In Brief 8212; Chandigarh

Halwais to hold rally today
The Punjab sweet meat shopkeepers, bread makers and bakery owners are organising a protest rally here tommorow to press for the removal of five per cent cess tax on these commodities. According to a release, all the sweet meat shopkeepers, bakery owners and bread makers would shut down their establishments tommorow. The union leaders threatened a stir in case the state government failed to conceded to their demand on cess removal. quot;Neither the shopkeepers nor people can bear the burden of five per cent more tax quot;, they said.

Fee hike condemned
In a meeting of the Panjab University Students Union PUSU held today, President Binder Singh condemned the recent hike in college fees announced by the university authorities.Singh has threatened to launch 8220;a large scale agitation8221; if the hike was not withdrawn by January 15, a press release said.

Two-day seminar planned
The University Business School, Panjab University, and the local chapter of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India are jointly organising a Seminar on Strategic Cost Management from January 16 and 17, a press release said.

Ayurveda meet
A national conference on Ayurveda is being organised at Punjab Bhawan on January 9 by Rashtriya Ayurveda Parishad. Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal will inaugurated the conference while Madan Lal Khurana, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, will preside over the function. According to the vice-president of the Parishad, Dr Suman Sharma, eminent personalities like Padam Bhushan Rajvaidya Brihspat Dev Triguna, Dr S.K. Sharma, advisor, Ayurveda, Government of India, will participate in the conference.