Harjot Bains orders online attendance of govt school students

Chandigarh:  Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Saturday instructed to start an online attendance system for students of government schools from December 15, 2023. While issuing an order in this regard to the officials of the Education Department, the Minister said that all the necessary requirements regarding online attendance should be completed by December 12. He said that information regarding absentee students will be sent to the parents every day through SMS on their registered mobile numbers. He said that efforts have been initiated by the state government to equip the government schools of Punjab with top-notch facilities and ultra-modern service tools.

Punjab Ex-servicemen squat on rail tracks in Patiala

Patiala: A group of ex-servicemen squatted on railway tracks at Shambhu railway station in this district on Saturday when they were stopped from heading to Delhi for a protest over alleged anomalies in the 'One Rank One Pension' (OROP) scheme. The protest has affected the rail movement on this section, Government Railway Police (GRP) officials said.  Some of the ex-servicemen, who were protesting at the railway station, said they were headed to the national capital early Saturday morning through various modes of transport when they were stopped by  the police from entering Haryana via the Shambhu border. A GRP official said the movement of trains going towards Delhi, Jammu and Amritsar has been affected due to the protest. District administration authorities and police were trying to persuade the ex-servicemen to lift their dharna, the officials said.

Nine vehicles damaged in three pile-ups in Punjab’s Ludhiana

Ludhiana: Nine vehicles were damaged in three instances of pile-ups on the Ludhiana-Delhi national highway here on Saturday. The visibility was low near Dehru village, where the crashes took place, in the morning due to foggy weather conditions, police said. The vehicles involved in the pile-up included a school bus, a tractor-trolley, and cars. Poor visibility due to dense fog was the main cause of the accidents, police added. No one was seriously injured in the pile-up and the commuters left for their respective destinations after some time.

Fortis Mohali organizes awareness sessions on responsible use of antibiotics

Mohali: To encourage best practices among the general public, health workers and policymakers to stop the further emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant infections, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, observed World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW). The theme for World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) is ‘Preventing antimicrobial resistance together’. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites that cause diseases, stop responding to medicines. This is because the body becomes more prone to common infections and increases the risk of severe illness and even death. The misuse and overuse of antibiotics, the sharing of left-over antimicrobials further contribute to resistance. An informative talk was organised for the nursing staff on Day 1, wherein they were briefed on the spread of drug-resistant infections. Dr Shivani Juneja Bedi, Associate Consultant, Pharmacology, Fortis Mohali, sensitized the staff on the responsible use of antibiotics. A public awareness session on the ‘Role of antibiotics in healthcare’ was also held.