R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Abohar
Congress MLAs to meet Sonia today: Congress MLAs from Punjab led by Leader of Opposition Sunil Jakhar will meet party president Sonia Gandhi at her New Delhi residence on Monday to express her gratitude over the Food Security Act ordinance and discuss its implementation. The MLAs are likely to discuss the alleged book scam in Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan and suggest steps to check reoccurrence of such “misuse” of central grants in future, a spokesperson said.

Amritsar
Badal condemns Bodhgaya blasts: Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has termed the blasts at Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya in Bihar as a "barbaric and inhuman act". Talking to mediapersons at the information centre of Sri Harmandar Sahib complex, the Chief Minister lashed out at the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre and said the government had failed in providing internal and external security to people. 

Batala
Govt renames  Batala hospital: Bowing to public pressure, the Punjab Government has renamed the Batala Civil Hospital as Mata Sulakhni Civil Hospital. With this, a long-pending demand of the city residents has been met. Cutting across party lines, the supporters of the SAD, the Congress and the BJP had been urging the government to rename the hospital after Mata Sulakhni, the wife of Guru Nanak Dev, who was born and brought up in the city.

Chandigarh
Aadhar must for scholarships: The Punjab Government has transferred two schemes related to scholarship management system of minority students (Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Bodhi and Parsi) from manual to online. Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Welfare Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike said the scholarship amount for the 2013-14 session under Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme and Marriage-cum-Means Basis Scholarship Scheme would be transferred only to accounts attached to Aadhar numbers. 

Sangrur
Book on Udham Singh released: A book, 'Azadi Di Shama Da Parwana, Mahan Gadri Inqulabi, Shaheed Udham Singh', penned on the life of martyr Udham Singh, was released in Sunam on Saturday. Authored by Rakesh Kumar, the book was released by renowned Punjabi dramatist Ajmer Singh Aulakh. Kumar has been working as a Senior Section Engineer (Works), Land and Heritage, in the Railways at Ferozepur. 

Farmers protest case against villager: Farmers and villagers from Kohrian village near Dirba staged a protest outside the village police post here on Sunday. The villagers were protesting against the alleged implication of a village shopkeeper in a case after he had an argument with the son of a Head Constable. The dharna was lifted only after the Dirba SHO assured of action in the matter.

Sirhind
Body found near railway station: The railway police has found the body of an unidentified person from near the local railway station. Preliminary investigation suggested the deceased was in his sixties and died a natural death. The body has been kept at Fatehgarh Sahib Civil Hospital mortuary for identification. 

HARYANA

Kurukshetra
Couple booked: The police has registered a case against a couple on the charge of duping a man of Rs 5.8 lakh in a land deal case. The police said Arun Kumar, a local resident, had alleged that Roshan Lal and his wife, Angrezo Devi of Jyotisar, had committed a fraud with him on the pretext of purchasing a land on the Pehowa Road. They had taken Rs 5.8 lakh from him as an advance. The couple had neither returned the advance, nor got the land registered in his name.

Rewari
Girl held for theft bid: A 10-year-old girl reportedly tried to steal Rs 60,000 from the tempo stand at Kosli yesterday afternoon. Kanta Devi of Girdharpur village in Jhajjar district withdrew the money from a bank and put it in a bag. She kept it aside to drink water when the girl reportedly fled with the bag. The woman raised the alarm. Some persons chased the girl and handed her over to the police. 

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
Rs 31,531 collected for flood victims: The Press Club Bilaspur has collected Rs 31,531 for victims of the recent Uttarakhand tragedy. Press Club president Sanjay Sharma, general secretary Kulbhushan Chabba and advisor Shakti Upadhyaya said here on Friday that the amount was collected from club members and other sections of the society in town. 

Jewellery worth lakhs stolen: Jewellery worth lakhs, belonging to two families, was stolen when thieves struck at two places, Bhandwaad village in Chandpur gram panchayat and Ghumarwin Bazaar on Friday night. Reports said Parma Nand Sharma lost jewellery worth lakhs and Rs 40,000 cash when thieves removed these valuables kept in a trunk in his house at Bhandwaad village near here.In another case, Santosh Gauttam lost gold jewellery worth Rs 8 lakh from his house in Ghumarwin Bazaar on Friday night.