IT Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: Here’s news to cheer Punjab farmers who can now take loans from cooperative banks without turning to arhtiyas who lend money at exorbitant interest rates. NABARD has decided to double the total credit potential of Punjab’s cooperative and agriculture development banks for the present financial year from Rs 1,100 to 2,300 crore.

A decision to this effect was taken recently by NABARD after a series of meetings with Punjab cooperation minister Kanwaljit Singh in Mumbai.

Singh took note of farmers’ plight who sought loans only to return disappointed from co-operative banks due to lack of cash and hence had to depend on arhtiyas. However, with the new policy, farmer would be benefited with lesser bank interest rates to be paid, said Singh. The government also increased the target to disperse the loan through agriculture development bank this year from Rs 235 to 600 crore. Short-term loans dispersed through co-operative societies, is expected to be between Rs 1,600 and 1,700 crore as compared to last year’s Rs 800 to 900 crore following the decision.

Singh said NABARD assured to increase the loan credit up to Rs 2,500 crore next year.

Source: The Times of India News Service

CHANDIGARH: The State Election Commission has directed the Punjab government to “reassess the law and order situation in the state and take appropriate steps” before the August 8 municipal elections in Patiala, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar cities.

In a letter to the chief secretary, state election commissioner AK Dubey referred to a representation by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) wherein the opposition party had demanded deployment of paramilitary forces citing instances of lawlessness “at the behest of the ruling alliance.” Chief secretary RI Singh confirmed receiving the communique sent by the commission.

In a separate communication, Dubey has also taken serious notice of a recent statement by principal secretary, local bodies, DS Bains, announcing introduction of local bus service in corporation towns, seeking explanation on whether the announcement of a new venture amounted to violation of code of conduct.

Interestingly, the scheme was announced during the previous Congress regime. Since it could not be started by them, the new government is taking it up.

Source: The Times of India News Service

CHANDIGARH: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has named the head of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, as an accused in two cases of murder and one of rape. CBI standing counsel Rajan Gupta told mediapersons outside the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday that the agency has submitted three different chargesheets before the Ambala-based trial court which issued notices to the Dera chief for August 31. In the event of failure on the part of Rahim Singh to present himself on the assigned date of August 31, the trial court would issue non-bailable warrants and arrest him, he added.

The cases relate to the murder of Dera manager Ranjit Singh, Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati and alleged rape of “sadhvis”. Earlier, the CBI filed a final status report in the court of justices Adesh Kumar Goel and Ajay Lamba about the three cases in compliance of the high court order.

While Rahim Singh is the only accused in the rape case, there are six accused in the Ranjit murder case and four in that of Chhatrapati. The report was filed in a sealed cover following which the bench disposed off a petition seeking filing of the status report by the investigating agency.

Meanwhile, Rahim Singh is reported to be in consultation with his legal advisors over VB’s report and may go in for an interim anticipatory bail in all the three cases. However, it is not known whether he would approach the trial court for relief or knock at the doors of the high court directly.
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CHANDIGARH: After the violent incidents at Jalandhar Congress office on Monday, where dissatisfied Congress leaders expressed their anger at being left out for party ticket, it is now the turn of Ludhiana Congressmen to air their grievances over the candidate selection process.

PPCC general secretary and member incharge of Ludhiana corporation elections, Gurbinder Singh Atwal, has shot off a letter to AICC general secretary and incharge of Punjab affairs, Janardan Dwivedi, stating that the selection process of candidates for Ludhiana MC elections was arbitrary and without consulting local leaders. Atwal was learnt to have also made a verbal complaint to PPCC acting chief SS Dullo, holding Ludhiana urban DCC president Jagmohan Pradhan and Congress leader Bal Mukand Sharma responsible for irregularities in the selection process.

The letter said panel of candidates for MC polls “was prepared and submitted by the vice president incharge of the committee without consultation.

Source: The Times of India News Service

Chandigarh: The chairman of Nasscom, Lakshmi Narayanan, would be in the city tomorrow to attend the inaugural session of the two-day IT conclave at Taj GVK here tomorrow. The third edition of the IT event is being organised by the governments of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh along with the software technology parks of India. While the UT administrator, Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd), would inaugurate the event, A.P.S. Kairon, minister for information technology, Punjab, and Harmohinder Singh Chatha, minister for agriculture, Haryana, would be the guests of honour.

The Nasscom chief would speak on the industry’s perspective and Nasscom’s theme. Issues of changing landscape of India’s emerging knowledge economy, talent management, performance issues, building an ecosystem, deploying the power of online resources, and achieving excellence by adapting global standards would be deliberated upon. Others to speak on the occasion will be Dr Omkar Rai, director HQ, STPI, and S.K. Sandhu, secretary IT and finance, Chandigarh administration.

