Developing the Vasant Vihar Society

Virsa Vihar Society in Amritsar is a group of like-minded people who appreciate literature, art and also the heritage of Punjab. This society has been into existence since a decade and recently it was given an amount of Rs. 2 lakh by the Local Bodies Minister, Anil Joshi for its further development, so that more and more people can become a part of this inspiring society.

This cultural loving society is the heart of Amritsar and anyone related to culture, art or literature is someway or the other inspired or connected to this society. Till now the society has been managing its expenses and its existence on the basis of donations and funds from the members and other voluntary people who had love for literature. But this year, it is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a lot of cheer and happiness.

During a cultural extravaganza at the society, the minister handed over a cheque of Rs. 2 Lakh to the director of the society for its further improvement and development. Kewal Dhaliwal, the director of the society received this amount with great pleasure and happiness. The society has been asking for funds and grants from the government, so that they can further support the promotion of Punjabi language and local artistes but this is the first step that the government has happily taken towards them.

With this amount, the director plans to first and foremost get a modern light and sound equipment for the auditorium, where a number of plays are performed and with such technology, it will become an even better experience. The library of the society is very unique as it has a number of rare books of Hindi and Punjabi literature, which would be a collection of around 5, 000 books. With this money, they even plan to preserve these books and get some volunteers to help them in the same.

In collaboration with the Naitonal School of Drama, the Virsa Vihar Society is planning to host theatre workshops for the budding young talent in the city and various other surrounding areas. The workshop will take place for kids in the age group of six years to 12 years; it will be having a total number of 45 students from areas of Punjab, Haryana and Jammu. These students will get an opportunity to learn new skills from alumni of NSD, like, Partho Banerjee and Pretpal Rupana. 

Moms-To-Be get Tech Savvy

These days’ mobile phones have become a solution to most of our problems. For women who are expecting babies, a mobile app named ‘Mum2Be’ is becoming very popular. This application was launched for such women who can seek help through this app.

Mum2Be is an advanced mobile app that will calculate the due date of delivery of the child. This extraordinary app will also help in education to-be-mothers about the schedule and information about tests, checkups, vaccinations and the nearest check-up centers.

Apart from this, the app will also send reminders about all these tests, vaccinations and even guide about the nearest government health centers and delivery hospitals in the district, where medicines, tests and check-ups are done for free.This app is available for free at Google Play Store (for android users) and on App Store (for iphone users) by typing “Mum2Be”.

Working of the app

After downloading the app, the user one will have to fill the information about the ‘last menstrual cycle’, it will calculate the due date of delivery. The schedule of ‘antenatal care’ (ANC) check-ups, tests, vaccinations to be conducted for all trimesters of the pregnancy will also be there.To easily differentiate, the alerts of check-ups, tests and vaccinations are also in different colors. Information regarding the basic medicines, precautions to be taken during pregnancy will also be there. The mobile app also provides information linked to all government hospitals, health centers and dispensaries of the Ludhiana district.

Expecting mothers would also get reminders about these tests, check-ups and vaccinations during the time of pregnancy. The app will keep sending reminders till the time the expectant mother gets her tests done, gets immunized or takes medicine.

Till now, the locations of only Ludhiana district have been fed in the app but this mobile app can be used pan India. The users don’t need internet, repeated sign in or registration for this app. However, for using GPS maps for locations of the government health centers, dispensaries and hospitals nearby internet is required.

A group of women under the supervision of ADC ApneetRiyait developed this app. The mobile app would help in getting the number of deaths during pregnancy or at the time of delivery.The maternal mortality in India is a cause of concern. Women don’t take proper care regarding immunization, tests, medicines and diet during pregnancy which later creates problems for them. Deficiency of iron, blood, blood pressure and other problems develop due to this. This app would also send advance reminders about user’s delivery date so that she can get admitted to a hospital on time. 

PU soon to be the new ‘Green Campus’

The Panjab University authorities have submitted the proposal to the University Grant Commission (UGC) in order to achieve the “green campus” status. Under the green campus proposal,the authorities have demanded the release of Rs 40 crore for installing solar panels on 35 prominent buildings in order to generate 5-MW electricity on the campus, which is one of the most important conditions for the green campus.

