Gurdaspur diary: Doctor facilitates heart surgeries of kids of govt schools

Dr Lakhwinder Singh, Senior Medical Officer (SMO), Kalanaur, is busy trying to implement the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) these days. This is a Union Government initiative to promote the overall quality of life of children and also to enable them achieve their full potential. He has had heart surgeries of 14 government school students, all under the age of 14 years, done from top health institutes such as Fortis, Mohali and PGI, Chandigarh. He plans to send eight more children who are suffering from an assortment of heart ailments to these institutes. Muskan, a young deaf and dumb girl by birth, benefitted from the cochlear implant (CI) surgery. This type of surgery provides a person, who is suffering from hearing loss, with an improved speech and hearing understanding. The doctor said he is in the process of identifying more children who need heart surgeries. Locals are happy that there is someone who is taking care of their children.

Shaheed Bhagat Singh remembered

If a nation does not remember its heroes, a time will come when it will have none. There were many smiles and cheers when the twin districts of Gurdaspur and Pathankot commemorated the 115th birth anniversary celebrations of Bhagat Singh. He is considered one of the most influential revolutionaries of the freedom movement. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mohammad Ishfaq led the celebrations in Gurdaspur. His counterpart Harbir Singh did so in the adjoining district of Pathankot. At both the places, the district administration was present in strength. The attendance was heavy despite the fact that there was no official circular that made the presence of officials mandatory. In the evening, candlelight marches were held. “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. Bhagat Singh fits the bill to perfection,” said Ishfaq. On the occasion, an old timer remembered a famous quote of the freedom fighter: “Zindagi to apne dam par hi jiyi jati hai, dusro ke kandhe par toh sirf janaze uthaye jate hain.” Some of the great men’s quotes should be written in bold letters, photocopied and then dispatched to all educational institutions, both government and private, to let impressionistic minds know who exactly he was and what he stood for.

BSF on the lookout for an anti-drone system

Gurdaspur district has become a hotspot for Pakistan dispatching drones regularly. The need of the hour for the BSF and to some extent the Punjab Police is to develop a technology wherein a flying drone can be grounded. To complicate matters, Pakistan has set up a check-post barely a kilometer from the International Border (IB). It is from here that the flying machines are pushed into the Indian territory. Senior officers say the sooner they develop an anti-drone technology, the better it will be.

(Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal)