Birthday of Sri Guru Ramdas Ji

Gurpurab Greetings
Birthday of Sri Guru Ramdas Ji
(Oct. 9)

My Word
Ajay Bhardwaj
Editor -in-Chief
editorpunmedia@gmail.com
T
he first Punjab Progressive Investors' summit in 2013 was
like throwing a pebble in a pond. Significantly, however, it
generated a renewed buoyancy in the investment sector
which saw the state government signing 128 MoUs.
The run-up to the 2nd summit, slated for October 28 and 29 in Mohali, has
been far more challenging. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal has taken head
on and done his part of the slogging to rope in some of the key industrial
moghuls, who would be fetching new investments to the state. The scheduled
summit comes around when the World Bank has showered accolades on the
state for its novel and path-breaking initiative of introducing single-window
system for prospective investors. Hand-in-hand goes another extraordinary
initiative of creating a pre-cleared land bank for investors.
All this comes close on the heels of other positives like the state becoming
power surplus, developing massive infrastructure and introducing governance
reforms in a big way. In the cover story we have harped in detail on the investorfriendly
atmosphere that the state unveils as the stage is set for the second summit.
On the cultural front, the traditional Punjabi Jutti has been breaking new
grounds on ‘phoren’ lands. The new look designer juttis are making waves in
cities like London and New York. The recent spurt in demand from overseas
has added a new zing to the "juttis".. A special report on this inseparable part of
the Punjabi attire.
In sports, the Punjab Police have emerged team and individual champions
in the All-India Police Golf Championship maintaining their traditional superiority
in the game among the uniformed forces.
Looking forward to your word on editorpunmedia@gmail.com
October 2015
Punjab Advance
3

Punjab
Advance
www.punjabadvance.com
L OCTOBER-2015
LVOL-2 L ISSUE-10
Contents
It’s Brand Punjab
N Information and Public
Relations Depart-
CEO
Editor-in-Chief
Editor
Design
Publisher
ment,
N Rahul Tewari
N Ajay Bhardwaj
N Donald Banerjee
N Kumar Jiv Chumber
Punjab
06
Contact address N
PUNJAB ADVANCE,
Room No. 1, 5th Floor,
Punjab Civil Secretariat,
Chandigarh-160001
Ph. : 0172-2740668
punmedia2011@gmail.com
Smart Cities
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
jurisdiction will lie in Chandigarh based
courts.
18
Printed, Published and Edited by Rahul
Tewari on behalf of the Information and
Public Relations Department, Punjab.
Printed at New Printindia Pvt. Ltd., 8/4B,
Industrial Area, Site IV, Sahibabad-201010
Gaziabad, (UP) and published at Room No.
1, 5th Floor, Civil Sectt., Chandigarh.
Punjab Police sweep
golf titles
Page-40
4 Punjab Advance October 2015

Your Word
Leading in
Governance Reforms
Punjabi jutti goes
phoren
Dengue Symptoms
& Precautions
Page-42
14
30
A designer cover
The September front cover of Punjab Advance
stood out as a designer page. It was just perfect. In
fact, the cover page caption ‘Turning a New Leaf’ and
the photo of the two kids going through the pages
summed up the educational revamp taking place in
Punjab. It was nice going through the complete story
on the educational changes taking place in the state,
including the interview with the Education Minister.
Kudos to Ajay Bhardwaj and the entire team for keeping
us abreast of all the latest developments.
Sanjeev Kumar, Mohali
Laser walls
It was a discovery for me to know that laser walls
and smart motion sensors are the latest modern
weaponry being installed in unfenced areas to detect
any movement across the border. The photograph of
the smart sensors spoke a lot. Do give us more on
these new weapons.
ATejinder Singh, Ludhiana.
Career guidance
It is good that your magazine is giving us tips on
how to overcome the anxiety while appearing for the
civil services exams. But why not give us some guidance
on careers in other fields. Your updated current
events carry certain events that are skipped even by
the newspapers.
Ravleen Kaur, Mohali.
Humour pages
Pen vs Gun, last word by Donald Banerjee, was a
nice piece written in the lighter vein. But what has
happened to the other humour pages, like ‘Rumblings’
by R.K. Kaushik and Humour in Uniform.
Gurinder Singh, Amritsar
October 2015
Punjab Advance
5

It’s Brand
Punjab
A New Ease of Doing Business
2nd Investors’ Meet to build momentum
l KOREANS, CHINESE INVITED TO SET UP INDUSTRIAL PARKS
l SINGLE-WINDOW SYSTEM WINS ACCOLADES
l 4G CONNECTIVITY BY DEC.
T
Ajay Bhardwaj
he big initiative is on. Punjab's efforts to woo investors
have taken a big leap forward with more than 200 proposals
worth Rs 16,000 crore being in the pipeline and many more
coming its way. If there is a proposed industrial park for the Koreans,
t he Chinese investors have been invited to set up an industrial
6 Punjab Advance
October 2015

cluster in the state. Deputy Chief
Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal's
recent trips to Holland, Poland,
South Korea and to places like
Delhi, Thiruvanthapuram and
Mumbai to market Brand Punjab
have triggered a new hope and
promise for a big turnaround in
the state.
On his part, Industries Minister
Madan Mohan Mittal, at the
same time, undertook an extensive
tour to China where he held
discussions with prospective investors
across the board and offered
them to set up an industrial
cluster in Punjab.
All this has been to build up
momentum for the forthcoming
Progressive Punjab Investors'
summit on October
28 and 29 in
Mohali which is
slated to be a
launching pad for
many new projects
and help investors
discover Punjab as
a new investment
destination. In a
way taking forward the initiative
that the state government took in
2013 by organising the first investors'
summit.
While an investment of Rs
32,676 crore has already been
planned ever since the first investors'
summit, proposals from
big players like M/s Infosys, M/s
Ultratech Cement, M/s T.I Tubes
(Murugappa Group), M/s ITC,
M/s Cargill India, M/s Amul, M/s
Mahindra Agro, M/s Sonalika
Tractors etc. to set up their ventures
have been in the pipeline.
In all, 225 applications for investments
in various fields have
been received by the Bureau of
Investment. While 28 per cent of
the applicants are in the manufac-
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal addresses a gathering at Sangdo smart city (Left) as business magnates listen
with rapt attention (below)
October 2015
Punjab Advance
7

turing sector, 25 per cent of
them are in the agro/ food processing
sector.
Mohali and Ludhiana have
been the most favoured investment
destinations in the state.
In the run-up to the
investors'
summit, the government
has been in an action
mode to present its report card
and also offer additional incentives
to woo investors.
Besides the plethora of fiscal
incentives being offered to
investors under the Industrial
Policy of 2013, including the
VAT retention policy, seeing the
low economic sentiment in the
country, the state is now offering
pre-cleared sites and assuring immunity
hike in power tariff.
“The incentives are unmatched
and the Invest Punjab Bureau has
made the process of getting clearances
easier. We are hopeful that
all major homegrown industries
and foreign investors would
choose Punjab as a preferred investment
destination,” says the
deputy CM.
SINGLE WINDOW
WONDER
Among the major initiatives of
the government has been the setting
up of the Punjab Bureau of
Investment Promotion as the single
point of contact for regulatory
clearances and fiscal incentives
approvals to facilitate investors
who are looking to set up business
in Punjab
In fact, the one-stop clearance
system initiated by the Punjab
Bureau of Investment has been
the first of its kind in the country
to cut red-tapism and provide a
“
T
he ‘Progressive Punjab’
campaign celebrates
the spirit of Punjabi
enterprise, openness, hard work
and welcoming warmth for one
and all. It shares the “Make in
India” vision of the Prime Minister
and positions Punjab and
India as the easiest place to do
business.
unique facility to investors.
This initiative has won accolades
from Prime Minister Narendra
Modi as much as from the
World Bank.
The PBIP was set up in 2013
as the single point of contact for
regulatory clearances and fiscal
incentives approvals to facilitate
investors looking to set up a business
in the state. As a nodal
agency , it has been entrusted
with the responsibility of ensuring
a smooth
transition of a
project from
proposal stage,
up to the implementation
stage.
Invest Punjab
CEO Anirudh
Tiwari pointed
out that Punjab
had cleared 216
projects last
year with an investment
of Rs
15,000 crore, of
which 39 per
cent were in the agro and food
processing sector and 30 per cent
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal
Punjab has taken rapid strides in strengthening infrastructure, upskill
workforce and some sector-specific initiatives, including setting
regulatory and fiscal incentives related approvals under one office.”
in the manufacturing sector.
“Punjab is the only state in
which the single window system
allows application for all licenses
studied in this assessment, although
some others come very
close,“ says the World Bank's recent
report .
PM PATS AS WELL
The Deputy Chief minister has
invited the Korean Government to
facilitate investment in smart
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Punjab Industry
Minister Madan Mohan Mittal in front of the Punjab
Pavilion at the International Trade Fair in Hanover.
cities that Punjab proposed to develop
on its own. The Government
has decided to take up a
8 Punjab Advance October 2015

Punjab Positives
Revenue - VAT: Gross Collections
State Gross Domestic Product
Power Surplus
Best logistics and connectivity
Top reasons to invest
• Abundant and quality power
• High quality social infrastructure
• End to end communication network
• Highly skilled manpower and enterprise
• Best in-class logistics and connectivity
October 2015
Punjab Advance
9

project to create
two smart cities
in New Chandigarh
and Mohali
on its own. We
are committed to
moving fast to facilitate
investors
who want to set
up such cities,”
said the Dy CM
adding that the
smart city project
would also be a
good opportunity
for the Korean
companies to
showcase their expertise.
The Korean Minister said
Korea was keen to offer international
cooperation in the establishment
of smart cities and
that possible ways for collaboration
with Punjab would be
firmed up in due course.
Sukhbir also invited Korea
to participate in Invest Punjab
Summit being held in October
end and become a partner
State. He also stressed that this
was the right time to invest in
Punjab.
A memorandum
of understanding
(MoU) was
also signed with
Indian Chamber of
Commerce in
Korea (ICCK) to
promote Korean
investment in Punjab.
As part of this
MoU, Invest Punjab
will establish a
permanent representative
office in
SECTOR-WISE
APPLICATIONS RECEIVED
Invest Punjab signs an MoU with Indian Chamber of Commerce in Korea
South Korea.
LAND
BANK
In addition,
the state has prepared
a land bank
of around 1000
acres with around
600 pre-cleared
sites.
"Creating a
land bank for
ready distribution
to investors has
been a major initiative
of the state
government to help investors",
said a senior official. Under
this scheme, the Punjab Small
Industries and Export Corporation
(PSIEC) is ready with
its offer of sites to the Invest
Punjab Bureau for setting up
industrial units.
Tiwari said the state had on
offer of over 600 pre-cleared
sites. “The PSIEC is also offering
another 1,500 sites,
which will be allotted to the investors,”
he added.
The bureau has
also initiated a slew
of reforms in the
labour sector.
While online approval
for power
connection is provided,
the state has
ensured elimination
of arbitrary
and redundant inspections
as well.
One of the key
highlights of the
state to attract in-
10 Punjab Advance October 2015

D
Industrial hub
for Chinese
uring his visit to China, the Industry Minister
invited Chinese players to make a “big
bang investment” in Punjab and and added that the state
government had accepted, in principal, their proposal
to set up an Industrial Cluster in the State as a joint venture.
“The industries of telecommunication, food processing,
agriculture, biochemical plants, electronics
have offered to set up their units in Punjab,” he added.
He informed that the Chinese equipment manufacturers
for mobile telephone ZTE and Huwai had plans
to add capacities in India and would shortly visit Punjab
to explore the investment opportunities.
The Changsha high-tech Industrial Development
Zone signed an MoU for setting up a cluster in Punjab.
4G Link by
December
E
very village in Punjab will get 4-G connectivity by
December 28. Giving this information during an interaction
with Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal,
Reliance Industries CMD Mukesh Ambani, said Punjab
would become the first State in the country to have broadband
connectivity at the village level.
Reliance had already invested Rs 3,500 crore in the State
and would give employment to 30,000 people in the next
few years.
Industry Minister Madan Mohan Mittal addresses a
press conference on his China visit
vestors has been its power surplus status. As against
the demand of 9567 MW , the state has 12,484 MW
available to it. After becoming power-surplus, the
state has been offering immunity from annual
power tariff hikes to all new investors.
The strengthening of the road network in the
state is another positive sign that would encourage
the investors. An investment of about Rs 22,000
crore is in the offing for this purpose.
With three domestic and two international airports
becoming operational the air connectivity to
the state would be an added feature for perspective
investors to look up to.
The logistic and connectivity support has been
fairly outstanding with six container freight stations
Dy. CM Sukhbir Badal with Reliance CMD Mukesh
Ambani
and three inland container depots.
The communication network with fourth highest
tele-density in the country and second highest teledensity
in rural areas is an added feather to the
state's cap.
Governance reforms has been yet another major
highlight of the state which saw the age-old practice
of affidavits being done away with along with abolition
of obsolete laws.
Transparent governance, citizen-friendly delivery
of services, e-tendering, facility of filing VAT
returns online, setting up of "Saanjh kendras" and
"seva kendras" have been among various steps
taken to reduce government-public interface.
With so many positives in his pocket to market
October 2015
Punjab Advance
11

