The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	State to have vocational courses at school level Pilot project to be launched in 40 schools soon Ravinder Saini Jhajjar, July 26 Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal has said that Haryana will be the first state of the country to initiate vocational courses for the students at school level along with other academic courses. Bhukkal stated this while interacting with mediapersons after listening to public grievances at her house here. She said vocational courses would soon be launched in 40 Government Senior Secondary Schools of the state as a pilot project. “The level of school education in Haryana is constantly rising under which these vocational courses will be made available to the students of Class IX to Class XII. These vocational courses will definitely enhance employment opportunities for the students,” said the minister. Bhukkal said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had recently announced to establish a Government College for Women at Bahu village here. Executing his directions, the Education Department would start its classes on the campus of Government Girls Senior Secondary School at Bahu from August 1, she added. In reply to a question, the minister said the state government had already placed the orders to provide dual desks amounting to Rs 100 crore for the sitting arrangement of the students in all the government schools of the state. “Around 20,000 dual desks are being provided in schools which will ensure that students in the government schools no more sit on the ground,” said she. In response to another question, Bhukkal said all formalities had been completed to initially start a state-level Teacher Training Institute on the campus of the model school here from the next academic session. Besides, the process of recruiting on thousands of posts of PGT teacher had already been started and it would be completed before the deadline fixed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, she maintained. The state government had also decided to provide tool kits to students of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) at the time of their admission so that they could sharpen their skills during training period. Similarly, sewing machines would also be given to the girls enrolled in the cutting and tailoring trade during the training period itself, the minister added. “Earlier, the tool kits and sewing machines were given to the students after the completion of their training. Now, the same will be given at the time of admission and during training,” said Bhukkal, adding that the move aimed at improving the quality of education so that the next generation did not have to face the brunt of unemployment.
	Paddy plantation suffers due to poor rainfall BSMalik Sonepat, July 26 Despite all efforts of the farmers, who are using diesel pumping sets and are making the best possible use of electricity supplies for running their tube wells, the poor monsoon during the past one month has adversely affected paddy plantation in the district. The Agriculture Department said around 58,000 hectares of the area had been brought under paddy plantation against the season’s target of 90,000 hectares. During the same period in the past years, the area under paddy plantation was around 73,000 hectares against a target of 90,000 hectares. Jagdish Malik, technical assistant of the department, said the average rainfall during last month was only 55 mm against 84 mm last year in the same month. He added that the canal water supplies had been lean during the previous 15 days and it also delayed paddy plantation in the district. “The district has started getting canal water supplies for the last three or four days and it will bring some relief to the farmers,” he added. However, Krishan and Balwan Singh, farmers of Juan village, Mehar Singh of Lalheri, Raghubir of Jahri and Kitab Singh and Bhoop Singh of Rajlu Garhi said in the present circumstances, it had become difficult for the farmers to save the already planted paddy. “We have spent a lot of money on inputs, including diesel, and if there is no rain within a week, we may be forced to plough the fields ourselves,” farmers said. The farmers urged the government to ensure maximum supplies of electricity and canal water for irrigating the planted fields and to complete paddy plantation in some of the remaining fields.
	Farmers told to adopt modern agricultural techniques DR Vij Kurukshetra, July 26 Deputy Commissioner Mandeep Singh Brar, in a statement released to mediapersons here yesterday, had advised the farmers in the district that besides growing routine crops, they should also cultivate fruits, flowers, vegetables and medicinal plants to strengthen their economic condition. Brar said by doing so, they would get good crop, which would fetch handsome income. When crops are sown by the rotation system, it increases the fertility of the land. He appealed to the farmers to adopt modern agricultural techniques for their prosperity and it is necessary that they should educate their families to have knowledge regarding the adoption of new agricultural techniques and the use of good quality seeds, fertilisers and pesticides. The Deputy Commissioner said the state government had appointed agriculture experts in its agriculture departments, Krishi Gyan Kendras and horticulture departments and the farmers could get maximum benefit by getting advice from these experts.
