The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Govt to construct 187 substations, augment capacity of others
Tribune News Service

Hisar, October 18
Under an ambitious plan to strengthen power transmission and distribution system in the state, the Haryana Government will construct 187 new substations of various levels and augment capacity of 163 existing substations during the next three years at a cost of Rs 3,093 crore so as to match the capacity of the transmission system with the increasing availability of power in the state.

This was stated by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda after laying the foundation stone of a 33 KV substation here in Sector 14. The substation is to be constructed at a cost of Rs 2 crore.

Hooda said during the past seven and a half years, the government had constructed 321 new substations, augmented capacity of 552 old substations and erected lines totalling 4,615 km in the state at a cost of Rs 4,044 crore. The total number of substations in the state had thus increased to 821.

Hooda said the government had prepared a Rs 265-crore plan to strengthen power transmission and distribution system in Hisar district. Under this plan, the government would set up 13 new substations and augment capacity of nine existing substations. The plan included construction of one 220 KV substation at Masudpur village, one 132 KV substation at Barsi village and 11 substations of 33 KV level at Sulchani, Budana, Thurana, Mirchpur, Majra, Barsi, Bithmara, Masudpur, Kheri Lohachab, Jamalpur and Sector 14, Hisar. Capacity of 132 KV substations at Adampur, Barwala, Aryanagar and Polysteel Hisar and 33 KV substations Barwala, Mundhal, Koth and Shyahrwa was being augmented. Construction work of 220 KV substation Masudpur was nearing completion.

The Chief Minister said this plan included setting up of 2,000 new distribution transformers. In addition, 200 old transformers would be replaced with new transformers of higher capacity. The government would add 955 km-long new power distribution lines to the dense distribution network and 15 overloaded and long feeders of 11 KV level would be divided in feeders of proper load and length while old and torn-out conductors of a number of feeders would be replaced with new conductors of higher capacity.

To give reliable and qualitative power supply to tube wells and to give three phase supply to domestic consumers, the agricultural and domestic load in rural areas had already been segregated in Hisar by erecting additional feeders of 11 KV level. The government had spent Rs 336 crore to strengthen power transmission and distribution system in Hisar during the past seven and a half years. It constructed 11 new substations, augmented capacity of 20 substations, set up 10,792 new transformers and augmented capacity of 747 old transformers and erected 2,825 km-long distribution lines.

Devender Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam and Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, said commissioning of the 33 KV substation in Sector 14 would directly benefit 6,200 consumers of Sector 14, Housing Board Colony, Cloth Market, Grain Market, Agrawal Colony, BSF area, villages Talwandi, Juglan, Dhandur and Beed Babran by way of improved voltage and regular power supply.

The consumers fed from the 132 KV substation Beed (Hisar) would get indirect benefit as their feeding substation would have less load. The substation would be provided one transformer of 10 MVA capacity in the beginning. Provision would be made to set up additional transformers, as and when necessary in the future.

Lowering of marriage age
Congress MLA flays Chautala’s remarks
Sushil Manav/TNS

Fatehabad, October 18
Congress legislator from Nalwa Sampat Singh has accused former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala of trying to politicise the unfortunate incidents of rapes.

He said the INLD leader’s advocacy of lowering marriageable age of girls and then taking a U-turn on the issue showed that he was too frustrated and was desperate to come to power at any cost.

While addressing mediapersons here recently, he said the media was ‘unreasonably showing’ the state in a poor light, while the state was much behind many other states in number of rapes per lakh of population.

He alleged that the former Chief Minister perhaps wanted to provide legitimacy to rapes when he supported lowering marriageable age of girls to 15. He said while incidents of rapes were unfortunate, equally condemnable was Chautala’s ‘efforts to politicize’ the issue.

“He has demanded a special session of the state Assembly on this issue, while the fact is that he has never ever given any starred or un-starred question or a calling attention motion to the state Assembly. As a matter of fact, due to his feudalistic mindset, the INLD leader has never shown respect to the chair,” the Congress leader said.

Terming rapes as the worst kind of crime in a civilised society, Sampat Singh said there were several reasons behind the increase in number of rapes, adding that the biggest reason being a gap between the pace of economic, social and cultural development in the state.

He said while Haryana was being projected as the “rape capital” of the country in the print as well as the electronic media, the figures of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) speak otherwise. Quoting NCRB figures for the year ending December 2011, he said Haryana had rape averages of 2.9 per lakh population against 4.7 in Madhya Pradesh, 4.1 in Chhattisgarh and 3.4 in Kerala.

He said of the 733 incidents of rape in Haryana last year, only 61 were committed to girls below the age of 18, which again negated Chautala’s support to the ‘so-called’ khap demand in this regard.

Kin taken hostage by Somalia pirates
Pak minister Ansar Burney last hope for Indian families
Ravinder Saini

Jhajjar, October 18
Having made so many rounds of union ministers, top-brass leadership of various political parities, higher functionaries of the Centre as well as the state governments during the past couple of months, Pakistan Federal Minister for Human Rights and Adviser to the United Nations Human Rights Council Ansar Burney is now the last hope for those four Indian families whose kin have been taken hostage by Somalia pirates for the past over eight months.