This proposal has been mooted under the scheme initiated by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to develop “green campus”. It aims at minimum 10 per cent reduction in projected demand of the conventional energy by the end of five years under the Ministry’s scheme of the solar cities programme.

The authorities have come out with this proposal in collaboration with the Chandigarh Renewal Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST). For this purpose, 35 buildings of the north and south campus have been shortlisted for installing solar panels.

The university was spending around Rs 8 crore annually on the electricity bills of the campus as per the recent records of the university. There will be a decline of 60 percent in the expenditure borne by the authorities on power bill after the installation of solar panels on these buildings.

All seven art blocks, seven boys’ hostels, seven science departments, two blocks of UIET, construction office, administrative office, Aruna Chandra Hall, one girls’ hostel and a dental college are among the prominent buildings covered in this project. After the installation of solar panels on 16 buildings, the estimated power generation will be of more than 100 KW.

If the green campus project is implemented in the university then the authorities could think of sharing the surplus power supply with the UT Administration during afternoon hours when the requirement was less as compared to morning time.

Tribute paid to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre is a moment of Punjab’s history, which is remembered with great grief by the whole state as many people lost their lives in this massacre. It was recently its 97th anniversary when various NGOs, government officials and many more paid tribute to the martyrs of that historic event at the memorial in Amritsar.

This was an event which cant be forgotten by any citizen of Punjab, or for that matter any citizen of India. It was horrific event where a number of freedom fighters of our country lost their lives along with a number of local citizens. This was the event that kick started the movement towards the freedom of our country. Anil Joshi, the Local Bodies Minister and Vijay Sampla, Union Minister, were few of the government officials who were present at the ceremony.

To mark this occasion, a painting competition was organized in which a number of students from different schools around the city participated and remembered the martyrs in their own way. An NGO named Panchrang Group had organized this painting competition to let the little ones know the importance of this day in the history of our country. The other officials, who were present at the occasion, included the Vice President of National SC/ST Commission, Additional Deputy Commissioner along with more.

The Bar Association of Amritsar had their own way of paying tribute to the martyrs of this massacre. They had organized a march from the Jallianwala Bagh to the Akal Takht, remembering the martyrs who lost their lives in the year 1919 at this place. The members of the Bar Council who had participated in this march said that while remembering the martyrs, they were praying for peace to prevail in the entire country.

The main motive behind remembering the martyrs was that, if such events are freshened up in the memories of today’s youngsters, and then only they will value the freedom. Through such events only they will know what went in to get the freedom for the country.

Punjab Government encourages health facilities in the state

No society can develop unless its people are healthy and fit. The government of Punjab wants every single resident of the state to stay healthy and fit. For this purpose many initiatives at different levels are taken by the state. One such step is the decision to work on the first common effluent treatment plant (CETP). This plant will facilitate scientific disposal of hazardous waste of Dera Bassi Focal Point industries. It was started at the Saidpura village.

The foundation stone of the common effluent treatment plant at Saidpura village was laid Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) chairman Manpreet Singh. This plant is one of its kinds. It will cater to the nearby villages of the area.This plant has many advantages and this will immensely benefit the local people. With this plant the problem of effluent discharge from the industries of this area would be solved. Not only this, but the treated water would also be given for the irrigation purpose.Mohali Green Environment Private Limited took up the work of this project and completed the project successfully.

The polluted industrial waste of around 87 industries that are located at the Focal Point, DeraBassi, would be treated at two common effluent treatment plants (CETPs). One of these would come up at the Focal Point and the other will be at at Saidpura village. This project will also be very helpful in improving the quality of polluted water.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal took another step towards this direction of facilitating health facilities. He gave in-principle approval to set up a state-of-the-art advanced research and treatment center for patients suffering from autism in Mohali. This important decision was taken in the presence of a host of medical experts, doctors and organizers of the NGOs dealing with such patients.

The Chief Minister has asked GMADA to look for an appropriate piece of land for this purpose. This center will provide research and health care facilities for the autistic patients. It will also serve the purpose of an educational institute by offering a diploma course for educators to impart special education to children suffering from autism.

Dr Ajit Awasthi, Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, PGIMER, Chandigarh has been given the responsibility to prepare a detailed blueprint for setting up of the advanced center. He is also asked to suggest ways and means to establish special wings of autism in all government medical colleges at Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot.

