B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Pharmacists stage protest, want extension in services
Fazilka, December 18
Scores of pharmacists staged a demonstration at the local Civil Hospital to protest against the policies of the Director, Health Services, Punjab.

Proposed suspension of Udyan-Abha train opposed
Abohar, December 18
Concerned over the proposed suspension of the 13008/13007 Udyan Abha Toofan Express from January 4 for six weeks, the Railway Passengers Association (North Zone) has urged the Railway Minister, Pawan Kumar Bansal, to run it on the Sriganganagar-Abohar-Delhi-Agra route as no other daily night train would be available to thousands of commuters in the region.

Seminar dwells on need for value-based education system
Abohar, December 18
While slamming the Knowledge Commission report for its recommendations sans promoting values based education, eminent scholars urged the Central government to present the educational reforms report, signed by 45 MPs.

Pharmacists stage protest, want extension in services

Fazilka, December 18
Scores of pharmacists staged a demonstration at the local Civil Hospital to protest against the policies of the Director, Health Services, Punjab.

Led by the president of Ferozepur and Fazilka district units of the Punjab State Pharmacists' Association, Shashi Kant, they wore black badges and raised slogans against the Director, Health services.

Shashi Kant said the state government, vide its notification dated October 8, 2012, had decided to grant extension in services to those Punjab Government employees who had opted for it. Despite the notification, the Director, Health Services, ordered to retire pharmacists, vide its letter dated October 31, 2012, on the pretext that they were in surplus and falling in diminishing cadre, he added.

He said the protest will continue for three days followed by a district-level dharna before the office of the Civil Surgeon, Ferozepur, on January 3. Subsequently, a state-level protest would be staged before the office of the Director, Health Services, Chandigarh, on January 10. — OC

Proposed suspension of Udyan-Abha train opposed
Our Correspondent

Abohar, December 18
Concerned over the proposed suspension of the 13008/13007 Udyan Abha Toofan Express from January 4 for six weeks, the Railway Passengers Association (North Zone) has urged the Railway Minister, Pawan Kumar Bansal, to run it on the Sriganganagar-Abohar-Delhi-Agra route as no other daily night train would be available to thousands of commuters in the region.

It may be mentioned that the train is suspended every year citing threat perception due to fog.

In a memorandum faxed to the minister, the vice-president of the association and a Northern Railway Users Consultative Committee member, Hanuman Dass Goyal, said originating from Sriganganagar, the Udyan Abha passes through seven states.

Two years ago, the railways had claimed that the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in the IIT-Kanpur had developed a lab model of a fog-vision device but optics required to make a field prototype was not available at the institute. Such devices could be provided to ensure the safe run of the trains like Udyan-Abha, he said.

Seminar dwells on need for value-based education system
Our Correspondent

Abohar, December 18
While slamming the Knowledge Commission report for its recommendations sans promoting values based education, eminent scholars urged the Central government to present the educational reforms report, signed by 45 MPs.

Inaugurating a national seminar sponsored by the Indian Council of Philosophical Research and organised by the Neta Ji Subhash Center for Philosophical Research at the DAV College here on Monday, Gurukul University (Haridwar) vice-chancellor Dr Swatantar Kumar said the Lord Macaulay (Thomas Babington Macaulay) education system introduced by the British regime in India has prompted Indian parents to spend thousands of rupees to get their kids admitted in pre-nursery and nursery classes at schools in metropolitan cities.

Values that had been imperishable asset of Indian cultural heritage are being sacrificed in such educational institutions.

The VC said the present education policy favoured producing doctors, engineers and other professionals but not good human beings.

He opposed commercialisation of educational and medical services as these were branded as a mission and not business.

In his welcome speech Principal Dr SK Arora said “Sanskrit, Sanskriti and Sanskar” have unfortunately been shown the door in India that dreams of becoming a “vishav guru”.

Prof Jaipal Vidyalankar of Delhi, Dr VK Sharma of Batala and celebrity homeopath Dr NC Chatterjee endorsed that no religion preached violence, hate, and disharmony or gender biases.

Convener Dr PC Padhey thanked the delegates who represented different states.