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November, 2008

 

UPINDERJIT KAUR CONDOLES THE DEATH BIBI MUKHTIAR KAUR

Chandigarh November 13:

The Education and Languages Minister Punjab Dr. Upinderjit Kaur today expressed deep sorrow at the sad demise of Bibi Mukhtiar Kaur wife of famous Punjabi writer Mr. Jaswant Singh Kanwal of Dudhike who expired after brief illnesses.

In a condolence message the Education Minister described her as a pious and God-fearing lady who contributed her might for the welfare of society. She always acted as a highly motivating force for her husband to achieve such a respectable place as a renowned novelist of the Punjabi literature.

Expressing her heartfelt sympathy with the bereaved family Dr. Upinderjit Kaur prayed to God to give peace to the departed soul and strength in this difficult hour to bear this irreparable loss


RESERVE CANDIDATES COULD CONTEST AS SARPANCHES WITHOUT PROPOSERS AND SECONDERS-BRAHAMPURA

Chandigarh November 13:

With a view to give due reservation benefits to the SCs and BCs at the grass root level, the Punjab Government has directed that the pending elections to the posts of gram sarpanches on reserve seats for SCs/BCs should be held without any proposer and seconder where such candidates have no majority of panches as per the scheduled rules.

Disclosing this here today Mr. Ranjit Singh Brahampura, Rural Development and Panchayats and Elections Minister Punjab said that it was mandatory for any elected panch to have a proposer and a seconder from the quoram/majority of elected of panches in order to contest the election of a village sarpanch. But in more than 150 villages in the state, the elections of reserved categories sarpanchs could not be held due to the lack of quoram/majority as the only reserved panch elected to the gram panchayat could not muster the support of a proposer and a seconder according to the section 45 of Punjab Panchayat Election Rules 1994.

The Minister added that in order to provide the proportionate reservations to the downtrodden in the panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) as promised by the SAD-BJP government, the department has issued a notification amending the rules in this regard so as to enable the SC/BC panches to contest the elections of reserved gram sarpanches without any proposer and seconder.

Mr. Brahampura has also directed all the Deputy Commissioners of the state to hold the election meetings of reserved gram panchayats within two weeks so that the election process to such villages could be completed at the earliest.


PADDY PROCUREMENT TOUCHES 129.32 LAC TONNES MARK

Chandigarh, November 13: Six government agencies and millers procured over 129,32,215 tonnes of paddy on Wednesday .

An official spokesman today said that PUNGRAIN procured 35,62,595 tonnes of paddy (29.9%) whereas MARKFED procured 27,40,059 tonnes of paddy (23.0%). PUNSUP procured 26,82,091 tonnes of paddy (22.5%) whereas Punjab State Warehousing Corporation procured 14,84,393 tonnes of paddy (12.4%) besides 12,52,773 tonnes of paddy (10.5%) procured by Punjab Agro. The Central Government Agency FCI procured only 2,05,469 tonnes of paddy (1.7%). The Millers procured 10,04,834 tonnes of paddy (7.8 %) by Wednesday.

Ludhiana district is maintaining its lead in paddy procurement by procuring 16,06,013 tonnes of paddy alone. It is followed by Sangrur(14,73,048 tonnes), Ferozepur(12,06,238), Moga(11,38,671 tonnes)and Patiala (11,27,160 tonnes) districts respectively.

The spokesman said that lifting of procured paddy from the mandis has started showing positive results with PUNGRAIN (98.7%), MARKFED (96.2%), PUNSUP (98.8%), PSWC (98.6%), PUNJAB AGRO (98.3%) and FCI (99.8%) showing substantial improvement.

He said that Electronic Clearing System(ECS) introduced by Punjab in Mandis of two districts this year and online monitoring system introduced all over state by Mr. Adesh Pratap Singh, Food and Supplies Minister to make payments to the farmers proved a quite success as Rs. 10130.75 crores were paid to farmers till Tuesday. Moreover, Bonus of Rs. 50 per tonne announced by the Union Government is being credited in the bank accounts of farmer's directly. A credit cash limit of Rs.12623.62 crore sanctioned by the Reserve Bank of India for the procurement of paddy for the Kharif season by all the state agencies had been received by the state Finance Department

The Punjab Food Supply had setup 1622 procurement centres throughout the state to ensure smooth procurement of paddy.


WORLD DIABETES DAY ON 14TH NOVEMBER

Prof. Bajaj calls for focus on preventive healthcare

November 13, Chandigarh

It is imperative to focus on preventive healthcare to combat the fast-rising challenge of diabetes, said Prof. JS Bajaj Vice-Chairman of Punjab State Planning Board in a message on the eve of the World Diabetes Day.

Prof. Bajaj, who is also the Honorary President for life of International Diabetes Federation and among the country's foremost specialists, in a press release stated that Diabetes was emerging as an important challenge for both planners as well as medical practitioners in the country. He stated that owing to lifestyle changes and obesity, the incidence of Diabetes in even younger populations was on the rise. Sedentary lifestyle, change in eating habits with higher consumption of processed and fatty foods and stress levels were contributing to rising Diabetes cases being reported across the globe.


Prof. Bajaj stated that 14th November has been celebrated as Children's Day in the memory of the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. In November 1976, at the 9th International Diabetes Congress at New Delhi, in his address he had observed: "We commemorate 14 November jointly as the birthday of Frederick Banting and Jawahar Lal Nehru. While the former by his discovery of insulin gave life to millions, Nehru through his 'Discovery of India' gave a new meaning to the life of millions in India and elsewhere."
The issue of suitably commemorating 14 November was taken up in right earnest in 1985 when Prof. Bajaj took over as the President of International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Since 1991, it has also been commemorated as World Diabetes Day by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization to mark the birth anniversary of Frederick Banting, who discovered insulin. In 2007, the United Nations marked the Day for the first time with the passage of the United Nations World Diabetes Day Resolution in December 2006, which made the existing World Diabetes Day an official United Nations World Health Day.

Contrary to general belief, Diabetes is one of the common chronic diseases to affect children. It can strike children of any age, even toddlers and babies. If not detected early enough in a child, the disease can be fatal or result in serious brain damage. Every parent, school teacher, school nurse, doctor and anyone involved in the care of children should be familiar with the warning signs and alert to the diabetes threat. It was also necessary to inculcate the right eating habits and encourage regular physical activity in the youth. This was all the more important in the context of India being a developing country with a large population. In view of the same, the International Diabetes Federation had decided to focus on the theme Diabetes and Children to observe the years 2007 and 2008, said Prof. Bajaj.


Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department

Kairon takes stock of payment of paddy bonus to farmers through banks
Chandigarh, Nov.12 The Food and Supplies Minister, Adesh Partap Singh Kairon Wednesday in a meeting with commercial and private banks advised the bank authorities in the state to open no-frill accounts of farmers for direct payment of bonus on paddy during current season.
Kairon held a detailed meeting with the General Managers/Dy. General Managers of various Banks in Punjab Bhawan in connection with online bonus payment to the farmers of the State. He said that state Government will disburse more than 650 Crore to the farmers for the payment of bonus on Paddy.

He observed that previously there was an inordinate delay in making payment of the bonus and sometime dispute also occurred and cases remained pending for years together. To improve this system and to make immediate payment, it has been decided to make bonus payment direct to the farmer's account. He advised the banks to open no-fril account of the farmers who are not having any bank account without any condition of keeping minimum balance.

The lead banks of various districts of Punjab have taken the responsibility for extending full co-operation for making bonus payment to the farmers' bank accounts. The District Food & Supplies Controllers will render necessary help to the banks. The Minister has also given presentation to Government of India which agreed to the proposal given by him.


KISAN MELA'S PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY TO FARMERS TO DISCUSS THEIR PROBLEMS

CHANDIGARH, November 12:

Kissan Mela's organised by Agriculture Department Punjab would be proved beneficial for farming community as farmers could redress their problems and clear their doubts after discussing with experts.

Expressing these views Punjab Agriculture Minister S. Sucha Singh Langah appealed to farmers of the state to ensure their participation in these Kisan Melas to know latest technical know-how. Latest information regarding certified seed, fertilizer, medicines, Agriculture tools and mechanism would also be provided by the experts to educate farmers to get maximum yield with low cost.


 

KALIA GREETS PEOPLE ON GURU NANAK 'PURB'

Chandigarh, November 12: Extending greetings to all Punjabi's Punjab Industries Minister, Mr. Manoranjan Kalia said that the teaching of Guru Nanak Devji , knit the entire mankind into one Universal brotherhood. In his message on the eve of Gurpurb, Mr. Kalia said our prime duty was to imbibe teaching of Guru Nanak Dev Ji which are relevant forever in our daily life to attain salvation



Punjab increases sugarcane prices

Chandigarh November 12:

Punjab Agriculture Minister Mr. Sucha Singh Langah today announced State Assured Price (SAP) of sugarcane for the crushing season of 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 during a meeting of the sugarcane control board presided over by the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal.

Giving the details Mr. Langah said that the price of the advanced, medium and late variety of sugarcane had been fixed at Rs.165, Rs.160 and Rs.155 per quintal for the crushing season of 2008-2009 likewise the prices of these varieties had been fixed at Rs.180, Rs.175 and Rs.170 per quintal for the crushing season of year 2009-2010. He hoped that with an increase of SAP the sugar industry both in private as well as cooperative sector would be benefitted alongwith the cane growers. He urged the farmers to bring more area under quality sugarcane cultivation so that our mills could produce high quality sugarcane.

Prominent amongst who were present in the meeting included Financial Commissioner Development R.S. Sandhu, Vishwajit Khanna, Registrar Cooperatives, Chairman Sugarfed Pritam Singh Kaunta, M.D. Sugarfed Vinod Kumar Bhalla, Cane Commissioner Dr. Mangal Singh Sonar besides Jarnail Singh Wahid, Sukhdeep Singh Wahid, Om Bir, Director Mukerian and Dhuri, Balbir Singh Rajewal, President Bhartiya Kisan Union.


