Zonal Youth Festival concludes

Amritsar: Sikh National College, Banga, emerged as the winners of the Zonal Youth Festival of Guru Nanak Dev University ‘A’ division on the concluding day on Tuesday. In the ‘B’ division, Hindu Kanya College, Kapurthala, was declared as the winners and Kamla Nehru College for Women, Phagwara got runners up position. GN Khalsa College, Sultanpur Lodhi, secured the third position. Student-artists of D-Zone of the university participated in 35 items of music, theatre, dance, literary and fine arts. Prof SS Behl, OSD to Vice Chancellor presided over the prize distribution function. In the three-day competition, contests in bhangra, group shabad/bhajan, group song (Indian), folk orchestra, classical instrumental (percussion), classical instrumental (non-percussion), classical vocal, painting on the spot, cartooning, poster making, collage, clay modelling, on-the-sopt photography, installation, costume parade, mime, mimicry, skit, one act play, vaar singing, kawishri, geet/gazal, folk song, poetical symposium, elocution, debate, quiz preliminary, general group dance, gidha, western vocal solo, western group song and western instrumental, rangoli, phulkari and mehndi were organised on the various venues.

Webinar on biodiversity, ecosystem

Under star college scheme, DAV College organised an online webinar on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of high altitude vegetation. Dr Amit Chawla, principal secretary, CSIR – Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, was the resource person. Dr chawla said the analysis of species distribution and functional diversity (FD) in natural gradients of aridity and temperature at high altitudes can provide us the indication of future changes in plant communities as both are responsive to environment and strongly influence ecosystem functioning and stability. He said they established eleven altitudinal transects in high altitude region of Western Himalaya. In each transect, vegetation was sampled randomly at every 200 m elevation to estimate species rarity, niche width and different indices. These indices indicate resource utilisation, competition for resources, optimal plant strategies, and presence of functionally specialist species. A total of 418 plant species have been found, most of which were having narrow niche and distribution.

Security of Service of Employees Act

Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union (PCCTU) welcomed amendment in the Punjab Affiliated Colleges (Security of Service of Employees) Act, 1974. In a release issued here on Tuesday Dr Gurdas Singh Sekhon, district president and Dr BB Yadav, area secretary, GNDU, said PCCTU welcomed the decision of Punjab Cabinet taken on November 7 to allow appropriate amendment in the Punjab affiliated colleges (Security of Service of Employees) Act, 1974. The proposed amendment will restore the principal of natural justice in the case of unaided staff as enshrined in the Constitution of India. Present amendment in the Security of Service Act will give relief to thousands of teachers whose security of service have put in danger due to previous amendment made in 2007. They also reminded the government that implementation of the UGC Seventh Pay Scales to university and college teachers was still pending which have already been implemented in the country. TNS