Efforts by Authorities to get ATMs to 10 lakh farmers

In all these years, Punjab and its people have only grown better and bigger. We say that the world is developing at a very fast pace, Punjab is certainly walking hand in hand with the globe. The Punjab government does the best of efforts in order to help the farmers who are the most crucial people for not just the state of Punjab, but also for the entire population of India. The farmers of Punjab provide the maximum productivity in the field of agriculture.

For the benefit of its farmers, Punjab has come up with a software that would facilitate the issuance of ATM cards to over 10 lakh farmers who have accounts in village cooperative societies, thus enabling them to purchase agricultural inputs and draw sanctioned loan amount by swiping debit cards. This software is developed after consistent and determined efforts of two years.

There has always been a huge demand from farmers for ATM cards for transactions in cooperative societies. But during the past few years, there was a major technological obstacle in introducing this system. This hurdle has been overcome by a dedicated team of professionals.

Before the development of this software system, there was no system to manage how much amount an individual can draw from the common loan pool of the society. This system has made things easier and more convenient. As per records, presently there are around 3,500 cooperative societies in the state, having around 10 lakh registered members. All these members will be able to avail the facility of the ATM.

The final trials of the software have been completed successfully. It would be introduced in the societies soon. The hard work and dedication that the Department of Cooperation and the IT firm did for the development of this unique software have resulted in a successful product.

Once the new software is installed, it will divide the loan provided to the society among its members, according to their entitlement. The loan entitlement shall be determined by the land mass each member owns, the record of which has already been uploaded in the software. The sanctioned loan amount will be credited into the account of each member on April 1 every year.All the members will be able to draw loan money from the ATM of any bank. This effort has been applauded and welcomed by all the farmers of the state who will be benefitted immensely with this software.

Do you know the weight of your child’s school bag?

You must have always wondered that the school bag that your kid is carrying is quite heavy. But do you have an idea on what it is doing to your child’s health? If no, then this one’s for you. As per the Children’s School Bag Act 2006, the school bag should not be more than the 10% weight of the child’s body. Also, as per the law, the kids of kindergarten and nursery shouldn’t be allowed to carry school bags. But the reality is just opposite.

As per the experts, the growing kids are now reporting of severe backaches in high numbers. This is mostly due to carrying heavy bags on their backs. And this is leading to such irreversible problems, which can be an issue for a lifetime. Government as well as private schools is not paying any heed to this issue. The government has made strict laws for the same, but now its time to keep a check on it. As per the doctors this is a healthcare time bomb, where kids carrying more than 15% of their weight regularly on their shoulders, can permanently damage their backbones. Vishal Kumar, an expert from the department of orthopedics in PGIMER says that this is the age, when the bone structure of the kids is being developed and if it gets painful or crooked at this age, then this will become a life long matter.

These heavy bags lead to complaints of slip discs, spondylitis, back ache and more during the early stage of life, and this means that the kids would have to deal with the problem for the next 70 years. As per the rules, schools should have lockers available in their premises for every kid to store their books and all the study material there, so that they don’t have to carry the heavy bags every day to and fro. There are just a couple of schools, which are adhering to the rules and have lockers available for all the kids. Its time every authority of the schools to take up this matter.

Looking forward in this matter, PGIMER is planning to hold an awareness program for the kids, teachers as well as the parents on this topic, so that everybody is aware of the consequences of the situation and find a solution for the same.

Passion brings Gulzar to Tagore Chair at PU

A name that everyone is familiar with on a global stage, Gulzar is known for his lyrics, poetry, and film direction. He recently agreed to accept the Tagore Chair at the Panjab University and had sent a communication to Arun Kumar Grover, PU Vice-Chancellor, regarding the same. His introduction to the world of literature was through the writings of Tagore and this is why he shares a life-long bond with Tagore. Tagore has inspired his style of writing, and there are millions of fans of the same out in the world.

Talking about his recent works in connection to Tagore, he had translated two of much loved poetry of Tagore into English, namely, ‘Nindiya Chor’ which has been titled as Crescent Moon and ‘Baghban’, which has been titled as The Gardener. This is his work out of passion, and these are his most recent offerings, which are being released in 2016.

