870 girl students awarded degrees at KCW Convocation

AMRITSAR, NOV 29 

At least 870 girl students were today conferred degrees at Khalsa College for Women (KCW) during College’s annual Convocation. The chief guest during the program, University Grants Commission (UGC) Dr.Jaspal Singh stressed on girls’ education and emphasized on the need for introducing skill development courses to make youth `employable’.

 Dr.Jaspal added that the traditional courses need a total revamp and professional degrees have to be encouraged as the main motive of the education is to earn livelihood. ``The job-oriented courses must be the focus and the UGC is doling out grants for vocational courses’’, said he as he congratulated the students to get graduate and post-graduate degrees.

 Khalsa College Governing Council President Satyajit Singh Majithia earlier remarked that every individual must inculcate the trait of humbleness which is also the aim of the education. He said that the education to girl students would help them to attain their rightful position of honour in the society. He also coaxed the students for loving the own culture and language.

 KCGC honourary secretary, Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina batted for ducation for girls. ``After getting the degrees, the girls who are the future of our nation would go to serve the motherland and as education is a great leveler, it provides girls honourable place in the society as it makes them independent financial’’, said Chhina

 KCW Principal Dr.Sukhbir Kaur Mahal, who welcomed the guests, read the progress report citing the achievements  in academics, cultural activities and sports. She said that under the able leadership of KCGC, the College was progressing day and night and new infrastructure development has put the college in the forefront in education field. She also congratulated the students who got degrees and those who earned medals and accolades for their achievements in past year.

===balbirsingh227@gmail.com

Gujarat, Punjab & Chhattisgarh Governors to attend Aryans National Seminar

MOHALI, NOV 29
Governor Gujarat, Sh. O.P Kohli; Governor Punjab, Prof. Kaptan Singh Solanki and Governor Chhattisgarh, Sh Balram Ji Das Tandon would attend Aryans National Seminar on 13th December in chandigarh. Sh Madan Mohan Mittal, Technical Education Minister, Punjab would also be guest of honour in the seminar. All the dignitaries would participate in a National Level Seminar on “Empowering Youth of Tribal States” being organized by Aryans Group of Colleges, Chandigarh.
 Dr. Anshu Kataria, Chairman, Aryans Group of Colleges while giving information about the seminar said that the topic for the seminar have been selected keeping in view that the Chandigarh is becoming an education hub for the tribal state students. The seminar would benefit to empower the youth of these states to widen the career options and Job skills among students.
 Kataria further said that students in large number from various tribal states like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, North East have taken admissions in the Chandigarh and its periphery.
 It is to be mentioned that major tribal population in India is from the states like Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir etc.
===balbirsingh227@gmail.com

 

Recruitment process for filling 1.13 lakh Govt jobs to be completed soon: Badal

PAKHOKE (TARN TARAN), NOV 29

 Terming that the state government has begun a massive drive to fill 1.13 lakh vacant posts in various departments with an aim to provide employment opportunities to the youth of state, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today said that the process to fill these posts would be completed very soon.

          Interacting with the media persons on the sidelines of Sangat Darshan program in the Khadoor Sahib assembly segment here today, the Chief Minister said that the various departments have been asked to initiate the recruitment drive by advertising these posts in the newspapers. He said that the recruitment would be done in a fully transparent and fool proof manner so as to ensure that only the eligible and deserving candidates were selected for these posts, purely on merit. Likewise, Mr. Badal said that the departments have been asked to ensure that the recruitment drive was completed shortly so that deserving youth could be enrolled in the state government.

          Replying to another query, the Chief Minister said that the people of Punjab have time and again reposed faith in the people friendly and development oriented policies of the SAD-BJP alliance. He said that owing to unprecedented development of the state and major initiatives for well being of all the sections of society, the alliance would come back to power after the assembly elections slated to be held in 2017. “There is hardly any doubt that people of state will elect the alliance government for third consecutive term after these polls” added Mr. Badal.

          Advising the state Congress Chief Captain Amarinder Singh to shun the politics of confrontation, the Chief Minister said that people of state have rejected the political approach of the Lok Sabha MP from Amritsar twice in 2007 and 2012. He said that the former Chief Minister must learn the lesson from his trounce in yesteryears and resort to politics of consensus both within his party and outside. “Captain was rejected because of ‘vendetta politics’ pursued by him whereas people like us because we do not believe in this type of politics” added Mr. Badal.

On another query, the Chief Minister said that the SAD-BJP alliance government has embarked upon a major scheme to give facelift to the state. He said that under the scheme Rs 25 crore has been earmarked for every assembly segment to carry on development works. Likewise, Mr. Badal further said that in a major step aimed at providing world class civic amenities to residents of the cities across the state, the Punjab government has initiated a major scheme for providing the facility of water supply, sewerage, Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs), Streetlights, Roads and parks in all the  towns of the state. He said that the focus of the state government was to refurbish the cities with the state-of-the art facilities so that the residents could be benefitted from it on one hand and giving impetus to the overall development of the state on the other.

Earlier addressing the gathering in village Pandori Gola Ki, Kadd Gill, Baagrian and Pakhoke, the Chief Minister said that Sangat Darshan was a flagship program of the SAD-BJP alliance, which was very helpful in ensuring on the spot redressal of the grievances of the people. He said that these programs were also helpful to the state government for judging the performance of the officers, officials of the state government. Mr. Badal said that the sole aim of organizing these programs was to give impetus to the development in the state and it didn’t have any political motive.

Highlighting the significance of these programs, the Chief Minister said that Sangat Darshan was held only in Punjab and that too during alliance government’s rule. He said that no other Chief Minister of the country conducts such an extensive exercise of visiting each and every village to resolve the problems of people. Mr. Badal said that last year the Chief Minister of Delhi had unsuccessfully tried to replicate this program but was not able to continue it.

Prominent amongst other present on the occasion included Lok Sabha MP Jathedar Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Chairman District Planning Committee Mr. Ravinder Singh Brahmpura, SGPC Member Jathedar Alwinderpal Singh Pakhoke, Special Principal Secretaries to Chief Minister Mr. KJS Cheema and Mr. Ajoy Kumar Sharma, Inspector General of Police Mr. Lok Nath Angra, Deputy Inspector General of Police Kunwar Vijay Pratap and Deputy Commissioner Mr. BS Dhaliwal. 