Some of the key speakers at tomorrow’s sessions include Vishnu Dusad, MD, Nucleus Software Exports, and Srinath Batni, director and group co head (worldwide customer delivery), Infosys Technology.

Source: TNS

Chandigarh: To register their resentment against the acquisition of land for Phase III of the IT park, farmers under the banner of the Chandigarh Sanjha Morcha would now be approaching big personalities associated with the IT industry.

The farmers have announced that they would be submitting their plea to representatives of IT companies who are scheduled to attend a two-day conclave on e-revolution starting here tomorrow.

“The intention is to draw the attention of companies investing in the city to the injustice to farmers whose land is forcibly acquired for the purpose. Though the IT industry boasts of giving employment to hundreds of people, they ignore the fact that this acquisition deprives thousands of others of their homes and only means of livelihood,” said a spokesman of the morcha.

They would point out that landowners wanted that the free trade practices that companies demand for themselves should be extended to them as well.

Farmers were paid Rs 10 lakh for property that was sold at Rs 11 crore in the IT park.

Source: TNS

Installation of high-capacity incinerator

Chandigarh: The Chandigarh administration has rejected a proposal of the GMCH, Sector 32, to install a high-capacity incinerator to treat biomedical waste.

The 500-bed hospital generates around 250 kg of waste daily and the existing facility is inadequate to treat it. The incinerator can treat only 10 kg of waste per hour.

The hospital authorities have no option but to transport the waste to the Sector 16 Government Multi-Specialty Hospital which caters to the waste generated by various government hospital and dispensaries.

The administration has rejected the proposal citing stringent provisions of the central pollution control board which allows incinerators only at common biomedical waste treatment facility.

Sources said the Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998, states that installation of individual incineration facility by a healthcare unit shall be discouraged as far as possible but approval might be granted in certain inevitable situations where no option was available.
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Chandigarh: Two computerised selection tests are being introduced by the armed forces to screen candidates seeking a commission as officers. One is a comprehensive battery of cognitive assessment and the other, a pilot selection system is already undergoing field trials with a selection board.

The systems, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) caters to certain additional aspects of testing and assessments which were not be adequately addressed by the conventional systems in vogue.

The comprehensive battery of cognitive assessment (CBCA) is related to the measurement of intelligence, which has been an integral part of the selection system for officers. Cognition refers to all the mental processes that are involved in the acquisition, storage, retrieval and application of information, both real and imaginary.

The concept of intelligence, according to a DRDO in-house bulletin, has undergone a change and there has been a paradigm shift from the measurement of intelligence to the assessment of cognition. The prototype CBCA measures a wider spectrum of cognition and is not only restricted to the measurement of reasoning as done by earlier intelligence assessments. It would measure different dimensions of cognitions like attention, memory, problem solving, decision making, reasoning and concept formation.
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Mohali: A treasure hunt left scores of residents of Nehru Colony here ‘rubble rich.’ The clearing of the wreckage at the Phase 3BI rehri market, gutted in a fire two months ago, began this morning. As the blistered tinsheets were removed, burnt goods found from beneath attracted a host of residents from the nearby Nehru Colony.

While children of the colony took the lead in the morning, searching for clothes and toys, by evening, women from the colony too had flocked to the site to take home some ‘treasure’.

A family from the colony that had spent the day going through the debris was zealously guarding their find while it was being transported to the colony in plastic bags. “We have found clothes of every size. They are not burnt and can be used. I even found a silver earring,” said a pleased Sarita.

Small pieces of jewellery and coins attracted many to the market. The early birds did well. As news spread that debris of jewellery shops were yielding rich rewards, women were seen straining their eyes for ‘shiny object.’

“My neighbour has found a chain,” said Rukhmani, scurrying through the debris in the hope of making it “rich’ too.

Source: TNS

Third victim in 24 hrs, but cops won’t move

Chandigarh: Despite efforts of the Chandigarh Police, the Muradabadi gang struck the city again this afternoon, depriving a woman of Rs 5,000 in cash and some documents in Sector 34, the third victim in 24 hours.

The police, it appears, has invented its own method to tackle the crime. Violating the apex court directions on compulsory registration of FIRs in cognizable offences, the cops register DDRs instead, and the crime is “checked.”

V.K.Chimni said his wife Sharan Chimni was waiting in her Toyota Innova SUV (CH-03-W-5480) in Sector 34 at 3.30 pm when a middle-aged man knocked at the window, informing her that her money had fallen out. His wife looked out and found Rs 10 denomination notes on the ground. She picked one or the notes and turned towards the man to say that the money did not belong to her. By that time, the man had walked away and vanished.

Chimni said when his wife looked inside the vehicle, she found that her handbag was missing. The bag contained Rs 5,000 in card, six credit and ATM cards and a mobile phone. The police was informed and a DDR (No 34, missing purse and documents) registered at the Sector 34 police station.
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