Fed up with the ‘lethargic’ attitude of the Union and state governments to deal with the Somalia pirates for the safe release of their kin, the distressed families called on Burney at a function held in Laadpur village here recently and appealed to him with folded hands to help them in getting their kin rescued.

During the meet, the families told Burney that “we can no longer believe the hollow assurances being made by Union Ministers, top political leaders and senior functionaries of governments about the release of our kin hence you will now have to take up our plight on a humanitarian ground as you are the only person who can bail us out from the crisis by facilitating the release of our kin from the captivity of Somalia pirates.”

The families said that the Somalia pirates had hijacked a Dubai-owned Nigeria-bound vessel, MT Royal Grace, on March 2 and taken 22 crew members, including 17 Indians, hostage. Three Nigerians, one Pakistani and a Bangladeshi were also on board the vessel when it was taken over.

“My younger brother, Sourav Kumar (23), is among those 17 Indians who have been kept hostage by Somalia pirates for a ransom of Rs 7.5 crore. We have met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, Rahul Gandhi and Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj for getting our kin freed from the pirates but no one is ready to pay any heed to our plight. They have washed off their hands just assuring us that they shall take appropriate steps to assist the release of captive sailors,” said Mundresh of Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) while talking to The Tribune.

“We are confident that Sourav will come back to home with the efforts of Ansar Burney who has already rescued several Indian sailors from Somalia pirates,” said Mundresh.

Lokdass Sahoo and his wife Kalyani, who had come here to meet Burney from Chhattisgarh, said “We have done countless rounds of union ministers in Delhi during the past two months for the safe release of our son Pritam Sahu (25), but no one has so far come forward to assist us.”

A middle-age woman, Mehtab, from Allahabad (UP), said, “I have not talked to my son, Shahid Babu, for the past about two months. Last time, Shahid made a call some months ago and informed us that he along with 24 crew members had been held hostage by Somalia pirates.”

“Burney is now our last hope. That’s why, we have come here to meet him and are quite hopeful that he will pursue our case and also succeed in it,” said the woman.

Meanwhile, Burney told The Tribune over phone that “I have not made any commitment about the safe release of kin of all the four families, but I shall make my sincere efforts to get them freed from the Somalia pirates.

I shall shoot off a communique to the higher authorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria to seek their helping hand for facilitating the safe release of captive sailors as some of their natives are among them.”

He maintained that he would also raise the issue before the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) force to seek its intervention for the safe release of sailors as the force assists in protecting maritime traffic in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean from Somalia pirates besides helping in strengthening the navies and coast guards of regional states. Many people from India and Pakistan are the vital part of NATO, who can help us out in the safe release of sailors, he added.

Meanwhile, Sampa Arya, chairperson of an NGO ‘Sailor Relief Fund’, said, “I have also started working in the direction of safe release of captive sailors from the clutches of Somalia pirates after going through the documents and details made available by the sailors’ kin in this regard.”

Notably, Burney had played a vital role in getting Ravinder Gulia, husband of Sampa Arya, released from illegal confinement of the Somalia pirates last year.

Ragging a threat to human dignity: VC
DR Vij

Kurukshetra, October 18
There is a lot of emphasis on preserving human dignity all over the world through various laws and organisations such as the UNO, Red Cross Society, etc. Since ragging is basically a threat to human dignity, it needs to be completely eradicated from all kinds of educational institutions.

This was stated by Lt-Gen Dr DDS Sandhu, Vice-Chancellor, Kurukshetra University, who was also the chief guest, at a one-day symposium on “Anti-Ragging Measures” organised by the UGC Academic Staff College of KU here recently.

Sandhu told the participants that ragging was started in British schools as an activity to accord light-hearted welcome to freshers, but it lost its innocence and turned into an inhuman activity. “It became detrimental and the very purpose of education was defeated by ragging,” he said.

“The university lays a great emphasis to make its campus and that of its affiliated colleges safe and friendly for its students so that learning can take place in a fearless and creative manner. We ensure that the relationship between the teacher and the student is so cordial that students share all their personal and social problems with their teachers,” he added.

Prof Promila Batra, chairperson, Department of Psychology, and proctor of MD University, Rohtak, spoke about social and psychological dimensions of ragging.

She said, “Ragging can be defined as an activity of playing practical jokes on someone and teaching someone a lesson. It is an area that has not been researched and it will be beneficial to society if research is carried out on its social and psychological issues”.

Talking about various legal provisions in India regarding ragging, Prof Vijay Batra from the Law Department of Panjab University said the first incident of ragging was reported at Cornell University in 1873 when a student fell into a gorge due to ragging. “Ragging got transformed into something inhuman and intolerable after the First World War. It was imported to India during the British Raj along with the British education system,” he said.

Prof Shashi Anand, director, Academic Staff College, welcomed the chief guest and key speakers. Dr RP Grover proposed the vote of thanks.

