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Muktsar girl tops PCS (executive)
Govt unlikely to impose fresh taxes
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2 days later, fire at Khanna Paper Mill rages on
Boy tied with mesh grill
New Judges to be sworn today
School board scraps semester system You can donate blood till age 65
Pay scales of Punjab Police personnel
Coach, ASI booked on rape charges
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Muktsar girl tops PCS (executive)
Patiala, June 14 Amaninder Kaur of Muktsar emerged the overall topper by securing 70.82 per cent marks whereas Phagwara girl Nayan Jassal stood second overall and first in the SC category by securing 65.81 per cent marks. The third topper is Sanjeev Sharma from Gurdaspur who scored 65.59 per cent marks. The PPSC had initiated the recruitment process by conducting the Combined Competitive Examination in 2009. It took more than two years for the Commission to complete the process. There are a total of 180 posts. These comprise 38 posts of PCS (executive branch), 18 of DSP, 74 Excise and Taxation Officer, six Tehsildar, five Food Supply and Consumer Affairs Officer, 15 Block Development and Panchayat Officer, eight Assistant Registrar, Co-operative Societies, three Labour and Reconciliation Officers and 13 posts of Employment Generation and Training Officer. After the main examination, 514 short-listed candidates were called for interviews. The PPSC has drafted the merit list category-wise. Against 85 posts for the general category, there are 254 candidates in the merit list. The merit list is on the same pattern for other categories. When enquired about the criteria regarding selection of candidates, commission functionaries said it had already been mentioned on the PPSC website that the allocation of posts would be done at the government level. Scam had stalled recruitments It was in 1998 when the last PCS examination was held. Though the PPSC conducted the examination in 2003, it was for those candidates whose appointments were terminated after "cash-for-job" scam was unearthed during the Amarinder regime in 2002, with the Vigilance Bureau arresting the then PPSC chairman Ravinder Paul Singh Sidhu. The government had cancelled the process related to recruitments for 639 posts and ordered a probe into 3,446 recruitments done by the PPSC during Sidhu's tenure. Age relaxation for govt employees Since the PPSC had not been conducting the PCS (executive) examination for a long time, aspirants had to suffer due to age limit, which is 35 years. However, acting on a petition filed by some aspirants who had surpassed 35 years of age, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had issued orders that government employees would be eligible for one-time relaxation of age up to 45 years for the PCS (executive). Appointments to be done regularly The state government has been facing a shortage of PCS officers. As many as 30 retired officers were re-employed on a contractual basis in the recent past. However, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has announced that recruitments will be done regularly to ensure smooth functioning of the state government departments.
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Govt unlikely to impose fresh taxes
Chandigarh, June 14 Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa is set to announce his maiden Budget in the assembly on June 20. The focus will be on fiscal consolidation by improving revenue mobilisation. With the revenue deficit (revised estimates) almost double than that predicted in the Budget estimates for 2011-12, the attempt will be to fall in line with the path shown by the Finance Commission. Sources say the tax net will be widened and the focus will be on better tax compliance. The main source of revenue will continue to be value-added tax (VAT), which is expected to contribute Rs 15,000 crore to the state’s kitty, up 20 per cent from Rs 12,200 crore last fiscal. The total Budget size for the year 2012-13 is expected to be almost Rs 55,000 crore, up by 20 per cent from last year’s Budget size of Rs 48,594.85 crore. With the revenue deficit having gone up substantially (from Rs 3378.99 crore in the Budget estimates, to almost Rs 6,000 crore in the revised estimates), the focus will be on capturing all “extra-budgetary sources” to deal with capital expenditure. The year 2011-12 being an election year, the government had announced a plethora of welfare schemes and sops at the fag- end of the term, which meant that all capital expenditure was from outside the consolidated fund. This led to a much higher revenue deficit in the last fiscal. Sources said the Budget will now tap all extra-budgetary sources, mainly funds available from various Central schemes. Talking to The Tribune, Finance Minister Dhindsa said: “We will plug loopholes in tax collection, ensure better resource mobilisation and cut down administrative expenditure. The focus will be on providing social equality through better health and education facilities and improve rural housing and rural sanitation.” The going may not be easy for the minister with the SAD- BJP alliance having announced a plethora of sops in its election manifesto. Sources say the Budget may not immediately make allocations for welfare schemes like providing free bicycles to girl students. It is estimated that these sops will cost the state an additional Rs 3,000 crore per annum. The state is hoping for some relief from the Centre, either in the form of writing off of its loan of Rs 22,200 crore against small savings, or a moratorium for five years on loan repayment. This will help bring down the state’s debt burden. BUDGET PROPOSALS 2012-2013 SNEAK PEAK
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2 days later, fire at Khanna Paper Mill rages on