CM praises Punab farmers for bumper paddy production

CHANDIGARH, NOV 13
The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, today felicitated the Punjabi farmers for the bumper production of paddy and also appreciated the state procurement agencies for nearly accomplishing the gigantic task of smooth, prompt and hassle-free procurement of paddy with utmost dedication, sincerity and commitment.
          In a congratulatory message, Mr. Badal also lauded the leading and pro-active role of the State Food & Civil Supplies Minister Mr. Adesh Partap Singh Kairon to ensure smooth lifting of paddy and timely payment of their produce to the farmers in an efficacious manner. 
The Chief Minister also placed on record full appreciation to the farmers for this rare feat to make every Punjabi and Punjab proud for their stellar contribution for emerging our Country self reliant in the food production, for which our state was aptly known as the food bowl of India.
 Mr. Badal further said it was a matter of great honour and satisfaction for all of us especially the Punjabi farmers who by their grit and stamina produced record paddy this time, which was evident from the fact that as on today 130 lakh MT of paddy had already been procured in the state as compared to 118 lac MT procured during last year. He hoped that the current procurement trend suggests that it might even surpass the 135 lakh MT.

Old Khalsa College students recall memories at alma-mater

AMRITSAR, NOV 29

Hundreds of Khalsa College’s old students today recalled their `rich memories’ relating the time spent in historic institution during the annual Alumni Meet-2015. The old `Khalsaz’ paid tributes to their alma-mater, vowing to protect its heritage and status as they called for building a new Khalsa University (KU).

 The alumnus, settled across the world, arrived here after a long gap and shared age old memories. They started pouring in from morning and were welcomed at the College by the management and Principal. A resolution was passed that though the independence of Khalsa College which is now an autonomous college might be kept independent a separate Khalsa University should be set up the management.

 The alumnus also witnessed a cultural program during which the students enthralled the audience with the folk songs, traditional orchestra and Jhoomer dance. Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) President Satyajit Singh Majithia said that it was the dream of College’s founders in 1892 to set up a university and with the support of one and all we will set up a separate university in the coming days.

 He accompanied by KCGC honourary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina and Principal Dr.Mehal Singh honoured College’s old students. They appreciated the efforts of Principal Dr.Mehal Singh for organizing the function meticulously. The power point presentation depicting the history of the College and its sister and its sister organizations was appreciated.

 Chhina in his speech said that there were efforts to rope in ex- students from various foreign countries and would organize the next alumni along with the foundation day of the KCGC which established the College in 1892. The retired colonels, doctors, engineers and officials retired and serving attended the Alumni. 

The Alumni in their addresses hailed the KCA as an institution of learning and said they achieved heights in life after attaining the education from here. They also vowed that they would do every bit to help the institution of higher learning to achieve more academic and heritage excellence. Dr.Mehal Singh said the objective of the Meet was to provide an opportunity to alumnus to share their sweet memories relating their times spent at college.

===balbirsingh227@gmail.com

 

Badal launches new range of Markfed products

CHANDIGARH, NOV 13

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today launched the new range of Markfed products viz. Instant Kesar Dalia, Honey Grits and Canned Mushrooms here at his residence this evening.

On the occasion, Mr. Badal highly appreciated the contribution of Markfed in the field of food processing sector and also for pioneering and introducing the innovative products at regular intervals for the consumers as well as for the Indian Diaspora settled abroad.

       Divulging the details about the newly launched products, the Financial Commissioner Cooperation Mr. S.K. Sandhu said that owing to hectic lifestyle these days, a need had arisen to introduce a healthy, nutritious and enriched breakfast cereal as a balanced diet catering to the needs of kids as well as adults. 

In order to provide a product which could fill up and satisfy the needs, Markfed had planned and introduced breakfast cereals like Instant Kesar Dalia and Honey Grits which was not only wholesome meal but was enriched with minerals, protein and vitamins too. Both the products are an instant feast and can be readied for consumption in a minute.

According to MD Markfed Mr. Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, Mushroom cultivators from across the state had been urging the Chief Minister to impart directions to Markfed for canning of the Mushrooms which had great scope in the domestic as well as in the international markets.  Subsequently, the Markfed had thus initiated packing button mushrooms in-brine to cater to the huge market. With the canning of mushrooms through vacuum packing technology, mushrooms will be available to the consumers throughout the year and the availability of the mushrooms would also be unaffected with the fluctuations in price. The canned mushrooms are one of the richest sources of natural vitamin ‘D’.

==balbirsingh227@gmail.com

KCET students win Best Project Award

 AMRITSAR, NOV 12

 The students of Khalsa College of Engineering and Technology (KCET) brought laurels to the institution by winning Best Project Award-2015 from Indian Society of Technical Education (ISTE). Principal Dr. Amarpal Singh said that their students Amandeep Atri, Shehnaz, Sukhwinder Kaur and Rasleen Singh bagged first position for project tilted “ Matlab Based GUI for Digital Image Watermarking”.

 He said the project was prepared under the supervision of Sanjeev Kumar, HOD, department of Electronics and Communication Engineering. He said the College won second position in their project in ‘Designing and Analysis of Pulse Jet Engine’ under Mechanical, Production and Industrial Engg. category.  This project was prepared by Divyanshu Aggarwal, Kawalpreet Singh, Sarang Bawa, Akshay Choudhary, Narinder Singh, Sandeep Singh and Hartej Saroop Singh under the able guidance of Er. Harpuneet Singh, Er. Amit Mahajan and Er. Sandeep Devgan of the Mechanical Engineering faculty.

 These students received their awards at ISTE Students’ Section Convention- Punjab Chapter held at Rayat Institute of Engineering and Information Technology, Railmajra, Near Ropar, recently. Dr. Amarpal Singh congratulated students and faculty for this glorious achievement and appreciated their innovative and creative ideas in modern technology.

===balbirsingh227@gmail.com

 

Inter Khalsa College Institutions Diwali Tournament

 AMRITSAR, NOV 12 

A seven-day-long Inter-Khalsa College Institutions Diwali Tournament was held at Khalsa College in which all colleges under Khalsa College Charitable Society (KCCS) competed for the trophy. More than 500 students from these institutions took part in the varied events including the cricket, athletics, basketball volleyball, badminton and tug of war and the girl students participated enthusiastically in the sports events. 

During the prize distribution function, KCGC honourary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina said that as the institutions had been growing, there was view emerging for the in-house sports tournament and they planned the event. He appreciated the contribution of Khalsa College Amritsar Principal Dr.Mehal Singh who made elaborate arrangements to hold the sports competitions.

 He said Khalsa institutions had been in the forefront to provide best talent to the national pool in various sports and such events help them to polish their skills of the sportsmanship. The stage was managed by Dr.Parminder Singh and Prof.Malkinder Singh. KCW Principal Dr.Sukhbir Kaur Mahal, Dr.Amarpal Singh, Dr.GS Kang, Dr.HB Singh, Dr. Jaspal Singh, Principal DK Sandhu, Gurinderjit Kaur, Prof Navreen Bawa, staff and students were present in large number.

