The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Gorakhpur villagers visit N-power plant at Narora Sushil Manav/TNS Fatehabad, October 29 The visit of a 57-member team of farmers and villagers of Gorakhpur, which visited the nuclear power plant at Narora in Uttar Pradesh, has helped in developing a better understanding of the functioning of such plants among the residents of Gorakhpur in Haryana where a similar nuclear power plant is being set up. Experts from the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) apprised the farmers about the functioning of the Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) set up over 700 acres of land, which has been operational since 1979. At present, two units of 220 MW each were operational at the plant in which 1,300 employees were working. The experts said the plant was based on the technology of the 1980s and during the past more than 20 years, the plant did not witness any fault or problem. The farmers were told that the plant to be set up in Gorakhpur would use ultra-modern technology and it would have better safety measures. The Project Manager of Gorakhpur Atomic Power Project (GAPP), SK Gumasta, took the team members inside the cooling tower to show them that the vapour emitting from there was neither radiation nor smoke, it was only steam of water instead. At the training centre, the farmers also observed fuel bundle by taking it in their hands, said an official spokesperson. The experts said in case of any emergency or danger, the technology of plant made the complete process of the plant stop in just two seconds. They apprised the farmers that the nuclear power plant did not harm human life or vegetation. They said the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) had fixed a limit of 1,000 unit radiation from the plant, whereas a study of last 20 years revealed that NAPS never produced more than 0.4 units of radiation. The NPCIL was efficient enough to fulfil the energy requirements of the country and soon we would be able to generate more power than the requirement, they added. An Environmental Survey Lab has been established to study the impact of the plant at Narora. This lab was an independent organisation of the Government of India and it sent its study report directly to Bhabha Atomic Resarch Centre situated in Mumbai. For the last 20 years, the lab has been dedicatedly studying the impact of a nuclear plant on all eatables, animals, land, water, wind, tree, milk, vegetable, fish and other creatures presented within a radius of 30 km of the power plant, said the experts. During this period, not even a single case of negative effect of a power plant on environment has come to their notice. As many as 80 villages having a dense population were located within the radius of 5 km of this plant and no loss to crops, animals or health due to this plant has been registered till today. Apart from this, the plant was also the source of income or livelihood for the local residents. The members of the team also met the local residents there and enquired about the changes that had taken place before or after the setting up of this plant. A special session was also organised for the farmers in which Director, NAPS, SK Sharma, Chief Superintendent DS Chaudhary, Deputy General Manager Ajay Kumar, Manager Putan Singh Tomar, Senior Engineer Mukesh Kumar, S Patra and YP Gautam of Environmental Survey Laboratory met the team members and replied to their queries.
	Move to cut defaulters’ power supply a hit Affected consumers come forward to pay arrears Sunit Dhawan Tribune News Service Gurgaon, October 29 The move of the Haryana power distribution corporation of disconnecting electricity supply of major defaulters in the state has shown encouraging results. Most of the defaulting consumers whose connections had been cut have paid their outstanding arrears. Moreover, alerted by the move, other defaulters have also started paying their dues. Thanks to this, power discoms in the state have received payments in excess of the targeted amount. For instance, the Gurgaon circle of the DHBVN alone, whose monthly revenue realisation target for the month of September was Rs 210 crore, collected nearly Rs 245 crore during the month, about Rs 35 crore more than the target amount. The Gurgaon power circle authorities now expect to collect Rs 260 crore in October as against the target amount of Rs 235 crore. “If all goes well, we may be able to realise almost the entire connected default amount by the end of the year,” said the Superintending Engineer (Operations) at Gurgaon circle of the DHBVN. However, the state power distribution corporations, DHBVN and UHBVN, had recently launched a campaign, under which the power supply of the major defaulting customers had been cut. The list of defaulters included a couple of powerful politicians of the state, including a sitting minister. The Gurgaon Mayor, whose ice-factory had defaulted on payment of electricity arrears amounting to Rs 36 lakh, was also on the hit-list. Nearly 2,500 persons/firms against whom arrears of more than Rs 1 lakh were due have been targeted in the first phase of the campaign. According to sources, many old and major defaulters are turning up in large numbers to pay their dues as the exercise to cut power connections of defaulters is being executed in the state. The sources said the campaign would continue in the next financial year as well and its ambit would be gradually increased to nail the power defaulters.
