Maximum temperature dips in Punjab, Haryana
Chandigarh: Maximum temperatures on Friday remained below normal by several notches in Punjab and Haryana following a spell of heavy rain lashing various parts of both the states. Chandigarh had a high of 35.8 deg Celsius, down by three notches below normal, Met department said here. Ambala in Haryana recorded maximum at 36.1 deg C, down by three degrees. Mercury in Hisar went down sharply by six notches below normal as it settled at 35 deg C. Bhiwani and Karnal had a high of 36.6 deg C and 36 deg C respectively. In Punjab, ludhiana and Patiala recorded maximum at 35 deg C and 35.9 deg C respectively while Amritsar had a high of 35.8 deg C down by 4 notches below normal. The Met department in its forecast said heavy rain may lash isolated places in Punjab and Haryana.
Hooda approves proposal for SC Houses
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has approved the proposal to double the financial assistance being given to Scheduled Castes and Denotified Tribes under 'Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Housing Scheme' for repair of houses. Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Minister, Geeta Bhukkal said that this amount has now been enhanced from Rs.10,000 to Rs.20,000 for repair of houses.
HUDA constructing 9728 houses
Chandigarh: Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is constructing 9728 houses at a cost of Rs 349.41 crore for economically weaker sections of the society in different cities of the State. A spokesman of the HUDA said that these four-storey flats are being constructed under a scheme known as 'Ashiana'. Out of the total, 7352 houses have been constructed at an estimated expenditure of Rs 259.44 crore. A total of 2027 flats have been constructed in Panchkula at a cost of about Rs 64.78 crores, 3080 such flats have been constructed in Faridabad with an expenditure of Rs 113.55 crore. Similarly, 560 houses have been built in Gurgaon at a cost of Rs 20.64 crore and 1640 in Ambala at a cost of Rs 60.47 crore.
High rate of low birth weight babies
Bathinda: The doctors at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Bathinda said that India has the highest incidence of low birth weight (lBW) and nearly 7.5 million such babies are added annually. They informed that in Bathinda out of the total babies born, 15 percent were lBW babies. Increasing numbers of premature and low birth weight infants were the leading cause for the high infant mortality and neonatal mortality rates in Bathinda. Dr Gaurav Garg and Dr Neeraj Ahuja, Neonatologist and Child Specialists at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Bathinda informed that while low birth weight (lBW) infants constituted only 14% of the total live births in Bathinda, but they accounted for 60-80% of the total neonatal deaths. The trends indicated lower weight of baby girls than boys, first born infants were lighter than subsequent infants and twins weigh less than single born, they pointed out.
Swaraj 825 XM tractor in Punjab
Chandigarh: The Swaraj Division of Mahindra & Mahindra, ltd.'s (M&M ltd.) Farm Equipment Sector, on Friday launched its new tractor model, the Swaraj 825 XM in Punjab. It is a 25HP category, single cylinder powerful tractor with road speed of 30.5 km / hour. It has a water cooled engine and boasts of greater pulling and load carrying capacity. The branding XM stands for “Xtra Mileage” and denotes the new fuel efficient engine used in this product category. Sanjeev Goyle, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra &Mahindra ltd. said, “Punjab being one of the key agricultural states, it is vital that we provide farmers with solutions to enhance farm productivity with comfort in a cost effective way.”
Hooda meets councillors from Rohtak
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda called upon newly elected councillors of Municipal Corporation, Rohtak to work together for the development of the city. He congratulated the newly elected Congress backed Councillors of Rohtak Municipal Corporation, who had called on him at Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi. He asked them to work hard and give good performance. These councillors said that they had won the elections, because of the welfare policies and the development works undertaken by the Congress government in the State.