Khamano (Fathegarh Sahib), November 20, 2013: BJP Kisan Morcha National Secretary and Parbhari Himachal Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal said that in order to impart training and to acquaint the members with the collection of iron for the Statue of Unity, the seven zones have been set up across the country.

Talking with the media persons here today, he said that a workshop in each region would be held from 24th November onwards by our National Coordinator Iron Collection Committee Om Prakash Dhankar. He said all members of the state committees and district co-coordinators’ would participate in these workshops.

Grewal said that meeting of the Southern region consisting of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Lakshadeep, Puducherry and Andaman & Nicobar Islands will be held at Hyderabad on 24th November 2013 from morning till evening.
Grewal said the workshop regarding western region Maharashtra, Goa, Daman & Diu, Dadar Nagar Haweli and Gujarat would be organised at Mumbai on 26th November 2013.
He said that similarly, the workshop pertaining to North- East region, i.e., Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam at Guwahati on 28th November held at Patna on 30th November this year, he added.
He said that the Eastern Region workshop consisting of Sikkim, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar would be held at Patna on 30th November this year.
Grewal said that the regional workshop of Northern region, i.e., Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana states would be held at Chandigarh on 9th December 2013.
He said that the workshop in respect of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand would be held at Lucknow on 10th December 2013 from morning till evening.

Grewal further added that the similar workshop in respect of election bound states would be held after the results were declared, i.e., after 13th December 2013.
Grewal said that the resource persons from Gujarat and senior Ministers as well as members of central committee would participate in these workshops to pertain training. He said that all the office bearers and Parbhari of Kisan Morcha national team would attend the workshop of their respective region and would also participate in organising the workshop. He said that the members of the central committee must accelerate the work in their respective region by associating them.

Dharamsala, November 19, 2013: M.C.Katoch, a former sub-divisional officer (SDO) with the public works department (PWD), was arrested from Palampur town (near Dharamsala) by State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau on Tuesday in connection with HPCA irregularities.  An investigating officer informed that the arrested official is accused of conniving with the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA). He is accused of declaring a government college building comprising employee quarters located near the main gate of the HPCA’s Cricket stadium in Dharamsala unsafe. The building was demolished in 2008  and  HPCA encroached the land there after.
This has been the first arrest of a government functionary since a case of cheating and misappropriation was filed against the BJP MP Anurag Thakur-led state cricket body Aug 1.
 “Katoch took the decision to declare the building unsafe without getting its technical survey report. In fact, at the time of demolition it was repaired just a year back (2007),” said an official, who did not wish to be identified.
“A fresh land demarcation was carried out three days back by the revenue officials and found that the HPCA has encroached on 3,000 sq m government land. Earlier, it was estimated that the encroachment was on 720 sq m land,” said the official.
The HPCA has been facing two cases: First, a case of cheating and misappropriation over alleged wrong-doing in allotment of land, which according to revenue records was common village land, to the sports association for constructing a residential complex for the players near its stadium in Dharamsala.
Second, it has been accused of encroaching on 3,000 sq m government land. The encroached portion is located near the main gate of the Dharamsala stadium.

Halwara, November 20, 2013: The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee in an impressive Ceremonial Parade at Air Force Station Halwara presented Standards to two of the IAF’s Frontline Fighter Squadrons -  220 Squadron and 32 Squadron, today
The Governor of Punjab, Shivraj Patil and the Chief Minister of Punjab, Prakash Singh Badal, Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) and Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, AOC-in-C, Western Air Command, Air Marshal SS Soman, AOC-in-C South Western Air Command Air Marshal Daljit Singh AVSM VM, were present on the occasion besides a host of other serving and civil dignitaries.
The Standard for 220 Squadron was received by Group Captain Sharad Aneja, Commanding Officer, 220 Squadron and the Standard for 32 Squadron was received by Group Captain GVNK Varma, Commanding Officer,32 Squadron.
The Parade witnessed a spectacular display of fly-past primarily consisting of the aircraft flown by the units being awarded the President’s Standards. A total of 12 aircraft participated in the fly-past displaying clockwork precision. The breath taking fly-past was synchronized with significant events of the parade.
The fly-past commenced with three Mi-17 IV helicopters in Victory formation with the lead aircraft carrying the national flag and the other two aircraft carrying the IAF flag. The fly-past was coordinated with the National Salute given by the Parade to the Honorable President of India. This was followed by three Su-30MKI aircraft flown in a Victory formation. The fly-past of the three Su-30 MKI aircraft was timed with the presentation of the President’s Standards to 220 Sqn. Three Bison aircraft in Victory formation followed the Su-30MKI aircraft while the President’s Standards were being handed over to 32 Sqn. The three Su-30MKI aircraft paid tribute by forming a Trishul in the sky over the parade ground as the uniformed personnel saluted the President’s Standards being marched out of the parade.The fly-past was followed by an impressive display of Low Level Aerobatics by a single Su-30MKI. The single aircraft display portrayed the aircraft as an extension of the pilot’s mind and body as it executed breath taking manoeuvres which demonstrated the capabilities of the man and the machine. Just like the flypast, the ‘Airwarrior Drill Team’ mesmerised the audience by their precise and coordinated drill movements.
The President’s Standard is the highest and most prestigious honour bestowed upon any unit of the Armed Forces in recognition of its invaluable contribution to the security of our Nation both during hostilities and peace. President’s Standards is a symbol of excellence and has been earned by the Squadrons for their dedication and worthy contributions. It marks and depicts the hard work, valour and sacrifice of all the personnel posted to the Squadrons since their inception and is a befitting recognition to their selfless devotion.
220 Sqn has a rich history spanning over five decades. The Squadron was raised at Palam as 51 Auxiliary Air Force (AAF) Squadron and was equipped with Vampire aircraft. The Squadron moved to Pune in Nov 1962. It was at Pune, on 09 January 1963, that 220 Squadron was formed. It was initially called the ‘Fighting Tigers’. The Squadron was later re-equipped with the indigenous HF 24 ‘Marut’ aircraft in April 1969 and re-located to Jodhpur in Dec 1970. The unit effectively and innovatively employed the Marut during the 1971 Indo Pak air campaigns. It was during its stay in Jodhpur that the Squadron was rechristened as 'Desert Tigers'.  After flying the Marut for 12 years, the squadron converted to the newly inducted Mig-23 BN aircraft in Jodhpur in 1981. After flying the MiG-23 BN over deserts of Rajasthan from 1981 to 1997, the Squadron moved to Air Force Station Halwara on 31 August 1997.  The unit operated from this base till 2005, when it was number plated. It operated from Leh and Pathankot during operation Safed Sagar in 1999. The Squadron was resurrected at its present location on 01 Sep 2011 with the state of the art SU-30 MKIs. From the Vampires to the SU-30s, the Desert Tigers have a prolific history. True to its motto ‘ShauryamTejoDhritih’ which translates to ‘Valour, Energy and Firmness,’ the unit has excelled in every role assigned to it over the last five decades.
 
32 Sqn AF, the ‘Thunderbirds’ was formed with the Mystere IV ac on 15 Oct 1963 at Air Force Station Adampur. This premier front line fighter squadron later operated the Vampire (1965) aircraft followed by the Sukhoi-7 (1969), the MiG-21 Bis (1984) and is currently operating the versatile Bison (2003). It has over the years distinguished itself in operations and peacetime with many awards and commendations. True to its motto “MahaVegashyaDrudvrat” meaning ‘fast in speed and firm in determination’, the Thunderbirds continue their assigned task of guarding the skies in the Rajasthan sector and making the Air Force Proud.

Child Marriage in India is a matter of serious concern. Child Marriage denies a child the basic right to good health, nutrition and education. It is widely acknowledged that early marriage makes girls more vulnerable to violence, abuse and exploitation. For both girls and boys, marriage has a strong physical, intellectual, psychological and emotional impact, cutting off educational opportunities and chances of personal growth. While boys are also affected by child marriage, this is an issue that impacts upon girls in far larger numbers and with more intensity, so much so that nearly half of women age 18-29 (46 percent) and more than one-quarter of men age 21-29 (27 percent) are estimated to have married before reaching the legal minimum age at marriage (NFHS III). It is believed that the main reasons for early marriage are cultural factors, social practices and economic pressures interacting with poverty and inequality. Thus, the issue of child marriage is steeped in several multi-dimensional social, economic, cultural and community related aspects. Legislation forbidding child marriage in pre-independent India was put in place in 1929. The child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 primarily focussed on restraining the solemnization of child marriages.

The Union Government has endeavoured to curb the practice in recent years through repealing Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929 and bringing in a more progressive Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 that includes punitive measures against those who perform, permit and promote child marriage. Under this Act, child marriage is defined as the marriage of males below the age of 21 years, and females below 18 years. It also provides for annulment of a child marriage and gives a separated female the right to maintenance and residence from her husband if he is above 18 or in-laws if he is a minor until she is remarried. This Act came into effect in November 2007. The States are vested with powers to formulate rules for implementation of this legislation and carrying out the provisions. As per information provided by the States/UTs, so far 24 UTs/ States have framed rules and 20 States/UTs have appointed Child Marriage Prohibition Officers. The Central Government is regularly pursuing with the State Governments for appointment of Child Marriage Prohibition Officers and notification of state Rules.

The National Plan of Action for children 2005 also includes goals on eradicating child marriage. One of the notable initiatives taken by India towards protection of children including the girl child has been the establishment of a National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in 2007 for proper enforcement of children’s rights and effective implementation of laws and programs relating to children. Several National level policies formulated since 2000, including the National Population Policy 2000,the National Youth Policy 2003 and the National Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Strategy have advocated delaying the age at marriage and the age of conceiving the first child.

The Women and Child Development Ministry has taken a number of steps to enhance the status of girl child and to address the problem of child marriage:

• To promote sensitization and awareness on the girl child, the Government has declared January 24 of every year as ‘National Girl Child Day’.

• Every year, State Governments are requested to take special initiative to delay marriage on AkhaTeej—the traditional day for such marriages, by coordinated efforts.

• Workshops, seminars and legal awareness camps are organized to bring attitudinal changes to prevent child marriage.

• SABLA, a Scheme for empowering adolescent girls, has been launched in 200 districts of the country from 19th November 2010. The Scheme aims at empowering adolescent girls (11-18 years) by improving their nutritional and health status and upgrading various skills like home skills, life skills and vocational skills etc. and building awareness on various issues. They would also be sensitized towards the importance marriage at the right age. By empowering adolescent girls, who can say no to early marriage, the Scheme would also address the issue of child marriage.

• A National Consultation on Prevention of Child Marriage was organized on 25th May 2012 in New Delhi. The discussions in the consultation primarily centred on legislative and implementation aspects of Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) 2006 and other related laws. It was agreed in the consultation that Information, Education and Communication (IEC) measures and advocacy particularly, after vulnerability mapping was the way forward for addressing social attitude that perpetrates child marriage. Convergence between various Central Departments and Ministries, and a coordinated inter-departmental action for effective implementation of the relevant schemes and programmes of the Centre and State Government on child marriage was also emphasized.

• A National Strategy on Child Marriage prevention focusing on law enforcement, access to quality education and other opportunities, changing mind sets and social norms, empowerment of adolescents etc. was prepared in December 2012.

• Based on the strategy, a draft National Plan of Action on prevention of Child Marriage was prepared with the following main objectives:

i) To enforce PCMA 2006 and related laws and policies to protect children and adolescents against child marriage and promote gender equality.

ii) To promote the right to quality education at all levels with a special emphasis on girls.

iii) To generate a change in social norms and attitudes regarding child marriage and the role and status of girls in society.

iv) To empower and build capacities of adolescent boys and girls to access services and make informed decisions in matters affecting their lives.

v) To generate knowledge and data to inform programmes and policies.

vi) To develop and establish monitoring and evaluation systems to measure outcomes.

vii) To enhance convergence across line Ministries, departments and other stakeholders.

The draft Plan of Action was discussed in a Regional Consultation at Lucknow on 8th July 2013 and in a National Consultation at New Delhi on 18th July 2013.Based on the deliberations, the National Plan of Action is being finalized .The National Plan of Action defines goals, objectives, and strategies besides delineating roles of different stakeholder. It adopts strategic interventions which will be implemented by various stake holders viz. Central Government, State Governments, local self governments, Civil Society, and NGOs using convergent and multi-dimensional approaches.

Dharamsala, November 20, 2013: Himachal Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau have arrested yet another PWD official in Dharamsala on Wednesday late in the evening in connection with the HPCA irregularities.
This time a serving XEN of PWD Department in Dharamsala Circle (Design), Devi Chand Chouhan was held after a brief inquiry by Bureau.
Confirming this high-level police officer, who did not wish to be identified said, “Chouhan was also posted in Dharamsala when M.C. Katoch, a former sub-divisional officer issued a certificate declaring a government college building comprising employee quarters located near the main gate of the HPCA’s Cricket  stadium in Dharamsala unsafe. The building was demolished in 2008 and HPCA encroached the land there after.”
M.C. Katoch, a former sub-divisional officer was arrested from Palampur town (near Dharamsala) by state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau on Tuesday. Katoch was sent on two days police remand today.
Today’s arrest being the second in the link, and more are expected in coming days, said Sources.
 “A fresh land demarcation was carried out four days back by the revenue officials and found that the HPCA has encroached on 3,000 sq m government land. Earlier, it was estimated that the encroachment was on 720 sq m land,” said an official.
The HPCA has been facing two cases: First, a case of cheating and misappropriation over alleged wrong-doing in allotment of land, which according to revenue records was common village land, to the sports association for constructing a residential complex for the players near its stadium in Dharamsala.
Second, it has been accused of encroaching on 3,000 sq m government land. The encroached portion is located near the main gate of the Dharamsala stadium.

New Delhi/Jalandhar, November 20, 2013:  The Special Judge for CBI cases, Bhopal has convicted  K.K.Namdeo, the then Branch Manager, Punjab National Bank, Multai, District Betul (MP) U/s 7 & 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of PC Act, 1988 in a bribery case and sentenced him to undergo three years Rigorous Imprisonment with total fine of Rs. 40,000.

CBI had registered a Case on 20.05.2011 against  K.K.Namdeo, the then Branch Manager, Punjab National Bank, Multai, District Betul (MP) U/s 7 of PC Act 1988 on the allegation that   K.K.Namdeo  demanded  bribe of Rs. 56,000/- from the complainant for getting loan of Rs.5.6 lacs, sanctioned and disbursed to him. K.K.Namdeo was caught red handed while demanding & accepting the bribe of Rs. 5000/- from the complainant on 21.05.2011.

After investigation, a charge sheet U/s 7 & 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of PC Act 1988 against  K.K.Namdeo was filed on 30.06.2011 in the court of Special Judge for CBI Cases, Bhopal.

The Trial Court found the accused guilty and convicted him.

Solan, November 22 , 2013: BJP Kisan Morcha All India Secretary and Parbhari Himachal Pradesh Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal said that in an attempt to make the construction of the Sardar Patel statue in Gujarat a movement, the Himachal Pradesh State unit of Bharatiya Janata Party also declared it had formed a coordination committee for an iron collection drive.

In a press conference here today, Grewal said that the former BJP party president and senior MLA Jairam Thakur, will head the coordination committee. He said that efforts were being made to spread the party cadre network to all 20,118 villages and 3243 panchayats of the Himachal State. The Himachal State Parbhari said that all BJP leaders and workers will collect farmers used iron and soil from all Himachal villages and give it "the statue" a Himachal flavour. We will also collect sacred soil from all the famous temples and religious places of our hill State.

Grewal said that the process to make the construction a movement began after the Bhoomi Pujan for the memorial on October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, by our senior BJP party leader L.K. Advani and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. It was Narendra  Modi who conceived this dream project as a tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Grewal said that the hill State Himachal will also organise a “Run for Unity" in all the district headquarters on December 15, the death anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel under the supervision of Jairam Thakur. He said that the state co-ordinator Jairam Thakur had also released the list of 12 district coordinators and a 21-member state-wide list of team managers.

Grewal said that there will be a joint workshop for team members from Himachal, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Punjab at Chandigarh on December 9. He added the 182-meter statue with a 58-metre pedestal has been named “Statue of Unity” and will be the tallest in the world. He said that it will be installed on a river island facing the famous Narmada Dam near Bharuch in Gujarat. The Rs. 2500-crore project will take at least about four years to complete.

Grewal said that there will be a nationwide campaign to collect farmers used iron in their cultivation, pieces from more than 6.5 lakh villages of the country, said the BJP.

Dharamsala, November 22, 2013: CMD of Ahmedabad-based Cadila Pharmaceuticals, Dr Rajiv Modi said on Thursday, "Our drug is a significant breakthrough in the management of squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), since the introduction of first line cancer drugs nearly 30 years ago."
Cidac-C is an innovative research product for patients suffering from a cancer sub-type - non-small cell lung cancer - and will be priced at Rs 4,000 for 10 injections. The total cost of therapy to patients is estimated at Rs 40,000 - which the company claims is affordable as cancer treatment is generally exorbitant.
Ahmedabad-based Cadila Pharmaceuticals introduced the first novel product for cancer management which it claims is a significant breakthrough in the treatment of lung cancer.

Dharamsala, November 22, 2013: Jammu and Kashmir High Court Judge Justice Mansoor Ahmed Mir is to be the new Acting Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court.

Chief justice A.M. Khanwilkar was recently transferred to Madhya Pradesh.

Spokesman of High Court confirming the warrant of appointment of Justice Mir said that he will be taking over as Acting Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court soon. Belongs from Pulwama of J&K, he would be the 22nd chief justice of this high court.

Justice Mir got law degree in 1978 and practiced lawyer till 1993, when he joined as District Session Judge. He was elevated as additional judge of J& K High Court in 2005 and was serving as regular judge since 2007.

Chandigarh, November 22, 2013: Three accused have been convicted by the CBI Special Judge Kanwaljit Singh Bajwa in a 15 year old forgery case whereby the Rajpura Branch of State Bank of India was duped off `2.60 Crores.  They were sentenced under IPC 420 5 years RI and 30,000 fine (ID 3 months), under IPC 467 7 years RI and 1 Lakh fine (ID 1 Year), under IPC 468 3 years RI and 20,000 fine (ID 3 months), under IPC 471 7 years RI and 1 Lakh fine (ID 1 Year). The case may be termed as the first of its kind in the region wherein the deposition of the main witness was recorded through video conferencing by the Court as he was residing in Dubai and was not able to come to India for getting recorded his statement. 

A Spokesperson of Punjab and Haryana High Court informed that as per the story, Parasram Daryani was residing in Dubai and had deposited about 13 lakh US dollars in FDRs in Rajpura Branch of the State Bank of India.  The accused in conspiracy with each other as well as the then manager of the SBI Rajpura, forged authority letters of Parasram Daryani for raising loan against these FDRs and also prepared other documents for this purpose by forging signatures of Parasram Daryani and his wife Neelam Daryani. The conspiracy came to surface when Parasram Daryani enquired from the bank that he has not received the FDRs even after passing of two months. Then the bank had held an enquiry in which it was found that the main accused alongwith the then bank manager, one CA Rajinder Kapoor and one expert of forging signatures Anurag Bawa had forged the documents for getting loan of Rs.2.60 crores. The case had hit the headlines of newspapers due to the high amount involved in it and also became high profile as it had its tentacles at international level.

He said that the case revealed as to how the secret messages were decoded in order to favour the accused in connivance with the bank officials who flouted all the norms of banking law and practice.  It is noteworthy that the bank had to pay back the amount of FDRs to its depositor Parasram Daryani as it had no other option left to save its face in the international banking fraternity.

The Court of CBI Special Judge Kanwaljit Singh Bajwa has held all the three accused guilty of cheating and forgery etc., (two accused out of total five had already expired) while opining that “the cause of the community cannot be treated with disdain. The entire nation is aggrieved if economic offenders who ruin the economy of the state are not brought to book. A murder may be committed in the heat of moment upon passions being aroused. On the contrary an economic offence is always committed with cool calculation and deliberate architect & design which is engineered with an eye on personal profits regardless of the consequence to the Community. Unfortunately in the last few years, the country has seen an alarming rise in white-collar crimes which has affected the fabric of the country's economic structure. These cases are nothing but private gains at the cost of public leading to economic disaster”

Dharamsala, November 22, 2013: The anticipatory bail plea of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association's (HPCA) spokesman Sanjay Sharma has been rejected on Friday, by the Indora circuit bench of additional district and sessions court. The court had earlier rejected the bail plea of three other HPCA officials, including treasurer Attar Singh Negi, vice-president Surender Thakur and joint secretary PremThakur in the same case. All four officials have now gone underground to avoid arrest.
This bail was sort on a case of cheating and misappropriation by the vigilance bureau of the state which was registered against the HPCA on August 1 and Sanjay Sharma had applied for the anticipatory bail before the court of special judge on November 16. The case was registered in Dharamsala following an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the land allotment to the cricket body for constructing a five-star residential complex. The HPCA is also facing another case over damage to public property - demolition of a government building without permission.

Ludhiana, November 23, 2013: The workers in country have to meet dual challenge of saving the social fabric of the society by fighting against the communal & divisive forcers as well as to save the country from economic onslaught by the multinational corporations, said Gurudas Das Gupta, MP and General Secretary, All Indian Trade Union Congress (AITUC) while addressing a convention here at Punjabi Bhawan today.
He added the UPA-II government is increasingly working in the interest of big corporate business houses of India and the international cartels undermining the national interest. Latest decisions of the government are enough indicators of the rightist shift in the policies detrimental to Indian growth and progress based on justice and equality. These are against the basic spirit of the Indian constitution which speaks of justice and equality as its mainstay.  The government is more inclined to respond to the demands of the international finance capital and the MNCs while hitting the common man hard, even denying them basic amenities like food, shelter, health and education.  Therefore there is an urgent need for the working people to unite in strength to lead the struggle against these policies so as to meet the goal of sustainable development in the interest of all the people of the country, he said. On that score, the job insecurity and the job losses on the one hand and increased trends of contractorisation and outsourcing,  contractualisation and casualisation of labour is norm of the day. There is attack on unionisation itself and pressure on existing unions to suppress and intimidate them to contain their activities.
He added bringing in FDI  in retail trade will be big blow to more than Rs.4 crore small traders, shopkeepers, marginal and poor farmers, other small producers of goods in home based and small scale industries etc. The government has been responsible for unprecedented rise in corruption at higher places with loss to national revenue and denial of rightful share of common people in the wealth being produced in the country.
He further deplored that accumulation of wealth in the hands of few, whereas the vast majority is suffering under acute poverty and unemployment. The latest reports have indicated that 100 top rich families own assets to the tune of 16 lakh crores of rupees whereas 70% Indians are forced to live on meager spending of Rs.16.60 paise per day. With the policies being pursued will further hasten these gaps.  
He said, the government continues to act in ruthless manner against the common people and the response to people’s agitations by the Prime minister and some of his ministers are arrogant to the core. Corruption at the higher places has become rampant which is obvious from the scandal like 2-G Spectrum.
Taking advantage of this situation the rabidly communal RSS and BJP have floated Narendra Modi as their Prime ministerial candidate, he said, adding this is a very serious danger before the nation which the workers have to fight back tooth and nail.
In this background the Trade Unions have decided to intensify their joint agitations and march to Parliament on 12th December on the charter of demands which includes seeking check on price rise of essential commodities, end to labour law violations, for social security and pension to all workers, abolition of any ceiling on Provident Fund, gratuity and bonus, abolition of contract labour, steady regularization of them and equal pay for equal work, no disinvestment of public sector/ govt. sector enterprises and resources, national minimum wage to be raised to not less that Rs. 10,000, universal entitlement of maternity benefit to working women etc.
Addressing the gathering Bant Singh Brar - President  and Nirmal Dhaliwal - General Secretary of Punjab unit of AITUC said that the state govt. of Punjab is not following a different course as regards the economic policies in general are concerned. Rather it has been taking anti labour and anti farmer measures. They informed that several more conventions will be held in the state on these issues, where Gurudas Dass Gupta MP, General Secretary AITUC will address.
Today’s convention was attended by representatives of various organisations of workers and employees from Construction, Hosiery, Roadways, PRTC, Banks, Power sector, FCI Palledar, University, PSSF, Govt. Class 4 employees, Corporation, BSNL, ASHA workers  and unorganized sector.
Kartar Singh Bowani – Vice President Punjab Kisan Sabha also addressed the gathering.
O P Mehta General Secretary AITUC Ludhiana and D P Maur, General Secretary Joint Council of Trade Unions Ludhiana assured that they will participate in large number in the march to parliament at Delhi on December 12.  
 

New Delhi, November 25, 2013: National Secretary BJP Kisan Morcha and Parbhari Himachal Pradesh Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal said that our BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had promised to provide one crore jobs to the youth of the country if voted to power at the Centre.

Talking with the media persons here today, He said that Narendra Modi made a clear promise with youth that if BJP comes to power in Centre,  it will provide one crore jobs which the UPA Government could not do despite announcing it before the last Lok Sabha polls.

Grewal said that with 65 per cent of the Indian population below the age of 35, the youth, currently struggling with unemployment, can be galvanised into a force for the development of the country.

He said that the terrorism will be wiped out if Modi becomes the Prime Minister, and no country will dare to look at India with bad intention. Kisan morcha leader said the interest of farmers will be paramount under BJP rule and in UP, sugarcane growers will be given their dues.

Jalandhar, November 26, 2013: The Sikh Regimental Centre, Ramgarh Cantt is conducting a rally for        re-enrolment of Ex-servicemen of the Sikh Regiment and of its affiliated Territorial Army Battalion into Defence Service Corps (DSC) at Ramgarh Cantt (Jharkhand) with effect from 09 Dec 2013.  Candidates should report to Sikh Regt Centre Ramgarh on 08 Dec 2013.

The candidate appearing for re-enrolment into DSC should be SHAPE-1 in medical category and their character should be Very Good/Exemplary.  Age of the candidates should be below 48 years and gap between discharge from former service and re-enrolment should be 5 years or less.  Candidates should not have more than one red ink entry during last five years of service and not more than two red ink entries during entire service.  Candidate must pass his Physical Proficiency Test (PPT).

Dharamsala, November 26, 2013: “It is very unfortunate that there has been a controversy in the HP State over Reservation in promotions in the services to the SCs & STs categories of employees, which is duly provided in the Constitution of India,” said ex-MLA Chaman Lall Gachli who is also the National Secretary, Bharatiya Dalit Sahitya Akademi, Parwanoo (H.P).
In a statement issued here, he said that this reservation  has been strengthened by the Parliament by passing the 85th Amendment to the Constitution, and has been further thrashed and examined by the Highest Court of the Nation to be genuine right of these categories.
He said that It is highly regretted that the previous HP Government kept away from implementing this 85th Amendment to defeat the genuine cause of social justice despite the fact that all justice loving agencies including all organisations belonging to SCs & STs Categories firmly stood by this genuine cause and vigorously pursued the matter with the Govt. and thus the government encouraged opposition to this genuine cause.
 “Therefore, it has become essential for the present Virbhadra Singh headed  Congress Government of HP State, to do justice by implementing the 85th Amendment to maintain and restore the faith of these categories, and also  ensure sincere justice all pending back log posts be also filled-up categorically,” said Gachli.

Dharamsala, November 26, 2013: “As many as 775 villages of the State are excluded from the Wild Life Sanctuary areas and traditional rights of the people residing in such have been restored to them so as to bring them at par with the ongoing development process by providing them basic facilities like Roads, electricity, water etc. This comes in the wake of Apex court ruling this year, wherein the Government was to exclude 793 villages out of animal sanctuary areas. The ongoing process to exclude the remaining villages out of few sanctuary areas would soon be completed, “said Kewal Singh Pathania, Vice-Chairperson, HP State Forest Corporation, here today.

He said that the decision to exclude few villages in the range of Great Himalayan National Park, which includes Tirthan and Sainj areas of district Kullu, Nargu Sanctuary in Mandi district,  Kanawar in district Kullu  and that of Renuka wildlife sanctuary area would soon be taken up and all the villages would be taken out from the ambit of animal sanctuary areas for which  the process is underway.

Pathania said that as many as 318 villages of Chamba district falling under the ambit of wild life sanctuaries had already been excluded from the same. There are five wildlife sanctuary areas of Chamba.

He said that after the rationalization process, there were now  30 wildlife sanctuaries spread around 6226.83 Sq. Kms, Two national parks viz: The Great Himalayan National Park and the Pin Valley National Park comprising of 1440 sq. Kms and three conservation reserves (19.17 sq. Kms).

Chandigarh, November 27, 2013: The findings of the Tobacco Control Policy (TCP) India Wave 1 survey, released here today revealed some alarming facts about tobacco control policies in our country which is home to approximately 275 million tobacco users. This Report which is a collaborative effort of researchers at the Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, India and the University of Waterloo, Canada was based on the result of a survey of adult tobacco users and tobacco non-users in Maharashtra (MH), Bihar (BR), West Bengal (WB) and Madhya Pradesh (MP). Current tobacco use among adults aged 15 years and older in Maharashtra was 28% (23% in MP, 47% in BR; 33% in WB).
In Maharashtra, more than 80% of tobacco users expressed regret for starting to use tobacco; ( >60% in other three states) and in Maharashtra itself more than 91% of tobacco users and non-users believed that the use of smoked and/or smokeless tobacco products was ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’. In all the four states, tobacco use was higher among less educated males from low income group.
Despite growing awareness in both urban and rural India combined with a complete ban on the advertising of tobacco products, a fairly large section of Indian population is still exposed to the advertising and promotion of tobacco products. This is a clear indication of the fact that there is a need for more effective implementation of the laws on ban on advertisement of all tobacco products in all media. In Maharashtra, approximately three years after implementation of the 2008 National smoke-free law, level of awareness of smoke-free laws was only 35% (ranged from 18% MP to 59% in WB, 54% in Bihar) clearly indicating a need for wider dissemination and awareness about smoke-free laws.
Dr. Prakash C. Gupta, Managing Director, Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health said that “the study findings clearly emphasize that stronger tobacco control policies and their effective implementation would be supported by people of Maharashtra. There is still a considerable exposure to advertising of tobacco products but the high degree of support for complete ban on advertising and smoking in enclosed workplaces as other public places. It is amazing that over 80% of tobacco users in Maharashtra regret starting their tobacco use.Government policies need to be stronger to discourage children and young adults in Maharashtra towards starting any tobacco use”.
Dr. Mangesh S. Pednekar, Director (Development & Research), Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health said that “Current regulations on tobacco advertising in India still allow for exemptions which had created loopholes for tobacco industries to focus its marketing efforts in unregulated venues such as point of sale. Globally strong price and taxation policies have consistently been shown to be the most effective tobacco control measure, mainly because the product became unaffordable. Therefore, it is urgent need for Indian central and state governments to take strong measure to close open loopholes and to act swiftly to reduce affordability of all tobacco products.”
 “Tobacco use accounts for nearly half of all cancers among males and a one-quarter of all cancers among females and is also a major cause of cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Users who are addicted to this deadly substance are often unaware of the serious health risks of tobacco. Educating them about the health hazards of tobacco use and effective pictorial warnings on tobacco products can help people to quit and may also dissuade others from embracing this deadly habit.”, said Dr. Surendra S. Shastri, Tata Memorial Hospital.
About The TCP India Project
The International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project is an international comparative study that examines the effects of tobacco control policy measures in 22 countries by following large cohorts of smokers over time in each country. The TCP India Survey was conducted in four Indian states, centered on a major city and its surrounding rural district in each state, by researchers from the Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health in India in partnership with the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project at the University of Waterloo. The TCP India Survey was conducted among a representative random sample of adult (aged 15 years and older) tobacco users (smokers and smokeless tobacco users) and non-tobacco users residing in Bihar (Patna), Madhya Pradesh (Indore), Maharashtra (Mumbai), and West Bengal (Kolkata). All interviews were conducted face-to-face between August2010 and December 2011.
About Healis-Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health
Healis-Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health has committed itself to advancing public health through innovative science and evidence-based policy. It conducts quality research in public health domain and carries forward its outcome for the benefit of the society.

Dharamsala, November 27, 2013: Himachal Pradesh has become first State in North India and second in the country after Kerala to develop Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) Registry System for complete analysis of heart attack cases. This system has been developed by Cardiology Department of Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC), Shimla. The data pertaining to cardiac arrest cases are received online from 22 Government hospitals and six private hospitals of the State and is compiled at Indira Gandhi Medical College IGMC Shimla .

Dr. P.C. Negi, Professor and Head of Cardiology Department, IGMC said, “Complete information of heart attack patients was being received from these 28 hospitals. The complete case history of patients viz: their gender, age, habits and specific area to which they belong was being maintained at IGMC Cardiac wing and was being analyzed regularly.” He said that scientific analysis of this data assists in knowing the causes of heart attack cases in specific region besides improving the quality care of the patients. It was useful for training of health workers, health supervisors, health educators about the symptoms of heart attack among masses more precisely besides intervention of health authorities to reduce delay from symptom onset to hospital reporting.

Dr. Negi said that providing Medical Aid to the patient within six hours of the heart attack was of utmost important for the effective treatment. The data analyzed through ACS Registry helps us to know the rising cases of cardiac arrest in particular area and its causes and lifestyle of the people, said he. He said that on the basis of these studies of geographical distribution pattern of heart attack cases in the State, we can reach upon the areas where patients were being admitted in the hospitals within six hours of heart attack and help improving the services further.

New Delhi/Jalandhar, November 27, 2013: The Special Judge, Saket Courts, New Delhi has convicted Vishwa Vibhuti, the then Assistant Director General, Medical Stores, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, New Delhi (Retired) for the offences U/s 13(2) r/w 13(1)(e) of the PC Act, 1988 and sentenced him to undergo three years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs.75 lakh.
CBI had  registered a case on 15.5.1996 against Vishwa Vibhuti, the then Assistant Director General, Medical Stores, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. Of India, New Delhi u/s 13(2) r/w 13(1)(e) of the PC Act, 1988 on the allegations that   from June, 1985 to March, 1995, he had amassed movable & immovable assets in his name and in the name of his family members to the tune of about Rs.72,69,258 which were disproportionate to his known sources of income.
During investigation, it was revealed that Vishwa Vibhuti was found in possession of movable & immovable assets  to the tune of about Rs.19,00,851 in his name and in the name of his family members. After investigation, a charge sheet was filed against  Vishwa Vibhuti on 13.07.1998 in the court of Special Judge, Delhi.