17012021-JTR-01.qxd 1/16/2021 11:37 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar TRIBUNE BENEFICIARIES GET RATION DEPOT LICENCES IN DISTRICT PAGE 2 VARUN-NATASHA'S WEDDING EXTRAVAGANZA FROM JAN 24 Jalandhar Central MLA & the DC handed over allotment letters for 97 fair price shops (ration depots) to youths. FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY PAGE 3 ENTERTAINING FANS, ISHITA STARTS THE YEAR WITH A BANG Their wedding has been the talk of the town and is scheduled on January 24 at a resort in Alibaug. MAX 16°C | MIN 8°C | YESTERDAY MAX 16°C | MIN 5°C SUNSET SUNDAY 5:48 PM Ishita Dutta is on a high. She did a new photoshoot with her husband and the results are startling. SUNRISE MONDAY 7:26 AM 136 turn up for inoculation on Day 1 LUKEWARM RESPONSEOf 300, less than half come forward |Former MS, anesthesiologist, also skip dose Aparna Banerji ❝Total 16,490 doses came to the district. We covered Jalandhar, January 16 The historic process of the much awaited first phase of Covid vaccination drive received a lukewarm response in the district on Saturday. Merely 136 turned up for vaccination on Saturday, of the 300 invited by sending messages. Among those who skipped included former MS Mandeep Kaur and Dr Paramjit Singh, anesthesiologist. Of the 300 summoned,164 beneficiary health workers skipped the process on the first day. More than half of the staff stayed away from the process. Of those who skipped coming, a majority was paramedical staff. The dearth of health workers reporting to be vaccinated was also attributed to delay in the receiving of messages by some and the server of the vaccination portal being PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH Tribune News Service over 25% in the first one hour. There has been a very positive response to the vaccination drive and we expect a much more responsive process which shall begin from Monday. Beneficiaries were observed Of the 136 frontline health workers receiving the for half an hour and were first dose, 41 were vaccinated at the Civil Hospital, 36 at successfully sent back after the CHC Basti Guzan and 59 at the Nakodar hospital. I vaccination. They will be urge people not to fall prey to rumours regarding called back for the second vaccination as this is safe and efficacious. dose after 28 days. ❝ Ghanshyam Thori, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER ❞ down repeatedly since last night. A majority of the listings of the health workers being vaccinated today was manually made by the health staff as the server remained down for a long time. The process was start- ed soon after the PM’s address earlier this morning. The three session sites were Civil Hospital, Jalandhar; Basti Gujan CHC, Jalandhar; and Sub-Divisional Hospital, Nakodar. At the primary session cen- ❞ Dr Balwant Singh, CIVIL SURGEON tre at the Civil Hospital, 40 people out of the 100 expected had turned up until 2 pm. On the flip side, the vaccination drive began with much enthusiasm amid several senior frontline doctors getting PAGE 4 vaccinated amid applause and jubilation. The first to get vaccinated was retired SMO Dr Kashmiri Lal, frontline health worker for Covid emergency care. He was followed by Dr Bhupinder and SMO medicine Dr Tarsem Lal. Former Civil Surgeon Jalandhar Dr Gurinder Kaur Chawla, nodal officer for the vaccination drive Dr Indu Bala, blood transfusion officer Dr Gagandeep Singh, anesthesia frontline staff, paramedical staff, Asha workers and Class IV health workers were vaccinated on Saturday. At least four frontline health staff, doctors who had previously tested positive for Covid themselves, were also on the list of the workers vaccinated today. A reactive response to the Covid vaccine wasn’t reported from any of the persons vaccinated today. The vaccination drive kick started amid the supervision of Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori, Civil Surgeon Dr Balwant Singh, MS Dr Parminder and District Immunisation Officer Dr Rakesh Chopra. Having posted in Jalandhar recently, both the Civil Surgeon and the district immunization officer aren’t yet listed among the 11,800 health workers in Jalandhar, as they were listed with districts they were previously posted at. Dr Rakesh Chopra, District Immunisation Officer, said, “It is a great moment for us. We were waiting for this for the past one year. Server