AHMEDGARH
DECLAMATION CONTEST: The Public Welfare Society, Sandaur, organised an inter-school declamation contest at Government Senior Secondary School, Sandaur, in association with the State Bank of India, ADB, Sandaur, on Wednesday. Mr N.K. Talwar, Senior Manager of the bank presided over the function.

HOMAGE: Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha, Minister for Technical Education, said here on Wednesday that primary school at Ber Khurd village would be named after Harpreet Singh who laid down his life at Jammu and Kashmir border recently. Paying tributes to the deceased soldier at the bhog ceremony, the minister announced state assistance of Rs 7 lakh to the deceased's family and a government job to one of the family member. Mr Sadhu Singh Ghudani, MLA, Mr Raghbir Singh Seharan Majra, Chairman, Milk Plant, Mr Gurdev Lapran, Mr Tej Parkash (former Congress minister), Mr R.S. Kaler, ADC, and Mr Balraj Sidhu, DSP, also paid homage to the martyr.

GRANT DEMANDED: Ms Darshan Kaur, local Municipal Councillor, has demanded that ward No. 4 should be declared a slum area and appropriate grant should be given for its development. She alleged that president of the council had been ignoring her reserved ward. Basic amenities were not being provided to residents, she alleged. Meanwhile, Mr Kishori Lal Budhan, president of the council, denied the charge and said development projects were being undertaken regularly.

AMRITSAR
PROBE APPOINTMENTS: Mr Mohan Singh Bhagowalia, BSP in charge, in a complaint lodged with the Director, SC/ST Commission and the CBI had sought an inquiry against the Bank of India, who the party alleges had indulged in malpractices in appointments. In a press note the BSP said that the bank had made recruitments just on the basis of caste certificates without any entry test or interviews.

LUDHIANA
APPOINTED: “Diabetes mellitus has emerged as a major public health problem in India. Over 30 million people in India were suffering from the disease. It is estimated that two-thirds of the total diabetic patients in the developing countries will be in India by the end of year 2004”, said Dr R.S. Bhatia who has recently been appointed member of the Diabetic Association of India. Dr Bhatia has been re-elected scientific member for a term of three years. It may be mentioned that Dr Bhatia had been awarded the Outstanding Physicians’ Award’ and is involved in research trials by CSIR, ICMR etc.

MEDICAL CAMP: A free medical check-up camp was organised here on Thursday by the Punjab National Bank (PNB), Civil Lines branch, at Evershine Public High School, New Ashok Nagar. Dental and general medical examination of more than 600 students was conducted. Medicines were distributed free of cost to needy students. Mr K.I. Singh, Senior Regional Manager, Ludhiana Region, was the chief guest on the occasion.

PATIALA
PUNJABI WEEK: The State Language Department will celebrate the annual Punjabi Week from November 1 to November 7 here. The function will be inaugurated by the state Education Minister, Mr Tota Singh, while Ms Geetika Kalha, Secretary, Higher Education, will preside over the function. The chief guest on the occasion will be OSD to the Chief Minister Kirpal Singh Badungar and Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia. On the occasion, the writers of various books published last year in Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu will be awarded.

LITERARY AWARDS: In keeping with the tradition of giving awards for recognised works that have made significant contributions towards encouraging the literary activities in various languages especially in Punjabi, the Department of Languages, Punjab, announced the best literary awards to the following books published last year. This was stated by Director of the department, Dr Madan Lal Hasija. The book ‘Dard kahe dehleez’ by Surjit Jaj will be awarded with by Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir Puraskar (poetry). ‘Punjab diyan titaliya’ by Malkiat Singh Saini will be given the M.S.Randhawa Puraskar (giani literature). ‘Bal geet’ by Darshan Singh Aasht will be awarded by Sri Guru Harikrishan Puraskar (child literature). ‘Navi Punjabi kavita-pachan chin’ written by Dr Jaswinder Singh will be bestowed by Dr Attar Singh Puraskar (criticism). ‘Rade bhambiri bole’ written by Dr Nahar Singh has been awarded with Teja Singh Puraskar (editing). ‘Dashmesh Pita de sidki Sikh ate dharam yudh’ by Raghbir Singh Anandpuri will be awarded with Bhai Veer Singh Puraskar (biography). ‘Zindagi di sargarm’ by Dr T.R.Sharma will be awarded with Gurbaksh Singh Preetladi Puraskar (essay) and ‘Paria’ by Gurcharan Singh Jasuja will be given the Ishwar Chander Nanda Puraskar (play).

CONFERENCE ON ENT: The latest advances in the ENT speciality and allergy disorders would be discussed at length during the course of a two-day Silver Jubilee Conference to be held at Government Medical College on Saturday here. Giving this information, Head of the ENT Department and Chairman of the Conference, Dr S.K.Verma, said the function would be inaugurated by Research and Medical Education Minister Manoranjan Kalia. Dr Verma said ENT and head and neck surgeons of the North-West region of India would participate in the discussions and present their research papers. He said the conference would not only help in alleviating the sufferings of the humanity but also prove useful in upgrading the professional expertise and knowledge of the doctors and medical students in the field of ENT as per the international standards.