Cooperative Agriculture Societies sign MoUs for marketing of consumer goods

New plan formulated to strengthen cooperative societies at grass root level : Capt. Kanwaljit Singh

Chandigarh, November 12 : Punjab Cooperative deparment has started a new initiative to have direct tie up with different companies to provide different consumer goods of daily use to the farmers and villagers at subsidized rates i.e. upto 30 percent less than the market price besides ensuring 3.5 percent commission to the concerned Cooperative Agriculture Service Society (CASS). Initiating this process MoUs were signed with three renowned companies namely M/s Phillips India Pvt. Ltd., M/s Dixon India Pvt. Ltd and Escort India Private Ltd for supplying electrical appliances and agriculture implements here today in the presence of Punjab Cooperation Minister Capt. Kanwaljit Singh. In the first phase twenty CASSs signed these MoUs these societies were from three divisions namely Langa, Kakra, Bhadour, grewal, Mullanpur Garibdass, Iyalhi Kalan and Khalyan (Patiala division), Mastan Kalan, Ajitwal, Khara, Madher, Poohli and Joga (Ferozepur division) and Dera Baba Nanak, Lambra Kangri, Khehra Majha, Athouli, Mahil Gehala, Baserke and Sabhra (Jalandhar division).

Meanwhile, presiding over the second meeting of the first ever constituted Advisory committee of Cooperative department here Capt. Kanwaljit Singh revealed that the Punjab Government has chalked out a special plan to bring in major reforms in the working of Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) and all other cooperative societies at village level by decentralization of powers and strengthening them by increasing their sources of income. He disclosed that the Punjab State Electricity Board has approved the collection of electricity bills through the cooperative societies and for this service Rs. 5 and 4 would be charged from the consumer and the board respectively. He said that this scheme has been introduced in fifty cooperative societies in the first phase and would be replicated in the others in near future.

He said that the primary objective of the new plan was to improve the efficiency of operating and delivery systems of these societies besides providing wide range of services to the members thereby creating a minimum one lakh job opportunities for the local populace and expressed confidence that they would become a engine of socio-economic transformation in the village communities of the state.

He further said that as a part of these major reforms it has been decided to encourage more and more cooperative societies to start village level banking system by ensuring local deposits and promoting local advances thereby cutting the overhead costs in comparison of banks so that the members of these societies could avail loans on cheaper rates.

He said that in the history of cooperative department, the first ever advisory committee was constituted for setting up a proper feedback network so that the corrective measures should be taken in accordance to the needs of the members of these societies.

He informed that a special committee has been constituted to make recommendation for expeditious disposal of issues relating to various levels of cooperative societies. He said that Addl. Registrar (Admn.) would be the Chairman of the committee comprising of all Addl. Registrars in H.O, MDs of concerned apex cooperatives, Divisional JRs and two members per Division from Advisory committee as members and it would submit its report within one month.

The Minister informed that department has decided to amend the by-laws concerning the allocation of profits so that the amount of profit could be utilized for creation of necessary infrastructure of the society . He said that it has also been decided to have a unique design for buildings of Central Cooperative Banks, Primary Agricultural Cooperative Development Banks and PACS so as to establish their identities. Besides this new storage capacity/office building would be built for societies which do not have them at present. Repairs/up-gradation of the existing building would also be taken on priority basis, he added.

He informed that Cooperative department has ensured sufficient supply of DAP for members of cooperative societies and till date about 2.92 lakh MT of DAP has already been supplied to the societies in the state against a target of 2.75 Lakh MT. He expressed confidence thata the remaining 18 thousand MT of DAP would be supplied by November 15th to these societies for ensuring the smooth sowing of rabi crops.

Capt. Singh also informed that the department is observing 55th cooperative aweek from 14th to 20th November in the state during which apex bodies of all the federations under cooperative department would organize state level functions in different parts of the state A state level function of Milkfed would be organized at Ludhiana on November 17th in which Punjab Chief Minister S. Parkash Singh Badal would be the chief guest.


 

PUNJAB CM ORDERS SUSPENSION OF 3 MUNICIPAL ENGINEERS

Chandigarh November 12:

Continuing with his spree to curb corruption in the public works and fix accountability of delinquent employees, Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today ordered to place under suspension three employees of Municipal Corporation, Nangal for grave irregularities in the estimates of different development works.

Disclosing this here today a spokesman of the Punjab government said that the action had been taken against these erring officials viz Yudhvir Singh, Junior engineer, Mukesh Kumar, Assistant Municipal Engineer and Kuldeep Verma, Municipal Engineer following an enquiry conducted by the Technical Advisor to the state government Lt. Gen Retd. B.S. Dhaliwal.

It may be re-called that the Mr. Badal had already suspended 13 engineers of Mandi Board for their involvement for poor quality of construction works and misappropriation of funds after found guilty in a enquiry initiated by Mr. Dhaliwal.


Government of Punjab, ISB and 4 Business Leaders come together for a new ISB Campus at Knowledge City, Mohali Analjit Singh, Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Sunil Kant Munjal & Atul Punj jointly commit funding of Rs. 200 crs

New Delhi, November 12, 2008: The Government of Punjab today, signed a tripartite agreement with Indian School of Business (ISB) and four Indian Business Leaders to set up a second ISB campus at Knowledge City, Mohali. The Agreement was signed in the presence of Punjab's Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal by Anjali Bhawra - Secretary, Higher Education, Government of Punjab, Rajat Gupta - Chairman, ISB, and four Founder Supporters of ISB Mohali, Analjit Singh - Chairman & Managing Director of Max India Limited, Rakesh Bharti Mittal - Vice-Chairman & Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises Limited, Sunil Kant Munjal - Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Hero Corporate Service Limited, Atul Punj - Chairman, Punj Lloyd Group.

The 70 acres ISB campus site at Mohali has been allotted by the Government of Punjab on a 99 years lease at Rs. 1 per acre annually, as a part of its vision to establish a world class premier management institute at Knowledge City, Mohali. Based on an invitation by the Government, the four Indian Business Leaders along with ISB submitted their Expression of Interest to set up a second campus of ISB at Mohali, along with their intent to make a significant financial contribution for establishing the Campus. The first academic session at the ISB campus in Mohali is expected to commence in 2012.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, Information & Public Relations, Water Supply & Sanitation, Science & Technology & Environment Minister, Government of Punjab, said "It gives me great pleasure to announce the setting up of a new campus of ISB at Mohali. This has been possible due to the vision of our Chief Minister Sardar Parkash Singh Badal and the unrelenting effort of our Party President, Sardar Sukhbir Singh Badal.
It will help facilitate the emergence of Mohali on the national map as an important centre of higher learning, especially with other national institutes of excellence coming up there.
I want to thank the four Founder Supporters for reiterating their support and commitment to Punjab by helping to make this a reality. We will provide all the support and assistance needed to ensure that the Campus becomes functional on time"

The ISB, with the support of existing associate schools, Wharton School and Kellogg School of Management, will set-up and run the Mohali campus, just like its Hyderabad campus, as a world class academic institution for providing Post Graduate Programmes in Management and short duration Executive Education Programmes. The ISB campus at Mohali will have the following four specialist Institutes, termed as Centres of Excellence, for promoting research and offering additional specialisations in the Post Graduate Program:
· Max India Institute of Healthcare Management
· Bharti Institute of Public Policy
· BML Munjal Institute of Manufacturing and Operation Excellence
· Punj Lloyd Institute of Physical Infrastructure Management
ISB campus at Mohali proposes to have 280 seats in its Post Graduate Program. It will also have several short duration Executive Education Programmes where approximately 750 professionals will be able to participate.

ISB will have a unified governance structure, with the ISB Board as the Statutory Body overseeing and supporting both campuses at Hyderabad and Mohali. A Deputy Dean, will be appointed to run the ISB campus at Mohali, including the four Centers of Excellence. It will additionally have the benefit of a Campus Advisory Board while the Centers of Excellence will be advised by their individual Institute Advisory Councils. The ISB faculty will be available for teaching on both campuses and all standards and processes will be common across both campuses.

The Founder Supporters of the ISB campus at Mohali, who are playing a key role in setting up the Business School, will contribute a sum of Rs. 50 crores each. While they are members of the ISB Executive Board, they will also be represented on the Campus Advisory Board of ISB campus at Mohali and will Chair the respective Institute Advisory Councils. The Founder Supporters will extend their existing support for Placements/Internships, Programs on Campus and Visiting Faculty to the ISB campus at Mohali.

Official Quotes:

Rajat Gupta, Chairman of the Board of Directors, ISB
Rajat Gupta, Chairman, ISB, remarked, "It has been an exciting and eventful journey for ISB from its inception in 2001 to becoming a top ranked global business school in seven years. The Mohali campus is another significant milestone for us. I am grateful to the vision of Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and our Founder Supporters for making it possible for us to bring high quality education within the reach of more and more Indians."

M Rammohan Rao, Dean, ISB
"The ISB owes its remarkable success to the high level of commitment of its Executive Board, the resident and visiting faculty, its administrators, and its alumni. The core team that has made the ISB successful will be deeply involved in the new campus as well. We have groomed high quality talent for the country and I am delighted that we now have the opportunity to groom talent for new growth sectors especially healthcare, manufacturing, infrastructure and public policy."

Analjit Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, Max India Limited:
"The importance of establishing world-class educational institutions in India cannot be overemphasized. I feel that being a part of the creation of ISB Mohali is a privilege. Such a partnership is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Today's first step towards creating the ISB Mohali campus is a three-dimensional win for ISB, Government of Punjab and the four Founder Supporters.
The Max Institute of Healthcare Management will impart Industry relevant skillsets to students in this Program to meet India's growing need for quality healthcare professionals. "

Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti Enterprises Limited:
"At Bharti, we have always believed in undertaking transformational projects that have a positive impact on the society while contributing to the nation building process. In today's rapidly changing environment India needs an institution to promote quality research and education in the area of public policy. With Bharti Institute of Public Policy, our aim is to create the first of its kind world-class institution that will create a talent pool and provide meaningful insights, facilitating the policy making process in various strategic areas. We are delighted that our support to ISB for its second campus in Mohali will benefit the Indian youth, including those in the region, with quality education in Management."

