Nursing college building far from complete
By Sonoo Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 4 — It was under the Eighth Five Year Plan that the College for Nursing, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), affiliated to Panjab University, was upgraded to the level of the National Institute for Nursing Education to "meet the challenges of health for all by year 2000". But the new building for the same, which was planned to be completed by 1998-99 is far from complete today.

A grant of Rs 7.5 crore was allocated for the construction of the college and the hostel building (with equipment, furnishings etc) under the Plan, for which the foundation stone was laid on October 4, 1994.

The construction began as late as January last year, which, as per sources at the site, was delayed because of "lack of plans, maps and decisions." The site is behind the new Paediatrics Block and in front of the Government Modern Middle School, PGIMER.

Currently, the sixth floor and half of the fifth floor of the Research Block 'B' Building house the college, which was set up in 1964.

According to the in charge of the Project, Mr T.L. Kapoor, Part I of the institute, which consists of the auditorium and the administrative block in an area of 11,000 square feet, and Part II, which includes laboratories, lecture rooms, classrooms and canteen in an area of 13,000 square feet, would be completed by mid-2000.

The sources also indicate that only the structure of the building would be completed till the end of this year.

The educational programmes of the college include B.Sc Nursing (4 years), B.Sc Nursing (Post Basic, 2 years) and M.Sc Nursing (2 years) which includes community health nursing and medical surgical nursing. All these courses have almost 100 seats each year.

At present, there are only about 1,000 nursing tutors for more than 400 schools of nursing, which is only 42 per cent of the norms set by the Indian Nursing Council (INC).

According to the Principal of the College, Dr Indarjit Walia, the M.Sc Psychiatric Nursing course was also available till 1992, but after the retirement of the teacher concerned, the post has not been filled.

Reportedly, the teaching staff of the college is short of at least one-fourth of the recommended staff.

"Nursing has no value in our country, though our pass-outs have ready-made jobs for them because of the shortage of nursing staff in most hospitals and clinics. But most of our students prefer to work abroad, because not only are they paid better, but even their status in society is much better than what it is here," said Dr Walia.

Tackling soil erosion
By Our Corespondent

CHANDIGARH, Sept 4 — Farmers in the Shivalik foothills can easily solve the problem of soil erosion, research conducted by the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute (CSWCRTI) reveals.

Research by the institute's farm, near Mansa Devi Temple, was undertaken in about 19,936 sq km in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

According to Dr R.K. Aggarwal, head of the institute, the entire Shivalik area has shallow soil which erodes quickly and continuos erosion for years has caused great loss of soil.

Dr R Prasad, leader of the research team, said that the work was initiated on guava and "aonla" trees, which are very popular in the belt. They started with growing fruit trees with grass and other crops.

The research revealed that if guava was grown with "bhabbhar" grass, it would show positive results in soil conservation. At the farm, guava grown with grass gave a yield of about 5.2 tonnes per hectare, he added.

During the annual auctions at the farm it was observed that the total return from the combination was about about Rs 6,000 or even more, said Dr Prasad. The results were similar when "chikaiya aonla" was grown with "dholu" grass as the secondary crop.

Mr S.P. Mittal, an agronomist at the institute, said the institute had recommended growing of grass to protect the soil. He said the deep roots of "bhabbhar" protected the soil from being eroded. This cropping pattern also gave the farmer fodder, fuel and timber, besides fruit, he said.

Another advantage of this pattern is that the farmer starts getting returns from the grass even before the trees start yielding fruit. The grass protects water and soil from being wasted in the rainfed areas. On an average the Shivalik foothills get an annual rainfall of about 1100 mm and 82 per cent of the rain falls from June to August.

The grass also contributes to the protection of the ecological balance in the forest areas.

Dr Aggarwal said that after cultivating fruit crops with grasses for some years water may be available in sufficient quantities for the farmers to switch over to other crops such as turmeric, ginger and garlic. These crops grow in shady conditions, he said.

Revolution in home kitchen, cooking
By Mohit Goswami
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 4— She comes home from office, exhausted and hungry. Not in the mood to cook, she takes out vegetables from the refrigerator and puts these in the microwave. The meal is ready in no time.

Not only working women but housewives also are going in for user-friendly kitchen gadgets. The trend seems to be spreading from big cities to small towns and even to some villages. Gone are the days of the suffocating smoke-filled kitchen.

The sale of kitchen gadgets has gone up. Women are filling their kitchens with more of these to save time and to cook better and faster.

