Gurpurab Greetings
Birthday of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji (November 4)
2 Punjab Advance August 2016 Editorial
apt Amarinder Singh, the people’s Chief Minister of Punjab, has kept his prom-
Cise. His newly announced industrial policy has provided a level playing field to the
old and new industries. This is in sharp contrast to the discriminatory policies followed in
the last decade, where barring a selected few, no space was provided for any other player
to set up or grow business.
The path-breaking initiative, has come as a timely Diwali gift for the industrialists and
traders who had been living in utter despondency following the collapse of their business.
The provisions in the policy are clearly designed to inject the much-needed optimism into
the system.
With the implementation of the promised Rs 5/unit power for the industry becoming a
reality from November 1, the stage is set for creating the necessary environment to boost
business. Not only will the new policy help bring new industries into Punjab it would also
boost the government’s efforts to rehabilitate sick industries and woo back the ones that
had shifted out of the state in search of greener pastures over the years.
With its focus on revival of MSMEs, the new policy has ensured that the small and
medium industries, which had been the backbone of the state’s industrial development till
some years ago, get back on their feet.
The policy has come in for praise from the industry with the CII calling it forward look-
ing and industry friendly. “The new industrial policy demonstrates the state government’s
intent and commitment to accelerate industrial growth in the state,”said the Chairman.
The small and marginal farmers were also in for good news, with the state government
issuing the notification for the implementation of the crop loan waiver scheme.
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 3 Contents Punjab Advance www.punjabadvanceonline.com Capt unveils package for industry LNOVEMBER - 2017 LVOL-4 L ISSUE-9
C.E.O. N Gurkirat Kirpal Singh (IAS)
Editor N Donald Banerjee
Designer N Kumar Jiv Chumber
Publisher N Information & Public Relations Department, Punjab 06
Contact address N Commercial banks covered PUNJAB ADVANCE, Room No. 1, 5th Floor, under farm debt waiver Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh-160001 Ph. : 0172-2740668 [email protected]
Disclaimer: The views expressed by the authors in the articles published in PUNJAB ADVANCE are their own. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Punjab Government or the organization they work for. Editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or expand the articles submitted. In case of any dispute, legal 14 jurisdiction will lie in Chandigarh based courts.
Published and Edited by Gurkirat Kirpal Singh (IAS) on behalf of the Information and Indian startup Public Relations Department, Punjab at Room No. 1, 5th Floor, Civil Sectt., develops cybersecurity Chandigarh. solutions Page-42
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Pain in the tailbone 40 Page-44
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 5 Cover Capt unveils package for industry
· ` 100 cr fund for startups · Power at ` 5 per unit · One-time loan settlement BUREAU REPORT
ndustrial power tariff at Rs 5 per unit, a one-time settlement of industrial loans, RsI 100 crore fund to promote start-ups and a com- plete skill development mission. These are some of the highlights of the state’s new New Indus- trial and Business Development Policy-2017. A cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, gave its nod to the salient features of the policy, including the provi- sion regarding five year fixed power tariff for ex- isting and new industries. Besides incentives for expansion and upgrada- tion of the existing units, the new policy envis- ages a one-time settlement for loans taken from the Punjab State Industrial Development Corpo- ration (PSIDC), the Punjab Financial Corporation (PFC) and the Punjab Agro Industries Corpora- tion Ltd (PAIC). The One-Time Settlement (OTS) policy, 2017, will help in releasing blocked industrial invest- ments and assets and put these to productive use, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh
6 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Cover
File photo of a small industrial unit in Ludhiana
thus reviving the existing in- zone and kandi areas. 10 technology centres, 10 com- dustries in Punjab. The new policy has been pre- mon facility centres and 10 clus- The establishment of a skills pared in consultation with all ters for development in the first university and industry specific stakeholders, including indus- phase. Besides, the state would skill-development centres, are trial associations and the depart- set up MSME (Micro, Small and other highlights of this policy. ments concerned. Medium Enterprises) facilitation All skill training schemes in the Aimed at promoting ease of councils at Ludhiana, Jalandhar, state will be brought under one doing business, the policy is Amritsar, SAS Nagar and Pa- agency, the Punjab Skill Devel- founded on the eight strategic tiala to provide remedial meas- opment Mission. pillars of infrastructure, power, ures. The Chief Minsiter has come MSME, startup and entrepre- Single-window facility to ex- out with a border area develop- neurship, skill development, isting enterprises at the district- ment package by hiking the in- ease of doing business, fiscal level and special relief for sick centive to industry in the border and non-fiscal incentives, stake- MSME units are other features. areas from 125 per cent to 140 holder engagement and policy These will involve deferment of per cent. This would go a long implementation unit and sector recovery of arrears of electricity way in boosting development of specific strategies. duty, power bills, house tax and border districts, extreme border It envisages establishment of water charges for a period of
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 7 Cover five years. spokesperson These units said. shall be exempted The policy from minimum provides incen- charges for elec- tives such as in- tric connection v e s t m e n t during closure pe- subsidy by way riod and incentive of reimburse- of exemption from ment of net electricity duty for SGST, exemp- three years shall tion from elec- also be provided. tricity duty, Development property tax etc. of 14 new indus- MSME units trial parks and have been given standardisation of more incentives all estate manage- establishment of exhibition and than large in- ment policies and procedures convention centres in Mohali, dustries, including access to fi- have also been provided for in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amrit- nance, infrastructure, markets the industry. It also provides for sar in the first phase, the and technology etc.
Industry-friendly Policy:CII
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has fiscal incentives through one common integrated complimented the Punjab Government for the com- platform will go a long way in attracting investments prehensive, forward-looking and industry-friendly and building the confidence of the investors. 'New Industrial and Business Development Policy Gurmeet Singh Bhatia, Chairman, CII Punjab 2017'. State Council and Managing Director, Ajooni Congratulating the State leadership on decisions Biotech Limited, hailed measures such as incentives such as providing power to the Industry uniformly at for new and existing industries, besides a one-time `5 per unit as well as equal incentives for expansion, settlement policy for industries against loan taken modernisation and upgradation of the existing units from PSIDC and PFC. The new Industrial policy at par with new investments, Sumant Sinha, Chair- has also extended a special relief package for BIFR man, CII Northern Region & Chairman & CEO, registered / declared sick large units by reimburse- ReNew Power Ventures, said the new Industrial Pol- ment of 75% of net VAT/net SGST for a period of 5 icy clearly demonstrates the State Government’s in- tent and commitment to accelerate the Industrial years. growth in the state. Babu Khan, Regional Director, CII Northern Re- Sachit Jain, Deputy Chairman, CII Northern Re- gion, praised the State Government for having gion and Vice Chairman and Managing Director, adopted a partnership approach and a comprehen- Vardhaman Special Steel, said several key policy de- sive consultation with all stakeholders while drafting cisions, including ‘Business First’ approach to ac- the policy. He expressed satisfaction that many of cord foremost priority to the growth and the suggestions / inputs given by the industry have development of business in the state and delivery of found place in the policy approved by the Cabinet.
8 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Cover
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh looks on as Union Minister Rajnath Singh unveils the viewers’ gallery at Hussainiwala Special package for border areas
BUREAU REPORT
unjab Chief Minister Capt ister said the Centre was committed to tions for the residents. The new indus- Amarinder Singh has extending all possible help to the peo- trial policy of Punjab also provided for sought central government support for ple of these areas and resolve their is- special incentives to these areas, he Pthe state’s development programmes sues on priority. added. for the border areas, including a pro- Pointing out that Punjab had a 553 Captain Amarinder urged the Min- posed special package for the region. km long sensitive international border ister to provide a special one-time in- Captain Amarinder raised this issue comprising the districts of Pathankot, frastructure development package for while accompanying Union Home Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Fer- improving the state’s border areas. He Minister Rajnath Singhthe on a visit to ozepur and Fazilka, the Chief Minister also called for acquisition of land lying Hussainiwala in Ferozepur, where the told Rajnath that his government was beyond the border fence by the Gov- two leaders paid floral tributes to mar- considering a special package to create ernment of India, as the same could tyrs Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Ra- new social and industrial infrastruc- never be optimally used for agriculture jguru at the National Martyrs ture, reserve jobs in Government and due to security restrictions by the Bor- Memorial. In response, the Union Min- seats in selected educational institu- der Security Force (BSF). Till these
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 9 Cover pieces lands are acquired, the farmers India and Pakistan. Captain Amarinder border areas. His government was should be compensated for loss of their urged the Home Minister to consider working closely and proactively with livelihood due to border fencing, he the establishment of a railway linked the Centre to resolve various issues re- added. CFS/ICD in and around the Attari Rail- lated to the farming community, which The Captain sought compensation way Station to further boost cross-bor- had a large presence in the region. He from the Centre for land damaged or der trade. pointed out that his government had al- rendered ineffective for farming due to Pointing out that no ICPs exist at ready come out with a comprehensive periodic military deployment. He reit- Hussainiwala and Fazilka, the Chief loan waiver scheme to mitigate the erated the state’s demand for similar Minister said while the CWC had con- economic hardships of the state’s dis- tax incentives and promotion schemes firmed that it was not commercially tressed farmers. for the region as were being given to feasible to set up a ICP at Hussaini- On the sidelines of the event, the the hilly and north-eastern regions of wala, no feasibility study had been car- Union Home Minister, along with Cap- the country. The border roads of this ried out by PSWC for setting up ICPs tain Amarinder Singh, dedicated a area should be taken up for special de- at these centres. gallery for nearly 2000 visitors built up velopment and maintenance under the He also discussed the issue of MSP at a cost of Rs.16.39 crore at Hussaini- National Highway Programme, the support for alternate crops, urging the wala to the nation. Chief Minister said, adding that this Centre to consider providing Defi- would provide better access to the ciency Price Payment Support to farm- The Home Minister, in his address paramilitary and armed forces in se- ers to help them get crop remuneration to BSF personnel, lauded their efforts curing the border while ensuring bet- as per MSP declared by it for all crops in safeguarding the border areas with ter connectivity for the region’s other than wheat and paddy. This, he utmost sincerity, dedication and valour. development. said, would encourage farmers to shift He also applauded the role of the Another issue raised by the Chief to cultivation of alternative crops such women BSF personnel and promised Minister related to the Integrated as maize, soyabean, oilseeds and to further hike the quota of recruitment Check Post (ICP) spread over 118 pulses, thus destroying the non-remu- exclusively for women in the BSF as a acres in Attari and used as a major cor- nerative wheat-paddy crop cycle. step towards women empowerment. ridor for import and export of various Captain Amarinder said the state He also announced a grant of Rs.2 lacs commodities, as well as for cross-bor- government was fully sensitized to the for providing quality food to the BSF der passenger movement, between hardships faced by the residents of the soldiers. All Faujis to get respect auding the role of defence sincere implementation of all Lpersonnel in safeguarding government schemes and pro- the country’s freedom, Punjab grammes to ensure that benefits Chief Minister, Captain of these schemes reach the most Amarinder Singh, has promised deserving people. He was confi- that under his government all dent that the GOG would ensure ‘faujis’ will get due respect at that every penny is spent for the every administrative office, be it people it is meant for. the tehsil or the thana (police sta- Under the scheme a monitor- tions). ing mechanism will be put in Your sacrifices for the nation place to ensure its smooth func- cannot be ever forgotten and the tioning at village, cluster, tehsil least my government can do is to ensure that you get re- and district level. This scheme spect and justice from my government”, he told an ex-ser- would be instrumental in harnessing the available pool of vicemen’s rally. “Don’t hesitate to approach me directly distinguished ex-servicemen to oversee the implementation in case you have any problems”, he said. of various government schemes and programmes. The chief Referring to his government’s ‘Guardians of Gover- minister said that his government will be setting up a Sainik nance” (GOG) scheme, Captain Amarinder said this vol- school for the children of defence personnel and two train- untary force of ex-servicemen would ensure the honest and ing institutes, one in Majha and other in Malwa region.