Prof CR Drolia, proctor, Prof Anil Vashisth, Dean, Students Welfare, Prof Brajesh Sawhney, director, Public Relations, Dr Ajay Suneja and other senior functionaries of KU were present on the occasion.

More than 50 proctors, NSS coordinators and Discipline Committee in charges of KU and its affiliated colleges participated in the symposium.

Workshop on traditional culture of Haryana
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, October 18
A five-day workshop on multi arts like painting, sculpture, dance and crafts, connecting with the rich cultural heritage of Haryana, concluded at Arya Kanya Mahavidhalya, Shahabad, 25 km from here, recently.

The workshop was organised by the Department of Information, Public Relations and Cultural Affairs, Haryana. The state cultural wing in charge and cultural officer Renu Hooda was the overall monitor of the workshop.

The workshop was aimed at newcomers and fulfilled their desire to know about the traditional culture of Haryana through sculpture, painting, dance and craft. Under the leadership of the Information, Public Relations and Cultural Affairs Director-General Anand Mohan Sharma, a statewide multicultural campaign was launched to provide multi art know-hows to the young generation by organising multipurpose seminar/workshop and art-vision classes.

About 300 girls participated in the workshop.

CD in praise of Lord Krishna released
Sushil Manav/TNS

Fatehabad, October 18
“Brij Ke Rangeele”, a CD of devotional songs by Ranjish Kaur, a noted singer of the area and her husband, Dr Anil Sharma, a lecturer in the Music Department of Manohar Memorial Post Graduate College, was released here recently.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Haryana, Prahlad Singh Gillankhera released the CD at a simple function organised in Duke Restaurant here recently.

Addressing music lovers, Gillakhera admitted that he had been a Rajnish Kaur fan since his college days, when he used to reach the local MM College whenever there was any function, only to listen to her voice.

He said the present era of reality shows on television channels is much different from the days when Rajnish Kaur and her husband, Anil Sharma, started their singing career.

He said while it was very difficult for artistes to make a mark at that time, now good young artistes get worldwide publicity overnight by participating in reality shows. Gillankhera wished them a good future.

JL Thakkar, a former acting Principal of Manohar Memorial PG College, said Rajnish Kaur and Dr Anil Sharma had carved a niche for themselves in the music world through their sheer hard work and dedication.

Dr Seema Sharma, Chairperson of the Music Department of MM PG College, who spoke about the CD and the music exploits of the Rajnish-Anil couple, said the two had so far worked together in more than 60 CDs.

The CDs, mostly on devotional songs, are from leading music companies like T-Series, Venus, Supertone and Sanwariya etc. “Brij Ke Rangeele” is a CD having songs in the praise of Lord Krishna and it has a duet sung by Rajnish and Anil and solos by the two.

Lovely Sharma has composed the music of these songs and lyrics are by Sham Sunder Sharma, Vinod Agarwal, Harsh, Romi Sardar, Mahi and Rahi.

Rohtash Sahu, president of the Vyapar Mandal, Devi Dayal Tayal, a local philanthropist, Dr Subhash Sharma and several music lovers and artistes attended the function.

Exhibition on security devices a big draw
Bhanu P Lohumi/TNS

Karnal, October 18
A technology based exhibition of security devices organised by the Karnal police at Panchyat Bhawan, near NDRI, Karnal, was a big hit with people getting an opportunity to see the exhibits of many companies from Mohali, Ambala, and Kurukshetra as well as local companies.

The entry to the exhibition was free and the companies also came out with their “latest and cheapest” security devices at the exhibition.

Companies displayed security devices like e-sensor, multi-functional detector, CCTV cameras, recorders, time attendance-cum-access control system, fingerprint TA system, burglar alarm system, security lock, theft alarm system, PIR, GPS system, GSM Bug, foot switch, panic switch, shutter contact, etc.

The visitors were also explained about the benefits of using security devices such as burglar alarm system in houses, shops, etc, for security purpose, PIR system for shops, showrooms and shopping malls, and GPS system/device for vehicles.

Shashank Anand, SP, Karnal, who visited the exhibition and inspected it in detail, told mediapersons that the main motive of the exhibition was to create awareness among the public. “We can secure our family, vehicle, shops, houses and valuables after spending a little money, which is affordable for a middle class family and we must take full advantage of the available technology,” he said.

Stone of lawyers’ chambers laid
Satish Seth

Kaithal, October 18
Justice MS Suller of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Administrative Judge of the Kaithal Sessions Division laid the foundation stone of lawyers’ chambers at the Judicial Complex, Guhla, 30 km from here, recently.

Speaking on the occasion, Justice Suller said lawyers worked as a bridge between society and judiciary, hence they should help in maintaining peace and take society forward on the path of progress.

He exhorted lawyers to make efforts to sort out legal matters through reconciliation between two groups.

Giving an example of the US, he said 90 per cent of cases there were settled in lawyers’ chambers, adding that the intervention of courts were in a few cases only.

Similarly, a majority of the cases were settled through mutual consent of litigants at the village level in Britain, he said.