==balbirsingh227@gmail.com

National Unity Day celebrated in Khalsa Educational Institutions

 Amritsar,  Nov 3

 The national unity day was observed at Khalsa College, Khalsa College of Education, Khalsa College for Women, Khalsa Colleeg Chawinda Devi and other educational institutions. After taking the blessings of almighty by the recitation of the college shabad by the students, volunteers of the NSS unit of the colleges and the schools, staff members and students the took pledge for maintain unity and integrity of the nation.

 Principal Dr.Mehal Singh, Dr.JSDhillon, Dr.Sukhbir Kaur Mahal, Dr.HB Singh and others sensitized the students for competing with the challenges of  national unity in this age of globalization. Thereafter, a cultural programme was presented by the college students. .

 --------------------

Intra-School Competition for IT held at KCPS

AMRITSAR, OCT 27

 With a view to developing the interest of students in Information Technology, an Intra-school competition  `IT FEST’ was held at Khalsa College Public school (KCPS).

The students from class VI to VIII took part in the fest enthusiastically and three teams were formed, each comprising of three participants per class. Vishal Arora, an IT Faculty and Samriti were the coordinators and Ankur Gulati, from NIIT Delhi, was the quiz master of the event. A wide range of questions related to IT Application, Programming, Multimedia, Computer Basics were posed and the winning team was awarded with merit certificates and other two teams were awarded with certificates of participation.

Principal Dr.Sarvjit Kaur Brar congratulated the students and encouraged them to keep them updated with the latest IT trends.    

===balbirsingh227@gmail.com

Aryans organize seminar on "Civil Engineering-Passion or Profession"

MOHALI, OCT 25

To update students with latest technology and Modern Arts of civil Engineering, Aryans College of Engineering, Chandigarh today organized a seminar on “Civil Engineering – Passion or Profession” at its campus. The renowned Civil Engineer Dr. Ajay Goel, Dean, Baddi University was the key note speaker on the occasion. Dr. Anshu Kataria, Chairman, Aryans Group of Colleges presided over the seminar.

Dr. Goel while interacting with the students said that Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that is dedicated for improving the quality of life through sustainable design and construction. Community, societal, and environmental needs are met through the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of public works and private facilities.

He further said that Civil engineering is considered as star engineering. The dream of building a modern India can be actualized with a team of Civil Engineers who really know their job and utilize their skill to bring modernity to a country on the whole. “These dreams of a country can be fulfilled by the academics only who prepare skilled civil Engineers” he added.

While interacting with the students he shared his experience of higher education in Japan and worked on various research works, motivated youth to impart the best of technological skills to vibrant students who aim to achieve something for the country.

While discussing about the career prospects of the course he said that Civil engineering majors will have career opportunities in industry, government and the private sector. Practice areas include design, construction, project management, consulting, research, and teaching. Dr. Goel appreciated the initiative taken by the college to promote technical and innovative ideas students through their projects and models.

It is to be mentioned that Dr. Goel has the experience of more than 25 years in the field of teaching, education and industry. He is Ph.D in Environment Engineering from Tottori University, (Japan) and Master of Civil Engineering in Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engg from Punjab University. He is working as the Dean at Baddi University. He has also worked in MMU and LPU. He has the distinction of being on the elite panel of International Consultants Team of PES Kenchiku Kankyo Sekkei Ltd, Nagoya (Japan).

Prof. A.P Jain, Director; Prof. B.S Sidhu, Registrar; Mr. Himanshu, HOD, Civil Dept; Ms. Manpreet Mann and Ms. Ashima Dhiman, Coordinator etc were also present.

Seminar on New Education at KCE Stress on Changing Dynamics

AMRITSAR, OCT 25 

The national level seminar on `New Education Policy-2016’ was today organized at Khalsa College of Education in which the experts from National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) stressed on dynamic changes in the new policy. The seminar was part of the ongoing consultations by the NCTE to seek changes in the education policy, framed in 1986 and later& modified in 1992.

 ``Since then several changes have taken place that calls for review of the policy. The central government is bringing out a National Education Policy to meet the changing dynamics of the 
requirements of the population with regard to quality education, innovations & research aiming 
to make India a knowledge dominion by equipping its human resources with the necessary skills’’. This was stated by NCTE Chairman Dr. Santosh Panda who was the chief guest and key note speaker in the seminar.

 The experts said education need a revamp to ensure the development and optimum utilization of the skill of the teachers in imparting instructions to the students. He said NCTE has been embarking on a time bound consultative process to get the feedback from various stakeholders in the field of Teacher Education which would be further passed on to HRD Ministry, so that it becomes a part of the New Education Policy-2016. 

Khalsa College Governing Council honourary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh said that education need a revamp and with the changing times and make it professional oriented. He hoped that the government will formulate new education policy to raise the standard of education. Earlier he and College Principal Dr.JSDhillon, formally welcomed the guest of the day. Prof. N.K.Jangira, Former Professor& Head, 
NCERT chaired second session and focused on the new structures emerging in New Education Policy. 

Prof.SK Yadav, Academic Consultant, NCTE, Prof.NK Ambasht, Former Chairperson, NIOS, Prof.Saroj Sharma, former Dean, Education, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Dwarka, Prof.Rakesh Tomar, Under Secretary, NCTE and other experts also spoke in the seminar. In the technical session five groups were formed to discuss the important dimensions of New Education Policy- Teacher Education.  

Educational administrators, academicians, experts and practical practitioners in the field of Teacher Education from all the Northern Indian states viz. Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh (Union Territory), Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi, Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan participated in the 
deliberations/discussions. Dr. Dhillon thanked NCTE for choosing their College for the important discussions.

