Food for thought for students

Karnal: The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) organised a seminar on “Restructuring of primary and secondary education to address the issue of education curriculum weaning students from farmers and farming community” at National Dairy Research Institute, (NDRI) here. Punjab Singh, president, NAAS, inaugurated the seminar. RRB Singh, Director, NDRI, said agriculture must be included in the school curriculum so that students at the primary and secondary level were sensitised for taking up agriculture as a profession.

MC Commissioner inspects shelter homes

Karnal: Municipal Corporation Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav inspected night shelter homes in the city and directed the authorities to provide all facilities to the homeless and the poor even if they did not have identity proofs. At a shelter home near the bus stand, he was unhappy with the unclean surroundings. He directed the staff managing the shelter home to shift it to some other place. The Commissioner also inspected shelter homes in the Red Cross building, outside Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC) and under Kachwa railway overbridge. “The record of all persons living in the shelter rooms should be maintained,” he directed the staff.

DC’s surprise visit at govt schools

Kaithal: Deputy Commissioner Dr Priyanka Soni paid a surprise visit to government schools, anganwari centres and brick-kilns in Kailram and Chausala villages of the district recently. She found the quality of mid-day meal satisfactory, and asked cooking staff to maintain cleanliness in kitchens and store cooking material safely. In a girls’ primary school in Kailram village, the DC noticed a teacher in Class V using a mobile phone. She directed officials to send a report to the head office about the teacher and issued a warning against using mobile phones in classrooms. Later, she visited girls’ toilets and asked the staff to maintain cleanliness.

Officer pitches for crop diversification

Karnal: Additional Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal emphasised on crop diversification and exhorted farmers to take advantage of the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana. He was chairing the valedictory function of a two-day potato expo at Potato Technology Centre in Shamgarh on Saturday. “The state government has been initiating several steps to encourage farmers to cultivate vegetables, fruits and flowers instead of traditional crops of wheat and paddy. Because of this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will honour Haryana on January 3 in New Delhi with a special award,” he said.

Fulfil our demands, ‘numbardars’ urge CM

Hisar: An association of ‘numbardars’ has expressed displeasure with the state government, which, they claimed, has failed to fulfil their long-pending demands. In a meeting, association treasurer Nirmal Singh said Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had announced mobile phones, health insurance of Rs5 lakh and free travel facilities in Haryana Roadways’ buses for ‘numbardars’. He claimed not a single promise had been implemented. Association members said ‘numbardars’, who worked as a key link between the administration and the people, must not be ignored.

MLA awards certificates to trainees

Kaithal: Local MLA Leela Ram distributed certificates among trainees who underwent training in Punjab National Bank rural self-employment training institute in district’s Geong village on Saturday. In all, 48 persons were trained in jute bag making. The MLA said the purpose of the institute was to train youths in self-employment and ensure that they joined the mainstream. All trainees were in the age group of 18 to 45 years. The institute provides training in dairy farming, bee-keeping, sewing, beauty parlour, and freezer and AC repair.

College’s de-addiction centre gets first prize

Sonepat: The de-addiction centre of BPS Government Women Medical College, Khanpur Kalan, has been awarded the best de-addiction centre in the state. Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Om Parkash Yadav gave away the trophy and a prize money of Rs50,000 to Dr Arun Kumar Pandey, head of the de-addiction centre and director of psychiatry, at a programme in Panchkula recently. College director Dr Renu Gupta said the centre, which started functioning in January 2015, had been providing services to the needy.

Bar association welcomes new judges

Yamunanagar: The District Bar Association organised a programme to welcome District and Sessions Judge Deepak Aggarwal and Additional District and Sessions Judge Abdul Majid. The association appreciated Majid’s administrative skills. He looked after the Sessions division between November 25 and December 5, when previous Sessions Judge Bimlesh Tanwar was on leave. Bar officer-bearers appreciated Majid for maintaining coordination between the Bench and the Bar, as well as a cordial relationship among judicial officers.