GNDH launches inquiry into allotment of shops 
Amritsar, January 8
With the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Assembly asking for a report, the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital management has launched a probe into allotment of its shops and rent pending against the tenants.

Amritsar, January 8
The private company which was entrusted to prepare 19 lakh unique identification number (UID Aadhaar) in the second phase has fallen way short of target prompting the Food and Civil Supplies Department to approach the Central Government recommending termination of the contract with the firm.

In the second phase, which started on May 2012 and was supposed to be over in November 2012, only 41000 cards have been prepared by CSS Technology, the company entrusted with the job.

Dr Rakesh Kumar Singla, Controller, District Food and Civil Supplies, confirming the failure in meeting the set target said the responsibility rest with the company as it did not provide proposed number of biometric kits, comprising fingerprint reader and eye iris capture device, in the district.

Going by what the company officials said it seemed that it would take another 18 months to meet the target.

Singla said so far 41,000 cards have been prepared. He said the matter had been conveyed to the headquarters at Chandigarh and they had conveyed the company's slow pace of work to the Union Government.

He said senior officials of the Food and Civil Supplies Department had sought termination of the contract with the company.

The company was given the contract for the second phase, which started in May 2012, under which 19 lakh Aadhaar cards were to be prepared within the next six months. As was the case in the first phase, the Department of Food and Civil Supplies was to oversee the working of the project in the second phase.

The holy city had become the first district in the state to initiate recording of biometric impressions of fingers, thumbs and eyes of people on May 24, 2011. In the first phase, which concluded in September, about 7 lakh Aadhaar cards were prepared.

As per the latest census, the district has a population of 26 lakh and 19 lakh persons were to be covered in the second phase.

Preparation of Aadhaar cards was a top priority of the Union Government as it intended to release the cash transfer of subsidies directly into the accounts of beneficiaries. However, delay in making cards in this border district would further hamper the direct cash transfer process.

On December 26, the District Food and Civil Supplies Department embarked upon a unique project of integrating ration cards with unique identification number to help maintain complete transparency and increase efficiency of the department. The project was also aimed to providing a correct data which would further facilitate the state government in extending various facilities to the rightful persons. As per the Central Government instructions and grant, BPL families are being given an incentive of Rs 100 per enrolment.

Neeraj Bansal, district coordinator, CSS Technology, accepted the delay and said it happened due to the delay in the arrival of biometric kits. He said about 200 more kits were expected to land in the city by tomorrow. He said 100 operators have been engaged for the purpose. He said an operator could make 1,000 entries per month.

Amritsar, January 8
The Jan Aushadi store at Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Civil Hospital has been hit by a shortage of medicines. Against the requirement of 250 varieties of drugs, only 35 to 40 varieties are available at the store at present.

The Red Cross Society manages the shop and it is learnt that it had not purchased the drugs.

Drugs at the store are sold at a lower price as compared to price available in the market.

In 2010-11, the Jan Aushadi store earned a profit of around Rs 4,00,000 after meeting salary and other expenses. But in 2011-12, the store incurred a loss of Rs 37,000. At present, the patients have been hit badly due to the shortage of medicines at the store.

"When a patient comes with a list of 10 medicines, we just have one or two of these drugs in our stock. So the patient prefers to buy even those two from the outside," said a hospital source.

The Jan Aushadi store at the Civil Hospital was the first of the kind launched in the state.

At present the store has medicines required in surgeries. Medicines required at Out Patient Departments are not available.

A patient Partap Singh said, "The people had hoped that they would get cheap medicines at the store. But the hopes have faded now."

Senior Medical Officer Dr Balbir Singh Dhillon admitted that there was a shortage of medicines. "We have written about it to the authorities concerned," he said.

Amritsar, January 8
With the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Assembly asking for a report, the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital management has launched a probe into allotment of its shops and rent pending against the tenants.

The mater had reached the PAC after a person (identity not known) lodged a compliant alleging that the rules were flouted in the allotment of the said shops and over Rs 3 crore had not been deposited as rent by the shopkeepers.

The matter pertains to 15 shops in Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and ENT Hospital, all associated with the local Government Medical College.

While most of these are medical stores, others are stationery units. Department sources said few of the shopkeepers have not paid their due rent for a long time. They said in the first place, the authorities flouted the allotment rules.

There is also a case where the original allottee had sublet his shop to another without taking the authorities into confidence. The sources said in two cases, the courts have also decided in the favour of the hospital, but the authorities have failed to get the shops vacated from illegal occupants.

Dr Tejbir Singh, Medical Superintendent, Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, said they were going through the records of the allotment. He said a report would be sent to the PAC after finalising it. He said after the probe is over, we would know the amount pending against these shopkeepers.

Dr Tejbir said the PAC had taken notice of an earlier audit report. “We are looking into the report and would send ours at the earliest,” said the Medical Superintendent. 

Amritsar, January 8
Canada-based TV channel director Satinder Pal Singh Sidhwan said the efforts of the state government had given an opportunity to NRIs to reconnect with the land, its culture and language.