	Outstanding Power Bills Nigam launches special campaign for recovery BS Malik Sonepat, October 29 The Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam has launched a special campaign for the recovery of outstanding electricity bills amounting to Rs 4,000 crore from defaulting consumers. This amount includes Rs 150 crore to be recovered from the consumers in Sonepat district. This was stated by the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the nigam, Devender Singh, while interacting with public representatives in a day-long open durbar here in Geeta Vidya Mandir Girls College recently. “During the campaign, connections of defaulters with huge outstanding amounts will be disconnected immediately and any kind of unauthorised interference will not be tolerated,” he added. He clarified that the nigam was a commercial establishment and it could not be run on losses. The nigam has been spending around Rs 7 per unit, after including electricity prices, salary of the staff, line and theft losses, he said and pointed out that the recovery was around Rs 4.50 per unit. It had become the need of the hour to bring down the line losses, which at present stood at around 30 per cent. “In any circumstances, losses of more than 15 per cent cannot be borne and it has become necessary to bring it down in a phased manner,” Singh said. He sought public cooperation in checking the cases of electricity thefts and for making timely payment of the electricity bills. He was of the opinion that there was not much shortage of electricity in the country as the power generating capacity had been increased by around 50,000 M Watt during the 11th five-year plan. “However, round the clock power supply was possible only after making the payment to the producers, checking power thefts and recovery of the outstanding electricity payments,” he explained. While commenting on the complaints and demands received during open house interactions, the CMD asked the Nigam officers to take immediate action on the issues raised by the public representatives. “Complaints must be attended to immediately and consumers should be informed about the timings of electricity supply,” he added. The state media in charge of BJP, Rajiv Jain, handed over a memorandum to the CMD demanding increase in the capacity of the transformers, changing of iron poles, immediate repair of the faults etc and the CMD assured for necessary action on the demands. Deputy Commissioner, Pankaj Aggarwal, Additional Deputy Commissioner, SB Lohia, Directors of Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, NK Jain and RK Sehgal, Chief Engineers DK Maheshwari and AK Grover, Congress leaders Santosh Gulia and Manoj Rodhau and representatives of different social and voluntary organisations, political parties, residents’ welfare associations and panchayati raj institutions were also present on the occasion.
	Step up security in banks, says K’shetra SP Tribune News Service Kurukshetra, October 29 Superintendent of Police, Rakesh Kumar Arya, has warned all banks in the district to step up security in their branches. Arya said a number of steps could be taken by the banks to avoid untoward incidents. “We have observed that many bank branches have either aged security guards or security guards are not present at the gate. The banks must ensure that security guards discharge their duty properly,” he said. Going by the security standard at banks, the robbers are having a field day and by the time the police comes to know about these incidents, the robbers make a safe exit. Arya said he has advised banks to install CCTV cameras at the entrance, exit points and also at strategic places within the bank premises and employ well-trained armed security guards. Police presence in the periphery of the banks was being increased. Citing their own problems, certain banks have done little in the name of security, he said, complainingly. Some banks have installed CCTV cameras, but do not have armed guards. He said the banks had been advised to set up a hotline with the local police station. “We have strongly urged the bankers to ensure that if they are carrying out a drill, they must inform us in advance,” he said.