GoI interverntion needed to resolve issue between sugar growers and mill owners; Badal

ISSRU (LUDHIAA), AUG 15
Slamming the former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh for misleading the people, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today said that Captain has been rejected by the people time and again as his party has lost two elections under his leadership.
Interacting with the media persons after paying tribute to Shaheed Karnail Singh Issru here today, the Chief Minister said that political class must observe decency but unfortunately Amarinder was completely lacking it. He said that the misleading and baseless statements of Captain hardly have any impact on the people. Mr. Badal said that Congress has lost two successive elections just because of wrong style of politics pursued by Captain Amarinder Singh.
Taking strong exception on the misleading statement of Captain Amarinder Singh regarding possibility of some Akali MLAs shifting to Congress, the Chief Minister said that this statement was nothing more than a figment of imagination of the former Chief Minister. He quipped that Captain had been making such claims since long but no one from SAD had ever joined the Congress. "Captain is habitual of making such false claims so there is hardly any need to pay heed towards it" added Mr. Badal.
Seeking the intervention of Government of India for resolving the issue between sugar growers and Mill owners, the Chief Minister said that state governments have limited resources at their disposal due to which Centre's support was necessary in such issues. Mr. Badal said that he had asked his Principal Secretary to solve this issue and consequently he had held meetings with the farmers and Mill owners. "I am hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon by finding an amicable solution", he added.
Asked to comment on the protest by Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mrs. Navjot Kaur Sidhu, the Chief Minister said that it was unfortunate that she had chosen the sacred day of Independence for this motive. He said that Dr. Sidhu was like her daughter and he had already liberally allocated funds for the development of her constituency. But, Mr. Badal said that the step taken the Chief Secretary Parliamentary on this august occasion, when the entire country was paying tribute to its freedom fighters, was totally undesirable and unwarranted.
On the statement of Dr Sidhu regarding ties of SAD-BJP alliance, the Chief Minister said that the alliance was everlasting and firm. He said that it was the leadership of BJP to decide about the statements of Dr Sidhu. "Our alliance with BJP is very strong as it has been cemented with mutual trust and confidence" added Mr. Badal.
Clearly refuting the possibility of any central investigation in Dina Nagar terror attack, the Chief Minister categorically said that there was no need for it as the Punjab Police was fully capable of doing this work. He said that by successfully thwarting the attack Punjab Police had already proved its mettle. Mr. Badal said that even the valour and dedication of our Police force was duly recognized by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh who patted Punjab Police for its bravery.
Earlier addressing an impressive gathering during the state level function to mark the observance of martyrdom day of great revolutionary Shaheed Karnail Singh Issru, who laid down his life during the liberation of Goa from Portuguese regime here today at his native village, the Chief Minister said that the Punjabis inherited the spirit of sacrifice from the great Sikh Gurus who made supreme sacrifices against the tyranny, oppression and injustice. Mr. Badal said that this legacy of sacrifice perpetuated from one generation to other and was one of the major factors reflective of Punjab’s enormous contribution in the national freedom struggle.
The Chief Minister said that it was on record that Punjabis despite having two percent of country’s total population had made huge sacrifices in terms of life imprisonment, capital punishment and even exile in captivity (Kalepaani). He said that several watershed movements associated with the Indian freedom struggle were spearheaded from Punjab by the valiant patriots and freedom fighters. Mr. Badal said that the enormous contribution of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Udham Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Lala Rajpat Rai and several others would continue to inspire our younger generations to imbibe the spirit of patriotism amongst them.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister announced to provide 24-hour uninterrupted domestic power supply to even single household in Deras/Dhanis of the state. He said that earlier atleast three or more households falling in Deras and Dhanis of the villages were covered under this scheme but now for the convenience of people every single household in deras/ dhanis would be supplied power supply on urban pattern by the state government.
The Chief Minister also listed the revolutionary steps taken by state government in field of Education, Healthcare and preservation of cultural heritage. He also announced that Rs 1700 crore would be spent for strengthening road infra structure in rural areas. Likewise, Mr. Badal said that major steps have been taken by the state government to provide basic civic amenities in urban and rural areas of the state.
Earlier, the Chief Minister paid tribute to Shaheed Karnail Singh Issru and felicitated his family members.
Prominent amongst other present on the occasion included Cabinet Minister Jathedar Tota Singh, Lok Sabha MP Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, former Union Minister Mr. Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, former MLA Mr. Ranjit Singh Talwandi, Chairman Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board Jathedar Santa Singh Umedpuri and President BKU Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal.  

Governer greets people on "At Home" at Punjab Raj Bhawan

Governor of Haryana, Punjab and Administrator, Union Territory,
Chandigarh,  Prof. Kaptan Singh Solanki, exchanging greetings
with general public at 'At Home’ at Punjab Raj Bhawan.

CHANDIGARH, AUGUST 15

The Governor of Haryana, Punjab and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, Prof. Kaptan Singh Solanki, was ‘At Home’ with distinguished citizens of Punjab and Chandigarh on the lush green lawns of Punjab Raj Bhawan.

The invitees from different walks of life started converging on Punjab Raj Bhavan before the start of the ceremony to greet the Governor. The pathway of Punjab Raj Bhavan was tastefully decorated to receive the distinguished guests. The ‘At Home’ function began as the Punjab police band played the National Anthem.

Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal was the first to greet the Governor. Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal Khattar, Hon’ble Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mr. Justice Shiavax Jal Vazifdar, Mr. Justice S.S. Saron, Mr. Justice Hemant Gupta, Punjab Finance Minister Mr. Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Mr. Anil Vij, Health Minister, Haryana, Punjab Chief Secretary, Mr. Sarvesh Kaushal,  Lt. Gen. K.J. Singh, Goc-in-C, Western Command, Mr. Sumedh Singh Saini, DGP, Punjab, Mr. Y.P. Single, DGP, Haryana, Mrs. Marie Josee Charbonneau, Consulate General of Canada, Mr. Vijay Kumar Dev, Adviser to Administrator, Mr. M.P. Singh, Principal Secretary to Governor, Mrs. Poonam Sharma, Mayor, Mr. Rajiv Sharma, Election Commissioner, Haryana also greeted the Governor.

Senior defence, civil and police officers of Punjab, Chandigarh Administration and Haryana were also present at the function. Office bearers of all the political parties greeted the Governor on the occasion.

The Punjab Governor, Prof. Solanki intermingled with the august gathering. He interacted with the freedom fighters, serving and retired army officers on this special day. The Governor said that the nation was proud of the sacrifices made by freedom fighters in the freedom struggle.

Progressive farmers from different parts of both the States came in strength to greet the Governor on this happy occasion.

KCET girl tops in Mechanical Engineering

AMRITSAR, JULY 18

Sumandeep Kaur of Mechanical Engineering (3rd Semester) of Khalsa College of Engineering and Technology, Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar set another record by winning Top-position in the University in Nov, 2014 Examination.  Tanureet Randhawa stood 2nd in PTU in Mechanical Engineering in 7 seventh Semester while Gurpreet Kaur bagged 3rd position in Mechanical Engineering in seventh Semester.  

Sonia of Electronics and Communication Engineering 7th Semester was placed 6th in the Merit List of the University while Sarang Bawa and Divyanshu Aggrawal bagged 6th & 7th position respectively in Mechanical Engineering 5th Semester. Amit Sharma won overall 3rd position in common Chemistry Group in ist Semester by securing 89.67% marks.