Gulzar had recommended to the PU-Vice Chancellor that these two books of Tagore must be translated in other languages as well and to take this forward, he has instructed the university to prepare for the same. He said the university will be publishing these books at the PU press and a few faculty members have willingly joined in to work towards this initiative.

Since the time when this chair was incepted at the University, there have been only two eminent personalities who have graced it and have guided this department. Initially it was Mulk Raj Anand, a very well known name in the writing and critic industry, who served from the year 1962 to 1965. Next to him, the eminent scholar, Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, who was appointed as the Tagore Professor and was in charge of the same till the year 1967, graced this chair. Since then it has been lying vacant and now it is Gulzar who is taking up this position in the university.

As part of the responsibilities of this chair, Gulzar will be delivering a series of lectures in the university and will be having interactions with the university as well as the faculty on regular intervals, guiding them through and apprising them with his profound experiences. On a similar level, recently Dr Manmohan Singh had accepted the Jawaharlal Nehru Chair at the Panjab University.

Solar Power to rule Sector 39 Grain Market

Chandigarh will be setting another benchmark by launching its Sector 39 Grain Market soon, which will be running on solar power and will also be having a number of more green technology features. It is a great initiative to save the environment and make it greener and even motivate the public to do the same.

Parimal Rai, Adviser to the Administrator has been reviewing the whole project and on his direction only, the green features have been added to this fruit, grain and vegetable market. Ajit Balaji Joshi, Deputy Commissioner of Chandigarh, has asked the government to give him a time of an year to set up this market, as desired, with the required facilities.

The Science and Technology Department will be installing the required equipment to help in running the market on Solar Power. Another environment friendly initiative, which is being taken by the administration in this market, is to set up the system of rainwater harvesting the building, which will help in preserving a large amount of water. Also, plants are being set up all around the market to produce biogas, which will be further sent to snehalayas and other these kinds of institutions, which can bring it to proper use.

The Architect Department will be very strategically placing the shops in the mandi, so that no chaos is created and there is no hindrance to all the facilities being set up there. With such facilities, it will be one of the most modern grain markets of the region and it would require an investment of around Rs. 200 crore, to effectively apply the same.

Consecutive meetings are being organized by the authorities, to further conceptualize the whole plan and devise the final steps to effectively set up the same. Such initiatives by the government, and the governing authorities, is a sign that they are trying their best to help in setting up environment-friendly facilities and also motivate the residents of the state to take up such initiatives, at a smaller level in their homes and surroundings.

Solution to your grievances, just a call away

Nowadays every other brand has its own call center, these facilities are easy to help the customers with any problem they might be facing.Also, call centers help in assisting the rest of the departments, and handle the petty issues themselves. The Administration of Chandigarh is now starting up with a call center soon, where the citizens can complaint regarding any employee or official of a UT Department.

This will also help in keeping a check on the administration and other departments of the government, as the employees would be aware that the public has a very straight forward way to lodge a complaint against them. This is a one-of-its kind facility in the region, which will be a boon for the consumers. Ajit Balaji Joshi, Deputy Commissioner has also reviewed the project, and made the final changes to the same.

Joshi recently conducted a training session for officers from different department, to give them some knowledge on the functioning of the call centers. He trained nodal officers of departments, like, Estate Office, food and supplies, agriculture, office of the Deputy Commissioner, and more. The people attending the calls will be staff from various department of the Chandigarh Administration and once they receive a complaint regarding their department, it will then be forwarded to the concerned department for the required action.

The nodal officer, who will be deployed in each office will be monitoring the complaints lodged and its transfer process and will also be submitting the action-taken report. The call center staff will be informing the department about the complaint made, through an SMS or through a call. The incoming and the outgoing calls will be recorded for future reference.

Operating from 9 am in the morning till 5 pm in the evening, the call center will be operational from Monday till Saturday. In addition to receiving and forwarding calls, this center will also be promoting the various schemes launched by the government, and any other information which should reach to the consumers.

Currently the residents have to visit the office to lodge any complaint or grievance and it takes a lot of time and effort of the public to get their issues solved. Now with such a facility, it will be easier for them to lodge any complaint and save their time and energy.