Cabinet clears fresh
T
incentives
he Punjab Cabinet has approved to amend the
‘policy for financial concessions (revised), 2013,
allowing a slew of incentives to industrialists and
entrepreneurs.
Under the revised policy, incentives for waving off
stamp duty and electricity duty on the individual purchase
of land or lease of units to be established in the food parks,
textile parks and industrial parks which have been approved
by the Centre have been incorporated. Some non-financial
incentives have been struck off and the concerned administrative
departments have been mandated to issue separate
guidelines regarding these. For the convenience of industrialists,
definitions and abbreviations have also been incorporated
besides inclusion of separate chapter explaining
the procedure to claim financial incentives under this policy.
Plan to outsource
civic services
H
ardselling Brand Punjab, Deputy
Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh
Badal offered outsourcing of municipal services
to the private sector in 146 urban and local bodies.
Addressing a host of investors and members
of trade and industry at the 'Invest North' conclave
in Delhi, he said investors would be given the opportunity
of building, operating and maintaining
these services for a fixed tenure of five to ten
years under the "Design, Build, Operate" policy.
"We want all these towns to have all basic facilities
like quality water, roads, sewerage and
lighting within a span of one year", Dy CM said.
about the Deputy Chief Minister has been lately
campaigning aggressively to invite investments to
the state.
Recently, in order to attract investment in agroprocessing,
information technology and ayurveda,
besides other sectors, the Deputy Chief Minister had
a meeting in Thiruvanthapuram with owners and
among some major groups of investors. For instance,
Blue Star Executive Director B Thyagarajan
suggested the CII could partner with Punjab through
the Centre for Agriculture Excellence to provide
marketing knowledge to farmers. "We are keen to
build forward and backward linkages to ensure
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Dy CM Sukhbir Badal and other ministers interact with a Korean delegation
CEOs of top companies of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
He also addressed a meeting of the CII Southern
Regional Council and found overwhelming response
farmers can market their produce profitably", he
said. Thyagarajan said his company was also keen to
invest in the green park coming up at Ludhiana.
12 Punjab Advance October 2015

ITC Limited, a
multi-business conglomerate,
has announced
to double its
investment in Punjab
from earlier Rs700
crore to Rs1,400
crore.
ITC Limited’s
fast-moving consumer
goods (FMCG) businesses
president Sanjiv
Puri, during his
interaction with
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh
Badal, said his company was increasing
its investment in the Food Park at
Kapurthala.
The ITC had succeeded in making
Kinnow juice, and the product was under
consumer testing and would be in the
market within the current financial year.
Mohali gets Inte rnational airport
P
unjab scripted a new
success story becoming the
smallest state in the country and the
first in northern India to have two
international airports.
This international Airport at Jhiurheri
village of Mohali, the second in
the state after Amritsar airport, would
give the much needed boost to the
economy of the state by connecting it
with the rest of world. It was a wonderful
gift to the Punjabi Diaspora settled
across the globe as it would enable
them stay well connected with their
roots. International air connectivity
from Mohali was all the more important
because it would connect the entire
northern region comprising
Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and
even the western parts of Uttar Pradesh
with the other parts of the world.
It may be recalled that in the absence
of this international airport a
ITC to double up
The Deputy Chief Minister with corporate honchos in Delhi
Sukhbir was in the national capital
to meet the top corporate honchos.
Godrej Agrovet Limited managing
director Balram Yadav said that his
company would evaluate setting up a
greenhouse and food park over 100
acres.
The Deputy Chief Minister said
large number
of passengers
from the northern
states were
left with no
other option
but to travel to
Delhi for
boarding intern
a t i o n a l
flights, which
not only
caused undue
harassment to them but also resulted in
huge wastage of time, money and energy.
Likewise, this airport would act
as a catalyst to propel industrialisation
in the state besides showcasing Punjab
as the most preferred investment destination
to woo the leading entrepreneurs
across the world to make huge
investments in the state.
The new international terminal
would provide a passenger hub, as well
that the Government
was ready to
create entire infrastructure
for the
greenhouse at Ladhowal.
“Companies
and farmers taking
up area in the
greenhouse would
have to pay operating
costs only,” he
added.
Molson Coors
president Ravi
Kaza, who also met Sukhbir, announced
that his company was upgrading
its plant by investing Rs 50
crore. Representatives of Marks and
Spencer, Cannon, Shakti Bhog Atta,
Walmart and Dabur also held one-toone
meetings with the Deputy Chief
Minister.
as a cargo hub for import and export of
raw material and perishable goods like
fruits, vegetables and medicines. It
would also cater to the growing demand
of a maintenance repair overhaul
(MRO) facility for all sizes of aircraft.
The other salient features of the airport
include LED lighting, energy efficient
chillers, double insulated roofing system,
rain water harvesting, re-use of
treated water.
October 2015
Punjab Advance
13

Governance Reforms
Punjab
leads the Nation
Ajay Bhardwaj
Punjab governance reforms commission chairman Dr. Pramod Kumar (left) addressing the National Workshop
on Citizen Centric Governance in Delhi
I
t is time for other states to
pick up lessons from Punjab
in governance reforms. This became
evident at the national workshop on
Citizen-Centric Governance when Dr
Pramod Kumar, Chairperson, Punjab
Governance Reforms Commission,
showcased the radical steps in governance
reforms taken by the state in
the last few years.
Organised by the National Centre
for Good Governance (NCGG),
Department of Personnel & Training
(DoPT), the day-long workshop held
at Vigyan Bhawan, was attended by
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
and Union Minister of State for Personnel
and Public Grievances Jitendra
Prasad.
The reforms experts from all over
the country listened in rapt attention
as Dr Pramod unfolded the progressive
amendments implemented by
the state to improve citizen-centric
14 Punjab Advance October 2015

Governance Reforms
governance. The main focus of the
governance reforms had been to ensure
equity, access and accountability
to civil society.
“As the cardinal principle of engaged
governance, the first and foremost
focus of the PGRC was to
reduce the mistrust between the citizens
and the government. Secondly,
the focus must protect the dignity of
citizens by identifying spaces, policies,
processes and practices which
perpetuate undignified exchange between
the citizens and the state,” he
added.
Dr. Pramod Kumar’s assessment
was that the citizens value their dignity
over and above everything else.
In a major initiative the Punjab
Government in 2010 decided to do
away with filling of affidavits except
in cases where it was mandatory by
law . The Government also issued instructions
to Vice-Chancellors of
Universities to dispense with the requirement
of seeking attested copies
of documents at the time of admissions.
For dignified interaction with the
Revenue Department, provisions
were incorporated to provide comfortable
and easy access to revenue
services. The online copies of jamabandis
simplified the process for settlement
of contested mutations.
For Birth and Death Registration
Certificates, approval of the District
Registrar-CMO was needed for a
delay beyond one month and the citizens
missing the registration deadline
had to keep waiting for 5 to 10
years. To overcome this hurdle, an
incentive compatible procedural
amendment was introduced in which
the Asha worker has been made the
notifier instead
of family and
ANM has been
made local registrar
and authorised
to
issue birth certificates.
Reg
a r d i n g
payment of
late fee for
procuring the
certificate the
a m e n d m e n t
does away with
the same upto
one year of the
event thus
helping the citizens
to register
and get
c e r t i f i c a t e s
easily.
“Punjab is the best” says Prime Minister
Narendra Modi as he confers ‘Best Governance
Practice’ award on Punjab. Chief
Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal receives the
award.
Punjab Chief Secretary Sarvesh
Kaushal said the Right to Service
Act,2011 had been introduced in
Punjab to make Citizens’ interactions
with the Government dignified with
their claims to be considered as a
matter of right. Implemented on July
26, 2011, this Act provides a statutory
backing for ensuring delivery of
services to the citizens within the
stipulated time limit. At presentl, 206
services have been included which
relate to the departments of police,
revenue, transport, housing, local
government, health, welfare of SCs
and BCs, social security, etc. “It is direct
empowerment of the citizens;
and shall help to reduce corruption
and check harassment of the citizens,”
he added.
The Right to Service Commission
is empowered to take suo moto
notice of complaints and recommend
action against the corrupt functionaries.If
a citizen does not get a service
within the stipulated time period, he
can make an appeal to the Sub Divisional
Magistrate. The SDM too will
have to provide him the required
service or respond to him within the
stipulated period. If by chance, the
SDM too does not respond then the
citizen can go directly to the court of
the Deputy Commissioner.
The DC will then have to dispose
it off within a stipulated period. The
DC can take penal action against the
official concerned. Under the Act, a
fine from Rs 500 to Rs 5000 can be
imposed.
Mr S.K. Sharma, DGP, Community
Policing, Punjab, mentioned that
in police reforms, a wide network of
community-policing centres had
October 2015
Punjab Advance 15

Governance Reforms
Punjab Governance Reforms Commission Chairman
Pramod Kumar and DGP S. K. Sharma at the inauguration
of a new Saanjh Kendra
People await their turn at a computerized Saanjh Kendra
been set up in Punjab, thus becoming
the first state in the country to implement
community policing on such a
large scale and in an institutionalised
manner.
Ms. Alaknanda Dayal, IAS, Director,
Welfare of SCs/BCs, Punjab,
presented a conceptual framework
for simplification of proforms. She
mentioned that proformas for around
100 services had been simplified in
Punjab and the proforma for remaining
106 services covered under the
Right to Service Act would be completed
soon.
Arun Jaitley called for an end of
government monopolies. He suggested
that every department must
take up a simplification exercise – especially
the departments having a
greater public interface like the Police
Department. He called for developing
a civilised relationship
between the police and the citizens.
He further recommended that the
taxation systems should be made
globally compatible, and the time between
the decision of investment and
the action of investment should be reduced
to promote industries.
Sanjay Kothari, Secretary, Department
of Personnel and Training,
said the target of Governance Reforms
should be to make governance
processes easier for every common
citizen even in the remotest part of
the country. He urged the administrators
and policy-makers to do away
with the colonial attitude for governance,
and called for reforms in redundant
rules and processes from the
colonial era.
16 Punjab Advance October 2015

Development to go
on unabated : Majithia
Revenue Minsiter Bikram Singh Majithia inaugurates the Tehsil Complex at Jagraon
T
here was no shortage of
funds in Punjab that could
slow down the pace of development,
said Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram
Singh Majithia. Addressing a gathering
after inaugurating a newly-constructed
Tehsil Complex and Patwar
Station at Jagraon, he said all government
schemes, programmes and other
development works started for the
welfare of the people had been possible
because of the state’s sound financial
position.
He said thousands of kilometers of
new roads, thermal plants with an investment
of more than Rs 33,000
BUREAU REPORT
crore, atta-dal scheme, pension
schemes, power plants, new district
administrative complexes and tehsil
complexes, modernisation of infrastructure
in villages, besides other development
works had been possible
because the government has ample
funds.
He said the government was committed
to an overall development of
the state and false claims made by the
political opponents were baseless and
far from truth.
Majithia said due to the efforts of
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh
Badal, Punjab had become a power
surplus state. He said new thermal
power plants had come up in the state
with an investment of more than Rs
33,000 crore. He added that despite 24
per cent less rainfall this summer,
there were no power cuts in Punjab.
He said besides, many administrative
reforms had been introduced for
the help of common man. It included
setting up of saanjh kendras and suvidha
centres, where all facilities were
being provided under one roof.
Punjab, he said, was taking big
strides in development, which was the
main reason that many investors were
keen to come to the state.
October 2015
Punjab Advance
17