	annual function of English Promotion Forum English more ‘relevant’ in global village Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, October 29 English Promotion Forum, a voluntary organisation working towards encouraging use of English language among children, organised its annual function in the local Shivdei Resort recently. Amir Chawla, former chairman of the Haryana Subordinate Services Commission, was the chief guest while Dr JS Jakhar, chairperson of the Law Department, Dr Umed Singh, chairperson of the English Department of the Chaudhary Devi Lal University, and Kumud Singh, Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner, were special guests. A declamation contest and a quiz competition in English was organised on the occasion. Aishwarya Puri was adjudged first in the declamation contest while Chirag Sheoran and Monica got the second and the third positions respectively. The speeches of Dr Azad Singh and Dr Ashok Makkar were found outstanding in the senior category. Speaking on the occasion, Chawla emphasised the importance of English in today’s scenario where the world had shrunk to a global village. The forum honoured Prof Dungar Ram, a founder member of the English Promotion Forum for his role in encouraging the use of the language. RS Saharan, president of the forum said the organisation had completed 10 successful years of service to society. He presented an account of activities of the forum during the past 10 years. Dr RS Sangwan, patron of the forum exhorted youths to learn English, as in this era of knowledge, those who were well versed with the language excelled in all fields. Shipra Miglani compered the show. Advocate Mahesh Parikh thanked all guests. The idea of the English Promotion Forum was first conceived by Saharan, who retired as a deputy superintendent of police here. Realising the importance of English in today's scenario when good jobs are available only for those who could communicate well in English, Saharan decided to launch this forum as he found that the standard of English was very poor in this part of the country. "We have been encouraging students showing excellent performance in competitions organised by us with prizes like dictionaries and other reading material," said Saharan. He said the forum aspired to bring Sirsa on a par with big cities in terms of knowledge of English of local students.
	Vadra land deal DCs’ report slap on Oppn’s face: Sampat Tribune News Service Hisar, October 29 Former Finance Minister and Congress legislator Sampat Singh has said that the report by four Deputy Commissioners on Robert Vadra’s land deal holding that there was no evasion of stamp duty in these deals was “a slap on the face of Opposition parties”. Addressing a news conference here, he said the Opposition parties had been demanding a probe into the deals citing the order issued by IAS officer Ashok Khemka, the then Director-General of land consolidation and land holding. Now that the same order had been implemented by the government and it had been found that Vadra had in fact paid much higher duty than others, the Opposition leaders were terming the reports as a “sham”, he said. He said the Opposition in Haryana did not have any issue against the Congress and in frustration it was using officers like Khemka as a “crutch”. The Opposition was trying to stay in the arena by posing to side with agitating farmers and industrial workers. However, it had not been able to find any ground to stand amongst the public, he said. In an apparent reference to Indian National Lok Dal, the former minister said the Chautalas were themselves facing graft charges.
	Faulty weighing machines irk farmers Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, October 29 After an angry demonstration by farmers, mill owners at Kalawali town in Sirsa were forced to end exploitation of villagers at the time of purchase of their cotton crop recently. Farmers led by Prahlad Singh Bharukhera, state president of the Haryana Kisan Manch, alleged that the exploitation had been continuing for the past 28 years with the active connivance of the authorities concerned. “We caught a dharamkanta (weighing machine) that was showing loss of 25 kg cotton to the farmers every time a tractor trolley loaded with cotton was weighed on it,” Bharukhera said. The farmers then forced the officials of the department concerned to seal the weighing machine forthwith. Besides, the mill owners had been imposing a ‘cut’ of 200 grams per 40 km in the name of ‘difference in weight’ and were deducting Rs 100 per quintal in the name of ‘possible impurities’ in the crop. However, the practice was going on for the past 28 years to the knowledge of the authorities in the market committee. “We have brought the matter to the notice of market committee several times in the past, but they all are hand in glove with the millers,” alleged Santokh Singh, a farmer. He alleged that the farmers had no other option but to yield to the millers’ hegemony, but now, they had crossed limits and started exploiting villagers from all sides. Market committee secretary Major Singh said he received a complaint recently and the matter had already been solved within a day. Pradeep Jain, president of the Arhtiya Association said all the demands of the farmers had been solved.
	HUDA chief inspects community centre construction work Ravinder Saini Jhajjar, October 29 Chander Prakash, administrator, Haryana Urban Development Authorities (HUDA), Rohtak division, said the construction work of a community centre at Gaaji Kamal gate here would be finished soon and would be dedicated to the public thereafter. He stated this while talking to mediapersons after inspecting the ongoing construction work of the community centre here recently. He said all the modern facilities would be made available at the community centre so that people of the town could get its benefits. “Not only variety of flowering plants will be sowed on the campus of the community centre but also iron-barbed wires will be installed over its boundary wall to prevent unauthorised entrance there,” he said. The HUDA chief has also started the process to develop a town park on the name of freedom fighter Rao Mangli Ram on the Sampla road here. The park would be constructed over four acres and the state government had already sanctioned Rs 4 crore to execute the project, he added. “The park will be developed with fresh landscaping, swings, play areas, a library, a musical fountain and a nature centre so that people from all walks of life can come here and relax,” he said. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had announced to develop a park in place of Gaaji Kamaal Pond during his visit here. The pond is full of filth and serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes and insects. Residents demanded that the pond be converted into a park.