Its time to go environment friendly

Various colleges of Punjab and departments of the Punjab Government have been organizing various seminars around the state to spread awareness on topics related to lifestyle, health and nature. Recently another seminar was organized in Bathinda to make people aware of the adversities today’s humanity is causing to the nature and its various aspects. The agriculture department and environmental club of SSD College of Professional Studies organized this seminar.

Humans today are polluting each and every corner of the world, and so focusing on the same, Dr Rajesh Singla, Principal of the College gave a presentation in front of the audience, which involved the staff of the college and the students. He made a point to focus his presentation on the importance of pollution-free environment.

The lifestyle of today’s human community is such, that it affects the nature in a very bad way and such behaviours are a cause to a number of natural calamities. The damages caused to the nature and the human race through earthquakes, tsunami, landslides, acid rain and more are the ways in which nature retaliates for all the bad deeds that destroys the natural environment.

It is our duty to keep our surroundings and neighborhood neat and clean and totally environment-friendly. With such advancement in technology, there are a number of ways in which one can do its part in preserving the natural beauty. It is global warming that is causing a condition of draught in some parts of the world and flood in the other parts.

Punjab being a farming hub of the country, it is important for the citizens of the state and surroundings to keep the environment neat and clean and preserve the nature in as many ways as possible. The program also included a rally that was organized by the students of the agriculture department and environment club.  During the rally, they focused on spreading awareness about making the state a polythene and plastic free area. Also, they encouraged people to plant tress and stop destroying them. The slogan that they used during the rally was, ‘Swach Bharat, Swasth Bharat.’ They shared a number of alternatives with the people, which can be used to protect the natural beauty of the state.

It is a duty of the humans to protect the nature and encourage everyone around us to use solar energy and plant trees and stop wasting water in any which way.

Waste Treatment Plant, Mansa finally gets a go ahead

It is a great project to manage the large quantities of waste being accumulated in and around the city. The best way is to do it through the waste treatment plant, which helps in recycling the solid waste. Such a plant has been set up on the Mansa Road but Punjab Pollution Control Board wasn’t giving a go ahead to the same. Their main issue was the smell and pollution generated by the plant. Now they have given a nod to go ahead with the same, on the condition that the project promoter and the Municipal Corporation would be the ones to control the smell generated from the facility. The plant has been set up on the Mansa Road and the JIFT Urban Waste Management Limited Company is expected to start the work soon.

To regularize this problem and to monitor the air quality data regularly, the promoters and the MCB has decided to set up ambient air quality monitoring stations in all the four directions of the facility. The project promoters are also planning to improve the green belt around the facility and for this they will be planting new saplings around the boundary of the site within a period of one month.

Since last three decades, the city has been dumping its waste at a 30-acre land, which has now been developed into the waste treatment plant with an investment of Rs. 28 crore in the first phase. The garbage being treated at this plant will be further used for producing power or other such useful treatments would be applied to the same.

Around 120 tonne of garbage is dumped at the plant site, which is collected by the workers of the company everyday from around the city. Complaints of foul smell from the plant have already started coming from the residents living in nearby localities. This was the major concern of PPCB, due to which it was not giving its permission for the functioning of the plant. The JIFT Company has found a solution for the same as they say that they have got a chemical from Gujarat, which will minimize the foul smell and also they will be using foreign perfumes to convert the foul smell into fragrance for the residents to live comfortably in nearby areas.

Free treatment for patients suffering from Hepatitis C

The Punjab Government has been launching a number of schemes and provisions around the state for people suffering from various dangerous diseases. One of these is Hepatitis C. on the final nod of the Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, the state is now offering free of cost treatment for patients suffering from Hepatitis C.

This project will be implemented on all government district hospitals and the medical colleges around the state by the Health Adviser to the Punjab Government, Dr KK Talwar and the Health Secretary Vini Mahajan. Before this, the government had launched a scheme for the cancer patients in January 2014, which offered cashless treatment to patients suffering from this disease.

The cost of the free treatment for Hepatitis C, will be a huge amount for the state Exchequer as it would come around to be Rs. 1, 000 crore. Right now, no proper data has been prepared, listing the report of patients suffering from Hepatitis C. But the authorities have an exact data of blood donors who have been reporting the blood banks and from this an estimated range of people suffering from this disease has come to be around 0.5 to 3.5 percent.

