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Neurointervention Can Reverse Damage Till 24 Hours

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Neurointervention Can Reverse Damage Till 24 Hours

Not too long ago stroke, also known as brain attack, was considered untreatable. With the development of a magic drug t-PA (tissue plasminogen activator) it became possible for a patient to survive the attack even after three hours, later improved to four and a half hours. Very recently, the medical fraternity has formally adopted a modality, whereby clots which obstruct the passage of oxygen and nutrients to the brain and neurons can be mechanically extracted within 24 hours, drastically curtailing chances of mortality, paralysis and permanent disability among people suffering from brain attack. Dr. Sandeep Sharma, Head, Department of Neurointervention and Interventional Radiology, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, on Thursday presented before media persons two recent patients who have recovered to near normal activity within weeks of undergoing this modality after suffering a stroke.

Senior citizen Gursharan Singh, a resident of Phase II, Mohali, had experienced a tingling sensation on the tips of his fingers, which was ignored. He later collapsed at work and was hospitalized with distortion of the mouth and hands. He underwent the mechanical modality called DIFFUSE 3 after it was found during advanced screening that he had an artery blocked by a clot. He was discharged within a week, and is today quite comfortable with minor traces of remaining distortion of the mouth and hands, for which he is undergoing physiotherapy. 

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

Tushar, a marketing professional from Ambala in his early 30s, belongs to a family of doctors. He noticed weakness of the right side of his body when he woke up one day and was unable to move his limbs normally. The family panicked and it took them several hours to reach Fortis Hospital Mohali after approaching a local hospital and then being referred by Government Medical College & Hospital-32, Chandigarh.

Following investigations, a decision was taken to remove the clot, which was done around midnight. The patient was discharged in three days with advised follow-up over the next two months. Even with residual patches in the brain, he has no residual occupational or physical abnormality and is doing well. His risk factors like blood pressure, sedentary lifestyle, and lipid profile have been modified and he is leading an active life.

Dr. Sandeep Sharma informed that there is no defined age for occurrence of stroke. Childhood strokes are known to have happened, through the risk factors increase with advancing age.

He said sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body, sudden confusion of the mind, speech difficulty, unsteady walk, loss of balance or coordination, dizziness, loss of consciousness… any or few of these could be symptoms of a stroke. If the stroke is hemorrhagic (bleeding in the brain), which is not very common, accounting for an estimated 15% of the stroke cases, then the patient reports severe head ache, while in the case of ischemic stroke (blockage of blood vessel in the brain), which is most common (85% occurrence), the condition is rather painless.

The major risk factors of stroke are hypertension, cardiac diseases, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia (abnormally high levels of lipids like cholesterol), cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption.

Risk Factors

Risk factors for stroke are broadly classified into non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors. Non-modifiable risk factors include age (risk of stroke doubles for each decade after the age of 50 years), gender (men are at higher risk compared to women; the death rate due to stroke is higher among women), ethnicity (African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics are at greater risk and higher death rate compared to Caucasians) and heredity (cardiovascular disorders run among families).

Modifiable risk factors include hypertension, cardiac diseases, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, lifestyle factors (obesity, physical inactivity, diet and stress) and glucose intolerance.

 

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Prevention Of Stroke

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About 80% of the first time stroke cases can be prevented by making suitable lifestyle changes and management of potential risk factors. Early detection is the prime criterion for the successful management of stroke. Moderate exercise of up to 30 mins for 5 days/week reduces the risk of stroke. Patients must be advised to curb cigarette smoking and limit the consumption of alcohol as they directly increase the chances of developing stroke. Blood pressure and blood sugar levels must always be kept in check. Consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables and reducing the amount of fats and red meat in diet greatly improves the chances of stroke survival. Yoga and physiotherapy are advised to strengthen the lower extremities in stroke patients.

Stroke is the largest contributor for physical disability in elderly patients. Early rehabilitation is very important in stroke patients. The patient’s caregivers must take precautions in explaining the risk of the disease and suitable steps for managing the stroke to patients. Regular physician visits and clinical check-ups reduce the chance of occurrence of stroke and reduce the burden on patient’s caretakers.