	Natonal Legal Services Week HSLSA to make students legally aware Sikri to open first Students’ Legal Literacy Club in Gurukul, Panchkula Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Fatehabad, October 29 The Haryana State Legal Services Authority (HSLSA) has decided to open ‘Student Legal Literacy Clubs’ in all private senior secondary schools, secondary schools, colleges and other educational institutions of Haryana, to observe the National Legal Services Week, from November 1. Deepak Gupta, Member Secretary of the HSLSA, said Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, AK Sikri, who is also the patron-in-chief of HSLSA, would inaugurate the first Students’ Legal Literacy Club in Gurukul, a private school located at Sector-20, Panchkula, on November 1 to set the celebrations in motion. Justice Hemant Gupta, Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and a number of other judges would also grace the occasion, he said. As a part of Students Legal Literacy Mission, the HSLSA in collaboration with the Education Department, had already opened 1,720 such clubs in various government and aided schools and colleges of the state. He said instructions had been issued to all the District and Session Judges, Additional District and Session Judges (I)-cum-Chairman or Secretaries of District Legal Services Authorities of Haryana to ensure functioning of maximum number of these Legal Literacy Clubs. Legal Literacy Classes for women, children and students will also be organised be them. Legal Literacy Meets on the topics such as women empowerment, rights of transgenders, rights of senior citizens, rights of juveniles and role of legal services authorities would also be held. Besides, they had been directed to hold Lok Adalats, Rural Adalats, Legal Literacy Camps, and Seminars for the observance of the National Legal Services Week. Gupta said a programme would also be organised at Gurgaon on November 9, 2012 on the concluding day of Legal Services Week. He said November 9 was observed as Legal Services Day every year as the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 was implemented on this day in year 1995. He said the main objective of the National Legal Services Day was to reaffirm the commitment, solidarity and support to the disadvantaged people, to make the legal process a surer means to social justice by providing free legal services, to make the people aware about their legal rights and about the welfare schemes of the government, to get the constitutional mandate of social justice implemented, to encourage and sensitise the judicial officers, law students, social institutions, and to participate with greater enthusiasm in the implementation of the National Legal Literacy Mission.
	Shops for solar devices soon Chandigarh, October 29 The Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) has decided to open 'Akshay Urja' shops in nine districts of the state for sale and repair of the solar and energy efficient devices. The shops would be opened in Fatehabad, Rohtak, Sonepat, Bhiwani, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Palwal, Mewat and Jhajjar districts, a HAREDA spokesman said. He said the HAREDA had invited expression of interest (EoI) from NGOs or companies or unemployed youths for opening such shops. — PTI
	Road infrastructure in Kaithal being upgraded Satish Seth Kaithal, October 29 The road infrastructure in the town is being upgraded at a cost of Rs 144 crore and after completing the ongoing development works, this historic town will come up as a developed town. This was stated by Randeep Singh Surjewala, Public Works, Industries and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, while addressing a series of public meetings in different wards of the town. Surjewala, who is also the local MLA, said Khanouri-Jind road bypass was being constructed at a cost of Rs 12 crore and a railway under bridge was under construction, on the same road stretch, which would cost Rs 29 crore. To ensure smooth flow of traffic and safety of travellers, dividers were being constructed on all major roads. Streetlights would also be installed here, he added. Surjewala said a huge water works was being constructed in 10 acres at the cost of Rs 35 crore in Balkuwali Gamri. During a weeklong tour of different wards in Kaithal, he sanctioned development works worth crores of rupees. He addressed meetings in Patel Nagar, Dogran Gate, Chandana Gate, Siwan Gate, Keorak Gate, Employees Colony, Chiranjeev Colony, Khurana Road, Subhash Nagar and at various other places. During his tour, Ram Niwas Mittal, chairman of local municipal council, councilors and congress party functionaries, accompanied Surjewala. Local residents accorded him a warm welcome during the tour.