As per the reports of the private doctors, the percentage of people suffering from Hepatitis C in the state has come out to be as high as 5.2 percent, which is an alarming figure for the government. With the development of technology, the treatment of Hepatitis C has now been devised to be done through oral drugs, unlike earlier days when it used to cost several lakhs and was done with injection Peg Interferon. This will help a lot of patients to get themselves treated and get rid of this life-threatening disease.

A special team of experts have devised this new technique of treatment for the disease and advised the same to the government, this team includes experts from the Department of Hepatology, and PGIMER, Chandigarh. According to them, Direct Acting Antiviral like Sofosbuvir, Ledipasvir and Declatasvir are some of the oral drugs, which can help in treating patients effectively.

The first phase of treatment that will go on for 12 weeks for Hepatitis C, which would include basic treatment and testing will cost around Rs. 35, 000. Whereas, the 5 percent patients whoa re suffering from serious adverse effects of the disease, like Cirrhosis, would require a treatment of around 24 weeks, which will cost around Rs. 70, 000 per patient.

Using the Waste Polymer to its Best

In today’s generation, people are looking forward to innovate in the segment of getting the best out of waste. This is because, the awareness for saving the environment is widespread and people now know, what is the cost of losing the same.

Students of Global Institute of Management and emerging Technologies have done a brilliant job by devising a composite material, which is developed from waste polymer to make useful products like helmets, car bumpers, and windmill blades, which are even stronger than the present versions of the same.

The students achieved this milestone, along with the help of the faculty of the Mechanical engineering Department of the institute. Prof Vijay Bhanot, associate professor, Mechanical Engineering said that it is probably one of the first of its kind innovation, made using the waste. The products used in making this material, includes shavings of polymer, like PVC pipes, and more.

Under the guidance of Prof Vijay Bhanot, students of fourth year of the MET developed this composite material. The names of these students are, Angel Bajaj, Amrojpreet Singh, Amritpal Singh, Amoldeep Singh and Amritjot Singh.

The material created can be used at a number of places, and the components that it consists of are, PVC waste, hardener, binder, lubricant and the metal sheets which are used for preparation of dyes along with a few more.

A lot of trial and error experiments were carried out to bring these materials to the desired use. As per professor, there is a lot of technicalities involved in using these products, around nine samples were designed by crushing PVC wastage into different levels of microns, from 850 to 600 to 425 and different compositions of hardener and binder were mixed with this. Once the sample materials were prepared, they were then tested for the roughness of surface, its strength and to know the compressive load and impact load of the same. The final product devised, it is such that it can be used at various levels.

Forensic Psychiatry discussed at GMC

The Psychiatry Department of Government Medical College recently organized a two-day conference in Amritsar, which had discussion on forensic psychiatry. It was an initiative to spread awareness amongst the doctors and the people of North India, about Forensic Psychiatry. Dr. Ramnesh Puri, and Dr Manjit S Gahir, who are the consultants of forensic Psychiatry in the United Kingdom, led the conference.

Nowadays a number of suicidal and criminal cases are coming upfront where the people have been suffering from some sort of mental disorders, which lead them to take this step. Forensic Psychiatry is one of those procedures, which helps in curing the people suffering from mental disorders of any form.

As per Dr Puri, this is that form of Psychiatry, which is in order with the law and also deals with criminal matters and prisoners and courts, wherever required. Mental disorders are so common, that more than 25% of population around the world has been a victim of some kind of mental disorder or the other during some point of time in their lives. It is just that its hard to identify the systems, and also people are not very aware of the same as yet.

In India, people and even the law is not well-aware of these kinds of diseases. Here, if someone commits a crime, which is otherwise committed in a state of mental disorder, he/she is put behind the bars, but it is not the same everywhere around the world. In places like UK, the system identifies the issue with the person, and extends a helping hand, to cure his problem and make him a sane person, to lead a better life.

India needs this kind of process and understanding, so that people suffering from such diseases can come forward and make use of the facilities that can help in curing their mental situation. The government and the lawmakers of the country should understand this wide-spreading disease and make the required changes for such patients, so that they can be supervised and given the required care and medication. Various other international delegates participated in this conference, and discussed a number of new discoveries and insights in this segment.