 

Operation Clean Up Choes Gets Under Way In City

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Operation Clean Up Choes Gets Under Way In City

The occasion was World Environment Day, and though India is the host country this year, and the theme for 2018 is “Beat Plastic Pollution”, the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh (MCC) in conjunction with the Union Territory Administration has on this day embarked on a much delayed project to clean up the three natural water channels (‘choes’) which meander right across the city from North to South before entering and raising a big stink in adjoining Mohali. Considering the limited resources with the MCC, it will clean up the N-choe, which flows through the heart of the city, in a weeklong campaign, leaving the Patiala Ki Rao and the Sukhna Choe to the Administration.rn

The regular early morning walkers, joggers and yoga enthusiasts at the Shanti Kunj in Sector 16 were in for a surprise on Tuesday with scores of MC workers, supervisors and officers gathered with a host of digging and cutting implements and machines and garbage disposal vehicles. The work started in right earnest around 6:30 a.m. after Mayor Davesh Moudgil administered a cleanliness oath to the workers, many of them wearing rubber gloves and face masks.

Photos By: Life in Chandigarh

Whirring sound of shrub cutting machines and chain saws and clinking sound of spades hitting stone walls filled the air as the workforce lead by the Mayor himself, Deputy Mayor Vinod Aggarwal, a few other councillors, Commissioner K.K.Yadav and senior officers descended into the N-choe and got down to business, removing the heavy overgrowth of grass and shrubs and accumulated rubble and cleaning up the surroundings. The entire work of cleansing the 14 km stretch of the choe from Bougainvillea Garden in Sector 3 to UT boundary in Sector 53 has been divided into seven sections, each headed by a senior official of the engineering department of the MCC as nodal officer.

Municipal Commissioner K.K. Yadav, who recently joined the MC on deputation from Punjab, told Lifeinchandigarh.com at the venue that the work of each section, on its completion by June 11, will be assessed by an independent agency and the best performing sections will be suitably rewarded to encourage healthy competition.

Quoting a survey conducted by the MCC he said it had been observed that while most of the water being drained into the N-choe was from public storm water drains, some sanitary waste water, especially from Sector 17 was also finding its way into the choe. Violators were in the process of being identified and a proposal will be moved in the House to slap heavy penalties on offenders, he informed.

Yadav reiterated the MCC’s commitment to ensure that only clean water flowed in the choe and it did not raise a stink in the green belts through which it flowed in the city like Leisure Valley, Rose Garden, Shanti Kunj, Bamboo Valley, Fragrance Garden, Palm Garden and Spring Garden.

Highlights

In an apparent photo op, only a handful of workers wearing fluorescent jackets were provided face masks and rubber gloves. Others were presumed to be dustproof.

Before entering the N-choe many workers were heard warning their colleagues against the danger of snakes in the heavy overgrowth, bringing into sharp focus the non-availability of gumboots and other protective gear for them.

Open House At CII : GST, CBIC Brass Clear The Air

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Open House At CII : GST, CBIC Brass Clear The Air

Member of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Mahender Singh has said that the world is keenly watching the progress of implementation of GST in India, by far the biggest indirect taxes reform in the country since Independence, which is vastly different both in terms of structure and scale than its versions being implemented in many other countries.

Addressing an Open House, one of many being held across the country to provide first hand information and address and solve problems being faced by state governments and businesses, at the CII Northern Region headquarters in Chandigarh on Saturday, he conceded that there were still issues and glitches in the GST system which are being attended to expeditiously, but affirmed that the E-Way Bill System was by and large functioning smoothly with more than six crore E-Way bills having already been generated.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

“While the entire GST and CBIC machinery is working day and night to integrate the informal sector in the formal mainstream and make the entire system seamless for all stakeholders, data analysis is also being strengthened to identify and penalize offenders wherever glaring mismatch is found in disclosures and actual compliance and in refund claims,” he asserted.

Congratulating the Chandigarh Zone states, especially Punjab, which had shown compliance to GST regime way above the national average, he hoped that Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Chandigarh will continue their good work and show the way to the rest of the country.

