Sirsa-Hisar passenger tain to run on regular basis

 by Haryananewswire

CHANDIGARH, JUNE 30

Member of Parliament from Sirsa, Dr. Ashok Tanwar today said that the special passenger train (04741-04742) which runs between Sirsa and  Ludhiana would be made a regular train in the  Union Railway Budget as earlier, this train was run for only two months from April 30 to June 30.

          Dr. Tanwar was redressing the grievances of people at Sirsa today.  

          He said that this special train was started between Sirsa and Hisar. It was a long standing demand of the residents of Sirsa.  Dr. Tanwar said that during his meeting with Railway Minister Mr Mallikarjun Khadge at Delhi, he had demanded that this train should be run regularly and the Minister has accepted his demand. He said that this train would halt on both ways at Jakhod Kheda, Mandi Adampur, Bhathu, Ding, Suchan Kotli and Bajekan stations. The special train would have total seven compartmentsincluding six of general category and one of the guard.

          Various social, religious and political organizations of Sirsa have expressed their gratitude for running this regular train. Dr. Tanwar said that he has also demanded the Railway Minister that an additional air conditioned coach, one women coach and two general coaches should be added in the Kissan Express running between Bhatinda  and Delhi. The other demands included expansion of Gorakhdham Express from Hisar to Sirsa, halt of Kissan Express at Ding Station, running of Intercity Express approved from Firozpur to Delhi in this budget via Bathinda-Sirsa-Hisar-Bhiwani and Rohtak.

          He said that soon he along with Divisional Railway Manager   of Bikaner Division would visit Dabwali-Sirsa-Ding-Bhatu railways stations and inspect the facilities being given to the passengers there.

                                                                

No new B.Ed College in Punjab till State Govt. issues NOC

by Punjabnewswire4u

MOHALI, JUNE 30

 The Affiliation to around 30 upcoming B.Ed Colleges would not be granted till Punjab Government issues NOC (No Objection Certificate) to these colleges. On the other hand, the affiliation process of around 30 degree colleges for session 2013-14 would be completed within a week.

 This was said by Dr Jamshid Ali Khan, Dean, College Development Council, Punjabi Universiy, Patiala while replying the queries of media during inauguration of “Aryans Admission cum Job Fair II” at Aryans Group of Colleges, Vill. Nepra, Chandigarh-Patiala Higway, Near Chandigarh. The event was presided over by Dr Anshu Kataria, Chairman, Aryans Group of Colleges.

 On the other hand, the admission process of B.Ed course in Punjab has already been started. As Punjab Govt. has not issued any NOC, it seems that no B.Ed College will come up in Punjab in the session 2013-14.

 

Dr Khan also mentioned that from 2013-14, Punjabi university has added new concept of ‘single faculty college’. Under this land requirement has been reduced to 1.6 acre from 5 acre. But for Degree College land requirement would remain to 5 acre only. Under ‘single faculty college’ Courses under one faculty can be started.

  Dr Khan added that now the Punjabi University would be very particular before giving affiliation. The focus would be on qualitative expansion not on quantitative expansion.

 Also present on the occasion were Prof. D. C. Kataria, Vice- Chairman, Aryans Group; Mrs. Rajni Kataria, Treasurer, Aryans Group; Dr. (Mrs.) Parveen Kataria, Director General, Aryans Group; Dr.Manjula Kataria, Principal, Aryans College of Education; Dr. P B Mahapatra, Director, Aryans College of Engineering; Prof BS Sidhu, Registrar, Aryans Group; Prof AP Jain, Director, Aryans Group; Mrs Sarita Jain, Dean- Academics, Aryans Group and Ms Varinder Kaur, Coordinator, Aryans Group and many others.

 

Badal flays Centre for inadequate hike in MSP of paddy and cotton

by Punjabnewswire4u
CHANDIGARH, JUNE 28

Slamming the Centre for inadequate hike in the MSP of paddy and cotton by just Rs. 60 and Rs. 100 per quintal against the demand of Rs. 1800 and Rs. 4674 per quintal raised by the state government, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal described it as “a retrograde step to rob the farmers of genuine margins of profit thereby making the plight of already distressed farmers from bad to worst”.

 It may be recalled that the Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved a hike of Rs.60 and Rs. 100 in the MSP of paddy and cotton to Rs. 1310 and Rs. 3700 per quintal respectively for the current kharif marketing season on Thursday.

