R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

Regional potpourri

• Rebuilding bonds
• Fighting foeticide
  
  

PUNJAB

CHANDIGARH

Chandigarh
‘Dabbian Wala Khes’ unveiled: Punjabi book "Dabbian Wala Khes", authored by Dr Manjit Singh Bal, was released by N.S. Rattan, IAS (retd), G.S. Sidhu Damdami, editor of Punjabi Tribune, and famous anchor and actor Gurpreet Ghuggi at the Chandigarh Press Club today under the banner of the Patiala Kala Manch, Patiala.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

DALHOUSIE
Porn CDs seized: The Himachal Pradesh police has seized 10 pirated porn CDs from a video centre in the Chowari Township about 50 km from here on Saturday. On a tip-off, the police conducted a raid on the video centre and recovered the pirated CDs. A case under the Copyright Act and IPC has been registered. 

Hamirpur
Suspension of three range officers condemned: The Himachal Pradesh Range Officers Welfare Association has opposed the suspension of three senior range officers for not joining duty in the Rohroo assembly constituency represented by the Chief Minister. In a press statement general secretary of the association S.S. Kashyap has urged the government to revoke the suspension of these range officers immediately. 

KULLU
Dhyan yog shivir ends: Four-day “mahasatsang and dhyan yog shivir” held at historical Dhalpur Maidan here by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the ‘Art of Living’ organisation, concluded here on Sunday. Thousands of devotees and local people participated in the ‘shivir’. Governor Vishnu Sada Shiv Kokje, chairman of the Himachal Pradesh State Marketing Board Satya Prakash Thakur and Maheshwar Singh were among the distinguished guest on the occasion.

NAHAN
CM assures help to children: Physically challenged children deprived of help under the Sarv Shiksha Abhyan (SSA) allegedly by project officers met Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh at Haripur Dhar on Friday evening under the leadership of former MLA of Nahan Kush Parmar. The CM assured children, their parents, panchayat presidents and other social workers of the district accompanying them that they would get benefit under the home-based programme for physically children. 

Shimla
Government to rejuvenate bamboo cultivation: The Himachal Pradesh government has prepared a Rs 6-crore project to rejuvenate old bamboo plantations and to increase the area under cultivation. The project was presented to the State Bamboo Steering Committee, which met under the chairmanship of Ashok Thakur, principal secretary, forests, here on Friday. Thakur asked the Forest Department to raise bamboo nurseries to produce qu-lity plants so that poor persons in rural areas could use it for making wickerwork. He also underlined the need for involving these persons in the implementation of the project. Principal chief conservator of forests Pankaj Khullar revealed that 3,000 hectare of new bamboo plantations would be raised and another 6,000 hectare of existing bamboo forests would be made less congested to optimise growth. An amount of Rs 4.5 crore will be spent on raising nurseries and Rs 1.2 crore would be spent on making the forests less congested. The area with bamboo plants has been shrinking fast and it has come down to 10,000 hectare. The project will be submitted to the Centre for funding under the National Bamboo Mission. 

Regional potpourri
Study in courage

showing results: Ludhiana boy Tushar Sehgal has not let his affliction come in the way of good academic performance.

Her son Tushar having scored 79 per cent marks n Class II has made Alka Sehgal a proud mother. This may not be an extraordinary achievement for a child these days. But in his case it is.

For, Tushar is a child with cerebral palsy (CP) who could not even hold a pencil around two years ago. Hence, his performance is the result of the collective efforts of all those connected with him, from his family and friends to his school principal and teachers. 

Though this 10-year-old comes across as a very warm and active child, busy playing around, watching television and participating in various activities, life has in no way been a smooth ride for him and his family. Diagnosed as a CP patient when he was a mere one-and-a-half years’ old, he has not only had to go through the rigours of medical intervention, but has also had to bear the harshness of social apathy.

Recalls Alka: “Initially, we put him in a normal play school. However, after some time only he refused to go there as he felt the odd one out. Later, we put him in Ashirwad, a school for special children. Since then, his life and ours has stabilised.”

The fact that Ludhiana city lacks enough experts and facilities to deal with CP patients has made the going all the more tough for them. “We take him for regular treatment and are in constant touch with parents of other CP kids. But there is not much in terms of facilities here.”

It was the late principal of Jesus Sacred Heart School who agreed to admit the child to her school. Tushar’s teachers too take extra pains to ensure that he does not face any difficulty. “It is now that he has truly started enjoying life,” his grandmother Shanti Sehgal says.

It is thus natural for his family to be thankful, not just for the commendable report card but also those who’ve made it possible.

Rebuilding bonds

Under its Operation Sadbhavana, the Indian Army this year contemplates to renovate as many as 339 school buildings that were damaged by militants in the far-flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Army has so far renovated more than 500 schools that became the target of ultras who were against education for the village folk.

Operation Sadbhavana was launched a few years ago by the Northern Command of the Army to help the militancy-affected people in the remote areas where the civil administration had failed to reach. Schoolchildren and women are the thrust areas as they have been the worst affected. It has now become an important part of the peace process in the state.

A spokesperson for the Army, Lt Col S.D. Goswami, says that 90 women empowerment centres will be constructed in these areas this year. The objective of Operation Sadbhavana has been to help the people of Jammu and Kashmir help themselves, he says. 

The focus during the current year will be on education, women’s empowerment, community development, healthcare and welfare of the nomadic Gujjars and Bakarwals.

To provide vocational and computer training to the boys and girls who are computer-illiterate, 134 community development centres are proposed to be set up.

Fighting foeticide

In a significant development, which could put a check on the malpractices prevailing in the medical profession, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Punjab, has decided to fight female foeticide tooth and nail.

For this purpose, it will constitute monitoring cells at all levels with representatives from among ultrasonologists, gynaecologists and other specialists.

At a meeting held recently at Bathinda, the IMA also decided to write to the authorities concerned to regulate the running of clinical laboratories, as per the guidelines laid down by the Medical Council of India (MCI). The IMA says that only pathologists are allowed to run the clinical labs.

The IMA has also demanded that the Drugs and Cosmetics Act should be rigidly enforced to ensure that chemists do not sell medicines without a valid prescription, thus saving the gullible patients fromthe ill-effects of self-medication and irrational drug use.

It has committed itself to working proactively for the reversal of a declining female sex ratio and ensuring a gender balanced and healthy society.

Amrit Sethi, president, IMA, Punjab, says that the association will continue to sensitise doctors at different fora on this issue, especially with regard to its gender, legal,ethical and rights dimensions.

The IMA is more than willing to collaborate and co-operate with the authorities for the effective implementation of the PNDT Act, he says.

However, the IMA  will approach the central and state governments to look into a clause of the PNDT Act whereby the registration of doctors can be suspended without them being heard and another one which gives immunity to the implementing agencies for actions taken against doctors in good faith.

Contributed by Shveta Pathak, S.P.Sharma and Chander Parkash