He said if lawyers in India also adopted this line, they would certainly draw more respect from society.

“In our country, too, lok adalats are being held and the district legal services authorities are playing an important role in getting the cases settled with the mutual consent of parties, thus minimising litigation,” he said.

He said lawyers should maintain high moral standards and follow professional ethics.

He appreciated the fact that the government had provided judicial complexes and lawyers’ chambers in most of the districts in the state. Naveen Jindal, MP, who was also present on the occasion, said judiciary was a strong pillar of democracy in the country.

He said legal education was being given to students at OP Jindal Global University, near Sonepat. He also announced to donate Rs 5 lakh for the chambers from his discretionary grant funds.

Hawa Singh Hooda, Advocate General, Haryana, stressed upon the need to maintain cordial relationship between Bar and Bench. He expressed concern over the degradation in moral values.

District and Sessions Judge, Kaithal, DS Sheoran, judicial officials and advocates were also present on the occasion.

Female foeticide blot on society: Capt Yadav
Nawal Kishore Rastogi

Rewari, October 18
Besides senior officials of the district, a host of women doctors participated in a conference on “Save the Girl Child and Empowerment of Women” held under the auspices of the Rewari Obstetrics and Gynaecological Society( ROGS) here recently.

The Power, Forest and Environment Minister, Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, was the chief guest. While stating that female foeticide was a blot on the fair name of society, Captain Yadav warned that if concerted efforts were not put in to root out this social menace, they would have to face disastrous consequences in the years to come.

Specifically mentioning about the gender ratio which stood at 898 females for 1,000 males and more so 784 girls against 1,000 male children in the age group of one to six years in Rewari district, he said such a skewed sex ratio was a matter of concern for them all.

Simultaneously stating that women could do a lot in creating awareness among the people in general and the women in particular, he exhorted members of the ROGS and others to come forward and make their contribution in setting up a healthy and evil-free society. He announced a financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh for the ROGS.

Besides chief medical officer Dr Vijay Singh Yadav, prominent specialist Dr MC Patel, founder president and patron of the ROGS Dr Tara Saxena and others also addressed the gathering.

Government school buildings in dilapidated condition
Satish Seth

Kaithal, October 18
Notwithstanding the tall claims made by the government to improve standards of education in the state, many primary, middle and senior secondary schools in the district are running from dilapidated buildings.

The roof of a room in the primary school building in the Shakti Nagar locality here collapsed during rains recently and two other rooms have been sealed with barbed wire.

The roof of the room collapsed on a holiday and there was no loss of life. Agitated parents and other residents resorted to a road blockade and locked the school building. They discontinued their agitation following an assurance by the DEO that a part of the building would be pulled down after receiving permission from the PWD Department.

A visit to the school building recently revealed that the mid-day meal was being cooked in the same room where classes were being held. The room was partitioned by putting almirahs in the middle. One could see hundreds of broken benches on the roof of the building. The teaching staff was reluctant to say anything.

According to information collected from the PWD and the Education Departments, many rooms in 56 schools in different parts of the district had been declared unsafe. The Education Department had asked the PWD authorities for spot inspection of 39 other school buildings, parts of which were badly damaged but the department was yet to inspect these buildings. The DEO, Kaithal, Jasbir Singh, said the District Elementary Education Officer had written about the bad condition of many primary and middle school buildings and urged the PWD authorities to inspect and grant certificates to facilitate further action into the matter.

The PWD Xen, SK Aggarwal, said whenever they received any communication from the Education Department about verifying any building as unsafe, their department took prompt action. Interestingly the Education Department officials said that they had pointed out the bad condition of the Shakti Nagar primary school building in April, but no spot inspection had been done.

Chief Minister's Relief Fund
Cheques for Rs 1 lakh distributed among 5 persons
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, October 18
The Deputy Commissioner, Dr J Ganeshan, recently distributed cheques amounting to Rs 1.05 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund among five persons suffering from chronic diseases.

Rameshwar, a resident of Kusumbi village, was given a cheque of Rs 30,000 for the treatment of his mother who was suffering from cancer. Hari Singh, a resident of Gudiya Khera, was given a cheque of Rs 30,000 for the treatment of his son and Madan Lal, a resident of Kairawali, was given a cheque of Rs 15,000.

Similarly, Nidan Singh, a resident of Ellenabad, and Gurubaksh Singh, a resident of Kariwala, were given a cheque of Rs 15,000 each.

An official spokesperson said that under the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, a sum of Rs 7.05 lakh had so far been distributed to 45 persons suffering from cancer and diseases relating to kidney and heart.

He said under the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, people belonging to below poverty line families were given funds for the treatment of various diseases.

To get financial assistance in this regard, the case is sent to the headquarters, which decides on funds after taking into consideration the report of disease issued by the Civil Surgeon and the tehsildar and financial status of the applicant.

He said the state government had implemented various schemes for providing health-related facilities to the people which included Free Surgical Package Scheme, Nehru Drishti Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana and Plastic Surgery Yojana.

He said a number of below poverty line families had so far benefitted under Free Surgical Package Scheme.