Sunil Kant Munjal, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Hero Corporate Service Limited:
"Given our strengths in manufacturing, we've been looking to promote a centre for manufacturing and operational excellence that would firstly help us replenish our talent pipeline, and secondly, make India's manufacturing sector globally competitive. In ISB, we have found the right partner to fulfill these objectives."

Atul Punj, Chairman, Punj Lloyd Group:
Education will play a transformational role in growth and social well being of India and the Punj Lloyd Group is proud to be associated with the Government of Punjab, other Founder Supporters and ISB in this landmark public-private partnership which will play a critical role in generating a huge pool of skilled managers to meet not just India's but also the global skills shortage in the construction industry. I am delighted that the Punj Lloyd's Institute of Physical Infrastructure Management is being set up at the Indian School of Business at Mohali campus which will be a unique institute offering managerial skills in the infrastructure segment."


New Industrial To Be Implemented From 1st January, 2009 - Badal

CHANDIGARH NOVEMBER 12:

Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today announced that new industrial policy would be notified positively by January 1, 2009 to ensure level playing field to all the investors and entrepreneurs being the stake holders in the process of development and growth of state's economy.

Chairing the first joint meeting of Large Industry Development and Infrastructure Development Council held here at CII North headquarters, Mr. Badal said that the new industrial policy was being formulated with the recommendations of United Nations Industrial Development Organization UNIDO under the guidance of lead consultant Mrs. Isher Judge Ahluwalia. He stated that the draft report would be thoroughly discussed by the members of the infrastructure development council, large industrial board and small industrial board. Consequently it would be referred to the group of ministers headed by local industry & Commerce Minister and finally would be placed before the council of ministers meeting for approval.

The Chief Minister asked the captains of the industry who participated in marathon discussion to give their suggestions to put the industry on the fast track of growth. He directed the Principal Secretary Industries & Commerce SS Channy to formulate small sectoral groups of different industry viz. manufacturing, food processing, sports, cycle & cycle parts and steel & forging to redress their grievances in an effective and result oriented manner. He assured the industrialists that the single window service would be effectively strengthened to provide hassle free approvals and clearances from different quarters for setting up of industrial units within a time frame of 15 days. He categorically said that in ordinate delay in giving clearances to the prospective industrial and entrepreneurs beyond the stipulated schedule would ultimately result in fixing accountability of the concerned functionary. He also said that in case approval was not granted by the concerned department with in the prescribed time schedule, system of Deemed Approval had been introduced.

The Chief Minister pointed out that so far 32 mega projects with proposed investment of Rs.32,739 crore had already been sanctioned and 12 projects with investment of about Rs.1500 crore were in pipeline. A new industrial focal point was being developed on about 200 acre of land on Kapurthala-Subhanpur road.

Referring to the power scenario in the state, Mr. Badal mentioned that in order to make Punjab a power surplus, the state government had taken a major initiative to generate 7400 MW of power in next four to five years. Besides concrete steps were being taken to tap non-conventional resource of energy viz. bio-mass, hydle and cogeneration and windmill all aggregating to 1500 MW.

Speaking on the occasion, Industries & Commerce Minister Mr. Manoranjan Kalia said that his recent tour to Hyderabad and Bangalore to showcase Punjab's untapped potential for IT industry had proved to be a grand success. He said that major IT companies like Micro-soft, Clariant, Infosys etc. had evinced keen interest to set up their units in Punjab. Given the congenial industrial atmosphere coupled with attractive policy framework there was tremendous scope for attracting IT industry in Punjab from outside. He said that the state government was in the process of enacting SEZ Act to further facilitate the development of special economic zones in Punjab and IT industry could also be flourished in such SEZs. He said that for maintaining of infrastructure in industrial focal points through participation of stakeholders, Punjab Common Infrastructure Maintenance Act was being formulated soon.

Taking part in the deliberations Chairman Fortis, Mr. Harpal Singh said that pro-active approach should be adopted to project Punjab as the most favoured investment destination not only in the country but across the globe. Policies should be liberalized to suit the industry as states had become highly competitive in an era of globalization and liberalization.

Mr.Amarjit Goyal, Chairman Modern Steels opined that land bank should be developed to utilize the barren land for industry. Shop Act and Weights and Measures Acts which had become now obsolete should be immediately abolished. Mr. Suresh Neotia, MD cum Chairman Gujarat Ambuja Ltd. said that keeping in view the tremendous agricultural potential in the state, agro based industry should be promoted in a big way. He said that in India, agro industry was hardly 2% whereas it was around 60 to 65% in Thailand and Malaysia. He advocated the revision of change in land use (CLU) charges, EDC, License fee for the housing sector because construction activity was the major driving force for any developed economy.

Mr.B.Mohan Khanna of Khanna Paper Mills highlighted the need to extend the Eastern Route Freight Corridor from Sonnagar (West Bengal) to Attari Wagha Border in Amritsar district instead of Ludhiana to encourage Indo-Pak trade. Mr. AK Chaudhary of Mahindra & Mahindra Punjab Tractors said that Punjab government should concentrate on the development of few anchor industries like agro-processing, small scale & large scale engineering, besides giving the highest priority to the sectors of power, infrastructure and policy reforms. Mr. Onkar Singh of Avon Cycle & Cycle Parts raised the issue of delayed payment of refunds of VAT despite the e-filing introduced by the state government. He said that 90% of refund should be allowed on the liable amount on the basis of affidavit filed by the indsutrialists.