Smart
CitieS
An artist view of Smart City
Jalandhar has won the race
along with Amritsar and Ludhiana
as the three cities from Punjab to
be developed under the Centre's 100
smart cities project.
Under the project, these smart
cities will soon have a smart grid system,
well maintained roads, smart traffic
lights, advanced CCTV cameras
installed on traffic signals, good water
and sewerage system, and e-governance
systems for all major public
services.
These selected cities across the
country would be developed as smart
cities till 2022 to promote industrialisation
and employment.
BUREAU REPORT
Each smart city will be given a
`500-crore grant from the Centre, besides
an additional `500 crore from the
state government. However, only the
top 20 cities of the country will get
funding for the project in the first year.
The remaining cities will be developed
as smart cities in the coming years.
Although Amritsar and Ludhiana
were the first to qualify for the smart
city tag, Jalandhar had to face a city
challenge competition, which considered
revenues, expenditure, availability
of parks, drinking water facilities,
solid waste management, greenery and
infrastructure related to transport, and
many other factors as per the guidelines
fixed by the Union government.
All the three selected cities scored
60 marks out of 100 on the basis of
their progress work and population
comparison.
The state government had sent a list
of six cities - Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ludhiana,
Patiala, Mohali and Bathinda -
for the smart city project. But the NDA
government had sent back the proposal
saying Punjab has only three cities as
its share in the project.
When the grants are sanctioned, the
Jalandhar Municipal Corporation
(MC) itself will be tasked with the responsibility
to develop roads, water
and sewerage connectivity, and im-
18 Punjab Advance October 2015

amritsar
Ludhiana
Jalandhar
prove transportation
and industries
in the city.
Each of the
100 smart cities
will have to participate
in an intercity
competition
and vie for getting
the funding from
the Centre. In the
first year, 20 selected
smart cities
from across the
country will get
funding.
The next year,
What is a smart city
A
city equipped with basic infrastructure to give a decent quality of
life, a clean and sustainable environment through application of
some smart solutions.
Infrastructure: Assured water and electricity supply, sanitation and solid
waste management, efficient urban mobility and public transport, robust IT
connectivity, e-governance and citizen participation, safety and security of
citizens.
Smart solutions: Public information, grievance redressal, electronic service
delivery, citizens’ engagement, waste to energy & fuel, waste to compost,
100% treatment of waste water, smart meters & management, monitoring
water quality, renewable source of energy, efficient energy and green building,
smart parking, intelligent traffic management system.
Action: A Special Purpose Vehicle will be created for each city to implement
Smart City action plan. The SPV will be signed with the urban local
body, state government and the Centre for implementation of the project.
another 40 will get
funding while the
remaining will get
funds from the
third year onwards.
The Central
Government has
set aside Rs
48,000 crore for
the next five years
for mission.
States, UTs and
urban local bodies
will have to make
equal contributions.
October 2015
Punjab Advance
19

War widows’
pension up
T
he Punjab Government has enhanced the pension
of war widows, besides extending them free travel
benefit across the state.
Making this announcement at the 50th anniversary of the
Indo-Pak war of 1965, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal
said the government was committed to ensuring the welfare of
the families of bravehearts who sacrificed their lives at the
alter of their motherland
In the 1965 war the Indian Army under the leadership of
Lt. General Harbaksh Singh displayed unmatched valour to
combat the Pakistani forces. “The Punjabis inherited a glorious
legacy of sacrifice and bravery from the great Sikh Gurus,
who taught them to fight against tyranny, oppression and injustice,”
the CM added.
The state government recently enhanced the one time
grant for the recipient of Param Vir Chakra from Rs 30 lakh
to Rs 2 Crore, Mahavir Chakra from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1 crore
and Vir Chakra from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 50 lakh. Likewise the
amount of travelling allowance admissible to war widows has
been enhanced from Rs150 to Rs 500 per month.
I
n another major step to herald the Blue Revolution,
Punjab signed three MoUs with Jiangsu province of
China to boost fish production.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal hoped that these
MoUs would help the state to script a new chapter giving the
much needed impetus to the state’s ambitious programme of
agriculture diversification. He pointed out that strenuous efforts
were afoot to bring nearly 1000 acres of saline and waterlogged
area under fish farming during the current fiscal for
which the state government was already giving 90 per cent
subsidy.
The Chief Minister said he was highly impressed by the
latest innovative and technological advancements adopted by
China due to which they were getting a record production of
40 tons of fish per hectare as compared to a mere six tons per
hectare in Punjab.
BUREAU REPORT
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal honours 1965
war heroes
China to help boost fish production
BUREAU REPORT
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal overlooks as 3 MoUs
on fish production are signed with a Chinese delegation
20 Punjab Advance October 2015

Health
Fighting
Dengue
BUREAU REPORT
H
ealth Minister Surjit
Kumar Jayani has directed
the authorities to join hands
with the civic authorities to ensure
fool-proof preventive and curative
measures against dengue and
malaria besides other vector-borne
diseases.
The dengue scare is spreading
because of a rise in dengue cases
being reported from different parts
of the country.
Accordig to Punjab’s Principal
Secretary (Health) Vini Mahajan,
two persons have died due to
dengue over the past few days
while 1,000 confirmed cases have
been reported from across the
state.
"We are taking all necessary
measures to help check the number
of cases and in this regard we are
also making people aware about the
steps they need to take," she said,
adding, there was no need to panic.
Private hospitals have been directed
to report all dengue cases
and deaths.
"Testing kits are available in adequate
numbers and isolation
wards for dengue patients have
been set up in all civil hospitals...All
private hospitals have also
been directed to use the recommended
kits only," she said.
All civil hospitals are providing
free treatment to dengue patients.
"The Main thing is to prevent
mosquito-breeding, Aedes breeds
in clean water, people should keep
their coolers at homes clean. Water
stored in open pots and other utensils
can also become a breeding
ground for these mosquitoes," she
said.
A call has been given for a
weekly dry day in which coolers
and other appliances should be
thoroughly cleaned.
The Education department has
been asked to organise special
awareness campaigns in schools
during the morning assembly.
The following other measures
have been taken by the Department
of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab,
to fight dengue:
1. 21 SSHs (sentinel surveillance
centres) have been established
where testing of dengue is done
free of cost.
2. Supportive treatment is provided
free of cost to dengue patients in
government hospitals.
3. Entomological surveillance is
being done in the urban areas
and 20188 rooms in 5047 houses
have been sprayed with suitable
insecticides and larvicides.
4. Awareness activities are being
undertaken from State to village
level for awareness of pubic for
prevention of vector-borne diseases.
Workshops are being held
in schools.
5. Dengue wards with mosquito
nets have been established in all
government hospitals.
6. Blood component separators are
available in districts for serious
cases of dengue.
7. Aphresis machines for platelets
are available at Civil Hospital
Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar,
Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur and SAS
Nagar.
October 2015
Punjab Advance
21

T
he entire Guru
Gobind Singh
Marg linking Sri Anandpur
Sahib, Talwandi Sabo and
Nanded will become a
national highway, with the
remaining 1786 km stretch
coming under the national
highway radar soon. Also
on the cards is the four-laning
of the remainder 1775
km of this route on a priority
basis.
Union Minister of Road
Transport and Highways
Nitin Gadkari gave this
undertaking to Chief Minister
Parkash Singh Badal.
Mr Badal told the Union Minister that Sri Guru Gobind
Singh ji undertook his last journey from Sri Anandpur
Sahib to Talwandi Sabo and finally to Nanded in
Maharashtra. The state government had already finalised
PUNJAB DIARY
Guru Gobind Singh Marg
to become National Highway
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with Union Minister
Nitin Gadkari
the entire route of Guru
Gobind Singh Marg after
intense discussions and
consultations with eminent
historians and Sikh scholars
and subsequently a
high level team of officers
travelled on the agreed
routes in 2007 and then
2014.
On the national map,
the road stretches from Sri
Anandpur Sahib to Takht
Sri Dam Dama Sahib (Talwandi
Sabo) in Punjab and
then on to Takht Sri Hazur
Sahib (Nanded) in Maharastra
covering a total length of 3080 km, with 605 km of
this route falling in Punjab, 1123 km in Rajasthan, 164
km in Haryana, 630 km in Madhya Pradesh, 363 km in
Maharashtra, 18 km in Delhi and 177 km in Uttar
Pardesh.
Lt-Gen (retd) Hoon honours braveheart
L
t-Gen (retd) Prem
Nath Hoon, who
led Operation Meghdoot
that foiled a Pakistani attempt
to occupy the
Siachen Glacier in 1984,
has lauded the feat of
Nanak Chand, the Punjab
bus driver who saved 75
passengers from a terrorist
attack in Dinanagar. The
former chief of the Western
Command honoured the
braveheart by presenting
him a motor-cycle. Decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva
Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Sena Medal, General
Hoon was commanding the 15 Corp in Srinagar, when
he undertood the glacier mission.
Lt-Gen P. N. Hoon gifts motor cycle to Dinanagar
braveheart Nanak Chand
General Hoon was commissioned
in the Indian
army two years after Patition
forced him to leave his
ancestral house in Pakistan
at Abottabad.
He served as a frontline
soldier during the Chinese
Aggression in 196 and the
1965 war against Pakistan.
He commanded Operation
Meghdoot which captured
7,500 sq km of strategic Indian
territory, illegally occupied
and gradually being ceded to China by Pakistan in
1985. He was director general of military operations and retired
in 1987 as General-Officer-Commanding-in-Chief,
Western Command.
22 Punjab Advance
October 2015

PUNJAB DIARY
23 health kiosks
I
n its effort to take
health care to the remotest
corner of the state the
government has established
23 fully-equipped health
kiosks in addition to the 93
UPHCs at various points.
These health facilities are for
the deprived and neglected
sections of society with the
viewpoint of overcoming the
constrains of land availability
for the construction of facilities
where required the most.
The Kiosk is a small open
fronted hut or cubicle from
which anything can be sold. Made up of pre-fabricated
(aluminum) material, kiosk is a temporary arrangement
to serve the unserved.
These health Kiosks are staffed with Staff Nurses,
Pharmacists etc. All “Minimum assured services” or essential
services envisaged in
the sub-center will be available,
which includes Preventive,Promotive,few
curative
and Referral services in addition
to all National Health
Programmes.
The Natioal Urban Health
Mission is covering state,districts
and towns/cities with a
population of more than
50,000 .It’s primarily focused
on slum dwellers and
other marginalized groups
like rickshaw-pullers, street
vendors, Railway & Bus
stand coolies, homeless people ,street children, construction
site workers.To address the health needs of this
urban poor population, Punjab state has made functional
93 New urban primary centers with the timings of 9 am
to 7 pm.
E
nthusiasm was writ
large on the faces of
a large number of Markfed
employees and their spouses
who converged on the Markfed
Headoffice campus to donate
blood at the 20th annual
blood donation camp organized
by the Markfed Blood
Trust in association with the
PGI Blood Bank, Chandigarh.
A visibly impressed Executive
Director Mukand
Sharma watched as the
donors continued to pour in and by evening a total of 104
persons had donated blood.
While inaugurating the camp Markfed AMD (G)
Sandeep Hans lauded the role of Markfed Blood Trust
for organizing the blood donation camp.
Markfed staff donate blood
Markfed Exec. Director briefs the Markfed AMD (G)
Sandeep Hans about the blood donation camp
Markfed BOD Daljinder
Singh Virk and Markfed
AMD (P) Inder Mohan
Singh, PCS, honoured the
blood donors.
The Markfed Staff Educational
and Welfare Society
also pitted in organising a
talent/intelligence recognition
programme. Society
president B.M.Sharma encouraged
the wards of employees
to do better in
academics. On this occasion
19 wards of employees were
honoured.
Markfed BOD Devinder Singh Khatra and Mr
Sandeep Hans distributed awards to the wards of Markfed
employees and lauded the role of the society for acknowledging
the achievements of Markfed staff wards.
October 2015
Punjab Advance
23