issues and apprehensions persisting among much of the health staff are partly the reasons for the limited turn up on Saturday. However, we expect a much more enthusiastic response from Monday onwards as many are expected to come in. Today was just a start of the process.” SUNDAY | 17 JANUARY 2021 | JALANDHAR 300 healthcare workers get the first shot in Kapurthala Tribune News Service Kapurthala, January 16 The vaccination drive started at three government hospitals in Kapurthala, Phagwara and Bholath with 300 health workers getting their first shot of Covishield vaccine. While launching the drive at the Civil Hospital, Deputy Commissioner Deepti Uppal said the district administration has chalked out a comprehensive plan for the vaccination drive in Kapurthala as the cold chain systems, logistics and technology were all in place along with the well-trained workforce. On the first day, there was no report of any adverse effect on human body across the district, she said. A staff nurse named Bimla from Kapurthala Civil Hospital became the first health worker to get the vaccine shot, followed by Dr Shubhra. The DC said the database prepared by the administration included the health workers from government and private sectors, comprising more than 4,000 workers. The DC said a dedicated 24×7 control room has been set up at the Civil Hospital in Kapurthala (88720-94737) where people can get all kinds of information regarding the vaccination, its effect and registration among other things. The first 10 health workers who got the vaccine shot includes staff nurse Bimal, Dr Shubhra Singh (AHA) Jeet Bahadar ward attendant, Bir Davinder Singla, chief pharmacist, Rajan Kumar, Dr Paritosh Garg pathologist, Dr Prem Pal, blood infusion officer and Rajni. Civil Surgeon Dr Surinder Kumar, Dr Asha Mangat, Dr Ramesh Kumari Banga, Dr Rajiv Bhagat, Dr Sandeep Bhola and Dr Kuljeet Singh were present on the occasion. ‘PROUDLY VACCINATED’ SELFIE POINT Vajra Corps starts vaccination drive Jalandhar, January 16 As part of the nationwide drive, Vajra Corps commenced the rollout of Covid-19 vaccination at MH Jalandhar on Saturday. Lt Gen C Bansi Ponnappa, GOC, Vajra Corps, visited the immunisation centre at the hospital, where 100 healthcare workers were administered the first dose of Covishield vaccine, provided by the Punjab Government through the district health authorities. Interacting with healthcare workers, GOC Vajra Corps lauded their efforts in combating the pandemic. The hospital has prioritised all healthcare workers, based on the extent of their professional exposure to the risk of Covid-19 infection. All healthcare workers posted at the hospital and nearby affiliated healthcare establishments would be immunised in different phases. The second round of immunisation of personnel receiving the vaccine on Saturday will be carried out after four weeks. — TNS INBRIEF THREE HELD WITH ILLICIT LIQUOR Kapurthala: The Kapurthala police on Friday busted a gang involved in the smuggling of illicit liquor and seized 170 cartons of IMFL labeled ‘Naina premium whisky for sale in Chandigarh’. Acting on a tipoff, the Kapurthala police nabbed three accused, who were ferrying 15,30,000 ml (170 cartons) illicit liquor in their vehicle (Bolero) (PB08DG-1610) and were supplying illicit liquor in the area. Those held have been identified as Pritpal Singh, alias honey, a resident of Behram Sarista (Bhogpur), Jalandhar; Bablu, of Patti Alamgir Kala Sanghia, (Sadar), Kapurthala; and Amit Kumar of Kundri district, Lesli Ganj Plamu, (Jharkhand), at present living in Meyani Bakarpur Dhillwan, Kapurthala. An FIR was registered under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act. Further investigation is on. TNS DC visits Garhshankar hospital to review arrangements Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, January 16 Joining the Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh through a videoconference here for the roll out of Covid-19 vaccine, Industries and Commerce Minister Sunder Sham Arora on Saturday said the vaccination had started at three session sites in the district — Garhshankar, Dasuya and Mukerian. Arora, who was taking part in the virtual statelevel launch of the vaccine at the District Administrative Complex, said the vaccine would be administered on the first day for registered healthcare workers, including 81 