Varanasi: Search for ending discord and bringing about peace in the family led Rubina of Mubarakpur (Azamgarh) to Varanasi’s ‘Pishach-Mochan Kund (a pond where exorcism rites are performed) where, guided by a tantric baba, she offered pind (rice and kneaded flour) to restless souls. She had gone there along with her brother on the suggestion of a spiritualist. After offering meals and uttering some mantra, she took a bath in the pond and felt great relief. According to the tantric, not only Hindus but Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and even foreigners come to the place for spiritual treatment. He said that, however, it was for the first time many Muslims a Muslim woman had visited him. He said that such rites are performed to bring peace to a restless soul.
Friday, April 29, 2005
Nor’wester kills 22 in UP
Lucknow: Twenty-two people, including a child, were killed in separate incidents of fire and a house collapse when a powerful nor’wester swept through Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, reports our special correspondent.
Six persons died in Mainpuri, nine in Farukkabad, six in Azamgarh and a six-month-old child was killed in Bulandshar.
Six persons died in Mainpuri, nine in Farukkabad, six in Azamgarh and a six-month-old child was killed in Bulandshar.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
UP farm department draws CAG criticism
Press Trust Of India / Allahabad April 28, 2005
Financial mismanagement in the Uttar Pradesh agriculture department, resulting in stagnation in foodgrains output and areas under cultivation, has been detected by the Comptroller And Auditor General Of India (CAG).
According to the CAG, the state agriculture department has been plagued by overall financial mismanagement resulting in low foodgrain production and static cultivation area for the last three years, the CAG’s report for the fiscal ended March 31, 2003 said.
The report is highly critical of the heavy shortfall in the production of state agricultural farms, which it said were not functioning properly and earning receipts ranging between 40 and 57 per cent of the expenditure incurred on them during 1998-99 to 2000-01.
Besides, the report said, the department had obtained supplementary funds without assessing and ascertaining the actual requirements.
The department had also diverted Rs 8.38 crore central assistance towards the clearing of outstanding liabilities of state agriculture farms, it added. Grants received from the Centre for the implementation of various centrally-sponsored schemes also remained largely unutilised during 1997-2003, the report said.
The CAG has also been highly critical of the department’s distribution of seeds.
According to its report, during 2002-03, the state government suffered a Rs 7.19 crore loss due to the production of sub-standard seeds and another Rs 3.02 crore due to the excessive production of gram.
The report has also criticised the department of releasing subsidies of Rs 1.57 crore to suppliers of seeds without proper verification. Rs 1.27 crore had been advanced to one M/S Agro in 1996-97 towards subsidy against the supply of power tillers to farmers, which, till date , had not been refunded to the government, the report added.
Besides, injudicious fixation of procurement price of seeds had also led to an excess payment of Rs 2.96 crore in three crop years to Tarai Development Corporation and other seed supplying agencies, it said.
On the other hand, inadequate distribution of breeder and certified seeds hit the centrally-sponsored cotton development programme even though there was no paucity of funds, the report said, adding even the area under cultivation under the particular scheme declined from 8,771 hectares in 1997-98 to 4,887 hectares in 2001-02.
Manpower management is another area that has come up for criticism from the CAG. While as many as 2,377 group “D” officials were in excess, 1,298 operational posts remained vacant.
Unfruitful expenditure in redundant agriculture workshops is another weak point identified by the CAG report, which pointed out that Rs 3.29 crore had been blocked in the workshops at Azamgarh, Deoria, Ghazipur And Jaunpur, even though they had stopped functioning since May 1995.
Financial mismanagement in the Uttar Pradesh agriculture department, resulting in stagnation in foodgrains output and areas under cultivation, has been detected by the Comptroller And Auditor General Of India (CAG).
According to the CAG, the state agriculture department has been plagued by overall financial mismanagement resulting in low foodgrain production and static cultivation area for the last three years, the CAG’s report for the fiscal ended March 31, 2003 said.
The report is highly critical of the heavy shortfall in the production of state agricultural farms, which it said were not functioning properly and earning receipts ranging between 40 and 57 per cent of the expenditure incurred on them during 1998-99 to 2000-01.
Besides, the report said, the department had obtained supplementary funds without assessing and ascertaining the actual requirements.
The department had also diverted Rs 8.38 crore central assistance towards the clearing of outstanding liabilities of state agriculture farms, it added. Grants received from the Centre for the implementation of various centrally-sponsored schemes also remained largely unutilised during 1997-2003, the report said.
The CAG has also been highly critical of the department’s distribution of seeds.
According to its report, during 2002-03, the state government suffered a Rs 7.19 crore loss due to the production of sub-standard seeds and another Rs 3.02 crore due to the excessive production of gram.
The report has also criticised the department of releasing subsidies of Rs 1.57 crore to suppliers of seeds without proper verification. Rs 1.27 crore had been advanced to one M/S Agro in 1996-97 towards subsidy against the supply of power tillers to farmers, which, till date , had not been refunded to the government, the report added.
Besides, injudicious fixation of procurement price of seeds had also led to an excess payment of Rs 2.96 crore in three crop years to Tarai Development Corporation and other seed supplying agencies, it said.
On the other hand, inadequate distribution of breeder and certified seeds hit the centrally-sponsored cotton development programme even though there was no paucity of funds, the report said, adding even the area under cultivation under the particular scheme declined from 8,771 hectares in 1997-98 to 4,887 hectares in 2001-02.
Manpower management is another area that has come up for criticism from the CAG. While as many as 2,377 group “D” officials were in excess, 1,298 operational posts remained vacant.
Unfruitful expenditure in redundant agriculture workshops is another weak point identified by the CAG report, which pointed out that Rs 3.29 crore had been blocked in the workshops at Azamgarh, Deoria, Ghazipur And Jaunpur, even though they had stopped functioning since May 1995.
Friday, April 22, 2005
No homecoming for him
Tanvir Siddiqui
Ahmedabad, April 21: He was to return home to his family after being on duty for 60 days. But what came home was his body. Om Prakash Singh, a Western Railway employee was killed when the Sabarmati Express rammed into a goods train on Thursday morning. A pall of gloom decended on Suryakiran Society in Ghodasar where 45-year-old Singh, an AC coach attendant on Sabarmati Express, lived with his small family.
A native of Mau tehsil in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh district, Singh lived in his modest tenement with wife Shanti, 22-year-old son Sanjay, daughter in-law Seema and two-year-old granddaughter Khushi.
Singh, who earlier lived in Khokhra railway colony, had moved to his new house only a year ago.
On receiving the news of his father’s death, Sanjay immediately left for Vadodara with his employer leaving a message for Seema that he had to rush for an urgent work. But long before his return at around 4 pm, women of the house had been informed through others.
The news was too shocking for the family to take. There was no relative to console the grieving family. Sanjay, who had gone through the ordeal of seeing Singh’s body in the post-mortem room of SSG Hospital, suffered a seizure on reaching home and lost consciousness. Kushi looked around bewildered as neighbours gathered in large numbers for paying their condolences.
Harishchandra Singh, a neighbour, said that Singh had planned a vacation with his family in Mau. He was very happy and had also got the rail tickets reserved. The Singhs were to leave for Mau on April 26, but fate had something else in store for them.
“The trauma is too much for Om Prakash’s family to take. The last rites will be performed in his nativ village,” said Harishchandra who is lucky to have his sister, her husband and their two children — travelling in the ill-fated train — arrive home safe. Harishchandra too hails from the same village as Om Prakash.
“They rang me up early morning about the accident and said that they were all safe,” he said adding that the grief of losing a loving neighbour overcame that joy.
Ahmedabad, April 21: He was to return home to his family after being on duty for 60 days. But what came home was his body. Om Prakash Singh, a Western Railway employee was killed when the Sabarmati Express rammed into a goods train on Thursday morning. A pall of gloom decended on Suryakiran Society in Ghodasar where 45-year-old Singh, an AC coach attendant on Sabarmati Express, lived with his small family.
A native of Mau tehsil in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh district, Singh lived in his modest tenement with wife Shanti, 22-year-old son Sanjay, daughter in-law Seema and two-year-old granddaughter Khushi.
Singh, who earlier lived in Khokhra railway colony, had moved to his new house only a year ago.
On receiving the news of his father’s death, Sanjay immediately left for Vadodara with his employer leaving a message for Seema that he had to rush for an urgent work. But long before his return at around 4 pm, women of the house had been informed through others.
The news was too shocking for the family to take. There was no relative to console the grieving family. Sanjay, who had gone through the ordeal of seeing Singh’s body in the post-mortem room of SSG Hospital, suffered a seizure on reaching home and lost consciousness. Kushi looked around bewildered as neighbours gathered in large numbers for paying their condolences.
Harishchandra Singh, a neighbour, said that Singh had planned a vacation with his family in Mau. He was very happy and had also got the rail tickets reserved. The Singhs were to leave for Mau on April 26, but fate had something else in store for them.
