TOP STORIES

Khurana’s fate: BJP’s Catch 22
New Delhi, December 13
With the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) having put the unseemly events of the last few days behind it at least for now, the week ahead is likely to see the Delhi Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) putting its head together to chart its future course of action.

Sonia to attend swearing-in
New Delhi, December 13
When the new seven-member Council of Ministers headed by Ms Sheila Dikshit takes oath of office for a second term on Monday, the Lt-Governor, Mr Vijai Kapoor, will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the Chief Minister and six other ministers at a function at Raj Niwas.

Zakir Hussain and Bangash brothers’ ode to heritage
New Delhi, December 13
These days it is a rare treat to watch brothers Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash perform together, with both having developed their own distinctive styles. And if the joint performance of the two sons of sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is propped up by tabla wizard Ustad Zakir Hussain’s magical fingers, it definitely is an occasion to remember.

A model displaying the Winter Collection of the most sensuous Pashmina shawls in the Capital on Friday Night. — Photo by Kamal Singh

Want to be a millionaire? Open a nursing home
Sonepat, December 13
“Own a nursing home and be a millionaire”. The slogan works for property dealers, builders, contractors and quacks who have got into the nursing home business for earning big bucks and rising high on the social respectability ladder.

in a nutshell
Two SDMs suspended for role in land scam
Greater Noida, December 13
Two Sub Divisional Magistrates posted in Guatam Budh Nagar during Mayawati’s tenure have been suspended by the administration for their involvement in a land scam.

Chautala opens state’s biggest old age home at Gurgaon
Gurgaon, December 13
Haryana Chief Minster Om Prakash Chautala today inaugurated the state’s biggest old age home of the state in Sector 4. The home has been set up at a cost of Rs 43 lakh. Incidentally, this is the 21st old age home in the Gurgaon assembly segment and the 120th in the district.

COMMUNITY

Citizen Charter to take care of people’s grievances 
Faridabad, December 13
If your grievances have not been taken up or redressed so far at any level, you still have a chance to be heard. The state government has come up with a new scheme to be known as ‘Citizen Charter’ to take care of the issues and problems left unattended by the authorities concerned.

SEARCH WITHIN
Delhi peace summit: Who will bring us peace?
The four-day conference organised by the Delhi peace summit and the Council of the Parliament of the World’s Religions as a prelude to the world body’s meeting to be held at Barcelona in July 2004, concluded in New Delhi on December 10. It was indeed a ‘joyful coming together’ of people of all religions to promote harmony and peace in the world.

Holistic implementation of Tobacco Products Act needed: ICS
New Delhi, December 13
The Indian Cancer Society (ICS), Delhi, has urged the government for an holistic and imaginative implementation of the ‘Tobacco Products Act’ with a view to halt the near epidemic of oral and other cancers caused by tobacco consumption.

Wheat sowing exceeds target
Rewari, December 13
During the ongoing rabi season, so far wheat has been sown on 48,000 hectares, sarson on 65,000 hectares, gram on 2,500 hectares and barley on 2,000 hectares by farmers in the district against the target of sowing wheat on 35,000 hectares, sarson on 65,000 hectares, gram and barley on 5,000 hectares each fixed by the district Agriculture Department.

Human rights promotion award for DPS principal 

New Delhi, December 13 The principal of Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, Mr M. I. Hussain, was conferred the prestigious ‘World Human Rights Promotion Award, 2003’, at the India International Centre on December 11 on the occasion of the 5th World Human Rights Congress, organised by Indian Institute of Human Rights. The principal of DPS, Mathura Road, Mr M. I. Hussain, being conferred the ‘World Human Rights Promotion Award, 2003’, at IIC in the Capital.

NCR Briefs
Medical reimbursement made hassle-free
Panipat, December 13
In a significant decision, the Haryana Health Department has decided to delegate more financial powers to various authorities in the matters of medical reimbursement. According to official sources, the head officer will now be able to sanction an amount up to Rs 10,000. Similarly, the head of the department can now sanction an amount of Rs 50,000 while the administrative department had been given full powers to reimburse any amount.