In a statement, Mr. Badal said that this move of Congress led UPA government would further demoralize the farmers as the agriculture was no more a profitable venture due to squeezed margins owing to constant hike in the cost of agricultural inputs like diesel, seeds, fertilizers and pesticides etc. thereby further accentuating the woes of the beleaguered farmers. Equating this decision as anti-farmer and cruel joke with the peasantry, Mr. Badal said UPA government had not only rubbed salt into the wounds of the farmers by doing so but also gave a major setback to the hardworking and resilient farming community which could put our national food security in peril.

Making a dig at the Centre, Mr. Badal accused the UPA government of double speak because at one instance it was forcing Punjab to go for crop diversification in a big way and on the other it was deliberately denying the farmers of their justified right of remunerative MSP on the alternative crops like cotton, maize and Basmati. The Chief Minister said he had personally taken up the issue of ensuring permanent procurement mechanism for these crops with the Union Agriculture Minister Mr. Sharad Pawar and the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh several times to motivate the farmers of the state for the cultivation of cotton, maize and Basmati with the focused approach towards crop diversification as well as to save them from the sheer exploitation of the farmers at the hands of the traders due to lack of assured marketing facility. He also revealed the state government had already demanded MSP of Rs. 1700 and Rs. 3500 per quintal for maize and basmati.

The Chief Minister said, “Centre should have atleast repaid a bit of the debt owed towards it due to immense contribution of Punjab farmers in making our country self sufficient in food production by conceding our rightful demand through fixing the MSP of these crops in accordance with the rationale based on the facts compiled by a team of agricultural experts and economists of PAU.”  Mr. Badal said that it was the high time for the Centre to awake from deep slumber in order to fix the MSP by providing a margin of 50% over the cost of production to the farmers as suggested by the country’s leading agricultural expert Dr. MS Swaminathan.

Badal attends cremation of Uttamjit Kaur

By Punjabnewswire4u

NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH, JUNE 27

        Mortal remains of Mrs. Uttamjit Kaur, the wife of former Chairman National Commission for Minorities and Ex-Member Parliament Mr. Tarlochan Singh, were consigned to flames at Lodhi Road crematorium in New Delhi, amidst thousands of mourners and sympathizers who reached here to pay homage to the departed soul.

        Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal attended the cremation of Uttamjit Kaur, who passed away yesterday after a brief illness.

Meanwhile, Mr. Badal laid wreaths on the behalf of Punjab Government and the SAD President and Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal during her last rites and also shared heartfelt sympathies and condolences with Mr. Tarlochan Singh.

        On the occasion, the SGPC President S. Avtar Singh, DSGMC President S. Manjit Singh GK, Mr. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Mr. Sher Singh Ghubaya and Mr. Naresh Gujral (all MPs), VC Punjabi University Patiala Dr. Jaspal Singh, Senior SAD leaders of Delhi unit Mr. Avtar Singh Hitt and Mr. Kuldip Singh Bhogal and Vice President DSGMC Mr. Tanwant Singh also attended the cremation.

        The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Special Principal Secretary Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar.

        According to the spokesperson, Mr. Badal would also attend the Bhog and Antim Ardas ceremony of Mrs. Uttamjit Kaur to be held at Gurdwara Sri Rakab Ganj Sahib, New Delhi on June 30 (Sunday) from 2.30 to 3.30 p.m. 

NCC organise rally to educate public of drug abuse

By sportswire4u.blogspot.com

CHANDIGARH, JUNE 26

A rally was organised by 1 Chd Air Sqn NCC under the aegis of NCC Gp HQ Chandigarh on the occasion of "International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking" here today. The rally comprised of 60 NCC cadets of Army, Navy and Air Force wings, started from Main Gate of  PGI Sector 12 and terminated at Plaza Sector 17.

 The rally was flagged off by Wg Cdr JS Jeji, Commanding officer, 1 Chd Air Sqn NCC. The aim of rally was to spread message to public  about ill effects of drugs and cautioning youth  against illicit trafficking.

CM orders SIT to probe into attack on Kahan Pannu

By Punjabnewswire4u

CHANDIGARH, JUNE 26  

          Describing the assault on the senior IAS officer Mr. Kahan Singh Pannu as “an attack on the Punjab government,” the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today ordered the setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to get to the root of the incident to ensure exemplary punishment to the culprits.”

