The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	TREMORS IN HARYANA POLITICS BJP leaders’ 'courtesy calls' on Chautala enliven political scene Beleaguered Bishnoi undertakes damage-control exercise Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, June 3 Former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala’s release on conditional bail in the JBT recruitment scam case, several senior BJP leaders’ visit to the ailing INLD supremo in the hospital and Haryana Janhit Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi’s meetings with the “Big-6” of the saffron party (LK Advani, Rajnath Singh, Narendra Modi, MM Joshi, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley) have enlivened political activities lying calm for the past some months. The Bhartiya Janata Party’s new president Rajnath Singh’s visit to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where Chautala was admitted prior to his conditional bail, set the ball rolling for tremors in Haryana politics. The NDA convener and Janata Dal (U) president Sharad Yadav’s visit to Chautala set the rumour mills running overtime that the BJP was exploring options of going with the INLD in the coming poll instead of its present alliance partner HJC of Kuldeep Bishnoi. Since then several BJP leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi, VK Malhotra, ID Swami, Vijay Goyal and the BJP’s in charge for Haryana Jagdish Mukhi have met the INLD strongman. The developments forced the HJC supremo, Kuldeep Bishnoi, to do a damage-control exercise under which he met "Big-6" of the BJP - Lal Krishan Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajnath Singh, Narendra Modi, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley - in a span of one week to convince them. Hardly has Bishnoi completed his meetings with the senior BJP leaders that BJP MP Maneka Gandhi reached Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon, to enquire about Chautala’s health. Besides the BJP leaders, the Haryana Governor, Jagannath Pahadia, Haryana Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Sharma, Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, Punjab Speaker Charan Singh Atwal, former Rajya Sabha member Tarlochan Singh, former Punjab Minister Tota Singh, Akali MP Balwinder Bhunder, Gurgaon MP Inderjit Singh, Haryana minister Mahinder Pratap Singh, former MP Atma Singh Gill, former MP Rajiv Ranjan and former president of the Indian Olympic Association Suresh Kalmadi have visited Medanta Hospital to enquire about Chautala’s health. Senior BJP leaders’ visits to the ailing INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala have led to speculations that the saffron party could be keeping its options open as far as its alliance partner in Haryana is concerned. Repeated clarifications by the BJP president in Haryana, Ram Bilas Sharma, and others have failed to put an end to the conjectures in this regard. A beleaguered Kuldeep Bishnoi had to rush to Gandhinagar to meet Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, known for his proximity to Chautala, to present his case. According to Bishnoi’s own assertions, Modi was convinced by his “presentation.” Bishnoi praised Modi for making Gujarat a role model for other states in the matter of development and sought his blessings and guidance for “replicating” the same in Haryana when his term came. On this, Modi reportedly smiled and told Bishnoi, “Pahle Mukhyamantri to Ban Jao” (Let your opportunity to become the Chief Minister come first). Before this, Bishnoi also met Advani, Rajnath Singh and other senior BJP leaders to clear the clouds on the future of the BJP-HJC alliance. Sources said Rajnath Singh was a little skeptical about the chances of the HJC-BJP alliance in Haryana, but Bishnoi assured him that it would work well. Bishnoi reportedly tried to impress upon all senior BJP leaders that after the death of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, the INLD had not been able to win a single parliamentary seat in Haryana. He also told the BJP leaders that even Chautala’s son, Ajay Singh Chautala, had scored a hat-trick of defeats in parliamentary elections -- he lost in 2004, 2009 and a bypoll for the Hisar seat held in 2011. Senior functionaries of the INLD are, however, confident that the BJP’s alliance with the INLD before the 2014 elections was a foregone conclusion. Which way the saffron party will go at the time of parliamentary elections will be known only at an appropriate time, but the recent meetings have set the rumour mills working overtime in Haryana in the run-up to the 2014 elections.
