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Netas behind teachers’ transfers, give two hoots to student welfare
DSGMC POLL
Finally, nod to mining in 25 quarries
CM blames power crisis on delayed monsoon
Dasuya Bypoll
Kairon asks Centre to supply gunny bags
BBMB may reduce supply to partner states
Amritsar-Srinagar flight from July 12
Ensure protection to couple, Punjab told
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Mid-day meal scheme starved of funds
Chandigarh, July 5 Started with much hype five years ago, the non-release — in some cases partial — of funds has been taking a toll on the mid-day meal scheme in Punjab. So much so that the scheme has been discontinued in several schools. But, that doesn't seem to have moved the authorities concerned who blame it on the retirement of a government official. Punjab Mid-Day Meal Programme manager Prabcharan Singh says, “The delay in the release of funds is due to the retirement of the Director General of School Education. As the new DGSE has joined now, the funds will be released by next week.”
Being run by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan wing of the Punjab Education Department, more than 20 lakh students, mostly in rural areas, comprise beneficiaries under the scheme. Initially, 15,335 government and aided schools were covered under the scheme in Punjab. In primary schools, the strength of students who are served meals stood at 13,37,960 whereas the count was 7,88,201 students in upper primary schools. While 75 per cent of the grants for the plan are provided by the Centre, the state government has to contribute the remaining 25 per cent. But, the state mostly lags in paying its share, say sources. During the current financial year, a budget of Rs 253 crore has been set for the scheme, up against Rs 238 crore in the 2011-12 fiscal. In a performance evaluation of the mid-day meal scheme done by the Planning Commission in Punjab, it was found that 51 per cent of the beneficiaries under the scheme were children from the Scheduled Caste category, 46 per cent were from the Other Backward Classes category and 3 per cent from other categories. The evaluation showed that 50.51 per cent of the parents whose children were benefiting were illiterate, 23.74 per cent had studied till primary level while 15.66 percent had studied till middle level. The study also found that 70.65 per cent of the beneficiary children were the wards of labourers engaged in agricultural or other activities. About 21 per cent of these children never get milk at their home. Teachers footing bills A senior school official says at most of the places, it were the teachers who keep the scheme running by arranging money at their own level whenever the government fails to release funds in time. "We have submitted bills to the state treasury for clearance and hope money will be released by next week," he says. On March 31, the last day of the last fiscal, the state government was requested to release Rs 90 crore for the scheme, but nothing except assurances came, he avers. Faridkot no exception It is not the first time that schools have been starved of funds to run the scheme. The monthly budget of Faridkot district is Rs 40 lakh, but bills worth Rs 1.25 crore are pending. Blame it on paucity of funds at the state level or delay in releasing funds from the Centre for the last few months, it is the teachers who have been contributing by raising loans to continue the meal scheme. In Bathinda district, bills worth Rs 3.5 crore have not been cleared since January. The cooking staff has not been paid either. While Rs 2.5 crore is pending as the cost of material purchased from traders, Rs 1 crore salary is due in the form of salaries of the cooking staff. The material cost covers spices, condiments, LPG cylinders and utensil cleaners. In the absence of funds, teachers have been spending from their pockets whereas in other cases, the school management has tied up with certain shops to give material on credit basis. Taking advantage of the situation, shopkeepers even overcharge at times, say sources. A part of the material such as wheat, rice, pulses and cereals are supplied by the department itself. About Rs 60 lakh is spent on the mid-day meal scheme every month in Bathinda district. There are as many as 1,165 cooks, including 840 for the upper-primary section. Officials say the release of funds has been irregular ever since the scheme was started in 2007. Rs 4.4 cr due in Patiala With Rs 4.40 crore yet to be paid to shopkeepers and as salary to the cooking staff, schoolteachers have been struggling to run the mid-day meal scheme in Patiala district. In certain schools, teachers have spent Rs 40,000 to Rs 70,000 from their own pockets. As the department has failed to reimburse the money to them, serving of meals in about 50 schools has been stopped in the district. Also, a few other schools have submitted a written representation with the District Education Officer that they would not be serving meals in future until funds are released to clear dues. Sources in the Education Department say that of the total pending amount, Rs 3.40 crore is the cost of cooking material and Rs 1 crore is due as the salaries of the cooks. "The government has even included items like kheer and vegetables in the menu, which are quite expensive and it is practically impossible to serve them," says a teacher. "We have to sustain our families as well. How they expect us to spend money from our own pockets to run the scheme when we have our own liabilities," he asks. Patiala District Education Officer Balbir Kaur Gill says she has already brought the matter to the notice of senior authorities. Gurdaspur a bit better The state government's recent decision to provide a grant of Rs 88.33 lakh to the mid-day meal in the district has not only put the initiative on the right track, but has also given the much needed respite to the students of 2,100 schools in the border district. For the last several months, the government had put on hold funds meant for the scheme, following which the staff and students had to take material for cooking on credit from shopkeepers to sustain the venture. Officials of the District Education Office (Secondary) say with the release of Rs 88.33 lakh, the scheme has received the much-awaited funding. "We expect the government to release Rs 2.50 crore shortly and the amount will take care of the finances incurred by us till March this year," an official says. There were reports that owing to paucity of funds, the quality of food being served to students was being compromised with. However, Prem Parkash Soni, a senior official, refutes these allegations by saying that a four-member committee, under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner, has been set up to check the quality of food. The total number of students covered under the scheme in Muktsar district is 79,000. Under the mid-day meal scheme, food prepared for a student of Class I to V costs the state Rs 3.11 a day whereas the same for a student of Class VI to VIII costs Rs 4.65 a day. In Muktsar district, teachers have been awaiting funds for April and May. The situation has gone so bad that vegetable shops and grocery stores have started refusing to provide the schools with essential commodities to prepare the meal on credit. The principal of a government school in Muktsar where the mid-day meal is being served to 400 students says, "We have already spent Rs 40,000 from our own pockets and some market bills are yet to be cleared. So, continuing the scheme without funds has now become a tough job for us." Concern over hygiene In Amritsar district, there are some schools, including Government Elementary School at Mohakampura, where meals are not being prepared in a hygienic manner. A dingy room and a verandah serve as classrooms while another dark room is used as a kitchen and a store. The government incurs Rs 1.23 crore a month to provide meals to 1.61 lakh students, including 1.06 lakh from primary and 55,000 from the upper primary wings, in this border district. The government has arranged 1,275 LPG connections and engaged 2,500 cooks. However, almost all schools in Amritsar have been waiting for release of their pending dues. Unsure about scheme Authorities at government primary and middle schools in Moga district would reopen on Monday after summer vacations. But, no one is sure whether the mid-day meal for students in 620 primary and middle schools would continue. The bills of ration like cooking oil, cooking gas, sugar, salt, vegetables, pulses and other items worth Rs 1.85 crore are pending for clearance as the district authorities have not received money for the last three months. There are 1,400 cooks engaged in preparing meals in the district. In Jalandhar, the pending dues amount to Rs 3.56 crore. The salaries of the cooking staff have also not been paid since February. There are around 1,500 schools in Jalandhar where 2,780 mid-day meal staff has been employed. Inputs by Sarbjit Dhaliwal (Chandigarh) Balwant Garg (Fariddkot), Gagan K Teja (Patiala), Megha Mann (Bathinda), Ravi Dhaliwal (Gurdaspur), Archit Watts (Muktsar), Neeraj Bagga (Amritsar), Kulwinder Sandhu (Moga) and Aparna Banerji
(Jalandhar) Govt to increase Meal allowance Rajma chawal on new menu The Punjab government has also changed the weekly menu of students with a slight change in their Saturday's meal. Instead of sweet rice, the government has proposed to introduce rajma rice.
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Netas behind teachers’ transfers, give two hoots to student welfare
Faridkot, July 5 A large number of teachers were shifted to schools in urban area in the name of “demand posts”. After the election process was over, most of them managed to retain their posts under the redefined pupil: teacher ratio policy. Over 150 teachers in primary and middle schools in Faridkot were transferred to urban areas under the policy. At Government Middle School in Romana Ajit Singh, the only Punjabi teacher was shifted to a school in Kotkapura which already had three Punjabi teachers.
Beguana, Buttar, Mumara, Gujjar, Bilewala, Jhadiwala, Sadhawala were some of the faraway villages that saw a sharp decline in the teachers’s strength after most were
shifted. Baljit Singh Brar, DEO, said after the student, teacher ratio was revised under the Right to Education Act, 176, new posts were sanctioned for Faridkot district which would be filled in the next six month. Students in rural areas aspiring for the science stream are the worst hit. More than 35 per cent posts sanctioned for science lecturers in senior secondary schools in Faridkot district are lying vacant for the past many years, most of these in rural areas. In the Faridkot rural block, there are two senior secondary schools, at Golewala and
Sadiq, where science subjects are taught to plus one and two classes. But as there is no chemistry teacher in Golewala school and no mathematics teacher for science students in Sadiq village, both these schools, covering over 40 villages, only 35 students opting for the science stream have taken admission in the two schools. The DEO said: “Despite the shortage of teachers, we are ensuring that the students don't suffer academically. So the present strength of teachers is teaching all subjects.”