	Demand for repatriation of Telecom officials BSNL executives launch statewide agitation Raman Mohan/TNS Hisar, October 29 Executives of Bhartiya Sanchar Nigam Limited today launched a statewide stir to press their demand for repatriation of Indian Telecom Service officials to the Department of Telecom to pave the way for career progression of officers of the BSNL. Rakesh Malik, Assistant Circle Secretary of the All-India Graduate Engineers Telecom Officers Association, BSNL, said the nigam executives had gone on a week-long chain hunger strike from today in protest against the non-acceptance of their demands by authorities. He said both BSNL and MTNL were the largest and strategic telecom companies and it was imperative that these companies were run professionally to ensure their profitability. He said BSNL came into being on October 1, 2000, after the government decided to open up the telecom sector to competition and to have its own service provider in telecom operations. MTNL was formed earlier in 1986. The government decided to absorb all employees of the Department of Telecom in BSNL and MTNL to end the conflict of interest between the licenser (DOT) and service providers (BSNL and MTNL). The government wanted that BSNL and MTNL should be fully equipped to effectively and successfully face emerging competition in the telecom sector. Malik said the Union Cabinet had rejected the proposal of DOT to allow Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officers to continue in BSNL and MTNL on perpetual deputation thrice. It only extended their deemed deputation from September 30, 2005, to December 31, 2008. Thus, their continuation in BSNL and MTNL after that was illegal. Since 2005, four opportunities were given to ITS, in 2005, 2008, 2011 and lastly by the Delhi High Court in April 2012, to get absorbed in BSNL and MTNL. They consistently disobeyed these directives to safeguard their vested interest of job security. He said both BSNL and MTNL had reserves of crores of rupees till two years ago. However, their coffers were empty now because of the continuance of borrowed management with no affinity, stake, commitment and a sense of belonging to the companies. The ITS lobby had taken no initiative whatsoever during the past seven years to build the management structure of the company. He said if allowed to continue, such a situation would undoubtedly lead to severe industrial turbulence, trust deficit, instability and complete demoralisation among employees of BSNL and MTNL. Such a preposterous proposition would have colossal and inevitable implications for the two companies. Both DOT and the managements of BSNL and MTNL were intentionally ignoring the impact of allowing ITS officers to stay on deputation in these companies on more than 3.2 lakh BSNL and MTNL employees. There could not be two kinds of employees -- absorbed and recruited on the one hand and those on deputation on the other. Malik said ITS officers should be repatriated to DOT in accordance with the decision of the government or else absorbed and recruited employees of BSNL and MTNL be taken back on the rolls of the government and permitted to work in BSNL and MTNL on perpetual deputation like unabsorbed ITS Group 'A' officers.
	Crime against women Boycott anti-social elements: SP Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, October 29 While addressing a seminar on “Safety of Women”, organised by DN College on its premises here recently, district police chief Rakesh Arya called upon society to ensure safe and sound environment for girls and women, keeping in view the incidents of rape reported from various parts of the state. Arya said society should have an attitude to boycott anti-social elements and women and girls should be brave enough to tackle any critical situation. He said PCRs with women had already been deputed and in addition to these, a helpline number 100 would provide 24-hour service. Additional Deputy Commissioner Sumedha Kataria said the rising crime graph against women was not only a problem of our nation but of the whole world. Creative steps were needed to handle the situation with a sense of responsibility, she added. The Principal of the College, Dr Vijay Chauhan, also shared her thoughts on the issue while some girls participated in the face-to-face interaction.
