, adding more details and lending it a clearer meaning.

He keeps a sketchbook handy. When travelling, he sketches the scenes, and makes a painting when he returns home.

Ludhaian, May 16
A seminar-cum-brain storming session on the use of leaf color chart (LCC) and tensiometer (TM) was organised at the Farmers Service Centre, PAU. More than 50 extension scientists from the State Department of Agriculture, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and the Farmers Advisory Service Scheme (FASS) from various districts participated.

Dr MS Gill, PAU Director of Extension Education was the chief guest on the occasion. While inaugurating the event he said that resource conservation in agriculture was the need of the day as intensive Punjab agriculture had exerted tremendous pressure on the natural resource base. He showed concern about the overuse of nitrogenous fertiliser by the farmers, which not only increased the cost of cultivation but also caused water and air pollution.

The excessive use of nitrogen increases the incidence of diseases and pests attack. The fast depleting underground table in the state was another important issue that needed to be addressed. Gill said that the PAU had recommended different technologies for the judicious use of water, including use of laser land leveller, transplanting of rice after June 10, irrigation of rice after two days of drainage, appropriate plot size, bed planting of crops, mulching with crop residue and micro irrigation techniques, etc. Irrigation scheduling of rice with the help of TM was another step in this direction, he said.

Processed garlic in demand

Processed garlic has an excellent scope in view of its increasing demand in the market. The industry possesses a bright future and new entrepreneurs can enter into the field of processed garlic products by establishing new industries. Referring to the advantages of garlic processing, scientist Bindu of the Farmers Advisory Service Scheme (FASS), Jalandhar, said that it made the supply of finished product regular as the surplus produce during the peak producing season was converted into processed products. She added that it improved the keeping quality of product making processed products acceptable to larger section of the consumers.

Drip irrigation can improve productivity

"To boost vegetable and fruit production, it is imperative to adopt improved varieties and methods of water and fertilizer application," the Soil and Water Engineering (SWE) experts of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) emphasised. The need of the hour was to economize on water use, to bring more area under irrigation, reduce the cost of irrigation on unit land and increase the yield per unit area and unit quantum of water, said the experts. Dr AK Jain, Head of SWE, said that fruits and vegetables required frequent but less amount of irrigation water. Water and fertilizer management were two vital factors which could improve productivity, he stressed, adding that this could be achieved only by introducing advance irrigation methods like drip irrigation.

PAU to hold training course

The Directorate of Extension Education in association with the Training Unit of the College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (COAE&T) of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) will organise a training course on "Raising of mat type nursery" on May 16 at Kairon Kisan Ghar of the university. The course will see the participation of the farmers and the members of the cooperative societies.

Testing of farm machinery

"Keeping in view the rapid increase in the manufacturing of farm machinery, testing of agricultural machinery is vital to make manufactures aware of the performance and durability of their equipment for efficient use. It also helps the farmers in wise selection of the required machine," said the experts of the Farm Machinery and Power Engineering of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). The farmers, at present, are using manual, tractor drawn and self-propelled machines depending upon the climatic, social and economic conditions. Dr JS Mahal, head of FMPE, said that "Farm Machinery Testing Centre" of PAU, established in 1969, had tested more than 800 farm machines and engines. The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, had approved 21 institutions for testing and certifying agricultural machinery and equipment for ensuring the supply of quality farm machinery and equipment under the government programmes. PAU Centre is also among these approved institutions, he said.

Ludhiana, May 16
To ensure that deserving children were recognised for showing exemplary courage, the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) has asked the District Collectors, District Magistrates, Director Generals and Commissioners of Police, Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development etc to be actively involved in giving the scheme of National Bravery Awards wide publicity so that genuine acts of bravery are brought to the notice of the selection committee and the awards.

In a recently issued letter, Gita Siddhartha, president of ICCW, said that the purpose of issuing the letter was to give the scheme of National Bravery Awards wide publicity so that every genuine and authentic act of bravery was brought to the notice of the Selection Committee and the awards be given to the most deserving children.

As per letter, the main criteria for the selection of candidates was the performance of a distinct and visible act of bravery in the face of impending threat of injury or danger to life or an act of courage against a social evil/crime. The ICCW has asked the authorities to send their recommendations by September 30, 2012.

The Indian Council for Child Welfare gives awards for exemplary acts of bravery to children every year. The awards are presented by the Prime Minister of India prior to the Republic Day. The recipients are felicitated by the VVIPs.

Phillaur, May 16
A decomposed body of an elderly person was found in the fields near Sarhali village on the Phagwara -Nakodar road in this subdivision last night. Pal Singh, a farmer, who noticed the decomposed body, informed the Zandiala police about it. A case has been registered in this regard and the body sent to the local Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

In another incident, the body of an unidentified middle-aged man was found lying on the National Highways near Chachrari village, today. After getting the information, employees of ambulance 108 brought the body to the local Civil Hospital and kept in it the mortuary for identification. A case has been registered against this regard.