Prominent amongst others who were present on the occasion included Chief Secretary RI Singh, Principal Secretary Industries & Commerce SS Channy, MD PSIDC Karan Avtar Singh, MD PIDB Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, Excise & Taxation Commissioner A. Veenu Gopal, Director Industries VK Janjua. Besides Mr. Bhupinder Singh Chadha of Azad Group of Companies, Mr. Atamjit Bawa of Sarup Tanneries, Mr. Satish Bagroaida of Winsome Yarns, Mr. Sharwan Gupta of DLF JET and Mr. Parminder Singh Sehgat of MGF Emmar Group also participated in the discussions.


PUNJAB GOVERNMENT INKS MOU TO SET UP BHARTI WAL-MART SKILL CENTRE AT AMRITSAR

CHANDIGARH NOVEMBER 12:

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed here today between the Government of Punjab and the Bharti Wal-Mart Pvt. Ltd (BWM) to jointly establish Bharti Wal-Mart Skill Centre for providing training on technical skills regarding modern retail and allied sectors like logistics, supply chain and other support services. Principal Secretary Employment Generation & Training Mr. Navreet Singh Kang and Managing Director and CEO Mr. Raj Jain signed on behalf of Punjab government and Bharti Wal-Mart in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Badal said that the BWSC being set up in Amritsar would certainly act as a catalyst to promote economic and social development of local communities by imparting technical training and certification on modern Retail and its allied sectors. He said: "Punjab government recognizes skill development as important strategy for empowering state's youth. He said that the Department of Employment Generation was set up in 2007 to give sharper focus to the problem of unemployment.

The Chief Minister further pointed out that the Vocational training through private providers had been initiated in 6 districts namely Fatehgarh Sahib, Bathinda, Muktsar, Sangrur, Mansa and Patiala for imparting free training in computer hardware, desktop publishing, retailing besides the trades of electrician and welder etc. and the remaining districts would also be covered soon. He said that SAD-BJP government was committed to impart vocational training to the unemployed youth to enable them to be gainfully employed not only in the country but overseas also.

Briefing about the skill development programme in the state, Principal Secretary Employment Generation & Training Mr. Navreet Singh Kang informed that Skill Centres had been set up in collaboration with leading private sector companies viz. Driving and Automotive Skills by Tata Motors, Construction Skills by Larsen and Toubro, Retail Skills, logistics and supply chain management by Bharti Wal-Mart. He said that free training would be given to all students for the entire course at BWMC, which will be certified by Bharti Wal-Mart. He said that the Skill development initiative of government of India was being implemented in the state. As many as 42 applications had been received from different private players who had been empanelled as vocation training providers.

Addressing on the occasion Vice Chairman of the Bharti Enterprises Ltd., Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal said that BWM, as a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and in line with the policy of the Ministry of Labour, Government of India would establish the BWSC at the space allocated at Government Institute of Garment Technology (GIGT) in Amritsar run by the Department of Technical Education. He said that it was just a humble beginning and BWM would revolutionize the retailing business in the state by providing world class training to the youth to enable them to compete globally.

Prominent amongst others who were present on the occasion included Media Advisor to Chief Minister Harcharan Bains, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Education Mohinder Kaur Josh, Chief Secretary RI Singh, Principal Secretary Higher Education Anjali Bhawra and Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister AK Mahajan.


CHANDIGARH NOVEMBER 12:

The Punjab Government today signed an agreement to set up an Indian School of Business (ISB) in the Knowledge City in SAS Nagar (Mohali).

The agreement was signed by Anjali Bhawra, Secretary Higher Education on behalf of the Punjab Government and Rajat Gupta on behalf of ISB along with four Founder Supporters Analjit Singh of Max India Ltd, Rakesh Bharti Mittal of Bharti Enterprises, Sunil K Munjal of Hero Corporate Services Ltd and Atul Punj of Punj Lloyd Ltd. to establish this premier management institute of excellence at Mohali.

Giving details, a spokesperson of the Punjab Government stated that the prestigious Institute will be established under a unique model of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) whereby the State Government would be leasing out 70 acres of land in Knowledge City in Sector 81, Mohali for a period of 99 years at a rate of Re 1/- per acre annually to ISB to establish the second campus of ISB with the support of the four Founder Supporters.

The Founder Supporters, leading corporate houses with strong linkages to Punjab, would be contributing a sum of Rs. 50 crore each i.e. a total of Rs. 200 crore towards the establishment of ISB's second campus at Mohali. Besides the Management Institute, the Mohali campus of ISB will also have four specialized institutes termed as Centers of Excellence, for promoting research and offering the following additional specializations in the Post Graduate Programme - Max India Institute of Healthcare Management; Bharti Institute of Public Policy; Hero Institute of Manufacturing Sciences; and Punj Lloyd Institute of Physical Infrastructure Management. These institutes would focus on doing research, developing teaching material and engaging in policy dialogue in their respective areas.