	Anti-Smoking Act goes up in smoke Shekhar Singh/TNS Kurukshetra, October 29 Even after the implementation of the Anti-Smoking Act in the country, the law has remained on paper as far as this city is concerned. People continue to smoke at public places, kiosks selling cigarettes etc do business quite close to schools as usual and no hotel, shop or kiosk owners have put up boards of a ‘Non-smoking area’ or ‘No sale of cigarettes to minors here’, mandatory under the Act. The police has remained a mute spectator to all these violations. Not even a single FIR has been lodged against any violator so far. The police has also not undertaken any exercise to spread awareness among the masses. Under the Act, smoking is banned at public places but one can see people smoking on roads, railway station, bus stand, parks and markets. The law requires that no shop or kiosk selling cigarettes or any other tobacco product should be allowed to operate within a distance of 100 metres from schools, colleges, and other educational institutions. But a survey of the city by The Tribune reveals that there is not a single educational institution which does not have such a seller in the vicinity. At places where there is no permanent shop or kiosk, there are mobile sellers operating on bicycles. Blatant violation was spotted near schools and colleges in Sector-7, Sector-13, Railway road, Mandi and Shanti Nagar. Kiosks were seen very close to the Kurukshetra University too. KVM School, near railway road, and LNJP hospital had shops operating in front of the gates. The school authorities are yet to take up the issue with the district administration. The survey also found that no one had put up boards declaring ‘no smoking area’ in hotels or open places like the railway station. The kiosk or shop owners selling cigarettes, apart from those selling on tables or bicycles, are supposed to put up a board saying, ‘No sale for minors here’. It was nowhere to be found.
	MDU holds zonal youth fest Our Correspondent Rewari, October 29 Nearly 750 students from 27 colleges of the Mahendergarh zone participated at a three-day Zonal Youth Festival of MD University, Rohtak, held at Kishan Lal Public College here recently. Dr PK Bansal, principal of KLP College, along with his team of professors and 200 student volunteers PKS Postgraduate College, Kanina, Mahendergarh, bagged the overall trophy, while Ahir College, Rewari, won the first position in light music (vocal), orchestra (Haryanavi), classical dance, folk dance solo, rangoli and collage making competitions. The first place in group song (general), group song (western), group dance (general), one-act play (Hindi and Sanskrit) and on-the-spot painting contest went to the host KLP College. At the concluding function, while Chander Prakash, Commissioner of the Gurgaon Division, was the chief guest, Dr SS Yadav, director of Cancer Institute, Mirpur, and Satender Prasad, president of the Public Education Board, Rewari, were the guests of honour.
	Sonepat scholar honoured Our Correspondent Sonepat, October 29 Dr Sant Ram Deswal, an eminent author, poet and scholar, presently working as the associate professor at Chhotu Ram Arya College, Sonepat, has been honoured with the prestigious ‘Book Prize’ of the Haryana Sahitya Academy for his book of poems in Haryanavi language titled ‘Ankahe Dard’ for 2010. The award was given to Dr Deswal by Information, Public Relations and Cultural Affairs Minister Shiv Charan Lal Sharma at a function at Panchkula recently. KK Khanelwal, Additional Principal Secretary to the Haryana Chief Minister, presided over the function. This is the second ‘Book Prize’ given to Dr Deswal by the Haryana Sahitya Academy. Earlier, he received this prize in 2005 for his famous book titled ‘Lok Alok’. Dr Deswal has also penned five other books, including Haryana Ki Sanskriti Avam Kaka, Angan Mein Mor Nacha Kisne Dekha, Sanskriti Avam Bhumandlikaran and Lalit Nibandh Ka Swarup.
	Painting exhibition held Tribune News Service Gurgaon, October 29 An art exhibition was organised at Epicentre in Sector 44 here recently. Paint-creations depicting different forms of Lord Ganesha themed “Blessed Life” were displayed during the show. Ganesha in blue was shown in a state of meditation in one of the paintings. In another painting, he is illuminated with brightness and power of a million suns. “Though the footfall was low, displaying my creations gave me a sound exposure and audacity to don the artistic gown again,” says artist Ritu Taneja, who promises to be back in the art circle with more themes. Ritu, who holds a professional degree in fine arts, said her love for art and art forms was God gifted. She has been dabbling in some art form or the other right from her childhood. The artist attributes her accomplishments to the support of her family members.
