Faridabad (Haryana), February 11, 2013: The 27th Surajkund International Crafts Mela has created a history with the highest footfall recorded for a single day at 1 lakh 42 thousand.

A new milestone was reached on Sunday crossing all previous footfall records.

The soaring popularity of the Mela can be judged by the increasing number of visitors every year. The year 1989 had a footfall of mere 1.75 lakhs while the year 2010 saw a whooping 7.54 lakhs of visitors in the Mela. Year 2011 saw a 20 per cent increase in the number of visitors as compared to 2010 and over the last couple of years, the numbers have been escalating.

The success of Surajkund Crafts Mela is credited to the availability of modern amenities of safe drinking water, clean environment, high maintenance of law and order, clean and hygienic public conveniences and efficient transport facilities with the due efforts of policing and security agencies, district administration and Mela Authority.

The area of the Mela has been significantly reclaimed, it now stands around 40 acres and ensuring smooth movement of visitors numbering around one lakh, 42,000 on a given day is not possible without coordinated efforts of the organisers, the Haryana Tourism.

Karnataka-the theme state of the Mela has lent a unique touch to the Mela with an impressive melange of exclusive crafts and vibrant performances. The Mela ambience has been another pull factor -- the various moods of sun and dances forms of peacock adorn every corner of Mela that have been widely admired by one and all. In tune with the tradition of Haryana Tourism that has its resorts named after birds.

Surajkund Crafts Mela has also embodied cultural amalgamation of various countries. The Mela has gone international this year with the participation of 20 countries. The Mela has been enriched by various foreign cultural troupes.

The Mela boasts of dedicated fan followers who visit the Mela every year and witness the spontaneous and spectacular celebration of Indian folk and culture. Tourists from all over the world flock the Mela to witness some of the finest crafts and savour the delicacies of hot and spicy Indian cuisine. Bagful of purchases and smiles on faces has been the essence of the Mela.

Jalandhar, February 11, 2013: Additional Special Judge for CBI cases, Visakhaptnam has convicted Koti Brahmaiah, the then Assistant (Accounts and Cash), State Bank of India, Kanigiri Branch, Kanigiri, Prakasam District U/s 420, 468 & 471 IPC andSec. 13(1)(d) r/w 13(2) of PC Act, 1988 and sentenced him to undergo Rigorous Imprisonment for 7 years with a total fine of Rs.1,00,000.

CBI investigation revealed that that during the period from 2000 to 2003, K. Brahmaiah while working as Assistant, State Bank of India, Kanigiri Branch, Prakasam District by abusing his official position, falsified the account books of the said branch by posting fictitious credits and obtained wrongful gain for himself by withdrawing money to the tune of Rs.40,28,953 and by obtaining DDs in favour of share brokers / share broking firms to purchase shares in his name and in the name of his wife. Thus, the accused caused a wrongful loss of Rs.40,28,953 to the State Bank of India, Kanigiri Branch and corresponding wrongful gain to himself.

After conducting the regular trial, the Court found the accused person guilty and convicted him.

Jalandhar, February 11, 2013:  It has  come to the notice of the CBI that a Public Prosecutor was allegedly in touch with, and was discussing certain points regarding prosecution strategy with an accused in the 2G Spectrum allocation case, which is currently undertrial before the Court of Special Judge CBI cases, Patiala House Courts, New Delhi.

According to an official release issued by CBI on Monday, said while these allegations are being probed, CBI has taken the steps immediately, including the said Prosecutor has already been removed from the 2G case trial's prosecution team; a preliminary enquiry has been registered by CBI to verify these allegations; the Court has been informed of the developments; another Prosecutor has been appointed to the team to assist in the ongoing trial.

The CBI maintains strict vigilance over its officers and prosecution teams, and no instance of professional misconduct is taken lightly, further said the release.

Jalandhar, February 11, 2013: Haryana Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal has emphasised on integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education for learning, teaching and information sharing.

Speaking at the Conference of South Asia Ministerial Forum on ‘Translating ICT in Education Policies Into Action” in New Delhi today, Bhukkal said that Haryana is one of the leading states of the country adopting ICT in education.

Bhukkal said that the state has covered all Government Senior Secondary Schools and High Schools in Haryana with at least one computer lab having minimum 10 computers. Some of the schools have two or more computer labs. Five schools have been provided with 88 terminals in all, making them Smart Schools. The State Government has started, “Free Computer Education Programme” to provide free computer education to students of class 6-12. Two computer faculties have been provided in 1269 Government Senior Secondary Schools. The State Government has also started another 100 per cent state funded programme- “Comprehensive Computer Education Programme,” under which 213 Government Senior Secondary Schools have been covered and provided computer labs with appropriate internet connectivity, power back up and ICT assistant. These schemes are being implemented through private partners.