“The trauma is too much for Om Prakash’s family to take. The last rites will be performed in his nativ village,” said Harishchandra who is lucky to have his sister, her husband and their two children — travelling in the ill-fated train — arrive home safe. Harishchandra too hails from the same village as Om Prakash.
“They rang me up early morning about the accident and said that they were all safe,” he said adding that the grief of losing a loving neighbour overcame that joy.
Car runs over factory guard
Express News Service
Chandigarh, April 21: A SECURITY guard at the factory of Bhusan Industries in Industrial Area-I, who was hit by the car of a senior company official on Wednesday, died today morning. The official, meanwhile, is absconding.
Dudhnath, 72, was hit by the Maruti 800, being reversed by assistant general manager (AGM) Praveen Bansal at about 7.15 am. He was standing at the main gate. Dudhnath banged against the gate and received injuries on the head. He was rushed to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) at Sector 32.
Dudhnath’s body would undergo post-mortem on Friday. He was from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh and is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son. His wife will arrive in Chandigarh tomorrow.
The police have booked Bansal.
Chandigarh, April 21: A SECURITY guard at the factory of Bhusan Industries in Industrial Area-I, who was hit by the car of a senior company official on Wednesday, died today morning. The official, meanwhile, is absconding.
Dudhnath, 72, was hit by the Maruti 800, being reversed by assistant general manager (AGM) Praveen Bansal at about 7.15 am. He was standing at the main gate. Dudhnath banged against the gate and received injuries on the head. He was rushed to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) at Sector 32.
Dudhnath’s body would undergo post-mortem on Friday. He was from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh and is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son. His wife will arrive in Chandigarh tomorrow.
The police have booked Bansal.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Madarsas still iffy about UP govt
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2005 12:22:45 AM ]
Sign into earnIndiatimes points LUCKNOW: Numbers unfortunately deal severe blows to popular images. Chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav would know it too well as his image of 'Maulana' took a beating as the report card was read out. Sample this: registered madarasas in Bihar and MP - 3700 and 3000 respectively, according to union government's statistic. Uttar Pradesh, which under the present regime claims to be the champion of the minority's cause, has a paltry 1100.
Factually however the total number of madarsas in the state are much more than 16,000 but most don't want to get registered and enjoy government's patronage. So far the Mulayam government could do little to convince them. Union state minister for HRD MM Fatimi, exposed the failure of the government during his recent visit. Embarrassed enough, the government now is going all out to rope in the reluctant madrasas in the mainstream Education for All (EFA) project. Attractively illustrated text books in Urdu, teaching and learning material (TLM) and a concerted campaign by religious figures promoting it's agenda, the mission is to woo the minority institutions for EFA project this year. The department of Minority Welfare and Waqf has in collaboration with the UNICEF has already begun taken up the job of "jazzing up the textbooks" says Mohammed Mustafa . "The agency has offered to prepare mathematics and science kits, rework and illustrate all text books and also provide TLM to support the project at the "Tahtaniya" ( primary ) level", the official told the TNN on Tuesday. The books should be ready by next month Mustafa claimed, after a scrutiny by a select team of officials and their final clearance.
The government also plans a massive awareness drive to enlist public support to the venture. Already the Board with the help of state primary education department, proposes to hold a meeting with the select prominent opinion makers from the minority community from key districts like Azamgarh, Saharan pur, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad, Ghazipur, Mau, Rai- Bareli and Lucknow and to win over their confidence .
Mulayam government had passed the Madrasas Education Act in September 2004. The act proposes to set up board of Madrasas education for improving the standards of these institutes and to ensure their smooth functioning.
While the body , could take a little while to come into existence the initiative by the government has come as a big incentive to the Madrasas that were regarded with suspicion and were totally cut off during the former regimes sources confide.
If successful, the move could lead to a big boost to the EFA says secretary JS Deepak even as Mustafa hopes that the efforts will prove to be successful long last.
Sign into earnIndiatimes points LUCKNOW: Numbers unfortunately deal severe blows to popular images. Chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav would know it too well as his image of 'Maulana' took a beating as the report card was read out. Sample this: registered madarasas in Bihar and MP - 3700 and 3000 respectively, according to union government's statistic. Uttar Pradesh, which under the present regime claims to be the champion of the minority's cause, has a paltry 1100.