	1,630 PEOPLE FROM RATIA CONTRACT HEPATITIS C Quacks used contaminated syringes, say experts Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Fatehabad, June 3 Out of the 90-odd unqualified medical practitioners who were issued notices by the Health Department in Ratia, nearly 30 have so far responded with their registration certificates to the authorities. The health authorities had issued notices in pursuance of a plaint filed by some social activists in a local court in Ratia demanding action against doctors responsible for the spread of hepatitis C in the area and free treatment for the patient suffering from the disease. Dr VK Jain, Senior Medical Officer of the Community Health Centre at Ratia who issued notices to quacks on behalf of the Civil Surgeon, said none of the registration certificates submitted to his office had been issued by the medical council or the ayurvedic council in Haryana. Almost all certificates were purported to have been issued by the Bihar Ayurvedic Medical Council. "We will send these certificates to the Director-General of Health Services for verification and further action," Dr Jain said. In a survey for hepatitis C conducted under the guidance of the PGIMS, Rohtak, after complaints by local residents, as many as 1,630 people were found suffering from the disease. The experts had opined that hepatitis C had spread in the Ratia area due to the contaminated syringes used by doctors and infected instruments used by dentists. Following this, some local social activists had moved a plaint in a local court seeking free medical treatment for infected people and stern action against doctors responsible for the outbreak of hepatitis C. The Haryana government as well as the Health Department, Haryana, had been arrayed as parties in the case. Upon this, the Health Department issued directions for issuing notices to all unqualified medical practitioners and action against those quakes who had been playing with the lives of people without any medical degree or registration certificate.
	Graduation Day celebrated at institute Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, June 3 The Technology, Education, Research Integrated Institution (TERII), near Barna, celebrated Graduation Day on its premises, 9 km from here, recently. A colourful programme was presented by the college band group, "The Train". The TERII adviser, Prof MP Gupta, congratulated the passing-out graduate students of BTech, Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Masters in Business Administration (MBA). In his address, Professor Gupta said their life was full of opportunities, but they needed motivation and determination. Without hard work, one could not achieve one's goals in life, he added. The TERII Director, Prof Joshi, also congratulated the students on organising a "beautiful evening" on the eve of Graduation Day. TERII Trustee Priyanka Gupta advised the students to learn from the mistakes they committed while the TERII coordinator, Dr Tapesh Kiran, was of the opinion that technical and professional students should believe in construction of a better India, adding that for this they needed an optimistic vision and approach. TERII secretary Aditya Gupta, chairperson Garima Gupta, principal Sagar Gulati, registrar Deepak Dudeja and all heads of departments were present on the occasion.
	Nurses, students told about safety standards Our Correspondent Nurpur, June 3 The Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC), Nurpur, organised a workshop at Maa Kamakshi Nursing College in Bassa Waziran, near here, recently with an objective to educate the nursing staff and students about the importance of standard precautions and handling of biomedical waste to safeguard their own health. Dr RK Sood, Kangra district AIDS Programme Officer, while addressing the nursing students, advised them that in case one got an accidental prick injury during health-care delivery, she should immediately wash the wound with soap and water and take post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) medicine for HIV within 72 hours based on the risk assessment and followed up by HIV testing at the ICTC. These medicines were available in all Civil Hospitals/Community Health Centres in the district for health-care providers’ safety by Rogi Kalyan Samitis. He said infection with these viruses initially presented no symptoms as it was usually a silent epidemic. “The recent outbreak of Hepatitis B at Modasa (Gujarat) due to unsafe injection practices by private practitioners emphasises the importance of safer injections. To prevent injection injury, the health-care staff should follow universal precautions like wearing gloves, goggles and face shields. After injection, the nurse should destroy the needle in the needle-cutter, so that there no risk of infection to others and self and the used injections should not be recapped," he said. He reiterated that the person generating waste was responsible for segregation in colour dustbins. The nursing students were also demonstrated the correct technique of hand washing to prevent infection.
	CCIs told to form children committees Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 3 The Women and Child Development Department of the Haryana Government has directed the Child Care Institutions (CCIs) to form management and children committees. Women and Child Development Department Director General Sumita Misra recently said the department was ensuring that CCIs meet minimum standards mentioned in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules, 2007. The same are also prescribed under Rule 52 and 53 of the Haryana Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules, 2009. “After the rigorous mapping and registration of the CCIs, it was a challenge to maintain the standards mentioned in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. For this, regular inspections were carried out by state and district level teams. It was found still some CCIs were not properly following the measures such as setting up of a management committee of every CCI and a children committee of three different age groups viz 6-10 years, 11-15 years and 16-18 years and holding regular meetings of these committees,” said Misra. She said the District Child Protection Officers (DCPOs) of each district had been given instructions to ensure that every CCI must form these committees and maintains records of their monthly meetings and timely implement the recommendation of these committees.
