Jalandhar, December 8
Positioning India as a leader in the field of medicine and research, Dr A.R. Kidwai, Governor of Haryana, has stressed the need for wide application of immunotherapy, nanotechnology and genetics for detection and eradication of diseases, particularly, the ones emanating from allergy.

Dr Kidwai inaugurated the 40th annual convention of Indian College of Allergy, Asthma and Applied Immunology, at Desh Bhagat Yaadgar Hall here today. Hundreds of delegates from India and abroad are participating in the three-day convention.

Dr Kidwai said, “India is growing fastly and has become a major player in the field of medicine. If a research project takes barely two-three years in India, the same project can take a minimum of five or six years in other countries. We have other advantages, particularly, that we have easy availability of drugs at cheaper rates,” said Dr Kidwai.

“We have to take care that the new technology is devised and applied in such a way that common people could avail themselves of its benefits.”

Dr Yoshimura, a Japan-based world renowned bronchologist, and Mr Vijay Chopra, the Editor-in-Chief of the Hind Samachar Group of Newspapers, were the guests of honour. The first leg of the event concluded with a show of bhangra and giddha on the Lovely Professional University campus at Chaheru. Mr Vijay Kumar, Commissioner, Income Tax, was the chief guest while Dr Arvinder Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Moga, Mr Bhupinder Singh, Deputy Director, Food and Civil Supplies, and Mr Ashok Mittal, President of the Lovely Professional University, were the guests of honour.

Jalandhar, December 8
Nearly 146 students from Punjab Technical University (PTU) who had secured top ranks in various graduate, postgraduate and doctorate courses were awarded degrees at a convocation held in the auditorium of Dr B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology (NIT) here today.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Dr S.K. Salwan, had conferred most of the degrees upon the students before Gen S.F. Rodrigues, Punjab Governor and Chancellor of the university, arrived. The Governor, who was to reach the venue at 11 am, was able to make it only at 12:45 pm. His chopper, reportedly, could not take off in time from Chandigarh to the Adampur Air Force base in the morning because of fog.

The convocation was stalled for nearly 10 minutes at the time when Governor arrived at the NIT guest house. The Vice-Chancellor, who had at that time called upon the students of M.Tech to receive their degrees from him, left the convocation in the middle to receive the Chancellor from the guest house.

When the chief guest reached the auditorium, the five PhD students were called to receive their degrees from him. M.Tech students also received degrees from him. Students of the MBA, MCA, MSc (IT), B.Tech, BBA, BCA, B.Pharmacy and B.Architecture received degrees from Dr Salwan earlier.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Technical Education Minister, Mr Romesh Chander Dogra, who was to be the guest of honour, failed to make it to the convocation. Officials of the PTU said they received a message that he was stuck up somewhere, whether at the Congress rally or elsewhere, they said it was not clear.

Since the Governor was already late and was to attend another programme on the PAP campus, he did not deliver any speech.

In her convocation address, Ms Sushma Berlia, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said a recent UNESCO report showed that the Indian graduate was losing on skill development.