PUNJABIS OVERSEAS
The Sikh Samaritan
A
n Indianorigin
Sikh
happy. My religion says
more energy so they're
migrant driver in Australia
has been named
‘Australian of the Day’
for feeding the homeless
in Darwin for the
10 per cent of income
goes towards the needy
and the poor — no matter
(whether) they belong
to your religion or any religion,"
past three years.
Singh was
Tejinder Pal Singh
has dedicated the last
Sunday of the month to
feed the poor and
quoted as saying by local
media. “I do something
for homeless people, so
they get more energy so
homeless locals of Tejinder Pal Singh distributes food to the poor and needy they're happy,” he added.
northern Darwin after
he finishes his shift as a cabbie. He cooks 30 kg of Indian
cuisine to feed the homeless after his night shift. The free
lunch that Singh offers comprises chickpeas, rice and
vegetarian curry.
“I do something for homeless people, so they get
His van carries a signature
written 'Free Indian food for hungry and needy
people: Provider Sikh family.' Commonwealth Bank has
sponsored the Australian of the Year Awards for over 35
years, recognising extraordinary Australians who have
made a big difference to the country.
Financial whizkid
T
oronto-based Bhim D Asdhir,
whose family hails
from Ludhiana, is among those first
generation Indo-Canadians who
have scripted super success stories in
the country's financial sector.
Asdhir, who was in Class 11
when his family migrated to Toronto
from India in 1981, is the founder of
Excel Funds which was Canada's
best performing mutual fund last
year.
"We are also doing well in India
as we are the biggest India-dedicated
Canadian mutual fund investing in the Bombay Stock
Exchange (BSE)," Asdhir said.
"After the turbulence, India has taken off again. I
met Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was here
in Toronto and I am very positive on India."
Bhim D. Asdhir
He expects the Indian economy
to hit the 10-trillion mark in the next
10 years.
"Remember, China was a twotrillion-dollar
economy a decade ago
and today it is $10 trillion. I am very
sure that in the next 10 years, India
too will be a $10-trillion economy,'"
says Bhim from his swanky office in
the Toronto suburb of Mississauga.
This bold corporate man was one
of the first NRIs to take plunge in
India in the late 1990s as he foresaw
its potential.
"I went to India in 1996 and I saw what was
coming. When I came back to Toronto, I said to myself
that now is the time to invest in India. But since there
was no vehicle to invest there, I started Excel Funds,''
says Bhim.
24 Punjab Advance
October 2015

PUNJABIS OVERSEAS
Sahota ‘in race’ for Booker
Sunjeev Sahota
P
unjab-origin Sunjeev Sahota’s
political novel
based on migrant workers in
Sheffield involving three Indian men
and one British Indian woman was
among a short list of six novels for
the 2015 Man Booker Prize for Fiction,
organisers announced on Tuesday.
Born in Derbyshire, Sahota, 34,
has been included in the list for his
second novel, ‘The Year of the Runways’.
The short list includes Anne
Tyler, winner of the 1989 Pulitzer
Prize, for her novel, A Spool of Blue Thread.
Others in the list are: Marlon James (A Brief History
of Seven Killings), Tom Mc-
Carthy (Satin Island), Chigozie
Obioma (The Fishermen) and Hanya
Yanagihara (A Little Life).
Sahota was born in 1981 at Derby,
and his family moved to Chesterfield
when he was seven years old. His paternal
grandparents had emigrated to
Britain from Punjab in 1966. After
finishing school, Sahota studied
mathematics at Imperial College,
London.
Sahota had not read a novel until
he was 18 years old, when he read
Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children while visiting
relatives in India before starting university.
Guarding War Memorial tomb
I
n a first, a
Sikh soldier
has been appointed to
watch over the "Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier"
at the National
War Memorial in Ottawa
(Canada).
The tomb refers to
a monument in dedication
to the services of
an unknown soldier
and to the common
memories of all soldiers
killed in any war.
Taj Aujla guards the ‘Tomb of the unknown soldier’
Taj Aujla is one of the four Canadian soldiers of the
39th Brigade Group, Royal Westminster Regiment, who
are currently in Ottawa for three weeks to guard the tomb.
"The basis of Sikhism is service to your country and
your community. Being here is a big honour because I
am representing the way of life of a Sikh. But it goes
back to the tomb, that
is why we're here,"
Aujla was quoted as
saying.
"This gentleman --
the unknown soldier --
whoever he is, was
serving. He made the
ultimate sacrifice, for
our freedom, for our
country for us. To be a
part of this is exactly
what I practise on a
day-to-day basis. What
he did was very
human," Aujla said.
Aujla joined the reserves of the Canadian forces four
years ago.
When he came to know about the opportunity to join
the ceremonial guard, he researched on the tomb and decided
to offer his services.
October 2015
Punjab Advance
25

Nature's Mosaic
An accomplished media
person Sarabjit Pandher
has been also wielding camera
with flair.
While his works have been
exhibited across the country, at
an exhibition organised recently
at the Punjab Kala Centre,
he shared 51 of his works.
From the barren majestic
beauty of the remote areas of
Ladakh or the Grand Canyon,
to the festival of Nagaland,
Village
Destined
falls colours in North America,
monuments in Spain, colours
of the Indian ocean along the
Andaman or some macro shots
from around us, Sarabjit
chronicled his experiences in
the show. "It is also a soft assertion
of overcoming challenges
that life offers - the hard
and the harsh can also be beautiful,"
as he puts it..
Goodbye
Some of the most captivating
photographs from the
exhibition:-

Tsomoriri Icecap
Towards Greener Pastures
Introspection
Reclaimed

Awards
Kasel, aulakh and tasneem get
Punjabi Sahit rattan award
KNiranjan Singh Tasneem Ajmer Singh Aulakh Gurdass Mann
irpal Singh Kasel, Ajmer Aulakh and Niranjan Singh Tasneem have been bestowed the coveted
Punjabi Sahit Rattan award for 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. The three literary figures
would be awarded a cash award of Rs 10 lakh each.
The winners of the Shiromani awards were finalised by the Punjab Government after a marathon
meeting of the advisory board under the chairmanship of Higher Education and Languages Minister
Surjit Singh Rakhra.
The winners of 17 other categories will get Rs 5 lakh
each. The following is thelist of winners:
Shiromani Punjabi Sahitak Patarkar: Niranjan Singh
Sathi, Varinder Singh Walia and Susheel Dosanjh.
Punjabi Patarkar: Amar Singh Bhullar, Harjinder
Singh Lal and Bhushan Sood.
Punjabi Sahitkar: Mohan Bhandari, Baldev Singh
Sadaknama and Avtar Singh Bling.
Hindi Sahitkar: Mahesh Patialavi, Mohd. Iqbal and
Renu Behal.
Sanskrit Sahitkar: Shashidhar Sharma, Bhushan Lal
Sharma and Lekh Raj Parwana.
Punjabi Kavi: Jaswinder, Gurbhajan Gill and Kulwant
Singh Grewal.
Punjabi Critic: Dr Surjit Singh Bhatti, Dr Balkar Singh
and Dr Tejwant Gill.
Punjabi Gyan Sahitkar: Balwant Singh Kothaguru, Dr
Kirpal Singh and Prof Aschru Singh.
Punjabi Sahitkar (NRIs): Kesar Singh Neer, Gurbhaksh
Singh Bhandal and Ajit Singh Rahi.
Punjabi Sahitkar (outside Punjab): Chandan Negi,
Rashpinder Rashim and Khalid Hussain.
Punjabi Bal Sahitkar: Santosh Sahni, Aatma Singh
Chitti and Amrik Singh Talwandi.
Ragi Award: Bhai Hari Singh, Prof Kartar Singh and
Bhai Jaswant Singh.
Dhadhi/Kavishar: Brij Lal Dhaula, Mohinder Singh
Sibea and Des Raj Lachkani.
Punjabi television, radio, film: Buta Singh Shad,
Satish Kaul and Baldev Gill.
Punjabi Natak: Devinder Daman, Gurcharan Channi
and Pali Bhupinder.
Punjabi singers: Mohammad Sadique, Gurdas Maan
and Surinder Shinda.
Besides, six prominent personalities have been chosen
for special awards. Devinder Singh Chitarkar and Raghbir
Singh Bains will get Rs 1.5 lakh each while Pandit Rao
Thairesanwar, Ranjit Rana, Malkit Singh Guara and Bachan
Singh Saral will get Rs 1 lakh each.
28 Punjab Advance October 2015

Literature
‘Sadda Punjab’
S“
adda Punjab”, written by Munish Jindal,
takes the reader into the glorious
chapters of Punjab, giving an indepth knowledge
of Punjab----its culture and history.
Released by Punjab’s Education Minister,
Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, at the Department of
Evening Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh,
the book is well designed to cater to the
needs of aspirants to the civil services as well
as ardent readers.
The book spans the state profile and related
statistics, prehistoric Punjab, its medieval history
and various socio-cultural reform movements
initiated time to time.
The text of the book is so comprehensive
that it completely explains the state’s geography,
soil structure, agriculture, its economy
and much more. In the words of Dr. Cheema
this book will connect the new generation to
their rich cultural heritage.
October 2015
Punjab Advance
29

Craft
Punjabi jutti goes
phoren
“J
utti Kasuri Pairin Na Poori,
Hayo Rabba Ve Sannu
Turna Peya,” goes the
famous line of the Punjabi folk song
sung by Surinder Kaur. The damsel in
the folk song may be having trouble
walking in ill-fitting juttis but the jutti
itself has walked far and wide and has
reached far-off lands, thanks to the
Non-Resident Punjabis and the jutti’s
newfound fans among foreigners there.
Earlier known as the favourite
DONALD BANERJEE
among Punjabis living in rural areas,
these juttis have now become a fashion
statement among the people in urban
areas, especially the NRIs.
Earlier, these were decorated with
tilla, zari and phulkari but now juttis
are adorned with all sorts of decorative
material like sequins, beads, ghungroos,
pearls and sippis.
Several artistic patterns of embroidery
make the modern version even
more attractive.
Apart from embroidery, the shape
of the punjabi jutti has also undergone
a change. Today, it has become like any
other footwear and is even available
with heels and strings. These juttis go
with any outfit, be it traditional or
western.
“The traditional jutti goes only
with suits so I pick the modern version
of the same. These are high heeled and
look stylish even with the western
wears. I find them the best for formal
30 Punjab Advance October 2015