10 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Cover Early bird investor for extreme border zone Varun Beverages to set up Rs 500 cr unit
BUREAU REPORT
he new industrial policy announced by the Cap- tain Amarinder Singh government in PunjabT has triggered a wave of interest from investors, with Gurgaon-based Varun Beverages proposing a Rs. 500 crore investment to set up a drinks and water table unit in Pathankot. The Group has sought an anchor unit status in the extreme border zone with added advantage of an early bird unit for its proposed unit for aerated soft drinks, juice based drinks and table water at the PSIEC developed industrial estate in Pathankot. The unit will provide direct employ- ment to 350 people and indirect em- ployment to another 1500 in three phases, the Group has said in its detailed proposal submitted to Suresh Kumar, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Min- border zone. This would make the huge transportation and logistics re- ister. Suresh Kumar has submitted the Company eligible for incentives @ quirement, would also justify the for- proposal to the Chief Minister’s Office 140% of the highest in that category mation of a transport hub by local and (CMO) for necessary action, an official (100% SGST refund up to 125% of national carriers. Further, it would im- spokesperson said here on Tuesday. FCI) to enable the group to start the part training at a proposed skill devel- Varun Beverages CEO Rajiv Sant, construction immediately in time for opment centre at its Pathankot plant to while seeking the state government’s their next season in 2019. make 500-750 people employable every support for grant of anchor status in ex- In the proposal, the Company said year for its Pizza Hut/KFC/Costa Cof- treme border area, with attached bene- most of the raw material would be fee outlets across the country. Scores fits, said the project was the first of its sourced locally, giving a boost to local others would become skilled to gain scale and kind in PSIEC. It will not only manufacturers/growers of sugar, citrus employment outside the company. generate a huge employment potential fruits, service providers, packaging ma- The project would also be instru- but also act as a catalyst to attract other terial and finished product suppliers. mental in developing various ancillary investments in the extreme border zone, Further, the project was committed to industries such as printing, packaging, located about 27 km from the Interna- providing 10,000 chilling equip- corrugation, recycled bottles and hospi- tional Border, he said. The project, he ments/machines to eligible candidates tality. The state would start earning in said, was a fit case for being deemed as to facilitate setting up new outlets in the full GST and other taxes as applicable an early bird unit, as per the "New In- state to eventually provide livelihood to once the period or value of FCI (as dic- dustrial and Business Development Pol- over 10,000 families. tated by the policy) are covered, ac- icy-2017" for units in the extreme In addition, the project, with its cording to the proposal.
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 11 Cover Drinking water from rivers · `1000 cr ADB project a success · CM unveils Jalandhar development schemes
BUREAU REPORT
apt Amarinder Singh, the peo- ple’s Chief Minister, has un- Cveiled a slew of development works for Jalandhar, announcing an immediate grant of Rs 363.43 crore for the imple- mentation of various ongoing and new schemes. On his first visit to the city after as- suming office, the Chief Minister, an- nounced various development schemes, including a Rs. 1000 crore ADB project for `Canal Water for drinking purposes’. The project, for which the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been conducting a feasibility study at a cost of Rs 3 crore, is expected to resolve the drinking water problem in all the major cities of the state, including Jalandhar, the Chief Minister told mediapersons. It will enable drawing of water directly for ongoing work and meeting of liabil- Amarinder, was committed to the ho- from the rivers instead of through tube- ities under the Urban Mission (PIDB). listic and inclusive development of the wells, which could not be used in many The new projects under the entire state. Jalandhar was of critical places because of the brackish under- AMRUT scheme relate to strengthen- interest to the accomplishment of this ground water. ing of water supply system (Rs. 40 goal and the government would con- Rs 50 crore has been sanctioned for crore) and construction and upgrada- tinue to initiate new schemes to expediting the prestigious Smart City tion of 100 MLD Sewage Treatment strengthen the infrastructure of the city, Project, along with new development Plant (STP), at a cost of Rs. 150 crore. he added. works worth Rs. 42.43 crore. The new Besides one-time settlement of Captain Amarinder promised that works relate to construction of streets property/house tax, the government funds would also be made available for and drains, as well as installation of has also announced one-time settle- rural development in the area, which, street lights in various parts of the city. ment of old arrears of water and sew- like the rest of the state, had been ru- The Rs. 346 crore AMRUT scheme erage charges. Captain Amarinder ined by the anti-people policies of the also received a shot in the arm, with the further disclosed that the work on the previous government. All possible state government sanctioning Rs. 190 establishment of a Directorate of Fire steps for the welfare of the farmers and crore for the execution of several critical Services at State Level had also begun revival of industry were being taken, works under the same. The Chief Min- in right earnest. notwithstanding the economic crisis ister also unveiled a Rs. 81 crore grant The government, said Captain faced by the state, he added.
12 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Cover US giant GE to set up gas-based power plant Offers power at 4.81 per unit
BUREAU REPORT
ncouraged by the positivity generated by the Capt EAmarinder Singh Government, US- based multinational General Electric (GE) has offered to set up a 2400 MW Gas based power plant in Punjab, de- livering power to consumers at Rs. 4.81 per unit only. The Chief Minister set up a five- member committee to examine the proposal. The committee comprises CEO Invest Punjab, Director Technical PSPCL, Director Finance PSPCL, a nominee of Principal Secretary Fi- nance, along with Additional CEO In- vest Punjab Rajat Aggarwal as its convener. The committee has been mandated to recommend to the gov- ernment the model (IPP or EPC) for dependent Power Producer (IPP) or its proposal. Nanda apprised Captain setting up of the plant. It will also look Engineering Procurement Construction Amarinder of the company’s into the issue of the selection of the site (EPC) model. impressive presence in the Indian mar- for the plant, for which the Chief Min- The Chief Minister felt the pro- ket, with 275 Gas Turbines in nearly ister has suggested a location near posed gas plant would give a fillip to 150 Gas power plants across the Ropar, in place of the existing 35-year the state government's plan to develop country. Pointing out that gas power old thermal plant which had outlived Kandi region as an industrial zone, plants had emerged as an effective, its utility. along with the foothills of Shivalik. He green alternative to the conventional The company has offered to set up also asked the committee to study the coal-based ones, Nanda said the for- the plant anywhere in the state to en- feasibility of developing gas based mer were also more economically sure uninterrupted and cheap power to power plants in the load centres of viable as they required up to 35 acres the industry, but preferably in a region Ludhiana and Amritsar to cater the per- less land. Further, gas based power with an existing pipeline network. He petually growing power demand of in- plants required just 20 months for also expressed the desire to associate dustries in these cities. completion as compared to at least 48 with the state government for setting The high-powered GE delegation, months in case of thermal plants, up gas power plants at the load centers led by Nanda, earlier made a detailed which also makes these projects cost at Ludhiana and Amritsar, either on In- presentation to the Chief Minister on effective, he added.
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 13 Cover Commercial banks covered under farm debt waiver · Scheme includes principal and interest · Notification issued
Capt Amarinder Singh and (right) file photo of a farmer ploughing the field
BUREAU REPORT
he notification issued by the scheme will be implemented from An 11-member Monitoring com- the Punjab government the date it is notified in the official mittee, under the chairmanship of forT crop loan waiver scheme, popu- Gazette. Chief Secretary, will be set up to mon- larly called Debt Waiver, has made it Under the scheme, the exemption itor the implementation and clarifica- clear that this short term loan availed for the targeted farmers will cover tions as well. by small and marginal farmers from principal amount and interest payable With this notification, around 10.22 scheduled commercial banks is also on it as on March 31, 2017 in addition lakh debt-ridden farmers will get ben- covered under this scheme. to the outstanding interest on crop loan efit of Rs 9,500 crore out of the As per the notification issued by from April 1, 2017 till the date of this scheme. As per the information, till the Agriculture Department of Punjab, notification comes into force. March 31, 2017, Punjab’s farmers
14 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Cover
owed Rs 59,620 crore to the banks. port,the State Govt. has formulated a based on the total extent of land As per the notification, the basis of Crop Loan Waiver Scheme which will owned by the farmer either singly loan waiver will be the loan amount cover only institutional crop loans i.e. or as joint holder at the time of which farmers owe to cooperative, crop loan advanced by commercial and sanction of the loan, irrespective of public sector and private banks till cooperative banking institutions. any subsequent changes in owner- March 31, 2017. Even those farmers ship or possession. who will pay their installments to 2. Scope of the Scheme b).In the case of borrowing by more banks will get benefit of the scheme. 2.1 This scheme will cover crop than one farmer by pooling their On June 19, Punjab Chief Minister loan disbursed to farmers in the State landholdings, the size of the largest Capt Amarinder Singh had announced by scheduled commercial banks, coop- landholding in the pool shall be the to waive debt up to Rs 2 lakh of farm- erative credit institutions (including basis for the purpose of classifica- ers who owned land holding up to 2.5 urban cooperative banks) and regional tion of all farmers in that pool as acre and with certain conditions to rural banks, collectively called as the 'marginal farmer' or 'small farmer' those farmers also who owned between "lending institutions". c). Direct agricultural loan taken 2.5 and 5 acre land. As per the notifi- 2. 2 The Scheme shall come into under a Kisan Credit Card will also cation, the banks which hold accounts force from the date of its Notification be covered under this Scheme. of farmers will furnish the entire infor- in the official gazette. mation at one place and the process of d). A crop loan and an investment loan linking all the bank accounts to Aadhar 3. Definitions taken by a farmer shall be counted number is almost in the last leg. The 'Crop Loan' means a Short Term as two distinct loans and the bank branches will also send informa- Production loan given in connection Scheme will apply only to crop tion regarding accounts of the farmers with the raising of crops which is to be loan. Likewise, in the case of a to DCs and SDMs. repaid within 6-12 months. It will in- farmer who has taken loans from clude working capital loan, extended to two separate lending institutions, Notification text 'marginal and small farmers'. the first priority shall be given to The following is a copy of the no- 'Cooperative Credit Institution ' Cooperative institutions and second tification containing details of the means a cooperative society that to Public Sector Banks and third to scope of this scheme, its implementa- i) provides short-term crop loans to Commercial Banks in that order. tion and monitoring aspects: farmers and is eligible for interest State agriculture is facing a crisis subvention from the Central Gov- 4. Eligible Amount both in terms of its economic and en- ernment; or 4.1 The amount eligible for debt re- vironmental sustainability. The agri- ii) carries on banking activities regu- lief (hereinafter referred to as the eli- culture sector with a small share in lated or supervised by RBI or gible amount') shall comprise of the GSDP provides subsistence livelihood NABARD; or iii) is part of the outstanding liability under crop loan to a large section of rural population. Short-Term Cooperative Credit (principal and interest) as on The increasing cost of inputs coupled Structure 31.03.2017. The interest outstanding with marginal increases in Minimum 'Marginal Farmer' means a farmer form 1st April 2017 till date of .notifi- Support Price has contributed to a cultivating as owner, agricultural cation shall be additional. squeeze in the margins of the farmers. land less than one hectare (less than (i) restructured and rescheduled by They are in a severe debt trap today, 2.5 acres). banks through the special packages despite their hard work and well rec- announced by the Government, ognized contributions to India's green 3.4. 'Small Farmer' means a farmer whether overdue or not; and revolution and food security. To assess cultivating as owner, agricultural (i) restructured and rescheduled in the the total amount of credit availed by land equal to or more than one normal course up to March 31, different categories of farmers and to hectare but less than two hectares 2017 as per applicable RBI guide- suggest the methodology for remis- (from 2.5 acres to less than 5 lines on account of natural calami- sion of debt, the Government of Pun- acres). ties, whether overdue or not. jab vide order No.8/69/17-Agri 2(10) 4.2. The following loans shall not be /5585 dated 17.4.2017 constituted an Explanation: included in the eligible amount: Expert Group with Dr. T. Haque as a). The classification of eligible farm- (a) advances against pledge or hy- Chairman. On the basis of recommen- ers as per the above landholding pothecation of agricultural produce dations made by the Group in its re- criteria under the Scheme would be other than standing crop; and
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 15 Cover
