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SC/BC students find
it difficult to get govt grant
Nothing wrong in levying taxes: CM
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Patiala Mayor aspirants make last-ditch efforts
Apiculturist scripts sweet success story
Jolt to Cong ahead of Capt's rally
Water level in Bhakra dam still low
Won’t pay revised taxes: Palace owners
Sikhs intensify effort to reconstruct historic shrine
Will quit if evening courts continue, say lawyers
Farmers press govt to pass debt relief bill
City Centre scam: Prosecution concludes arguments; next hearing on Sept 15
Shivali case: 5 inquiries, still no arrest
Inspector an offender in kidnapping case
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SC/BC students find
it difficult to get govt grant
Ferozepur, September 8 With such category of students finding it difficult to open a bank account, funds earmarked for this purpose will lapse if not disbursed by the end of the year. Sources said the orders were necessitated to avoid misappropriation while disbursing the scholarship amount in cash. There were allegations that the money was either pocketed by disbursing officials or released only after some “facilitation fee” was paid. Jaswant Singh, chief of the Education Reforms Committee, said the department took policy decisions after getting suggestions from the schools. But the suggestions remained only on paper and were hardly followed, he added. The post-matric scholarship to SC students, having family income up to Rs 1 lakh per annum, has been fixed at Rs 140 per month plus Rs 558 per annum. In the BC category, the scholarship is Rs 160 per month for students with family income of Rs 1 lakh. An additional Rs 50 per month is given to girl students having a family income up to Rs 60,925 per annum. The scholarship amount is to be given to 15-20 lakh students through online banking system. Jaswant Singh said teachers of 20,000 primary schools of the state had been trying to open the bank accounts of these students since June 2012. But despite their efforts, the accounts of not even 50 per cent of the students had been opened till date, he said. "Without ID proof, the accounts cannot be opened and none of the banks is ready to open the accounts with 'zero balance'. Moreover, there are certain branches in villages which do not have the core-banking system (CBS), further affecting the exercise," he added. "The scheme is thus rendered almost defunct as a large number of beneficiaries have not been receiving a single penny for a long period," he claimed. The committee has urged the department to release the amount directly to the schools against a receipt as per the previous practice to avoid the lapse of funds till the time all accounts are opened. At the same time, alternative arrangements have to be made for students residing in areas where the core-banking facility is unavailable, it said. The reason
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Nothing wrong in levying taxes: CM
Amritsar, September 8 “We haven’t done anything illegal,” he said while talking to mediapersons after inaugurating a 220-KV power station at Chohla Sahib in Tarn Taran district. He said there was no economic crisis in the state and the Congress leaders were “unnecessarily targeting” the SAD-BJP alliance government. Badal said, “There is no truth in the gloomy picture being painted by the Congress. There is no state of financial emergency in Punjab. In fact, projecting a completely contrasting scenario is an old habit of the Congress leaders. So when they say the state’s economic condition is bad, it means the economy is in good shape.” Badal also hinted at rehabilitating SAD stalwart Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, who lost the Assembly elections from Khadoor Sahib constituency. Badal also addressed a gathering after inaugurating the annual conference of the SAARC Surgical Care Society in Jalandhar. He also handed over fellowship degrees to doctors, including those from Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He advocated the abolition of visa regime amongst SAARC nations.
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Patiala Mayor aspirants make last-ditch efforts
Patiala, September 8 Sources in the SAD said with a few more meetings to be held before the finalisation of the candidate, the aspirants were trying their best to convince the party leadership. Education Minister Sikander Singh Malooka, who was SAD's observer for the Patiala Municipal Corporation elections, said September 11 was earlier fixed as the date for mayoral election, but it might be delayed by some days. "Most likely the election will be held by September 15," he said. Senior leaders of the SAD have stated that a crucial meeting to deliberate upon the mayoral candidate would be held on Monday. "We might finalise the party's candidate in the upcoming meeting," said a Cabinet Minister. Though there is no indication as to who will get the coveted post, highly placed sources said three-time councillor Jaspal Pradhan and youth leader Harpal Juneja were leading the race. Present incumbent Ajit Pal Singh Kohli, two-time councillor Amarinder Bajaj and Harinderpal Singh Tohra are the other contenders.
