Briefly State

589 education staff dismissed

Chandigarh: The Punjab government has sacked 589 teaching and non-teaching staff of the state Education Department for being absent from duties. Disclosing this Tuesdsay,state Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka said 212 teaching and non-teaching staff had already been sacked and now 377 more teaching and non-teaching staff have been dismissed.

Jailed farmers protest poor conditions

Ludhiana: More than 600 farmers lodged in Faridkot jail have started a dharna to get their demands met. The farmers were arrested between March 6 and March 10 – just before their planned protest against diesel hike and MSP prices. Apart from Faridkot,1,400 farmers have also been lodged in jails of Nabha and Bathinda. The farmers are now protesting against jail authorities for poor quality of food,drinking water and condition of jail barracks. Farmer Union leader Sukhdarshan Natt,who had gone to meet the farmers in Faridkot Jail,said: “The farmers are being harassed by serving them poor quality of food and even clean drinking water is not made available.”

CM releases school fee for PVC sepoy’s sons

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Tuesday released Rs 40,200 as the annual fee for the two grandsons of Param Veer Chakra awardee late Sepoy Babu Singh. The fee would be released every year for the education of his grandsons —- Rajwinder Singh and Dharam Singh,studying in Holy Heart Senior Secondary Convent School,in Mangwal village of district Sangrur,an official spokesperson said.

March 17 paid holiday in Talwara

Chandigarh: Punjab government has declared March 17 as the weekly paid holiday for workers in shops,commercials establishments and factories situated within the limits of Talwara nagar panchayat to exercise their franchise in panchayat polls scheduled that day,an official spokesperson said.

CM urges bans to bail out peasantry

Chandigarh: Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Tuesday called on the banks and financial institutions to play a proactive role in bailing out the peasantry by offering them soft loans for crop diversification. Interacting with the CMD of the Syndicate Bank,MG Sanghvi,Badal said banks need to devise loan schemes especially for the small and marginal farmers by giving lucrative incentives to them for supplementing their incomes from other allied farming sectors.

Solar power plants for all Akal academies

Chandigarh: Punjab government will install solar power plants 5 to 15 KW aggregating to a total of 245 KW in 45 Akal Academies of the Kalgidhar Trust in the state. Minister for New and Renewable Energy,Bikram Singh Majitjhia Tuesday said the government has also launched programme under which the rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Power Projects will be set up at government institutions and religious buildings.

Gupta is director National Judicial Academy

Chandigarh: Senior lawyer and former chairman,department of law,Panjab University,Dr Balram K. Gupta has been appointed as the Director,National Judicial Academy,Bhopal by the Chief Justice of India. Gupta,who has devoted 45 years to teaching and practicing law,said,“It has been a very satisfying innings. I am keenly looking forward to the new responsibility.”

Infant girl found abandoned

Jalandhar: A girl child,just a few days old,was abandoned in a village near Lambra Tuesday. The girl was spotted near some bushes by a passerby. The infant was brought to Civil Hospital for medical treatment and has been sent to Nari Niketan.

Three persons killed in road mishaps

Jalandhar: Three persons were killed in two separate roads accidents in Jalandhar on Tuesday. In the first incident at Nurmahal,two persons were killed after the tractor they were travelling on collided head-on with an Innova. In the second incident near Ravidas Chowk,a cyclist was crushed to death by a tempo. Police have booked the drivers in both accidents.

16-yr-old says raped by landlord

Jalandhar: A 16-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her land lord in Mohall Banjerwal,Hoshiarpur. Thegirl alleged that their landlord raped her when her mother and brother were not at home. Police have booked the accused u/s 376 IPC. The accused is absconding.

DMCH a public authority,to come under RTI

Ludhiana: A full bench of the State Information Commission (SIC) comprising Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) R I Singh and State Information Commissioners Surinder Avasthi and Chanderparkash,on Tuesday,stated that Dyanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) is a public authority and comes under the ambit of Section (2) of RTI Act. DMCH will now have to appoint an Public Information Officer(PIO) and first appellant authority within one month. DMCH had claimed that it was a non-government and un-aided private hospital and did not come under RTI. It was however revealed that the hospital had sought several indirect government benefits including exemption of house tax,waiver of stamp duty etc.