	Renewable-efficiency initiatives will solve problems of society: Expert Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, June 3 A two-day national conference on "Low and High Temperature Applications of Solar Energy", organised by the Mechanical Engineering Department of the National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra (NITK), was inaugurated by the chief guest, Prof GN Tiwari of the Centre for Energy Studies, IIT, Delhi, at NITK seminar hall here recently. In his inaugural address, Professor Tiwari shared information on the ongoing research activities in IIT, Delhi, with the audience. He also discussed research-related problems and their credible solutions with the delegates and the participants. He appreciated the institute for establishing the School on Renewable Energy and Efficiency and hoped that these initiatives would contribute to solving the energy problem of society at large and curtail our dependence on conventional fuels and cut the emission of green house gases. In his presidential address, the NITK Director, Prof Anand Mohan, elaborated on the ongoing renewable energy-related research activities in the institute. He suggested setting up of collaborative projects in solar energy between the NITK and the IIT, Delhi. The Co-Chairman of the conference, Dr VK Bajpai, said that about 24 participants from all over the country presented their research contributions in three sessions, each session starting with a lecture by an eminent keynote speaker. The Mechanical Engineering Department head and Chairman of the Conference, Prof Sudhir Sexena, the Convener of the Conference, Dr NK Singh, Conference Secretaries Dr Gulshan Sachdeva and Dr Avadhesh Yadav, Deans, heads of various departments, faculty members and students were present on the occasion.
	Raising Day of CRPF kendra celebrated BS Malik Sonepat, June 3 The 4th raising day of the Sonepat Group Kendra of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was celebrated recently with great enthusiasm at its under-construction premises near Khewra village. The programme started with the hoisting of the Tricolour and planting of a sapling by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Group Kendra Suraj Bhan Kajal on the kendra premises. Speaking on the occasion, the DIG said the kendra was founded at Gurgaon on this day in 2010. The Central Government had acquired around 120 acres at Khewra in Sonepat district for housing the kendra. “The construction activities are going on in full swing and after completion, it will be one of the most modern CRPF group kendras,” he said. There would be facilities like police canteen, hospital, school as well as a barrack with accommodation facility of 480 persons on the kendra premises, he said. He added these facilities would also be available for the retired CRPF employees and their families. The occasion was marked by inauguration of a fair by DIG’s wife Sunita Kajal and organising of sports and cultural activities by the serving personnel of the kendra. DIG Mahender Kumar from Delhi, families of serving and retired employees of the CRPF and people from nearby villages were among others who took part in the celebrations.
	KU professor gets UGC fellowship Our Correspondent Kurukshetra June 3 The University Grants Commission (UGC) has awarded emeritus fellowship to Prof TR Kundu (retd), Department of Economics, Kurukshetra University. “An expert committee constituted by the commission has awarded the fellowship to Prof TR Kundu on the basis of his research and published work,” Brajesh Sawhney, KU Public Relations Director, said here today. Prof Kundu will study the dynamics of socio-economic change in Haryana. Prof Kundu said, “Haryana has done exceedingly well on the economic front. It is today one of the most prosperous and fastest growing states with per capita income next only to Goa. However, its progress on the social front has not been in consonance with its economic development.” “Focus of my study would be on understanding the lopsided nature of development in Haryana in its historical context,” he said.