Referring  to the Conference held at Bangkok, which she had attended, Bhukkal said that as per the model described at the Conference, Haryana Government has come out with a draft Master Plan 2011-25 for ICT in Education. This has three phases 2011-16, 2016-21 and 2021-25, aiming at preparing for innovations by laying a strong ICT foundation, seeding innovations by deeper integration and transforming the learning environment respectively. The goal of State Strategy and Master Plan is to facilitate access of all students and teachers to Information and Communication Technology in their class rooms, schools, communities and homes.

Bhukkal expressed confidence that integration of ICT in education will increase access to basic education for both formal and non-formal. This  in turn,  will improve the quality of basic education and promote independent learning in secondary education.

Bhukkal said that the State is persuing the RTE programme vigorously and is encouraging the use of ICT for learning and teaching in all schools, both in rural and urban areas. Later, in reply to a question, she said that the State Government is trying to engage the service providers and computer teachers for backward areas also. For meeting the problem of power cuts, the government has provided gen sets in most of the schools. She also cautioned about the misuse of ICT learning by teachers and students and said that the State Government is taking necessary steps for this. She also said that computer education is compulsory in schools and from 9^th class onwards, students are required to attend language lab also.

Earlier, UNESCO New Delhi Director, Shigeru Aoyagi said  that there are three objectives behind the use of ICT in education namely, education for all, quality of learning / teaching and fostering global citizenship. Intel Corporation World Wide Director Education, Brian Gonzalez and Chief of Education UNESCO, Dr Alisher Umarao said that the role of teacher is to engage the students into learning and ICT is helpful in it. The Education Ministers from South Asia countries- Dr Asim Ahmed (Maldives) and Dina Nath Sharma (Nepal) also spoke about the progress of ICT in education in their countries.

Ferozepur, February 12, 2013:  Beware! If you too have received a missed call on your mobile, as once again, the people of Ferozepur have started receiving missed calls from an unknown number, especially with the ISD code of Pakistan  (+92).

Coming to the obnoxious missed calls from unknown numbers, it is better to inform the police and mobile service provider and avoid calling back as you might be trapped with fake news of winning of a lottery and asking you your bank details to deposit the lottery winning amount. 

It has been observed that people all getting missed calls on their cell phones from different numbers but all with the ISD code of  Pakistan. On making a back call, the caller is congratulated by disclosing that the number has been selected for a impressive large prize.

Sensing the reaction of the caller, the person on the other side asks s/he to contact someone over the phone presenting him as a senior employee of some national bank, who further asks them to complete some formalities like providing the bank account, residential address etc, to receive the prize money.

Besides duping the caller of heavy ISD charges, the swindlers also seek money from the innocent by terming it as mandatory charges before getting the prize money transferred into their account.

I too received one such missed call from +923034….. at 10.54 am today. (See Screen shot) but I did not respond knowing the aim of the swindlers.

However, an official of a mobile company on anonymity said the company is already in notice of the matter and they are flooded with similar complaints. He said that despite best efforts, they had not been able to nab the miscreants, who were duping the innocent.  The issue has also been taken up with the police, who are doing its best to trace the miscreants at the earliest possible.

He further shared that despite repeated appeals to the people through the media, not to get attracted towards these calls, people still get duped at the hands of tricksters, lured by easy money. People must also apply their brain before getting fascinated by such phone calls.

Faridabad (Haryana), February 12, 2013: Tuesday marked the Sri Lanka Day celebrations at the 27th Surajkund International Crafts Mela. H.E. Shri Prasad Kariyawasam, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, visited the Mela and appreciated the efforts of the Haryana government, Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in hosting such a big event.

While addressing the media, Kariyawasam said, “Craftspersons of Sri Lanka and India are benefitted by participating in Surajkund Mela and Mela is a benchmark for economic development of the participants of the two countries.” Sri Lanka has been taking part in the Mela since 2008, Kariyawasam added saying, “Surajkund Mela has grown from strength to strength and it is very neatly organised and best presented Mela.”

HE Kariyawasam stressed that there is definite connection of Sri Lanka and India in terms of cultural heritage and went on to spell that the Sri Lankan civilization originated from India and the Buddhist travel of these two neighbouring countries stands in recognition of this truth.

Sri Lankan Day celebrations at 27^th Surajkund International Crafts Mela was an attempt to encourage other countries to participate and be part of this major event in years to come.

“The Mela has been specially chosen as the venue to celebrate Sri Lanka Day,” told Kariyawasam, “This Mela offers a good cultural exchange between people of both friendly countries, and now we too will be replicating the Mela in Sri Lanka from this year, to be known as National Crafts Fair.”

Vijai Vardhan, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Haryana, shared his views on this occasion, “Both the countries have cultural similarities. A circuit is being planned for Buddhists in Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar, which should bring more Sri Lankan tourists to our country.”

His Excellency also witnessed the performance of Sri Lankan folk dance troupes at the Chaupal during the day and he was thrilled to see the jam packed audience enjoy the foot-tapping music and dance of Sri Lankan troupe.

Sri Lankan folk dance troupes also performed at the Chaupal during the day to jam-packed audiences.

With growing number of foreign participation and Valentine’s Day round the corner, Surajkund Mela is a must visit event, as it offers some interesting gifts options like Taj Mahal replicas, heart-shaped stuffed toys, paper flowers and wooden artifacts. Hamid, a Rajasthani artist, said, “I have made these Taj Mahal replicas, hoping that today’s youth would find them interesting and unique.”

A stall from Thailand has got special roses made from an organic fabric, which emit sweet fragrance when water drops are sprinkled on these. Violins made out of sandalwood are another option catching the attention of the youth.

Bhojpuri artiste, Malini Awasthi, entertained the audiences with her distinctive style of singing on Monday evening at Natyashala. She is a disciple of Padma Vibhushan Girija Devi Ji and one of the favourite singers of Bharat Ratna, Lata Mangeshkar. The audiences were mesmerised by Awasthi’s style, as the singer struck a chord with them through her folk songs and famous Bollywood tunes, which were done in her typical Thumari style of music.

Her famous numbers included ‘Raliya barren piya ko liye jaye re’ and `Dil Mera Muft Ka’, which were an instant hit with the capacity crowd at Natyashala.

Tuesday evening saw a fashion show being staged at Natyashala, with khadi being the fabric, which was crafted into traditional outfits that 16 models flaunted on the ramp. Surajkund Mela Authority took special initiative to popularise Khadi during the fortnight long event with charkha took the centre stage to showcase the importance of khadi in our society. Fashion show with khadi costumes especially designed for ramp models was one such attempt to make khadi take its place again in the Gandhian country.

Genus Power, a pioneer in manufacturing of Sine Wave Home UPS and Inverters, today announced the association of superstar Shahrukh Khan as the brand ambassador for its range of Sine Wave Inverters with Home UPS, Solar Inverters and Batteries.

On the association, the ever energetic King Khan felt that India, where uninterrupted power is still a privilege for many, even in Urban India, a quality power backup solution is the need of every household and Genus with its proven quality offers the perfect solution to quality conscious consumers. It thus is a pleasure, and a first for him to be associated with a respected Power Sector brand such as Genus."

Genus Power Infrastructures Limited (Genus), is an integral part of the $350million (INR 2000 crores) Kailash Group. The company is engaged in the manufacturing and distribution of Inverters, Home UPS, Online UPS, Solar Hybrid Inverters and Batteries and also undertake & manufacture Electronic Energy Meters, Power Distribution and Management projects, in India and across the globe.

Commenting on Sharukh Khan's appointment as Brand Ambassador, Jitendra Agarwal, Director Marketing, Genus Power, said: "We are happy to be associated with King Khan. It is to us the perfect brand fit and also reflects our company's growth story. Genus, as leaders in the Power Sector and King Khan as the leading celebrity, makes the perfect brand connect amongst our target customers. His energy levels and high standards of performance match the high quality and performance standards that we have set for all our products."

Jalandhar, February 13, 2013: The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a Deputy Chief Controller of Explosive, Guwahati for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs.35,000 from the  complainant.

 A case was registered U/s 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against Deputy Chief Controller of Explosive, Guwahati on a complaint for giving Explosive Licence. CBI laid a trap and the accused was caught red handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs. 35,000 from the Complainant.

Searches were conducted by the CBI in his office and residential premises.
The accused was produced today in the Designated Court at Guwahati and remanded to one day police custody.

Faridabad  (Haryana), February 13,2013: Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today visited 27th Surajkund international Crafts Mela in Faridabad and saw different stalls.

On reaching the Mela, he was a received at the Dasara Gate by M. Satyawati, Director of Karnataka Tourism Department. He was offered a turban and a bouquet.

The wife of the Chief Minister Asha Hooda also accompanied him. Principal Secretary to CM, Chhatar Singh, Principal Secretary, Haryana Tourism, Vijai Vardhan, MD of Haryana Tourism Corporation Anand M Sharan, DG I&PR Sudhir Rajpal and other officers were also present on this occasion.

First of all, Hooda went to national flag stall.

After that he visited the stall of silk sarees.

In the nearby stall, the weavers were weaving the cloth on the loom.

Hooda’s wife took keen interest in their work and asked for some information about their work. Karnataka is the theme state of the Mela this year.

Hooda also visited Karnataka Tourist Information Centre, Then he went to stall of Punjab where Hooda saw the hand embroidered suits. 

Later,  Hooda went to Afghanistan stall and saw the world fame carpets and also the jewellery of Afghanistan. At the Sri Lanka stall, Hooda enquired about the traditional dress of Sri Lanka. At Pakistan stall, he took interest in the artefacts made with onyx stone. He also visited stalls of Congo, Namibia and Nepal.

In reply to a question by mediapersons,  Hooda saiad  this Mela presents a picture of Mini India, where we can see variety of arts, crafts, dances, songs, food and dresses at one place. Besides India, the artisans and artists from 20 countries are also presenting their craft products and artefacts at the Mela, which gives the Mela an international look. 

On this occasion, MP  Avtar Singh Bhadana, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries \ Jaleb Khan and Kumari Sharda Rathore, Principal OSD to CM, M.S. Chopra, Media Advisor  Shiv Bhatia, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism of Karnataka, Arvind Jadhav were also present. 

A number of dignitaries including the Governor Mri Jagannath Pahadia, Speaker of Haryana Assembly,  Kuldeep Sharma, former Central Minister, Vinod Sharma were present at the lunch hosted by the Chief Minister. A cultural programme was presented before the distinguished guests, which included different dances from Karnataka, Bihu dance of Assam, Siddi Goma of Gujarat and folk dance of Haryana besides the dance items presented by the artists of Namabia, Tajikistan, Guinea, Congo, Egypt and South Africa.

Jalandhar, February 14, 2014: The Special Judicial Magistrate, Panchkula has convicted two private persons, namely Anil Aggarwal aand Jitender Rana in a forgery case. 

Accused Anil Aggarwal was sentenced to undergo four years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs.8,000 and another accused Jitender Rana was sentenced to undergo three years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs.7,000.

CBI had registered a case on June 12, 2003 on a complaint from Govt. of India. It was alleged that Anil Kumar Aggarwal, a resident of Saffidon, Distt Jind (Haryana) had applied for a loan of Rs.8 lakh to start cold drink business at Panipat, to Canara Bank, Asandh Road, Panipat (Haryana). The Canara Bank did not find Anil Kumar Aggarwal entitled for sanction of loan on the ground that he had lack of sufficient fund to ensure recovery. Anil Kumar Aggarwal applied pressure tactics by way of filing false complaints against the Bank and in the process, he personally handed over one forged letter dated 29.08.02, reported to have been issued by Deputy Secretary in the Prime Minister Office, New Delhi which was addressed to AGM, Canara Bank, Karnal.  On verification with the PMO by the AGM Canara Bank, Karnal, the Prime Minister Office denied that the said letter was ever issued by it.

The CBI investigation revealed that Anil Kumar Aggarwal had managed to get printed letter heads of Deputy Secretary of Prime Minister’s Office, New Delhi and got recommendation typed on the said fake PMO letter head. In this process, he got the said letter signed from Jitender Rana (another private person) by assuring him that when the loan would be sanctioned, he would help him for getting an Oil Depot.  Jitender Rana had signed the said fake letter.

On completion of investigation, a chargesheet was filed on July 22, 2004 in the Court of ACJM, Ambala U/s 120-B, 420,468, 471 and 511 of IPC against Anil Kumar Aggarwal and Shri Jitender Rana in the Designated Court.

The Trial Court found both the accused guilty and convicted them.

Surajkund (Haryana), February 14, 2013: The 27th Surajkund International Crafts Mela was a cynosure for the visitors who witnessed the spectacular grandeur of the Mela. Delectable cuisines, intricately designed handicrafts and a glitzy display of handlooms amidst the buzzing environment of the Mela provided a perfect setting for a getaway to India. One could see the delight in the eyes of the craftspersons as every Work Hut was packed customers.

An Exporters & Buyers Meet was conducted with the help of ‘Export Promotion Council’ for Handicrafts, so as to facilitate the possibility of exploring the business opportunities for the exporters and craftspersons alike. The purpose of this Meet was to endorse various arts and crafts and made them available directly to the exporters and buyers without any help from ‘middlemen’ or ‘agencies’. It was a unique opportunity for the 80 craftspersons and weavers to present their products to the exporters. This initiative is particularly important for the artisans for educating them to improvise their product and skill to make their product acceptable and sellable.

Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) under the aegis of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India is a non-profit organisation, which was established in the year 1986-87. It has created necessary infrastructure as well as marketing and information facilities, which are availed both by the member exporters and importers. The Council is engaged in promotion of handicrafts in India and project India’s image abroad as a reliable supplier of high quality handicrafts. Council’s continued pursuit of excellence and the objective of achieving the hallmark of quality assurance by extending excellent services to all the members and stake holders has led the Council to become an ISO 9001 : 2000 certified organisation.

The platform of 27th Surajkund International Crafts Mela provided a podium for EPCH to advocate about quality and design improvement, technology upgradation and diversifying various products. They gave the craftspersons an opportunity to participate in various Fairs/Festivals (Melas) for handlooms and handicrafts. They also gave away various commercially viable information and assistance to members in developing and increasing exports. Booklets, pamphlets and brochures on successful entrepreneurship and manufacturing were distributed to each craftsperson present in the Meet.

Such endeavours help the craftspersons to make their product more viable for the commercial market, stated one of the craftspersons. This type of exchange also helps the craftspersons to work in sync with the modern sensibilities of the customer. The idea behind the Meet was to assimilate them in the mainstream life and provide better livelihood options.

Theartisans translate their imaginations into reality through their creations. Mohammed Javed of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, makes beautiful brass statues. “The creation of brass statues follows many processes like casting, engraving and buffing. It takes around one or two days whereas creation of big size statues takes around four to five days.” His collection includes elephants, Krishna, Ganesha and dancing dolls.

Karnataka artisan Ramamurthy, “Wood Carving is such an intricate art and different kinds of woods in their natural forms are used to create big size idols and cantilevers. Special vegetable colours are used paint them. Each piece takes at least six to eight months to be transformed into reality.” He has made statues of Gods and animals depicting various occasions of ancient times.

Hase Chittra and Kinhal art are two famous art works of Karnataka. Hase Chittra is done with rice paste on handmade sheet and Kinhal art are mural paintings made from a mixture of pebble powder and tamarind paste, which forms the base for the application of paint.

There are statues and ornaments made out of the bones and Nepali Kukri made of copper metal.

The Natyashala had Udaan band of Dubai and singer Kamal Joshi perform on Thursday evening. They performed to a packed audience and got a round of applause for their rocking melodies.

(photo-caption:The Surajkund Mela is set in a striking ambience.)

Chandigarh, February 15, 2013: Various Kisan Unions; Environmental, Social ; Scientific and Health Groups; Organic Farming and Intellectuals' Organisations; today came together to express shock and dismay at the Punjab Government signing MoUs with Monsanto in the name of 'Crop Diversification'.

They pointed out that Monsanto is one company that has no expertise in diversification. On the contrary it is the “enemy no. 1” of diversification. It has a history of monopolistic and exploitative practices, promoting monocultures and has a well known legacy of being anti-farmer, anti people and anti-nature.

They called on the Punjab Government to immediately scrap the MoUs, they have signed with Monsanto to set up Research and Development (R&D) Centers in Punjab.

They warned that no government with any commitment to farmers would ever sign an MoU with such a “notorious” company as Monsanto. 

They pointed out that even in India a 'Biopiracy Case' has been filed against Monsanto by none other than the National Biodiversity Board (NBA).

Among the various groups that came together on this issue were Kheti Virasat Mission, Bharti Kisan Union- Sidhupur, BKU Dakunda , Kirti Kisan Union, Kisan Sanghrash Samiti , Punjab Kisan Union, Internationalist Democratic Party, Nature Human Centric People’s Movement, Punjab Manch, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Indian Doctors for Peace and Development, Cancer-Free World Foundation, Eco Sikh etc.  Several eminent citizens including Dr Daljit Singh, Eye Surgeon, Dr L S Chawla, former Vice Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Gyani Kewal Singh, former Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdma Sahib, Senior Journalists Satnam Singh Manak, Gobind Thukral; Dr Sucha Singh Gill, Director General CRRID, Prof Jagmohan Singh ,General Secretary AFDR , Dr Inderjit Kaur of Pingalwara and Dr G P I Singh, Vice Chancellor, Adesh University, Bathinda also joined in raising the concerns. Several other organisations also extended their support to the move against these MoUs including Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha, Scientific Awareness Forum, Azaadi Bachaao Andolan and Swadeshi Jagran Manch.     

Today the problems faced by Punjab are not those that can be solved by big monopolistic corporate like Monsanto. “Punjab is facing the ill-effects of the chemical-intensive agriculture- diminishing fertility of agricultural lands, depleting waters, environmental pollution, large number of speciesbecoming extinct because of reproductive failure and fast growing prevalence of cancers and other chronic illnesses amongst the citizens of the state.” said Epidemiologist Dr G P I Singh. “Both Pesticides and GM crops come from the same school of thought and the same labs that aim at profiting at the cost of farmers, public health and environment. This should not be allowed to continue” he added.

In this context, the dire need is of promoting diversity and ecological farming in the state while encouraging agricultural universities to take up research in this direction and allocating more funds in this direction. “True improvement in Punjab’s farming cannot be done by Monsanto who has no expertise on diversification or ecological restoration. Their technologies are simply a repetition of those that brought Punjab into the present ecological disaster in the first place” said Umendra Dutt, Executive Director, Kheti Virasat Mission. “Monsanto in fact is a corporation that represents monocultures and monopolies. No solutions lie here, as is obvious, if the Punjab government is thinking in an unbiased manner, with a long term vision. The government is clearly showing that it is not standing by the side of the people and environment of Punjab by getting into these agreements” he added.

Jagmohan Singh, General Secretary, BKU Dakunda speaking on the behalf of the joint front of 17 Farmers Unions said “Monsanto’s policies are explicitly anti-Farmer, anti-People, anti-Nature and it has been in the news world over for wrong reasons- for its monopolistic practices, and wiping out choices for the farmers in the long run, for bringing in and promoting toxic technologies like GM seeds, for adopting wrongful and unethical practices including bribing decision-makers for obtaining regulatory approvals etc.”.

“The technologies that Monsanto is selling have nothing to do with smallholder farming in the country and are not going to add to the food security of the country. In fact, this will only result in Punjab losingits position in India as a farming and farmer-centered state.” He reminded that “in the United States, the use of herbicide-tolerant GM crops, mostly of Monsanto's seeds, have created an ecological disaster in the form of superweeds in more than 60 million hectares, and this has become a burden for the farmers. Such disasters would have much more serious impacts in India. Herbicide usage, that too of old generation deadlier pesticides along with the adverse impacts of Glyphosate, will add to the woes of cancer-ridden Punjab.”

The group also brought to the notice of the public that earlier in April 2012, Gujarat Government had withdrawn Monsanto’s proprietary seeds of Hybrid Maize, from various ongoing government projects in the state under the name of Project Sunshine, which were being used to distribute among tribal farmers of the state. Monsanto has also been caught red handed in the flagrant violations of illegal field trials in different parts of the country. Even in October this year in Kurukshetra (Haryana), farmers forced the Haryana Agriculture University authorities to completely destroy the field trial of Monsanto’s GM corn.

Social activist Hemant Goswami mentioned that the solution of Punjab lies in true indigenous pro-people scientific approach to agriculture and not the industry-driven science which is actually untested quack science, slyly pushed as the new science.“How can a company which earns multi-billion dollar profit by only licensing patents, and its business executives who live in five star facilities, provide an alternative to the peculiar problems faced by farmers in Punjab? It's clear that the interest of Monsanto driven scientists and bureaucrats is to make some quick money at the cost of complete destruction of Punjab,” Goswami added.

Amidst all the ongoing developments, it is shocking and disappointing that our state government is encouraging on its own an unethical company like Monsanto, ignoring the voices of several farmers, farmer unions, members of civil society and eminent scientists who have opposed the practices of Monsanto and similar seed companies, who only intended to maximise their profits in the name of farmers, putting at stake the sovereignty of millions of small and marginal farmers.

The groups reminded that in a recently released report of the Centre for Food Safety of the US, as of December 2012, Monsanto had filed 142 alleged seed patent infringement lawsuits against 410 farmers and56 small farm businesses in 27 states of USA. Monsanto till date has been awarded 72 judgments totalling a whopping $23,675,820.99 which is around Rs 110 crore as fine to the farmers. Monsanto has achieved this through its Intellectual Property Rights over the seeds, an unheard of practice in India, where seeds being the gift of Nature and are the rights of farmers. Does Punjab Government want to allow Monsanto to enslave Punjab farmers and loot in similar way?  Groups asked the Punjab Government to clarify its stand on this issue.

The signatories also warned that in spite of repeated warnings, if the Punjab Government continues with their association with Monsanto, they would be forced to take such steps that would be necessary for protecting the lives, the health and the food security and sovereignty of Punjab and the Nation. The lasting solutions in farming are based in farmer-controlled diversity-based farming, not corporation-controlled Monoculture under the deceptive label of 'diversification' of crops. They also warned that it will not be possible to be a silent spectator to the designs of the Government to allow such notorious companies to decide the fate of India's agriculture.  It also asked the Punjab Government to wake up to the call of the lacs of affected farmers, poisoned and sick people, dying species, toxic and depleting waters and damaged soil, and take steps to move Punjab into a sustainable, self-reliant, pro farmer, pronature, health promoting  and safe farming practices.

Most of Groups signatories to the statement were already active on the issue  after forming a socio-environmental coalition called Vatavaran Aty Samaj Bachaao Morcha Punjab last year are now decided to reactive the Morcha and will take-up the issue further told Maliwinder Singh Mali an Morcha member.

Surajkund, (Haryana),February 15, 2013:  27th Surajkund International Crafts Mela, which started on February 1 has come to an end.

Declaring the close of the Mela, Haryana Governor,  Jagannath Pahadia commended the role of the artisans and artists in the safeguarding the traditional crafts and culture of the country.

He called upon the youth to continue this tradition and strengthen the national integration.

Pahadia said that history of ancient civilization is connected with the development of crafts and culture. The crafts products, the artifacts and cultural presentations are symbol of country’s rich heritage. The participation of different countries in this Mela has given it an international look.

Appreciating the contribution of theme state Karnataka, Pahadia said that handicrafts and handlooms of Karnataka are famous in the world. In the Mela, the Aapna Ghar of Karnataka had been the center of attraction for the visitors.

Pahadia said that it is a matter of pride that Mela provides a strong platform to the art lovers. Mela has given an opportunity to the exporters and crafts persons to deal with each other without middlemen. They also learn from the experience of each other and improve their art.

Pahadia congratulated the organizers for successfully organizing the Mela. He also gave away the Kalamani, Kalanidhi and Kalashree awards to the best artisans, who participated in the Mela. They were provided with prize money of Rs. 11000, 5100 and 2100 each respectively along with certificates.

Karnataka Tourism Minister, Anand Singh said that participation of Karnataka in the Mela is just a beginning of a long journey. He thanked the Surajkund Mela Authority and particularly the officers of Haryana Tourism for their Cooperation.

Haryana CPS of Tourism, Ram Kishan Fouji expressed his gratitude to the Governor for having graced the occasion. He said that numbers of facilities have been increased this time and more visitors have come to see Mela as compared to last year.

The Additional Chief Secretary of Tourism of Karnataka Arvind Jadhav, Principal Secretary Tourism of Haryana Vijay Vardhan, MD of Haryana Tourism Corporation Anand Mohan Sharan also spoke on this occasion.

Sharan said that over 1,200 artisans and 600 artists participated in this year’s Mela. It will be our effort to maintain the benchmark established by Karnataka in the coming Melas also.

A cultural programme was presented in the concluding function of the Mela by the artists of Asam, Guinea, Congo and the theme State Karnataka.

Jalandhar, February 16, 2013: Common entrance examination for Soldiers General Duty category conducted by Punjab Regimental Centre Ramgarh Cantt (Jharkhand) on January 27, 2013 has been cancelled due to some unavoidable circumstances.  

This was held under the aegis of  HQ Recruiting Zone Bihar and Jharkhand.

Now the new date for Common entrance examination for Soldiers General Duty category is rescheduled on February 24, 2013 at 1000 hr in Punjab Regimental Centre, Ramgarh.

All Candidates from Roll Number 001 to 278 (except Roll Number 082) are further required to report at Punjab Regimental Centre by February 23, 2013.

Ludhiana, February 16, 2013: First day of National CAs Convention 2013, organised by the Ludhiana Branch of NIRC of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India at ICAI Bhawan, Ludhiana was very eventful.

The Convention started event started with welcome address by Ludhiana Branch Chairman Jasminder Singh who shared the about the theme of the Convention ‘Visualise-Plan-Achieve” and all about Schedule of Convention and eminent speakers.

Rajeev K. Sharma conducted the proceedings of the Convention.

Dr. Abraham Thomas, Director, CMC & H, was the Chief Guest, shared his views that it is the highest ethical standards of CA profession that makes it the most preferred and honoured profession all over the world.

Mukhinder Singh, Past National President–JCI India, Guest Speaker gave a talk on the Topic “Strategies for Success–A Practical Approach” Giving a Seven Step Strategy of Fixing of Goals, taking guidance of nature, time management, learning from mistakes, choosing exact course of action, systematic work, mutual love and affection. He shared with the audience the effective manner in which they can work efficiently even under stressful circumstances.

Ashok Batra, an authority on Service Tax gave a talk on the Topic “Service Tax on Import and Export of Services & Reverse/Joint Charge Mechanism”. He explained its implications and answered the queries of audience.

Sunil Arora, an eminent expert on Income Tax Matters gave a talk on the Topic “Recent Developments in Issues & Pricing of Shares u/s 56 & 68 of Income Tax Act”. He explained its implications and answered the queries of audience. The participants not only immensely benefited from the insights of the speaker but received answers to their questions as well. CA. Vishal Garg Chairman, North India CA Students Association, also addressed the audience.

Culture programme with family was also organised at Kumra Palace wherein Simarjit Singh Bains, MLA, was the chief guest. In the `Hasya Kavi Sammellan’ Deepak Gupta, Hari Singh Dilbar, Shallini Sargam and Manjeet Singh made the audience enjoyed.

A programme on `Hasya Yog’, a Yoga in laughing style was also conducted by Jiten Kohli from New Delhi.

Amongst others, CA. Vishal Garg, CA. Rajeev K. Sharma, CA. Hukminder Sahi, CA. Vikas Giya, CA. Rachit Bhandari, CA. Pankaj Periwal,  CA. Vishal Garg, were present.

On the second day of Convention to be held on February 17, eminent Speakers CA. C.V. Sajan, CA. Dr. Girish Ahuja, P.T. Giridharan, CA. Ajay Jain will give deliberation on `Challenges in Financial Reporting in Changing Times, Issues on Capital Gain & Real Estate Transactions, Companies Bill 2012 – Issues relating to Accounts & Audit, Emerging Opportunities in Bank Audits/ Sector. 

Dharamsala, February 16, 2013: An inquiry report into phone tapping by the previous BJP government in Himachal Pradesh, in violation of the Indian Telegraph Act, Friday said around 750 telephonic conversations, mainly of politicians and bureaucrats, were recorded.

This was done in the regime of the Prem Kumar Dhumal-led BJP government, which was in power in the state from December 2007 to December 2012.

The objective was aimed on Congress leaders, BJP dissidents and even journalists were not spared.

The laboratory analysed the data retrieved from hard discs of computers seized from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters.

This was done in December 26 last year, a day after Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh assumed charge.

The report, prepared by State Forensic Science Laboratory in Junga , and  been submitted to the government.

Chief Secretary Sudipto Roy said over this, “A committee will now look into that how many out of them were recorded without following due norms.”

The Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said ,” All those responsible for unauthorised recording of telephonic conversations will  not be spared.”

Ludhiana, February 16, 2013: Common man is very much concerned profit and loss of the Railways.

In-fact, this is because of the fact that there is a general perception in the mind of everybody that the Railways have been running into the losses year after year.

But, this is not the fact.

City-based resident Varinder Singh had filed an application under the Right to Information Act, to know the financial condition (year-wise profit/loss) of the Railways.

In reply, Singh, a resident of Chaura Bazaar, Ludhiana has received the following information, which is very interesting. The Railways earned maximum revenue when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Minister for Railways.

It may be mentioned here that Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Minister for Railways from May 23, 2004 to May 22, 2009.

Moreover, as per the data made available to Singh, the Railways has been earning profit except the years 1966-67, 1967-68, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1973-74, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1983-84 and 1985-85.

Year             Excess (+)/Shortfall (-)

                     (In crores)  

1959-60      20.12

1960-61      32.01

1961-62      24.40

1962-63      42.06

1963-64      49.24

1964-65      13.18

1965-66       18.56

1966-67      -18.27

1967-68      -31.53

1968-69      -7.86

1969-70    -9.83

1970-71    -19.84

1971-72     17.84

1972-73     2.92

1973-74    -115.51

1974-75    -113.83

1975-76    -61.11

1976-77    126.23

1978-79     36.66

1979-80    -66.24

1980-81    -197.87

1981-82      46.59

1982-83     118.31

1983-84    -44.75

1984-85    -195.59

1985-86     178.83

1986-87     101.99

1987-88     84.29

1988-89     21.67

1990-91     175.67

1991-92     435.00

1992-93     441.05

1993-94     1806.08

1994-95     2446.40

1995-96     2870.63

1997-98     1535.22

1998-99     399.08

1999-00     845.89

2000-01     763.59

2001-02     1000.35

2002-03     1115.40

2003-04     1091.41

2004-05     2074.23

2005-06     4337.96

2006-07     10206.32

2007-08     13431.09

2008-09     4456.78

2009-10     0.75

2010-11     1404.89

2011-12     1201.03

(Note: figures for 2011-12 are provisional)

Jalandhar, February 17, 2013: The Corps of Signals completed 102 years of its glorious odyssey on 15 Feb 2013.

The journey has been an inspiring saga of enterprise and endeavour of courage, commitment and accomplishment.

The Corps has grown over the last 102 years into a versatile and vibrant force, matching the best in the world, making its mark in operations, both pre as well as post independence era.

As part of 102nd anniversary of Corps of Signals various functions were celebrated here, on Sunday.

During the event display of Corps of Signals Taekwondo, Kalaripayattu, Motor Cycle Riders Dispatch Team, Best Physique Team, Corps Military Band, Pipes & Drums Band teams enthralled all. The event was attended by serving signal officers, JCOs and OR and their families and retired JCOs/OR.  

A Barakhana was also organised on the occasion.

Whereas on the occasion, Central Barakhana was held at Delhi in which Lt Gen SP Kochhar, Signal Officer-in-Chief and Senior Col Commandant, Corps of Signals was the Chief Guest.