The first Academic Session at the ISB Campus in Mohali is expected to commence in 2012. The Campus proposes to have 280 seats in its Post Graduate Management Programme and 750 seats in its Executive Education Programme.

Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal termed the signing of the Agreement as a "red-letter day" for Punjab and hoped that ISB would be the harbinger of growth of quality higher education in the State. He thanked the ISB management as well the four Founder Supporters who had underscored their strong ties with the State through their investment and commitment in this Project. The proposed educational cluster in the Knowledge City would prove to be a gateway for the youth of this region for accessing quality higher education, said the Chief Minister.

Mr. Rajat Gupta, Chairman of Board of Governors of ISB expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister and assured the State Government that the ISB at Mohali would be developed as "flagship institution". He thanked the 4 Founder Supporters for their generous endowments for the project.

Established by some of the well known industry and academic leaders around the world to meet the growing need for management talent in India and the Asian region, the ISB has emerged in the last decade as a world-class business school. The vision of the ISB is to be an internationally top-ranked, research-driven management institution that grooms leaders for India and the world. The ISB has academic associations with the world's leading business schools like Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. The ISB is supported by some of the best professionals in the world. Its Governing Body consists of heads of some of the Fortune 500 companies. The Executive Board (Board of Directors) comprises of some of India's most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. The high quality of ISB's education is attested by the record-breaking placements which they have been able to achieve within a short span of six years. Its Centre for Executive Education is the largest executive education provider in India and has been attracting senior and top management professionals from India's leading private and public sector companies. All these factors put together have helped the ISB achieve one more laurel: 20th rank in the World MBA rankings brought out by Financial Times, London. It is the first Indian School to have achieved this distinction and possibly the youngest school in the world to enter this league.

The ISB will offer the same one-year Post-Graduate Programme (PGP) in Management at Mohali with additional specializations in Healthcare Management, Manufacturing Sciences, Public Policy and Physical Infrastructure Management among others. Like Hyderabad, the ISB campus at Mohali will also be a residential programme. The internationally acclaimed ISB faculty will be available for teaching on both campuses and faculty recruiting would also be common. Similarly, student admissions would be common to both campuses, to ensure no dilution in quality. Since it would be vital that the high standards of quality and culture of excellence prevalent at the ISB be retained intact at both the campuses, the ISB leadership team would have complete autonomy in academic decision making regarding the aspects of quality of faculty, quality of students, curriculum design and research agenda at the ISB-M's functioning.

In addition, all standards and processes would be common in both the campuses of ISB. The ISB campus at Mohali would lead the ISB efforts to establish close linkages with other academic institutions proposed as part of the Knowledge City and those situated elsewhere in Punjab. Given the ISB's experience in creating a world-class management institution in India and the support and commitment of the four Founder Supporters, the Punjab Government is confident of replicating the success of the Hyderabad campus in the ISB's campus at Mohali.

Among the prominent who were present on the occasion included Bikram Singh Majithia Information & Public Relations Minister, Prof. JS Bajaj Vice-Chairman Punjab State Planning Board, Mohinder Kaur Josh, Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Education), Harcharan Bains Media Advisor to CM, Ramesh Inder Singh Chief Secretary, Pawan Kant Munjal of Hero Group, Secretary Housing & Urban Development Arun Goel and Dean ISB M. Rammohan Rao.


LUDHIANA DISTRICT LEADS BY PROCURING 16 LAC TONNES OF PADDY

Chandigarh, November 12: Ludhiana district is marching ahead in paddy procurement by procuring 16 lac tonnes of paddy alone.

According to an official spokesman Ludhiana is followed by Sangrur(14,63,216 tonnes), Ferozepur(12,05,925), Moga(11,34,957 tonnes)and Patiala (11,26,803 tonnes) districts respectively.

Meanwhile six government agencies have procured 92.2% of Paddy this year against 82.0 % procured last year showing an increase of over 10.2% whereas similar decline was witnessed in the purchase of millers this year from 18% to 7.8%.

The spokesman said that market share of official agencies in the statement procurement would be quite high due to bumper crop this year and steep decline of traders share due to ban on export of non Basmati rice this year. The spokesman reiterated Punjab government's resolve to procure up to last grain of Paddy brought by farmers to Mandis and make payment to him within 48 hours

He said that Electronic Clearing System(ECS) introduced by Punjab in Mandis of two districts this year and online monitoring system introduced all over state by Mr. Adesh Pratap Singh, Food and Supplies Minister to make payments to the farmers proved a quite success as Rs. 10130.75 crores were paid to farmers till Tuesday. Moreover, Bonus of Rs. 50 per tonne announced by the Union Government is being credited in the bank accounts of farmer's directly. A credit cash limit of Rs.12623.62 crore sanctioned by the Reserve Bank of India for the procurement of paddy for the Kharif season by all the state agencies had been received by the state Finance Department.