(b) agricultural finance to corporates', List-II with lists of other bank igible farmers along with the partnership firms, societies other branches in the area. The District amount eligible for waiver shall than cooperative credit institutions Collector will get all names in be prepared (Annexure'B') and (referred to in para 3.2), and any these lists checked and verified to displayed at all bank branches similar institution. ascertain that all loanees have farm after due authentication. The final land. list shall be sent to the LDM and 5. Debt Waiver c) After this verification, any false the District Collector in Annexure- IIn the case of a marginal farmers , claims will be deleted. Then farm- B. the entire 'eligible amount' of those ers who have availed loans from e) A District Level Bankers' meeting farmers who have total outstanding more than one bank branch will be will be convened by the DC and crop loan liability upto Rs 2 Lakh shall identified and village wise joint district-wise details of loan waiver be provided as debt relief and in case lists will be prepared. The Co-op. bank-wise, farmer-wise will be of eligible amount of more than Rs. Dept. auditors under the supervi- recorded and sent to Director Agri- 2.00 lakh, only Rs.2.00 Lakh shall be sion of District Co-op. Audit Offi- culture, Punjab in Annexure-8. Di- provided as Debt relief. cer shall cross verify the lists rector Agriculture who will release 5.2. IIn the case of small farmers', pertaining to PACS and DCCBs. A the amount to concerned Deputy the entire 'eligible amount' of those senior officer not below the rank of Commissioner for settlement of ac- farmers who have total outstanding SDM, and nominated by the Dis- counts of eligible farmers. crop loan liability upto Rs.2.00 lakh, trict Collector will be the observer A farmer classified as 'small shall be provided as Debt relief. for this meeting. The final lists thus farmer' or 'marginal farmer' will be el- prepared will be shared by all bank igible for fresh agricultural loans upon 6. Implementation branches at the Sub-divisional the eligible amount being waived. a) Every Branch Manager of a sched- level. In the case of a crop loan, the 'mar- uled commercial bank, regional It is to be noted that if a farmer has ginal farmer' will be eligible for fresh rural bank, cooperative credit insti- multiple accounts but overall out- crop loan upon paying one-third of tution, and other lending institu- standing for crop loan is less than outstanding amount after a relief of Rs. tions covered under this Scheme eligible amount, then their name 2.00 Lakh. shall prepare two Aaddhar seeded will not be deleted.In case out- The State Government shall take village-wise lists, one consisting of standing crop loan is more than up the issue of settlement of loan with 'marginal farmers' (List-I) and the Rs.2.00 lakh, then the name will be respective banks as one time settlement second consisting of 'small farmers' retained in the list for the banks as and shall take over the entire "eligible (List-II), who are eligible for debt provided in section 3.4(d) and fur- amount and the Interest outstanding relief under this Scheme as per per- ther on the basis of date of availing from 01-04-2017 till date of forma given in Annexure-A. These loan i.e. where the farmer first Notification" of the farmers to be lists shall be displayed on the no- availed the crop loan being the first defrayed to the banks in a phased tice board of the branch of the priority. manner except for the Cooperative bank/society. One copy of these d) Thus a final list of farmers who will Credit institutions. lists should be sent by the Bank be eligible for loan waiver will be 6.1 In the caseof small and marginal Branch Manager each to concerned prepared bank branch-wise. farmers, upon waiver of the eligi- SOM and District Collector. The final lists will be exhibited village ble amount, the lending institution b)For eliminating the duplication/mul- wise to conduct a social audit by a shall issue a certificate to the effect tiple financing and restricting the team constituted by the SOM along that the loan has been waived and benefit of loan waiver of Rs.2.00 with Block Agriculture Officer and specifically mention the eligible lakh per farmer, the District Col- Assistant Registrar Co-operative amount that has been waived. lector shall collect the Aadhar for this purpose. After conduct of 6.2 Every lending institution shall be seeded lists from all the branches. social audit and finalization of all responsible for the correctness and If need be, a Bankers meeting at objections received, the final list of integrity of the lists of farmers eli- Sub-divisional level shall be con- farmers bank branch-wise will be gible under this Scheme and the vened by the District Collector for prepared in Annexure-8. After the particulars of the debt waiver or this purpose. At this meeting all the social audit and after taking into debt relief in respect of each Banks will compare the village- account the objections of villages, farmer. Every document main- wise lists of farmers in List-I and if any, a final village-wise list of el- tained, every list prepared and
16 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Cover
every certificate issued by a lend- such representation shall b e dis- (iv) Principal Secretary, Department of ing institution for the purposes of posed of within 30 days of receipt Finance this Scheme shall bear the signa- thereof. (v) Regional Director, Reserve Bank of ture and designation of an autho- India, Chandigarh rised officer of the lending 7. Audit institution. The books of account of every (vi) Registrar Cooperative Socities, 6.3 Every lending institution shall ap- institution that has granted debt waiver Punjab point one or more Grievance Re- or debt relief under this Scheme (in- (vii) Chief General Manager, dressal Officer for each District cluding the books of accounts NABARD, Chandigarh (having regard to the number of maintained at the branches) shall be (viii) Managing Director of two public branches in that District). The subject to an audit in accordance with name and address of the Grievance the procedure that may be prescribed sector banks or their representatives Redressal Officer concerned shall by RBI/ NABARD / STATE (ix) Commissioner Agriculture be displayed in each branch of the GOVERNMENT. The audit may be (x) Managing Director, Punjab State lending institution. The Grievance conducted by concurrent auditors, Cooperative Banks Redressal Officer shall have the au- statutory auditors or special auditors as (xi) Convener State Level Bankers thority to receive representations may be directed by RBI/NABARD/ Committee, PNB, Chandigarh. from aggrieved farmers and pass STATE GOVERNMENT. appropriate orders thereon within 30 days . 8. Monitoring 9. Interpretation and power 6.4 Any farmer who is aggrieved on There shall be constituted a State to remove difficulties the ground that his name has not Level Monitoring Committee consist- been included in either of the two ing of the following to monitor and The Agriculture Department lists referred to in paragraph 6.1 or give clarifications, if any, for smooth shall resolve the doubts arising out of on the ground that his name has implementation of the scheme. interpretation of the provisions of the been included in the wrong list or (i) Chief Secretary to Government of Scheme, in consultation with the De- on the ground that the relief Punjab - Chairperson partment of Finance. granted to him has been calculated (ii) Additional Chief Secretary (Coop- wrongly may make a representa- eration) cum FCC The Agriculture Department tion directly to the Deputy Com- (iii) Additional Chief Secretary (De- will be the Nodal Department to im- missioner concerned and every velopment) - Member Secretary plement the Scheme in all respects.
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 17 Cover Sewa Kendras to be rationalized Capt’s dream project needs a revamp
File photo of a Sewa Kendra BUREAU REPORT
he concept of Sewa the mounting numbers of Sewa dues of employees and vendors have Kendra was started way Kendras (2,147) has brought with it a not been settled for quite some time. backT in 2005 as Suvidha Kendra by number of problems. The biggest hur- Though officials maintain that the Capt Amarinder Singh, during his pre- dle is the running cost of the kendras. centres were meant to be largely self- vious tenure as Chief Minister of Pun- The operator running these centres has sustaining as the operator was sup- jab. The Captain’s dream project of sought dues of over Rs 125 crore from posed to recover the costs by offering delivering cost-effective government the government. This has forced the services, the latter has cited the agree- services under one roof was carried Capt Amarinder Singh Government to ment signed with the previous SAD- forward by the SAD-BJP government. rationalise these centres. BJP government. According to it, the Over the years, the project has shaped Citing an agreement with the gov- government would pay certain amount into various centres across Punjab. But ernment, the operator claims that the to enable the operator bridge the gap
18 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Cover
between revenue and expenditure till a certain period. As per the official record, the aver- age monthly revenue generated by these centres is nearly Rs 4 crore against the monthly expenditure of Rs 17 crore. A senior government official says the problem lies in the agreement be- tween the then government and the op- erator. At 2,146 sewa kendras opened by the previous government, 153 citi- zen-centric services are provided to the people. Sources say the operator has claimed that the piling up of fiscal lia- bility is affecting the services at the centres. An option being cited was Work in full swing at an urban Sewa Kendra downsizing the operations, resulting in delay in services. Rationalisation of the sewa kendras could be done soon, once the rates at largely self-sustaining, with the opera- or three persons avail of the facilities which 153 services are being provided tor trying to recover the costs by offer- with five persons manning the Sewa are rationalised too. ing the services. The viability gap was Kendra. Toning down these heavily “Deliberations are on to determine to be given by the state government. staffed centres in exchange for better how many centres are needed. Feed- However, till date, the average monthly facilities at busy centres is the call of back is also being sought from the dis- revenue generated by these centres is the customers. Yes, a through survey is tricts on how many of these kendras Rs 3.82 crore, as against the monthly needed to rationalize the number of should be run and their public use,” expenditure of Rs 17-18 crore. Though centres to make the Sewa cost-effec- said a top officer in the department, the Congress government has tried to tive. adding that the focus was on integra- bridge this gap by recently hiking the The Sewa Kendras are a one-stop tion of all services and infrastructure service charges, it has not made much solution for rendering various types of created for all these centres. difference. Thus, it has been decided to applications and document renewal These citizen-service centres were rationalise the number of centres and services related to birth & death cer- initially named suvidha centres. These save costs. tificate, bus passes, electricity bill pay- were run by the Sukhmani Society, Capt Amarinder Singh, who pio- ment, identity card services, marriage headed by the respective Deputy Com- neered the Government-to-Customer registration, arms license, electricity missioner. In August last year, suvidha (GTC) services, is keen to keen to bill payment, identity card services and centres had made way for the sewa carry forward his dream project, but affidavit attestation, payment of prop- kendras. Between August 2016 and minus the blemishes introduced by the erty tax, evaluation of landed/ immov- January this year, 2,146 kendras were previous regime. He knows that Pun- able property, issue of income established at the district and subdivi- jab is a role model of e-governance certificate, nationality and nativity cer- sional levels and one each for a cluster which other states want to emulate. But tificate, sanction for social security of villages covering a population of up making the centres self-sustaining benefits to old age, handicapped, to 10,000. These were handed over to would be a new feather in the e-gover- widow, sanction of building plans, an independent service provider; the nance cap. transfer of ownership, agriculture serv- staff and equipment was provided by The number footfalls and applica- ices related to seeds / fertilizers / in- the operator. Sewa kendras initially of- tion count in certain Sewa Kendras are secticides, caste services, collection of fered 77 services. mind blowing. But then there are quite bills, and aadhar and passport related These centres were meant to be a number of centres where barely two services.
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 19 Cover Paddy procurement set to touch record high
A worker dries up paddy at a mandi in Punjab
BUREAU REPORT
he state is on the thresh- chase in the state.” Mr Sinha. old of setting a new Till October 31 , a total of 140.36 The most excellent supervision of recordT in paddy procurement with the lakh tonnes of paddy had been pur- the bureaucrats of the state deserves to figure crossing the 140 lakh mark on chased out of the total arrivals of be commended. They were given a free October 31 and a daily inflow of 5 lakh 142.69 lakh tonnes in the state. Of and self-governing hand to handle the tonnes of paddy being recorded in the which, 7.79 lakh tonnes had been procurement process by the Chief mandis across the state. At this rate the bought by private millers. Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and procurement figure may touch a record The arrival, procurement and pay- they have shown their worth. Punjab 182 lakh tonnes in 10 or 15 days. ment has been hassle-free. Because of Vigilance too had played a noticeable According to Punjab Food Secre- the good weather the crop is free from role. tary K.A.P. Sinha “Last year, we pro- any kind of problems associated with The Deputy Commissioners of the cured 168 lakh tonnes of paddy. This it. In short the quality is good. state, Director of Food, Civil Supplies year, we are targeting 182 lakh tonnes “We are ensuring payment to farm- & Consumer Affairs, SPS to CM and we might cross this figure. This ers within 24 hours while within 72 Gurkirat Kirpal Singh and Principal will be an all-time high paddy pur- hours, the lifting is being done,” said Secretary Food & Civil Supplies need
20 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Cover
pats for completing this task in a suc- said “The control on the stubble burn- Punjab on October 1. The Reserve cessfully way. ing has indeed improved the quality Bank of India sanctioned an amount of No hitch, no protest of any kind standards of the paddy and fast pay- nearly Rs 28,263 crore to Punjab to was reported from any part of the state ment clearances have ended hassles of make payments to farmers for the in the process of procurement of the farmers”. paddy. It was a well streamlined sys- DC Jalandhar Varinder Sharma paddy procured. The department tem in place. said “The full autonomy given by the would be requiring an additional sum DC Nawanshahr Sonali Giri said top officers and the close coordination of Rs. 5,537.38 Crores totalling Rs. “The season has witnessed one of the provided by Director Anindita Mitra 33800.22 Crores. The department has smoothest procurement and lifting have proved beneficial for the field of- already written to the RBI in this re- process because of prompt support ficers”. District teams worked better in from the higher up authorities and such atmosphere, when all seniors are gard, disclosed K.A.P Sinha Principal landmark policy changes”. She further giving prompt support, he said. Secretary, Food & Civil Supply. Cotton arrivals pick up
otton arrivals have picked up in market yards of present in the meeting informed the Chief Minister that CPunjab due to higher production, touching 3.19 the cotton was being purchased above MSP barring a very lakh quintals so far, officials said. little quantity of cotton that had quality issues. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who re- A heavy rush of cotton crop has been witnessed and viewed the ongoing procurement of cotton and reiterated the arrival is almost double of last year and the production his government’s commitment that the entire crop would is also substantially higher. The Secretary Mandi Board be purchased at minimum support price (MSP) of Rs briefed the Chief Minister that the cotton crop was pro- 4,220 per quintal, an official statement said. cured across the state today between Rs 4,350 and 4,220. The chief minister interacted with senior officials of The CM directed all Deputy Commissioners of cotton- the state government besides officials of Agriculture De- producing districts to ensure that the farmers got remu- partment and Mandi Board. The Secretary Mandi Board said that so far, approximately 3.19 lakh quintals of cotton nerative prices for their produce. He directed that a special had arrived in the various cotton markets of the state, the joint meeting be convened on Tuesday in Chandigarh in statement said. which senior officers, besides officials of the Cotton Cor- The officials informed the chief minister that the pro- poration India (CCI), state Agriculture Department and curement was being carried out smoothly and there were the Punjab Mandi Board would thrash out all issues re- very few instances involving quality issues. The officers lated to cotton procurement
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 21 PUNJAB DIARY
Capt restores pension to widows
unjab Chief victims of terrorism, M i n i s t e r with immediate effect. PCaptain Amarinder The Chief Minister Singh has restored the made the announce- Special Family Pen- ments on the eve of the sion for widows of Martyrs Day at the government employees Punjab Police Head- killed by extremists, quarters here. Captain and also agreed to ex- Amarinder offered tend the Red Card tributes to the martyrs scheme to families of of the police force and, police personnel killed for the first time in during the militancy Punjab police history, period. lit the eternal flame, The Special Pen- besides interacting sion Scheme was re- with families of voked by the erstwhile martyrs. Akali government in The Special Family 2016 and Captain Pension, for which Amarinder had promised to restore the same if the Congress necessary directions had already been issued to the DGP, came to power in the state. The pension under the scheme will be given to widow or mother of the deceased govern- would be made available to the widow till her death as ment employee killed by or during action against extrem- against the earlier provision of it being provided until her ists, he said. remarriage. The pension amount will be equal to the last pay drawn Acceding to a request from the families of the police at the time of the death of the personnel, said the Chief Min- martyrs, the Chief Minister assured them that they would ister, adding that the widows of the martyrs “are a part of our also get the Red Cards, so far being issued only to civilian family and it is our duty to take care of them.”