	Construction at Sadar police station Police housing corporation flouts building norms Starts project without seeking approval from Municipal Council Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, June 3 Is Haryana Police Housing Corporation flouting building norms while constructing a building of the Sadar police station at Sirsa? Though the construction work at the site of the police station has been stalled following an intervention of Deputy Commissioner J Ganesan, a perusal of records reveal that the corporation had started the project without seeking any approval from the authorities concerned. Replying to a legal notice served on the Sirsa Municipal Council (MC) by the Nagrik Parishad, an organisation of prominent citizens opposing the construction of the building at its present place, the Executive Officer (EO) of the municipal body admitted that the Haryana Police Housing Corporation had not sought any approval for the site plan from the Municipal Council. He further said he had issued a notice to the housing corporation in this regard. In his notice served on the EO of the Municipal Council, Advocate Jagdish Chopra, president of the Nagrik Parishad, drew his attention to the fact that the construction of the building was being done at a site, which is barely 20 feet away from the Municipal Council Office, in violation of the norms. Chopra said information received through an RTI application has revealed that the housing corporation had not sought any permission prior to the start of construction and the municipal council had not approved any site plan. “Demolishing an old building and constructing a new one without approval from the municipal authorities is violation of the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973,” Chopra said in the notice. Calling upon the EO to stop ‘illegal construction’ of the police station, Jagdish Chopra warned that the official would be personally liable for the violation of law, if he failed to stop the construction. In reply, SK Goyal, EO of Sirsa Municipal Council, said the council had the Haryana Police Housing Corporation to submit approval papers, if any, sought from the authorities concerned. Sanjay Mahajan, Chief Engineer of the Haryana Police Housing Corporation, said he had not received any notice from the Municipal Council so far. He, however, admitted that the housing corporation had not sought any site plan approved from the Sirsa Municipal Council or any other body. “I am not sure whether we need to get a site plan approved, particularly, when we are constructing a building on a site where an old building existed,” Mahajan said. The Sirsa Nagrik Parishad has been opposing the construction of the Sadar police station at its present place as it would end the chances of four laning of the Court Road, where the police station is situated. The Nagrik Parishad has also filed a representation to the Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Following the representation, the Deputy Commissioner J Ganesan has stopped construction work on the site.
	‘Alarming sex ratio due to female foeticide’ Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Bhiwani, June 3 Eminent journalist Rahul Dev said that women had an important role in making a healthy society. Speaking at a function organised by a social organisation, Triveni, here recently, Rahul Dev said it was important that women got a respectable position in our society and there was an end to crimes against them. He said the sex ratio in our country was alarming and it was largely because of the female foeticide prevalent in society. He said though the sex ratio was lopsided against women in almost the entire country, it was particularly disturbing in Haryana, where it was very bad. Rahul Dev said efforts should be made to improve sex ratio on a priority basis, if we aspired to build a healthy society. He said women were equally responsible for the present situation, as they, too, longed for a male child in their families. He said women had shown that despite all odds, they had excelled in all fields whenever they had been provided an opportunity. Neelam Agarwal, state president of the Samast Bhartiya Party, who presided over the function, said women had for years been treated as a commodity for physical pleasure by men. She said this was the reason why people wanted to have male children in their families. Dr Dhwani Sharma, Dr Anita Basotia, Dr Anil Gaur and Dr KK Basotia, president of Triveni, also spoke on the occasion. The organisation honoured 21 women from social and educational fields for their excellent work for society. Those honoured on the occasion were Poonam Kapoor, Satwinder Kaur, Rama Kaushik, Santosh Nagar, Usha Gupta, Reema Parmar, Raj Bala Kaushik, Shakuntala Gaba, Maya Sharma, Amita Sharma, Santosh Badsi, Suman Parmar, Shanta Joshi, Dropti Wagle, Madhu Jain and Dr Sonia Bhushan.
	Sonepat admn hears 40 plaints during night camp BS Malik Sonepat, June 3 During its night camp at Mandori village on Friday, the district administration entertained around 40 complaints relating to various departments and issued around 50 Aadhar Cards, 12 voter-identity cards, 18 driving licences and prepared social pension of 19 eligible persons. The Deputy Commissioner, Pankaj Aggarwal, reportedly pulled up officials of the Delhi division of the Irrigation Department for their absence in the night-stay programme. He also issued a direction to them to solve the canal-related problems of the residents of about 10 villages falling under the Delhi division. Addressing the villagers, the DC said that though the sex ratio in the district had improved this year, sincere efforts were required further to bring the male and female ratio equal to ensure a healthy society. He also laid stress on cleanliness, children's education, construction of toilets in the houses and maintaining social harmony. He explained that the night camps were being organised not only to hear public grievances, but also to provide other facilities like issuing of Aadhar Cards, ration cards, voter cards, birth and death certificates, driving licences, residential and caste certificates, jamabandi of land records, sanctioning of social pensions, registration of vehicles, entering of mutations etc. The night camp ended with the plantation of trees and cleaning of the village streets this morning. The Additional Deputy Commissioner, SB Lohia, SDM, Kharkhoda, Mahender Pal, City Magistrate, Neetu Singhal, and officials of various departments were present in the camp.