Earlier Ms. Manoranjan Virk, Chief Commissioner, Chandigarh Zone, CBIC, informed the gathering that Punjab was leading the country, recording coverage of 92 percent against the national average of 85 percent. Himachal Pradesh (86 percent) and Jammu & Kashmir (83 percent) were not far behind, she added.

Several of the concerns raised and clarifications sought on GST related to filling, technical glitches, GST rates, returns, etc at the Open House were satisfactorily addressed on the spot by a battery of top ranking GST and CBIC officials, including CBIC Director General (Audit) P K Jain, CBIC Additional Directors General (GST) Yogendra Garg and S K Rahman, GST Council Joint Secretary Shashank Priya and GSTN Senior Vice President Vashishtha Chaudhary. Other issues were either under active consideration at various levels of the GST structure or would be addressed quickly, the gathering was assured by the extremely responsive team.

Participating in the deliberations, Punjab Excise & Taxation Commissioner Vivek Partap Singh maintained that most of the systemic problems had been resolved at the state level and a few others cropping up from time to time were being tackled in a time bound manner. He informed that Rs 325 crore worth of VAT refunds had been released by the state government in the previous month, and following the resolving of some procedural issues, GST refunds will also start flowing seamlessly soon.

He appealed to businesses in Punjab to start trying out the till now optional E-Way Bill System put in place in Punjab before it becomes compulsory from June 1. It was already running successfully in the rest of the country, he added.

Himachal Pradesh Excise & Taxation Additional Commissioner Sanjay Bhardwaj said while the organized industry had completely jelled with the GST system, the challenge was to seamlessly integrate the informal sector in the formal tax structure at the earliest.

Intervening during the Open House, Mahender Singh informed the gathering that during a six months analysis of data startling facts had come to light in case of importers. It had been revealed that there was a mismatch to the extent of Rs 10,000 crore between Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) actually paid and what was filed in the returns. In other cases Rs 29,000 crore worth of IGST had been paid by importers but had not reflected in their returns, pointing to the fact that those goods had been sold off elsewhere. Legal action has been initiated against such offenders, he added.

Agreeing with an observation that the GST helpline was not proving to be very effective as those manning it were perhaps not well versed with rules and nuances of the GST regime, GSTN Senior Vice President Vashishtha Chaudhary said businesses can instead visit the Self Help Portal, where they get multiple options of subjects while seeking clarifications and they get automatically generated replies to their queries. In case they still remain dissatisfied they can send a mail which is then got addressed by a team of officials.

IAF Officer Appeals To Conscience Of ‘Aae Mere Watan Ke Logo’

Sanjeev Kochhar
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IAF Officer Appeals To Conscience Of ‘Aae Mere Watan Ke Logo’

‘Aae mere watan ke logo, sirf apni asuvidha ki hi nahin, kuchh fauj ke liye bhi socho’ was the crux of the message commander of the Chandigarh Air Force Station Air Commodore S. Srinivasan sought to convey to the domestic and international air passengers ranting about the inconveniences they are having to face because of the temporary closure of the common runway, which the Indian Air Force shares with the Chandigarh International Airport, for urgent extension and strengthening to allow the bigger and heavier aircraft to operate.

Interacting with media persons at the Air Force Station on Wednesday in an effort to remove the misconceptions and misgivings being aired by various quarters in the Media, the Air Commodore explained that far more than the small inconveniences that commercial airline passengers are having to face due to the 19-day second complete shutdown of the runway, the air station being the biggest logistics air base of the country, the lifeline of troops deployed right across Jammu and Kashmir, from Srinagar to Karakoram to Ashai Chin, had been affected which has a direct bearing on our national security.

 Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

“The air base undertakes 29,000 tonnes of haulage of essential supplies and hardware annually to Jammu and Kashmir alone for which is has to operate 10-15 air sorties on a daily basis. Imagine the challenges being faced by the Indian Air Force having to relocate all its aircraft to alternatives bases in North India. So, please be assured that we will not take a day longer than necessary to complete the work, and this could likely be the last full shutdown required till the completion of the entire project. And, the benefits that are to accrue to the civil passengers and the military at the completion of the project are going to be monumental, considering that bigger and heavier military and civil aircraft will be able to operate from the runway round the clock,” Air Commodore Srinivasan informed.

