B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Faridkot schools adopt novel method to maintain hygiene
Faridkot, July 21
In the wake of the tragedy in Bihar, the flagship mid-day meal scheme is under scanner but in Faridkot district many government schools are treading a new path for effectiveness of kitchen hygiene standards in preparing the meal for the students.

Smart cards for driving licences not working smart
Muktsar, July 21
The purpose of introducing smart card registration for motor vehicles and driving licences two years ago is getting defeated, because the officials given the power to issue the challans do not have the card readers.

PCMS docs await PG counselling
Bathinda, July 21
The Punjab State Medical Services (PCMS) doctors, who get a quota of 60 per cent seats in post-graduation (PG) admission, are eagerly awaiting counselling for PG seats scheduled on July 26 at Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot.

Pak national repatriated
Fazilka, July 21
Border Security Force has repatriated a Pakistan national, who had strayed into Indian Territory two days back, to their counter part Pakistan Rangers. Senior Public Relations Officer, BSF, Punjab Frontier, RPS, Jaspal in a press communiqué said sleuths of BSF had nabbed one Pakistan national identified as Shah Nawaz in BOP Chack Khiva area of Fazilka sector on July 19.

Clash averted in Fazilka
Fazilka, July 21
Tension mounted between the members of two communities in Fazilka today in the afternoon when some members of a community tried to forcibly occupy the land belonging to a religious place Church as well as a school at the local Oddanwali Basti locality.

Faridkot schools adopt novel method to maintain hygiene
Balwant Garg/TNS

Faridkot, July 21
In the wake of the tragedy in Bihar, the flagship mid-day meal scheme is under scanner but in Faridkot district many government schools are treading a new path for effectiveness of kitchen hygiene standards in preparing the meal for the students.

Driving a new initiative, these schools in rural area are employing the simple womenfolk to cook mid-day meal whose own children are students in these schools. Moreover, these women are provided one time free-of-cost meal for their own families from cooked food. As the women cooking the food know that their own children and family members also eat the same food, so they honestly adhere to the clean and healthy standards in preparing the meal.

Besides ensuring the hygiene standards, there is another reason for these schools to adopt this formula.

Under mid-day meal scheme, the government provides Rs 1200 a month salary to a cook. For every 25 students, one cook is hired. The salary is paid only for 10 months in a year as there is no pay for two months due to summer and winter break.

As this salary is insufficient, so the schools engaged the poor women. As these womenfolk are given ‘unofficial’ incentive of taking one time cooked meal for their own family members they agree to work on salary of Rs 1200 and in return we are confident of hygiene standards in meal preparation, said a teacher in government primary school in Chak Sahu village of Faridkot.

Smart cards for driving licences not working smart
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, July 21
The purpose of introducing smart card registration for motor vehicles and driving licences two years ago is getting defeated, because the officials given the power to issue the challans do not have the card readers.

In the absence of card readers, these smart cards fitted with micro chips, are proving to be as good as any other plastic card, because neither the history of offences committed by a driver can be read nor the information about any traffic violations can be stored in them.

These cards were issued by the transport department about two years ago in June 2011, but the indifferent approach of the authorities concerned has so far turned this exercise into a wastage of money.

Experts say that a smart card needs specific card reader to view the data stored in the micro chip about the vehicle as well as the driver’s record.

Kiran Brar, an advocate, said, “There is no fun in issuing smart cards for motor vehicle’s registration and driving licence, if the authorities are not able to know immediately how many times any offence has been committed by the driver.”

VPS Bajwa, SDM, Muktsar, who is also holding the additional charge of the District Transport Officer (DTO), Muktsar, admitted that the card readers were not available with the authorities. “The higher-ups are aware of the problem and we are about to get the card readers very soon,” Bajwa added.

It may be mentioned that the department had introduced these cards to rule out the possibility of tampering and to ensure that the rules are properly followed.