	Contaminated drinking water supply in Sonepat BS Malik Sonepat, July 26 The residents of the town are at the receiving end because of the unsolved problems relating to overflowing of sewer lines and supply of contaminated drinking water for the past many months. Despite repeated complaints to the authorities, there has not been a permanent solution to the problems. The condition of one of the main roads linking the Rohtak road with the Kakroi road in the town is the worst. The road remains waterlogged for want of proper drainage as well as due to unstopped overflowing of the sewer lines. It is difficult even for the two-wheelers to cross this road these days. The road was constructed with the purpose to use it for diversion of vehicles and also to ease the flow of traffic on many other roads in the town. Sewer overflow is very common in the localities around Kalupur Chungi, near Idgah Colony, near the bus stand, Mehlana road, Sikka colony and the local public health authorities have failed to find a permanent solution to the problem. The residents of half a dozen residential localities, including Jain Bagh colony, the locality between Shani Mandir and Sarang road, Idgah Colony, Sunder Sawari Basti, Sardaron Wali Gali and Prem Nagar, are the victims of the supply of contaminated drinking water every now and then. When the residents complain, they get temporary relief only. Reacting to the problems, BJP legislator from Sonepat Kavita Jain criticised officers of the department concerned for not redressing public grievances promptly. The residents were left with no other option except to stage dharnas and protests to get their grievances heard, she said, adding that the roads, electricity and drinking water supply and the sewer system in the town were in a very bad shape. OP Goyal, Superintendent Engineer, Public Health Department, explained that because of power shortage, the sewer-treatment plant (STP) of 30 MLD capacity could not be kept operational because of shortage of power and it results in reducing the flow of sewerage water in the pipe lines. He said the milk dairies opened in the residential localities were also another reason for blocking of the sewer lines as these were not technically designed for carrying cow dung along with other waste. The new sewer pipelines were being laid on the diversion road between the Rohtak road and the Kakroi road and this work would be completed within three or four days, he added. Regarding supply of contaminated drinking water, Executive Engineer Rajiv Gupta said, “There can be faults in the department pipelines also and such complaints are being attended to promptly.”
	Absence of cops at busy points leads to traffic chaos Bijendra Ahlawat Tribune News Service Rohtak, July 26 The traffic control system in the city appears to be dogged by a sharp difference between the theory and practice regarding the rules on the road. What the officials seem to be preaching to others have perhaps failed to ensure the implementation of the same resulting in chaos on the roads here. "The police officials had a taste of the chaos last evening when an official vehicle of a senior police officer got stuck at the busy Ashoka Chowk here last evening and the policemen had a tough time to get the vehicle steered off from here," said an eyewitness. The eyewitness said there was no policeman at the busy crossing at that time and this led to this development. He added that minor accidents and scuffles were common at this place, which was located in the heart of the city. Though a policeman is supposed to remain present at the spot during the day time, but the policeman on duty tend to shirk the job due to the scorching heat, he claimed. There are 15 points in the city, which remain congested and choked, especially in the peak hours, but absence of policemen at the main crossings results in traffic jams most of the time. "The Bhiwani bus stand here, which is located at the culmination point of three important roads remains choked and proves a bottleneck to the motorists wishing to pass from here," said Rakesh Kumar, a shopkeeper of the Quilla Road. He said several accidents had taken place at the main road due to severe traffic congestion in the past few months.
	Beggars throng Gurgaon’s mini-secretariat building ‘They can’t keep their office in order, what about the city?’ Sumedha Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 26 While they bear the baton of improving the millennium city’s fate, top officials, including city Deputy Commissioner PC Meena, have apparently failed to set things right in their official abode, the mini-secretariat. Much to the dismay and inconvenience of hundreds of visitors coming here, beggars especially children throng each and every floor and counter of the building. Giving two hoots to the security system, around 50 of these beggars have an easy access to all floors and public windows where they make an easy living by persuading hundreds here to part with money. Interestingly these exceptionally trained children not only work in shifts to beg here but have also got their tailor-cut dialogues. “I and my brother hang around here as a lot of people come here and we get to make easy money. We tell people in the queue that if they donate anything then they will have their turn soon or otherwise work will be stuck for days. This always works,” said 12-year-old Suman, a beggar. “It was a shock for me. I am an NRI and have a flat in Sushant Lok. I had always expected the local administration office to be like swanky malls here but unfortunately things are pathetic. I went to the DC’s office for some work and had to wait on the first floor. Within minutes, I had these two children stalking me for alms,” said Suvina Kapoor. “These children have made this long queue feel more tortuous. I am standing here with loads of papers and this little girl is continuously pulling my pocket asking for money. It is so irritating and moreover there is none to shoo them away. They can’t keep their office in order, what about the city?” added Suresh Kumar, who was waiting for his turn at the Tehsil Computer Centre on the first floor.