He said with a view to provide modern health facilities to the poor, a health fund had also been established.

There is a provision of exemption of income tax for the persons contributing in this health fund.

OPD of AIIMS-II to be operational soon
Tribune News Service

Jhajjar, October 18
Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda has said that the OOPD (Outreach Out-Patient Department) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-II at Bhadsha village would be operational within a month.

After reviewing the progress of construction work here, he informed mediapersons that the construction work had been completed, so patients of general medicine, orthopaedics, obstetrics, gynaecology, paediatrics, ophthalmology, ENT, psychiatry, dermatology, dietician and general surgery will be able to get their medical treatment done from here.

He said that the Outreach OPD facility would go a long way in augmenting the existing outpatient facilities in the state.

“The AIIMS-II campus will house the centre of excellence for diseases like cancer. It will also add to the status of Pt Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak,” said Deepender.

Notably, AIIMS is operational only in Delhi, besides Rohtak. The Central government has given sanction for setting up five new AIIMS hospital out of which AIIMS-II at Bhadsha is the only institute set up in a rural area. The other institutes would be set up in metros like Kolkata and Chennai.

Cultural Exchange Programme
Kurukshetra students visit Japan
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, October 16
A delegation of six students of Wisdom World School, Kurukshetra, had gone for a 10-day visit to Japan under the Academic-cum-Cultural Exchange Programme between the school and Tathva International School, Tokyo.

The delegation members, Aujas Vashisth, Vaibhav Relhan, Ishaan Bajaj and Shubham Khurana are students of Class VI, while Abhiroop Nawab and Harshil Taneja are students of Class V. The delegation is headed by Sangeeta Bahl, vice-principal of the school.

Anita Rawal, principal of the school, said it was the first batch of students sent by the school under the exchange programme.

The selection was made on the basis of successful completion of level-I of Japanese language proficiency test.

While Bahl will be engaged in academic interaction with teachers and learning new ideas in teaching methodology and curriculum, the students will be attending classes and interacting with the students of the host school.

“They will also get an opportunity to acquire first-hand knowledge about Japanese cultural traits like their national pride, civic sense, manners, discipline, cleanliness, refinement, graciousness and punctuality,” she added. ”They will also make a presentation before the students of the host school showcasing Indian culture and traditions,” she said.

The participants of the delegation had undergone a rigorous orientation programme conducted by the school for the past one month to prepare them for the visit.

She said after school hours and during weekends, the students would be taken for sightseeing.

Deputy Commissioner Mandeep Singh Brar and Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ashok Bansal also congratulated the students.

mistakes in exam results
Students block traffic to protest against MDU
Our Correspondent

Rewari, October 18
Students of RDS Girls Public College blocked traffic on the Delhi road here recently to protest against MDU, Rohtak.

Pointing towards the ‘far-fetched inconsistencies’ in their BA-semester 2 examination results, they said many of them had appeared for Political Science and History papers, whereas the authorities concerned of the university had ‘incongruously inserted’ Geography and Home Science in their results.

Besides, while the internal assessment marks allocated to them by the college had been messed up by the university authorities, many of them were being repeatedly placed in compartment in the same subjects, they said.

They said when their efforts to seek justice from the university authorities fell on deaf ears, they had had no other option but to protest.

The blockade, which lasted for about two hours, was lifted only after persuasion by senior police officials, who assured them all help in getting their issues redressed by the university authorities.

BJP holds rally against FDI in retail
Tribune News Service

Ambala, October 18
Supporters and party workers of the BJP held a rally to protest against ‘recurring’ scams and introduction of the FDI in retail by the UPA government at the local Sadar Bazar, Ambala Cantt.

While addressing the gathering, national general secretary of the party and MP Kiran Maheshwri said the party had started a nationwide campaign against the rampant corruption and rising prices, adding that it had been started from Ambala as the 1857 revolution was also started from here.

Demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister, she said the Prime Minister had ‘failed to check’ corruption or contain prices, adding that the so many scams had left the common man bewildered.

She claimed that the party would create awareness about the ‘anti-people’ policies of the UPA government and the ‘ill-effects’ of the FDI.

MLA Anil Vij said inflation had hit the common man hard and several land scams had taken place in the state. He said the incidents of rapes were happening due to the failure of law-enforcing machinery, adding that it was ironic that even in the 21st century, women were not safe in the state. National secretary Capt Abhimanyu said former CM Om Prakash Chautala’s statement on marrying girls at an early age was ‘irresponsible’.

CSR-30 rice variety notified as Basmati
Bhanu P Lohumi/TNS

Karnal, October 18
After getting ‘basmati’ rice status for Pusa 1121 variety three years ago, the rice growers have won another long battle with the government, notifying rice variety CSR 30 as ‘basmati’ and renaming it as ‘Basmati CSR 30’.

It is the first salt-tolerant basmati rice released in the world and there is a large demand for its breeders and certified seeds from farmers and seed production agencies. The basmati tag on CSR 30 will help the growers get higher returns and also boost rice exports to European countries. At present, the CSR-30 is cultivated on 4-lakh hectare area and the area under ‘basmati’ will go up substantially.

