02012025-ATR-01.qxd 1/1/2025 11:25 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY SKY MAX 16°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 15°C | MIN 8°C JALANDHAR TO HOST ASIAN TENT PEGGING C'SHIP FROM FEB 13 ANUJA SHORTLISTED FOR OSCARS IN SHORT FILM CATEGORY SALMAN KHAN’S SIKANDAR AMONG TOP PICKS OF 2025 For the first time, Asian Championship will be held in the district and the event will start from February 13. P2 Awards and rewards are byproduct of the choices, say Guneet Monga Kapoor and her Sikhya Ent cofounder Achin Jain. P4 The film landscape for 2025 is loaded with diverse content but expectations are high from Salman’s Sikandar. P4 » » » SUNSET THURSDAY 5.38 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 7.30 AM THURSDAY | 2 JANUARY 2025 | AMRITSAR Resort owner Dist admn adopts 100 TB patients receives 1,600 patients to be adopted later by admn officials extortion calls Tribune News Service from abroad Amritsar, January 1 Starting 2025 on a positive note, the district administration has announced to adopt 1,700 TB patients across the district under the National Tuberculosis Eradication Programme. The Health and Family Welfare Department, Punjab, has launched a 100-day special campaign under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. The campaign will be taken to the village level to eradicate TB and create awareness regarding its early detection and treatment. Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said under the campaign, 1,700 TB patients have been adopted by the district administration for providing food and treatment support, out of which 100 TB patients have been adopted by district administration officials and all their treatment expenses will be borne by these officials. Ten patients have been adopted by the Deputy Commissioner. “A record of every TB patient will be kept and every needy patient will be Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, January 1 The frequent SMSs and threatening mobile calls from unknown foreign-based phone numbers have terrorised a resident of Kakka Kandiala village near Tarn Taran town in the name of extortion. The victim Angrej Singh, who runs a resort near the Amritsar-Chabal bypass, in his complaint to the local city police, has said that calls were received by him from two different mobile numbers on December 25 and December 31 in the morning. The callers were demanding extortion money and threatened to kill him and his family in case he refused to oblige them. He said that the callers immediately disconnected the call after delivering their threatening message. ASI Nishan Singh, who is investigating the complaint, said that a case under Section 308 (4) and 351 of the BNS has been registered on Tuesday. Manmohan deserves a memorial, says Aujla love by becoming the first Sikh Prime Minister. He said that he has written a letter to the President to build a memorial for Dr Manmohan Singh, and will also meet the Chief Minister and request to mark a space for his memorial in Punjab. He said that memorials like Shanti Van for Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Vijay Ghat for Lal Bahadur Shastri and Sadaiv Atal for Atal Behari Vajpayee have been helpful in acknowledging their service to the nation. “But it is worrying that despite his important role in India’s economic development story, no similar tribute has been planned for Dr Manmohan Singh,” claimed Aujla. He said that other leaders like PV Narasimha Rao have been honoured posthumously with memorials like Gyan Bhoomi in Hyderabad. Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 1 As the political controversy surrounding a memorial for former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh gains momentum, Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla has written a letter to President Droupadi Murmu and appealed to establish a memorial for Dr Manmohan Singh at Raj Ghat. Aujla, addressing a press conference today, said that the entire country was proud of the contributions made by Dr Manmohan Singh. “After his death, his legacy should be preserved in the same way as the other former Prime Ministers have been remembered, by creating memorials at Raj Ghat,” said Aujla. He said that Dr Manmohan Singh came to this country as a refugee and left with a lot of Devotees welcome New Year with kirtan at Darbar Sahib Our Correspondent DC Sakshi Sawhney during a meeting with officials regarding adoption of 1,700 TB patients across the district. Tarn Taran, January 1 A Kirtan Darbar was organised at the Katha Asthan of local Darbar Sahib last night to accord a warm welcome to the New Near 2025. The Sikh Sangat registered its presence in large numbers on the occasion. The Kirtan Darbar was organised by the local Sri Hemkunt Kirtan Sabha with the assistance of Bhai Dharwinder Singh, Manager of Darbar Sahib. Bhai Harbinder Singh Hari, president of the Kirtan Sabha, said that the Kirtan Darbar started from 6 pm last evening which lasted till midnight. The Bibi Bhani Kirtani Jatha, Bhai Sahilpreet Singh, Bhai Gursahib Singh, Bibi Manjit Kaur, Amritsar Kirtan Council and other jathas interacted with the Rabbi Bani (God’s utterance). Giani Rajdeep Singh Granthi from Sri Harmainde given proper diet as per the advice of experts. It has