678 Gentleman Cadets pass out of IMA

Gentlemen cadets of the Indian Military Academy
 rejoice after the passing-out parade in Dehradun on Saturday. 

Dehradun, June 9

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma has exhorted Gentleman Cadets (GCs) not to rest on their laurels and asserted that perseverance is an essential prerequisite to success.

Admiral Verma was addressing the GCs at the Indian Military Academy’s spring term 2012 passing-out parade in Dehradun today in the capacity of reviewing officer.

As many as 657 GCs and 21 foreign GCs from friendly countries - Afghanistan, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Tajikistan and Tonga - passed out from the IMA here. The parade was witnessed by military and civil dignitaries, relatives and friends of the newly commissioned officers??.

Earlier, the Gentlemen Cadets marched at the drill square in the backdrop of the majestic Chetwode Building. They marched to the tunes of ‘Col Bogey’ and ‘Sare Jahan Se Achcha’ and put up an excellent show before the gathering.

Admiral Nirmal Verma said life was too long to rest on past laurels. “Today is not the end. It is the beginning of your training and education as officers of the Indian Army.

“After you take the ‘final step’ and pass through the Chetwode Hall today, life as you know it, will change forever - bringing new responsibilities, new challenges, new hardships and new horizons,” he said.

Haritima, first organic restaurant of India, opens at Tera Gaon

 

Mussoorie, June 8
The efforts of Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board (UOCB) to make organic food popular among the connoisseurs of taste have finally yielded results in the state with the opening of Haritima, the first organic certified restaurant in the country, at Tera Gaon, Shastra Dhara, near Dehradun.

Haritima, the brand identity for the organic food, conceptualised by UOCB after the research of more than a decade, ably supported by Dev Rishi Educational Society, Tera Gaon, Renaissance Hotel Management Institute, and Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, was inaugurated by Agriculture Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani on World Environment Day.

The Agriculture Minister, speaking on the occasion, said that it was indeed a historic day for the state and commended the efforts of all the organisations involved in it. The minister further said that the government was also planning to open such green restaurants in other towns of the state where the traditional cuisine would be served using organic produce. More than 45,000 organic farmers would benefit from this project, added Agriculture Minister Mantra Prasad Naithani.

The UOCB programme manager Binita Shah, speaking to The Tribune, said that presently the restaurant would be serving local items, namely roasted pumpkin and corn soup, three bean salad and Navrangi salad.

In snacks the local dishes such as badeel, tofu kebab, pahari chilla and mandua kathi roll will be served. In the main course bugyali kofta curry, hariyali tofu, bhang methi, gahat ka paratha, buckwheat chilla, and tofu paratha accompanied with walnut chutney, apricot chutney, pyaaz ki chutney and til ki chutney are being served. In bakery items breads, fruitcakes, finger millet and Amaranth cookies, finger millet, fruit cakes and buckwheat breads are available at the restaurant. She further said that for beverages buraansh (rhododendron) margarita, mango shake with hemp milk, apple mojito and kafal (berry) kamikaze will be served. Binita Shah said that with the increase in the popularity, more items prepared from the organic produce will be included in the culinary, for which they have entered into arrangements with the farmers directly so that there is no shortage of raw material at any cost.

The food lovers would thoroughly enjoy the taste of desserts prepared from jhangora barn yard, millet ki kheer, himkhand and bread in finger millet sauce, added Shah.

Elaborating further, she said that the whole objective of opening such restaurant was to introduce highly nutritional varieties of organic food in a way that is more palatable and promoting the traditional food items of the state. Binita Shah further said that the business community involved in hospitality industry should come forward in incorporating this business model, aptly named Haritima, so that more than 45,000 farmers involved in organic farming are kept motivated, thus re-kindling the interest towards traditional farming in them and also assisting in curbing the migration from the hills, added Binita Shah. The technical manager, Amit Srivasatava, said that they were also planning to open one such restaurant in Mussoorie so that the tourists from around the world can savour the taste of the traditional food items prepared using organic methods.