Model state for safe childhood
unjab is all set to emerge as a model state for safe the state child-friendly, said Captain Amarinder, adding that childhood, said Capt Amarinder Singh during a no effort would be spared to prevent child abuse in any form. Pmeeting with Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, who called The Chief Minister sought the association and involve- on him at his official residence in Chandigarh. ment of Satyarthi's `Bachpan Bachao’ organisation to create The government was taking various initiatives to pro- awareness about child safety in the state. Satyarthi said it vide security to children and ensure their safety. Steps were was important to spread such awareness to check child also being taken to rehabilitate victims of drug abuse, which abuse and violence. Reporting of such cases should be en- had destroyed many young lives in the state. couraged and stringent action should be taken against those Satyarthi was in Chandigarh as part of his nationwide found guilty of any acts which violate the safety of children, yatra for safe childhood and addressed students in Panjab he added. University during the day. Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Suresh The Chief Minister said it was his government’s firm Kumar, Principal Secretary Tejveer Singh, Principal Secre- commitment to provide safety and security to children. Var- tary Labour Sanjay Kumar and other officials were also ious measures were being taken to make police stations in present in the meeting.
22 Punjab Advance November - 2017 PUNJAB DIARY
Guidelines on dengue cases
he Health and Family with RDKs (Rapid Diagnostic Welfare Department Kits) would not be declared as a hasT issued set of fresh guidelines to confirmed case as it is not recom- the Indian Medical Association, mended test. All samples should Punjab and all private practitioners be sent for ELISA test (free of to report any suspected/ confirmed cost) to District Hospitals for con- dengue cases to the Health Depart- firmation. ment immediately so that remedial Private hospitals can log on to measures could be taken without www.punjabnvbdcp.in and submit any delay. the case details online and Patients Director Health and Family should be managed as per Govern- Welfare Rajiv Bhalla said the in- ment of India guidelines available structions to the IMA, Punjab and on www.punjabnvbdcp.in. As per all private hospital as private prac- the advisory patients if not bleed- titioners across the state have been ing or not having platelets less than issued on the direction of Health 20000 may not be administered and Family Welfare Minister platelets but it must be checked Brahm Mohindra. It has now been made mandatory that all that unnecessary scare shouldn't be spread. He said Dengue suspected/confirmed cases of dengue should be timely re- is a notified disease and it is mandatory for every hospital ported to the Health Department so that remedial measures and lab to inform the Department about any case of dengue are undertaken for prevention and spread of dengue in the and Chikungunya. affected area. The DHS said that for any further information, mobile app Giving details about the testing process of the suspected pa- "Dengue Free Punjab" can be downloaded free of cost from tients at the government hospitals, he said patients tested Google play store.
Exhibition of rural products
wenty-eight forts to promote and s e l f - h e l p market house-hold groupsT (SHG) from dif- items prepared by ferent districts of Pun- these self-help groups jab converged on the under the Mai Bhago Lala Lajpt Rai Bhawan Istri Sashaktikaran campus in Chandigarh Scheme. to exhibit their cre- According to an of- ations at a three-day ex- ficial spokesman the hibition of rural exhibition remained products. open from 10 am to 8 Organised by the pm on October 13, 14 Punjab Cooperative De- and 15 and drew keen partment in collabora- buyers from the tri-city. tion with NABARD, Representatives of Markfed and Punjab Exhibition of Punjab’s rural products in Chandigarh SHGs were grateful to Agro-Industries, the the state agencies for first of its kind exhibition of rural products was a big hit as giving them a platform to get connected with the customers residents of the tri-city were keen to know and also buy the of the tricity during the festive season. The exhibition was self-assembled products of the rural artistes. inaugurated by NABARD chairman J.P.S. Bindra on Octo- This is in keeping with the cooperative department’s ef- ber 13.
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 23 PUNJABIS OVERSEAS UK must apologise for Jallianwala massacre
File photo of the Jalliawala Bagh massacre
irendra Sharma, a senior There have been differing esti- Labour leader and MP mates of the casualties incurred at fromV Ealing Southall, has reiter- the hands of the infamous Colonel ated a long-standing demand that Reginald Dyer. While the British put Britain tender a formal apology for it at 379, Indians insist that thou- the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre in sands were killed. A plaque at the 1919. memorial says: “This place is satu- Tabling an early day motion rated with the blood of about two (EDM) in the House of Commons, thousand Hindus, Sikhs and Mus- Sharma called on Prime Minister lims who were martyred in a non-vi- Theresa May to apologise for the olent struggle.” incident that Indian historians say Making its case for an apology cost thousands of lives. He also de- from Britain, the EDM stated: manded that the “shameful piece of “That this House recognises the im- history” be taught at schools in the portance of the Jallianwala Bagh United Kingdom. massacre of 1919 for its importance Demands for an apology have as a turning point in the history of cropped up on several occasions Virendra Sharma the Raj and British Empire in India; over the decades, including the notes that the centenary of this time Queen Elizabeth and Prince event is approaching and that it is Philip visited the Jallianwalla Bagh memorial in 1997 and appropriate to commemorate it; further recognises that for- former Prime Minister David Cameron’s trip to India in mer Prime Minister David Cameron referred to the Jallian- 2013. wala Bagh massacre as a deeply shameful act; further notes “This was an important moment in the history of Britain that this event does not represent modern British values; in India. Many suggest it was the beginning of the end, a urges the government to ensure that British children are moment that finally emboldened the Independence move- taught about this shameful period and that modern British ment. It must be commemorated, and the British govern- values welcome the right to peaceful protest; and further ment should make clear its repudiation of such a barbaric urges the government formally to apologise in the House and act,” Sharma said. inaugurate a memorial day to commemorate this event.”
24 Punjab Advance November - 2017 PUNJABIS OVERSEAS
Manjinder Singh claims unpaid wages
wenty-three- but received wages for only year-old Manjin- 30 hours - $432.51 a week derT Singh, who hails from after tax. Kalanaur in Gurdaspur dis- “For all the hours that I trict, has staked his claim to worked, my average wage $80,000 in ‘unpaid wages’ comes to just $7 per hour, from his former liquor store whereas the minimum wage employer in Auckland, New today is $ 15.75. So, I have Zealand. He claims that his been out of pocket by nearly employer, Ravinder Arora, $100,000 for the three years Director, Nikhil Himalaya that I have worked for this Parkland Ltd (trading as owner.” 'Bottle-O') has 'exploited' Manjinder Singh Manjinder alleged that him by making him work at one of the meetings, di- long hours but payed him only for half the work he did. A rector of the company, Arora “agreed” to pay him $80,000, group of protesters gathered outside the shop in Pt Cheva- but has now “backed out”. lier in his support. The Labour Department has confirmed they are investi- Manjinder said, “I came to New Zealand in February gating the matter. 2014 on a student visa to study business, and while study- On behalf of the owner, his brother, Kamal Deep, how- ing, I started working part-time at this liquor store. For the ever, has denied all charges of under/non- payment of first two months even though I worked full-time hours, I wages, and described these as “baseless”. was not paid anything as the employer said, it was a trial This is not the first case of alleged exploitation of mi- period and you don’t get paid.” grant workers or international students that has surfaced. “In September last year (2016) when I received my work The government has already cracked down on migrant visa, I was given a full-time contract of 30 hours at an hourly labour exploitation and heavy penalties are imposed on em- rate of $17. But I was made to work over 60 hours per week, ployers, if proved.
Turban tying hogs the limelight
ikhs Political Action Committee and Sikh Society took part in the Festivals of Faiths, and many new activities of Indiana, an umbrella of Midwest Gurdwaras were added to entertain and enlighten Festival-goers. CIC andS Sikhs, organized tying turban event which got an over- described it as the "biggest" Indy Festival of Faiths ever! wheling response at the fifth Annual Indy Festival of Faiths CIC Board chair Jane Gehlhausen and Festival chair 2017. The organizers of the Festival of Faiths, Center of In- Muzaffar Ahmad extended welcome to the participants. terfaith Cooperation (CIC), shifted all activities inside the Greetings were from five religious leaders, including 2017 War Memorial, Downtown as rain played spoilsport. Interfaith Ambassador of the Year Sister Norma Rocklage According to spokespersons of Sikh Society of Indiana and song of praise by Eritren choir. and Sikhs PAC more than 350 visitors, including women, Congratulating the Center for Interfaith Cooperation for from all faiths were tied colourful turbans. They all looked hosting the Indy Festival of Faiths Indiana Governor Eric enthusiastic and thrilled. Tying turban is a campaign to Holcomb in a message said " Indiana is proud to be home spread the message that "We are Sikhs". All were welcome. of many religious institutions. People of all faiths in Indiana Sikhs PAC had announced that Prince, Princess, King and and across this country represent the very best of what it Queen would be selected among those who participated in means to be faithful Americans. I have the sincere hope this the turban tying event and the winners will be adjudged event can continue that mission and fuirther strengthen the “The Emperor of the World”. bonds between Hoosiers of all faiths and the communities Meanwhile, this year more exhibitors than ever before they serve."