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Apiculturist scripts sweet success story
Muktsar, September 8 A marginal farmer a few years ago, 26-year-old Pardeep Kumar now earns a sufficient amount to meet the expenses of his family. As he had lost his father when he was just six years old, Pardeep initially found it difficult to manage funds to start his business. He somehow gathered Rs 25,000 and bought six bee nest boxes. At present, he owns 600 of them. And his monthly income now is Rs 60,000. Apart from becoming financially sound, he has become a source of inspiration for farmers not only in Punjab but in neighbouring Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan as well. A Class XII pass out, he has even received a commendation from Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal (who also belongs to Badal village). Several times during his Sangat Darshan, Badal has advised the people to take to the path shown by Pardeep. Recalling the hardships he had endured, Pardeep says, “After my father’s death, we were pushed into penury. I had three elder sisters and one younger and my mother to take care of. But now, all of them are happily settled.” Nowadays, he is even training the area youth in apiculture. “Four to five youth approach me every month. Many of them have now become successful apiculturists,” he says. This progressive farmer, however, does not give the entire credit to his hard work alone. “The training that I received from Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Bathinda about 10 years ago helped me,” he says. Initially, Pardeep used to earn less than Rs 800 a month. “I started selling bee boxes in the neighbouring states during the flowering season. This increased the productivity. Today, I own more than 600 boxes. I have also hired seven employees,” he says. About 50 kg of honey yield comes from one box, which fetches about Rs 4,000 to 6,000. Pardeep sells honey to processing companies, although he has plans to set up a unit of his own. He has also signed a contract with xthe Punjab Horticulture Department to sell 2,000 honey bee boxes in a year to farmers in various states at Rs 3,000 per box. “These days, my focus is on achieving this target. Once I achieve it, the department will give me Rs 3 lakh as subsidy,” he adds.
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Jolt to Cong ahead of Capt's rally
Amritsar, September 8 After greeting the new entrants into the SAD fold by presenting them 'siropas', Majithia said the Congress no more enjoyed support in any part of Punjab due to its "anti-people policies". He claimed that the process of the Congress' decimation in the Majha region had already begun. "Day in and day out, people read about their scams and corruption. Besides, the common man is badly hit by rising inflation. The anti-Congress wave is spreading fast and the party will be completely wiped out in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections," he said. On the other hand, Congress leader Sukhjinder Raj Singh Lalli Majithia claimed that those who joined the ruling party were the ones who had even helped the SAD during the Assembly elections. "It is only that they have been projected as the new entrants in the SAD today," the claimed.
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Water level in Bhakra dam still low
Patiala, September 8 On September 7, 2011, the water level in Bhakra dam was 1677.43 ft, whereas this year, the figure stood at 1640.96 ft. Pong dam too has much less water this year. On September 7, 2011, the water level in Pong reservoir was 1385.94 ft while this year it was 1372.14 ft. Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) officials said deficit rain was the main reason behind the low water level in Bhagra and Pong dams. Due to the constant rainfall in the region in the last 10 days, the water level in the Bhakra reservoir has gone up from 1627.29 ft to 1640.96 ft. Power generation from BBMB projects on September 7 was recorded to be 409.78 lakh units (LU), whereas last year, on the same day, the generation was 494.21 LU.
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Won’t pay revised taxes: Palace owners
Bathinda, September 8 At a state-level meeting of the Association of Marriage Palace owners, they decided to oppose the new taxes, which would force them to shut down their business. The owners formed a 21-member committee to fight this new wave of taxes. Chairman of the committee, Satish Arora said, “Some of the owners may even commit suicide if the government does not come to our rescue.” As per the orders of the state government, palace owners will have to dish out an amount ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 2 crore, Arora said. He said the owners were willing to comply with the norms but the government had given them only a week’s time to make the changes. “We have started taking steps to meet the high safety standards but we need more time,” he said.
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Sikhs intensify effort to reconstruct historic shrine
Amritsar, September 8 Leaders of the SGPC and the Sarab Pradesh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SPGPC) will jointly meet Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on Sunday. Inderjeet Singh Chugh, SPGPC general secretary, said he had recently discussed the issue with Bahuguna and apprised him of the talks they had on the issue with the previous BJP regime. He said Bahuguna had assured him of allotting around 100 sq yards of land at the original site of the gurdwara. Bahuguna had also proposed to earmark another 400 sq yards on the other bank of the Ganga. The gurdwara was demolished in 1980s and later an office of Bharat Scouts and Guides was built at the site. Chugh said even if the government allotted around 100 sq yards of land they could put up a ‘Nishan Sahib’ and raise a memorial to commemorate Guru Nanak Dev’s visit to the place and build the gurdwara on the other bank of
Ganga.