	State to implement Swadhar Greh Yojana for women Bhanu P Lohumi Tribune News Service Karnal/Panipat/Kurukshetra, July 26 On the back foot after the Apna Ghar episode in Rohtak, the state government has decided to implement the centrally sponsored Swadhar Greh Yojana to help women in distress. The scheme, an amalgamation of earlier Swadhar and short home stay schemes, was approved by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Welfare on July 29, 2011, but most of the states were not enthusiastic about its implementation. However, the increasing number of complaints about malfunctioning of Nari Niketan and Mahila Swadhar Greh made the government implement the scheme which envisages funding from the Centre to the tune of 75 per cent while the remaining expenditure on running the swadhar greh would be contributed by the state, an official spokesperson said. The scheme also aimed at enabling them to regain their emotional strength, provide them legal aid and guidance to enable them readjust in family/society, rehabilitate them economically and emotionally, act as a support system and prepare them to start their life afresh with dignity and conviction. Under the scheme, new swadhar greh will be set up in every district with a capacity of 30 women to cater to the primary need of shelter, food, clothing, medical treatment and care of the women in distress, who have no social and economic support. For cities with the population of more than 40 lakh, one or more swadhar grehs can be established and its capacity can be expanded up to 50 or 100 on the basis of need. The benefit of the scheme can be availed by deserted women without family support and above 18 years of age, widows, survivors of natural disasters, rendered homeless, women with HIV AIDS, prisoners released from jail and not accepted by the family, victims of domestic violence, family tension or discord, and those forced to leave their homes without any means of subsistence and no special protection to save them from exploitation. Trafficked women rescued or runaway from brothels or other places can also take shelter in swadhar greh. Women affected by domestic violence can stay up to one year while for other categories of women, the period of stay can be up to three years. Women above the age of 55 may be accommodated for maximum period of five years after which they will have to shift to old age homes or other institutions. Besides government departments and agencies, public trusts and reputed NGOs with proven track record can also run swadhar greh and get financial assistance from the government. The quantum of financial assistance was Rs 1 lakh per inmate subject to a maximum of 30 inmates in a swadhar greh.
	NUCLEAR POWER Chautala, Bishnoi indulging in ‘doublespeak’ Tribune News Service Fatehabad, July 26 Chief parliamentary secretary Prahlad Singh Gillankhera today accused opposition leaders Om Prakash Chautala and Kuldeep Bishnoi of “doublespeak” on the issue of nuclear power. Addressing people after the inauguration of Shri Sai Complete Dental Care Centre here today, Gillankhera alleged that Chautala, his two sons as well as Kuldeep Bishnoi spent at least six months in a year in western countries and did not tire of speaking about round the clock supply of power there, which was largely due to nuclear power plants. “Chuatalas and Bishnoi do not find any fear of radiation while spending time in those countries, but when they come to Haryana, they spread unscientific canards about the upcoming nuclear power plant in Gorakhpur,” Gillankhera said. Terming both Chautalas and Bishnoi as retrogressive in their approach, the chief parliamentary secretary wondered that when there were power cuts due to scarcity of electricity, the opposition leaders instigated people to lock powerhouses and block highways. Now, when the government was in the process of setting up a prestigious power project at Gorakhpur, these leaders were again misleading farmers to oppose it.
	Gurgaon IT Department launches Aaykar Sampark Kendra facility Over one lakh taxpayers likely to benefit this year Tribune News Service Gurgaon, July 26 Much to the delight of thousands of taxpayers in city, the Income Tax Department has launched Aaykar Sampark Kendra (ASK), a new software-based facility to aid in return filing and other services. According to the plan, a user will have to simply login to www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in and download the required ITR Form. The return can then be prepared offline, uploaded and signed digitally. After this, one can print the acknowledgement form to complete the process. The online system also allows taxpayers to check the status 10 days after filing the ITR. E-filing has already been made mandatory for all companies and individual taxpayers who need be audited under the Income Tax Act. With the help of the centralised ASK software, a taxpayer gets necessary information like the area of jurisdiction, etc. It will also do away with manual stamping of files which is a time-consuming task. Now, electronic stamping with bar-coding has not only fastened this process but also made it more foolproof. Over one lakh taxpayers in Gurgaon, including the corporates, are likely to benefit from the ASK initiative this year. “We want to create a single information point for the taxpayers. The software will solve all the tax-related queries and problems faced by people. The time spent by a taxpayer with an official for seeking information will drastically come down,” said DS Kalyan, income tax commissioner (Gurgaon range). Besides, the department has also installed token machines to avoid rush at the counters and information kiosk machines. These booths will provide all the information with the help of a 10-digit PAN number. For senior citizens and women, the local office has earmarked a separate lounge. A helpline number will soon be announced for the taxpayers. Besides, corporate firms will also benefit as a representative will collect the forms and get the ITR filed. A separate officer will be deployed for bulk filing - for 500 individuals.