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DSGMC POLL
New Delhi, July 5 A Bench comprising Justices RM Lodha and Anil Dave asked the Directorate of Gurdwara Election, the Lt Governor and the Delhi Government to file reports within three weeks, giving details about the exercise undertaken to revise the electoral rolls and the date of publication. The Bench also asked the government and the Directorate of Gurdwara Election to submit a fresh election schedule to enable the court to pass an appropriate order for conducting the poll. The Bench sought these details following complaints by the Dashmesh Sewa Society and Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi UK) that several bogus voters had been enrolled during the revision of rolls. After being orally informed that the revised rolls were published on March 12, 2012, the apex court questioned the Delhi Government and the Directorate as to how they had decided to begin the poll process with the opening of nominations on February 16, 2012, even before the rolls were ready. “There is no question of holding the elections if the final voters’ list has not been published. You have to satisfy us that the rolls are ready,” the Bench said. Allaying the apprehensions of the petitioners, the Bench clarified that the SC would not allow the elections to be held if the voters’ list did not reflect the actual picture. However, the court advised the Dashmesh Sewa Society and the SAD not to create problems for holding the elections by demanding the delimitation exercise as well. “Delimitation can’t be a ground for not holding the elections as this exercise will take its own time,” it explained. Pointing out that the elections were long overdue, the Bench said such a large democratic body should be duly elected without further loss of time. The case will be taken up again after three weeks.
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Finally, nod to mining in 25 quarries
Chandigarh, July 5 It is learnt that while the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority had given the go-ahead for the quarrying of minor minerals (sand and gravel) in eight quarries located in Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Kapurthala and Amritsar on June 28, after they were granted environmental clearance, sanction for mining in seven other quarries was granted yesterday. Each of these quarries have an area ranging from 5 acres-50 hectares. Sources in the Industries Department said as many as 120 quarries (with an area of over 5 hectares) had been awaiting clearance from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (in case the area is between 5acres-50 hectares) and from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (in case the area is over 50 hectares). While 25 quarries have been given the nod now, the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority will be examining five other quarries before the requisite environment clearance. The remaining 90 quarries (with over 50 hectares area each) will be given clearance by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. With more quarries available for extracting minor minerals, the shortage of construction material will now be over and the prices of sand and gravel are expected to come down too. The prices of gravel have gone up to Rs 1,850 per 100 cubic foot and of sand to Rs 1,700 per 200 cubic foot (one truckload). “Once we get the environment clearance for all 30 quarries, we will be auctioning these. In the meantime, we are in the process of formulating a new auction policy which will ensure that stone crushers have a tie-up for getting raw material legally and, thus, cannot mine the minerals illegally. This policy, once ready, will have to get the Cabinet nod following which we will be able to auction all the quarries,” Principal Secretary, Industries, said. Last year, the state government had auctioned 241 quarries (all less than 5 hectares) and collected a revenue of Rs 15 crore.
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CM blames power crisis on delayed monsoon
Mohali, July 5 "All our hydro power plants, except the one at Shahpur Kandi, have come to a standstill due to water shortage. The state cannot do much when there is no rain," said Badal, after addressing a seminar on promotion of dairy farming at the State Institute of Health and Family Welfare here today. Badal said the people should understand the government's limitations in such matters and cooperate instead of protesting on roads. He said with the start of three new thermal power plants, which were nearing completion, there would be some relief in the coming years. On the purchase of more power to deal with the situation, the Chief Minister said the government was procuring as much power as it could. Replying to a question on the disclosure of former Union Minister Arjun Singh in his book about Haryana's former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal's move aimed at scuttling the transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab, Badal said in his viewpoint, the main culprit was the Central Government. "There was an agreement (Rajiv-Longowal agreement) for transferring Chandigarh along with other Punjabi-speaking areas to Punjab. But everyone knows that the Central Government backtracked," Badal said, adding that Punjab had always been excluded from Central-sponsored schemes. On the state Congress' demand for deploying of paramilitary forces during the Dasuya byelection, he said it was up to the Centre. "It is our duty to ensure free and fair poll in the state. It was not the first time that the Congress is raking up the issue," he added.