This variety of rice, having moderate tolerance to salinity and sodicity stresses, was developed by the scientists of Crop Improvement Division of the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), Karnal, and was released as CSR 30 (Yamini), non-basmati rice in 2001 by the Central Sub-Committee on Crops. It was renamed and re-notified as Basmati CSR 30 on September 10, 2012. The committee observed that this variety had all the characteristics of basmati rice and recommended renaming it as ‘basmati’.

The CSR 30 basmati variety has been recommended for cultivation in the basmati basket comprising Haryana, Punjab and western UP of Indo-Gangetic plains of the country.

Dr SK Sharma, Head, Crop Improvement Division of CSSRI, talked about the development today and said the Basmati CSR 30 was highly popular with the farmers of Haryana, Punjab, UP and Bihar. He said persistent efforts of the institute had active support of the farming community, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the state government, the Haryana Kisan Ayog and many others in getting basmati status for this variety of the CSSRI.

The CSR 30 had contributed significantly to national food production and exports, earning valuable foreign exchange over the past one decade and boosting the name of Haryana, the CSSRI and the ICAR.

The variety was gifted to the International Rice Research Institute

(IRRI), Manila, and the international community, by former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam during his visit to Philippines. Since then many other countries have used and included it in their breeding programmes.

“The decision of the Central Government to rename and re-notify it as Basmati CSR 30 will definitely help the farmers in fetching remunerative prices and boost exports. But the Government of India will have to work hard for getting this variety and Pusa 1121 basmati included in the European list of basmati varieties, where this variety is in great demand,” Vijay Setia, former president of the All-India Rice Exporters Association, said.

HIGHLIGHTS
First salt-tolerant basmati rice released in the world
Large demand for breeders and certified seeds of this variety of rice
The ‘basmati’ tag will help the growers in getting higher returns and boost rice exports to European countries
Presently the CSR-30 is cultivated on a 4-lakh hectare area and the area under ‘basmati’ will go up substantially

Beating cyber crime

Ambala, October 18
The first techno-management fest at Guru Nanak Institutions (GNI), Mullana, by the name “iGNIte 12”, targeted every aspect of technology and management. It witnessed a workshop on “Ethical Hacking” by renowned cyber security consultant and ethical hacker Sahil Bhagla.

Bhagla is securing the nation by giving his services as the president of India's first Anti-Hacking Welfare Society that helps the cyber cell of India to solve cyber crime cases. It is also serving the common man by banning fake social networking profiles. The workshop organised in the fest will serve the purpose of bringing the latest advancements in technology within the reach of the student community. Another lively event, “Mr and Miss Glamour”, was sponsored by Glamour India. — OC

HIT students shine in youth festival
Ravinder Saini

Jhajjar, October 18
Students of Haryana Institute of Technology (HIT), located at Aasudha village under Bahadurgarh sub-division, on the border of Delhi and Haryana, brought laurels to the institute at the Technical Zonal Youth Festival organised by Maharashi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, in KIIT, Gurgaon recently. The students have grabbed positions in various events of the youth festival.

Yudhvir Singh Lamba, Administrative Officer of the HIT, said that the institute’s student Siddharth secured the first position in English debate and the second position in English poetry event at the youth festival.

“Riya grabbed the top position in Punjabi poem while the team of Dikshit, Puneet and Nitin secured the second position in Quiz contest. Nitin got the third place in photography competition in the festival,” Lamba said.

He added that a function was organised on the institute campus to boost the morale of the winners.

Dr Viney Goya, director of the HIT, congratulated the students on their win and said they had made the teachers and the institute proud.

Placement drive at Murthal varsity
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, October 18
A three-day placement drive concluded at the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, recently.

Training and placement officer of the university Dr Virender Ahlawat said 120 students were selected by multinational company TCS.

The company conducted an online test in which 215 students were selected for the interview. Finally, 120 students were offered the placement, Ahlawat added.

Congratulating the students on their success, Vice-Chancellor of the university HS Chahal said the university had established its identity in the field of technical education as well as in placement within a short duration of six years after its inception.

“Every effort is being made to provide state-of-the-art facilities of international standards in the university to impart the best possible technical education to the students,” he said. He added that the students were being provided financial assistant by the university for pursuing research works.

Kurukshetra institute holds quiz contests
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, October 18
The Kurukshetra Institute of Technology and Management (KITM), Kurukshetra, organised ‘Extempore and Quiz Contests - Euphoria 2012’ here recently.

In extempore, Sudhanshu of KITM and Kritika of the Mass Communication Department, Kurukshetra University, won the first and second positions, respectively.

In quiz contests, Keshav and Bhuvan, both of KITM won the first prize, while Nitesh Verma and Mohit of KITM won the second prize.

KITM chairperson Satyapal Aggarwal released a book, “Micro Business Environment”, written by Dr Ranjeet Verma, head of the Management Studies Department of the institute.