Ludhiana, getting better on health front

Deepak Hospital has been serving the people of the state in various departments; it has now recently added another department to its kitty, which will help the increasing psychological problems in the society. The addition of Psychiatry department will make it easy for the people of the city. There are a number of psychological issues being faced by the youth of today, and with increasing awareness about the same, this problem can be taken care of in a better way.

Dr. Randhir Singh Deswal who is a former professor and was the head of psychiatry department at Christian Medical College and Hospital, has joined this newly launched Psychiatry Department at Deepak Hospital. After being introduced to his teammates and the management by the Senior Ophthalmologist, Dr. SK Chopra, Dr. Deswal also discussed about the prevalence of psychiatry disorders in the society.

On the other hand, the annual research and health symposium, CARES-2016 was organized in the city at Christian Medical College and Hospital. Students, nurses, doctors, faculty members and more from all the five colleges presented around 90 research papers at the symposium, which brought in healthy discussions relating to a lot of issues in today’s society.

The CMCH is associated with its research legacy since the year 1964, and Dr Abraham G Thomas, who is the Director of CMCH, spoke about the same to the audience. He also talked about the importance of clinical research in the advancement of medical and surgical treatments. The chief guest of the occasion was the professor and head of neurology department of AIIMS, New Delhi, Padmashree Dr Kameshwar Prasad.

While addressing the audience, he stressed on inclusion of clinical research methodology in the curriculum for students from various departments like, medical, dental, nursing and physiotherapy. He said that medical colleges played a great role in the clinical and molecular research.

At the symposium, 10 best research papers were selected from those presented by participants coming from different medical colleges of Punjab. Out of these, the top three were selected by the 25 judges, which were then awarded. Along with this, prizes were also distributed on the basis of individual categories and departments.

Post the symposium; the CMCH has also planned a continuing medical education, which was organized by the department of clinical haematology and bone marrow transplantation with transfusion medicine and haematopathology.

Operation of Special Trains extended

During the summer seasons the rush on the trains increases a lot as people from different parts of the country come and visit their hometowns, and also the people from Punjab are eager to go on vacations and their hometowns out of state during these months. This is so, because the kids are done with their exams and with the onset of summer vacations, everyone is in a mood to go out for a holiday.

Keeping this in mind, the Northern Railway has announced to extend the run of special trains, so that the rush can be handled easily and passengers can book their seats on the desired routes. This addition will be done on three trains running on the routes of, Nagpur-Amritsar-Nagpur, Jabalpur-Atari-Jabalpur, and Katihar-Ferozepur-Katihar. These trains running on these sections will make around 80 additional trips during the months from April to June in 2016.

The AC Superfast Weekly Special on the route from Nagpur to Amritsar, 02125 will be extended to travel on this route on every Saturday from 7^th May till 28^th May 2016. On the other hand, its returning train, numbered 02126 from Amritsar to Nagpur will be running on every Monday from 9^th May to 30^th May 2016. The train leaving from Nagpur will leave at 5:50 pm and arrive in Amritsar at 9:05 pm the next day. And the return journey will start from Amritsar at 4:20 am in the morning and reach Nagpur at 4:25 am the next day. It is a total journey of around 24 hours for the passengers travelling on the whole route.

This fully air conditioned train will consist of a total of 14 coaches, which will include nine 3-tier coaches, four 2-tier coaches and one first class coach. On its journey within this distance, it will be halting at eight stations including Agra and New Delhi as well.

The Jabalpur-Atari-Jabalpur train, 01707 will be going on this route, twice a week on each sides starting from 5^thAprill till 28^th June 2016. Another train, which will be running on the Katihar-Ferozepur-Katiharroute, will be running once a week in both the directions, starting from 21^st April till 30^th June 2016.

Developing 72 Lambi Villages

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is now preparing on a full swing to give a new and modern look to the 72 villages in Lambi. The work has already started in a few villages and will soon go on till all the villages and give them better road connectivity and many more facilities.

A huge amount will be spent on every village, to spruce up its look, from roads to drainage systems and a lot more. On an average an amount of Rs. 3.5 Crores will be spent on every village and the carpeting of the streets will be done, to promote better movement for villagers. Also, drainage lines will be laid out around the village so that proper hygiene and cleanliness can be maintained. Work for de-silting of ponds will also be carried out in the villages.