Painting a rosy picture of the pace of work, he said despite the current unseasonal inclement weather, which had severely hampered the laying of bitumen layers on the runway, the deadline of completing the work by May 31 will be met. “Normal day operations of airlines can start forthwith, and from June 4 the watch hours will also be increased to allow flights to operate till 7 p.m. With the completion of second phase of the project by end of the year, and the runway being extended from the current 9,000 feet to 12,400, all types of aircraft will be able to operate from the runway. By February end 2019, with fitment of runway lights and other navigational aids, including the Cat II Instrument Landing System (ILS), unrestricted day and night operations would be possible,” he added.

The Air Commodore said thereafter other works like creation of safety lanes, provision of parking services and aero bridges will continue till completion of the entire project by August 2019, which will in real terms make the airport certified international, allowing aircraft short of the Airbus A380 and A350, but as large as Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing 777, Airbus A320 and A330 to operate from here.

Defending IAF’s decision to install Cat II ILS, he said it was found sufficient for Chandigarh International Airport as it enabled landing at visibility of up to 350 metres. Statistical data collected over the last 10 years had shown that throughout the year there were just 10 days in the month of January (beginning) and four days each in December (last week) and February (first week) when the visibility fell below 350 metres, that too for a maximum of 3-4 hours a day. However, Airport Authority of India (AAI) is assessing feasibility of fitment of Cat III ILS which permits operations down to 100 metres visibility, but that would demand isolation of larger tracts of critical areas and thus involve procurement of additional land from Punjab and Chandigarh, he asserted.

People Will Express Their Anger Against Arrogant BJP Leadership

Sanjeev Kochhar
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People Will Express Their Anger Against Arrogant BJP Leadership

On first contact, you can sense the warmth in the man. Despite being in politics for four decades now, he has been able to preserve his mild mannerism and overtly friendly demeanour. Last weekend, when journalists received an invitation from him for a press conference, it was apparent that he would spit fire on the BJP for using and abusing him. On Monday, he did betray his deep sense of hurt at being ignored all these four years since the 2014 General Elections, when despite being denied an expected party ticket from Chandigarh, he put his might behind Kirron Kher to ensure her victory. But, despite repeated provocations from the Media, he refused to single out Kher, whom he continued to address as his “younger sister”, as he listed out the failures of the BJP on all fronts and disenchantment of the people with the “arrogant, indifferent and egoistic” party leadership.

Former Union minister and BJP leader Harmohan Dhawan, who heads the Chandigarh Jan Kalyan Manch and had recently raised a banner of revolt against the party alongwith Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha, asserted that as on date he continued to be a member of the party, while at the same time hinting that his future political role would be announced after a meeting with the other two leaders in Chandigarh, scheduled for May 20.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

Accompanied by a host of his close associates, Dhawan maintained that people of the Chandigarh Lok Sabha constituency, who had reposed confidence in the BJP and its manifesto and given it a decisive mandate in the hope that many of their long standing issues would be resolved, were now feeling betrayed as none of the 60 promises in the party manifesto for Chandigarh had been fulfilled. In an odd case, where there had been a forward movement, it had either gone against the interests of the targeted beneficiaries or not benefitted them at all. He gave the example of conversion of lease hold properties to free hold, in which the conversion fee had been hiked 55 times, and raising the age limit for recruitment in government jobs to 37 years and not a single job being given.

The party had promised regularization of need based changes in Housing Board houses, but owners had instead been slapped an annual penalty on “violations”. Other promises like giving ownership rights to power of attorney holders, extension and regularization of houses outside the ‘lal dora’ in villages, housing scheme for UT employees, implementation of citizens charter, establishment of Chandigarh service selection board, metro rail project, reduction in collector rate, rehabilitation of slum dwellers, establishment of  Film City, single window system,  implementation of MSME Act, etc have also remained on paper, Dhawan pointed out.

Holding the entire BJP leadership responsible for the sorry state of affairs, he said the wrath of the people is sure to reflect in the next Lok Sabha elections.

As for his own self, he claimed that despite stiff opposition from his supporters he gave his unconditional and whole-hearted support to ensure party candidate Kher’s victory in the 2014 elections, but all these four years he had never been consulted on any issue concerning the constituency on otherwise. In fact, the party first surreptitiously removed Dharam Pal Gupta, and then him, from the core committee of the party. He and his supporters had to face one humiliation after the other, he lamented.

Reaffirming that he had never indulged in any kind of political ‘saudebaji’ during his 40 years political career, nor sought any favours for himself or any member of his family, Dhawan said all political decisions taken by him at different times in his career were guided solely by the people’s interest.

He admitted that after her election, Kher had asked him for bio-data of his wife Satinder, apparently in a bid to get her appointed as nominated councilor in the municipal corporation, but it did not happen. Disagreeing with a suggestion that it might have been done as part of a conspiracy to humiliate him, he, however, clearly signaled a parting of political ways with her.

Condemning the continuing efforts by the BJP to divide the society, he talked about the clear prospects of a non-BJP “maha gathhbandhan” taking shape in the country. If that be so, what about his prospects as a candidate from Chandigarh in the next General Elections? “Time will tell. I continue to live in the hearts of the people I have served,” was all he had to say to that.

Forgotten, Post Card Becomes Messenger Of Motherhood

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Forgotten, Post Card Becomes Messenger Of Motherhood

A lady held aloft a piece of thick yellow paper, and asked a gathering of mothers whether they recognised it. The confused women wondered what kind of a question was that. But as the lady turned it around in her hand, a postal stamp and a few lines became visible. Lo and behold, it was the good old postcard, long forgotten and virtually confined to history. In the course of the hour-long Mother’s Day gathering, one among many organised across the tricity, the post card was to become a messenger of motherhood.

In a thoughtful gesture, the organisers asked each one of the 50-odd invited ladies in the gathering to pour their hearts out for their children on a post card each provided to them, in the form of written text, or whichever form they could best express their love, and write the children’s address for the organisers to later post them to the respective children.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

The idea behind the exercise, the lady explained, was not only to spring a surprise for the children, but also impress upon them the need to express themselves in writing. “Children, these days are not writing enough, no wonder most of them do not have a good hand and are not able to memorise what they read. They will not only get a wonderful feeling on receiving the post cards, but will be encouraged to reciprocate in writing, and maybe get into the habit of expressing themselves in writing,” she added.

It was a perfect start to an evening full of an outpouring of motherhood straight from the heart. Chief Guest for the occasion, Princy Singla, Joint Commissioner of Income Tax, surprised the audience with a frank sharing of her experiences of motherhood. She had a very loving reciprocal relationship with her mother, she said, adding that her respect for mothers increased manifold after she had her first baby, three months premature, and remained confined with it in a single room on medical advice for several months till its weight increased from just 770 grams on birth to 2.5 kg.

“I became an even better daughter and daughter-in-law in the years that followed. The experience of motherhood is very painful, but at the same time divine. There is nothing above a mother in this world, neither money nor ambition or career,” Ms. Singla emphasised.

Stressing the need for having a relationship based on complete trust between a mother and her children, she said mothers need to learn to give their children space so that they become responsible and self dependant at an early age. “We as mothers need to become role models for our children since they pick up habits in their formative years from us,” she asserted.

Shabnam Sahi, a single mom, narrated her challenging journey from five years ago when she lost her husband to a heart attack and the world appeared to have collapsed around her. A housewife, till then, she said she picked up courage, and frankly explaining the position to her two children (her daughter was studying law and her son was in 6th standard), she went about rebuilding her life as a successful working woman while always feeling her husband’s reassuring presence besides her.

She said she had immense faith in the power of meditation, ‘bhakti’ and ‘pooja-paath’ and would like all mothers to inculcate these age old values among their children.

Sonia, nee Vandana, was quite vocal when she said she actually considered the mother as the man of the house, going about multi tasking all day long. “For me the status of a mother is even above God,” she asserted.

The Guest of Honour, Santosh Sharma, chairperson, Chandigarh Social Welfare Board, recounted her experiences of extreme resilience shown by single women during her
two decades-long social work in the slums. Some of them survived on just ‘roti’ and ‘pani’. She related one particular case of a woman, who bore seven girls to an abusive drunkard husband. The husband later died and she worked out of her skin to bring up the girls and got them married.    

The event, aimed at supporting 10 odd identified single moms through the Social Welfare Board, was hosted by Maya Hotel Group in association with GBP Group under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. Ms. Jasleen Kaur represented Maya Hotel Group and Ms. Anupama Gupta GBP Group at the charity event.

Be A Part Of 6th Century History & 121-Year Old Legacy

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Be A Part Of 6th Century History & 121-Year Old Legacy

It has unmatched settings of a 6th century fort and its 121-year old legacy, steeped in Indian culture and ethos and blended harmoniously with modernity, makes it one of the leading boys’ boarding schools of the country. The Scindia School, Fort, Gwalior is in Chandigarh for the first time scouting for boys with talent and aptitude, “who can be taken on a journey of self discovery and finding a leadership role for the betterment of society.”

The principal, and other members from the top management of the school, will hold an Open House with prospective students and their parents from Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh at Hotel Taj from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Interacting with media persons regarding the school, founded by then Maharaja Madhav Rao Scindia I in 1897, the Principal, Dr. Madhav Deo Saraswat, an eminent educationist, said what sets the school apart from branded schools is the focus not only on equipping the boys to excel in academics, and use of technology, but equally using knowledge as a liberating experience for them to discover their interests, their talents and aptitudes, and learn to form their opinions and role in society.

“With an intake of just 550 students from Class VI to XII, and a teacher-student ratio of 1:9, the school, spread over 160 acres, provides a nurturing environment, where the mentor and the mentee live a shared life, as if in a ‘gurukul’, yet adapted to this millennium,” the school  principal explained.

“An important feature of this process is the school’s provision of rich choices, be they in courses of academics, in the range of House societies, in artistic, creative and intellectual activities, and in sports and adventure. Engagements with ecology and heritage become like breathing in and breathing out, as indeed engagements with the community, within the school, in rural areas, or through NGOs. The boys graduate from the school as leaders with understanding, intelligence, sensitivity and an inclusive attitude. For a Scindian, society comes before self,” Dr. Saraswat emphasised.

The school, which is being run by an educational society still steered by the erstwhile Scindia Royal family, with Jyotiraditya Scindia as Chairman of the Board of Governors, boasts of a host of illustrious alumni, including former External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh, former Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Samer Pal Singh Dhillon (Retd.), legendry radio anchor Ameen Sayani of Radio Ceylon fame, actor Salman Khan, film director Anurag Kashyap and ex-Proctor & Gamble CMD Bharat V. Patel.

With cutting edge accreditations like Round Square International Conference, IBSC, BBC School Project and Trinity College London, The Scindia School, affiliated to CBSE, has a highly  advanced Science Centre, F.G. Pearce Library with a collection of 10,000+ books and an expansive Open Air Theatre, besides 14 full-fledged playing fields with facilities for indulging in an entire spectrum of sports activities, including hockey, football, cricket, athletics, basketball, tennis, squash, table tennis, horse riding, skating, archery, shooting and swimming.

Mitul Dikshit, chairman of Dikshant International and Dikshant Global schools, Zirakpur, and an alumnus of the school, was present at the media interaction alongwith Vice Principal (Pastoral Care) of the school Ms. Smita Chaturvedi and Dean Of Studies Dhirendra Sharma.  

The Scindia School (Boys’ Boarding)

Open House : 5-7 p.m., Saturday, May 12, The Taj, Chandigarh

Admission Offer : For Classes VI-IX (School Up to Class XII, CBSE Affiliated)

Approximate Fee : Rs 7 lakh annually (all inclusive payable in three instalments)

Scholarships On Merit-cum-Need Basis Available

Dikshant Students Make Own Telescopes To View Lunar Eclipse

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Dikshant Students Make Own Telescopes To View Lunar Eclipse

The students of Dikshant International and Dikshant Global School in Zirakpur are excited about witnessing the next celestial event, a Lunar eclipse on July 27, with telescopes developed by their own school mates. More than a score of students drawn from both schools have developed six Newtonian type telescopes, which are very popular among amateur telescope makers because of their simple design, during a seven-day workshop conducted by telescope expert Tushar Purohit from the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, an autonomous institution set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on the campus of Pune University.

First invented by the English scientist Sir Isaac Newton, after whom this type of telescope is named, the telescope uses a concave primary mirror and a flat diagonal secondary mirror.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Presenting their work before media persons on Thursday the elated students proudly announced that the telescopes put together by them were capable of viewing Jupiter and Saturn and its rings. “We can see the Moon with its craters, too,” they added.

Tushar explained that initially the students were very unsure whether they will be able to make a telescope. But as they started liking the subject, and immersed themselves in the workshop, it was smooth sailing. The students, including five girls, worked in five teams in making the telescopes.

“Barring an external finder scope, focus tube and a tripod, the students have made every other part of the telescopes themselves, right from grinding a concave mirror, calculating curvature and focal length of mirrors, smoothening of the glass and polishing it using a pitch tool, to testing it, and then calculating the length of the PVC tube required, drilling it for the fittings and colouring its outer and inner surfaces,” Tushar asserted.

Mitul Dikshit, Chairman, Dikshant Schools, added that by organising such hands on activities under the supervision of experts, the school was providing opportunities for its students to explore their potential, and prepare themselves to excel in a highly competitive work environment which awaits them.

Longest Total Lunar Eclipse Of The Century

In the lunar eclipse on July 27, the Moon will pass through the centre of the Earth’s shadow. This will be the first central lunar eclipse since June 15, 2011 and will be the longest total lunar eclipse in the 21st century (approximately 103 minutes in total). After January, this will be the second total lunar eclipse in 2018.

Haryana Seeks Agri Water Solutions From Israel, Investment From UK

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Haryana Seeks Agri Water Solutions From Israel, Investment From UK

A day after his 64th birth anniversary, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Sunday embarked on a two-nation foreign tour aimed at exploring more areas of cooperation with Israel, encouraged by a continuing ten-year partnership in the field of horticulture, and attracting investment and expertise from the United Kingdom for various ongoing and new industrial and logistical projects in the state, including the economic corridor planned along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) expressway and the Hisar International Aviation Hub.

Addressing a press conference just before embarking on his journey, the Chief Minister shared a few other new developments, one of them being writing a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh requesting him to expeditiously identify and plan a hydel project on the river Ravi in conjunction with other stakeholder states to harness the water which was flowing waste into Pakistan. He also announced a no enhancement policy for future buyers of residential plots in sectors to be floated by Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP).

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Describing his trip, at the head of a high level delegation, as being packed with official engagements, Manohar Lal said during his Israel visit from May 6 to 8 he will get an opportunity to participate in the world famous Agritech Israel-2018 (The theme for this year’s conference and exhibition is “Agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions”). 

He informed that considering the success of the 10-year Indo-Israel action plan for mutual cooperation in various fields (started in 2008), it had been extended by three years till 2020. Under the plan, out of 20 Centres of Excellence established across the country, five were set up in Haryana. Among other areas of focus during the Israel visit will be technology for converting waste or brackish water into usable water for irrigation, internal security and aerospace, in which Israel has proven expertise, he added.

With a host of UK based multinational corporations already operating out of Haryana, the May 9 to 13 UK visit will focus on attracting further investment in major ongoing global city and new projects like economic corridor along the KMP Expressway nearing completion, Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) between Gurugram-Manesar-Bawal, logistic hub at Narnaul, Hisar International Aviation Hub and IMT Kharkhoda. Besides this, the CM’s delegation is also scheduled to study the driverless pod car facility at Heathrow Airport.

File Photo Of Driverless Pod Car At Heathrow

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had recently announced that the driverless pod car facility would be started from Dhaula Kuan in New Delhi to Rajiv Chowk in Gurugram to ease traffic congestion on the stretch.

Meetings have also been planned with leading UK industrialists to create an enabling environment for start-ups in Haryana so that more and more employment opportunities could be created for the youth from the state.

Letter To Punjab CM On Harnessing Of Ravi Water

In his letter to Capt. Amarinder Singh, the Haryana Chief Minister while pointing out that both states were facing a severely depleting water table, has said “time has come when we must join hands in checking the wasteful flow of Ravi waters to Pakistan.”