	DAV school organises character-building camp Kurukshetra, June 3 A five-day Charitra Nirman Shivir (character-building camp), organised by DAV Centenary Public School, Pehowa, concluded on its premises, 20 km from here, on May 30. Rajnish Bansal, Additional District Sessions Judge, Yamunanagar, was the chief guest. He admired the efforts made by DAV school and urged students not to involve themselves in any sort of activity which became a cause of defame to them or their parents. The main objective of the camp was building a strong character among the students. The daily routine from 5 am to 10 pm included morning exercise, conducting a hawan, two hours' classes, reciting mantras, competitions, evening games and an entertaining programme. Dr Rajinder Alankar, Professor from Kurukshetra University, Aacharya Nand Kishore from Gurukul, Kurukshetra, and Dr Virender Alankar, Chairman, Department of Sanskrit, Punjab University, Chandigarh, spoke on moral values, which are the basis of a strong character. Squadren Leader Dangwal gave the students a vast exposure on the Air Force and Dr AK Singh, Chairman of the Computer Science Department, NIT, Kurukshetra, conducted a workshop on admission to various engineering institutes. With the help of a projector, Dangwal and Singh showed many slides regarding job entry into the Air Force and various engineering institutes to the students. Rajesh Kumar, alias Mahabali Bhim, whose height is 7 feet and 4 inches and who is getting training for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), was the main attraction for the students. The school manager, Dr Kamdev Jha, and school chairman SD Murar thanked the chief guest and parents. The school Principal, NC Bindal, said as many as 89 students drawn from 10 different DAV schools participated in the camp. — OC
	Revenue patwaris, kanungos present memorandum to DC Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, June 3 In response to a call given by the Revenue Patwari and Kanungo Association, Haryana, patwaris and kanungos, drawn from the Ambala Commissionery, demonstrated in front of the mini-secretariat here recently in support of their demands. They also submitted a memorandum, addressed to the Haryana Chief Minister, to the Deputy Commissioner, Mandeep Singh Brar, who assured them that their memorandum would be forwarded to the higher authorities. The state president of the association, Om Prakash Sain, said they worked hard to implement government schemes and policies within the stipulated period and sometimes they were called for duty even on holidays and not paid for it. Moreover, they worked as much as their counterparts in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, but were paid almost half the salaries, he alleged. Haryana was carved out of the old Punjab in 1966 and since then the Civil Services Rules and Punishment and Appeal Rules were implemented equally for the employees of Haryana as well as Punjab. Then why was there a glaring difference of grades between the counterparts of Haryana and Punjab, he questioned. According to government figures, Haryana is ahead of Punjab in its per capita income. Then why was Haryana lagging behind in granting pay scales to patwaris and kanungos as compared to their counterparts in Punjab? The association has appealed the state government to intervene into the matter and grant them salaries equal to their Punjab counterparts. Their other demands include removal of conditions for passing the departmental examination of kanungo, providing Assured Career Progress (ACP) to patwaris and apply it while granting promotion to kanungos, grant of benefits for providing the first, the second and the third ACP benefit at an appropriate time as prescribed by the Haryana Government, grant of permission to patwaris who have passed the departmental examination of kanungo to appear in the naib tehsildar departmental examination and also conduct the kanungo departmental exam every year, grant of Rs1,000 per month to the field kanungo as office rent, Rs 500 as cleaning and water charges and Rs 500 as electricity allowance per month and appointment of one field kanungo on five patwar circles.