LJP to take stock of  developments

Two peacocks found dead

delhi digest Shiv Sena demands tough action against Pakistan  New Delhi, December 13 On the second anniversary of the attack on Parliament, the Shiv Sena today burnt an effigy of ‘Islamic terrorists’, and urged the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to repay Pakistan in its own coin instead of extending a hand of friendship towards it. Shiv Sena activists holding a demonstration against terrorism to mark the second anniversary of the terrorist attack on Parliament in the Capital on Saturday. — Photo by Kamal Singh

CRIME

Girls coaxed into ‘marriages’, then into prostitution
Faridabad, December 13
Every year thousands of young women and teenaged girls are lured or sold into ‘involuntary marriages’ in northern India. These girls, mostly from poor background and hailing from West Bengal, Assam and Orissa, were bartered like a product and used as a ‘sex slave’ by the traffickers. The ‘trade’ has taken strong roots due to official apathy.

Job depression drives two to suicide
New Delhi, December 13
Two incidents of suicide were reported from Dakshin Puri and Sangam Vihar. In the first incident, one Manoj Kumar (26), who had been suffering from mental depression, committed suicide by hanging from a ceiling fan. The deceased, who was working in Dubai two months ago, had been unemployed ever since he came to India. Manoj is survived by his wife and his one-year-old son.

BUSINESS

Loan applications for khadi village industry after clearance of backlog
Sonepat, December 13
Educated unemployed youths looking to set up khadi village industries would be disappointed by the decision of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission not to entertain new loan applications during 2004. The decision was taken in light of the fact that a backlog of nearly two thousand applications were lying with the Commission in Haryana, which were sought to be cleared before new applications were accepted.

EDUCATION

Special Focus on rewari
Students from Delhi flock to this countryside school 
Rewari, December 13
With spectacular achievements in academics, sports and other allied activities, Rao Lal Singh Public School, Sidhrawali, has now virtually emerged as a premier educational institution of South Haryana .

HEALTH

India’s first visually impaired doctor honoured

New Delhi, December 13 The President of India, Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam, gave away the National Award to Dr Rakesh Kumar Jaiswal on World Disability Day at a function organised by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment at Vigyan Bhavan in recognition of his outstanding service to humanity through alternative system of medicine, viz, acupressure. Dr Jaiswal, the first blind doctor in India, was born in the year 1968 at Gorakhpur (UP).

The President of India, Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam, presents the National Award to Dr Rakesh Kumar Jaiswal on World Disability Day at a function organised by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment at Vigyan Bhavan in recognition of his outstanding service to humanity through alternative system of medicine.

BODY&MIND
Radical shift in spasticity treatment
In what marks a radical shift from conventional surgery for childhood spasticity due to cerebral palsy, experts from All India Institute of medical Sciences and Institute of Childhood Disability have now recommended a combination of physiotherapy, short and serial casting, orthoses and botox for improved results.

SPORTS

Salwan bag World Cup for Schools
New Delhi, December 13
Salwan Boys School, Delhi trounced DAV School, Chandigarh by 77 runs to bag the inaugural World Cup Cricket Tournament for Schools, organised by the Delhi Public School, at the SGTB Khalsa College ground. The match was reduced to 20 overs a side due to overnight rain as the play began late, due to the soggy ground condition.

Puneet Mehra stars for Laxman School
New Delhi, December 13
An unbeaten knock of 92, laced with ten sixes and four boundaries, off just 50 balls by Puneet Mehra, who also took two wickets for 41 runs, helped hosts Laxman Public School defeat Sardar Patel Vidyalaya by seven wickets in the Laxman Memorial International Cricket Tournament at the Laxman School ground.

R. R. Gymkhana enter semis
New Delhi, December 13
A devastating bowling spell of 5 for 27 by Sagar Midda helped Rohtak Road Gymkhana defeat Rashtriya Shakti Vidyalaya (RSV) by ten runs and entered the semi-final of the third Kehar Singh Memorial Under-15 Cricket Tournament at the Vikaspuri ground.

Gaurav Gupta to lead North Zone
New Delhi, December 13
Gaurav Gupta of Punjab will lead the 15-member North Zone Under-19 Cricket team for the C K Nayudu Trophy Inter-Zonal Limited-Over Tournament to be held on a league basis at Patiala from December 25. North Zone will meet South Zone in their opening match.

Arun, Isha lift tennis titles
New Delhi, December 13
Arun Prakash Rajagopalan and Isha Lakhani annexed the boys and girls singles titles respectively in the ITF Asian Junior Tennis Tournament at the DLTA courts on Saturday. Agung Dewantoro of Indonesia and Shweta Shweta Khakandki bagged the boys and girls singles titles respectively in the 14 and under age group championship.