Mr Sudesh Kumar, who sells electrical goods, says: "There has been a steady rise in the demand for kitchen goods. Even common items like toasters and 'mixies' have recorded an increase in sales. Families are spending on equipping their kitchens like never before."

He seems to be right. The kitchen used to be a place where the housewife slogged the whole day. But these utility items have changed the concept of the kitchen. Now the dining room is an extension of the kitchen. Working women have contributed a lot to this gradual but steady change.

Ms Savita Sharma, an executive with a multinational firm, says: "You have no time or energy to cook after a hectic day in office. I have a microwave, a food processor, a dish-washer and a three-door frost-free refrigerator. I can go home and relax. The domestic help cannot be depended upon for cooking. You do not have to make much effort in the kitchen with all these things around."

Such equipment does save the woman from much trouble in the kitchen. But these things do not come cheap.

Ms Ritu Jain, a private medical practitioner, says: "I cannot do without the oven and the grill. Agreed that these things cost a lot of money. But think of the convenience these provide us with and the time these save. Take the dish-washer and the food processor, for example. I have no qualms about dishing out money for these. You cannot spend hours in the kitchen after working for the whole day in office. You have to spare time for the family and for relaxation."

It is basically this attitude that has made families go in for these costly kitchen gadgets. Even men find all these items easy to use.

Mr Manjit Singh of Hallomajra, a school teacher, says: "I am unmarried and so have to cook for myself. I find the roti-maker and the dish-washer quite useful. Now there is no need to eat out. All my food is cooked at home. It is quite clean and hygienic. Men should know a little bit of cooking."

Men seem to have taken this suggestion. Many cook on their own and some help their wives in the kitchen. This could not be thought of in the traditional kitchen.

Ms Kamla Sahni, an accountant in government service, says: "My husband occasionally helps me in the kitchen. But this happened only after the microwave and the food processor were bought. He sometimes cooks on his own also. I am not worried now when I am away or I cannot come home for lunch. I know the children will not remain hungry after returning from school. They know how to use these gadgets."

Ms Sharda Gupta, a housewife, says: "I am thinking of buying a microwave. It makes kitchen work easy and efficient. I have a solar cooker and a solar heater in the ancestral house in the village. The future lies in solar energy as it is endless."

Ms Radha Goyal, a university student, says: "I do not know much of cooking. But it seems to be fun with so many things to help women in doing all the kitchen work. I am definitely going to learn cooking now. It will be useful later in life."

Such is the change these gadgets have brought in the minds of youngsters towards cooking. Many have started taking cookery lessons and others are learning culinary skills at home.

Some women have started supplying food and other delicacies to others. This gives them monetary benefits and a lot of satisfaction.

Ms Aarti Pathak, who runs a catering service from home, says: "I did not know much of cooking earlier. But I was very fond of cakes and pastries. So I bought an oven and learnt how to prepare these. I enjoyed it very much and so went on to learn all the kitchen work."

Kitchen gadgets have indeed caused a silent transformation in culinary skills. The days of cooking being tiresome and boring are over. The modern kitchen houses many kitchen gadgets.

Bridges crying for repairs
From Our Correspondent

DAIRI (Sohana), Sept 4 —residents of more than a dozen villages are resentful of the Punjab Public Works Department for its failure to repair the bridges and causeways damaged over the years.

A culvert on the Manauli- Dairi road near Sohana was washed away about a year ago.villagers blame the authorities for changing the natural flow water and causing the damage.They say that a newly carpeted road has not been used for more than a year as a bridge on this connecting road remains incomplete. The situation has worsened in the current monsoon season.

Another damaged bridge in Mauli - Baidwan village, about 4 km from Sohana, forces people to wade through knee- deep filthy water. Students and teachers who have to cross it to reach school are the worst hit.

Mr Harvarinder Singh, a resident of Mauli Baidwan village, alleged that the bridge was swept away because of poor quality of the material used in its construction. " It is a chronic problem as the area is prone to flooding during the rainy season. But nothing has been done to improve the situation despite numerous complaints to the authorities", he added.

The only causeway connecting Premgarh, Seaoun and half a dozen other villages was submerged under the swollen sewer nullah. Residents of Manauli village laid a temporary path to go across.

According to sources, lack of funds was the main reason for the stoppage of construction work. Work on the Mauli- Baidwan bridge could be started only after the rainy season. nothing could be done for the Dairi road due to shortage of funds.