In the first phase, the work has been initiated in 30 villages around the town and in the second phase, it will be done for 42 more villages. All this work is being carried out and executed by the Punjab Mandi Board, the Rural Development Department and the PWD (B&R).

Nawal Kumar, District Development and Panchayat Officer of Muktsar said that around 82 houses are being constructed in Kangan Khera Village for the poor and underprivileged families. This will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 3.31 crores. Here, the work will most probably be completed in another four-month’s time and this will be created as one of the model villages for construction and re-modeling of other villages around the town.

Such initiatives help the villagers in leading a healthy life and also get a better lifestyle with better school and facilities where they can raise their kids. Badal has been working in a very positive way for the villagers of Lambi and had also granted funds previously for setting up of gyms, drains, panchayatghar, and repair and construction work of various school buildings.

Offering comfort and care to cancer patients

Cancer is one of the deadly diseases in the world today and till date it is hard to find a perfect cure for the same. From newborn kids to aged adults, it is spreading in the society at a very fast pace. It is our duty to provide proper care and love to them and make the process of their treatments as easy as possible.

Punjab Government is now taking a step ahead to offer palliative care to the cancer patients in the state. They have already been trying their best to provide the best facilities to the citizens in the town to dedicate the cancer at as early stage as possible. Appreciable treatment facilities are also available at some of the best hospitals in and around the state for treatment of cancer. But now they are focusing on another level, i.e. on offering the best care to the patients.

A pilot project has been going on since an year in Patiala with the aim to offer a great palliative care programme. The Department of Health and Family Welfare had launched this programme and around 479 patients have already availed the relief offered under this Pallative Care Programme. The response from this pilot project has been very positive and the patients have also been responding back to the same, therefore, the state government is now making arrangements to expand it to all other parts of Punjab.

The Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital was established in Sangrur with the help of Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai. The TMC was requested to support this programme so that the cancer patients in the region can take the benefits of the same and now with their agreement, the project will start up soon. This kind of a programme is most helpful to those patients who are in the advanced stage and their situation is quite critical. The main motive of this programme is to offer the patients relief from the severe pain that they are going through and the trauma that cancer has been causing in their lives.

To offer the patients relief from the acute pain, Morphine was being given to the cancer patients through the block medical authorities along with general drugs which are given for the symptomatic treatment of the patients.

‘Clean Ludhiana, Green Ludhiana’

Someone rightly said, Cleanliness leads to Godliness… but adding on to the same, cleanliness also leads to good health and better environment. It is important to keep your home as well as your surroundings lean so that no health hazards develop in your neighbourhood. The first and foremost step that one should start with is to stop littering. With excessive littering on the streets, there are a number of diseases that crop up.

Fortis Hospital, Ludhiana recently started a campaign with the slogan, ‘Clean Ludhiana, Green Ludhiana’, where they are trying to spread awareness amongst the residents about good health and cleanliness and how both of them are inter-related. The Administration Head of Fortis Hospital, Ludhiana, Dr. Harpreet Brar, led the campaign.

From doctors to nursing staff and other senior and junior staff of the hospital enthusiastically participated in this campaign. There were a total of 75 members who participated in this campaign. It was one of the attempts to make the citizens of the city realize their responsibility towards the environment. It is them who make it dirty and it is their duty to clean it now too. Dr Brar said that he along with his team of Fortis Hospital is a strong believer in a cleaner, greener and sustainable environment. It is high time that the citizens realized their responsibility and if we don’t start with a cleaner city today, our coming generations will have to deal with a very bad environment. So, it is not only for a cleaner and healthier today that we are fighting, it is for a better tomorrow.

One of the major concerns of the team of the campaign was that with this environment, there are a number of communicable diseases spreading in the society and to stop the same, we have to first keep our surroundings clean. Dr. Bar says that the idea to start this campaign was an inspiration from the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan started by our Prime Minister around the country for a cleaner environment. This is how they are trying to contribute to the same.

It is not only the government or the authorities which are responsible in creating the clean environment, but it is such a huge task that every citizen of the country will have to get involved and be a part of the same and do their bit for their environment.