Craft
occasions,” said Harsimran, a regular
buyer of modern Punjabi juttis.
Harbans Singh, a shopkeeper who
sells traditional juttis at Gill village
said he got the juttis made, especially
from Muktsar and Patiala.
“The artisans in Muktsar and Patiala
possess a rich art of making juttis.
These juttis are soft to wear and
durable. People
from all over Punjab
come to buy
them. NRIs also
form the major
chunk of our regular
customers,” he
adds.
“ W h e n e v e r
there is any special
occasion, I prefer
wearing a Jutti. It
makes me feel
good. Though my
daughter love the
modern version, I
stick to the old
pattern only,” said
Manjinder Gill, a
NRI from Canada
said
The juttis from
Patiala rule the
popularity charts
not only here but
also around the
world. These
‘pieces of art’ are
an inseparable part of Punjabi attire.
Available in simple shades as well as
bright colours with attractive embroidery,
the juttis rule the heart of ethnically
chic Punjabis everywhere. It is
now making waves in cities like London
and New York. None other than
craftsmen in the streets of Patiala are
fanning the rage for the Punjabi jutti
among its newfound fans.
Internationally known as Aladdin
slippers, Indian ballerinas etc, the designer
juttis have become a huge fashion
statement around the world.
In the heart of Patiala’s bustling old market, Adaalat
Bazaar, known for traditional phulkari dupattas and
suits, the jutti has a new look. From plain uppers, the
footwear now comes with serious embellishments such
as dabka, zardozi work and phulkari too. For those looking
for some fun, there’s a jutti with a high heel as well.
The demand overseas, has led to the revival of the jutti
in a new look. “Earlier the jutti could never be customised,
but now karigars are willing to incorporate
everything from logos to embellishments,” says Chandigarh
designer Rupam Grewal.
Mohali-based designer Sahiba J Singh, onene of the
first to offer bespoke juttis in Punjab, dishes out soft
velvet juttis in a colour of one’s choice, adorned with
delicate thread work. She has even paired her juttis with
her riding breeches and continues to wear them with
Western outfits. “Initially juttis came in either black or
tan leather. These days, the options have increased as
everyone wants something unique,” she adds.
Whether it’s New York, London, Paris
or Milan, the jutti can be spotted anywhere.
It jells with any kind of outfit-
-- jumpsuits, maxis, short dresses or
jeans.
Big fashion labels have joined the
bandwagon, lending their touch to the
jutti. Designer Shirin Singh Sangha,
from Chandigarh. rolled out her bespoke
jutti label Needledust last year
and began retailing through the fashion
portal
Seeing the demand for the designer
juttis, Sangha decided to go online
from this year. The designer uses pure
leather, double padding and fabrics
such as brocade, velvet, silk to trimmings
such as ghungroos. With everyone
wanting to wear something
unique, gone are the days when juttis
came in only tan or black leather.
Whether it is to do with the rising demand,
or the fact that ‘kaarigars’ are
willing to incorporate unconventional
changes, the jutti is no longer restricted
to being traditional.
Mohali-based designer Sahiba J
Singh has specialized in dishing out
out soft velvet juttis in a colour of
one’s choice, adorned with delicate
thread work. She has even paired her
juttis with her riding breeches and continues
to wear
them with Western
outfits. “Initially
juttis came in either
black or tan
leather. These
days, the options
have increased as
everyone wants
s o m e t h i n g
unique,” she adds.
Elsewhere, in
the heart of Patiala’s
bustling old
market, Adaalat
Bazaar, known for
t r a d i t i o n a l
phulkari dupattas
and suits, the jutti
has a new look.
From plain uppers,
the footwear
now comes with
serious embellishments
such as
dabka, zardozi
work and phulkari
too. For those
looking for some fun, there’s a jutti
with a high heel as well. The demand
overseas, says Chandigarh-based designer
Rupam Grewal, has led to the
revival of the jutti in a new look. Recently,
she too has forayed into shoe
design and has been stitching up bespoke
shoes and juttis for brides under
her label, Jaamawar Minx. “Earlier the
jutti could never be customised, but
now karigars are willing to incorporate
everything from logos to embellishments,”
says Grewal. Customisation is
definitely the key.
October 2015
Punjab Advance
31

Career n Competition
Overcoming
Ordeals
BUREAU REPORT
T
here is no denying the
fact that success goes
with grit and determination. Whatever
be the odds, perspiration pays.
Meet Sandeep Kaur, a peon’s
daughter in Punjab, who overcame
several odds, including poverty, to
clear the IAS examination in 2010.
And a tailor’s son of Bhind district
in Madhya Pradesh, who overcame
several odds, including
poverty, to make it to the IAS in
2013.
Sheer determination, hard
work and inspiration from an old
TV serial ‘Udaan’ helped Sandeep
Kaur, a peon’s daughter, crack the
tough civil services exam. She says
she couldn’t have done it without
the complete support of her extended
family.
Sandeep, 29, daughter of Ranjit
Singh, a peon in the Revenue
Department of Punjab, at
Morinda, created a flutter when
she attained the 138th rank in the
open merit list of the All India
Civil Services Examination.
“I was very motivated after seeing
the serial ‘Udaan’ the tale of a lower
middle class girl who became an Indian
Police Service officer.”
Recounting her difficult days,
Sandeep, a civil engineer, said: “After
completing my engineering, I first
wanted to do a job to become economically
independent before starting
Sandeep
preparations for the IAS. But for two
continuous years, I did not find any
job, as there were very few opportunities
for girls in the civil engineering
sector.”
“There was nobody to guide me
and we did not have enough money to
pay the hefty fees of coaching classes.
Therefore, I made the first two attempts
(2005 and 2006) without taking
any formal coaching,” she pointed
out:
Thereafter, her father took a
bank loan to fund the cost of
coaching institutes. She took
coaching at Chandigarh, Patiala
and New Delhi.
Despite her engineering background,
she meticulously chose
the subjects of sociology and Punjabi
literature. In 2007, she missed
the main exam by a whisker. She
got 933 marks whereas the cut-off
was 936. My extended family also
supported me during the preparations.
Every day at 4 am my cousin
went to Kharar town (around 10
km from here), to bring a copy of
Hindu newspaper as we did not get
it here.
“We are from a small town of
Punjab with very few resources
but still my daughter has successfully
cleared one of the most difficult
exams of the country. The
whole town is proud of her and I
cannot express my feelings in words,”
a proud Amarjit Kaur, Sandeep’s
mother, said.
“I wanted her to become an IAS officer
since she was in Class 8 and now
she has fulfilled my dream. It was certainly
not an easy path and it was a
journey full of disappointments and
countless hiccups. But her strong determination
helped her sail all the
way,” she said.
32 Punjab Advance
October 2015

Career n Competition
Where the will
makes its way
BUREAU REPORT
W
here there is a will
there is a way
Where there is determination
there is a way. This was
amply demonstrated by a poor
youngster from the Bhind district
of Madhya Pradesh, who
overcame massive odds to
emerge successful in the allimportant
Civil Services
examinations.
Nirish Rajput (31), son of
Virendra Rajput, a tailor,
failed the civil service examination
three times but never
lost heart. The fourth time, he
passed with a rank of 370 and
was selected for the Indian
Administrative Service in
2013
Nirish’s story is inspiring
not because he did not lose
heart but also because he
comes from a very poor
background. He lives in a 15 by 40 feet
(300 square feet) house in Mau village
of Gohad tehsil in Bhind district and
did odd jobs – even as a newspaper
hawker – to realize his dream of becoming
an IAS officer.
Once, Nirish went with a considerably
rich and respected family friend
to Uttarakhand to help them set up a
coaching institute with a promise they
October 2015
Nirish Rajput
would help him by providing material
to prepare for his Civil Services examinations.
But two years later, after the
coaching institute started paying rich
dividends, he was insulted, disgraced
and literally thrown out.
“What is your worth? You are good
for nothing. We no longer want you”,
that were the last words I heard from
the members of that educated and rich
Punjab Advance
family, said Nirish. “Next moment,
I was jobless, homeless,
penniless and remained hungry
for a week, till help came
to me”, he narrated.
The incident changed the
course of Nirish
“I did not know how to
become an IAS officer but I
knew clearing the country’s
top examinations can change
my fortune”, he said, adding
that poverty cannot be a hurdle
if one has the determination
and is willing to work hard.
One day Nirish left for
Delhi to study. “In Delhi, I
became friendly with Ankit,
who was preparing for competitive
exams. I started living
with him at Delhi’s Mukherjee
Nagar and studied 18 hours a
day. I did not attend any
coaching classes nor pay any hefty
fees. I studied from the books and
notes of Ankit,” he said.
He studied from a government
school and a modest college in
Gwalior. His father and two elder
brothers, who are contractual teachers,
started investing most of their savings,
energy and courage to make Nirish’s
dream come true.
33

Career n Competition
Current
ISRO gets Gandhi
Peace Prize
President Pranab Mukherjee conferred
the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2014
to Indian space agency ISRO at Rashtrapati
Bhavan on September 9. Congratulating
every member of the space
community for the award, the President
said: “science and technology is a key
NATIONAL
driver for shaping the destiny of nations
and people across the globe.” Terming
ISRO as an organisation, which has nurtured,
developed and demonstrated
world class capabilities, he said: “Even
as it has sought to encompass the globe
and reach for the stars, it has remained
rooted in its core mission of national regeneration
and improving the life of the
common man, a goal set for the nation
by Mahatma Gandhi”.
Files of Netaji Bose
made public
The West Bengal government on
September 17 made public 64 files in a
set of seven DVDs on freedom fighter
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to help unravel
the mystery behind his disappearance.
The original files have been housed
at the Calcutta Police Museum. The files
comprise 12,744 pages and are available
to researchers and scholars. They were
handed over to descendants of Netaji and
mediapersons by Kolkata Police Commissioner
S.K. Purkayastha after a small
ceremony at the museum.
OROP for all defence
personnel: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has clarified
that soldiers who retire prematurely
will benefit from implementation of the
‘One Rank One Pension’ (OROP)
scheme. The Ex-servicemen decided to
discontinue their fast-unto-death following
Modi’s announcement but said they
will continue their agitation as all their
demands have not been fulfilled. Modi
said those trying to mislead on the issue
of “VRS” (voluntary retirement scheme)
were doing a wrong thing. “Some people
think that soldiers who left service
after working for 15 to 17 years will not
be covered under OROP. It is wrong,” he
said.
International airport
opens at Mohali
PUNJAB
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated
an international airport at Mohali
on July 11. Punjab thus became the
smallest state in the country and the first
in the northern region to have two international
airports. This international Airport
at Mohali, was the result of persistent
efforts made by Chief Minister
Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief
Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, which
would give a big boost to the economy
of the state by connecting it with the rest
of world. International Air connectivity
from Mohali was all the more important
because it would connect the entire
Northern region comprising Punjab,
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu &
Kashmir, Uttarakhand and even the western
part of Uttar Pradesh with the other
parts of the world.
Special MGNREGA cell
The Punjab Government has established
a special MGNREGA cell to coordinate
effective implementation of National
Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme in the state. It has been established
by the Punjab Rural Development
and Panchayat Department at Chandigarh
with an outlay of Rs 233 crore.
Award for solar rooftop power
Punjab Government has won first
award in the category of highest capacity
addition in grid connected solar rooftop
power in the country during the financial
year 2014-15. It is one of 5 awards won
by Punjab New and Renewable Energy
Department (PNRED) for outstanding
performance in the various fields of
Renewable Energy and Power
Generation.
34 Punjab Advance
October 2015

Events
Career n Competition
A view of the international space station
INTERNATIONAL
Swiss banks directive
to Indian depositors
Swiss and other European banks
have asked Indian customers to avail the
on-going one-time compliance window
granted by the tax department for disclosure
of foreign assets. The call has been
made in the wake of the final month’s
deadline to declare and pay tax on assets
abroad beginning on Tuesday.The Undisclosed
Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition
of New Tax) Act, 2015, or the
black money act, for the first time allows
levy of tax in India on assets kept abroad.
Russia’s Soyuz docks with ISS
A Russian spacecraft with three crew
members on board, docked successfully
on September 4 with the International
Space Station (ISS). The docking of the
Soyuz TMA-18M took place just over 50
hours after the spacecraft took off from
the Baikonur Cosmodrome operational
space launch facility in Kazakhstan,
using a Soyuz-FG rocket. The spacecraft’s
crew includes Russian cosmonauts
Sergey Volkov, the Kazakh Aidyn
Aimbetov and Danish astronaut Andreas
Mogensen.
Scientists map genes of
embryo development
An international team of scientists
has for the first time mapped all the
genes that are activated in the first few
days of a fertilised human egg. Led by
Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, the researchers
showed that the newly identified
genes can interact with the “junk
DNA” — essential to the start of development.
There are approximately
23,000 human genes in total. In the current
study, scientists found that only 32
of these genes are switched on two days
after fertilisation and by the day three,
there are 129 activated genes. Seven of
the genes found and characterised had
not been discovered previously.
Sania Mirza gets
Khel Ratna award
Tennis star Sania Mirza was conferred
with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi
Khel Ratna -- the country's highest sport-
Sania Mirza
ing honour -- at a glittering ceremony in
Rashtrapati Bhawan. Sania became the
SPORTS
second tennis player to receive the country's
highest sporting honour after Leander
Paes on a day whenthe sports
ministry was fighting a court case that
raised questions against its process of selecting
the awardees.
Indian hockey eves qualify
for Rio Olympics
India's women’s hockey team has
qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in
Rio de Janeiro, claiming their berth
thanks to the England team who defeated
Spain in the semifinals of the Euro-
Hockey Championships in London. England's
victory over Spain, coming after
the Netherlands' win in the first semifinal
meant two teams that have already
qualified for the Olympics were in contention
for the European Continental
title, thus freeing a quota place.The India
women team thus clinched its ticket to
Rio through their fifth place finish at the
Hockey World League Semifinal in
Antwerp.
BCCI chief Dalmiya dead
Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) president Jagmohan Dalmiya,
75, who was admitted to B.M Birla Hospital
three days ago after complaining of
chest pain, died on September 20
evening, triggering shock and sorrow
among the fraternity who termed it a
great loss to the game. Credited with
turning the gentleman’s game into a
global sport of big money and a reach
well beyond its traditional bastions.
October 2015
Punjab Advance
35