PCMS docs await PG counselling
Change of rules leads to confusion among aspirants
Megha Mann/TNS

Bathinda, July 21
The Punjab State Medical Services (PCMS) doctors, who get a quota of 60 per cent seats in post-graduation (PG) admission, are eagerly awaiting counselling for PG seats scheduled on July 26 at Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot.

The change of criteria for PG seats from three years in service in the rural areas to four-year service in most difficult areas or six years' service in difficult areas has created chaos for the 95 PG seats in the state.

As per the varsity prospectus, only those candidates who are PCMS employees, who have four or six years of service in rural areas and those who have cleared two years of probation in the PCMS, are eligible for quota.

Following these norms, the Department of Health gave no-objection certificates (NOC) to only 42 doctors in the state under the quota. However, the rural medical officers (RMOs) whose PCMS probation period is not complete, moved the court demanding their inclusion in the PG quota.

Similarly, another set of RMOs who have completed PCMS probation but have not completed rural service as per rules too moved the court for the same reason.

The third set of doctors, who are freshers in the PCMS service and have not cleared their probation period, too have moved the court demanding that they be included in the PG quota.

However, first a single bench and then a double bench dismissed their petition. Later, the same set of doctors filed a civil writ petition (CWP) on July 16, 2013, under the aegis of the PCMS Association. All three set of doctors were awarded interim relief by the court allowing them to participate in the July 17 counselling.

However, the president, PCMS Association, Punjab, Dr Hardeep Singh said the association has not filed any such writ petition and was not even aware of it. Besides, the remaining RMOs too moved the court demanding the PG quota. Interestingly, all have been given interim relief.

The number of petitions and interim relief given has put even the department of health and family welfare, Punjab, in a piquant situation.

Principal secretary, department of health and family welfare, Vinni Mahajan refused to comment on the issue saying the matter was pending with the court.

"The PCMS Association does not support the petition of the RMOs as their parent department is Zila Parishad and training them will not be of any use to the state health department. Moreover, they do not have any secondary hospitals available where their specialisation would be of any use," said Dr Hardeep Singh.

Dr A Kartik, additional secretary of the department, too added that providing secondary and tertiary care was the mandate of the state government and not the Zila Parishads and hence, RMOs do not qualify for inclusion in the quota.

It is pertinent to mention here that the PCMS doctors availing the PG quota sign a bond with the government of 10 years' service in the government sector or pay Rs 20 lakhs to the government in the event of leaving their job after post-graduation. However, no such bond is applicable to the RMOs. Now, the deserving candidates, who fulfill all the conditions and have got the NOC from the department, feel cheated.

Pak national repatriated
Our Correspondent

Fazilka, July 21
Border Security Force has repatriated a Pakistan national, who had strayed into Indian Territory two days back, to their counter part Pakistan Rangers. Senior Public Relations Officer, BSF, Punjab Frontier, RPS, Jaspal in a press communiqué said sleuths of BSF had nabbed one Pakistan national identified as Shah Nawaz in BOP Chack Khiva area of Fazilka sector on July 19.

“After thorough interrogation nothing suspicious was noticed hence he was handed over back to Pakistan Rangers yesterday”, added Jaspal. He said 14 Pakistan nationals had been repatriated this year on Punjab Frontier, so far. He claimed that BSF personnel are keeping strict vigil on the International border and do not allow the anti social elements to succeed in their nefarious designs.

Clash averted in Fazilka

Fazilka, July 21
Tension mounted between the members of two communities in Fazilka today in the afternoon when some members of a community tried to forcibly occupy the land belonging to a religious place Church as well as a school at the local Oddanwali Basti locality.

But timely action by the police Fazilka defused the tension. Police has arrested persons on the charge of trying to capture the land.

The members of other community, in a report lodged with the city, have alleged that they have been running a charitable school and a dispensary since independence. These are located near the religious place belonging to another community.

They have alleged that the members of the other community, in an attempt to remove them from the area, dismantled the common wall and assaulted them.

“The city police has booked 14 persons under section 380, 295, 450, 148, 149 of the IPC and arrested them. — OC