Neerja Bhanot Award
V.P. Prabhakar
Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh
Solanki conferred the 26th
Neerja Bhanot Award on Dr
Sarojini Agarwal from Lucknow at PHD
Chamber of Commerce, Sector 31,
Chandigarh, on September 7.
The award consisisted of Rs. 1.5
lakh, a citation and a trophy . The
award was instituted by Neerja Bhanot
Pan Am Trust in the memory of the
brave senior flight purser Neerja
Bhanot, who saved 360 persons will
sacrificing her own during the hijack of
Pan Am Flight 73 at Karachi Airport.
The Governor also gave Rs. 5 lakh to
Mrs Agarwal.
This was for the first time that the
award function was held on Neerja
Bhanot's birthday. According to Mr
Annesh Bhanot, brother of Neerja
Bhanot, earlier this function used to be
held on different dates due to various
reasons. Now it would be held on her
birthday.
Speaking on the occasion, the
Haryana Governor said that "A
daughter should be like Neerja and the
mother should be like Dr Sarojini
Agarwal."
The governor said, "she was just 23.
She chose to stay back for three
children. Very few people in the world
can do that. She is our honour."
Solanki added that Dr Agarwal runs an organisation called
Mainsha Mandir, which was dedicated
to the care of over 700 girls who
belonged to economically weaker
sections.
Dr Sarojini Agarwal who came with
her son, is a writer and poet and has written a number of books. While
concluding her address, she recited a
poem written by her on Neerja.
Dr Agarwal lost her eight year old
daughter Manisha, on April 1, 1978 in
a road accident. After that she founded Manisha Mandir in 1984. She started
accepting girls who are orphaned and
handicapped.
She provides home and education
to girls she adopts and looks after them at the shelter home in Lucknow.
She also won the National Award in
2005.
Annesh Banot, brother of Neerja,
shared a brief history about the
formation of the trust..
Journalists' protest
Journalists of Punjab, Haryana
and Chandigarh under the banner
of the Chandigarh Press Club, on
August 29, staged a protest against
violence against their fraternity in
Panchkula.
Carrying placards and raising
slogans, journalists demanded
action against the policemen and
government functionaries who largely remained silent spectators
during the attack on the
journalists during the verdict
of Dera Sacha Saudha chief Ram
Rahim Singh on August 25.
The Club Governing Council
later submitted a memorandum to
Haryana Governor Solanki,
demanding action against the
policemen.
"A charter of demands was
submitted to the Governor
who assured timely action against
the erring officials," Club
President Jaswant Rana said,
adding that the Haryana
government must compensate
media persons for the damage
caused to their property.
Rana said the governor also assured the journalists that he
would speak to the Haryana Chief
Minister in this regard.
Over 40 vehicles, comprising
cars, two-wheelers and OB vans, of the Journalists were set on fire by
a mob Cameras of the
photojournalists and TV channels
were stanched and damaged by
the mob.
Describing the attack on
journalist unfortunate, Club
Secretary General Barinder Rawat
said this was an attack on the
freedom of expression.
Projects approved
J.P. Nadda
The Union Health Ministry has
approved three projects of PGI
which would cost Rs. 1475 crore.
Two projects would be located in
Chandigarh and one in Una in
Himachal Pradesh.
A meeting of the Delegated
Investment Board of the Union
Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare was attended among
others by the Directors of PGI, Dr
Jagat Ram. The meeting was
presided over by J.P. Nadda,
Union Health Minster and Family
Welfare.
Nadda, who belonged to
Himachal Pradesh, said: " Our
government is committed to providing health facilities and
coverage to all people at affordable prices on the doorstep.
I urge the Himachal Pradesh Government to provide land at
the earliest so that work on the
satellite centre at Una can be
started immediately."
Dr Jagat Ram, Director of PGI,
said : "It is a major boost not only
for us but the entire region, which
will stand to benefit from the new
projects.
While the Advanced Mother
and Child Centre and the
Advanced Neurosciences Centre
will come up in Chandigarh, a
satellite centre of PGI will be set
up at Una in Himachal Paradesh.
The 300 bedded PGI satellite
centre in Una will help cater to
the patients of the Himachal.
Tax concession
Arun Jaitley
Union Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley said on August 16 that
industries in Himalayan states
(Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and
Kashmir, Uttarakhand) and north
eastern states, including would
continue to get tax expiation till
March 2027, albeit as refund,
under the current GST regime.
He said: "Within the
framework of the GST Act, each
industry would be entitled to its
own refund mechanism during
this particular period (March 31,
2027)."
The Cabinet sub Committee
on Economic Affairs, chaired by
Prime Minister Narender Modi,
has given approval to the scheme
of providing budgetary support
under the Goods and Services Tax
(GST) regime for the eligible industrial units in Himalayan States
and northestern states," he said.
The support shall be available
for the residual period (10 years
from the date of the commercial production) in these states. Mr
Jaitely said that the Department of
Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP) would
notify the scheme,
including details
operational guidelines for
this implementation within
six weeks.
A budgetary support of
Rs. 27, 413 crore has been
approved form July 1, 2017
to March 31, 2027 for such
industrial units located in
these states.
Mr Suneet Kochher,
Punjab State Council
Chairman of ASSOCHAM,
said, "All major industrial houses
in Punjab have chosen to expand
and diversify outside Punjab,
especially in Himachal Pradesh.