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 25 Play time at
A rock python reaches out for the warmth of the sun Chattbir zoo
Two Bengal tigers in a playful mood Luminaries
Remembering Reshma, the folk song queen ‘Lambi Judaai’, literally
Donald Banerjee he broke the silence of the made barriers of the subcontinent, died When she was just 12 years old, desert----a voice so wounded in Lahore on November 3, 2013, after she was spotted singing at Shahbaz “Sthat pain became the song” remaining in coma for a month and Qalandar’s shrine by a television and “A voice of passion, not of this battling with throat cancer for two radio producer who coaxed her into earth: Haayo Rabba” decades. recording the song ‘Lal Meri…’ on These tweets on Twitter aptly sum Born in Bikaner, Rajasthan, in a Pakistan Radio. up Reshma, the legendary folk singer, Banjara family in early 1947, That was the beginning. Reshma whose fourth death anniversary falls on Reshma’s tribe migrated to Pakistan went on to become one of the most November 3. soon after partition. But her voice took popular folk singers of Pakistan. But Yes that painful cry of “Hai O the listerners back to the deserts in Ra- the artiste in her broke the man-made Rabba, Nahion Lagda Dil Mera” has jasthan. No director or producer mak- barriers as Bollywood beckoned her. gone on ‘Lambi Judaai’. Yes, the leg- ing a tele-drama on desert life could That was another turning point. endary singer who broke the man- miss the background voice of Reshma. Reshma virtually took over the entire
28 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Luminaries subcontinent with hits like ‘Dama Dam coma in October and breathed her last Hai Lambi Judai, Mast Kalandar’, ‘Hai O Rabba, Nahion on November 3 the same year. Chaar dinon ka pyaar ho rabba, Lagta Dil ‘, ‘Ankhion Ko Rehen De, A modest Reshma used to say: Badi Lambi Judai, Lambi Judai. Ankhion De Kol’ and ‘Lambi Judai’. “My voice is a gift from God, for (There was prayer on my lips, Who can forget Reshma’s which I am grateful to the Almighty”. Oh, this long separation, ‘Ankhion Ko Rehne De Ankhion Ke She got the recognition and awards Love just for four days, oh my God, Aas Paas’ which was sung by Lata for too, yet the government did not do Very long separation.) Raj Kapoor’s Bobby starring Rishi what she deserved. But this has hap- Ek to Sajan mere pas nahin re, Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. pened with all legendary figures in Duje milan di koi aas nahin re, Pirated tapes in Reshma’s golden Pakistan. Uspe ye sawan aayaa, voice were openly sold in Indian mar- ‘Lamba Judaai’ has remained one Aag lagayae hai, Lambi Judai. kets. of Reshma’s favourite songs. She sang (Oh, my beloved is not near me, However this singer with pain in this number in Subhash Ghai’s ‘Hero’ Second there is no hope of meeting her voice was able to perform in India starring Jackie Shroff and Meenakshi him, much later. In fact, in the eighties, Sheshadhari. And on that, this rainy season, when India and Pakistan allowed ex- Given below are the ‘Lambi Judaai’ Oh it fires me up, oh, this long sepa- change of artistes, Subhas Ghai used lyrics, with the English translation in ration.) her voice in the film ‘Hero’, which fea- brackets: tured her famous song ‘Lambi Judaai’. Bichhde abhi to hum kal parson, Baag ujad gaye, khilne se pehle, Her live performances in India Jioongi mai kaise, is haal mein bar- Panchi bichad gaye, milne se pehle, came at a time when the queen of folk son, Koyal ki kook, ne hook uthaee, Hai Lambi Judai’ song was diagnosed with throat cancer. Maut na aayi, teri yaad kyon aayi, (Gardens got devastated, even before The effect of the disease was painfully Hai Lambi Judai blossoming, visible as the legendary singer took (We separated just two days ago, Lovers got separated, even before pains to sing the ragas that were once But how will I live in this condition, meeting, the landmark of her performances. Death didn’t come, but why your The sound of the Koyal, fuels my de- Later when the pain became un- memories, spondency, bearable, she discontinued singing. Oh this long separation.) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf Oh, this long separation.) Chaar dinon ka pyaar ho rabba, sanctioned a sum of Rs 10 lakh to meet Chaar dinon ka pyaar ho rabba, Badi Lambi Judai, Lambi Judai. her medical expenses. Badi Lambi Judai, Lambi Judai. (Love just for four days, oh my God, Her health deteriorated to such an (Four days of love, Oh my God, Very long separation.) extent that she was hospitalized I La- Very long separation, long separa- hore on April 6, 2013. She went into a Hoton pe aye meri jaan duhaai, tion.) Death anniversary goes unnoticed in Pak What a pity that the Pakistan government and the en- Council, Punjab Arts Council and Punjab Institute of Lan- tertainment industry’s veterans failed to commemorate guage Art and Culture to promote local artists. “These or- Reshma’s contribution to Pakistani music as her third ganisations are not fulfilling their roles of holding tribute death anniversary went unnoticed in Lahore last year. events for legendary artists. My mother spent her entire While no cultural body organised an event to com- life working for the country but it is a tragedy that no or- memorate her contribution to Pakistani music, her ganisation acknowledges her efforts. achievements will always be remembered by her loved “Reshma was my inspiration. I started singing after ones, said the Lambi Judai singer’s son, Sawan Ali. watching her and I have learnt a lot from her. Her voice Even artists like Shoukat Ali lamented the govern- was so melodious and while many artists have covered her ment’s negligence in remembering talents like Reshma. “She should be remembered and recognised on the govt songs, I believe there is no one in this world who can sing level even after her death. She did a lot for the country and the way she did,” shared folk singer Naseebo Lal. that’s the only way we can pay her back,” said the folk Shoukat echoed Naseebo’s sentiments. “After Reshma, singer. there has been no one with such a charming and sweet According to Sawan, the Punjab government has made voice,” he added. “She was extremely talented and became heavy investments in institutions such as the Lahore Arts popular wherever she performed.”
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 29 Foot patrolling People-friendly policing is the new mantra
Foot patrolling begins in six districts
A foot patrol team is flagged off in Ludhiana
BUREAU REPORT eople-friendly policing is public connect and instilling a sense Ludhiana RN Dhoke flagged off the the new mantra of the Pun- of confidence in people. first first batch of foot-patrol officers at Pjab police. Yes, as part of this state- The Brainchild of Punjab Director the Police Lines in Ludhiana level initiative the Punjab Police has General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora, As a concept, foot patrolling in- launched foot patrolling to instill con- the scheme has been launched in six volves beat patrolling on foot in a des- fidence among the citizens. big cities of the state simultaneously. ignated area which is identified based The move is aimed at tightening They are Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amrit- on crime, vulnerability, foot-falls in the vigil and keeping a check on law and sar, Bathinda, Patiala and Mohali. markets, strategic installations, educa- order besides strengthening police- The Commissioner of Police (CP), tional, financial and religious institu-
30 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Foot patrolling tions etc. with effective community be around 3 kilometres. with the community and environment. participation to contribute in intelli- The foot-patrol officers have been The officers will undergo on-job train- gence gathering and prevention and de- imparted special training and orienta- ing on a continuous basis. tection of crime. tion to familiarize with assigned task These officers will be well-quali- The overall goal is to create reduc- and areas. One android based tablet is fied and have a basic technical tion in crime by increasing the pres- being provided to each buddy pair knowledge, experience of four years in ence of police in high-crime and with a specially designed mobile ap- service with field units, knowledge of vulnerable locations, ensuring safety plication for foot patrolling to monitor local area and are physically fit with a and security of women, children and and supervise their performance and maximum age limit of forty-five years senior citizens and eventually building they have been properly trained to use to ensure intensive efforts for the a bridge for people-friendly policing. the same. assignment. They will be wearing Under this people-friendly polic- These officers will undergo a jungle boots and specially designed ing, the officers will patrol their desig- seven-day orientation programme at arm bands and will be equipped with nated areas for about eight hours in their designated foot patrol location weapon, baton, handcuffs and wireless various shifts throughout the day de- after which they will spend an initial sets. pending on the type of the beat area. In period of two weeks in and around Regular impact analysis of the each beat area, foot-patrol officers in a their beat with an experienced officer. project will be done and expansion and buddy pair will do intensive policing. In addition, all patrol officers will be improvements will be made with the The pairs will be on duty every fort- provided with criminal intelligence passage of time. night alternatively in various shifts to brief on their designated area by the Foot Patrolling was a widely-dis- accustom them to different timings. SHO and Special Branch unit. This is cussed project during the All India The average length of a beat area shall to ensure that officers become familiar DGPs conference held at Hyderabad. The objectives of this initiative
To patrol the entire beat area on foot thus instilling · confidence among the citizens. To acquaint with the shopkeepers and residents to · establish rapport and gather intelligence. To ensure regular public meetings with the resi- · dents and solve their issues pertaining to policing. To gather all the data about the residents and iden- · tify all suspects and criminals. To keep a watch on criminals staying in that area. · To check any suspicious movements or activities · of the visitors. To check and verify suspicious vehicles, persons To keep watch on all educational institutions, · and criminals through available database. · financial institutions and religious places, To keep a watch on traffic congestion and en- landmark buildings and vital installations. · croachments and use resources to remove it. To keep records of all criminal activities in the past To instill confidence in women, children and sen- · and to take steps to prevent them. · ior citizens who stay alone and have regular inter- To brief senior officers from time to time for any action with them. · information and intelligence input.
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 31 Career n Competition Demand for ethical hackers
BUREAU REPORT
or all those who hack gramming languages. You can start in Pune. It is important that you don’t friends’ social networking your career by interning for an organi- have any criminal record because the Faccounts for “fun”, for those who are zation and then convert it to a perma- course is all about trust and companies good at cracking passwords and un- nent job. The average salary ranges wouldn’t like to leave their security in locking a locked system, whose who between 2.5 lakh for a fresher, and the hands of someone who can’t by spend a majority of their experiment- after an experience of five to six years, trusted ing with various codes—this is a great you can easily command a salary of Rs way to put those grey cells to a good 12 lakh annually, depending upon your What is Ethical Hacking? use. You can breach the security of skills. Ethical Hacking is basically a form computer systems and get paid for it ! Institutes like Indian School of Eth- of hacking that is used for good rea- Many big companies look for ethi- ical Hacking and Institute of Informa- sons. Ethical hackers work similar to cal hackers for various security pur- tion Security offer various courses in any other hacker but with the purpose poses. You need to have a good ethical hacking. There is a short course of spotting loopholes in the security knowledge of coding in different pro- of 15 days offered by Arizona Infotech system in order to create better systems
32 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Career n Competition to prevent breach. Owing to the measures that can prevent such un- qualification, certifications and work growing need of ethical hackers, this wanted intrusions. They test and de- experience. Some ethical hackers tend field is now emerging as a promising velop security systems. Jobs as to earn INR 30 Lacs per annum. The career option. A lot of government or- Network Security Administrator, Chief primary hubs for these jobs include ganizations are recruiting ethical Information Security Officer, Applica- Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad hackers in their respective IT teams. tion Security Tester, Chief Application and Chennai. According to a survey conducted all Security Officer, etc. offer exciting Qualification Required to become an Ethical Hacker To avail a government job as an ethical hacker in India, you need to have certain academic credentials. The potential candidate must have a gradu- ate or post graduate degree in Informa- tion Technology or Computer Science and allied fields. Diploma or a credited course in Ethical hacking is a plus. The candidate must be certified as an Ethi- cal Hacker from a reputed institution for better job prospects. Some of these certifications include:Certified Hack- ing Forensic Investigator (EC-Coun- cil), Certified Ethical Hacker (EC-Council), GIAC Certified Pene- tration Tester (GPEN) by SAN and GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA). Special training in the field and experience adds to the resume of the candidate. Skills Required to become an Ethical Hacker As an Ethical Hacker, you are required to have special skill set. These include excellent technical knowledge over India, the job opportunities for prospects. They can work in Defense of various hacking techniques, ability ethical hackers is expected to grow organizations, law enforcement organ- to implement the tools for hacking, over 77 thousand. Let us have a look at izations, forensic organizations, detec- good knowledge about different the prospects of a government job for tive companies, investigative Operating Systems and Networking. ethical hackers in India. organizations, etc. They must be well equipped with The job opportunities are immense Programming. An Ethical Hacker need Government Jobs for and good remuneration only enhances to keep him/herself constantly updates Ethical Hackers the desirability of the job.The salaries with new knowledge. They must of ethical hackers tend to be nearly 20 pursue consistent growth. To be a great The government jobs for ethical to 30% more than the salaries earned Ethical Hacker, the candidate must hackers in different organizations basi- by professional in other positions at the have investigative nature, an eye for cally require the hacker to make use of same level in other IT fields. A begin- detail, analytical thinking, problem hacking tools, tactics and techniques to ner in the field of ethical hacking may solving skills, passion to face breach the existing security protocols get a salary package of about INR 3 to challenges, etc. Trustworthiness, by finding small loopholes, assessing 6 Lacs per annum with a government honesty and integrity as some of the the security of these networks/ web- organization. However, the pay can highest essentials for the candidates in site/ application and to execute the rise substantially with better academic the field of Ethical Hacking.
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 33 Career n Competition
NATIONALCurren Sex with minor wife rape: SC IPC, which had been different ever since pany were down by about 10 per cent to In a landmark judgment, the the IPC came into force in 1860. Excep- under Rs 10,000 crore. This was proba- Supreme Court junked a 77-year-old law tion 2 to Section 375 of IPC said it was bly one of the key reasons for the merger. and ruled that sex between a man and his not rape if a man had sex with his wife Bambawale is envoy to China wife below 18 years of age will count as who was above the age of 15 years. India has announced the appointment rape and the Airtel-Tata merger of Gautam Bambawale as its next am- husband can Bharti Airtel will be acquiring Tata’s bassador to China. Bambawale was pre- face up to 10 telecom businesses Tata Teleservices and viously India’s ambassador to Bhutan. years’ impris- Tata Teleservices Maharashtra. The Air- He was in charge of China desk in the In- onment under tel-Tata merger will be debt-free and dian Foreign Ministry that looks after re- the Indian cash-free basis. lations with Japan, China, South Korea, Penal Code or Speaking on the development, Bharti Mongolia and North Korea. Bambawale even a life term Group Chairman Sunil Mittal said: ‘This knows Mandarin Chinese and has served under POCSO is a significant development towards fur- in Hong Kong and Beijing earlier.One of (Protection of ther consolidation in the Indian mobile the first tasks in front of Bambawale will Children from industry and reinforces our commitment be to stabilise India-China ties rocked by Sexual Of- to lead India’s digital revolution by of- a military face-off in the Dokalam area fences) Act of 2012. The SC, however, fering world-class and affordable tele- of Bhutan that lasted 73 days. Bam- clarified that it has not touched on the com services through a robust bawale, an Indian foreign service officer issue of marital rape–a husband forcing technology and solid spectrum portfo- of the 1984 batch is currently India’s himself on his wife despite her unwill- lio’. TTSL has seen a major fall in its net High Commissioner to Pakistan. Bam- ingness to have sex. By this ruling, the worth by over Rs 11,600 crore in FY17, bawale’s appointment clears the way for SC has established a uniform 18 years as and losses increase from Rs 2,409 crore India’s ambassador to Poland, Ajay Bis- age of consent, age of marriage and the to Rs 4,617 crore year-on-year basis. aria, to be named India’s High Commis- exception to rape under Section 375 of Apart from this, the revenues of the com- sioner to Pakistan.