Factually however the total number of madarsas in the state are much more than 16,000 but most don't want to get registered and enjoy government's patronage. So far the Mulayam government could do little to convince them. Union state minister for HRD MM Fatimi, exposed the failure of the government during his recent visit. Embarrassed enough, the government now is going all out to rope in the reluctant madrasas in the mainstream Education for All (EFA) project. Attractively illustrated text books in Urdu, teaching and learning material (TLM) and a concerted campaign by religious figures promoting it's agenda, the mission is to woo the minority institutions for EFA project this year. The department of Minority Welfare and Waqf has in collaboration with the UNICEF has already begun taken up the job of "jazzing up the textbooks" says Mohammed Mustafa . "The agency has offered to prepare mathematics and science kits, rework and illustrate all text books and also provide TLM to support the project at the "Tahtaniya" ( primary ) level", the official told the TNN on Tuesday. The books should be ready by next month Mustafa claimed, after a scrutiny by a select team of officials and their final clearance.
The government also plans a massive awareness drive to enlist public support to the venture. Already the Board with the help of state primary education department, proposes to hold a meeting with the select prominent opinion makers from the minority community from key districts like Azamgarh, Saharan pur, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad, Ghazipur, Mau, Rai- Bareli and Lucknow and to win over their confidence .
Mulayam government had passed the Madrasas Education Act in September 2004. The act proposes to set up board of Madrasas education for improving the standards of these institutes and to ensure their smooth functioning.
While the body , could take a little while to come into existence the initiative by the government has come as a big incentive to the Madrasas that were regarded with suspicion and were totally cut off during the former regimes sources confide.
If successful, the move could lead to a big boost to the EFA says secretary JS Deepak even as Mustafa hopes that the efforts will prove to be successful long last.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Pankaj Kapur denies MRITAK
By Manisha Deshpande
Actor Pankaj Kapur has denied having been signed to play the title role of RAM BIHARI MRITAK, in Satish Kaushik's film of the same name. A section of the press had recently reported that Kaushik had confirmed Pankaj Kapur in place of Anil Kapoor, his earlier choice for the role of Ram Bihari, "It was news to me when I read this particular story. It is a case of bad journalism. The truth is that I haven't even read the script of RAM BIHARI MRITAK nor am I aware of what the film is all about. I have no knowledge about Anil Kapoor having been approached to play the role until I read it in the news," Kapur revealed. According to him, Satish Kaushik had spoken to him on a couple of occasions in the past and expressed his desire to work with him. "But we did not meet ever since," Kapur disclosed. It may be recalled that RAM BIHARI MRITAK is Kaushik's first serious attempt to break away from the norms of commercial cinema. The story of the film is based on the life of a man in Azamgarh, UP, who was declared dead by his family more than 20 years ago and has been fighting against the system to prove his existence ever since. Ram Bihari learnt of his own death only when he applied for a loan in a bank and saw the stamp of 'MRITAK', against his name. Kaushik had recently revealed that he was planning to have a very theatrical format for the film, which he planned to complete shooting in a period of 40 days.
Actor Pankaj Kapur has denied having been signed to play the title role of RAM BIHARI MRITAK, in Satish Kaushik's film of the same name. A section of the press had recently reported that Kaushik had confirmed Pankaj Kapur in place of Anil Kapoor, his earlier choice for the role of Ram Bihari, "It was news to me when I read this particular story. It is a case of bad journalism. The truth is that I haven't even read the script of RAM BIHARI MRITAK nor am I aware of what the film is all about. I have no knowledge about Anil Kapoor having been approached to play the role until I read it in the news," Kapur revealed. According to him, Satish Kaushik had spoken to him on a couple of occasions in the past and expressed his desire to work with him. "But we did not meet ever since," Kapur disclosed. It may be recalled that RAM BIHARI MRITAK is Kaushik's first serious attempt to break away from the norms of commercial cinema. The story of the film is based on the life of a man in Azamgarh, UP, who was declared dead by his family more than 20 years ago and has been fighting against the system to prove his existence ever since. Ram Bihari learnt of his own death only when he applied for a loan in a bank and saw the stamp of 'MRITAK', against his name. Kaushik had recently revealed that he was planning to have a very theatrical format for the film, which he planned to complete shooting in a period of 40 days.
Hakeem Ayyub
Hakeem Muhammad Ayyub Nadwi, popularly known as "Hakeem Ayyub" or "Dr Ayyub" passed away on 22 October in his native town of Bilaryaganj which is now on the world map because of Jami'atul Falah in whose establishment he played a crucial role and remained a member of its administrative and central bodies to his last day. He was buried next day in his native graveyard after janaza prayers attended by thousands of people. He was about 80 years old at the time of his sad demise.