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Will quit if evening courts continue, say lawyers
Jalandhar, September 8 A meeting of various bar associations was held here today. Punjab and Haryana Bar Council chairman Lekh Raj Sharma said: "A resolution was passed to request the appropriate authority for discontinuing evening courts and observing a five-day week in all courts on the lines of the High Court". He said: "Representations will be sent to the Union Law Minister, President of India, Chief Justice of India and Punjab and Haryana High Court." "If our demand is not met by September 20, we will hold a meeting in Chandigarh on September 21 to decide on the date to hold a token strike. Subsequently, we will intensify the agitation before we surrender our licences," he added.
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Farmers press govt to pass debt relief bill
Sangrur, September 8 The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), Sidhupur, Punjab Kisan Sabha (Taggar), Punjab Kisan Sabha (Sambar), and the Internationalist Democratic Party held a convention on ‘agriculture debt’ here today. The bill would make registration of money lenders mandatory; limit the interest charged per annum on the loan to 12 per cent and prohibit lenders from seizing their properties to recover debt. Karnail Singh Jakhepal, state general secretary, IDP, if this bill was passed, then debt dispute redressal boards could be formed at the tehsil level. The boards would be able to settle debt disputes of up to Rs 30 lakh. Major Singh Punnawal, district general secretary of Punjab Kisan Sabha (Taggar) said “wrong policies” pursued by successive governments were responsible for the pitiable condition of the farmers today. Hardev Singh Sakrodi, state committee member of the BKU (Sidhupur), demanded that loans to farmers should be given at the rate of 4 per cent per annum and the prices of the crops should be linked to the price index.
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City Centre scam: Prosecution concludes arguments; next hearing on Sept 15
Ludhiana, September 8 After hearing the arguments, Sessions Judge Gobinder Singh adjourned the case for hearing the version of the accused. The court has fixed September 15 and September 22 for hearing arguments. The court directed the lawyers representing officials of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust to advance arguments against framing charges in the next hearing.
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Shivali case: 5 inquiries, still no arrest
Jalandhar, September 8 This, despite an FIR being registered, inquest proceedings following a statement by a "drunk" eyewitness being initiated and five inquiries being marked by the Punjab Government as well as the Government Railway Police (GRP). Apart from the woman inspector, two photojournalists have been named in the FIR. Sources said a section of officials in the city and local journalists were at loggerheads over the arrest of the accused. While the police officials are reportedly trying to save the woman inspector, local journalist unions have been mounting pressure on the state government for the cancellation of FIR against the photojournalists. Mediapersons contend the photojournalists "exposed the inspector, who was harassing the girl who later ended her life by jumping before a train", whereas the police officials claim their colleague was only "doing her duty". The GRP had initiated inquest proceedings (under Section 174 of the CrPC) after recording the statement of Ram Tirath, an eyewitness who was allegedly drunk, Rakesh and Karan, father and brother, respectively, of the deceased on August 30. An FIR was registered at Navi Baradari police station for abetment to suicide under Section 306/34 of the IPC against the trio on September 6. An inquiry was conducted by Inspector General of Police (Jalandhar zone-II) Gurpreet Deo. The first probe was conducted by the railway police, second by Gurpreet Deo while the third investigation was done by a two-member National Commission for Women team, led by its chairperson Mamata Sharma. Yet another investigation was ordered by Jalandhar Police Commissioner Gaurva Yadav. Apart from this, GRP IG (Patiala) Rahul Chaudhary had asked his team in Jalandhar to conduct a separate departmental inquiry.
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Inspector an offender in kidnapping case
Ropar, September 8 The other three accused in the case, Additional Director General of Police SK Sharma, DIG SPS Basra and ASI Gurcharan Singh, however, appeared before the court, following which the ACJM committed the case to the Sessions Court. On October 24, 1990, 21-year-old Kuldip Singh of Amrali village was kidnapped by unidentified persons from Krishna Mandi in Morinda. Kuldip was pursuing graduation from Punjabi University in Patiala at the time of incident. While Ajaib Singh, victim's father, ran from pillar to post to locate his son, the police denied that Kuldip was in its custody. On May 15, 1991, Ajaib Singh read a report in The Tribune that had a statement issued on behalf of the then Patiala SSP SK Sharma that one Kuldip of Amrali village falling under the Morinda police station was killed in an encounter on May 1. Ajaib Singh then approached the authorities for justice, but to no avail. Finally, a case was registered under Section 364 and 34 IPC in 1998 against the four policemen. Balkar had failed to appear in the court despite repeated summons.
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