Rajinder Singh Bedi remembered
Father of Indian
parallel cinema
Rajinder Singh Bedi and (right) A scene from “Devdas”
S
eptember 1 is the birth centenary
of Rajinder Singh
Bedi, one of the greatest fiction writers
of the 20th century. He was also
named the father of Indian parallel cinema
with his directoral debut ‘Dastak’
(1970).
Better known for his haunting Partition
tales, Rajinder was a son of Punjab.
Born in Sialkot (now in Pakistan)
BUREAU REPORT
on September 1, 1915, he spent his
early years in Lahore, where he
received his education in Urdu. But he
never graduated from any college.
After partition his family settled in
Fazilka.
His literary career spanning 50
years and 72 short stories represented
the finest creative writing in Urdu literature.
His stories ‘Garam Kot’ and
‘Lajwanti’ are considered among the
masterpieces in Urdu short story. His
later collection of short stories were
‘Kokh Jali’ and ‘Apne Dukh Mujhe De
Do’ and also a collection of plays ’Saat
Khel’
While his output was not prodigious,
his stories are memorable, chastising
ancient beliefs and superstitions,
which keep the ordinary person igno-
36 Punjab Advance October 2015

ant and the women oppressed.
Some of the most memorable characters
from Bedi’s stories are women
– Indu from ‘Apney Dukh Mujhei De
Doe’ (Give Me Your Sorrows), Munni
from ‘Lambi Larki’ (Tall Girl), the
eponymous Lajwanti and Jogia, and
Rano from Bedi’s only novel, ‘Ek
Chadar Maili Si’ (A Sheet So Dirty).
When he shifted to Bombay, he
flourished in the film industry and in
his 35 years spent there, he wrote
screenplays, scenes, and dialogues of
around 17 movies, including directing
some of them. Almost all of
these films proved to be highquality,
quaint, and memorable,
however, never proving
to be box-office hits.
Despite being written a
few decades ago from Bedi’s
long experience as the ‘father
of Indian parallel cinema’,
many of the challenges it describes
still exist in Bollywood
and Lollywood, though more
acute in the latter.
Bedi was prolific in the
film world. His first script was
for Badi Bahen which was an
instant hit. Then came Aaram,
Do Sitare, Daag, Devdas,
Mirza Ghalib, Madhumati -
often the films were successful
but the writer got little credit.
Moreover while Bombay
films did give him money they
also put his literary conscience
into a quandary - how not to
compromise artistic values to
crass commercial demands?
He later teamed up with
four other outstanding film
personalities - Hrishikesh
Mukherjee, Balraj Sahni, Amar Kumar
and Homi Sethna - to form a cine operative
committed to making better
cinema.
He also became a regular dialogue
writer for Hrishikesh Mukherjee: his
was the soft, sensitive presence behind
Anupama, Mem Didi, Satyakam, Abhiman.
Bedi managed to produce and
direct a few films including Dastak and
Phagun.
Dastak (1970), which was also his
directorial debut, is more closer to
Basu Chatterjee’s Sara Akash (1969)
than any of the other parallel cinema
films, mainly because both films narrate
a middle class relationship, probing
the densities of married life
through a semi-realist prism. However,
Bedi’s film cuts closer to the bone, exploring
‘the suggestion that a woman
economically dependent on her husband
is comparable to a prostitute’
Dastak (1970), which was also his directorial
debut, is more closer to Basu Chatterjee’s
Sara Akash (1969) than any of
the other parallel cinema films, mainly because
both films narrate a middle class
relationship, probing the densities of married
life through a semi-realist prism.
(Flemming, 1985)
Dastak deals with a married couple
who move into an apartment previously
run as a pleasure house. Phagun,
a more ambitious statement on marital
tensions, failed at the box-office.
Padma Sachdev explains: "His own
films flopped because he was a writer
not a businessman." Bedi had by then
lost a lot of money and mortgaged his
house.
He will always be remembered for
his perceptive stories but most of all he
will be remembered for Ek Chader
Maili Si. It is the heartbreaking story
of Rano who after her husband's death
is compelled to marry his younger
brother, one whom she has always
brought up like her son. Into the tragic
tale, Bedi weaves the entire social phenomena
of Punjab in those days.
Well-known film scribe Firoze
Rangoonwala recalls that
when Krishan Chander, the famous
Urdu writer read it, he
hugged Bedi and said: "You
don't know what you've created."
Ek Chader won Bedi
the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Bedi fell deeply in love
with the heroine of his film
Aankhin Dekhi, who married
someone else after the completion
of the film. This took
a toll on his life. His health deteriorated
after the death of his
son, Narendra Bedi, who
made commercially successful
films, and his wife in quick
succession. He fought cancer
and paralysis, lost one eye, yet
kept his spirit.
Though the exact date of
Rajinder Singh Bedi’s death is
not mentioned anywhere, it is
believed that he died barely 10
days after the anti-Sikh riots
and the anguish that the country
went through after Indira
Gandhi’s assassination in November,
1984.
This famous Urdu author
and Hindi film director lay at his residence
in Khar, Bombay, dangerously
ill and yet undoubtedly aware of the
communal madness that his country
was going through in the early days of
November. No, Bedi was not a deeply
religious Sikh but he was a deeply sensitive
man.
October 2015
Punjab Advance
37

Films
Sardaarji
biggest blockbuster
D
iljit Dosanjh has emerged
as the new super star of
Punjabi cinema. His latest film Sardaar
Ji, which also features Neeru Bajwa
and Manay Dakhar in key roles, has
turned out to be the biggest ever blockbuster
in Punjabi cinema. The film
raked in Rs 2.5 crore on the first day
breaking the record of Jatt and Juliet 2,
which had recorded opening day figure
of Rs 1.5 crore.
This Punjabi romantic comedy got
a superb start with more than 1000
shows a day across more than 250
screens in India and 150 screens
abroad. The box office collection kept
on rising Friday to Sunday. The film
collected 14.72 crore in the first weekend.
Sardaarji opened with a collection
of 2.5 crore on the opening day in
India, with Australia, New Zealand,
USA, Canada and the UK contributing
another Rs 1.5 crore. Saturday saw the
figure rising to 5.07 crore and Sunday
had a collection of Rs 5.63 crore.
These figures were mind-blowing for
a Punjabi film.
Even though the super success of
‘Sardaar Ji’ gives Punjabi Cinema its
biggest blockbuster till date, it still
brings along some serious worries if
BUREAU REPORT
Neeru Bajwa and Diljit Dosanjh in Punjabi blockbuster ‘Sardaarji’
one looks into the scenario with a (Anhe Ghore Da Daan and Chauthi
deeper understanding of the trend witnessed
in Punjabi film business over (Qissa) who do not live in Punjab have
Koot) and Geneva-based Anup Singh
the last decade.
brought forth a new narrative in Punjabi
cinema with strong and sensible
But the concern is much more critical
here because with the roaring success
of ‘Sardaar Ji’, where at one end
stories straight from the soil. Sadly,
posters of their films are seen more
the Punjabi film industry might be feeling
relieved with a quick revival in
prominently at international film festivals
than the numerous multiplexes
sight, at the other it actually gets stuck
that dot this region's landscape.
deeper into the same monotonous mess
(threatening the industry over the last
Maybe, someone needs to put them in
few years) since the latest hit is yet a bottle and bring them straight to Punjab
to make more films. Perhaps then,
again ‘A comedy’.
The only grace is that some directors
like Pune-based Gurvinder Singh jabi cinema will be
the ghosts haunting mainstream Pun-
exorcised.
38 Punjab Advance October 2015

‘Chak de India’
Sports
Hockey eves make it to
Olympics after 36 years
BUREAU REPORT
I
t was a ‘ Chak de..’ moment
for the Indian women’s
hockey team as they qualified for the
Rio 2016 Olympic Games after after a
gap of 36 years. The last time the team
made it to the Olympics was in 1980 in
Moscow, where they finished fourth.
The Indian eves clinched their
ticket to Rio, courtesy the England
team who defeated Spain in the semifinals
of the Euro Hockey Championships
in London.
England's victory over Spain, coming
after the Netherlands' win in the
first semifinal meant two teams that
have already qualified for the
Olympics were in contention for the
European Continental title, thus freeing
a quota place.
India fitted into the slot because of
their fifth place finish at the Hockey
World League semifinals in Antwerp.
The Federation Internationale de
Hockey (FIH) confirmed India's qualification
soon after it emerged that either
England or the Netherlands will
win the European championships.
India women joined the nine teams
already qualified for Rio - Korea as
Asian Games champions, Argentina as
Pan Am Games champions and Great
Britain, China, Germany, Netherlands,
Australia, New Zealand and the USA
through the Hockey World League
Semifinals.
A joyous moment for the Indian hockey eves as they qualify for the 2016
Olympic Games
Chak de India seems to be the
mood in the Indian camp. Joyous moments
could be seen in the eyes of the
eves who vowed to make the most of
the Olympic qualification as it could be
the last opportunity for many players
to compete in the showpiece event.
An overjoyed skipper Ritu Rani
was still in the process of realizing the
dream run into the Olympics. The 23-
year-old midfielder said: “The feeling
of the historic moment is yet to sink in.
But we will have to work harder to
excel at Rio. The players are in high
spirits. We will have to improve our
penalty corner conversion rates and
also bolster our defence.”
Star striker Rani Rampal, whose
crucial goal against Japan in Antwerp
kept the Indians in the hunt, said: “This
is just so unbelievable. While we were
sure of a berth but now that this has
happened it is still hard to believe. We
had been playing and practicing for
this moment for many years now.
Many in the team were aware that it
would be the last opportunity to
achieve our dream and play in the
Olympics and this time we were
adamant that we will make this happen.”
Meanwhile, chief coach Mathias
Ahrens said that his team did an incredible
job, adding that girls have
made themselves legendary after ending
a 36-year Olympic wait.
October 2015
Punjab Advance
39

Sports
Punjab Police sweep
men’s golf titles
SK Sharma tees off at the Ranjitgarh Golf Club, Phillaur
I
t was Punjab Police all the
way. Their golfers marked
their stamp of dominance on home turf
emerging men’s team and individual
champions in both the gross and nett
events of the 19th All India Police Golf
Championship held on the greens of
the Ranjitgarh Golf Club at the Punjab
Police Academy in Phillaur on August
18.
The two-member Punjab Police
team of S K Sharma, DGP, Home
Guards and Director PPA, Phillaur, and
BUREAU REPORT
Rupinder Singh, SSP, Vigilance,
clinched the gross score team title with
a score of 320. The champions made it
a double with their team of Ishwar
Singh and B. Chandershekhar winning
the nett team title with a score of 286.
Punjab Finance Minister Parminder
Singh Dhindsa gave away the prizes.
Punjab Police struck another
medal with S.K. Sharma clinching the
nett title in the individual event with a
score of 135. One stroke behind was
Prithvi Raj from Himachal Pradesh,
followed by Nitin Aggarwal, Kerala
Police, at third slot with a nett core of
139.
B. Chandershekhar made it a clean
sweep for Punjab Police winning the
men’s individual title with a gross
score of 151, with team-mate Rupinder
Singh occupying the second slot with a
score of 155. R K Srivastava from BSF
finished third at 157.
The ladies title predictably went to
defending champion Tara Yadav of the
CRPF, who has remained the golf
40 Punjab Advance October 2015