been made clear that patients who are not taking proper diet due to financial constraints should be provided with food every month by the district administration with the support of various commercial establishments, the District Red Cross Society and religious institutions and donors,” she said. Sahni said the aim is to make Amritsar the first district in the country to eliminate TB. “For this, we will invest whatever time, resources, money and energy is required,” she stressed. She instructed officials to map over 5,000 patients present in the district according to their residence so that keeping in mind their areas, the duty of ASHA workers or other employees can be assigned to provide medicine and food to such patients. She said such a system and means would be established as every patient can be sent a message on his mobile twice daily to take medicine and apart from this, when his food or medicine runs out, he should be given a continued on page 2 Man held with 1.1 kg of heroin Farmer unions tell govt to reject policy on agri marketing Tarn Taran, January 1 A team of the local CIA staff led by Sub-Inspector Tarsem Singh while on patrol in Khemkaran town arrested a car-borne person with 1.104 kg of heroin on Tuesday. Tarsem Singh said the accused has been identified as Subaj Singh, a resident of Kalas, a village situated close to the Indo-Pak border. Tarsem Singh said the accused had arranged the consignment from his Pakistan-based co-smugglers associates. He was waiting for a customer in the grain market at Khemkaran. Tarsem Singh has a close relationship with the Pakistanbased drug smugglers. The police took his car into their possession too. A case under Sections 21-C, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused who was produced in a court on Wednesday and the court remanded him in police custody for two days. — OC Amritsar, January 1 Leaders of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Sanyukt United Kisan Morcha have stated that farmers are gearing up to join the Delhi Morcha which had started on February 13 last year. The move comes as farmers and labourers across the country continue to demand better working conditions and fair prices for their produce. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, addressing the media after a meeting, stated that Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s hunger strike has entered its 37th day, but the government remains unresponsive. Pandher also announced that the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh would be celebrated at the Shambu border on January 6, with a decoration of the Diwan from 11 am to 2 pm., accompanied by a gathering. The meeting also discussed the Punjab government’s decision to pass a draft related to agricultural marketing policy, which the leaders alleged would hand over the agriculture market to private hands. Pandher emphasised that this decision should be rejected, and the Bhagwant Mann government should instead pass a vote in favour of the 12 demands of the movement. Pandher said a large number of people would join the Shambhu Morcha in the coming days, and the schedule for the Delhi march would be announced soon. The event was attended by prominent leaders, including Jaswinder Singh Longowal, Tejbir Singh Panjokhara Sahab and Manjit Singh Rai. — TNS A sea of devotees stand in queues to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple on the first day of the New Year in Amritsar on Wednesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Sahib, Amritsar, and Giani Satpal Singh, head granthi of Darbar Sahib, Tarn Taran, too delivered their messages to the Sangat in the Kirtan Darbar and prayed for the well-being of Sarbat Sangat (whole world). After the conclusion of the Kirtan Darbar, the sangat was distribute a ‘parshad’ of sweets and there was a rain of flowers. Meanwhile, people from all parts of the district visited religious places according to their faith in large numbers on the New Year, on Wednesday. The devotees served tealangar at different places in the district for the Sangat. Ranjit Avenue police station to be shifted to new building soon Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 1 The Ranjit Avenue police station, situated on the encroached footpath, is likely to be shifted to a new building. It will be shifted to a vacated residential house located in the Sewerage Board Colony soon, if police officials are to be believed. According to a police official, senior police officials have given the go-ahead to shift the police station. At present, a two-room temporary structure near the DBlock and E-Block intersection of the posh locality is insufficient as visitors hardly find any space to sit there. The one-room office of the Station House Officer and another congested room was used by other staff members. Besides, a small room was being used as a temporary lock-up for the arrested suspects. The building where the Ranjit Avenue police station is likely to be shifted in Amritsar on Wednesday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR A police official wishing not to be named said it had become very difficult to work in the congested rooms. Incidents of snatching, robbery, carjacking and brawls are the order of the day there. The police