	State Crime Records Bureau to start website Move aimed at providing relief to victims of crime Bhanu P. Lohumi Tribune News Service Madhuban (Karnal), July 26 In yet another initiative to provide relief to the victims of crime, the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) would provide detailed and updated information about the legal and administrative measures taken by the government for their rehabilitation and providing them relief. "The victims of crime are unaware of these provisions and don't get the relief they are entitled to. This website, to be launched by July-end, would be a compendium for them", said Laik Ram Dabas, Director, SCRB. During the past few years, the Union government has made provisions to provide succour to the victims of heinous crimes, especially crime against women and accidents, on humanitarian grounds and made legal and administrative provisions. But surveys conducted by the government revealed that people in the rural areas had very little or no knowledge about these measures and were unable to avail of the benefits, he added. The new website, scrbsahayata.com, contains a detailed list of crimes in which the victims are entitled to relief/compensation and all information about the application form, procedures and how to apply for relief has been given. The website would be updated every 24 hours. A survey conducted by the SCRB shows that on an average there are 5,000 such crimes in an year where the victim is entitled to a compensation but due to lack of awareness only three per cent apply for the same. Dabas urged the people in general and crime victims in particular to access the website to help them get relief.
	Swaran Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna renamed Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, July 26 The Swaran Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna is now the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). SK Sharma, a consultant in the Haryana Rural Development Institute, Nilokheri, addressed a seminar on the NRLM here recently. Various bankers from the district, veterinarians, officials of the Agriculture Department, doctors and officials of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) attended the seminar. “The Ministry of Rural Development has decided to redesign and restructure the ongoing Swarn Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) into the National Livelihood Mission (NRLM). The idea has been conceived as a cornerstone of national poverty reduction strategy,” said Sharma. The objective of the mission is to reduce poverty among rural BPL by promoting diversified and gainful self-employment and wage employment opportunities, which would lead to an appreciable increase in income on sustainable basis. The rural livelihoods mission is proposed to have a three-tier interdependent structure. At the apex of the structure will be the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, under the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. At the state level, there will be an umbrella organisation under the State Department of Rural Development/ Department, which is responsible for implementing self-employment/rural livelihoods promotion programmes. The state-level mission with dedicated professionals and domain experts under the State Department of Rural Department will be guided financially, technically and supported by the NRLM on need basis. The NRLM will have multi-pronged approach to strengthen livelihoods of the rural poor by promoting self-help groups (SHGs), improving existing occupations, providing skill development and placement and other activities thereof. The training and capacity building, deployment of multidisciplinary experts and other initiatives will enhance the credit worthiness of the rural poor.
	Chief Secy for regular deposition of EPF, ESI Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 26 Haryana Chief Secretary PK Chaudhery has directed that all drawing and disbursing officers will ensure the regular deposition of EPF and ESI contribution of the workers in their accounts. The Chief Secretary was presiding over the review meeting of the action taken report on the demands of the Sarva Karamchari Sangh here. The Chief Secretary recently reviewed the steps taken by various departments on the directions given by the Chief Minister. Chaudhery said it was the responsibility of the principal employer to ensure deposition of EPF and ESI contribution of the workers in their accounts. He directed for taking strict action against the contractor through whom the employees were being hired for any anomalies in their audit for not depositing employees’ contribution.