 The Principal of the College Dr. Amarpal Singh congratulated the students who brought laurels of victory and glory to the college and to their families. Honorary Secretary of the Khalsa College Charitable Society, S. Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina lauded the efforts of the faculty of the college for the trail-blazing performance of the students of Khalsa College of Engineering & Technology, Amritsar in the University Examination and expressed the hope that these students will definitely leave a mark in their professional field after completion of their graduation in Engineering. Dr. Mohinder Sangita, Dean Academics of the College also felicitated the students who had won accolades in Academics.

Follow legacy of Guru Arjam Dev Ji: Badal

CHANDIGARH, MAY 21

   Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today called upon the people to follow the noble teachings of Sri Guru Arjan Dev ji, the fifth master of the Sikhs, who sacrificed his life to uphold the rich legacy of humanism, secularism and universal brotherhood.

   In a message on the martyrdom day of Sri Guru Arjan Dev ji, Mr. Badal said that Guru ji laid down his life for the sake of humanity as a savior of dhrama (righteousness) besides reinforcing the faith of masses to demonstrate courage against the tyrannical forces unleashed by the then Mughal empire. Guru ji’s supreme and unparalleled selfless sacrifice would ever remain a source of inspiration for one and all. The real homage to the great Guru would be to follow his high ideals in the right earnest and strive hard to safeguard the interests of oppressed and disadvantaged sections of the society.

"We must remember the underlying spirit and message associated with Sri Guru Arjan Dev ji’s unprecedented sacrifice”, said Mr. Badal.

===balbirsingh227@gmail.com

…

US Ambassador Richard R Verma gets glimpses of Punjab’s rich cultural

AMRITSAR, MAY 20
United States of America’s Ambassador in Delhi Richard R Verma today got glimpses of Punjab’s rich history and culture at historic Khalsa College, here. He arrived at the college with top Embassy officials and witnessed the Sikh History Research Library and Museum, housing rare manuscripts, documents, books and photographs, dating back to 17th and 18th century.
The Ambassador, who was elated on seeing the treasure-house of the history, admired college’s heritage building, established in 1892. He was given a rousing reception by Khalsa College management and staff amid welcome dance presentation by college’s boys’ and girls’ troupe, separately. The students wearing traditional dresses sang songs in his honour while he broke the protocol and shook a leg and interacted with faculty members and students.
Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) honourary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina and Principal Dr.Mehal Singh formally welcomed the dignitaries. He showed keen interest in the educational pursuits of this one of the oldest educational institutions in North India and talked about ample opportunities of collaboration between US and Indian educational institutions.
The college management gave him a proposal for forging closer ties with various US Universities and colleges in the area of research in agriculture, bio-technology and aciences. ``We have number of professional colleges including veterinary sciences, engineering and pharmacy for which we intend the collaborations with US educational institutions’’, said Chhina.
Dr.Mehal Singh said the college wanted faculty and students exchange program, which was appreciated by the Ambassador. He praised the history and culture of Punjab and said more intense ties between the two societies would go in long way to foster long-lasting relations between two democracies. He said he loved to see Bhangra (traditional Punjab folk dance) being performed at open air theatre.
He said that the educational institutions’ tie up could play a vital role in establishing dialogues between various communities and nations. Richard said he was impressed by the grandeur architectural style and history. He wrote in the Visitor’s Book of the College, ``Thanks for the great visit to this historic and important place of learning, education and wisdom. May you continue to educate the future leaders of India, Asia and beyond’’.
``The building is so beautiful I feel I would have studied here’’, he stated adding it was pleasure to come to this historic institution. He was accompanied by Delhi based American Embassy’s senior staff including Jessica Edwardsen, Jonathan Kessler, Joe Kruzich and while College’s Dean (Academics) Dr.Navreen Bawa, Registrar Dr.Devinder Singh, Under Secretary DS Rataul were present.
===balbirsingh227@gmail.com

PR officers condemn Police attack on APRO

CHANDIGARH, MAY 11

    The 2011 batch officers of the Punjab Information and Public Relations Department today strongly condemned the brutal attack on an on-duty Assistant Public Relations Officer (APRO) and his staff by the Police during the yatra at Bathinda.

In a joint statement the officers including Navdeep Singh, Sherjung Singh Hundal, Gurmeet Singh, Amrik Singh, Manvinder Singh, Narinder pal Singh, Amandeep Singh, Prabhdeep Singh, Haakam Thapar, Preet Kanwal Singh, Kamal Pal,  Ravi Inder Singh, Jagdeep Singh Gill, Iqbal Singh, Subegh Singh, Inderjeet Singh, Avtar Singh, Bhupinder Singh, Harjinder Singh, Hardev Singh, Rajkumar and others said that the APRO was officially deputed by the department to ensure the coverage of yatra in Bathinda but the manner in which the Police officers dragged him out of his official vehicle and manhandled him clearly reflected the insensitivity of the Police towards the other departments on duty.

They said that manhandling of the PR officer was totally unwarranted and unjustified and the perpetrators of this heinous crime must be given exemplary punishment. The PR officers said that the matter was extremely sensitive as being part and parcel of the government service the PR officers have to go in field almost on daily basis and tomorrow any other PR officer could become the victim of high handedness of Police.

          Demanding an immediate strict action against the guilty Police officers, the PR officers sought personal intervention of Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Information and Public Relations Minister  Bikram Singh Majithia for giving justice to them.

Meanwhile, welcoming the decision of the state government to place the services of the accused officers under suspension, the PR officers urged the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Mr. Majithia to immediately terminate the services of guilty Police officers for disrupting a government officer to perform his duty and manhandle him in full public view.

The officers said that a criminal case should also be registered against the Police Officers for tarnishing the image of state government at a time when PR officers were covering the Dharamik yatra with full dedication and integrity.

===balbirsingh227@gmail.com

Badal exhorts industrialists to play procative role in promotion of technical education

CHANDIGARH, MAY 7

   Exhorting the industrialists to play a proactive role in promoting technical education by setting up ‘Integrated Skill Centers’ in the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today said that these were mandatory for safeguarding the interests of youth, state and even the entrepreneurs.

          Addressing the members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) here late last evening, the Chief Minister categorically said that imparting skill training to the youth was the need of hour to make them gainfully self employed on one hand and to create a pool of skilled manpower to cope up with the needs of the local industry on the other.

He said that Skill Development was an issue of great importance for the country and its economy and for the future of our youth adding that it was the need of hour to impart skill training to each and every youth of the country. “You all can play a pivotal role in this noble cause which will further help in giving a major fillip to overall development of the country” added Mr. Badal.