Meanwhile six government agencies and millers procured over 128, 85,694 tonnes of paddy till Tuesday. PUNGRAIN maintained its lead in procurement by procuring 29.9% of total paddy i.e. 35, 48,337 tonnes whereas MARKFED share was 23.0% with procurement of 27, 32,167 tonnes of paddy. PUNSUP procured 26, 74,445 tonnes of paddy (22.5%) whereas Punjab State Warehousing Corporation procured 14, 777,96 tonnes of paddy (12.4%) besides tonnes of paddy 12,47,530 tonnes of paddy (10.5%) procured by Punjab Agro. The Central Government Agency FCI procured only 2, 04,290 tonnes of paddy (1.7 %). The Millers procured 10, 01,129 tonnes of paddy (7.8 %) by Tuesday.

The spokesman said that lifting of procured paddy from the mandis has started showing positive results with PUNGRAIN (98.7%), MARKFED (98.6%), PUNSUP (99.1%), PSWC (99.1%), PUNJAB AGRO (91.9%) and FCI (99.3%) showing substantial improvement.

The Punjab Food Supply had setup 1622 procurement centres throughout the state to ensure smooth procurement of paddy.


PUNJAB CM GREETS PEOPLE ON THE EVE OF 'GURPURB'

CHANDIGARH NOVEMBER 12:

Punjab Chief Minister Mr.Parkash Singh Badal today extended his greetings to the Punjabis living in country and abroad on the auspicious occasion of Parkash Utsav of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

In his message on the eve of Gurpurb, Mr.Badal said that Guru Nanak Dev ji was a great spiritual ambassador who showed us the path of salvation by spreading the cult of devotion to God and message of love, compassion and spirituality amongst the mankind. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji envisioned a casteless society free of rituals in order to attain salvation thereby redeeming the suffering humanity who had lost all hopes and optimism in their lives due to the oppression of foreign invaders, injustice of contemporary rulers and custodians of religious & social traditions. Guru Ji motivated the humanity with new ideas, aims, aspirations and exhorted them to dispense with the maladies of hypocrisy, falsehood, pretensions and caste-prejudices. "Guru ji's teachings are still relevant today especially in the present complex and materialistic society", said Mr. Badal.

The Chief Minister appealed the people to imbibe the spirit of service and humility as preached by the Great Guru and strive hard for carving out a peaceful, prosperous and healthy society by following the precious legacy of Guru ji and celebrate this occasion with utmost devotion and dedication rising above the parochial considerations of caste, colour, creed and religion.


PUNJAB CM DIRECTS ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARIES TO SUPERVISE PADDY OPERATIONS AT FAG END OF PROCUREMENT SEASON

CHANDIGARH NOVEMBER 11:

Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today ordered all the Administrative Secretaries who had been earlier asked to oversee the paddy procurement to immediately re-visit their assigned districts to ensure the smooth and hassle free lifting of paddy from mandis and prompt payment to farmers including bonus at the fag end of paddy procurement season.

Disclosing this here today Chief Minster's Media Advisor Mr. Harcharan Bains said that the Chief Secretary Mr. RI Singh had directed all the administrative secretaries to also review the availability of DAP both in cooperative and private sector and submit report to the government in this regard besides to ensure its fair distribution to the farmers for the sowing of wheat during current rabi season



89498 TONNES OF PADDY PROCURED IN A SINGLE DAY

Chandigarh, November 11: 89498 tonnes of paddy was procured in a single day on Monday as total paddy procurement by six government agencies and traders touched 128,27,753 tonnes.

An official spokesman today said that PUNGRAIN procured 35,31,500 (29.8%) tonnes of paddy whereas MARKFED procured 27,21,881 (23.0%) tonnes of paddy. PUNSUP procured 26,62,774 (22.5%) tonnes of paddy whereas Punjab State Warehousing Corporation procured 14,68,928 (12.4%) tonnes of paddy besides 12,43,027 (10.5%) tonnes of paddy procured by Punjab Agro. The Central Government Agency FCI procured only 2,03,817 (1.7%)tonnes of paddy. The Millers procured 9,95,826 (7.8%) tonnes of paddy by Monday.

Ludhiana district maintained its lead by procuring 15,95,076 tonnes the paddy followed by Sangrur (14,55,444 tonnes) and Ferozepur (12,04,502 tonnes).

The spokesman said that lifting of procured paddy from the mandis has started showing positive results with PUNGRAIN (97.6%), MARKFED (94.1%), PUNSUP (98.5%), PSWC (98.2%), PUNJAB AGRO (98.9%) and FCI (99.3%) showing substantial improvement.

Six government agencies have paid over Rs. 9634.17 crores for paddy procured by agencies current Kharif Marketing Season. According to an official spokesman online monitoring system of the payment on the NET proved quite successful as the farmers of the State are being made payment of paddy procured by the government agencies within 48 hours of lifting of paddy from the procurement centres.

The Punjab Food Supply had setup 1622 procurement centres throughout the state to ensure smooth procurement of paddy.


HALF DAY HOLIDAY IN PUNJAB

Chandigarh, November 11: The Punjab Government today declared holiday for the second half of the day on Tuesday in all Punjab government offices /Board and Corporation and its education institutes located in Chandigarh & Mohali to enable its employees to participate in Nagar Kirtan on the eve of Birthday of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

According to an official spokesman, Punjab government offices /Boards and corporations and education institutes located in other parts of Punjab would observe half day holiday for the second half of the day tomorrow (12-11-2008, the Wednesday).

 


 

 

Daily Punjab press release