	Sex ratio issue to be treated at grassroots level in state Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Fatehabad, July 26 Alarmed at the lack of improvement in the skewed sex ratio scenario, the government has decided to tackle the problem at the grassroots level rather than applying corrective measures from the top. After directions from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the state government has decided to discuss female foeticide at meetings of the gram sabha, which will be organised for this purpose alone. The Haryana Government has written to all the districts to convene special gram sabha meetings and constitute mahila sabhas of village voters for this purpose.“The issues like declining sex ratio, the impact of having more men than women, the illegality of sex determination of foetus and female foeticide will be discussed at the special gram sabha meetings,” Fatehabad Deputy Commissioner ML Kaushik said. The mahila sabha will hold regular meetings and will review actions taken in this regard. The panchayat will convene the mahila sabha meetings, consisting of all the women voters, to explain to them the actions taken for improving sex ratio. The impact of having lower number of women on the social order and well being of adults will be discussed at the meetings. Sex determination is possible only after three months of pregnancy. In a case where a pregnant woman, who registers with anganwari centres or with the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) of the village, goes for sex determination after three months, it will be brought to the notice of panchayat. A ward member, preferably a female, will be the chairperson of the anganwari centre monitoring committee. She will closely monitor the registration of pregnant mothers, child birth, immunisation and other activities and will report the findings in the gram panchayat meeting. At the gram sabha meeting, women, who are committed to the cause of saving the girl child will be selected as volunteers. They will keep a tab on mothers to see that the touts or agents do not come and women do not go for sex determination. If they do so, the volunteer will accompany them to the clinic and will ensure that nothing illegal happens.
	Trinity of trees planted on Van Mahotsav Bhanu P Lohumi Tribune News Service Karnal, July 26 This time Van Mahotsav was with a difference at Madhuban Police Academy as cops revived the ancient tradition of planting trinity of Neem, Peepal and Bargad trees. These three trees are having an auspicious place in the Hindu mythology due to their utility. All the members of the community policing planted one tree each during the plantation drive, which was launched by Balbir Singh, IGP, Karnal Range. Explaining the importance of these plants, Balbir Singh said according to the Hindu belief, Lord Vishnu resided in the Peepal and it was worshipped because it sustained life by giving oxygen day and night. He said Lord Brahma’s abode was in the Bargad (Banyan) tree, about which the scientists also agreed that it emited maximum quantity of oxygen and kept the environment clean. Many life saving Ayurvedic drugs are also prepared from this tree. Lord Mahesh (Shiva) lives in the Neem tree and it is useful in the preparation of medicines and due to this attribute some western countries even tried to get the Neem patented. The cops were asked about the need to plant trees to keep the environment pollution free and increase the green cover. “Only planting the tree is not sufficient, we must nurture the plant and ensure its survival,” Singh added. The IGP said the community policing committee was doing good work for the welfare of public and tree plantation was another such activity, aimed at maintaining a sustainable environment.
	‘Impose ban on gutkha, exempt tobacco products’ Suman Bhatnagar Ambala, July 26 The All-India Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association has pleaded with the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to impose a ban on the sale of gutkha and spare the other tobacco products. Going one step ahead, the Haryana Government has announced a ban on the manufacturing and sale of tobacco and tobacco products from August 15. The president of the association, Anil Gupta, said that tobacco does not fall within the purview of the Food Safety and Standards Act under which sale of gutkha has been banned. It comes under the Tobacco Control Act, 2003, for whose implementation permission of the Union Government is required. “The state governments of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar and Kerala and a few other states have put a ban only on the sale of gutkha on the advice of the Union Government,” he said. Himachal Pardesh has deferred the ban till October 2 and will take a final decision after holding a meeting with gutkha dealers. He said if the government wanted to make Haryana tobacco free, it should ban the sale of cigarettes, too. Anubhav Aggarwal, a leading manufacturer of gutkha and tobacco in Ambala, said cigarettes and liquor were equally harmful to health. He said tobacco products should be exempted from the ban; otherwise it would encourage black marketing. He said there should be uniformity in all states in imposition of the ban. Moreover, around 5,000 people associated with about two dozen tobacco and gutkha manufacturing factories in the state would be rendered jobless. The state receives 22 per cent VAT and 6 per cent share in the central excise duty in gutkha and tobacco products. Although, loss in revenue will be around Rs 100 crore after the ban, it would save the younger generation from the bad effects of tobacco.