PUNJAB Cong wins Gurdaspur seat Kumar Jakhar. He polled 4,99,752 votes Amarinder Singh’s personal intervention by record margin against the 3,06,553 votes cast for run- in the matter facilitated the CCL release, Cong has won the Gurdaspur Lok ner-up and BJP candidate Sawarn Singh required to ensure timely payment to Salaria. AAP candidate Suresh Khajuria couldn’t save his security deposit after receiving just 23,579 votes. It should be noted that Cong lost the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha election in 2014 to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has now won with a record margin of 1.93 lakh votes. The previous record for the highest margin of victory in Gurdaspur was held by former Congress MP Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder, farmers. Amarinder Singh has directed who had won with a margin of 1.51 lakh all state procurement agencies to take Sabha seat in the byelections. The elec- votes in 1980. immediate steps to ensure timely pay- tion, which was necessary after the de- 28,262 cr CCL forpaddy procurement ment to farmers against their procured mise of BJP MP Vinod Khanna, who had The Centre on sanctioned a Cash produce. Punjab is expecting a bumper won by a 1.35 lakh vote margin, turned Credit Limit (CCL) of Rs 28,262.84 paddy crop, with likely procurement of out to be a cakewalk for the Congress crore for paddy procurement in Punjab over 180 lakh tonnes by various govern- candidate and state unit chief, Sunil this kharif season. Chief Minister ment agencies.
34 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Career n Competition
EventsINTERNATIONAL Audrey Azoulay is UNESCO chief ambition as the conscience of the United first being its withdrawal from the 2015 Former French Culture Minister Au- Nations.” Through “the defence of hu- Paris climate change agreement. It un- drey Azoulay has been chosen as UN- manist values” the UNESCO can bring derlines Trump’s ‘America First’ poli- ESCO’s new chief. The French-Jewist new life to UN’s “universalist project of cies.The outgoing Director-General of woman of Morroccan descent was se- peace and democracy,” she said. UN- UNESCO, Irina Bokova, called the US lected after ESCO is the science, education and cul- withdrawal a 'loss to multilateralism', a final ture arm of the UN family. while UN Secretary General Antonio round of US pulls out of UN body Guterres said that he 'regrets this devel- voting by The United States and its ally Israel opment deeply'. UNESCO’s announced on 12 October 2017 that they Jagmeet Singh heads Canadian party Executive were pulling out of the UN's culture and Jagmeet Singh, a Sikh lawyer, was B o a r d . education body, UNESCO, accusing it of elected leader of Canada’s New Demo- Azoulay de- anti-Israel bias.Speaking on the decision, f e a t e d the US State Department spokeswoman cratic Party (NDP), becoming the first Hamad bin Heather Nauert said the decision was not non-white politician to lead a major po- Abdulaziz taken lightly and it reflects US concerns litical party in Canada.Jagmeet Singh, Al-Kawari of Qatar, winning 30 votes to with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the who is the Ontario provincial lawmaker, his 28. She will succeed Irina Bokova, a need for fundamental reform in the or- was voted on the first ballot to head the Bulgarian who ran unsuccessfully for ganisation and continuing anti-Israel party into the 2019 election against Secretary-General of the UN last year. In bias. This is the second such instance Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liber- her vision statement or manifesto while when the US has withdrawn itself from a als.He won the crucial first-ballot victory campaigning for the post, Azoulay major multilateral commitment after over three other candidates by receiving wrote, “UNESCO must assert itself with President Donald Trump took charge, 53.6 percent of the vote..
SPORTS Kavita to compete in WWE ring Khali.The 2016 South Asian Games gold with Rohit Sharma hitting a century. Kavita Devi on 15 October 2017 be- medallist, Kavita shot to fame when her Hardik Pandya who has been phenome- came the first Indian woman to tie-up video of wrestling in a salwar kameez nal for India both with bat and ball was against woman wrestler B Bull Bull went named the man of the series. viral on social media.She is expected to Nehra to retire from begin training at the WWE Performance international cricket Centre in Orlando, Florida in January Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra has 2018. Kavita Devi hails from Haryana decided to retire from competitive and was an accomplished kabaddi player cricket after the first T-20 International in high school. In 2016, she won the gold against New Zealand to be played in in the 75 kg weightlifting division at the Delhi on November 1. Making his India South Asian Games. She is the first In- debut in 1999 under Mohammad dian woman to compete in a WWE ring. Azharuddin, Nehra has so far played 17 with the Virat leads India to 4-1 series win Tests, 120 ODIs and 26 T-20 Interna- World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Virat Kohli led India to 4-1 series win tionals for the country. He has picked 44 Besides, Shadia Bseiso also became the over Australia by winning the fifth and Test wickets, besides 157 ODI and 34 T- first Arab woman from the Middle East final ODI in Nagpur, thus retaining the 20 scalps. Currently, Nehra was brought to sign a WWE developmental con- number one rank in ODIs, moving ahead into the T-20 side for the ongoing three- tract.Devi, a former competitive power- of South Africa. In the final encounter match series against Australia after a gap lifter, took training from Dalip Singh India, chasing a target of 243 runs lost of eight months since playing England Rana, popularly known as The Great only three wickets to achieve the target earlier in the year.
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 35 Literature A woman
Short story by Rajinder Singh Bedi
here were only three of 20 or so with a child stricken n’t have that frown on her face. things in Naseem Park with palsy, whose drool covered Also like nine of 10, she took inT front of the Town Hall that al- face she would sometimes kiss as if would have chosen for herself ways caught my attention: in a frenzy. She always wore a plain some bright colours. A tall willow tree whose trunk white voile sari, and the look on her The stroke had left the child’s wore a lovely coat of green moss face carried a ‘keep your distance’ face unattractive which was always and which could be seen from a sign. wet from his drooling. His mother distance swaying like a drunk per- When I first saw her, I thought would wipe his face with a hand- son; she looked hungry. But then she kerchief. But he would shake his A spirited but foolish-looking bought some oranges and scattered head in protest and pull back. The student who would toss his books them on the grass in front of her next moment he would be again on the lawn and go on humming child. If she had been hungry she blowing bubbles of drool, which the same English song: “If winter would have eaten the oranges. But would fall on his mother’s lap and comes, can spring be far behind;” The third was a young woman then I thought she was starved of his face, leaving me strangely dis- sex. But if I were right there would- gusted. Then he would begin to
36 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Literature
laugh—a meaningless and stupid larly loved the way she played with surely gobble up the food: they laugh—and the women would be her hair. With a toss she would fling could even try to peck at the child’s so happy that tears would come out her unruly hair away from her face, button-like eyes. He was now be- of her eyes. then stretching wide her fingers, ginning to recognize things and ap- After some time I discovered she would use them as a comb to peared to be very fond of the bright that the black car that came every sweep back her hair. It was hard to colour of the oranges. The woman day to the gate of the park and tell whether she did it deliberately got up several times to go to the whose driver repeatedly honked the or it was a habitual act. fruit stall, but every time she gave horn, came to fetch this woman. Like her husband, I too felt ex- up the idea. I felt here was a Often a tall and bulky man would treme revulsion at her clumsy son chance. I tried to speak to her, but come out of the car, wearing tight and his drooling mouth. No doubt all the words that I had practiced churidaar pajamas, whose waist- I felt pity for the poor child, and with over the past so many days string could be seen peeking out that pity gave birth to some kind of failed to come out. I could only from under his white muslin shirt. say: “Madam, is there something His patent leather pumps shown Finally one day she felt you want.” blindingly in the sun and his mouth The woman’s stern face re- was always stuffed with betel the need to buy some or- mained unchanged. Apparently she leaves. When he came near, I could anges. The child’s toys didn’t like to see in my eyes what see from the reddish eyes and the and socks and other tid- she saw everyday in her husband’s. stench from his mouth that he had Then in her usual disgusted voice been drinking. Perhaps that alco- bits were lying on the she said: “No I don’t need your holic man was the cause of the grass and quite a few help.” child’s palsy. When he got near, he crows were flitting back The woman’s husband taught in would fix his hungry eyes on the some veterinary college. At least woman. Sometimes he would even and forth, waiting for that’s the impression I got from the try to drag her by the arm towards their chance. words he used in the conversation. the car.The was he acted, he ap- On account of spending most of his peared to be the woman’s husband, affection, but that was just a cover time with animals, he too behaved though not the child’s father. for the thousand-fold disgust. like one of them. He never showed Even when her husband called For some days I waited for an any affection towards his palsied her she would continue to play with opportunity to speak to that son. Whenever his wife would try the child in her own strange fash- woman. The was it happens in to put the child in his arms, he ion. Some times, the husband cheap romantic stories, like a girl would stumble back all flustered: would perch himself on the stump dropping her handkerchief, the boy “No, no, my clothes will be ru- of an old tree and watch her. After picking it up and saying: Miss here ined”. And then he would fix his a while, the woman would look at is your handkerchief and the girl lusting gaze on her and say: “Let’s the man with the same forbidding smiling. Hey presto, love has go darling, the chauffeur is making look as she gathered the child’s begun. I kept waiting for the too much noise.” clothes and toys. The sound of the woman to drop something. She saw The woman’s name was car’s horn would get louder and the me hanging around, but I never Damme. I had learnt about it during woman’s hands would move faster. succeeded in catching her attention. their conversation. What a beauti- I had developed a kind of affec- Finally one day she felt the need ful name ! Say it gently ‘Dammo’. tion for this woman, a kind of fas- to buy some oranges. The child’s How sweet it sounds. And if cination as I tried to see some toys and socks and other tidbits Damme were go get annoyed for meaning in everything she did. I were lying on the grass and quite a some reason, how nice it would be couldn’t say she was in fact beauti- few crows were flitting back and to coax her to make up by calling ful, but my imagination had made forth, waiting for their chance. If her name softly. But, perhaps, is her extremely attractive. I particu- she went away the crows would was just my imagination.