beneficiaries at Garhshankar, 100 at Dasuya, besides 95 at Mukerian. Following the directives of the Government of India, the vaccine will also be administered at the remaining sites in the coming days, said the minister, adding that in the ❝ The district received 9,570 doses of the vaccine, of which 9,540 were for state healthcare workers, while 30 for Central healthcare workers. As many as nearly 9,000 healthcare workers got themselves registered for the vaccination.The availability of more vaccine will be ensured as per the registration in future. In the district, 32 teams are fully geared up for the vaccination process with 20 session sites identified across Hoshiarpur. ❞ Sunder Sham Arora, INDUSTRIES AND COMMERCE MINISTER first phase, healthcare workers would be inoculated followed by the frontline workers, including police and other staff performing duties at the forefront. Thereafter, people in the age group of above 50 years and under 50 with co-morbid conditions. Giving further details, he said the district had received 9,570 doses of the vaccine, of which 9,540 were for state healthcare workers, while 30 for Central healthcare workers. As many as nearly 9,000 healthcare workers got themselves registered for the vaccination, Arora said, adding that the availability of more vaccine would be ensured as per the registration in future. In the district, 32 teams are fully geared up for the vaccination process with 20 session sites identified across Hoshiarpur, he said. The second dose of the vaccine would be administered after a gap of 28 days and the requisite information regarding the vaccination would be sent through SMS on the mobile phones of the beneficiaries. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Apneet Riyait went to the Garhshankar Civil Hospital to take stock of arrangements at the session site. After meeting the teams ■ As many as 81 beneficiaries registered on the first day at Garhshankar, 100 at Dasuya and 95 at Mukerian ■ Vaccination to start at other session sites in the coming days and beneficiaries, Riyait said the district administration had already ensured the requisite facilities and arrangements at all three session sites —Garhshankar, Dasuya and Mukerian, where 81, 100 and 95 beneficiaries were registered, respectively, for the inoculation on the first day. After administration of Covid vaccine, the beneficiaries were kept in the observation room for half an hour, said Riyait, adding that the process of vaccination at other sites would also be started shortly in accordance with the directives of the Government of India. Nodal officer for Covid-19 at the Garhshankar Civil Hospital, Dr Jaswant Singh, who was the first to get the vaccination, not only thanked the government for rolling out the vaccine, but also appealed to the people to not fall prey to rumour-mongering, as the vaccination was a must for all in the larger interest of the country, state and public. Other beneficiaries Arun Minhas of Garhshankar Civil Hospital, while sharing his experiences after the vaccination, said he was quiet well and people should not hesitate for vaccination since the immunisation of Covid vaccine was necessary amid the current health crisis. Another beneficiary Harinder Kaur of Dasuya Civil Hospital said besides having vaccinated, all beneficiaries and other people should ensure meticulous adherence of Covid protocols as issued by the government and Health Department from time to time to keep the coronavirus at bay. Kapurthala: In a sweet gesture to thank and encourage people having Covid vaccination shots, the district administration would provide a wrist band besides providing a selfie platform to the ‘proudly vaccinated’ people in the district. The wrist band would be provided to all people after the vaccination at all vaccination points in the district. Under the first phase, 4,000 wrist bands would be given to people. The selfie point has been set up by District Public Relations Office, Kapurthala, at the Civil Hospital. Deputy Commissioner Deepti Uppal urged the Health Department officials to post the selfie on social media platforms after getting vaccinated to encourage people for vaccination. From hiding, to proudly flaunting his abs, he aspires to make fitness his career WAY TO GO! 23-year-old Ganesh Kumar wants to eclipse his 3’8’’ height with his chiselled body ❝Gyming was