MEDICAL CAMP: The Bhartiya Yog Sanstha will be organising a training-cum-treatment camp on Sunday at Bundela Mandir, near Rose Garden here. Giving this information, press secretary of the sanstha, Mr M.S. Deewan, said free services will be provided to all those suffering from chronic diseases.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT CAMPAIGN: Prajapita Brahmakumaris, Ishwariya Vishwavidyalayas will be organising women empowerment campaign at Open Theatre, Baradari Gardens here on Friday. The campaign which started from Kangra, will finally end at Delhi on November 10.

OPENING OF PUB CONDEMNED: A delegation of Leela Bhavan market met Deputy Commissioner Jasbir Singh Bir on Thursday and complained against the opening of a Hungry Horse Pub in the market area which they claimed will create a lot of commotion among the common people visiting the market. This was discussed during the district-level sangat darshan programme held at Red Cross Hall here. The delegation said the market was already occupied by a number of computer centres and clinics which was regularly visited by women in particular. The DC asked the Assistant Commissioner, Excise and Taxation Department and the Police Department, to look into the matter and see whether a pub can be opened in a public place or not. Mr Bir heard the grievances of 85 complainants out of which 40 cases were handed over to different departments concerned while 10 cases related with village panchayats have been submitted to the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO).

SAMRALA
OLD-AGE HOME: Baba Sarbjot Singh, sevadar of the old age home, Barwali, distributed uniforms to poor girl students of the local Government Senior Secondary Girls School and also donated 21 dictionaries to the school library, said Mr Bachittar Singh Barn, Principal of the school, here on Wednesday. He also presented a bicycle to a girl student who had stood first in the Ludhiana district games.

STONE LAID: Mr Nachhattar Singh Badeshan, Deputy Director, Social Welfare and Child Department, Punjab, laid foundation stone of the model anganwari centre at Harbanspura village, near here, on Wednesday. Ms Sunit Rani, CDPO, briefed the gathering about various schemes of the department.

DHARNA: Employees of the Punjab State Land Mortgage Bank have decided to stage a dharna in front of the bank’s head office in Chandigarh on Tuesday to protest against non-acceptance of their demands said Mr Gurdev Singh Bondli, president of the employees’ union, here on Wednesday. Condemning the harsh measures taken against workers, Mr Romesh Chander, vice-president of the union, demanded acceptance of their demands, including time-bound promotions, medical allowance and house rent allowance.

MEETING: A meeting of the Public Health Karamchari Union was held here on Thursday. It was presided over by Mr Harpreet Singh Grewal. Mr Grewal appealed to Mr Parkash Singh Badal to regularise the services of the daily-waged workers of the department who had been on a chain fast for the past three months in Chandigarh.

DIVALI BONUS: All employees of the Chandigarh Industrial Tourism Corporation (CITCO) will get Rs 2,500 as Divali bonus, it was decided at a meeting of the board of directors on Thursday evening.

RS 16.57 LAKH DONATED: Devotees who visited the Mansa Devi Temple donated a sum of Rs 16.57 lakh till the seventh Navratra (October 22) during the ongoing Navratra Mela, said the Deputy Commissioner, Ms Jyoti Arora, who is also Chief Administrator of the Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board. Ms Arora added that apart from 268 kg desi ghee, 120 utensils, 47 brass bells, 15 ceiling fans, 12 wall clocks and 36 sarees and suits had also been offered by the devotees.

STRIKE: The Coordination Committee of the Government and Municipal Corporation Employees and Workers have decided to go on half-day pen down and tool down strike on November 9 to press the Administration to accept their demands. The committee demands include grant of bonus, treatment of MCC employees as on deputation, release of HRA, ADA and CCA to all the daily wagers with immediate effects, issue of uniforms to the Class III employees, filling vacant posts, increase of honorary allowance for anganwari workers, pension scheme for Chandigarh Housing Board Employees and abolition of contract system. The committee also threatened that if the Administration failed to accept their demands, they will go on full-day strike. The decision was taken at a meeting on Wednesday.

HONOURED: The Governor of Haryana, Mr Babu Parmananda, honoured Ms Sangeeta, a Hindi teacher, and Ms Gauri, a science teacher, of Swami Ram Tirtha Public High School for their good performance during a prize distribution function held recently. 

HAMIRPUR
POWER CUT: A two hours power cut, was enforced throughout the district on Wednesday. This step was taken in view of the power shortage, according to board sources. The power cut would be imposed at separate interval at all places.

POSTAGE STAMP: A postage stamp in the memory of Yashpal, a great Indian revolutionary, would be issued on his birth centenary in 2003. The Union Communications Ministry has given approval for this, according to the president of the Yashpal Sahitya Parishad, Dr Braham Dev Sharma. Yashpal was a close associate of Chander Shekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh. He was also conferred with Padam Bhushan in 1970.

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES: Prof S.D. Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, said here on Tuesday that he was keen to promote cultural activities and sports in the university on a large scale. He said he was getting first-hand information about the activities as well as problems being faced by teachers, the non-teaching staff and students.

NURPUR
RLY HEAD LINK: The Town Welfare Committee, Nurpur, has demanded the railway head link in town with a railway line from Jassur. In this connection the committee has sent a memorandum to the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Mr Shanta Kumar.

APPOINTMENT LETTERS: Unemployed BDS doctors (dental surgeons) of Himachal Pradesh are sore over the delay in issuing appointment letters by the state Health and Family Welfare Department even after four months of their selection by the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission. The dental surgeons who met the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, on October 22 at Pragpur submitted a memorandum to him demanding a prompt action in this connection.