	Two Karnal students make it to NASA camp Bhanu P Lohumi/TNS Karnal, July 26 Carrying forward the legacy of Indo-American astronaut Kalpna Chawala, two students from Tagore Bal Niketan Senior Secondary School, Karnal, have been invited to represent India at a 15-day long summer session of the International Summer Space School Foundation. Kalpana Chawla died in the Columbian space shuttle disaster on February 1, 2003, shortly before the shuttle was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission. Priyanka and Jashandeep Kaur of the 15th successive batch from Tagore school flew for NASA and will return to India on August 8. NASA invites students from all the countries for a two-week astronaut’s camp every year. These two students of Tagore school will be the 29th and the 30th students from the school to represent India. During the camp Priyanka and Jashandeep Kaur will prepare a model based on activities in space and will interact with other foreign delegates to acquaint them with the Indian culture and traditions. As many as 40 students from 15 countries will participate in the summer programme and will present a glimpse of their cultural heritage through dance or plays. Rajan Lamba, the Principal of the school, said the illustrious Chawla was also an alumnus of the school.
	Power nigam to launch anti-theft campaign Tribune News Service Hisar, July 26 The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam will launch a special campaign to recover arrears of power bills, replacing defective meters and check theft of electricity to bring down the rate of aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses. The decision was taken at a meeting of senior officers of the nigam chaired by Ajit Mohan Sharan, Additional Chief Secretary, Power Department, Haryana, and Chairman, Haryana Power Utilities. Sharan asked the officers to chalk out a strategy for recovery of amount from the connected and disconnected defaulting consumers. He said targets of recovery of defaulting amount had already been given to the officers. He said theft of electricity was a major reason of interruptions in power supply and caused a huge loss to the nigam. After detection of theft, an FIR must be lodged with the police, he said. Big consumers and the consumers whose connections had recently been disconnected should be especially checked for possible theft of power. Amit Agrawal, managing director, underlined the priorities of the nigam and said that DHBVN was a commercial organisation, so all officials should work like professionals of a commercial organisation. There should be no connected defaulting consumer. He gave targets to the officers to either recover the defaulting amount or disconnect supply to the defaulting consumer. Agrawal said the metering system should be correct and efficient. He asked the officers to replace all defective meters under a campaign in a phased manner. Meters of all the government connections should also be checked and the defective ones should be replaced immediately.
	Long-route trains from Hisar Tribune News Service Hisar, July 26 The railways has decided to set up a washing line at the local railway station which will pave the way for starting long-route trains to and from here. Divisional Railway Manager SS Gupta, who stopped over here for a brief while yesterday, said the washing line would be set up near the Surya Nagar railway crossing where sufficient space and underground water was available. Gupta said the availability of good quality water was a must for setting up a washing line as the entire train had to be washed and spruced up for a long journey. Luckily, the underground water at the proposed site made the grade. He said the railways had been planning to improve train services to this region for long but that required improvement of the rail infrastructure. The washing line would meet a pre-requisite for long-route trains to come to Hisar. The tender for the line had already been floated and it was expected to be completed in about a year.
	Cyber cafes, malls told to review security Manish Sirhindi Tribune News Service Ambala, July 26 The district authorities have asked banks and owners of malls, cyber cafes, and hotels to install security equipment on their premises in order to check preventable crimes. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rural) Naazneen Bhasin said these establishments have been told to make certain that CCTV cameras with ample storage facilities to maintain recordings of at least 15 days should be installed on their premises along with appointing security guards. The DCP said the possibility of some anti-social elements or terrorists using cyber cafes to mislead security agencies and create panic in the public could not be ruled out and, therefore, the owners of all the cyber cafes had also been asked to keep a copy of the ID proof of anyone using the Internet facility and to maintain proper records. The hoteliers had also been asked to maintain a proper record of all those staying on their premises. Besides, the DCP has also directed the mobile operators to make certain that no connections were issued without proper verification of the credentials of the customer especially in case of foreign nationals. The DCP said any person found violating the directions would face stern action according to the provisions of the Section 188 of the IPC.
	Karnal NGO at AIDS conference in US Tribune News Service Karnal, July 26 Over 10,000 delegates and people from across the globe visited the National Integrated Forum of Artists and Activists (NIFAA) booth, representing India’s award-winning paintings highlighting social issues like AIDS, at an art exhibition, organised as part of the 19th International AIDS Conference at Washington DC. The exhibition was organised under the aegis of International AIDS Society and with the support of UNAIDS. The exhibition was expected to draw 25,000 people from about 190 countries, including politicians, scientists and activists, and an estimated 34 million people living with HIV were expected to tell their stories. “Although hundreds of delegates, including government officers, AIDS councillors and AIDS activists are participating in this prestigious AIDS conference, yet an NGO, NIFAA, has made a huge impact at the exhibition,” NIFFA Chairman Pritpal Singh Pannu said on phone from the US. NIFAA hoisted the National Flag at its booth to the delight of the Indian community in the US.
