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Punjab News: 2010

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SUKHBIR, HARSIMRAT VISIT FLOOD HIT AREAS OF SARDUGARH

  • ASK ADMINISTRATION TO EXPEDITE EVACUATION AND RELIEF WORKING 24X7
  • ITBP, ARMY AND NDRF DEPLOYED AS GHAGGAR WATER ENTERS FIVE MORE VILLAGES
  • CROPS ON 3.25 LAKH ACRE LAND SUBMERGED IN FLOODS
  • FARMERS START RE-SOWING AS WATER RECEDES IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE STATE
    PUNJAB TO STRENTHEN BANDHS OF GHAGGAR

CHANDIGARH, JULY 15, 2010:

Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal Deputy Chief Minister Punjab and Member Parliament Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal today visited the flood hit areas of Sardulgarh (Mansa), with five more villages, Mirpur Kalan, Mirpur Khurd, Bhagwanpur Hingnan, Alipur and Bern getting submerged in rising water of Ghaggar. The District Administration also summoned ITBP besides Army and NDRF as rising water was threatening to enter Sardulgarh city also.

Accompanied by Member Parliament Mr. Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Mr. Badal reviewing the devastation caused by fury of Ghaggar aggravated by artificial barrier of Hansi-Buttana canal , after conducting the aerial survey asked the district administration to expedite the evacuation and relief operations besides taking preventive steps to stop water overflowing to fresh areas. He said that these floods were a challenge for district administration and all sections of administration should work 24X 7 to provide relief to the flood hit people. Mr. Badal said that Punjab government was committed to provide total support to the people in distress and has started supplying saplings of early maturing paddy and basmati crop besides seeds of alternate crops to the farmers where water has started receding. He said that he was happy that farmers have stood to the challenge and started sowing the crops again putting the flood behind as a bad dream.

Mr. Badal said that the challenge before the administration was to contain the outbreak of any epidemic once the water level recedes. He said that to check the outbreak or epidemic, Punjab Health Department and Animal Husbandry department was vaccinating the people and live stock besides distributing chlorine tablets to the victims. He said that to protect people against the diseases like vomiting, loose motions, itching, malaria, etc. was the need of the hour and health department was organizing special medical camps in rural and urban areas to provide medicines to the people at their doorsteps.

Deputy Commissioner Mansa Mr. Kumar Rahul informed Deputy Chief Minister that over 8000 acre land has been fully submerged in Sardulgarh Area and till date 15 villages have been severely affected by the floods. He said that district administration has setup fifteen relief camps and over 550 persons were taking refuge in these camps. He said that district administration has also distributed 485 Tarpals to the homeless people, besides providing ration and potable water to the victims.

Talking to the media persons Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal said that loss to the crops was estimated at Rs. 480 crores whereas it may cost Rs. 1000 crore to repair the road infrastructure washed away in the floods. He said that loss to the infrastructure was to the tune of Rs. 200 crores. Mr. Badal said that funds would not be any constraint for relief and rehabilitation operation.

Commissioner Mr. Raminder Singh and DIG Mr. N S Dhillon were also present on the occasion.

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PUNJAB PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO CENTER TO AMEND NCHER BILL
SAFEGUARD CULTURAL, REGIONAL AND LINGUISTIC
DIVERSITY- DR UPINDERJIT KAUR

Chandigarh July 15: To safeguard the cultural, regional and linguistic plurality and diversity of the Nation, the Punjab Government would submit the proposed amendments to the Union Government to amend the planned National Commission of Higher Education and Research (NCHER) so that autonomy of states and universities should not be eroded thereby centralizing all the powers to be vested with this central authority.

This decision was taken by the high powered committee on higher education matters met under the Chairmanship of Education Minister Punjab Dr. Upinderjit Kaur here today. The committee discussed the proposed amendments threadbare as proposed by the sub-committee and was of the view that the draft NCHER bill dictates the unitary and central tendency of regulating, administrating and revocation of higher educational institutes and state universities which was against the true spirit of our constitution, federalism and democratic setup of our country.

Disclosing this here today a spokesman of Higher Education Department said that the state government had earlier raised such controversial issues before the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development, which included key provisions of the proposed bills of National Commission of Higher Education and Research (NCHER), National Education Finance Corporation (NEFC), National Academic Depository Bill (NADB) and National Mission on Education (NME) through ICT in all the states to streamline the various higher educational institutes and governing bodies in the country.

He added that the committee was of the unanimous opinion that the proposed bill, if enacted in the present from, would lead to excessive centralization of power. The members felt that the spirit of the bill was against the federal structure of education as well as of the political system of the country. Most of the sections of the bill advocates centralization of the decision making processes and concentrate the power in a small group. They said that the aspirations of the state universities were ignored and not be able to promote their regional, cultural and linguistic policies which was their moral responsibility. Similarly, the bill does not assure liberal funding of the state universities. The committee has strongly recommended that the proposed bill should have an advisory spirit rather that regulative and mandatory as was apparent in the present form, he added.

Terming it as an infringement on state's rights, the Minister and Vice Chancellors were of the view that the proposed NCHER bill would encroach upon the autonomy of states and universities thereby centralizing all the powers to be vested with a central authority which would deteriorate the regional education system being followed by the different universities of the states. They feared that the autonomous power to implement regional curriculum by the universities as well as states could be diminished by this central legislation.

Presenting her views Dr Upinderjit Kaur said that that implementation of a uniform education system as envisaged by NCHER was not possible in a country with different languages and the proposed body was "opposed to the basic concept of unity in diversity". She demanded that education be moved back to the State List from the Concurrent List. “The state government is also opposed to the idea of having a registry of academicians eligible for appointment as Vice-Chancellors, saying it would result in practical problems”, she said.

Prominent among others Principal Secretary Higher Education Mr. Mandeep Singh Sandhu, Vice Chancellor Punjabi University Dr. Jaspal Singh, Dean Post Graduate Studies Punjab University Dr. S.K. Mann, Vice Chancellor GNDU University Dr. Ajaib Singh, Vice Chancellor Baba Farid Medical University of Health Sciences Dr.S S Gill, DPI Colleges Mrs. Jasmeet Kaur and former Vice Chancellor of GNDU Mr. S.P Singh also spoke on the occasion.


 

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