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Dasuya Bypoll
Dasuya, July 5 Lubanas, Changs, Jat Sikhs, Hindus and Christians comprise a major chunk of voters in the constituency and the Congress has asked its senior leaders to cater to their respective vote banks. The party expects to make a dent in the Lubana vote bank. It has asked Tanda Umra MLA Sangat Singh Giljian to canvass extensively in the bet area which is dominated by the Lubana community. Rajnish Babby, who successfully contested the Mukerian Vidhan Sabha seat and is now backing the Congress, has been asked to work in the kandi canal area which has 25,000 Chang votes. Babby has been conspicuous by his absence so far. But a Congress leader claimed that he would join the campaign in a day or two. Pawan Adhian, a former chairman of the Hoshiarpur Improvement Trust, has been roped in to woo the 8,000-strong Balmiki vote bank. He is being assisted by Jasbir Singh Pal, president of the SC/BC State Employees Welfare Committee. Adhian is said to have a clout among the Balmikis and his oratorical skills are respected even by his detractors in the SAD-BJP alliance. Former Garhshanker MLA Luv Kumar Goldy is taking care of the Pandit vote bank while former legislators Rakesh Pandey and Raman Bhalla and legislator OP Soni, a former Amritsar Mayor, have been asked to look after the Hindu vote bank sprinkled all over the constituency. Christian votes are being taken care of by Lawrence Chowdhury, president of the Punjab State Christian Front. Former Nangal MLA Rana KP is wooing the Rajputs, who have a sizeable presence in the kandi canal area. The Jat Sikh votes are being handled by Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Randhawa and Lehra Gagga MLA Rajinder Kaur Bhattal. Senior BJP leaders said polarisation of voters on caste lines will not have an impact on the outcome of the election. Avinash Rai Khanna, BJP Rajya Sabha MP, said: “The Congress is up to its old game of polarising votes based on caste lines. We are more interested in development issues.”
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Sukhbir targets Amarinder
Dasuya, July
5 At an
impressive gathering at Gilzian, the native village of Congress Tanda Urmur MLA
Sangat Singh Gilzian, Sukhbir asked: “Where is Capt Amarinder Singh? “He
told you that he would not leave Dasuya till the elections were over. But he is
nowhere to be seen.” Gilzian village falls in the bet area which has a
sizeable chunk of Lubana votes. The Congress has already asked its MLA to camp
in the area and concentrate on the Lubana votes. Post-delimitation, the village
was shifted from the Dasuya assembly seat to Tanda. At his next stop at Kulara
village, dominated by Jat Sikhs, Sukhbir was at his oratorical best. “Kithe
gaya Raja. Oh tan kehnda si main Dasuya chhad ke nahi javanga. (Where is Capt
Amarinder Singh? He had announced he would not leave Dasuya till the elections
were over).” The Deputy Chief Minister pointed out that Congress leaders
were nowhere to be seen. “Sade leaders tan sare pase ne par Congress wale
nahi dikh rahe (Our leaders are everywhere but Congress men are nowhere to be
seen),” he told a gathering at Sagran village. Ridiculing Congress leaders,
the Deputy CM said: “We do not care about the sweltering heat. We care more
about your issues.” Sukhbir claimed that the byelection would a referendum on
the “people-friendly” policies of the state government. He said he was
sure of the victory of BJP candidate Sukhjit Kaur, which would be the best
tribute to her late husband Amarjit Singh Sahi.
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Mechanised transplantation fails, but experts are not giving up yet
Chandigarh, July 5 The state government in 2009 imported 449 transplanters through various agencies. However, the experiment did not take off because of non-availability of a specialised nursery. In 2010 and 2011, only 47 and 43 machines were imported. This year, the government failed to provide subsidy for the purchase of new transplanters. It is not as if mechanised transplantation is not working in Punjab. Niranjan Singh of Maida village in Jalandhar district has been using a Chinese transplanter supplied by VST, Bangalore, since four years now. He says the machine works efficiently and is easy to service though making it conducive to soil took time. Other farmers, including Sukhpreet Singh of Minia village in Moga, have done their own innovations. They have raised a mat nursery for transplanters without using plaster trays, as is done traditionally. Sukhpreet says his nursery is as good as that recommended by experts for mechanised transplantation. However, a majority of farmers are dependent on a specialised nursery raised in trays. Consultant UR Muraleedher, VST Tillers Tractors Ltd, Bangalore, says farmers in Punjab are running small transplanters successfully and only need an assured supply of nursery to make the experiment a success. He advocates centralised nurseries for specific areas besides allowing local labour to lease out 65 transplanters lying idle with the Cooperative Department. He says local youth could be trained to run these machines. Punjab State Farmers Commission Chairman Dr GS Kalkat says it is up to manufacturers of paddy transplanters to provide the nursery for the same. He says the experiment has not taken off in Punjab because of this reason alone. He says though the Chinese machine is cost-effective at Rs 2 lakh, some farmers feel it covers very less area of 3 acres a day compared with the Japanese machines that covers eight to 10 acres, but costs Rs 10 lakh. In the meantime, farmers remain dependent on migrant labour to transplant paddy in 26 lakh hectares of land.
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Kairon asks Centre to supply gunny bags
Chandigarh, July 5 Kairon said several states, including Punjab, had faced problems during the rabi season because of the short supply of gunny bales. He said for hassle-free procurement of paddy, the state had requested the Union Government for new jute bags by September 30. He said the Centre had said that only 5.9 lakh jute bales could be supplied to Punjab, leaving a gap of 1.81 lakh bales. Apprehending a shortage of gunny bales, Kairon said he had met Union Food Minister KV Thomas and urged him to direct the departments concerned for the speedy supply of jute bags to the state. He said that the state government was constantly monitoring the supplies and would impress upon the Centre for timely supply of jute bags in the interest of farmers.
— TNS
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BBMB may reduce supply to partner states
Chandigarh, July 5 BBMB chairman AB Agrawal said he had held a meeting with chief engineers of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan to apprise them of the situation and it was decided that cut on water being released for irrigation would be undertaken if the monsoon did not get activated by then. The situation would be reviewed on July 10, he said. Agrwawal said there had been slight rainfall in the catchment area of the Bhakra dam, which had resulted in a slight increase in water level.
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Amritsar-Srinagar flight from July 12
Amritsar, July 5 Sri Guru Ramdas Jee International Airport Director Sunil Dutt said it was after considerable persuasion and making the airline's management understand the immense business potential of the route that the airline diversified its maiden operation from Amritsar. He said he did not know when the flight between Amritsar and Srinagar was stopped, but it was leant that Indian Airlines used to once fly on this route. It was a long pending demand of the passengers, businessmen, tourist operators and travel agents to connect the picturesque Valley, a vital tourist destination, with the holy city. Earlier, national career Air India used to fly the flight from Amritsar to Srinagar which was a hit among the passengers. Punjab Small-Scale Industries Board Director Raman Gupta said traditionally, Amritsar had been the trade route to supply all kinds of material from the rest of India to the Kashmir Valley and back. Tour and travel agent Gunbir Singh said sale of tickets on the Amritsar-Srinagar route had started. He said the airline was offering a ticket between Rs 3,300 and Rs 3,600 for an hour-long journey. However, the same journey by road takes about 15 hours. Besides, SpiceJet would operate a twice a day flight between Amritsar and Delhi. Time to takeoff
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Baba Ramdev for memorial
Amritsar, July 5 Talking to mediapersons, Baba Ramdev said there should not be any politics on this issue. He said everyone should respect the decision to raise the memorial while expressing hope that it would be a historic monument.