The Chief Minister further said that every industrialist must dedicate 50% of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for setting up the Skill centres in their respective state. He said that this was all the more important because Skill Development of our youth could immensely help in solving the problems of unemployment and poverty.

Mr. Badal said that it was paradoxical that on the one hand industry has been grappling with non availability of skilled manpower and on the other hand a vast majority of youth was without jobs so there was dire need to remove this gap by imparting skill training to the youth for which industrial tycoons could play a pivotal role.

Lauding the FICCI for playing an instrumental role in the economic development of the country besides safeguarding the interests of the entrepreneurs, the Chief Minister said that role being played by FICCI on specific projects in the areas of Smart Cities, Medical Technology & Food Processing Sector was really laudable. He expressed hope that FICCI will also undertake activities in other focus sectors of Punjab and continue to work in the area of investment promotion. “I impress upon the captains of Industry present in this meet to lay special thrust on key focus sectors like agriculture & food processing, crop diversification, Dairy & Livestock, Medium and Small Scale Enterprises (MSME) and above all skill development for balanced and holistic development of the state” added Mr. Badal.

On the occasion President of FICCI Dr. Jyotsna Suri welcomed the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by Chairman FICCI regional advisory council Vice Chairman, Punjab State Planning Board Mr. Rajinder Gupta, Chief Secretary Mr. Sarvesh Kaushal, Financial Commissioner Revenue Mr. Karan Avtar Singh, Secretary Power Mr. Anirudh Tiwari, Managing Director Punjab Health System Corporation Mr. Hussan Lal and Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar.

---balbirsingh227@gmail.com

World Bank loan to Punjab for improving rural water and sanitation service

CHANDIGARH, MARCH 26
The World Bank (WB) approved a $248 million (Rs. 1540 crore) loan for the $354 million (Rs. 2200 crore) ‘Punjab Rural Water and Sanitation Sector Improvement Project’ in Washington on Tuesday to help the state significantly improve its delivery of water and sanitation services as well as reduce open defecation to improve the quality of life in rural Punjab.
It may be recalled that of Rs.2200 crore, the World Bank would contribute Rs.1540 crore and the state government Rs.660 crore in the ratio of its share 70:30.
The project would aim for a water connection and a toilet for every rural household by end of the project period, which would be a first for any state in India.
According to the press release issued by the World Bank, the said project will also include a minimum of 10 hours of water supply daily, a toilet for all those household without a toilet, sewerage systems in over 315 villages and supply safe water from surface water to over 121 villages that are currently drinking water contaminated with uranium and other heavy metals which are causing serious illnesses like cancer. The project will help the government’s water department to reorganize and focus on service delivery.
Today, only 31 percent of the 167 million rural households in India have access to tap water and domestic toilets (Census 2011). About 67 percent of the rural population continues to defecate in the open and India accounts for about 50 percent of the world’s open defecation. The project is expected to directly benefit an estimated 8.47 million rural people in Punjab, including over 4 million female beneficiaries and 2.44 million beneficiaries belonging to the scheduled castes. It will also support the water quality affected districts in the state.
While Punjab has high coverage for water (95 percent) and sanitation (71.0 percent), the rural water and sanitation sector in the state still continues to face major challenges. A large number of water supply schemes are serving only a limited population with house connections. The rapidly deteriorating water quality in the state is also leading to serious health problems. Roughly 29 percent of water supply schemes face water quality issues.
The project which will be implemented over a six-year period will support the government in addressing these challenges. It will help reorganize the department of water supply and sanitation to focus on service delivery rather than on asset creation through minor upgrades for improving efficiency, free house connections; progressively scale up service levels to achieve 100 percent meter connections for all rural households with at least 10 hours of daily supply with volumetric based charging; and encourage toilet construction. Special focus will be on schemes that are underperforming in order to build their capacity and ownership. These "low cost and high impact" activities are expected to benefit women and children who are otherwise responsible for daily water collection and storage.
"Over four million women in Punjab, who today bear the burden of securing daily water supplies and deal with poor sanitation facilities, will benefit from this project. They will have access to more reliable and better quality water supply and sanitation facilities in their own households," said Onno Ruhl, World Bank Country Director for India. "The project will reduce the time spent by women in collecting water, which they can now use in other productive ways."
Today, the quality of water in Punjab is among the worst when compared to other Indian states. Of the 9,096 schemes tested, 1,717 failed due to the presence of uranium and other heavy metals, and 891 do not meet basic parameters. The project will strengthen water quality monitoring methods and develop mitigation measures. It will finance cost-effective retrofitting of water schemes with engineering solutions to treat arsenic, fluoride, and iron in some 121 villages and construct surface water supply schemes to supply safe drinking water in districts such as Moga and Barnala where most of the villages are affected by uranium and other heavy metals. These district-wide schemes will treat water from good surface sources like large canals and deliver the treated water to the village boundary for internal distribution by the gram panchayat water supply and sanitation committee.
Over 625,000 households in the state still lack toilets. The sanitation component will provide a subsidy to every toilet-less household to construct a toilet coupled with information, education, and communication (IEC) to trigger the behavioral change necessary to achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status at the village level.
"The World Bank has been supporting the government of India in piloting and scaling up RWSS Programs since 1991, contributing more than $1.4 billion and benefitting about 24 million rural households in over 15,000 villages. The earlier World Bank-supported Punjab Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project has demonstrated that higher levels of service were possible in rural India, including over 10 hours of supply in 109 villages in Punjab, 24x7 supply in 90 villages and a large number of schemes with 100% connections are being managed by local community groups recovering full costs. Despite these achievements, Punjab continues to face major challenges in the water and sanitation sector. This project aims to strengthen the decentralization processes initiated under the previous project and provide better services," said Srinivasa Rao Podipireddy, Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist and the project’s task team leader.
The loan, from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 5-year grace period, and a maturity of 18 years.
==balbirsingh227@gmail.com 