	BSNL launches video telephony services in state Tribune News Service Ambala, July 26 Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), along with information and communication technologies provider Sai Infosystem, recently launched a voice and video telephony service over Internet protocol for its customers in the state. The service which was launched from Ambala is already covering 10 states in the country and is soon likely to be introduced in Jammu and Kashmir. “It enables users to make audio-video calls on any landline, mobile or Internet protocol phone anywhere in the world, provided that both ends have the requisite video phone equipment,” GK Upadhyay, chief general manager, Telecome of Haryana circle, said. While interacting with mediapersons, Upadhyay said the video communication was highly affordable compared to the conventional videoconferencing services. He said the BSNL was also making special arrangements with leading international carriers to ensure that consumers always reached their international destinations easily and at most affordable rates.
	Drive to check domestic violence Tribune News Service Faridabad, July 26 In order to check incidents of family disputes, domestic violence and infringement of womens’ rights, the District Red Cross Society has decided to launch an awareness campaign in Faridabad from next month. The proposed campaign would take place under the aegis of Family Counselling Centre of the society. DR Sharma, secretary of the society, said the members of the Family Counselling Centre were concerned over atrocities against women. He said awareness camps would be held in villages with the help of elected representatives of local bodies. Camps would be organised in colleges also to motivate students against social evils, he added. The society has also decided to provide free legal aid to the women, who are subjected to domestic violence, or whose rights have been trampled upon.
	Decision on pensioners Chandigarh, July 26 The Haryana Government has decided to allow its pensioners to carry forward the facility of one month's pension as travel concession to December 31 if they have not utilised it during the block of four years from 2008-2011. An official spokesman said here recently that one month’s pension as travel concession for visiting any place in the country was admissible to the state government's pensioners in a block of four years. He said the first block was 2008-11 and subsequent blocks would be 2012-15, 2016-19 and 2020-23. In case pensioners did not utilise this facility during the first block of four years, they could do so in the first year of the next block of four years up to December 31. —PTI
	Peacocks die due to unknown disease Chandigarh, July 26 Peacocks are dying at Palwal in Haryana due to an unknown disease and the Forest Department was waiting for the report from the Veterinary College at Hisar on the cause of their death. Some peacocks were reported dead due to an unknown disease at Ahrawa village in Palwal district during the past two weeks, an official spokesman said here recently. He said Palwal Deputy Commissioner had directed the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department Deputy Director to find the actual cause of death of peacocks. Stating the exact number of birds dead could not be immediately ascertained, the spokesman said two peacocks were sent to Delhi by the Forest Department for treatment as indoor facility was not available at Palwal, but they succumbed to the disease. The bodies of the two National Birds were sent to the Veterinary College, Hisar, to know the exact cause of their death. — PTI
	Movie This Week Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum Directed by: Sachin Yardi Shot in Goa and Mumbai, “Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum” is a sequel to the comedy film “Kya Kool Hain Hum”. The film, produced by Balaji Motion Pictures, releases today all over. It stars Riteish Deshmukh, Tusshar Kapoor, Sarah Jane Dias and Neha Sharma, along with Anupam Kher and Chunkey Pandey. Director Rohit Shetty will be seen playing a shy director in this rib-tickling sex comedy. The keenly awaited sequel of the comedy blockbuster “Kya Kool Hain Hum” brings together Tusshar Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh for yet another barrel of laughs. Riteish and Tusshar have gone completely retro for the dance number “dil garden garden...”, which will take audience back to the 70s. This comedy film will hit the screens today at Fame Shalimar, KC (Panchkula), Sun City - Hisar, Fun, Minerwa (Ambala), Hind - Kaithal, PVR Sahara, PVR MGF, PVR Ambience, SRS OMAXE, SRS Wedding, INOX, DT Star Mall, DTCC, DTMM (Gurgaon), SRS Pristine, SRS Shubham, Parsav Nath City Mall (Faridabad), Fun, Cinemax (Panipat), Movie Time - Karnal, Glitz - Kurukshetra, Satyam, Bangar (Rohtak), BMG, Radhika (Rewari), Dimple - Jagadhri. — Dharam Pal A still from “Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum”