Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Fazilka revives ‘sanjha chullah’
Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 25
Residents of Fazilka town have initiated an eco-friendly move towards social uplift by reviving the concept of "sanjha chullah" (common oven), first started by Guru Nanak Dev. Conceptualised by the Graduates Welfare Association, Fazilka, under their mission of promoting education, environment and employment in the Fazilka region as part of a pilot study, the concept was launched there today.
According to Navdeep Asija, semi-urban and rural localities have been brought under the project. It will benefit locals in many ways. Besides saving around 50 per cent cost on fuel, it will also replace conventional LPG and thereby reducing carbon emissions. It will also create better social economic structure in the neighbourhood and help in better social interaction leading to friendlier and crime-free community.
The project will also look at the impact of community participation on the crime rate, cost of cooking, domestic and on street violence, etc.
As a pilot project, around 10 sanjha chullahs were set up today in the Nai Abadi locality of Fazilka near all religious places or places where community members gather, keeping in view the security of women during night hours. According to the association, one-year observation on key indicators shall be made to establish the success story of the project across the region.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
सांझा चूल्हा दूर करेगा दिलों की दूरियां
अमृत सचदेवा, फाजिल्का पैसे के लिए मची भागमभाग में शहरों से धीरे-धीरे खत्म हो रहे आपसी मेलजोल को पुनर्जीवित करने के लिए फाजिल्का के बाशिंदे शहर में पांच सांझे चूल्हे बना रहे हैं। यह नवेली पहल इको टूरिज्म के तहत की गई है। उल्लेखनीय है कि केंद्र सरकार ने भी इको टूरिज्म के तहत देश की महान संस्कृति को कायम रखने के लिए अनेक योजनाएं शुरू की हैं। उनमें से ही एक योजना सांझे चूल्हे की भी है। सांझे चूल्हे की स्कीम के दो फायदे हैं। पहला लाभ है लोगों में मिल जुलकर काम करते हुए एकजुट रहने की प्रवृत्ति को मजबूत करना और दूसरा फायदा अलग अलग जगह चूल्हे जलने से होने वाली लकडि़यों की बर्बादी और उनके जलने से फैलने वाले वायु प्रदूषण को रोकना भी है। फाजिल्का में इको टूरिज्म को बढ़ावा देने के लिए शहर के पांच अलग अलग स्थानों पर सांझे चूल्हे स्थापित करवाने वाली समाजसेवी संस्था ग्रेजुएट वेलफेयर एसोसिएशन, फाजिल्का (ग्वाफ) के सचिव एवं युवा इंजीनियर नवदीप असीजा ने बुधवार को इस बारे में पूछे जाने पर बताया कि इको टूरिज्म के तहत इलाके में अनेक प्रोजेक्ट शुरू किए जाएंगे। उनमें से सांझा चूल्हे की धारणा को पहल के रूप में लिया गया है। शुरू में शहर के पांच विभिन्न स्थानों पर स्थापित किए जाने वाले पांच सांझे चूल्हों में सबसे पहला चूल्हा नई आबादी में गुरुद्वारा साहिब के निकट बनाया जा रहा है। विभिन्न मोहल्लों के सांझे चूल्हों पर जब मोहल्ले की महिलाएं इकट्ठी होकर रोटियां सेकेंगी, तो एक दूसरे के सुख दुख में भी शरीक होंगी। वर्तमान में तो पड़ोसियों के पास भी एक दूसरे के सुख दुख में शामिल होने का समय नहीं है। फाजिल्का सांझा चूल्हा के नाम से शुरू किए गए इस प्रोजेक्ट के तहत एक प्रयास यह भी रहेगा कि चूल्हा संचालित करने की जिम्मेवारी किसी विधवा या जरूरतमंद महिला को दी जाए जो महिलाओं को झटपट रोटियां सेंककर देने की एवज में परिवार की आजीविका चल सके।
Dainik Jagran, Punjab Edition : 25th June 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Rickshaw pullers get insurance cover-First anniversary of Fazilka Pushpak Sewa
Rickshaw pullers get insurance cover
Praful Chander Nagpal
Fazilka, June 21
The Ecocab service of Fazilka, popularly known as Fazilka Pushpak Sewa, today turned one year old. Notably, with the launch of the service - a brainchild of the Graduate Welfare Association, Fazilka (GWAF) - a year ago, eco-friendly rickshaw became just a call away in the city.
Celebrating the occasion, the association brought the rickshaw pullers under insurance cover, besides, launching welfare schemes for their kids.
The GWAF provided Digital Identity Cards (DIC) to altogether 250 registered rickshaw pullers of the town. The digital cards were distributed by the municipal council president Anil Sethi.
The notable feature of the DIC is that all the card holder rickshaw pullers have been covered under the health insurance scheme up to Rs 50,000.
The premium of which will be paid by the GWAF. With the health insurance cover, the rickshaw pullers will be entitled to free treatment up to Rs 50,000 at private nursing home of the town, namely Chandravati Hospital, Sachdeva Hospital, Gurpta Nursing Home, Jassi Heart Care Centre and Dhawan clinic.
According to the GWAF general secretary, Navdeep Asija, the insurance cover had been offered to the rickshaw pullers to provide them better health facilities in case of any accident or disease.
The GWAF active member Vikram Ahuja said that besides the GWAF has also made provision to provide education to the children of rickshaw pullers at a nominal rate of Rs 10 per month at a local Satsang Primary School.
The school managing committee would provide the children with free text books, notebooks and a set of winter uniform.
On this occasion, MC president Anil Sethi said that those rickshaw pullers, who had no houses, would be offered residential plots measuring 675 square feet at nominal rates on easy installments to enable them a better living.
The GWAF has suggested the rickshaw pullers that they could display publicity material of different companies like flex board on rear part of their rickshaw and hence earn about Rs 100 per month for such display.
He said that according to a survey conducted by the GWAF, each rickshaw puller runs a distance equal to an auto three wheeler which would consume two litres of fuel per day. Hence about 900 litres of fuel consumption is saved everyday besides preventing air pollution.
To mark the first anniversary of sewa, the MC president Anil Sethi inaugurated the office of rickshaw union opposite the local main bus stand.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Punjab celebrates success of eco-cabs-Asian Age
AGE CORRESPONDENT
CHANDIGARH
June 21: A group of IIT graduates in the remote south-western Punjab city of Fazilka are celebrating the success of the eco-cab — a new ergonomically designed cycle-rickshaw launch as part of an unprecedented, environmentally friendly public transport service in June 2008.
Mr Navdeep Asija, a young design engineer, and his colleagues who helped launch Fazilka's eco-cabs as part of a community service programme said a number of initiatives have now been included to make the service sustainable.
"All rickshaw pullers who opted for the new eco-cabs have been insured for Rs 50,000 each. They have also been given access to free medical care in five privately-run hospitals in the city," he said adding that as further incentive, "we are offering free education to the 10 brightest children of the eco-cab pilots (rickshaw pullers)."
Much like radio-cab services in bigger cities but completely non-polluting, the eco-cab service was launched with a single call centre in the centre of town where rickshaw pullers respond to calls from prospective customers.
Today there are multiple call centres and the average call rate is happily rising. "We are up from about 20 to 35 calls per day," Mr Asija said.
Joining in the determined venture, Fazilka's municipal council recently chipped in with permanent sheds with proper drinking water arrangement for rickshaw pullers at all the eco-cab call centres.
Mr Asija and his friends say they want to change the face of their city. "People who see our city must wish they had also been brought up on the water of Fazilka," says a single line that seeks to sum it all on the design engineer's blog.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
फाजिल्का में शुरू होगा उत्तर भारत का दूसरा वैल्यू एजुकेशन सेंटर
फाजिल्का-रिक्शा ऑन फोन काल सर्विस शुरू करने वाली ग्रेजुएट वेलफेयर एसोसिएशन अब फाजिल्का वैल्यू एजुकेशन सेंटर शुरू करने जा रही है। इस मामले में फाजिल्का का नाम पूरे उत्तर भारत में दिल्ली के बाद दूसरे नंबर पर आ जाएगा। दिल्ली आईआईटी में इंजीनियरिंग छात्रों के लिए वैल्यू एजुकेशन सेंटर का संचालन किया जा रहा है।
फाजिल्का वैल्यू एजुकेशन सेंटर का संचालन फाजिल्का नालेज सिटी कैंपेन के रूप में किया जाएगा। यह प्रोजेक्ट आगामी दिनों में शुरू की जा रही यूनिवíसटी ऑफ एनर्जी एंड इकोलॉजी की स्थापना का नींव पत्थर है। फाजिल्का में स्थापित होने वाली यह यूनिवर्सिटी भारत व एशिया की पहली ऐसी यूनिवर्सिटी होगी, जिसमें ऊर्जा व पर्यावरण, दोनों विषयों को एक साथ चलाया जाएगा। यूनिवर्सिटी की स्थापना के पहले चरण के रूप में शुरू किए जा रहे फाजिल्का नालेज सिटी कैंपेन में भूतपूर्व आईआईटी छात्र शहर के इजीनियरिग रुझान वाले विद्यार्थियों का
मार्गदर्शन करेंगे।
एसोशिएशन के सचिव इजीनियर नवदीप असीजा ने बताया कि यहां जल्द ही एक प्लेसमेंट सेल स्थापित किया जाएगा, जिसके लिए एसो. की विभि
न्न कंपनियों एवं विदेशी यूनिवर्सिटियों के साथ बातचीत चल रही है।
प्रोजेक्ट को-आर्डिनेटर डा. रजनीश ने बताया कि वैल्यू एजुकेशन प्रोग्राम के अंतर्गत विद्याíथयों के पर्सनेलिटी टेस्ट, आईक्यू टेस्ट तथा एंट्रेस्ट इंवेंट्री टेस्ट रचना गगनेजा द्वारा लिए जाएंगे। वह इस विषय में पंजाब यूनिवíसटी, चंडीगढ़ से पीएचडी कर रही हैं।
एसोसिएशन के प्रोजेक्ट इचार्ज वरूण गगनेजा ने बताया कि विभिन्न साइक्लोजिकल टेस्टों के माध्यम से बच्चों को उपयुक्त कैरियर चुनने में सहायता दी जाएगी।
एसोसिएशन के अध्यक्ष उमेश कुक्कड़ व संरक्षक ने 'दैनिक जागरण' को बताया कि फाजिल्का का युवा शहर में पर्याप्त उच्च शिक्षा सुविधाएं न होने के चलते बाहर पढ़ने को तरजीह दे रहा है। इसके कारण फाजिल्का नवयुवकों से खाली हो रहा है, दूसरा यहां की प्रतिभाएं अपनी सेवाएं अन्य शहरों को दे रही हैं।
http://in.jagran.yahoo.com/news/local/punjab/4_2_5549898.html
DAINIK SPOKESMAN, PUNJABI
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
University on Energy and Ecology- Fazilka Value Education Center
Dear Alert Citizens and Community Members,
We are in the process of setting up our own university in Fazilka region, University on Energy and Ecology. Process is on. We along with few retired senior faculty members mainly from IIT's and other institutes who hails from Fazilka along with some young members are going to makeup this cause. This is esential for the overall upliftment of our politically ignored region. This will take some more time to launch. Immediately for the betterment of our Malwa Region , we have started Fazilka Value Education Center.
The aim behind Fazilka Value Education Center is to help students to decide which is best for their career, entrepreneurship skills through Guidance and Counseling, and includes Extension lecture series to improve their overall exposure level to meet up challenges of future by keeping their moral level high.
The core idea behind value education is to cultivate essential values in the students so that the civilization that teaches us to manage complexities can be sustained and further developed. Value education is always essential to shape one's life and to give him an opportunity of performing himself on the global stage. The need for value education among the students and teachers, is constantly increasing as we continue to witness increasing violent activities, behavioral disorder, lack of unity in the society etc.
With this project, we dream to come up with Alert Fazilka Youth with high IQ, education, health, quality skills and basic human qualities of honest attitudes and hard working nature
If few members from this community would like to contribute in the form of books or as guest lecture please feel free to Register on our websites.
www.lovefazilka.esmartweb.com and www.fazilkaonline.com
Our Aim : to promote Fazilka as "Fazilka Knowledge City"
For any further inquiries, please feel free to revert back to contact us. First Lecture by Dr Bhupinder Singh,Urja Purash Uttrakhand, Retired Professor from IIT Roorkee is attached with this email
Jai Hind
Navdeep Asija
9464413323
We are in the process of setting up our own university in Fazilka region, University on Energy and Ecology. Process is on. We along with few retired senior faculty members mainly from IIT's and other institutes who hails from Fazilka along with some young members are going to makeup this cause. This is esential for the overall upliftment of our politically ignored region. This will take some more time to launch. Immediately for the betterment of our Malwa Region , we have started Fazilka Value Education Center.
The aim behind Fazilka Value Education Center is to help students to decide which is best for their career, entrepreneurship skills through Guidance and Counseling, and includes Extension lecture series to improve their overall exposure level to meet up challenges of future by keeping their moral level high.
The core idea behind value education is to cultivate essential values in the students so that the civilization that teaches us to manage complexities can be sustained and further developed. Value education is always essential to shape one's life and to give him an opportunity of performing himself on the global stage. The need for value education among the students and teachers, is constantly increasing as we continue to witness increasing violent activities, behavioral disorder, lack of unity in the society etc.