	Kurukshetra school holds ‘activity week’ Kurukshetra, June 3 A fun-filled, entertaining and informative activity week, organised by the local DAV Public School on its premises, concluded recently. Keeping in mind the age, interest and requirement of the children, various activities were organised for different classes. For Classes IV to VII, there was calligraphy in Hindi and English, yoga, mental mathematics, art and craft, talent hunt and dental check-up. For Class VIII, the activities organised were yoga, self-defence techniques for girls, English communication skills and talent hunt. Activities for Classes IX and X included visits to the seed plant (HSDC), the CSSRI, Best Food Pvt Ltd and the NDRI. Dr Rajender Vidyalankar, Professor in the Sanskrit Department of Kurukshetra University, delivered the introductory speech while Brij Sharma delivered a lecture on personality development. Deepak, a former Air Force personnel, and Dr AS Choudhary, former Chairman, MBA Department, Kurukshetra University, also gave tips to the students regarding personality development. Dr Rajender Saini, District Training Officer from District Red Cross Society, Kurukshetra, imparted training to the students regarding first aid. — OC
	'Bridge gap between market requirement, employable skills' Kurukshetra, June 3 Prof MP Gupta, Adviser, Technical Education and Research Integrated Institutions (TERII) and former Director, Technical Education, Haryana and Uttarakhand, has laid stress upon bridging the gap between industry requirement and employable skills of engineering students. Stating this at a press conference held at TERII premises here today, Gupta said there was a constant need of industry-institute interaction for developing employability skills of the students. Gupta further said conducting placement drives in 2012-13 on the TERII campus was a learning experience for the authorities. However, only 314 students got job offers in total 30 placement drives. The visiting companies denied more recruitment on the pretext that the technical and presentation skills of engineering graduates were not as per their requirements, he said. After analysing the scenario, Gupta decided to set-up independent divisions comprising a corporate resource centre, employability skills training centre, academics and campus life and Wednesday for co-curricular activities. — OC
	Award for GJU auditorium Tribune News Service Hisar, June 3 The Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Auditorium of Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, has got a best innovative infrastructure addition award for 2013. Vice-Chancellor ML Ranga received the award in Ahmedabad. He said, “The Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Auditorium is one of the best of its kind in the country. The building is indeed an architectural feat and standing tribute to the workmanship of the hierarchy of the engineering organisation for which they have commendation of everyone.” This building is used for convocations, film shows, theatrical performance, conferences, and seminars of national and international levels. The auditorium forms the main component of architectural composition of the central core of the university campus. Gujarat Technological University (GTU) has recently announced these technology education excellence awards for innovations in the field of technical education.
	Education not just to earn money: Paharia Sunit Dhawan/TNS Gurgaon, June 3 The Haryana Governor, Jagannath Paharia, has asked young graduates and professionals to always keep the less-privileged people of society in mind before taking any significant decision in the course of their career. Paharia was addressing the students at the first convocation of the GITM group of institutions here recently. “We must appreciate the socio-cultural diversity that India has and learn to live with this diversity, live harmoniously with each other and develop an attitude of sensitivity and inclusiveness towards the less privileged,” he maintained. The Governor observed that higher education was not only meant for materialistic success, but also for being able to give back to society and contribute in nation-building. Asserting that Haryana was developing as an educational hub, he pointed out that the state had as many as 31 universities as of now. Nearly 1,800 students in various disciplines were conferred degrees during the convocation. The Governor also presented medals to the meritorious students and released a souvenir of the institute. MDU Vice-Chancellor Harsarup Singh and the GJU Vice-Chancellor, Dr ML Ranga, also addressed the students and others present on the occasion. Earlier, the GITM chairman, Dr Ranjan Aggarwal, and GCE chairman Vijay Gupta welcomed the guests while the director-general of the GITM group of institutions, Dr MC Gupta, presented the progress report of the institutions.
	40 units of blood donated Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, June 3 The 17th voluntary blood donation camp, organised by the star blood donor and specialist (scene of crime) Ashok Verma, was inaugurated by Thakur Vijender Singh, Additional Advocate General, Haryana, and Legal Adviser, Food Corporation of India, who was the chief guest, on the premises of LNJP hospital here yesterday. Manav Mitra Mandal president Ram Rattan Sharma presided over the function while Shri Krishna Sharadha Sahayog Samiti president Subhash Gupta and Inspector (CID) Gurmail Singh were guests of honour. The organisers also honoured blood donors by giving them certificates of participation and mementos at the camp. Dr Manjeet Singh, in charge, blood bank, LNJP Hospital, Rajender Saini from Red Cross Society, Kurukshetra, Krishan Dhamija, Rajender Verma, Jasbir Singh Duggal, Mewa Singh Rana, Sarabjot Singh Duggal, Devi Lal Barna, Nanha Ram Insan, Dr Bhartendu Sharma, Babu Ram Kalayat, Constable Sanjeev Rana, Ved Pal, Bachna Ram Namberdar, Sushma Verma, Priyanka, Divya and Akshaya were among those social workers who were honoured for their contribution to society in different fields of activities. Haryana Health Department Director-General NK Arora, who was here to inspect LNJP Hospital, and Civil Surgeon Shiv Kumar appreciated Ashok Verma for organising the camp and said organising such camps inspire the youth. As many as 40 units of blood were donated at the camp.