CYBER CRIME

Mohali couple arrested for stealing software

Chandigarh, June 8
The cyber cell of the UT police today arrested a Mohali couple for copying a software developed by a company and selling the duplicate to dealers abroad, causing losses to the company.

Acting on the complaint of Sanjay Aggarwal, a Manimajra resident, the police today arrested Rajat Basin and his wife Taranjot, residents of Phase VI, Mohali.

Inspector Sri Parkash, in charge of the cyber cell, said the couple was employed with a company in the IT park. They allegedly stole a code of the software developed by the company for sale to dealers in the US. The software pertained to a driving school. They then created a duplicate software and sold it to dealers in the US. The police had registered a case on May 29.

Determination Inspires

Chandigarh, June 8
Students of Institute for Blind, Sector 26, have come out with flying colours yet again in the Class XII examination conducted by the Punjab School Education Board, the result of which was declared today.

The school has achieved 100 per cent result, with a majority of students scoring above 70 per cent.

While Vikram Goyal stood first with 81.6 per cent, Poonam and Amod Sharma shared second position with 81.3 per cent. Abhishek Kumar got 80.5 per cent and stood third.

Manjit Kaur, mother of Amrinder Singh, one of the meritorious students of the school, who had come to thank his teachers, said, "My son is specially abled as he has left many students behind. He has always excelled in studies and we are happy with his achievement."

International day against drug abuse

Chandigarh, June 8
Various activities, including lectures, cultural programmes and plays will be held at various anganwari centres, schools, colleges and institutions on International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26. During a meeting held by the department of social welfare here today, it was decided that programmes aiming at sensitising people against the ill-effects of drug abuse would be held.

Anti-encroachment drive: 105 challaned

Chandigarh, June 8
The municipal corporation enforcement wing today removed encroachments from Shastri Market in Sector 22. During the drive, 105 challans were issued to violators. The enforcement team seized tables, counters, chairs, folding beds, pharies, chicks, cylinders, rehires, toys, trunks, ply, plastic pipes and juice machines. The officials also impounded a Tata Sumo, a Zen car and an Indica car.

MC refuses to impose house tax

Chandigarh, June 8
Cutting across party lines, members of the house tax assessment committee today unanimously rejected the proposal of the imposition of house tax and enhancement of commercial tax in the city. During an interaction with the media here today, committee chairman Sat Parkash Aggarwal said it was decided that neither house tax would be imposed in the city nor would commercial tax be revised as directed by the UT Administration.

Objecting to the delay in the payment of a matching grant of property tax, which the Administration had assured in 2004 when commercial tax was imposed by the corporation, he stated that the Administration had to pay Rs 48 crore since 2004. He said even after several reminders, the Administration had not released the funds to date. Hence, they could not impose a new tax.

Clueless about the norms of getting JNNRUM grant, Aggarwal said the corporation was "rich" and there was no need for any kind of grant from the Administration or the Centre to implement development projects in the city.

He said directions had been given to officials to conduct a fresh survey about commercial buildings and impose property tax on it. The committee also asked about the details of habitual defaulters of property tax and instructed the department to take stringent action to recover pending tax from them.

MC Additional Commissioner Lalit Siwach said a communication was being sent to the Administration to release the pending share of the matching grant of property tax. He said the Administration would also be apprised of the decision of the house tax assessment committee and the decision would be tabled in the forthcoming meeting of the House.

"Ignoring" the fact if the committee has any power to reject the imposition of new tax, vice-chairman of the committee MP Kohli said the committee could pass the resolution and send it to the Administration for consideration.

He said the grant which the Administration would get from JNNRUM would not only be utilised by the corporation, but also other departments. Commercial property tax was imposed by the corporation when there was a financial crunch, but now as the financial position had improved, there was no need to impose any new tax to generate funds.

The committee also directed the officials to prepare a detailed report on the share of grant-in-aid received from the Administration in the past.