With this project, we dream to come up with Alert Fazilka Youth with high IQ, education, health, quality skills and basic human qualities of honest attitudes and hard working nature
If few members from this community would like to contribute in the form of books or as guest lecture please feel free to Register on our websites.
www.lovefazilka.esmartweb.com and www.fazilkaonline.com
Our Aim : to promote Fazilka as "Fazilka Knowledge City"
For any further inquiries, please feel free to revert back to contact us. First Lecture by Dr Bhupinder Singh,Urja Purash Uttrakhand, Retired Professor from IIT Roorkee is attached with this email
Jai Hind
Navdeep Asija
9464413323
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
साकार नहीं हो पाया राजीव गांधी का सपना
फाजिल्का-21वीं सदी के भारत का सपना देखने वाले पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री स्वर्गीय राजीव गांधी ने भारत के सरहदी इलाकों में पाकिस्तान टीवी द्वारा किए जा रहे दुष्प्रचार को रोकने के लिए फाजिल्का में एशिया का दूसरा सबसे बड़ा टीवी टावर स्थापित करने का जो प्रयास किया था, वह भले ही उनके इस दुनिया से जाने के बाद सफल हो गया है लेकिन इस टीवी टावर के जरिये सरहदी इलाके की प्रतिभाओं को दूरदर्शन का मंच प्रदान करने का स्व. राजीव गांधी का सपना अभी साकार नहीं हुआ है।
फाजिल्का के लाखों लोग स्व. गांधी को उनकी पुण्यतिथि पर उनके द्वारा दिए टीवी टावर के तोहफे को देखकर याद कर रहे है। साथ ही उनके न रहने से अधूरे रहे सपने की वर्तमान में हो रही दुर्दशा को देखकर भी चिंतित है।
उल्लेखनीय है कि स्व. राजीव गांधी ने फाजिल्का से उनसे मिलने दिल्ली गए शिष्टमंडल द्वारा यह बताए जाने पर कि सरहदी क्षेत्रों में पाकिस्तान टीवी द्वारा भारत के खिलाफ जहर उगलकर सरहदी क्षेत्रों के नौजवानों को गुमराह किया जा रहा है, पर तत्कालीन सूचना एवं प्रसारण मंत्री से बात कर सरहदी जिलों में उच्च शक्ति टीवी रिले केंद्र स्थापित करने के आदेश दिए थे। उनमें से एक केंद्र फाजिल्का में भी मंजूर हुआ था। आतंकवाद के कारण शहादत को प्राप्त हुए स्व. गांधी के न रहने के कारण उनका प्रयास तो कामयाब हो गया, लेकिन सरहदी क्षेत्र के युवाओं को अपनी बात कहने का जो मंच उन्होंने देने का सपना देखा था, वह अभी तक साकार नहीं हो सका।
शिष्टमंडल में शामिल इंडो पाक सुलेमानकी इंटरनेशनल ट्रेड फ्रंट के पदाधिकारी लीलाधर शर्मा ने बताया कि इस दूरदर्शन केंद्र पर कार्यक्रम तैयार करने का भी प्रबंध किया गया है लेकिन अज्ञात कारणों के चलते इसके लिए आई महंगी मशीनें धूल फांक रही है और करोड़ों रुपये की लागत से स्थापित यह दूरदर्शन केंद्र सिर्फ रिले केंद्र बनकर रह गया है।
श्री शर्मा ने कहा है कि सरहदी क्षेत्र के लोगों को उम्मीद है कि कांग्रेस नीत नई सरकार खासकर स्व. राजीव गांधी के पुत्र राहुल गांधी अपने पिता के सपने को साकार करने की दिशा में कोई ठोस कदम अवश्य उठाएंगे।
http://in.jagran.yahoo.com/news/local/punjab/4_2_5484552.html
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
In Praise of India
1. Will Durant, American historian: "India was the motherland of our race, and Sanskrit the mother of Europe's languages: she was the mother of our philosophy; mother, through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics; mother, through the Buddha, of the ideals embodied in Christianity; mother, through the village community, of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all".
2. Mark Twain, American author: "India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only."
3. Albert Einstein, American scientist: "We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made."
4. Max Mueller, German scholar: If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India.
5. Romain Rolland, French scholar : "If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India."
6. Hu Shih, former Ambassador of China to USA: "India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border."
7. Mark Twain: "So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked."
8. Keith Bellows, VP - National Geographic Society : "There are some parts of the world that, once visited, get into your heart and won't go. For me, India is such a place. When I first visited, I was stunned by the richness of the land, by its lush beauty and exotic architecture, by its ability to overload the senses with the pure, concentrated intensity of its colors, smells, tastes, and sounds... I had been seeing the world in black & white and, when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything re-rendered in brilliant technicolor."