	Olympics bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt felicitated Ravinder Saini Jhajjar, October 29 Olympic bronze medalist and winner of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratan Award, grappler Yogeshwar Dutt, was felicitated by Sarva Brahman Samaj at a felicitation function organised at Jahan Aara Bhag Indoor Stadium, here recently. Dutt was honoured with a Hanuman Gadda by the community at the programme. Many other people, who made a significant contribution in their respective fields, were also felicitated on the occasion. Addressing the gathering, Dutt called upon the promising players to toil hard with dedication to get success in life. “Hard work never goes waste and it bears fruit sooner than later hence those who wish to make their carrier in sports should not lose confidence in adverse conditions and carry on with the same spirit as every one gets a chance to show his/her talent,” said the wrestler. Recollecting the memories of London Olympic, the grappler said the Olympic medal was his decade-old dream, which was realised in London. “But it is not the end of my dream and I wish to perform and grab a gold medal in the next Olympic games.” Appreciating the sports policy of the state government, he maintained the government had been providing modern facilities at village level to promote sports in the state, besides polishing the talent of budding players. “This is the result of the government sports policy that four of six Indian players who grabbed medals in London Olympic hailed from Haryana. The government is providing a golden opportunity to promising players to go ahead, which should be cashed in by them,” said Dutt. Jhajjar Deputy Commissioner Ajit Balaji Joshi, Superintendent of Police Anil Dhawan, Raj Singh Jakhar, Mahesh Kashyap, KD Sharma, Ishwar Kondravali, Chiranji Lal Sharma, SN Sharma were present on the occasion.
	Dance programme by Hungarian group Our Correspondent Yamunanagar, October 29 The auditorium resounded with claps when members of a Hungarian group said, “We love Indians, we like Indian people”, in DAV College for Girls, Yamunanagar. A dance programme of the group was organised with contribution of Spic Maccay and Music Department of the college. In the programme, the group presented the culture of Hungry through different dance forms of the land. The audience motivated the artistes with lots of appreciation. The event started with Haryanvi folk dance to give the Hungarian group a peek into the state’s culture. In the programme, the visiting group performed their cultural dances and the European dance, Trensovinia. They also presented a dance that is performed when crops are ready for harvesting. Speaker of the Hungarian group said the dance was a symbol of love, harmony and brotherhood. The college Principal, Dr Sushma Arya, chaired the programme and honoured the artistes by giving them mementoes. While speaking on the occasion, she said the purpose of the programme was to make students aware of the Hungarian culture. She urged students to adopt good values from foreign cultures.
	Fashion designing toppers Our Correspondent Sonepat, October 29 Students of the Fashion Designing Department of Bhagat Phool Singh Women University, Khanpur Kalan, won the first position in the life style event of the Culture Fest, Rendezvous -2012, organised at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. In the 5-day event, 23 teams from different institutes of India participated. The 25 member team of students was led by the department Head Dr Lalita Jajpura and Assistant Professors Ashish Hooda and Nitu Rani. The team was accorded a warm welcome on its arrival at the university by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Dr Balbir Kaur, who said participation in such programmes played an important role in bringing all-round development among the students. “The students gain self confidence and a sense of competition by participating in such national-level competitions,” Dr Kaur added.
	Murthal varsity volunteers shine at training camp Our Correspondent Sonepat, October 29 Volunteers of the National Service Scheme (NSS) of the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, have bagged five prizes at a state-level Youth Red Cross Training Camp organised at Nangli Vela Ashram in Haridwar recently. The best coordinator award was bagged by assistant professor of the Architect Department of the university Neha Yadav. The first prize in the best youth coordinator event was won by Sakshi, a second year student of the university. In the presentation of a skit on women empowerment, Sakshi, Sugandha, Priyanka, Garima, Vandna and Nisha of the university secured second position. Sugandha also bagged second position in an extempore competition, while Sakshi was placed at third position in a star competition. As many as 14 teams from various universities of the state participated at the camp. The volunteers were accorded warm welcome on their arrival in the university. Congratulating them for their commendable performance at the camp, Vice-Chancellor of the university HS Chahal said the time had come when the youth were expected to take the responsibility for the eradication of social evils like female foeticide, atrocities against women, etc. “An educated youth should become a symbol of social and moral values and a crusader to take the nation and society forward in the present era,” he said.
