Patiala, 
Dengue claimed two more lives at Rajindra Hospital here last night as fresh cases surfaced across the state.

The Health Department’s statistics show dengue claiming 17 (excluding two Patiala patients dying on Saturday night) lives. Unofficially, the toll was more.

While deputy director, Health (malaria), Dr Varinder Mohi claimed that there were 3,743 dengue positive cases in the state, Punjab Civil Services Medical Association (PCSMA) patron Dr M.S. Randhawa said the number of affected persons had crossed the mark of 25,000 and the situation was catastrophic.

Jasmail Kaur (60) of Bhadaur near Barnala and Surjan Singh of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Khanna, died due to the disease.

Most of the patients hailed from Patiala localities, including Mohindra Colony, Jandanwala Chowk, Yadavindra Colony, Samania Gate, Jaurian Bhattian, Tripri and Mehar Singh Colony. 

‘Globalisation has affected human sustainability’
Our Correspondent

Patiala,
Rapid process of convergence involving globalisation, privatisation and liberalisation have adversely affected the process of human sustainability in many ways. Such situation calls for the state intervention and strengthening of the related institutional framework.

This was the consensus emerged among top economists converged at the three-day international conference on “Sustainable Development”, organised by the Punjabi University's Centre for South-West Asia Study (CSWAS), in collaboration with Association of Asia Scholars. The conference concluded here today.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof G.K. Chadha, member, Prime Minister's economic advisory council and Professor Emeritus of JNU, New Delhi, said environmental crisis had strong connections with market-oriented development patterns.

The issues of undernourishment and resource-depletion were posing serious problems, while, the oil-syndrome, based on the geo-politics and economics, had disturbed the economic equilibrium, particularly, among the developing countries, he said.

Punjabi University vice-chancellor Dr Jaspal Singh said sustainability of capitalistic economic development, based on pure market-led forces, was facing a serious global recession. This had further added to the already prevalent high degree of diversity and economic development process. It required revamping of the policy processes to enhance the economic prosperity and overcome severe constraints in the light of increasing threat to food security and environment crisis. Political, economical and social systems, he said, needed to function in harmony so that diversity and development process could co-exist and prosper to deliver sustainable development.

Prof S.S. Gill, programme coordinator, CSWAS, said about one-fourth of world population had no access to safe drinking water. Three million people, he said, died because of pollution every year while global warming had disturbed the entire existence of many countries. The major challenge before Asia was the maintenance of balance between environment and development, Dr Gill added.

Dr. Lourdes G. Salvador, executive director, Asian Scholarship Foundation, Bangkok, emphasised upon the humanistic vision of development. Among those who presented their research papers included Dr Sukhpal Singh, IIM, Ahmedabad, Prof Surjit Singh, director, IDS, Jaipur; Xu Xiangyang from China; Munim K. Barai from Bangladesh; Anoma S.P. Abhayarantne from Sri Lanka; Kaushif -Ur- Rehman from Pakistan and Dr Simon Bishop from England.