9. Mark Twain: "India has two million gods, and worships them all. In religion all other countries are paupers; India is the only millionaire."
10. A Rough Guide to India: "It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues. Enriched by successive waves of migration and marauders from distant lands, every one of them left an indelible imprint which was absorbed into the Indian way of life. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative mountains that overshadow it. It is this variety which provides a breathtaking ensemble for experiences that is uniquely Indian. Perhaps the only thing more difficult than to be indifferent to India would be to describe or understand India completely. There are perhaps very few nations in the world with the enormous variety that India has to offer. Modern day India represents the largest democracy in the world with a seamless picture of unity in diversity unparalleled anywhere else."
A call centre for farmers in Punjab
(Punjab), May 20 (ANI): In a first of its kind initiative in the country, a call centre named Zamidara Farmsolutions has started functioning in Punjab. Located in the border district of Fazilka in Ferozepur district, the call centre offers latest updates to the farmers on agricultural techniques and developments.
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Vikram Ahuja, owner, who himself is a farmer said that he was aware of the problems faced by the farmers and tried to ease their problems by making the expensive machine available to them on 'Pay for use' basis. We have tried to make the expensive machinery available to the farmers on 'Pay for use' basis rather than 'pay for ownership'. In this the farmer has to pay for what he uses and nor for what he owns, said Ahuja.
Elaborating on the use of the call center, Khushal Chand a farmer from Begawali village who recently hired a machine for water leveling said it made more sense in hiring these machines rather than buying them. Main reasons for taking this machine on hire was that it is very expensive. It costs 6,285 dollars and it becomes very impractical for small farmers like us to shell out this kind of money for single use and after that this machine becomes a liability, said Chand. Nearly two-thirds of India's billion-plus population depends on agriculture for a living and efforts such as these will really benefit the small farmers. By Avtar Singh Gill (ANI)
http://news.smashits.com/386439/A-call-centre-for-farmers-in-Punjab.htm
सफ़र
सफ़र
उनकी खामोशियों के लम्हे, गुजरे हम पर कुछ इस तरह,
अपने आप को ढूँढने निकल पड़े, यादो के उन रास्तो पर,
रस्ते में सोची हुयी कुछ मंजिले थी, जो उन हसीं पालो ने हमें दे थी,
जो सिर्फ रस्ते का हिस्सा बन कर रह गयी,
आब तो शायद मंजिलो के नाम से हे डर लगता है,
हमसफ़र साथ हो तो सफ़र फिर से करने को दिल करता है,
ख्वाबो को उम्मीद बनते, और उस उम्मीद को फिर से जिंदगी के कुछ बीते हुए हसीं पल बनते देखा है,
शायद इसी असमंजस को जिंदगी कहते है,
उनकी खामोशियों के लम्हों को मैंने जिंदगी के बदलती हुई तस्वीर बनते देखा है,
इसी पिछले सफ़र में, अपने आप को जाना, और सोचा तब वो न होते तो क्या होते,
यह एहसास-ए दिले नादानगी है या प्यारा सा एहसास,
रख लेते है इसे जिंदगी समझकर, कुछ पाया ही है खोया समझकर
आब तो आने का इंतजार , और खामोशियों के लम्हे , सफ़र बार बार उनके साथ करने को दिल करता है
नवदीप "फाजिल्का"
उनकी खामोशियों के लम्हे, गुजरे हम पर कुछ इस तरह,
अपने आप को ढूँढने निकल पड़े, यादो के उन रास्तो पर,
रस्ते में सोची हुयी कुछ मंजिले थी, जो उन हसीं पालो ने हमें दे थी,
जो सिर्फ रस्ते का हिस्सा बन कर रह गयी,
आब तो शायद मंजिलो के नाम से हे डर लगता है,
हमसफ़र साथ हो तो सफ़र फिर से करने को दिल करता है,
ख्वाबो को उम्मीद बनते, और उस उम्मीद को फिर से जिंदगी के कुछ बीते हुए हसीं पल बनते देखा है,
शायद इसी असमंजस को जिंदगी कहते है,
उनकी खामोशियों के लम्हों को मैंने जिंदगी के बदलती हुई तस्वीर बनते देखा है,
इसी पिछले सफ़र में, अपने आप को जाना, और सोचा तब वो न होते तो क्या होते,
यह एहसास-ए दिले नादानगी है या प्यारा सा एहसास,
रख लेते है इसे जिंदगी समझकर, कुछ पाया ही है खोया समझकर
आब तो आने का इंतजार , और खामोशियों के लम्हे , सफ़र बार बार उनके साथ करने को दिल करता है
नवदीप "फाजिल्का"
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