Amritsar, June 14 Today's major accomplishment was that the firefighters penetrated the interior portions of the affected area where they could not reach earlier due to the magnitude of fire and thick smoke. Besides, JCBs have been pressed into service to lift the burnt waste paper. Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal said: "A new strategy is being adopted everyday. Earlier, it was a three-way circumferential operation to control the flames. Now, we are able to break into the affected part. Almost 70 per cent of the fire has been extinguished, but it would take us another 48 hours before packing up the operation," he said. Hot weather conditions coupled with high velocity winds are playing a spoilsport. While firemen have been positioned at five sensitive points, the Army team, comprising JCO Naib Subedaar Satbir and 10 jawans under the supervision of Capt Abhinandan, is taking care of a specific portion of the yard located next to a residential area. Firefighting with outdated equipment None of the firefighters called from various districts to control this highly intensive fire incident have proper uniform and masks. Outdated fire tenders, staff crunch and old equipment speak volumes of the government apathy towards this important wing of emergency services. Firemen said fortunately, the mill had a sophisticated firefighting and hydrant mechanism, otherwise it would have been very diffcult to control a fire of such magnitude.
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Boy tied with mesh grill
Jalandhar, June 14 The boy, Nazim (13), remained tied with the mesh grill of the factory by its owner Varinder for at least 30 minutes. The boy was repeatedly slapped by Varinder’s son Paras and others even as the terrified boy pleaded that he be set free. Nazim hails from Bengal and resides in the Bashirpura locality here. The boy was set free after one of his acquaintances informed the police control room regarding the theft. Justifying the action, the factory owner claimed the boy had been tied till the arrival of the police to prevent him from fleeing. He said he had been slapped to make him confess to have committed the theft. Varinder claimed Nazim had been caught stealing three copper gate walls on CCTV cameras installed inside the factory. He showed the footage to this correspondent and a police team. When contacted, investigating officer SI Avtar Singh said no case had been registered as the factory owner had allowed the boy to go after a warning. Asked why no action was being initiated against him for keeping the boy tied up and slapping him repeatedly, he denied knowledge of any such happening. The SI refused to act even when this correspondent showed him photographs of the boy tied with the mesh grill. Neither Minister for Social Security and Women & Child Development Madan Mohan Mittal nor its director Gurkirat Singh could be contacted despite repeated attempts.
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Disability no deterrent
Patiala: Harjot Kaur of Patiala has stood first in the physically disabled category.
Harjot, 28, says she owes her success to her teachers and parents. A teacher at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Pheel Khana, Harjot said: “Working as a schoolteacher, I realised the problems being faced by teachers and students alike. I started preparing for the PPSC exam with the sole aim of becoming a part of the bureaucracy to change the system for the betterment of society.”
Damanjit Singh Mann, also from Patiala, is the topper in the sports category. Several other Patiala candidates have come out with flying colours An elated Damanjit (24) said: “I took inspiration from my father Darshan Singh Mann, DSP, Mohali.” Damanjit, who studied engineering from Thapar University, Patiala, got a placement offer from the IBM, Gurgaon, in his fourth year but he decided to opt for the civil services. “I am happy because my hard work has paid off,” he said. Damanjit has represented Punjab in two national championships. Anand Sagar Sharma from Patiala has secured the 14th place in the general category. Anuprita Johal, District Revenue Officer, Patiala, is 33rd on the merit list.
— TNS
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New Judges to be sworn today
Chandigarh, June 14 The High Court collegium had recommended the names of Bharat Bhushan Parsoon and RC Godara also. But the Supreme Court collegium did not give its nod to the names. The High Court, as of now, has just 39 Judges against the sanctioned strength of 68. The number is expected to fall further with the impending transfer of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur to the Rajasthan High Court as a permanent Judge and Justice Alok Singh to the Jharkand High Court.
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School board scraps semester system
Chandigarh, June 14 In a meeting with officials of the board and the Education Department, he said the board syllabi should be revised continuously and should include cultural aspects of Punjab so that students could be made aware of social problems like drug abuse, dowry, traffic problems and pollution. He said the board should publish books according to requirement and stop unnecessary purchase of material in abundance. He directed the officials to rationalise examination duties which, in turn, he said should be made mandatory. —
TNS
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You can donate blood till age 65
Ludhiana, June 14 Confirming this, Sukhvinder Singh, Joint Director, Blood Safety and Quality Assurance, Punjab State AIDS Control Society, Chandgarh, said, "Earlier, this age was from 18 to 60 years. But now if a donor is healthy, he or she can donate till the age of 65 years."