station witnesses a huge rush in case of any incident. Further, there were also a huge number of case property vehicles stashed on the adjoining footpath, which not only gave a shabby look but also became a nuisance. Residents had often complained about it. The official said a vacant government property in Sewerage Board Colony has been zeroed in for shifting the police station there. Soon, renovation work would start there. Beat winter chill with ‘Til Bhugga’ Will surge in student enrolment domestically last? Visa restrictions by Canada, Australia hit student intake but new international markets may open Neeraj Bagga Amritsar, January 1 The intensifying of winter has increased the sale of “Til Bhugga” (sweet made of sesame seeds and khoya). The holy city is a known centre for rolling out the high quality winter delicacy. Til Bhugga, a fudge made from sesame seeds, is a soft and delicious traditional Punjabi winter special sweet. As per tradition, it is usually given as gifts by families to their married daughters. A scrumptious and traditional sweet of Punjab prepared in the winter has found its way to the shelves of traditional sweetmeat makers. The sweet is available in the local markets from late November till early March, making it a novelty for the locals and visitors alike. With winter at its peak, it is surely catching the eyes of a lot of visitors. It is made of khoya, til and sugar. Khoya is fried in ghee and then a liberal splash of PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Tribune News Service Neha Saini Tribune News Service A shop owner displays bhugga in Amritsar on Wednesday. sesame seeds and dry fruit turn it into a delicacy. At present, Til Bhugga is available for Rs 500-Rs 700 per kilogram at various sweet shops in the city. “People have already started coming to our shop to purchase them. The traditional ‘bhugga’ caught the eyes of the visitors, said a worker of a famous popular sweets shop. Every year, residents can be seen enjoying the sweet. Swarpreet Kaur, who was buying bhugga for her family, said, “Her entire family whether aged or children, enjoy it for its soft texture. It is their favourite delicacy which is available for a limited period.” Kakku Halwai, a famous sweetmeat maker, said he does not take chances of buying khoya from the open market and prepares bhugga only from khoya made at his own shop. Amritsar, January 1 Strict student visa norms and scrutiny by Canada and Australia in the year 2024 turned the fortunes of private colleges in Punjab as they saw a surge in enrolments across all undergraduate courses. An unlikely thing to happen, the two most favourable countries for Punjabi students before 2024, tightened their student visa regulations, forcing many students from Punjab to put a check on their ‘foreign dreams’ and seek admission in local colleges. While this surprise hike in student enrolments in the state was welcomed by the c m y b educators and experts from the field, the bigger question is that if this increase in enrolment in higher education across the state could be maintained given the brakes on mass student migration to Canada and Australia, it could give a push to the struggling higher education institutions in the state. Meanwhile, GNDU vicechancellor Dr Karamjit Singh released the vision document for 2025, with focus on increasing the enrolment ratio in undergraduate and post-graduate courses. Aligning with the Government of India’s target to increase the gross enrolment ratio (GER) from 29.1 per cent to 50 per cent by 2035, the university will also launch online courses, distance education and skill development courses, targeting access to education for all. “We must see this increase in enrolments due to Canadian curbs as an opportunity to NO MORE ‘FOREIGN DREAMS’ An unlikely thing to happen, the two most favourable countries for Punjabi students before 2024, tightened their student visa regulations, forcing many students from Punjab to put a check on their 'foreign dreams' and seek admission in local colleges. address the gaps in the higher education sector in Punjab. The university plans to introduce new courses tailored to the evolving needs of society, including those focused on artificial intelligence (AI), entrepreneurship, and other industry-specific skills. GNDU will also invest in professional development programmes to enhance the capabilities of its educators. Once you make education accessible to all, catering to specific job-oriented needs, then you give students a chance for better employability and financial stability, which is the primary goal for any youngster,” Dr Karamjit Singh had shared. Dr Mehal Singh, principal, Khalsa College and vicechancellor, Khalsa University, too had addressed the issue, calling for adaptability and implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) guidelines as a tool towards checking this human resource drain. “NEP allowing multiple entry and exit, increasing scope of higher education with flexibility in degree programmes, is among the most viable tools of education that can retain our youth from migrating overseas. We have been encouraging the students to go for skill- based courses, increasing funds for research and development for STEM students. Strengthening the continued on page 2