	Docs, paramedics absent during DC's visit Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Bhiwani, June 3 Bhiwani Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Meena found several doctors and paramedics absent from their duties during a visit to Choudhry Bansi Lal General Hospital here recently. While the Dental Department, Gynaecology Department and the X-Ray Department of the hospital were found completely shut, several other doctors and officials were found absent from duties when Meena went to the hospital in the morning during working hours. Notices have been served to Dr Agya Rathore, Dr Saheli, Dr Monica Jindal, lab technicians Vinod Kumar and Vikas Kumar and several Auxiliary Nurse Midwives, said an official spokesperson. The spokesperson said stern action would be initiated against the doctors and paramedics found absent from their duties. Meena found several irregularities in the records of the drug store of the hospital and ordered complete checking of the record registers. The official spokesperson said irregularities were also detected in the birth and death records. Later, addressing mediapersons in the hospital, Meena said the government's drive to distribute iron and folic acid (IFA) tablets among schoolchildren was very important as 60 to 70 per cent of them had been found anaemic during their hemoglobin check- ups. He said the district authorities would launch a special drive to educate people on the importance of this programme, so that children did not hesitate in taking iron pills due to some minor complications.
	Hike in salary Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 3 Haryana Cooperation and Housing Minister Satpal Sangwan has said that a lump sum increase of Rs 1,000 per month will be made in the salaries of the employees of Haryana State Cooperative Apex Bank. This was stated by the minister after holding a meeting with the Haryana State Cooperative Apex Bank Employees Union. Sangwan said employees protesting for the past two weeks had now expressed satisfaction after the meeting. He said from June, the employees would be given hiked salaries. Moreover, in case of better recovery, a further increase of Rs 200 to Rs 500 would be made in their salaries, he added.
	Ashrey tops non-medical stream Yamunanagar, June 3 Ashrey Sobti of DAV Public School of the local Professor Colony has topped Yamunanagar district in the All-India Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (XII), 2013, by scoring 98 per cent aggregate in the non-medical stream. Sobti made the school proud by obtaining 100 per cent marks in physics, 99 per cent in maths, 98 per cent in chemistry and physical education and 95 per cent in English. Sobti has qualified for IIT also. — OC
	789 sports coaches to be recruited soon, says minister Tribune News Service Sirsa, June 3 Haryana Minister of State for Sports Sukhbir Kataria said that with a view to promote sports and to provide all facilities regarding technical training to players, as many as 789 coaches for different sports disciplines would be recruited soon in Haryana. Kataria said this after inaugurating a state-level first tug-of-war competition organised at Shah Satnam Sports Stadium in Sirsa recently. He said Haryana had completely developed as a hub of education and sports due to the government's policies to promote these. He said with a view to hunt sports talent in the rural areas, the state government had set up 226 Rajiv Gandhi Rural Sports Complexes and 232 rural sports stadiums. The Haryana Government has urged the Union Sports Ministry to provide financial grants to equip these stadiums with synthetic hockey turf and other modern sports facilities, he added. Kataria said though the IPL spot-fixing case was not related to Haryana, still he urged that players should play only with true sportsmanship. "The players are ideals of the youth so it becomes their responsibility to exhibit fair play," he said. Kataria advocated strict laws against fixing in sports. He said the state government would take strict legal action against the players found guilty of doping.
	4 Ambala students bag six medals in Sri Lanka Tribune News Service Ambala, June 3 Displaying extraordinary skills, four students from the local MM International School bagged as many as six medals, including three golds, one silver and two bronze, at the 3rd Grand International Karate Championship which was organised by the Japan Karate Ryushinkan Association at Lion's Club Hall at Colombo in Sri Lanka recently. As many as 85 players (both boys and girls) from 17 different countries, including Iran, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Japan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Combodia, Iraq, South Korea and Malaysia participated in the tournament. In the under-14 category, Abhishek outclassed his rival to secure a gold, while he bagged a bronze at Kumite after ousting his Iranain competitor. In the under-15 category, Gagan Sethi won a bronze at Kumite and a silver at Kata. In the under-12 girls category, Aditi Sharma defeated Sri Lankan player in the finals and won a gold. In the under-11category, Vanshika Rajvanshi defeated her Bangladeshi opponent in Kumite and secured a gold medal in the finals. On their return to the school, the management extended to them a grand reception and lauded their efforts and dedication which ensured them the top honours. The school management, including secretary Sanjeev Garg and treasurer Dr Vishal Garg, and the Sports Department along with the Chancellor of the MM University, Dr Tarsem Kumar Garg, also congratulated the students.