The Chief Minister today called the state DGP Mr. Sumedh Singh Saini and asked him to immediately form the SIT and to keep him informed of the progress.

Expressing “complete solidarity with the assaulted officer”, Mr. Badal told members of the IAS officer Association who called on him this morning that he was fully seized of the matter and of its gravity.”I have been deeply and personally anguished over the incident.  Mr. Badal assured the Association that the government regarded the incident as “an act of extreme provocation, requiring prompt and effective government response, treating it with the gravity that it deserves.

” Fully backing the officer,

Mr. Badal said, “Mr. Pannu is one of our finest officers, and he was performing a most difficult and challenging task with extreme personal courage, deep commitment and commendable professional competence. In doing so, Mr. Pannu displayed remarkable personal character, braving extreme odds at considerable personal risk. The officer went far above and beyond the call of his duty, for which all those trapped in the calamity are rightly proud of and obliged to him.”  

He and other members of the Punjab rescue team there represented the government and therefore, we regard any harm inflicted on them as a  direct affront to the government, and it will be dealt with accordingly.

 Mr. Badal also appealed to everyone to exercise calm and composure in dealing with a grave human and national tragedy in  Uttrakhand, “We are all in it together, and instead of creating problems for each we must fight shoulder to shoulder in meeting this most  difficult challenge. The situation requires all of us to demonstrate calm, composure, perseverance and patience as preached to us by the Gurus.”  

Mr. Badal reiterated his appeal to the Uttrakhand government to provide maximum security to all the officers of various stategovernments deputed at different locations in the calamity stricken state  for the smooth execution of relief, rescue and rehabilitation work besides ensuring that such unfortunate acts should never be repeated in future.

Badals mourn death of Uttamjit Kaur

By Punjabnewswire4u

CHANDIGARH, JUNE 26

The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal,  and the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, today deeply mourned the sad demise of Uttamjit Kaur (75) the wife of former Chairman National Commission for Minorities and former Member Parliament Mr. Tarlochan Singh, who passed away at her residence today this morning after a brief illness.

She is survived by her husband, a son and two daughters. She was the daughter of an eminent freedom fighter Akali Balwant Singh, who made an enormous contribution in the National Independence struggle by spending 11 years in jail.

Sharing heartfelt sympathies with the members of the bereaved family, both the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister prayed to the Almighty to grant eternal peace to the departed soul and give strength to them to bear this huge loss in this hour of crisis.    

According to a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office, the Chief Minister would attend the cremation of Sardarni Uttamjit Kaur at 11 AM in Lodhi Road crematorium, New Delhi.

Govt releases Rs 95.60 cr released for cane growers

By Punjabnewswire4u

Chandigarh, June 25

          On the personal initiative of the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, the state government has released Rs. 95.60 crore to the State Cooperative Sugar Mills for further disbursement to the cane growers.

          Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the  State Cooperative Sugar Mills crushed 149.52 lac
quintals of cane and produced 12.93 lac quintals of sugar during the year 2012-13,  as against crush of 141.43 lac quintals of cane and production of 12.28 lac quintals of sugar in the year 2011-12.  

It may be recalled that against the total due cane payment of Rs.369.07 Crore, Cooperative Sugar Mills could pay 273.47 Crore from
their own sources and the balance Rs.95.60 crore have been now provided by the State Government which has been disbursed to the Cooperative Sugar Mills to ensure prompt payment of outstanding arrears to the Cane Growers.  

To boost the cultivation of the sugarcane across the state as a part of State’s ambitious program of crop diversification, the Punjab government had been constantly fixing higher sugarcane price as compared to the Fair Remunerative Price (F.R.P.) declared by the Central Government to encourage the farmers for opting sugarcane as an alternative crop to paddy. During 2012-13, State Government fixed the sugarcane price @ Rs.250/- per quintal against the F.R.P. of Rs.170/- of Central Government and for the coming crushing season 2013-14 the cane price has been fixed @ Rs.290/- per quintal against F.R.P. of Rs.210/- of Central Government.

 The State Government was committed to provide higher cane price to the
farmers in the State and timely lifting, crushing and payment of their produce by the Cooperative Sugar Mills in the State, added the spokesperson.