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Compromise no basis to quash criminal case: HC
Chandigarh, July 5 The judgment by Justice Daya Chaudhary is significant as it marks a departure from the standard practice of quashing FIRs on the basis of compromise. It came on a petition filed by Sukhjinder Singh alias Tittu, an absconder in a rape case for the past more than two decades. He had moved the court for quashing of FIR dated January 29, 1988, under Sections 366, 376, 342, 302, 201 and 34 of the IPC at the Bhogpur Police Station in Jalandhar. The petition was filed, even as four co-accused were convicted and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. The prosecution's case was that one of the victims, aged about 13, could not tolerate the "bestial act and ultimately lost her life". But her father was pressurised to not to inform the police. The other victim, aged 15 at the time of the incident, turned complainant in the case. Counsel for the petitioner contended before the High Court that a compromise has been struck between the petitioner and the complainant. As such, the FIR and the subsequent proceedings may be quashed. Counsel for the complainant endorsed the arguments. Justice Chaudhary, on the other hand, asserted: "It was a dark day for the complainant when she was raped by the petitioner and co-convicts…. "If the offences for which a prosecution is being launched is an offence against the society and not merely an individual wrong, criminal proceedings cannot be quashed". Justice Chaudhary added the offence by the petitioner was against the society "therefore, the compromise arrived at between the complainant and the petitioner has no effect on the present petition". Dismissing the petition, Justice Chaudhary added: A person, who evades arrest for over 21 years, has now approached this court. In case this petition is allowed, it would be a slap on the face of the judicial system". The petition
The judgment If the offences for which a prosecution is being launched is an offence against the society and not merely an individual wrong, criminal proceedings cannot be quashed...A person, who evades arrest for over 21 years, has now approached this court. In case this petition is allowed, it would be a slap on the face of the judicial system. — Justice Daya Chaudhary
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Ensure protection to couple, Punjab told
Chandigarh, July 5 For the High Court, hearing petitions for protection filed by runaway couple is usual. But, it was nothing less than a departure from convention when advocate Kamaljeet Singh Sidhu presented a petition against the State of Punjab, Fazilka Senior Superintendent of Police and other respondents for protecting the unusual couple. Justice M.M.S. Bedi has issued a notice of motion on their plea and issued directions for ensuring that the couple is not harassed. In the bizarre petition, Sidhu asserted that about four or five years ago, both petitioners fell in love with each other. At that time, Sushil Raj of Khuian Sarver in Fazilka district too was a girl. As the relation between both girls was not socially recognised, Sushil decided to undergo surgeries for the change of gender. After that, the two approached Mamta's brother and father. But, they refused to accept their relationship as Sushil Raj was "not born as a boy". Keeping under wraps their plans, the two tied the knot on June 24, 2011, at an Arya Samaj Mandir in Jodhpur. At that time, Mamta was working as a nurse and Sushil as a doctor with a Jaipur hospital. They then tried to settle in Khuian Sarver in Abohar tehsil, but their relatives started threatening them. Approaching the police did not help. Instead of protecting them, the policemen started questioning their right to marry and stay together as Dr Raj was born as a girl. They even threatened to implicate the petitioners under Section 377 of the IPC. Justice Bedi asserted that Dr Raj after conversion of sex is alleged to have married Mamta. A certificate has also been attached for reassignment surgery as the petitioner was suffering from gender dysphoria syndrome. "The life and liberty of the petitioners will not be interfered by any of the respondents and they will not be taken in custody forcibly by any of the respondents," Justice Bedi ruled.
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Couple done to death Raikot, July 5 While Kulwant's body was fished out of a canal near Ghalia Khurd that of Jagtar is yet to be found. A police team led by SHO Dilbagh Singh, has arrested Gurpal Singh and two of his accomplices, Gurmeet Singh and Gurjant Singh Janta. Apprehending danger to their life, Jagtar and Kulwant would keep moving from one place to another. They had temporarily settled in a locality here about 10 days ago. Jagtar’s family had finally accepted the two as a couple. The police began investigations after Jagtar’s father Gurcharan Singh lodged a complaint.
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Faridkot, July 5
Observing that a large body like the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) “can’t be left high and dry” and allowed to be run on an ad hoc basis for long, the Supreme Court today clarified that it would not allow anything “fishy” in the proposed elections.
A Bench comprising Justices RM Lodha and Anil Dave asked the Directorate of Gurdwara Election, the Lt Governor and the Delhi Government to file reports within three weeks, giving details about the exercise undertaken to revise the electoral rolls and the date of publication.
Mohali, July 5
However, sources claim it was not for the first time that funds to run the scheme were being delayed. 
The state government has decided to increase the per-child allocation under the mid-day meal scheme from July 8. The revised rates are Rs 3.36 per child for students of Class I-V and Rs 4.99 per child for Class VI-VIII. Earlier, the rates were Rs 3.17 and Rs 4.75, respectively.
Several teachers have filed writ petitions in the High Court for having been uprooted to create space for those with links with the
netas. “As most teachers come from urban areas, they do not want to be posted in rural areas,” said Bhagirath Ram, a history teacher who has moved the High Court after he was shifted from Kotkapura to Matta village. He said a large number of village schools faced shortage of teachers whereas there was surplus staff in urban the cities. Government schools in Punjab saw a large number of transfers from July 2011 to December 2011, months before the assembly elections till the poll code came into force.
The Punjab Government has finally got approval from the Environment Impact Assessment Committee allowing mining in 25 quarries with an area of over 5 hectares.The state can now allow mining operations on over 10,800 acres of land.