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 37 Literature
One day her husband said: “But under the shade of the willow tree. grab the balloons I tugged at the that’s what they do in our hospital.” That silly student was there, trying string. The balloons moved and the “Let them do it,” Dammo said to juggle with two rubber balls, his child crawled after them in pursuit. scornfully, “they are not human be- books lay under another tree. Dammo walked towards me and ings.” Dammo was present too with her said: “Please pull the string a little “They are fine human beings,” child, and the way every now and slower.” the husband retorted, his nostrils then grab him to her bosom, made I pulled the string gently and flaring in anger. it clear that she had not forgotten said: “There is really no need to. “ You think one shouldn’t shoot yesterday’s conversation, He can crawl a bit faster.” a horse if it goes limp, you think it The child had crawled away Dammo did not say anything. would be better for the owner to from his carriage and was now She went back and sat down at her keep it in harness and do on whip- under the willow tree. His mother, usual place. Then she came back. ping it every day?” perhaps seeing him crawl so far for She went away again and returned Dammo looked at him with ha- the first time, was all smiles. I soon. But it was clear that she tred and said: “Can’t they just let could not stay away for long. She the horse free.” changed the child’s shirt which was The man began to laugh—a Dammo began to blush. all wet from his drooling. silly laugh like his son’s—and said Her face turned red with em- I said: “Madam, who knows, : “In that case, no one will give the barrassment. After a momen’s but even his palsy may diappear horse anything to eat and it will hesitation, she moved closer to one day.” starve to death. Now it is upto you me, there was a smile flicker- Dammo’s face lit up. to decide which is better: Shoot the ing over her face. It went on like that for many horse or let it die a daily death ? days. Every day on my way back Dammo gave no answer. She from the bank I would bring some looked at her drool-covered son, slipped out of the shade and has- thing for the child. and then, overwhelmed with moth- tened over to the market. When I Then one day I picked him up erly feelings, she squeezed him returned , carrying some big ripe and held him in my arms for a long tightly to her breast. The child oranges, he was still under the wil- time. I pulled out my handkerchief began to flail the air with his arms low tree. I held out an orange. He and wiped his face. Then I kissed and legs, making silly guttural began crawled towards me and him on the mouth. noises. But Dammo went on hug- grabbed that orange with one hand Dammo began to blush. Her ging and kissing him until he began and extended the other hand for a face turned red with embarrass- to cry. second orange. Dammo was now ment. After a momen’s hesitation, Now I knew the man’s horrible looking at me. I could read the feel- she moved closer to me, there was intentions. It was not difficult for ings on her face. She was thinking a smile flickering over her face. him as a doctor. He could just go perhaps the child could miracu- Just then a strong gust of wind around for a few days telling every- lously begin to walk—the same made the willow tree sway wildly. one that the child was ill. Then one child her inhuman husband wanted That truant student feeling the day he could just put him to an to kill yesterday, merely because he chilly air began to hum his everlasting sleep. This child would felt the child was a barrier between favourite song: “When winter make its silly noises and thrash him and his wife. Dammo’s face re- comes, can spring be far behind.” around in agony. His mother would flected the changing shades of hope The palsy-stricken child strug- sense it even is she were far away. and fear. gled out of my lap and began to She would never tolerate this crime The next day I bought some crawl in the grass at our feet. of her beastly, sex-starved alcoholic colourful balloons from the market At that moment both Dammo husband. and after tying them together with a and I knew that he was not going to The next day on my way back string and placed them near the be cured ever. from the bank, I stopped again child. When he leaned forward to (Translated by C.M. Naim)
38 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Unique venture Hoshiarpur’s ‘Rose Squash’ finds global market
BUREAU REPORT
he indigenously manu- factured ‘Rose Squash’ ofT Hoshiarpur has come a long way. Manufactured by the Sandhya self-help group of Maili village in Mahilpur block of the district, the produce has made its way to Par- liament House in Delhi and has at- tracted purchase orders from abroad. The self-help group received or- ders for 542 bottles from Paliament House where it has been an instant hit. Queries about the Rose Squash have been pouring in from the USA, Canada and Kuwait. An elated Deputy Commis- sioner, Mr Vipul Ujwal, calls it the stupendous effort by 14 women be- longing to the self-help group who played a leading role in start- Punjab Agricultural University, which has proved to be a symbol of ing the Sandhya Self Help Group, Ludhiana encouraged them to woman empowerment. Their untir- said the group had worked wonders make squash and 'Gulkand' by ing efforts has resulted in the self- for all the women of the group, in- growing indigenous rose and even help group making their presence cluding herself, to be able to stand provided training for the same. felt at the international level. on their own. Besides, she said, the With the help and supervision While on the one hand, these group also organized an exhibition of Dr. R.K. Dubey, they sowed the women are strengthening the eco- of its products in the various kisan indigenous variety of rose in 2014 nomic condition of their families, melas with the assistance of the dis- in the village itself and reaped the on the other they are also con- trict administration which also ac- harvest of rose flower and prepared tributing a great deal towards the corded every possible help in times rose squash and gulkand from it. economy of the country. He also of need. This venture proved so successful elaborated that such entrepreneur- Divulging more, she said that that there was a demand from par- ial efforts are coming in handy to she started the group in 2005 in liament regarding 542 bottles in make agriculture a profitable ven- Maili village with 13 women of the 2017. ture which makes it all the more village and the group is engaged in They began the venture with a important for the youth interested the manufacturing of every variety small saving of Rs. 10000 but due in agriculture, besides women, to of pickles, jelly, chutney, squash, to the overwhelming response of come forward to adopt such mod- honey, maize flour and pulses. She the people, they expanded their ac- ern practices. said that initially, they manufac- tivities with a loan of Rs. 10 lakh in Vinod Kumari of village Maili, tured only pickles, jellies but the the year 2013.
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 39 Sports
Gaganjeet Bhullar calls the shots Kapurthala golfer wins 8th Asian Tour title
Gaganjeet Bhullar with the Macau Open trophy
Donald Banerjee aganjeet Bhullar has done it. previously won the title in 2012. to-wire victory of his career following Yes this strapping 29-year- Gaganjeet, who learnt the basics of the Macao Open 2012 and the Indone- G old golfer from Kapurthala the game from his father at the Ka- sia Open 2013. Bhullar had last tasted brought laurels for Punjab when he purthala RCF golf course, has now international success just about a year romped home to a three-stroke victory equalled Arjun Atwal’s and Jyoti back at the Asian Tour’s Bank BRI- at the Macao Open to bag his eighth Randhawa’s record of most wins JCB Indonesia Open 2016. Asian Tour title. This was Gaganjeet’s (eight) by an Indian on the Asian Tour. Bhullar now has nine international second Macao Open crown, having It was also Gaganjeet’s third wire- wins to his credit including one on the
40 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Sports
European Challenge Tour. Interest- bogey to concede his outright lead and Punjab ( The other one is in Patiala). ingly, it was the third time that an In- slip into the joint lead along with com- The Kapurthala course is a chal- dian won the Macao Open. Besides patriot Sandhu. But he then rallied with lenging 18-hole, 6500-yard, Par-72 Gaganjeet having won it in 2012, Anir- six birdies over the next 12 holes to layout & is famous because it was here ban Lahiri had also won it in 2014. build a healthy five-shot lead to all but that India’s golf star Gaganjeet Bhullar The Punjab golfer (64-65-74-68) run away with the title. learnt his golf. The course is located on was unstoppable on the final day of the Thereafter, Gaganjeet’s subsequent US$500,000 event as he brought in a bogey and double-bogey on the 14th the campus of the Rail Coach Factory card of three-under-68 to end up with a and 16th couldn’t stop him from (RCF), which was set up in 1986 to winning total of 13-under-271 at the marching to his first Asian Tour title in build, as the name signifies, coaches Macau Golf and Country Club. about a year. He finally registered a for the Indian railways. The golf In more good news another Pun- three-stroke victory margin thanks to course is an Oasis of green in the RCF jabi, Ajeetesh Sandhu (66-67-71-70), his birdie on the closing 18th. complex and is lush and verdant. With fresh from his twin triumphs in Taiwan Ajeetesh Sandhu, who was water bodies, a mature tree line and ad- and Japan over the last two weeks, de- overnight tied second, one off the lead, equate bunkering it is an interesting livered a last round of one-under-70 to had an encouraging start to the day grab a share of second place at 10- when he sank two birdies on the first layout to play. under-274 and make it two Punjabi four holes. Ajeetesh, the joint leader The golf course was built in 1989. golfers in the top-3. early in the day, soon slipped out of The course has a clubhouse, proper driv- Ajeetesh shared the runner-up spot contention after a string of bogeys on ing range and is accessible to civilians with Angelo Que (69) of the Philip- the seventh, 10th and 14th. He however & govt employees. Two of the holes are pines. managed to finish joint second after a also floodlit. Kapurthala is incidentally Gaganjeet Bhullar, the overnight late flourish which saw him birdie the about 20 km from Jalandhar and about leader by one shot, put behind the dis- 16th and 18th. 75 km from Amritsar. The RCF complex appointment of an ordinary third round Here's a list of Gaganjeet Bhullar's is located another 8 km from Kapurthala effort of three-over-74 as he bounced International Wins till date. back in round four with seven birdies The RCF golf course at Kapurthala City on the Firozpur/Sultanpur Lodhi at the cost of two bogeys and a double- is easily the best Railway course in the Road. It is situated along the Jalandhar- bogey. country. The railways has about six Firozpur railway line in a place known Bhullar started the day with a courses across the country and 2 in as Hussainpur in Kapurthala district. Asian Tour
• Indonesia President Invitational 2009 • Asian Tour International 2010 • Yeangder Tournament Players Championship 2012 • Venetian Macao Open 2012 • Indonesia Open 2013 • Shinhan Donghae Open 2016 • Bank BRI-JCB Indonesia Open 2016 • Macao Open 2017 European Challenge Tour • Gujarat Kensville Challenge 2011 (Kensville G & CC)
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 41 Nextgen
Indian startup develops cybersecurity solutions
BUREAU REPORT
his year, we have seen grow in severity and scale, it’s worry- curity best practices and emerging tech- some of the most high-pro- ing that a significant number of com- nologies together, Block Armour is fileT victims of cybercrime across the panies feel unprepared to deal with looking forward to providing a base for world, including the NHS in the UK, such an attack. a new breed of identity management, and the attack on Equifax that im- A worldwide hunt is on to find a data/information integrity and IoT pacted millions of people in several solution to this cybersecurity threat. related security solutions. countries. The damage has not only A recently launched Mumbai-based Cybersecurity incidents have been cost companies money, it has also hit startup is harnessing the potential of escalating at an unprecedented rate, their reputations hard. Yet despite the blockchain and emerging technology to costing millions in damage. While impending threats and, as cyberattacks reclaim the world of cybersecurity. major attacks, serious data breaches only become more commonplace and Blending cybersecurity insights, IT se- and new vulnerabilities continue to
42 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Nextgen
plague enterprises across industry sec- professional experience in setting up well as architectures like the Software tors, the birth of IoT has contributed and growing international business Defined Perimeter that can be effec- towards adding a whole new dimen- practices as well as advising senior tively used to reclaim cybersecurity. sion to it. It has made the challenges clients executives on decisive topics. That’s exactly what we are bringing to- bolder, bigger and more complex to So, together they both have the talent gether at Block Armour.” counter, with the cost of securing as- and business acumen, and form an im- The Block Armour team is plan- sets still escalating at a unnatural rate. pressive duo. ning to make use of the Software De- According to statistics available, the The startup believes that the fined Perimeter and then use digital spending on cybersecurity products blockchain technology, which is an signatures based on authentication for and services is expected to be around open, secure and decentralised tech- humans, devices and data. According $1t for the period 2017-21. nology, has the capability of effectively to the startup, this will allow them to Seeing that the existing solutions addressing multiple infosec challenges. securely ring-fence critical infrastruc- were unable to keep pace with the dra- This is why Block Armour aims to har- ture in addition to providing IoT re- matic rise in cybercrime, Narayan Nee- ness the potential of blockchains to lated security. lakantan and Floyd D’Costa decided to counter the growing cyber security Whether Block Armour’s solution take the reins in their hands and do challenges in a smarter, faster way, and is able to provide the cyber security something about the situation. This is at a fraction of the current cost. world with the answer they have been when they co-founded Block Armour. In a recent interview with CNN, looking for so long is yet to be deter- Neelakantan has 16 years of experi- Neelakantan shared their vision for mined. While the the alpha version of ence in the area of Cyber Security, IT Block Armour and how they plan to the solution was launched in the mar- Governance, Risk & Compliance and take on the cybercrime world. He said, ket in February, a beta version of the IT Infrastructure. DCosta, on the other “We have emerging technologies like same is expected to be launched in hand, has over 16 years of international blockchain and TLS technology as May 2017.
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 43 Health Pain in the tailbone Symptoms and treatment
Dr.Ravinder Chadha occyx is the very end of the coccydynia are injury to the area herniation can also radiate the pain tailbone. Pain associated occurring either due to falling on to the tailbone. Individuals with un- withC the tailbone is termed as Coc- the tailbone or being hit directly. fused coccyx suffer pain during cydynia. Coccyx is in fact the rem- This could be due to fracture of the pregnancy or post delivery as stress nant of the tail, from the time when coccyx or strain on the sacrococ- man came into existence and has cygeal joint. The other cause could of vaginal delivery inflicts extra not been fully lost during evolution. be congenital, the individual being pressure irritating the unfused coc- The most common causes of born with unfused coccyx. Disc cyx leading to pain.