Here to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple, Sidhwan, who participated at the NRI Sammelan, said NRIs would surely feel more confident to invest in the state after a number of assurances from the state government. He hoped that NRI police stations and fast-track courts would go a long way in involving NRIs in the state’s progress. Talking about the government accrediting the Punjabi media working outside the homeland, Sidhwan said foreign Punjabi media would certainly project aspirations of the NRIs which would help the state in formulating its policies regarding NRIs. 

Amritsar, January 8
A heinous incident has woken up the conscience of the entire nation and so every new day begins with an accusation, an agitation and ends with discussions. The latest to face the wrath of the public fury is popular Punjabi rapper Honey Singh and his likes.

In the aftermath of the Delhi gang-rape case, public interest litigations (PILs) and an FIR against the singer have sparked off a whole new debate.

Blaming and bashing some popular Punjabi singers for promoting obscenity and objectification of women through their songs have hit hard and put doubts on the popularity of the Punjabi entertainment industry.

With the women organisations up against the singer, Honey Singh has once again managed to irk some sections of the society, which are calling for a ban on such music. The artist who has a history of inviting controversy is facing the music now.

“Anti-women songs have become a trend now. Whether these are Honey Singh’s alleged songs or the Chikni Chamelis of Bollywood, songs that objectify women are being enjoyed without any guilt. So why blame only one artist?” says Vandana Kumar, a Punjab-based art and culture critic. “Yes, his songs promote misogyny and are provocative, but so do others,” she emphasises.

Agrees Jyoti Bawa, general secretary of Punjabi Samvaad, an Amritsar-based cultural NGO. “Women directed profanities and curses have become a way of life in our society. Stereotypes and sexual connotations are deep rooted in our upbringing as an Indian. So it’s more than just about one singer who is corrupting our culture and minds with his vulgar songs. I do agree that most Punjabi singers of the young generation should be held accountable for provocative music and the government should have its filters in place," says Jyoti. She further says that too much information at a young age is also responsible for the youth getting easily carried away.

As protests against Honey Singh, Jazzy B, Diljit Dosanjh and various other artists were carried out in parts of the state, the criticism is coming from all directions.

Women centric organisation Istri Jagran Manch too has come out with all force against the cultural pollution. But there are some who think the problem is not in the lyrics but our mindset. "If Honey Singh’s official Facebook page has over 2 million likes and his shows are being attended by thousands of youngsters, then there is a problem in the mindset and not just a singer. Honey Singh became popular because we made him popular, by encouraging and enjoying his songs, which means the concept of misogyny is deep-rooted in our mind. We might condemn him, but we as a society are to be blamed as well," shares Adarsh Kohli, a sociologist from the city.

“Women have been seen as commodities, whether in reel or reality," she says, cautioning that banning rappers like Honey Singh and Jazzy B would provide a precedent for those who were seeking “moral policing” to control the society. 

Amritsar, January 8
Maneuvering a 360 degree stunt on his bike came as easy to him as expressing emotions in front of pan camera angles. From a biker to a daily soap star, actor Aryeman Bhatia has already had different experiences with each of his outing on Indian television.

The 25-year-old actor, model and stuntman was in Amritsar on a personal visit and we caught up with him about his brief, but successful run on television, upcoming projects and facing ‘reality’ in front of the camera.

Having had his share of struggles in the glamour world, Aryeman never lost hope. “I never thought of becoming an actor, but it happened and I am glad it did. I have always been driven by passion, whether it’s biking or acting, so success or failure never really mattered. As an actor, one should be ready to face anything that comes along,” says the actor who was in the holy city for the first time.

His first stint with television came with a reality adventure show on UTV Bindass’s Dream Ride, where he was a participant. Aryeman was already trying out modeling, with some print commercials and the title of Mr Central India in his kitty. “I had never tried any of the stunts before I became a part of Yamaha Dreamride. The show was quite fun as I performed exciting bike maneuvers and learnt to take risks,” he says.

After his reality stint, there was no looking back as the actor was offered his first daily soap, Yeh Ishq Hai on Star Plus. “I was comfortable on camera and had no qualms about acting. The show and my role was youth oriented and so I found my comfort zone easily on the sets,” he says.

But he did refine his skills learning from Sushil’s academy of actors, Mumbai. Aryeman was also one of the top 50 contestants in Mr India World pageant.

The Delhi-bred actor, who now has found home in Mumbai, is now ready with another show, Ghar Aja Pardesi. The show is being made by Gajendra Singh and Aryeman will share screen space with veteran actors like Vikram Gokhale and Smita Jaykar. “It’s a family drama and involves a lot of hard work.” This means working nonstop for 12 hours and taxing night shifts as well. “I think it’s all a part of the learning process every actor had to go through. I don’t feel stressed at any time as I love challenges and am ready to put in my hard work,” says the young actor.

Apart from acting, his many talents also include filmmaking. Aryeman has a desire of turning director one day, “I have written a short film about the physically impaired and I might one day direct it myself. But till then I happy giving pan shots in front of the camera,” he signs off. 

Arshadeep Singh, Joban Singh, Jagdeep Singh, Parvarjit Singh and Harjot Singh of the college have been selected for the Inter-University Athletics Meet to be held at Kalyani University, Kolkata. — TNS