— TNS
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Pay scales of Punjab Police personnel
Chandigarh, June 14 The significant directions came on a bunch of two petitions by Inspector Bakhshish Singh and other petitioners against the State of Punjab and other respondents. Initially a petition was filed in 1991 by police personnel alleging the existence of anomalies in fixation of pay scales. The petitioners had claimed unjust denial of parity in scales with persons working in other departments. They had claimed that the persons in other departments were performing lesser functions, but on higher scales. The petitioners had sought that the pay of the inspectors in the police department should be fixed in the scale of Rs 2,000-3,500. For sub-inspectors, the pay scale should be of Rs 1,800-3,200. Again, for assistant sub-inspector, the pay scales should be Rs 1,500-2,640. Subsequently, another petition was filed in the same year with additional issue that head constables should be fixed in pay scales of Rs 1,350-2,400 and constables in Rs 1,200-2,199. The state, on the other hand, contented in its reply that any anomaly in the fixation of pay scales was a subject of consideration before expert bodies such as the pay commissions and the court should not entertain the writ petition to fix appropriate pay scales. Taking up the petition, Justice K. Kannan asserted the limit of court interference for determination of pay scales was too well known to be restated. But, the government itself has stated that it had been contemplating to secure appropriate scales by putting it before the anomalies committee and the pay commission. Justice Kannan added justice would be met if the state itself took an appropriate decision at its level. “The appropriate decision shall be taken to consider the issue of appropriate scales that could have been granted by assessing the scales in other departments which had like duties and if such a decision is to higher pay scale, the same shall be released to the petitioners.” “The decision of the state shall be taken within a period of four months from receiving the order’s copy and communicated to the petitioners. The state shall be at liberty to call for representations from bodies of persons, who fall in various categories for whom the writ petitions had been filed and entrust it to any expert body for a decision.” “It is most desirable that the decision does not brook any further delay since the State has allowed itself fairly a long time of more than two decades for the matter to drift without taking any definite decision as regards the same”. Notice issued to Centre on gas pipeline Acting on a petition accusing the Union of India, the Gas Authority of India Ltd and other authorities of illegally and unlawfully diverting the gas pipeline from Mathura Refinery through villages situated in residential zone, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of motion to the Centre and other respondents. The directions came on a petition filed by Mohan Lal Saggar and other petitioners. Among other things, the petitioners are also seeking a stay on the laying of the proposed gas pipeline in four villages of Sarinh, Duley, Chubki, and Jassowal in Ludhiana district. Going into the background of the controversy, Saggar contended that the pipeline is to supply gas from Mathura Refinery to Bathinda Refinery. Saggar has added the Union of India and other GAIL officers "are illegally and unlawfully diverting the gas pipeline from Bool village and is to be laid underneath the Sirhind Canal. About 200 metres wide, it is to pass through the residential zone.
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Coach, ASI booked on rape charges Ludhiana, June 14 The victim said Prem Singh and Balwinder assured her of a job with the Indian Railways. They took her to the Railways residential quarters near Guru Nanak Stadium and raped her. She reported the matter to the police. But her complaint was sent to the record room. She then filed a writ in the Punjab and Haryana High Court which directed the police to probe the case. Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh, after seeking the opinion of the district attorney, has now got a rape case registered against Prem Singh and Balwinder Singh.
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The Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) today declared results of the interviews conducted for filling 180 posts of officers in various government departments.
As the SAD- BJP government gets ready to announce its Budget proposals for the current fiscal year, the common man can expect relief. He will be spared from paying new taxes, while the government spending on key areas like education, health, sanitation, housing and the atta-dal scheme will go up.
Amritsar, June 14
Muktsar:
field officer in the Food and Civil Supplies Department. He has done PhD in Life Sciences from Guru Nanak Dev University,
Amritsar. Crediting his parents for the success, Sanjeev said initially his parents were reluctant to the idea of appearing in the PPSC exam. "However, seeing me working tirelessly, they were sure that I will make them proud one day. I have achieved my goal," he said.
We will plug loopholes in tax collection, ensure better resource mobilisation and cut down administrative expenditure. The focus will be on providing social equality through better health and education facilities 
