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Inculcate moral leadership in pupils: Kalam
*Introduces concept of national prosperity index
*Sees larger role for varsities
Chandigarh, March 7
President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam today called upon educational institutions to introduce weekly moral science classes for students. He said great teachers who could inculcate in the young minds love for their country and all human beings should take these classes.

(Left) President A.P.J. Kalam with R.c. Sobti, Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University, in Chandigarh on Wednesday. (Right) The President confers a degree on a medical graduate at the PGI. — Tribune photos by Pradeep Tewari

‘Cure in doctor’s smile’
Chandigarh, March 7
A smile on the face of a doctor makes a patient at least 50 per cent whole while the rest depends on safe and quality treatment. This smile is an additional degree for a doctor, said Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.



SMILE BY DEGREES: Students queue up to get degrees during the 56th annual convocation of Panjab University, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

Serve villagers first: Minister
Chandigarh, March 7
The government will have to make it mandatory for new entrants in the medical profession to treat patients for one year in villages from the next year, said union health minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss here today.

• Traffic chaos on city roads

Surya Kirans revamp training, look for new aircraft
Chandigarh, March 7
Following a crash in which two of its pilots died near Bangalore last year, the IAF’s Surya Kiran Formation Aerobatic Team has revamped the training methodology for its  aircrew.



The IAF’s Surya Kiram team weans a pattern of colourful smoke during a display at the presidential fleet review in Chandigarh on Wednesday. — Tribune photo by Vinay Malik

• Air display bedazzles onlookers

Kalam calls for introduction of moral science classes
Chandigarh, March 7
The President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, today called upon educational institutions to introduce weekly moral science classes for students. He said great teachers who could elevate the young minds to love their country and other human beings should take these classes.

• 6 students honoured

Flouting rules Cable operators run advt strips
Chandigarh, March 7
Cable operators in the region are flouting rules by running advertisement strips on local cable channels. They are not just making a profit by running these advertisements, but are also obstructing viewers.

Abduction: Its two students
Chandigarh, March 7
Adding a twist to the controversy, the Chandigarh Police today claimed that Haryana IAS officer’s son Sunil Kumar may have left the city with not one, but two students of his school.

COMMUNITY

Principal Secy honoured
Among the students who received their degrees at the 56th annual convocation of Panjab University today was familiar public figure Dr S.S. Channy, Principal Secretary to the Punjab government. In the university to collect his Doctorate of Philosophy, Dr Channy has worked on public health. “I have worked on the analysis of secondary healthcare administration in Punjab under the guidance of Dr S.L. Goel,” he said while talking to Chandigarh Tribune.

Of social service and him
Dr S.P. Agarwal, secretary general of the Indian Red Cross Society, today said the body would start a nationwide movement to involve people in social work, asking them to contribute at least 100 hours of voluntary work every year. Dr Agarwal is a renowned neurosurgeon and has remained director general, Health Services, Government of India.

Searching for empowerment
Chandigarh, March 7
The paradox was ironic. When President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was awarding degrees to Panjab University students, more than 500 women from rural Punjab and Haryana were lamenting the lack of education and opportunity.

A little girl from rural Punjab bares her mind at a rally organised in Chandigarh on the eve of Women's Day. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

They live with stigma, they die with it
Chandigarh , March 7
Even death fails to bury the stigma that comes with imprisonment of a woman in Punjab. Rejected by their families, so many women prisoners land up in mental asylums in the state due to stress they suffer during incarceration. And even after they die, there is no redemption for them as their bodies are not accepted by their families.

‘Encourage women entrepreneurship’
Chandigarh, March 7 A national seminar on women entrepreneurship was organised on campus of the Desh Bhagat Institute of Management and Computer Sciences (DBIMCS) in collaboration with the Punjab Commerce and Management Association (PCMA) recently. Chairperson of the Punjab State Women Commission Parminder Kaur was the chief guest and the keynote speaker.

Rally against power theft
Panchkula, March 7
The pilferage of electricity can largely be curbed effectively by mass awakening and educating the people at large, for which the youth is required to come up and work in a positive way. It will also help in bridging the gap between demand and supply of power. This was stated by P.K. Das, special secretary (power) and managing director, Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam, while addressing students of the Government College here.

3 parking sites for Ind Area-I
Chandigarh, March 7
The UT administration has accorded approval to the department of urban planning to release three more parking sites in the Industrial Area, Phase-I.

Son’s ailment puts family in debt
Chandigarh, March 7
Ailments have been haunting the family of Harbans Singh, a resident of Jandwala village in Faridkot district, for the past about a decade. His son Gurmail Singh developed a renal failure and the expensive treatment virtually brought misery to the family.