Quoting a viability report prepared by a Central Government appointed committee in this regard, which had in its 6th meeting in 2012 suggested follow up action by Punjab, Manohar Lal said it was unfortunate that no visible progress has been made in this direction so far, despite it having been declared a National Project by the Central Government.

Pointing out that the Central Government, based on the committee’s findings, had also asked all the partner states to build a consensus on engaging the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to undertake feasibility studies and to construct the above project, the Haryana Chief Minister requested Capt. Amarinder Singh to direct his concerned officers to take up the proposal “in right earnest.”

On his part, Manohar Lal said, he had directed state Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary Irrigation and Water Resources to accord “top priority” to this. They would make themselves available to attend any meeting that the concerned Punjab officers consider necessary on the subject, he added.

Relief For Existing HSVP Plot Owners

The Chief Minister reiterated the state government’s decision that all existing plot owners in HSVP sectors, who were burdened with astronomical outstanding amounts as enhancement fee and interest on it, will be given 40 percent rebate on the entire outstanding amount if they apply under this scheme within two months (i.e. till midnight of July 4, 2017) and pay their remaining balance in full. He also announced a ‘no enhancement policy’ for plot buyers in all new sectors to be floated by HSVP, on the lines of the policy adopted by Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC).

He said, in future, all vacant plots in existing HSVP sectors will only be auctioned at the prevailing market rates.

Haryana CM Goes Shairana Tells Doctors: Don”t Act Sarkari

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Haryana CM Goes Shairana Tells Doctors: Don”t Act Sarkari

Turning the ‘no go’ government district hospitals and smaller healthcare facilities into modern centres, matching up to the exacting standards for National quality assurance certification or accreditation, has been no mean achievement. With National Quality Assurance Certification (NQAC) for 18 health facilities, and additionally National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) accreditation for four district hospitals and NABL accreditation for a district laboratory, already in its bag, it was time for Haryana to celebrate and honour all those who made this possible.

Living up to the spirit of the occasion at the state level Felicitation Ceremony for Quality Improvement in Health Services, held in the NITTTR Auditorium in Sector 26, on Friday, the chief guest, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal went ‘shairana’. “Maana Andhera Gehra Hai, Par Shama Jalane Ko Kahan Mana Hai. Chalo Jalain Deep Vahan Par Jahan Abhi Bhi Andhera Hai,” he said, apparently quoting from a couplet.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

Exhorting government sector health providers to shed their contractual obligation approach towards their job and serve the patients with compassion and sensitivity, he said the strides being made by Haryana in providing quality assurance certified health services to the citizens is appreciable, but public confidence in the state health system will be won only if quality services reach each and every individual in the state. For this the successful “pilot projects” need to be replicated across the state on a mission mode, he added.

Earlier, Health Minister Anil Vij vowed to strive for all government hospitals, labs and healthcare centres in the state to receive either NABH/NABL accreditation or NQAC for exacting standards of facilities and services. In the short term, a target has been fixed to get quality certification/accreditation for another 44 healthcare facilities this year, and 84 by the time the tenure of the present government ends in October 2019.

Pointing out that the present government was continuing to make sincere and concerted efforts to improve quality standards in the earlier neglected and poorly managed district hospitals by adding facilities and services, he claimed that their efforts had resulted in a 20 percent increase in OPD and IPD footfalls.

Haryana became the first state to have cath lab facilities in its district hospitals – four of them in Panchkula, Ambala, Gurgaon and Faridabad – where all kinds of heart related procedures, including angiography and angioplasty can be performed. In 21 of the 22 districts of the state the facility of dialysis had been provided (newly formed Charkhi Dadri district does not have a district hospital so far), he said, adding that “we want to provide the critical facilities like dialysis, CT Scan and MRI in all civil hospitals so that people from all strata of society are encouraged to visit without any inhibitions. Only the highest quality USFDA approved equipments and medicines which fulfil WHO grading are being procured.”

Referring to stray incidents of negligence at various levels, which are bringing a bad name to the entire government health sector, he cautioned that such irresponsible actions would not be tolerated because they negate all the good work being done. Strict action will be taken against such wrong doers, he warned.

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