Sports
queen since 2008.
She relegated her only rival in the
ladies category Gurpreet Deo of Punjab
Police to the runner up position.
In the team event on gross score,
the 1st runner up position was bagged
by R S Rathore and R K Srivastava of
Police with 301 points.
In the fray for the 3-day tournament
were nine DGPs, 24 ADGPs, 13
IGPs, 21 DIGs, one AIG and eight
SSPs among the 92 participants vying
for honours. Punjab cadre IPS officer
Gurpreet Kaur Deo and CRPF deputy
J&K, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra,
Manipur, New Delhi, New Delhi (Ministry
of Home Affairs – MHA) and Telengana.
Mr Sharma said the last two years,
Punjab Police had been dominating the
tournament. In 2014, the All India
B. Chander Shekhar and Ishwar Singh receive the nett score team championship trophy from Punjab Finance
Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa
the BSF with 322 points and the 2nd
runner up position went to B S Kaurav
and M.S. Deo, also of the BSF, with
the same score, but the Rathore-Srivastava
duo won on better scores on
the back nine holes.
On Nett score in the team event, the
1st runner up position went to Vivek
Bhandral and Brig. Surendra Mehta of
the NSG with 291 points and the 2nd
runners up position to Garib Dass and
Dilbagh Singh of Jammu and Kashmir
Commandant Tara Yadav were the only
two women officers in the competition.
As expected the maximum participation
(seven) was from the host state,
followed by six each from neighbouring
Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, BSF,
CRPF and NSG, five each from CISF,
ITBP and Rajasthan, four each from
IB, Madhya Pradesh, SSB and West
Bengal. Other states and police organisations
participating were Assam,
Assam Rifles, Himachal Pradesh,
tournament was held in Bengaluru
(Karnataka) where Border Security
Force (BSF) emerged winner in the
gross series and National Security
Guards were runners up. However in
Net series Punjab Police team comprising
of B. Chandrashekhar and R. S.
Khatra were the winners.
In 2013, in Srinagar (J&K) Punjab
Police team comprising S. K. Sharma
and Rupinder Singh had finished the
winners in Gross series.
October 2015
Punjab Advance
41

Health
Dengue
Symptoms, Precautions, Cure
DR. SHUBHRA SHUKTIKA SHARMA
V arious types of water and airborne
diseases are spreading these
days which are common during the
month of September- October every
year. These diseases include allergic
cold, viral fever, malaria, chikungunya,
eye infection and dengue.
However, the spread of dengue this
time across the country has been
deadly and has taken a toll of more
than hundred lives and thousands are
suffering from this disease. In this article
we sum up how dengue is caused,
its symptoms, precautions and its treatment.
Dengue causes severe body ache
and one feels that his or her bones are
breaking, therefore, it is also called
breakbone fever.
Dengue fever is caused by a family
of virus that is transmitted by mosquitoes.
No specific medicine or antibiotics
have been discovered so far to
treat it.
The symptoms of dengue include,
High grade fever; Severe joint pain and
muscular pain; Swollen lymph nodes;
Bleeding gums; Severe pain behind the
eyes; Red palms and soles
Dengue can affect anyone but people
with compromised immune system
are easily afflicted to it. In severe conditions,
dengue may lead to Dengue
Hemorrhagic fever, a life threatening
condition resulting in bleeding, low
blood platelet count, blood plasma
leakage or the more fatal form which
causes dangerously low blood pressure.
Petechiae (small red or purple
splotches or blisters under the skin),
bleeding in the nose or gums, black
stools or easy bruising are all possible
signs of hemorrhage. This may also
lead to a serious condition called
"Dengue Shock Syndrome". Dengue
Shock Syndrome is a condition in
which the patient suffering from
dengue could develop shock with re-
42 Punjab Advance October 2015

Health
duced platelet count.
Dengue occurs from the bites of
striped Aedes Aegypti mosquito that
has previously bitten an infected person.
Mosquitoes generally flourish
during the rainy season but can breed
in water stored in clean places and
utensils like filled flower pots, plastic
bags and air coolers. A single mosquito
bite is enough to cause this disease.
The virus is not Contagious; It cannot
spread directly from person to person.
There must be
person-to-mosquito-to-another-person
pathway.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
After being bitten by a mosquito
carrying the virus, incubation period
ranges from 3-15 days ( with an average
of 5-8 days) before signs and
symptoms of dengue appear.
Dengue appears with chills,
headache, pain upon moving eyes and
lower backache. Painful aching in legs
and joints occur during the first hours
of illness.
Temperature rises as high as 104 F
with relatively low heart rate (bradycardia)
and low blood pressure (hypotension),
eyes get reddened.
COMPLICATIONS
OF DENGUE
1 Severe dehydration
2 Continuous bleeding
3 Low blood platelets (less than
100000) due to which clotting of
blood does not occur.
4 Blood pressure decreases drastically
5 Enlargement of liver and damage to
it.
6 Bradycardia (heart beat less than 60
counts/minute)
7 Damage to brain due to bleeding,
seizures or encephalitis.
8 Damage to immune system.
PREVENTIONS
1 One must avoid stagnant water in
flower pots, buckets, barrels etc in
and around the house, as these are
favourite places for mosquitoes to
lay eggs. Water, if necessary to
store, must be stored in covered
containers.
2 Bleaching powder should be used in
water sources that are not meant for
drinking as it prevents develpment
of mosquito eggs.
3 Female mosquito feeds on blood as it
requires blood protein to produce
eggs, hence, it is better to use mosquito
repellents even when indoors.
4 It is advisable to reside in a well
screened or air conditioned place. If
it is not possible then nets should be
attached to the door and windows.
5 Use of full sleeves shirts, socks, long
pants are advised when moving outdoor.
6 It is healthier to avoid moving outdoor
during dawn, dusk or early
evenings whem mosquitoes tend to
roam around in the open.
7 Mosquitoes are attracted towards
dark coloured clothes therefore it is
better to wear bright and light
coloured clothes.
8 Avoid strong perfumes as mosquitoes
are drawn towards the strong
body odours.
Since dengue is caused by a virus,
no specific medicine or antibiotic is
recommended. For a typical case of
dengue , treatment is concerned with
relief of symptoms.
Proper bed rest is advised.
Paracetamol is the drug of choice
for fever and joint pain.
A FEW HOME REMEDIES
FOR DENGUE
1 Kiwi fruit
2 Coconut water
3 Fresh papaya
4 Drink as much of water as possible
in order to make up for the fluid
loss. It helps to bring down the body
temperature. Whenever available
drink ORS.
5 Coriander leaves can be taken in
form of tonic to reduce the fever in
dengue.
6 Kakamachi syrup consumed as a
soothing, cooling drink , can expel
the negative toxins and purify them.
A cup of kakamachi syrup twice a
day is recommended dose.
7 Chywanprash- an immunobooster,
blood purifier helps to increase
blood count , so use it.
8 Boiled Tulsi served in warm drink
like tea can help prevent the outbreak
of dengue. This herb has all
the properties that strengthen the internal
system against fever.
9 Ten-fifteen Tulsi leaves should be
chewed twice a day. The same number
of Tulsi leaves should be boiled
in 200 ml of water on low heat till
half the quantity is left, then it can
be taken 2-3 times a day. This
strengthens body's defence mechanism.
10 Papaya juice is a natural cure for
dengue fever. Juice of papaya leaf is
a sure cure to recover the platelet deficiency.
11 Ten tulsi leaves grounded with one
piece of black pepper in proportion
should be taken or it can chewed.
12 Chirayata-- a herb available in
pansari's shop, is also a medicine to
help control dengue.
13 Dhatura helps in curing dengue
fever but, a word of caution, its dose
must not exceed 2 decigrams or it
could lead to severe negative symptoms.
14 Fenugreek leaves (Dhania) - It
forms a good herbal tea in order to
reduce fever, also acts as soothing
and cleansing for human system.
15 Pomegranate juice and or black
grape juice is also given to increase
the blood count.
16 Orange juice helps in digestion, increased
urinary output, promotes antibodies
for faster healing and
recovery.
It is possible that one may fall victim
to dengue more than once in a lifetime.
If a person has been afflicted
with one virus, there could be a recurrence
of dengue with involvement of
different strain.
Be cautious, follow precautions,
stay healthy, live happy.
October 2015
Punjab Advance
43

Health
Walk
your way
to health
Dr.Ravinder Chadha
W
alking is the simplest, yet
one of the best forms of
aerobic activity. Walking is preferred
over other aerobic activities as it is
good for health promotion and places
minimal stress on the joints. The most
common complaint one encounters is
walking regularly and yet not losing
weight.
One may wonder if walking would
be effective in keeping an individual fit
as it seems to be ‘too easy’ for reaping
such dividends. Overweight people
may express their doubts regarding
‘only walking’ will help lose weight.
Older people and those recovering
from heart surgery or with other medical
conditions may be apprehensive as
regards walking being safe.
Effective walking is easy, enjoyable
requiring no infrastructure or tools
and can yet help in maintaining/losing
weight. Not maintaining or losing
weight over a period of time when effective
walking is being pursued indicates
that the individual is either not restricting
diet or not walking effectively.
Walking at a good speed for a prolonged
period of time can only lead to
burning of fat and thereby leading to
reduction of weight. Walking fast over
a small distance like climbing stairs,
walking to the car etc. only leads to
burning of carbohydrates and not fats.
Brisk walking is aerobic as then the
body has oxygen that is required to
44 Punjab Advance
October 2015

Health
burn fat. It is one of the safest ways to
lose weight, reduce stress and increase
energy.Majority of people walk aimlessly
with poor technique. They seem
to be pushing themselves and are unable
to walk fast and hence get tired
easily, put undue pressure on joints and
muscles leading to heel pain, shin pain
and muscles soreness.
Following elements are necessary
for a successful walking
programme:
• Warm up--- walking at a slow pace
for approximate five to seven minutes,
• Posture-- Push out your chest and
keep your shoulders relaxed, while
doing so, the shoulder blades will automatically
fall into the correct position.
By maintaining an open chest
posture, breathing can be considerably
eased.
• Arm technique-- The arm should be
kept close to the body and swing naturally
parallel to the body in the normal
walking rhythm. In the
front-swing, the arms should not go
above chest height. In the backswing
the hand should swing as high
as the hipbone. At low speeds the
arms are slightly less bent at the
elbow. At high speeds the arm
should be at right angles at the elbow
joint. The hands are closed into a
loose fist.
• Stride/leg technique-- Take quite normal
steps. Stay relaxed in doing so,
try not to influence your stride length
otherwise it can lead to premature fatigue.
The heel hits the ground first,
then the rest of the whole foot up to
the toes roll off. Make deliberate use
of your foot and lower leg muscles
and push off from the ground in order
to introduce the next step.
• Breathing--- Correct breathing means
that you should breathe in deeply, but
not at full capacity. Avoid shallow
The following are the benefits
of walking:
• A brisk walk increases intake of oxygen,
strengthens your heart to pump
more blood, improves circulation and
reduces blood pressure.
• Walking also slows development of
degenerative joint disease, stops loss
of bone mass in osteoporosis and
tones your muscles gently.
• Walking reduces stress and therefore
helps in sound sleep.
• Walking helps in the relief from
arthritis and back pain.
• Walking at a prescribed speed
wherein heart/pulse rate is increased
to 220-Age can reduce the fat.
and rapid breaths. Try breathing in
over the first three steps and then
breathing out over the next three
steps.
Aerobic activity, in which a person
walks at a brisk pace in an attempt to
elevate his/her heart rate. A brisk walk
will burn up to 100 calories per mile or
300 to 500 calories per
hour. Combined with a sensible
diet, walking will not only help you
lose weight but keep the weight off.
It is always advisable to start off
very slowly and gradually increase the
pace in an attempt to elevate one’s
heart rate.
Walking for weight reduction--
There is an improvement in metabolism
when a person is walking but the
fat reduction starts only when walking
is done at a target Heart Rate of about
20-30 minutes. To calculate the target
Heart Rate-One has to subtract one’s
age from 220 i.e. maximum Heart Rate
at birth.
The target Heart Rate is 60-80 per
cent of the maximum Heart Rate. For
an individual of 50 years old, the Target
Heart Rate will be as under.
220 (Maximum Heart Rate)-50
(age)=170 beats/min.
60% of 170=102 beats/min----17
beats/10 seconds.
80% of 170=136 beats/min----21
beats/10 seconds.
Therefore, while doing the exercise
you can count your pulse up to 10 seconds
on your wrist OR neck, which
should be between your upper and
lower target rate.
In my view, walk 6 times a week,
three days with an intensity of target
Heart Rate for 20-30 minutes and three
days with an easy pace for 30-40 minutes.
Increase your distance for not
more than 10% per weekIn addition to
your exercise walking routine, consider
ways you can build more steps
into each day, such as taking stairs instead
of elevators or parking your car
at the far end of lots.
-Dr Ravinder Chadha is a former
physio-therapist of the Indian cricket
team. Telephoe-2702929.
E-mail-chadhar587@gmail.com
October 2015
Punjab Advance
45