never on the cards. Had I not met my coach Gagandeep STORIES THAT INSPIRE Ajay Joshi Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 16 ‘ Height Choti, Soch Badi’ reads his bio on his social media accounts. Just 23, he wants to eclipse his 3’8” height with his chiseled body. In a family of normal heighted people, Ganesh Kumar, always considered himself a misfit. But not anymore. Walking on the footprints of popular American bodybuilder Kai Greene, Kumar has made bodybuilding his passion. With his growing social media following, his workout videos have already been seen and shared by lakhs of users. When he was just 7 or 8years old, he started noticing his body growing abnormally. Then started frequent visits to doctors. His parents would take him to various Singh, I wouldn’t have ever been able to stand with confidence. Before bodybuilding, I used to work in a factory. Three years ago, when I was going home after completing my shift, my neighbour Lucky, asked me to start working out. I started going to the gym, hiding myself behind his muscular built. I didn't know what I would do there. But, things turned differently after I met Gagan. He not only motivated me, but also trained me for free. He even made sure that I wouldn't have to pay the gym fee. Afterwards, it took me two years to build my physique. Subsequently, my coach asked me to participate in bodybuilding events. Ganesh Kumar medical experts to get adequate treatment for his stunted growth, but to no avail. Youngest of five siblings, while he was pampered in his house, the world outside c m y b ❞ was exactly opposite to it. Unable to focus on studies while growing up, he could- n’t complete his education and skipped school after Class X. At school, he used to overcome his weakness and his peers’ reaction to his dwarf body by singing. However, life changed after he started lifting weights. “Gyming was never on the cards. Had I not met my coach Gagandeep Singh, I wouldn’t have ever been able to stand with confidence. Before bodybuilding, I used to work in a factory. Three years ago, when I was going home after completing my shift, my neighbour Lucky, asked me to start working out. On his insistence, I started going to the gym, hiding myself behind his muscular built. I didn’t know what I would do there. But, things turned differently, after I met Gagan. He not only motivated me, but also trained me for free. He even made sure that I wouldn’t have to pay the gym fee. Afterwards, it took me two years to build my physique. Subsequently, my coach asked me to partici- pate in bodybuilding events,” Ganesh said. From hiding himself to proudly flaunting his biceps and abs, he now aspires to make a career in fitness. Competing in the physically challenged category, he has already won two medals and is now preparing for the upcoming ‘ Pathankot Classic Bodybuilding Championship’. “Since muscles require a strict diet, my parents used to give me ~30 per day initially, but seeing my growth, they now give me ~50 per day. Despite opposition from doctors and my relatives, my family has now started supporting me. While I workout for nearly one-and-a-halfhours daily, for the rest of the day I work in our kiryana store. It feels respectful when people ask me for a fitness regime and seek my advice. Earlier, people used to stare at me and make fun of my height. But now, they look at me both smilingly and shockingly,” Kumar smiles. 2 die, 11 +ve in Hoshiarpur Hoshiarpur, January 16 The district reported two more Covid-19 fatalities on Saturday, taking the toll to 327, while 11 new cases pushed the infection count to 7,931. With the receipt of 1,362 new samples from people with suspected flu-like symptoms, the number of samples taken in the district till date has reached 2,61,641. According to the reports, 2,53,004 are negative, while 2353 are waiting for the reports and 184 are invalid. The number of active cases is 63, while the number of patients who have recovered is 7,541. Dr Ranjit Singh, Civil Surgeon, said of today’s 11 patients found positive in the district, one positive patient is from Hoshiarpur city and 10 are related to other health blocks. The deceased reported from the district included a 67-year-old Kotla Nodh Singh resident who died at private hospital in Jalandhar, while a 31-year-old resident of Bassi Wazid village died at the PGI, Chandigarh. — OC