Aggarwal and director-cum-principal of the institute Prof PJ George gave away prizes to the winners. They congratulated the participants and encouraged them to organise such events to develop cooperation and interaction.

The students presented cultural programme on the occasion. Placement officer JL Tuli, events convener Yashpal Singh, co-convener Pawan Dhankar and students of other institutes were also present on the occasion.

Over 150 students from 14 institutes participated in various competitions.

PNB holds farm loan disbursement function
Nawal Kishore Rastogi

Rewari, October 18
As a part of the ongoing countrywide campaign of Punjab National Bank to disburse hassle-free loans to the peasants, various local branches of the PNB held a district-level agricultural loan disbursement function here recently.

While SK Goyal, chief manager of the PNB circle office, Rohtak, was the chief guest, senior officials of bank’s local branches as well as farmers from various parts of the district attended the event.

Goyal inaugurated the loan fair by handing over the keys of a tractor, which had been purchased with the amount of loan provided by the bank, to a farmer Virender Singh.

He also distributed credit cards worth Rs 90 lakh to the farmers, while under the Krishak Saathi Yojna of the bank, he dealt out loans worth Rs 28 lakh to 32 peasants to enable them to pay off their loans which they had earlier secured from private banks.

Besides, he also dished out loans to the tune of Rs 3 lakh to six women under the Women’s Welfare Card Scheme of the bank.

Stating that the loan disbursement campaign of the bank to the peasants would continue till November 30, Goyal exhorted farmers to avail these easy loans for their economic uplift.

AK Mittal, district manager of the PNB, said accomplishment of availability of credit cards to farmers in the district was their top priority.

RKSD College professors present papers in Canada
Satish Seth

Kaithal, October 18
Dr Sanjay Kumar Goyal and Dr AK Narula, Associate Professors of Physics in the local RKSD College, were invited to present papers in the 39th 2012 IAH Congress at Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, from September 16-21. The Congress, “Confronting Global Change”, was organised by the Canadian National Chapter of International Association of Hydrogeology (IAH) at Sheraton on the Falls.

More than 800 scientists and delegates from 61 countries around the world attended the conference. Dr Goyal and Dr Narula presented their research on groundwater problems faced by Kaithal district and the surrounding areas.

The plenary programme included lectures by four of world’s premier groundwater scientists: Dr Jozef Toth, Dr Frank Schwartz, Dr John Cherry and Dr Allen Freeze. Mid-congress technical tours were organised to give an overview of the salient features of the famous Niagara falls which were brought to the world’s attention in 1683 by the arrival of Europeans in Niagara.

The main attractions of the region included vineyards, wineries, the whirlpool in Niagara river, Welland canal shipping, making of tunnels with world’s largest hard rock-boring machines, putting rivers into the culverts and making them flow backwards for generating electricity besides the breathtaking beauty of the falls. Dr Goyal, who has worked extensively along with Dr Bhagwan Singh Chaudhary and Dr Omvir Singh and GK Sethi in the Department of Geophysics, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, and the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun, on Applications of Geophysical and GIS Techniques on groundwater studies, has to his credit several papers published in reputed international journals. His visit for participation in the congress was fully sponsored by the organising committee and the Department of Science and Technology, GoI.

He presented a paper entitled “Over-exploitation of Groundwater and Changes in Groundwater Flow Directions in an Agriculture Dominated Area.” Dr Narula, a doctorate in Applied Physics from NIT Kurukshetra, who was also invited to present a paper in Mexico last year, presented a paper entitled “Estimation of Hydro-geological Properties from Geo-electrical Measurements.”

Rural postal employees go on indefinite strike
Our Correspondent

Rewari, October 18
In response to a call given by the All-India Extra Departmental Postal Employees Union, over 500 gramin dak sewaks (GDS-rural postal employees) of the Gurgaon Division comprising Mahendergarh, Rewari, Gurgaon and Mewat, went on an indefinite strike from October 16 to press for the acceptance of their long-pending demands.

The work in 330 rural post offices in the above four districts has come to a standstill, while the agitating employees have been staging protests at Narnaul, Rewari and other places in the division.

College organises talent hunt
Our Correspondent

Ambala, October 18
Sohan Lal DAV College of Education, Ambala City, held a talent search competition here recently.

Dr RS Yadav, chairman, Department of Education, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Dr OP Gehlawat, Dean, Faculty of Education, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, and Dr Mahesh Manocha, an eye surgeon from Ambala City, were the chief guests on the occasion.

The programme started with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp. A floral welcome was given to the chief guests by Dr Vivek Kohli, principal of the college, and all faculty members.

Dr Kohli said every student must take part in various types of co-curricular activities. “The talent show will enable us to identify the latent talent of our students and to enrich their abilities in the days to come,” he added.

Prof Yadav said it was the foremost duty of a teacher to provide the best knowledge to the coming generation. Dr Manocha said everyone should adopt the preaching of the Bhagwad Gita in his life.

Folk dance competition at DPS
Our Correspondent

Ambala, October 18
Delhi Public School, Ambala City, organised an inter-house folk dance competition to promote cultural activities among students.