PM's assurance to Badal in solving Punjab issues

HUSSAINIWALA (FEROZEPUR), MARCH 23
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today assured Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal that the Government of India (GoI) would take every possible step for solving the issues concerning the state besides giving further fillip to the ongoing development of the state.
Addressing the massive gathering during a national level function to observe the Martyrdom day of Shaheed-e-Aazam Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru here today, the Prime Minister, while recalling his strong ‘blood relation’ with Punjab, said that every effort would be made to ensure the overall development of the state and prosperity of its people. Mr. Modi said that he would sit with the Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal and chalk out the strategy to sort out the issues raised by him.
The Prime Minister said that he was highly indebted to Punjab for giving him wide political and social experience during his stay in the state for over two decades. Describing Mr. Badal as the senior most politician of the country, who was highly revered and loved by the people of Punjab, the Prime Minister said that he was honored to have been politically groomed by Mr. Badal, who was one of the most visionary politicians of the country, during his stay in the state.
Announcing a slew of incentives for the state, the Prime Minister announced that GoI has decided to enhance the allocation of state under the next five year plan to Rs 54000 crore instead of existing Rs 20000 crore. Likewise, he said that the allocation for development of the urban local bodies and Panchayat bodies has been enhanced to Rs 6000 crore annually from existing Rs 4000 crore. As a tribute to legendary martyr Shaheed-e-Aazam Bhagat Singh, Mr. Modi also announced to name the upcoming Horticulture research at Amritsar on the name of Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
Expressing concern over the depleting water table in the state, the Prime Minister, while coining the slogan of ‘per drop, more crop, exhorted the farmers to adopt scientific ways and means like use of Sprinkle irrigation for enhancing their yield. Likewise, he called upon the farmers to make minimum use of fertilizers for maintain the soil health of their farms. Mr. Modi also asked the farmers to make optimum utilization of soil health card scheme initiated by the Union Government for welfare of the farmers. The Prime Minister also assured the farmers that the Union government was sympathetically looking into the possibility of compensating the farmers affected by the recent hailstorm.
Earlier in his address, the Chief Minister batted for the opening of trade through Hussainiwala and Sadki borders in the state for promoting economic activity in the region. He said that the border towns of the state were the most prosperous towns of Punjab but the partition of the country had inflicted a serious blow to these towns. Citing the example of Ferozepur town, Mr. Badal said that once this city witnessed tremendous activity but now it almost gave a deserted look. "With the opening of these borders the economy of state will get a major boost thereby resulting in the prosperity of its people" he added.
Dwelling on another issue, the Chief Minister urged Mr. Modi to take up the issue of bringing the list of items traded through the Attari border at par with those exported through the Mumbai-Karachi sea route. He also impressed upon the Prime Minister evolve a special scheme for developing the border areas/ cities of the state so that the brave people of border areas could get their due. Mr. Badal also urged the Prime Minister to restart the special scheme for providing special relief to the farmers having land across the border.

The Chief Minister also said that ever since coming to power in 2007 their government has been following a pro-farmer policy of land acquisition, which should be replicated at the national level. He said that the state government had acquired every inch of land for the development projects with the express consent of the farmers. Mr. Badal also advocated that the GoI should give free hand to the states regarding the acquisition of land both for the state and union projects.
Batting for remunerative Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the farmers, the Chief Minister said that it was the need of the hour to combat the current agrarian crisis. He said that in order to promote the crop diversification in the state, the Union government should also provide MSP to the alternative crops. Mr. Badal also sought upward revision in the compensation for natural disaster to the farmers as the existing sum was meager and inadequate. "The hard working and resilient farmers of the state must be given their due in recognition to their immense contribution for making the country self reliant in food production" he added.
Earlier paying floral tributes to Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, the Chief Minister said that these great sons of the soil had laid down their life for emancipating the country from the shackles of foreign imperialism. However, he said that dreams of these martyrs still remain unfulfilled as the country was confronting a number of social maladies. Mr. Badal said that it was a matter of great pride and satisfaction for him that the newly constituted NDA government at centre was giving due recognition to the immense contribution of these martyrs.
Listing the spectacular achievements of the NDA government in a short span of time, the Chief Minister said that the GoI under the visionary and dynamic leadership of Mr. Modi have taken path breaking initiatives for ensuring the progress and growth of the country. Mr. Badal lauded the Prime Minister for ushering in an era of cooperative federalism in the country aimed at giving more powers to the state. He said that due to the far sighted approach of Mr. Modi the states were getting more share in the devolution of central taxes.
The Chief Minister said that with the formation of NITI Aayog at the centre a new ray of hope has emerged for the all-round development of the states. "The time has come when the Chief Ministers of the states will have more say in the formulation of policies aimed at welfare of the people" added Mr. Badal.
The Chief Minister also lauded the Prime Minister for choosing Sri Amritsar Sahib as heritage city under the HRIDAY scheme. He said that under the scheme the city would get several hundred crores of Rupees for its development. Mr. Badal also thanked the Prime Minister for including Jallianwala Bagh among Cultural World Heritage Site to receive special assistance for improving the infrastructure. He also lauded the NDA government for allocating prestigious projects like All India Institute of Medical Science, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and Post Graduate Horticulture Research and Educational Institute. "This is the first time ever since independence that a Central government has demonstrated a special concern for the patriotic people of Punjab" he added.
While welcoming the Prime Minister, state BJP President Mr. Kamal Sharma lauded him ensuring the overall development of the country. He said that Mr. Modi has made the entire country feel proud by taking unprecedented steps aimed the development of the country and prosperity of its people.
Earlier the Prime Minister and Mr. Badal paid homage at the samadhis of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, BK Dutt and Rajmata Vidyawati. Mr. Modi also felicitated the members of families of these martyrs.
Prominent amongst other present on the occasion included Union Food Processing Minister Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister of state for Social Justice and Empowerment Mr. Vijay Sampla, Cabinet Ministers Jathedar Tota Singh, Mr. Chunni Lal Bhagat and Mr. Janmeja Singh Sekhon and Lok Sabha MP Mr. Sher Singh Ghubaya.  

Budget to give new thrust to development: Sukhbir Badal



CHANDIGARH, MARCH 18
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today congratulated Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa for the fiscal turn around achieved by the State along with the new thrust given to development and social welfare.
In a statement the Deputy Chief Minister also lauded the FM for adopting fiscal measures that has resulted in an 10.16 percent growth in gross state domestic product (GSDP) at for fiscal year 2014-15.
The Deputy CM said the State had also achieved fiscal consolidation as fiscal deficit had came down from 3.45 percent of GSDP in 2006-07 to 2.77 percent of GSDP in 2013-14 and was estimated at 2.97% of GSDP in 2014-15. He said it was the Parkash Singh Badal led SAD-BJP government that he adopted innovative measures to achieve 16 percent growth in own revenue collection besides adopting diligent efforts to keep the debt within manageable limits. He said the outstanding debt to GSDP ratio was pegged at 32.27 percent for the year 2014- 15, well ahead of the target of 38.7 percent set by the Finance Commission.
Highlighting the emphasis laid by Punjab government on development, Mr. Badal said that for 2013-14, the percentage of developmental expenditure to the total expenditure of the State was 52.24 percent which substantially improved to 55.39 percent in 2014-15. He said Punjab would witness further increase in pace of growth in coming year as this budget has set aside Rs. 600 crore for "Mukh Mantri Pendu Vikas Yojna" besides initiating "Punjab Urban Development Mission" to ensure 100 percent water supply, sewerage, road and street lights in urban areas.
Deputy CM said that this budget also purposed for an Entrepreneurship Development Programme to alleviate the financing difficulties being faced by the micro and small entrepreneurs. He further added that Rs. 500 crore has been allocated in the budget to setup 2174 Sewa Kendras in the state to provide citizen centric services to its citizen at their door steps.
Highlighting the importance given to sports in the budget, Mr. Badal said that following the ‘Catch them Young’ rule Government has established Punjab Institute of Sports (PIS). He said that around 6000 budding players will be identified from all over the state and will be trained in these Centres of Excellence created in different parts of the State. He said that budget also has provision of dedicated fund of Rs. 50 Crore annually for PIS besides setting up of stadiums at block levels.
Describing Industry as backbone of any economy, Mr. Badal said that Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion (PBIP) has received 153 proposals with proposed investment of about Rs 9600 crore. He said that allocation of Rs 100 crore for ‘Entrepreneurship Development Programme’ would encourage small scale industry in the state.
Talking about skill development, Mr. Badal said that the state has purposed to invest Rs. 200 Crore on "Empowered State Skill Development Mission". He said that under this programme 2000 skill training centres for girls and 500 centres for boys would be setup in the villages in the existing infrastructure of Government schools and other buildings at village level.
Declaring budget a gift for agricultural sector, Mr. Badal said that Rs 3512 crores has been allocated to strengthen the agriculture and allied sectors in the State besides keeping Rs. 1005 crore for developing irrigation facilities.
Enlisting the features of budget concerning social welfare, Mr. Badal said that keeping Welfare of SCs, BCs and minorities on the top priority Rs 1173 crore have been allocated for welfare of SC, BC’s and minorities. He further added that the increasing the plan outlay under this head from Rs 819 crore in the annual plan 2014-15 to Rs 984 crore in 2015-16 reflected the SAD-BJP government’s commitment of development for all.
Mr. Badal said that the way this budget gave importance to women empowerment by setting aside Rs 11 crore for `Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Campaign’ besides focusing on basic sectors like education and health was appreciable.

===balbirsingh227@gmail.com

3000 participate in 25th Aryans Job Fest

MOHALI, FEB 28
Over 45 companies participated in 25th Aryans Job Fest held today at Aryans Campus. More than 3000 students from all over the India participated in this Job fest. This is for the first time that top companies of the country including Airtel, Axis Bank, Wipro, Hero Cycle, Wyan Ind. has chosen Aryans Campus for joint placement drive. Chairman, Aryans Group of Colleges, Dr. Anshu Kataria inaugurated the job fest by extending his good wishes to the candidates. He said that this year the number of vacancies and packages have improved from previous years. He further urged the candidates to compete and make proper use of their skills to grab these opportunities.
Dr. Kataria further mentioned that apart from providing good education to the students it’s the responsibility of every College to facilitate its students with good job opportunities. The institutions should inculcate in them with business ideas, entrepreneurship and develop skills which will help them finding a suitable job. Aryans has achieved a great milestone in this direction.
Ms. Tejinder Kaur, TPO, Aryans Group said that around 238 candidates were shortlisted by various companies. Depending upon their skills and talents companies have offered good packages starting from 1.5 lacs up to 3.5 lakhs.
Ms Kaur further said that its for the first time that apart from Aryans, students of various Universities and Colleges not only of Chandigarh but other states like Punjab, Haryana, HP, JK, UP, Rajasthan etc. also came to participate in this Job Fest.
Registrar, Aryans Group of Colleges, Prof. B.S Sidhu while Expressing his great joy at the remarkable success of the event said that with the unceasing efforts of the Management, staff and students the group has successfully completed its 25th Job fest with remarkable presence of companies.

40 companies to visit Aryans Campus on Feb 26

CHANDIGARH, FEB 24More than 40 big and small companies are expected to participate in the Fest. For free online registration visit Aryans Website i.e. www.aryans.edu.in.
Dr Anshu Kataria, Chairman, Aryans Group while giving this information said that thousands of candidates from North India are expected to participate in the Fest. In this fest, job opportunities would be available for B.Tech, MBA, BBA, BCA, BA, B.Com, M.Tech, Diploma, ITI etc. He further said that candidates need to carry 10 copies of their resumes and passport size photographs with them.
Dr. Kataria said that in India, the number of unemployed educated youth is the highest. Thus such job fests provide the youth with great job opportunities. He also said that in Punjab itself, huge job opportunities are available but there is always a gap between job seeker and job provider. Thus Aryans always tries to bridge this gap.
Ms Tejinder Kaur, TPO, Aryans Group of Colleges said that the one day fest will witness participation from leading companies that are looking to engage with prospective employees. The fair will give an opportunity to final year students and fresh graduates from all streams to access career options available in various leading organizations under one roof. The students will also get an opportunity to evaluate if their existing skill sets match up to the industry requirements.
It is to be mentioned that Aryans has achieved several milestones in the field of placements last year. He added that last year about 300 companies had visited the job fest and this year more than 500 companies are expected to visit the campus during job fest. The group has seen 100 per cent placement of its students and now the group is trying to get students of other colleges placed with well-known companies.
===balbirsingh227@gmail.com

Dr. HB Singh appointed KCG College principal

AMRITSAR, FEB 16

 Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) today appointed (Dr.) HB Singh, retired Professor from department of Botany as new Principal of Khalsa College Chawinda Devi (KCCD). Having an experience of over 32 years in teaching, Dr.HB Singh has been Principal of ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga and head of the department of Botany, apart from holding various posts including Coordinator, NSS. He joined the duty today in presence of KCGC honourary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina.

 Dr.HB Singh took the charge of office from outgoing founder-Principal Prof.Baljinder Singh who has left the office due to the ill-health. Chhina said Prof.Baljinder had been unwell and they had the tough task to choose new Principal and found Dr.HB Singh a fit person to head this new institution, which is imparting higher education in this rural belt near Amritsar. He hoped that having vast academic and administration experience, Dr. Singh will work tirelessly to help institution progress and achieve its objective to provide value-based education to students. He thanked the management for posing faith in him and said he would work with dedication and commitment.

 Prof.Baljinder Singh also thanked KCGC for giving him chance to work at the post for over two years and these years would be memorable for him. Those present at the occasion included additional honourary secretary Swinder Singh Kathunangal, Joint secretary SS Mannan, member SS Chhina, KCA Principal Dr.Mehal Singh, DS Rataul, teaching and non-teaching staff of the College.