	Management conclave at Rohtak IIM Tribune News Service Rohtak, October 29 “B-24-B or business with other four billion is not only vast in its objectives, but most relevant in its application”. This observation was made at a management conclave of the Rohtak IIM, ‘Mission India’, which concluded here recently. During discussions, dignitaries came up with ideas to address the needs of the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) of society related to economics. Sujit Kumar, an IIM-A graduate and a student of visionary management guru CK Prahlad, said the BoP segment could be redefined as the one which was depended on government as the only service provider. Going beyond selling goods, private sector should first look at sharing responsibility in key sectors such as education and primary health care before moving on to the larger goal of poverty reduction, he said. “But corporate houses are constrained by the need to preserve their brand value and the scale of operation. Therefore, entrepreneurs are in a better position to contribute to the BoP, but the challenge for them is capital. What is needed is social capital at much lower rates,” he said. Sanjay Mann, senior VP, Reliance Communications, made an observation about product and service models. Rather than creating cheap products, companies should empower the BoP segment through a partnership model akin to the one that led to the success of Amul and Lizzat papad, he said. “The success of a service model depends on how it adds to the productivity of masses, as evidenced by the penetration of telecom services in the country. One more case in point is expertise of the NIIT at imparting education and skill to a large number of people,” he added. Touching upon the organisational aspect of the BoP strategy, Vivek Jain, SVP, Naukri Product and analytics at Info Edge India, said the need was to ‘go local, hire locals’ to build organisations grounded in local realities. Alok Chaterjee, VP, HR, WELSPUN ENERGY, moderated the session titled “Turning the pyramid upside down”. SK Jain, director and unit head, Hisar, Jindal Stainless Steel, said educational institutes should work in tandem with the industry to improve employability and tap demographic dividend. Amarnath Gupta, AVP, HR, RBS, stressed on the importance of manufacturing sector and the agricultural sector that had the potential to absorb semi-skilled labour and turn the pyramid upside down. Mandeep Singh, director, HR, BMR Advisers, highlighted the need for organisations to develop a strong value proposition to reverse brain drain.
	Sonepat, Jhajjar bag overall trophy in wrestling contest Our Correspondent Sonepat, October 29 Sonepat and Jhajjar emerged as the overall champion of the Haryana State Senior Wrestling Championship in the Greco-Roman and Free Style categories, respectively, held at Subhash Stadium here recently. District jail superintendent JK Chhillar gave away prizes to the winners. He appreciated the performance of the wrestlers from the state in national and international wrestling events and hoped that they would give a better performance in future. Besides state secretary of the Haryana Wrestling Federation Raj Singh Hooda, international wrestling coaches Raj Singh Chhikara and Virender Malik, about 40 national and international wrestlers like Ramesh Gulia, Amit Dahiya, Ravinder, Satbir and Mahabir were present on the occasion. The results: Free Style (66kg) 1: Amit (Haryana Police) 2: Praveen (Rohtak) 3: Pradeep (Haryana Police) and Arjun (Hisar) (74 kg) 1: Jitender (Jhajjar) 2: Sandeep (Rohtak) 3: Vikas (Sonepat) and Ram Bhaj (Jind) (84 kg) 1: Somvir (Rohtak) 2: Sat Pal (Sonepat) 3: Vijay (Jind) and Pradeep (Sonepat) (96 kg) 1: Pravesh (Sonepat) 2: Monu Pal (Haryana Police) 3: Sunil (Jhajjar) and Amit (Rohtak) (120 kg) 1: Hitesh (Jhajjar) 2: Mandeep (Sonepat) 3: Anil (Bhiwani) and Vikas (Haryana Police) Greco-Roman Style: (66kg) 1: Yogesh (Bhiwani) 2: Chijal (Rohtak) 3: Shambhu (Sonepat) and Sonu (Sonepat) (74 kg) 1: Sonu (Sonepat) 2: Pramod (Rohtak) 3: Praveen (Sonepat) and Pushpender (Faridabad) (84 kg) 1: Ajit (Rohtak) 2: Sanjay (Haryana Police) 3: Pawan (Sonepat) and Vikas (Sonepat) (96 kg) 1: Manish (Sonepat) 2: Vikram (Jhajjar) (120 kg) 1: Sonu (Rohtak) 2: Lalit (Jhajjar) 3: Amit (Jhajjar) and Balwinder (Kaithal).