Gurmail Singh with his father Harbans Singh in Khudda Lahora village near the PGI, Chandigarh. — A Tribune photograph

Pensioners seek travel concession
Mohali, March 7
The local Senior Citizens (Pensioners) Council has demanded that senior citizens be given 50 per cent concession in bus and rail travel.

Blood donation camp today
Chandigarh, March 7
The Tribune Employees Union is organising a blood donation camp here tomorrow. The camp is being organised in connection with International Women’s Day and would be inaugurated by Dr Saudamani Bambah at 9.30 am.

CRIME

Thieves decamp with jewellery worth 2 lakh
Chandigarh, March 7
Dr Rajdeep Singh of sector 8 lodged a complaint with the police alleging that US $ 2000, jewellery worth about Rs two lakh and some documents were stolen from his residence on Tuesday night. He told the police that the thieves gained entry after breaking open door and went to the first floor of their house.

Cash, jewellery stolen in broad daylight
Panchkula, March 7
Thieves decamped with cash and jewellery worth Rs 1.5 lakh from a Sector 16 residence in broad daylight today.

Mother of two commits suicide
Chandigarh, March 7
A 28-year-old mother of two allegedly hanged herself at her Sector 9 residence, here this evening.

BUSINESS

Hoteliers gear up for World Cup
Chandigarh, March 7
As the ICC World Cup countdown has begun, the hospitality industry of the city is gearing up for the biggest cricketing extravaganza, starting from March 13.

Biz Clips
Chandigarh
Inauguration: Union Bank of India will inaugurate its eighth branch in the city in sector 32-D. The branch will be inaugurated by V.K. Dhingra, general manager of north zone. The branch will be fully airconditioned and will be on core banking. It will also have an ATM facility.

EDUCATION

Cop on a special mission
Chandigarh, March 7
“Education can make a difference in the lives of the poor and destitute.” This noble thought was enough to ignite the conscience of a physically challenged Chandigarh Police sub-inspector Ram Dayal Hookran. He, with the help of his family members, decided to help the children who come from humble backgrounds through education.

Section 144 to be imposed near exam centres
Mohali, March 7
Nearly 12 lakh students are appearing in middle, matriculation and senior secondary examinations conducted by the Punjab School Education Board.

85 law graduates get licences
Chandigarh, March 7
The Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana today organised a function to distribute licences among law graduates who have joined the legal profession.

Class XII exam: students cry foul
Chandigarh, March 7
The CBSE class XII history examination left most students incensed today as they found portions of it quite tough to answer. They also complained of some questions being asked outside syllabus.

COURTS

Bribery Case
1-yr jail for former protector of emigrant
Chandigarh, March 7
Former protector of emigrant (POE), Chandigarh, J.K. Sahu has been sentenced to one-year imprisonment in a case of Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) by CBI Special Judge Jagdeep Jain.

Fun Republic: Pre-arrest bail plea rejected
Chandigarh, March 7
CBI Special Judge Jagdeep Jain today rejected the application for anticipatory bail moved by assistant engineer (AE) Brij Mohan.

CULTURE

Dance festival today
Panchkula, March 7
The Haryana Arts Council in association with the department of public relations and cultural affairs will organise a programme of classical kathak and Harynavi folk dances titled “Ek Shaam Holi Ke Naam” tomorrow at Yavanika theatre here.

HEALTH

Benefits of health insurance highlighted
Mohali, March 7
A four-day training workshop on health insurance, organised by the Government of India in association with the World Health Organisation, commenced at the State Institute of Health and Family Welfare here yesterday.

SPORTS

Chappell’s experiment counter-productive: Chopra
Chandigarh, March 7
Without spinning words, former cricketer-cum-commentator Nikhil Chopra today said coach Greg Chappell’s long innings of experiments proved counter-productive for the Indian team. He was in the city for the inauguration of Spykar jeans store in sector 17. Hurling a bouncer at captain Rahul Dravid, he said that the captain should have kept his foot down after the consecutive failure of the trials in the matches to save the game from losing its sheen in the country.

Wrestler, athlete honoured
Chandigarh, March 7
Punjab DGP R.S. Gill honoured athlete Manjit Kaur and wrestler Palwinder Singh Cheema, both Inspectors in state police for their outstanding performance in the 15th Asian Games held recently at Doha (Qatar).

Body-building championship at DAV
Chandigarh, March 7
The 17th Senior and Classic Mr Chandigarh Body Building Championship has been scheduled to be held at DAV College Auditorium, sector 10, here, on March 11. The championship is being organised by the Chandigarh Amateur Body Building Association (CABBA) according to rules and regulations of Indian Body Building Federation.

Football championship from March 22
Chandigarh, March 7
The Chandigarh Football Association (CFA) will conduct the Chandigarh Senior (Men) Football Championship for Chaudhary Jarnail Singh Trophy at Football Stadium, Sector 17, here from March 22 to 26.