Children’s world
Hi kids,
“ L
ast Sunday I was at a gettogether of family
friends. It was a gathering of the young, the old
and the little imps and angels.
In one corner two young ladies were engrossed in a debate
about their young children and the bullying they were
facing in their school. Their children were in different
schools. The two children, Madhumita and Ravi (names
changed), were victims of bullying. Madhumita, a class IV
student was up against a big-built girl of her same class, who
singled her out heaping abuses and making remarks about
her appearance.
Madhumita faced the bullying barrage, but refused to
take parental advice. Seeing no opposition the coward bully
became stronger in her approach. But Madhumita’s behavioural
change did not go unnoticed. Her mother took up the
matter with the school authorities. A meeting with the principal
and the bully caved in, apologizing for her behaviour.
Madhumita overcame her problem rather easily. But in
the case of Ravi, the bully used to punch him. With no one
of his friends by his side, be became a loner and appeared
powerless. Ravi’s father’s complaint was of no use. The bullying
child had a very bullying father, who refused to accept
his child’s fault. It took over four week’s to settle the
matter.
Children, remember if you bow to a bully, he will become
more aggressive. Bullies are cowards who could not
become leaders, and will bow the moment they see resistance
from the other side.
According to a study, students who are bullied at home
commonly become school bullies. They take out their rage
on smaller or weaker children in order to give themselves
power since they are powerless at home. Another reason a
student may bully another is self-protection. Sometimes a
child will participate in belittling another person to prevent
the bully from picking on them; they divert the attention to
another and become part of the power rather than be victimized.
So kids do take care of the bullies in school and get
ready for the Dasehra celebrations that mark the victory of
Good over Evil.
Thanks and all the best-----Uncle Don
What is cotton candy ?
I
t’s sticky, it’s messy and it’s
just the thing to eat at a fair.
Children or adults, most people do not
consider a mela or fair complete without
the giant-wheel and the fluffy cotton
candy wrapped around a stick. Or
budhiya ke baal (old woman’s hair), as
it is popularly known in parts of northern
India.
And do you know what it is made
of? Well, next time, don’t gobble up
the whole of the candy. Instead, put a
bit of it in water. In a matter of seconds
the candy will disappear. No, it’s not
magic. The candy is made of sugar and
it dissolves the moment it’s put in
water.
The truth is, your favourite confectionery
is actually just a few
tablespoons of sugar! But making this
sugar ‘cottony’ is a bit tough. Let us
take a closer look.
How is cotton candy made?
Look closely at how the candywalla
makes candy. First, he pours
sugar into a small container set in the
middle of a deep circular tray. Often,
he adds a chemical called a colourant.
This chemical is what gives colour to
the candy (because sugar by itself is
colourless).
This small container (or holder) has
incredibly teeny holes and contains an
in-built heater that melts the sugar into
a sticky liquid. The holder is connected
to a small motor that causes it to rotate.
As it spins incredibly fast, and liquid
sugar splashes out of the tiny holes. As
soon as the hot liquid hits the air, it
cools, and solidifies, forming threads
of sugar in the circular tray.
The candy man then pops in a
stick, deftly wraps these threads of
candy around it and hands his creation
to you!
46 Punjab Advance
August 2015

Children’s world
Dasehra
Victory of Good over Evil
D
asehra, also
called Vijayadashmi,
falls on October
22. It is the culmination
of the nine-day Navaratri
celebrations. It is a festival
that marks the killing of
Ravan, his son Meghnad
and brother Kumbhakaran,
by Ram. It is seen as the
victory of good over evil.
The epic Ramayana, describes
the story of Ram,
the exiled prince of the
kingdom of Ayodhya.
While in exile, he lived in
the forest with his wife Sita and
brother Lakshman. One day Sita
was abducted by Ravan, the demon
king of Lanka. Ram, assisted by an
army of monkeys and Lakshman,
attacked Lanka to rescue her.
A fierce battle ensued between
the two armies for many days. Ram
found it very difficult to beat the
mighty Ravan. So he prayed for
nine days to nine different aspects
of goddess Durga and accumulated
enough strength to defeat Ravan.
Dasehra celebrates Ram’s victory
over Ravan in a festival spread
out over 10 days. The story of
Ram’s life is enacted in a folk art
form called Ramlila. Every nook
and corner has its own Ramlila,
with millions of actors enacting it
during Dasehra. Conventionally,
only men participated in the
Ramlila, but now women, too, have
started acting in them.
The 10th day is one of fireworks.
The final act of this drama
is staged. Huge paper effigies
stuffed with firecrackers, sometimes
almost 100 ft high, of Ravan,
his son and brother, are set ablaze.
At the appointed hour, a person
dressed as Ram, shoots flaming arrows
at the effigies, which start to
burn.
The Dasehra of Kulu
Although Dussehra is celebrated
all over India, in certain
parts the celebrations are especially
interesting. Kulu, a small town in
Himachal Pradesh, is witness to
unique Dussehra celebrations.
Since the times of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh, who ruled Punjab (which
also consisted of parts of Himachal
Pradesh), more than 150
years ago, Dussehra celebrations
here begin three
days after they do in the rest
of the country.
This is so because the
powerful Maharaja expected
all kings who paid
him homage, to be present
at Kulu for the celebrations.
These rulers would leave
immediately after the celebrations
in their kingdoms
had ended, and head to
Kulu. Since it took them
three days to reach, this
practice was established and has
continued ever since.
The lives of the hills people are
full of fascinating myths that connect
the existence of their very
human gods to the natural surroundings
— beautiful and harsh
alternately. At times like Dussehra,
then, if the humans celebrate,
wouldn’t the gods rejoice too and
have their annual reunion?
Village deities from all around
are brought to Kulu in palanquins.
The procession is led by musicians
and dancers. A large fair is also organised
on this occasion.
This is a good opportunity for
people to buy and stock their provisions
for the harsh winter ahead,
as most places become inaccessible
due to snow within a month of the
festival.
Punjab Advance
August 2015
47

Forecast
Your stars this month
Dr. Prem Kumar Sharma
email: psharma@premastrologer.com
Aries: Calmness prevails in your mind
regarding an issue, as you get all the
support you need. You will generally
remain pleased with the happenings
around you in all spheres. On the professional
front, you will be able to give
wings to your ideas and realise your
dreams. Steady earning will keep you
stable on the financial front.
Leo: Job searchers are certain to find a
job that suits them well. There is much
that needs to be done to win someone
over, so get at it! Taking up meditation
or yoga is possible for maintaining
good health. Your moodiness is likely
to create problems at home. Lack of
trust threatens to create differences
with lover on the romantic front.
Sagittarius: A long excursion is in the
pipeline for youngsters and promises
great fun. Spending quality time with
the one you love is indicated. Shifting
to a new residence is indicated, so get
set to enjoy setting up a new house.
This month, you will be able to
complete a few pending domestic
chores, but leave others for another
time. Don’t take a financial advice on
its face value.
Taurus: Things move smoothly on the
academic front and help you achieve
whatever you are aiming for. A bonanza
on the financial front can be expected
by some. You will manage to
remain regular in your workouts and
enjoy good health all throughout. Love
is in the air.
Virgo: Your ideas at work are likely to
be appreciated and clear the way for
implementing them. Excitement
threatens to go out of your love life, if
you don’t do something urgent. You
may begin to think on different lines
in anticipation of a changed situation.
Good health is assured.
Capricorn: A romantic encounter can
very well be the highlight of this
month! Joining a group of health conscious
people is possible for those
trying to come back in shape. At work,
you may find it difficult to seek the
desired comfort level with someone
working closely with you. Be your
diplomatic best on the social front, if
you don’t want to be burdened with
additional work.
Gemini: You may get an opportunity
of meeting people from different walks
of life on the social front. Commitments
may compel you to give romance
a backseat. Creative people may
get an opportunity to showcase their
talents. Money flows in and keeps you
financially secure. Those feeling
stressed will be able to achieve mental
peace and tranquillity.
Libra: Chances of getting involved on
the social front are possible, but will be
much appreciated.. You may plan a
surprise for someone, you are very
close to. Developing property may become
your priority. Your perpetually
romantic mood will help keep the relationship
aglow on the romantic
front! You earn well and will get to
spend well too to enjoy life.
Aquarius: Extra efforts on the work
front are likely to bring you much
deserved recognition. Money may
start flowing in from a different source
and make you financially secure. Now
is the time when you get the returns
you had been awaiting on the academic
front. Your efforts on the health
front are likely to make you fit and
keep ailments at bay.
Cancer: Starting something new on
the professional front will meet with
success. Romantic mood prevails, so
get set for a special evening this
month! You may find a trip to the
countryside with your near and dear
ones most refreshing and rejuvenating.
You remain in a position of strength in
calling the shots on the property front.
Scorpio: Popularity on the social front
is set to rise, as you remain at your
helpful best. Your charisma is likely to
act as an irresistible charm on the romantic
front, so expect a happening
love life! You need to get something
done urgently now or it may pose
problems later. Chances of enjoying a
vacation look strong. Health remains
good through your own efforts.
Pisces: You will need to remove the
kinks that threaten your popularity on
the social front. On the financial front,
a new source of income is likely to be
tapped soon that may get your coffers
brimming! It is not in your nature to
disappoint anyone displaying even a
semblance of romantic feelings for
you, so go forth and enjoy!
48 Punjab Advance
October 2015

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October 2015
Punjab Advance
49

Last Word
A male bastion falls
I
was witness to history being created in The
Tribune in 1984, when the century-old
newspaper decided to shed its all-male tradition
and allowed the first female to occupy a chair of
the horse-shoe shaped desk in the English newsroom.
Although there was no such rule in the will of
The Tribune founder, prohibiting enrolment of
women journalists, but this tradition of maintaining
an all-male
preserve had
continued ever
since the
paper’s inception
in Lahore
on February 2,
1881.
A hint of
the shape of
things to come
became evident
when Prem Bhatia took over as the Editorin-Chief
of The Tribune in 1977. While launching
the Hindi and Punjabi editions of The Tribune a
year later he brought in Renuka Nayyar as subeditor
in Dainik Tribune.
But this did not change the all-male hold of the
parent paper for another six years. Finally after
103 years of its publication, The Tribune Newsroom
opened its doors to the first lady.
A number of senior colleagues were skeptical
about the “rumour” when it first trickled in. “It
cannot be, we will have to keep a check on the
words we use,” said Varinder (name changed).
“What will happen to those adult jokes we
share after the first edition,” said a balding Chief
DONALD BANERJEE
Sub-Editor. “Yaar, it will be a bad day. Our freedom
will be in peril,” added another senior journalist
.
But for a quite a few, it meant addition of
colour in the traditional dark grey shades of the
male bastion.
Finally the day arrived. I remember it was July
6, 1984. Some enterprising youngsters who had
got wind of the impending female entry into the
newsroom, positioned
themselves
near the
reception. They
waited for two
hours, then decided
to pack up.
As they strolled
towards the gate
a tall girl in single
plait wearing
a salwar kameez
walked past them.
“A Plain Jane”, they said in unison.
V.N.Narayanan escorted the damsel to the
News Editor’s room. All eyes were focused on the
female probationary sub-editor who appeared
nervous as she took her first step into the English
newsroom. “Meet Devi...” said the News Editor.
As the ‘first lady’ occupied a chair on the regional
desk, the wall came crashing down on a 103-yearold
male bastion.
A stag party was held that evening to mark
the last day of male independence. It was an
evening of back-slapping and ribald jokes to mark
the end of an all-male era of The Tribune.
50 Punjab Advance
October 2015

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Actual date of posting 10 to 15 -10-15
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A Monthly Magazine MBU Chd.
Gandhi Jayanti
(Oct. 2)
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