Hakeem Ayyub hugging Zafarul-Islam Khan duringa visit to Bilaryaganj in 2000 .For over five decades Hakeem Ayyub was perhaps the most popular physician of eastern Uttar Pradesh who took great care of his patients and treated many of them free of cost. He earned a lot but most of his wealth went to charity and good work of the community. His exemplary care and moral character won many non-Muslims to Islam.He was a Unani physician but dared to experiment boldly with allopathic and herbal medicines and was able to offer treatment for many ailments which even allopathic doctors failed to cure. His clinic in Bilaryaganj was always overcrowded with patients from various parts of eastern UP. Dozens at any time could be seen sleeping on the floors of the clinic as they could not afford hotels or return to their far-flung villages.In his early life Hakeem Ayyub was attached to Jami'atul Ulama. Later he was attracted by the Jama'at-e Islami for which he suffered whenever the government persecuted the Jama'at. He went to jail in 1975 along with other JIH leaders.Hakeem Ayyub wrote two books in Urdu, one is Mu'alajaati mushahadaat about his medical experiments and how he innovated treatment using cheap allopathic drugs and how he learnt from hundreds of thousands of patients who visited him with different ailments. In one of his articles he said, "Anyone who does not have the sense to study and observe, is either bereft of brain or insane."His other book is Ek Fikri Fasad in refutation of a book by Maulana 'Inayatullah Subhani in which the latter rejected Rajm (death by stoning) for married adulterers as a legitimate punishment in Islam. Hakeem Ayyub was opposed to this interpretation and felt strongly to the point that he wrote a book on the subject.I saw him riding his impressive motorcycle in and around Azamgarh in early 1960s, going from village to village to see patients who could not visit him for one reason or another. Soon he acquired a foreign motor car which was a novelty for Azamgarh where MBBS doctors could not afford even Indian-made vehicles. His worldly success never went to his head. He left behind five sons and two daughters. His wife had died a few years ago. Hakeem Ayyub was ever a simple, sincere, faithful and truthful person - the like of whom I used to see in my village during childhood. Such people no longer walk on our Earth and Hakeem Ayyub may have been one of the very last of such selfless and simple souls who blessed our land.
Hakeem Ayyub hugging Zafarul-Islam Khan duringa visit to Bilaryaganj in 2000 .For over five decades Hakeem Ayyub was perhaps the most popular physician of eastern Uttar Pradesh who took great care of his patients and treated many of them free of cost. He earned a lot but most of his wealth went to charity and good work of the community. His exemplary care and moral character won many non-Muslims to Islam.He was a Unani physician but dared to experiment boldly with allopathic and herbal medicines and was able to offer treatment for many ailments which even allopathic doctors failed to cure. His clinic in Bilaryaganj was always overcrowded with patients from various parts of eastern UP. Dozens at any time could be seen sleeping on the floors of the clinic as they could not afford hotels or return to their far-flung villages.In his early life Hakeem Ayyub was attached to Jami'atul Ulama. Later he was attracted by the Jama'at-e Islami for which he suffered whenever the government persecuted the Jama'at. He went to jail in 1975 along with other JIH leaders.Hakeem Ayyub wrote two books in Urdu, one is Mu'alajaati mushahadaat about his medical experiments and how he innovated treatment using cheap allopathic drugs and how he learnt from hundreds of thousands of patients who visited him with different ailments. In one of his articles he said, "Anyone who does not have the sense to study and observe, is either bereft of brain or insane."His other book is Ek Fikri Fasad in refutation of a book by Maulana 'Inayatullah Subhani in which the latter rejected Rajm (death by stoning) for married adulterers as a legitimate punishment in Islam. Hakeem Ayyub was opposed to this interpretation and felt strongly to the point that he wrote a book on the subject.I saw him riding his impressive motorcycle in and around Azamgarh in early 1960s, going from village to village to see patients who could not visit him for one reason or another. Soon he acquired a foreign motor car which was a novelty for Azamgarh where MBBS doctors could not afford even Indian-made vehicles. His worldly success never went to his head. He left behind five sons and two daughters. His wife had died a few years ago. Hakeem Ayyub was ever a simple, sincere, faithful and truthful person - the like of whom I used to see in my village during childhood. Such people no longer walk on our Earth and Hakeem Ayyub may have been one of the very last of such selfless and simple souls who blessed our land.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
Express News Service Lucknow, August 23: While the jailer of Azamgarh jail Deep Sagar Singh (42 yrs) breathed his last in a hospital at Vara...
-
2005-05-12 - Organic India Six Stress-Relieving, Energizing & Delicious Blends that are “Good for You – Good for the Planet” (Boulder, ...