44 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Health
Symptoms • The main complaint is experi- encing of discomfort / pain while sitting or lying down flat on the back which is probably due to the pressure being ex- erted on the tailbone. Lying on one side or on the stomach helps relieve pain. Standing/walking comforts the individual as this position exerts less pressure on the tailbone. • Local pain in the tailbone that increases even when mild pres- sure is applied. • Constipation increases the pain. Relief after a bowel movement. • During delivery, the baby’s head can cause injury to the disc, lig- ament and bones of coccyx leading to pain. • In rare cases Tumor or infection can cause coccygeal pain. In order to arrive at proper diagno- • If the pain increases on bowel great hurdle as it puts undue sis a careful history and detailed movement or constipation, stool load on the angulations of the physical examination are criti- softener should be used. tailbone leading to discom- cal. X-ray of the coccyx can • Massage of the pelvic floor mus- fort/pain. identify a broken or unfused cles especially Levator Ani fa- • If a patient experiences pain over coccyx. cilitates reduction of pain an extended period of time in instantly. The massage is re- spite of undergoing above men- Conservative Treatment: peated daily for five to six days tioned treatment, surgery is rec- • Anti-inflammatory drugs. which is extremely effective. ommended wherein fractured • Applying Ice pack in the first • Manipulation either external or coccyx or non-united coccygeal few days markedly reduces internal to mobilize the coccyx fragment is removed. pain. After a few days local is very effective in relieving To conclude, although the treat- Heat can be applied. pain in the tailbone. In this tech- ment of coccydynia is very easy yet • Ultrasound therapy is helpful in nique the coccyx is moved in is not diagnosed early and effec- reducing the pain. the required direction in the side tively causing pain and discomfort • In a few cases steroid injection lying or prone position. It takes to scores of individuals for long pe- can be given in the coccyx to al- only one to four minutes for the riods of time. Proper Manipulation leviate pain and inflammation. correction of whole procedure. and Massage brings instant relief in • A pillow or donut cushion is ide- • Relaxation Exercise- lying face most of the cases. ally suited to relieve pressure on downward, the patient is in- the area. The donut cushion has structed to squeeze the buttocks Dr Ravinder Chadha is a a hole in the middle so that and relax. Repetitions are ad- former physio-therapist of when the patient sits on the vised. the Indian cricket team donut no pressure is exerted on • Sitting up straight helps relieve E-mail: [email protected] the tailbone. pain. Slumped posture acts as a (Tel—0172 2702929)
November - 2017 Punjab Advance 45 Children’s world
Hi kids, day prior to Diwali I was taking a walk Ain the Sector 36 garden in Chandigarh. The time was a little after sunset, the chirping had just ended as the birds had made themselves comfortable in the branches of the trees. The weather was just right for a good night’s siesta. But then the quiet of the dusk was shattered by a booming sound of a cracker. This was followed by two more cracker booms. That was enough. There was a loud flutter of wings as the birds got disoriented and began flying around aimlessly letting out painful cries. The group of children who had gathered for a Diwali eve cracker celebration clapped as they saw the birds flying aim- lessly. It was only after some re- sponsible young couples shooed away the enthusiastic beds or behind doors or getting into or out of the house, group of children, that the birds managed to fly back to their other enclosures and refusing to eat. Some animals may lose night abode after a lot of fumbling in the dark. A couple of dogs got up howled and ran helter skelter. bladder or bowel control or experience temporary diarrhea. This was the reaction of the birds and dogs, when only They may even become dumb. The sharp light of crackers three bombs were exploded in their vicinity. Now imagine may lead to complete or partial blindness." their plight when thousands of firecrackers must have been Birds are equally distressed by crackers. The loud sound burst. It may be entertainment for us. The explosive sound makes them leave their shelters and hover around in the sky. of crackers scares a bird or a dog so much that it runs or Hampered by poor night vision, they bump into houses, flies around aimlessly. trees and other objects, which leads serious injuries. A few I spotted three dead birds in the same garden a day after Diwali. It may have been entertainment for you, but for the birds get lost and can't get back to the nest. In that situation little birds it was death or injury. their eggs and young ones are exposed to predators or star- vation.Your entertainment at what cost. According to a veterinary doctor: "Dogs get stressed All the best and keep smiling… and manifest psychological signs like shaking, trembling, excessive drooling, barking, howling, trying to hide under Uncle Don
46 Punjab Advance November - 2017 Children’s world Rabbit and turtle win as a team Bishti Bandhopadhyay
nce upon a time a Turtle and a Moral of the story: Fast and con- what to do. In the meantime the turtle Rabbit had an argument about sistent will always beat the slow and trundled along, got into the river, swam “whoO was faster. steady. It's good to be slow and steady; to the opposite bank, continued walk- They decided to settle the argument but it's better to be fast and reliable. ing and finished the race. with a race. They agreed on a route and Second modern story: The turtle Moral of the story: First identify started off the race. The rabbit shot did some thinking this time, and real- your core competency and then change ahead and ran briskly for some time. ized that there's no way he can beat the the playing field to suit your core com- Then seeing that he petency. was far ahead of the Third modern story: turtle, he thought he'd The rabbit and the turtle, sit under a tree for by this time, had become some time and relax pretty good friends and before continuing the they did some thinking to- race. He sat under the gether. Both realized that tree and soon fell the last race could have asleep. The turtle plod- been run much better. ding on overtook him So they decided to do and the last race again, but to soon finished the run as a team this time. race, emerging as the They started off, and this undisputed champ. The time the rabbit carried the rabbit woke up and re- turtle till the riverbank. alized that he'd lost the There, the turtle took over race.” and swam Moral of the story: across with the rabbit Slow and steady wins on his back. On the oppo- the race. site bank, the rabbit again This is the version carried the turtle and they of the story that we've reached the finishing line all grown up with. But together. They both felt a then recently, the story greater sense of satisfac- still continues: rabbit in a race the way it was currently tion than they'd felt earlier. First modern story: The rabbit was formatted. He thought for a while, and Moral of the story: It's good to be disappointed at losing the race and he then challenged the rabbit to another individually brilliant and to have did some soul-searching. He realized race, but on a slightly different route. strong core competencies; but unless that he'd lost the race only because he The rabbit agreed. you're able to work in a team and har- had been overconfident, careless and They started off. In keeping with ness each other's core competencies, lax. If he had not taken things for his self-made commitment to be con- you'll always perform below par be- granted, there's no way the turtle could sistently fast, the rabbit took off and cause there will always be situations at have beaten him. So he challenged the ran at top speed until he came to a which you'll do poorly and someone turtle to another race. The turtle broad river. The finishing line was a else does well. Teamwork is mainly agreed. This time, the rabbit went all couple of about situational leadership, letting the out and ran without stopping from start kilometers on the other side of the person with the relevant core compe- to finish. He won by several miles. river. The rabbit sat there wondering tency for a situation take leadership.
Punjab Advance 47 November - 2017 Forecast
Your stars this month Dr. Prem Kumar Sharma email: [email protected]
Aries: Lover’s moodiness may spoil Leo: Deliberate well before taking a Sagittarius: Profits accrue for traders your romantic aspirations. Too many decision on the career front. Some of and retailers in the coming month. imponderables are likely to face you you may get opportunity to switch job. Keep in touch with all to know what is on the business front, but you will You will be able to grab a long awaited happening on the social front. Making keep on the right path. Excellent news business deal. On the academic front, use of tuitions for excelling in aca- awaits those looking for a better job. you will be able to overtake your near- demics will be a step in the right di- Taking outside help on the academic est rival. Expert guidance may be the rection. Your interest in someone on front to improve your grades is possi- need of the hour in saving money on the romantic front is likely to inten- ble. You will manage to improve your taxes. You may join a health club to sify. A common venue may be planned health by eating right and remaining maintain your fitness. for a family get together. active.
Taurus: Your expertise at work will Virgo: Efforts started previously on Capricorn: A senior may test you at be appreciated by seniors. A business the business front may come to work, but don’t worry you will come venture promises excellent returns. fruition now. Increase in income is in- out with flying colours! This is the best You may find yourself in the mood for dicated putting an end to the financial month to clear what is pending. romance this month, so plan out some- worries. After a period of turbulence, Giving the right amount of focus to thing exclusive with partner. An ail- things appear to be settling down in everything will be your key to success ment troubling you for long promises your personal sphere. You are likely to on the academic front in the time to get cured by a home remedy. Prop- hold your own in a competitive situa- ahead. Goodwill among the colleagues erty being offered at a bargain price is tion on the academic front. Make will be maintained and they likely to get you interested. healthy food choices and adhere to unanimously extend their unending them meticulously. cooperation.
Gemini: Building good relationship Libra: Someone’s support on the aca- Aquarius: Your help and support to a with clients will be your mantra on demic front will be more than wel- youngster will help boost his or her the professional front and work won- come in getting out of a tight corner. self-confidence. There are no half-way ders for you. You are likely to make a Expect preparation for a competition measures on the romantic front and good beginning in a job. Meeting your or exam to go full steam ahead, with- you should not hesitate to get what near and dear ones cannot be ruled out interruptions. Financial stability is you want. A professional matter will out. You will need to be more business assured with the right investments. be resolved in your favour. If you feel minded to enhance your profits. Leav- Your positive attitude will be much medically unfit, start taking steps to ing a workout routine midway may do appreciated on the professional front. improve your health. A sightseeing more harm than good on the health An excellent job opportunity may trip is likely to be organised which will front. come your way. be most entertaining.
Cancer: You may find positive signals Scorpio: A little push is all that is Pisces: Money comes from an unex- from someone you secretly love! Jour- needed from your side to motivate pected source to finance something ney to a place of pilgrimage is likely to someone to do your bidding. If you important. If you want love to enter become a reality soon. A small begin- want peace of mind, it is best to keep your life, start making the right moves. ning may be made in a new venture. spouse in good humour. You may take A ride to some hill-station will be re- You will enjoy helping out someone the initiative of organising a family laxing and enjoyable. Something on the family front by your valued gathering, just to meet your near and promised at work may be granted, as suggestions. Things move smoothly on dear ones. Shifting to a new house is your hard work will pay. Good news the work front and you will be able to on the cards for some. Your sugges- is in store for those who are looking wrap up an important task satisfacto- tions at work are likely to be acted for a suitable property. rily. upon and give you an immense sense of achievement.
48 Punjab Advance November - 2017 You can send the subscription amount by money order or by crossed cheque, DD, payable at Chandigarh, to CEO, PUNMEDIA , Room No. 10, 5th Floor, Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh-160001
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November - 2017 Punjab Advance 49 Last Word A scary encounter
Donald Banerjee
he high school examinations had just got The sound of the Central Jail gong heralding 11 pm over. It was now a long wait for the results. was loud and clear. We soon set off on our mission to WeT four buddies used to sit on a drain overbridge in the graveyard, the “bhoot uncle” also in tow. Lucknow’s Adarsh Nagar till late in the night, keeping I tried to reason with Ravi. But he was determined a vigil for the cry of the hawker announcing the re- to prove the ghost theory wrong. I and Surinder, an- sults. Yes, in those days — I am talking about 1962 — other friend, agreed to accompany Ravi inside the special result supplements, brought out by newspaper graveyard. As Ravi marched towards the big tree, establishments, used to be printed in the middle of the Surinder and I suddenly froze in our steps. Gazing night with the hawkers making a fast buck in the small down at us, barely 100 metres away, were 50 sparkling hours of the day. eyes. The wail of a dog added to the spooky feeling As we sat cracking jokes, a neighbourhood uncle sending a chill down my spine on that hot summer joined us. He had a penchant for telling ghost stories. night. Within minutes, this uncle had occupied the centre seat By then Ravi had reached the root jutting out from and was reeling away his encounters with ghosts. Nar- the ground. The blow of the hammer on the nail head rating his “bhoot” encounters, he said once a tall white shattered the silence of the night. The 50 eyes seemed figure had saved him from an accident. But he also to sway. That was enough! The two of us shouted: talked about the witch which was a regular at the “Bhag, Ravi bhag.” The next thing I recollect is that graveyard and could always be spotted sitting on the Ravi got up, screamed and then collapsed. big tree in the centre of the graveyard. He warned us Our “bhoot uncle” came running towards us, a big not to visit the graveyard after sunset. torch in hand. Ravi was mumbling, “the bhoot is hold- The ghost uncle had barely finished sermonising, ing on to my lungi.” virtually challenging us, when Ravi, one of our friends, A flash of the torch light on the ‘lungi’ unveiled the chipped in: “Bunkus, there is no such thing as ghost, culprit. Yes, Ravi had hammered the nail into the tree witch or ‘bhoot’. Uncle, it is just a creation of your root along with the ‘lungi’. imagination. I will go to the graveyard and hammer a He said: “With you two shouting ‘bhaag’, I got up nail in the root of that tree at midnight.” to run towards you, but could not. The fear of having “Forget it ‘yaar’, why are we getting into this been caught by the ‘bhoot’ was enough to experience ‘bhoot’ business?” I said trying to salvage the situa- a black-out.” tion. But Ravi was adamant. He folded his green According to “bhoot uncle”, the glowing eyes in ‘lungi’ up to the knees and walked away. But he was the distance belonged to a pack of jackals who were back soon with a hammer and a nail box. regular visitors to the graveyard, expecting a fill.
50 Punjab Advance November - 2017 People’s participation for effective governance The Government of Punjab is now on Social media
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we look forward to hearing from you. RNI No. CHAENG/2013/53324 A Monthly Magazine MBU Chd. Martyrdom Day
Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (November 23)