The Tagore house performed Punjabi folk and got the first position. The Hargobind house performed Rajasthani dance and secured the second position. Marathi dance by the Raman house won the third position.

Bushra Ahuja, Principal of the school, congratulated the winning teams. She asked the students to take an active part in cultural and sports activities besides their regular studies. The students should pay the highest regards to their teachers and parents as their blessings played an important role in building their career, she added. A science exhibition was also organised on this occasion. Around 150 models were displayed related to environment, energy saving and electronics.

MCA students welcome freshers

Ambala, October 18
It was fun and frolic at the E-Max Group of Institutions as the MCA students gave a warm welcome party to the freshers. The faculty and students participated in the function with enthusiasm. The programme director-general of the E-Max Group, Dr Baljit Kapoor, was the chief guest. The day began with the lighting of the lamp by the Dr Kapoor. Dr BS Jaswal, Director of E-Max Institute of Computer Application, welcomed the guests.

Students of the college presented cultural programmes like group dances, mimicry, songs, solo dances, break dance and bhangra to welcome the freshers. It was fun and frolic at the college as students danced. The main attraction was Mr and Ms Fresher contests. The contest was narrowed down to three rounds: cat walk, common question and judges’ questions round.

The judges, Satbir Kaushik, Shilpa Thakur and Deepak Raj, declared Saif Akhtar as Mr Fresher and Ms Fresher was Isha Baniyal. — OC

Annual sports meet at Chaman Vatika

Ambala, October 18
Chaman Vatika School organised its 22nd annual sports meet here recently. Hardeep Singh Doon, Senior Superintendent of Police, Railways, was the chief guest on the occasion. Chairman of the school Rajender Nath was also present. The event began with a march past. Eight of the best athletes of the school ran with the Olympic torch. Chief guest emphasised on the importance of sports in the development of a healthy personality.

The Results

Overall Trophy: Radha Krishnan House

First runners-up trophy: Raman House

Best athletes in junior category: Japnoor Kaur and Khushdeep Singh

Best athletes: Harinder, Keshav Bajaj and Vipin Boora

First prize in hockey dribbling: Brij Mohan

Winners of balloon race: Neeru and Vipin Aggarwal

Winners of 100m race (junior category): Khushdeep, Tanveer, Karanveer, Japnoor, Alyosha and Gurleen

Winners of 200m race (senior category): Keshav, Abhikaran, Ranjodh, Aashima, Oorja and Gurleen

Winners of 400m race: Santsewak, Navsher, Gurjot, Kaniksha, Lavanya and Rupal. — OC

Sirsa farmers to get modern farm implements
Sushil Manav/TNS

Sirsa, October 18
With a view to promoting modern farming among farmers of Sirsa, the Haryana Agriculture Department will provide 616 different modern agricultural implements during the current financial year on which a subsidy of Rs 80.67 lakh will be given to the farmers.

A spokesman of the department said that these implements would be provided under the Integrated Scheme of Oilseeds, Pulses, Oil Palm and Maize under the schemes -- National Agricultural Development Scheme and National Food Safety Mission.

He said to distribute these implements to the farmers, applications had been invited from the farmers. Applications could be submitted in the office of the Agriculture Department by November 30.

After receiving applications, a draw of lots would be held by a four-member committee constituted under the chairmanship of the Additional Deputy Commissioner to choose beneficiaries.

He said to give these equipments, 20 per cent reservation would be given to the farmers belonging to the Scheduled Castes and 10 per cent to women farmers.

He said those farmers who had already taken subsidy on agricultural implements under any scheme of state or Central government after 2006-07, would not be eligible for any subsidy during this year.

Movie This Week
Student of the Year

A still from the movie, “Student of the Year”

Producer: Hiroo Johar, Gauri Khan
Director: Karan Johar

Gauri Khan and Hiroo Johar have jointly produced “Student of the Year”, a student drama set in high school. After “My Name Is Khan”, director Karan Johar is ready to take the centre stage with this film which stars Aalia Bhatt, Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter, along with Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra. Aalia plays a young fashionista. Revolving around the emotional journey from youth to adulthood, “Student of the Year” is the story of foes-turned friends who study in a school. Rishi Kapoor essays the role of a dean. The music has been composed by Vishal-Shekhar, Karan Johar’s departure from the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio. Vishal-Shekhar has come up with foot-tapping music with “The Disco” song which has already become a chartbuster.

The movie opens today at Fame Shalimar-Panchkula, Fun Minerva, Nigar (Ambala), Dimple-Jagadhri, Fun, Cinemax (Panipat), Movie Time Harsha (Karnal), Bangar, Satyam (Rohtak), PVR MGF, PVR Sahara, PVR, Ambience, SRS Omaxe, SRS Celebration, DTCC, DTMM, DT Star Mall (Gurgaon), SRS Pristine, SR City Centre, SRS Eldeco, SRS Shubham, INOX, Movie, PVR Crown Plaza, and PM Prasavnath City Mall (Faridabad).

— Dharam Pal