The Health Department may claim to have covered 97.78 per cent population of the state in the door-to-door cancer headcount drive, but in Faridkot the discrepancy between the cases reported in the survey and the number of patients under treatment at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital (GGSMCH) has raised doubts about the survey’s credibility.

As per the survey, there are 785 cancer patients in Faridkot, which has a population of 6.18 lakh. However, in the oncology department of the GGSMCH, 818 patients from Faridkot district are getting treatment for the disease.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has expressed its dissatisfaction over Punjab Urban Planning and Development authorities' short reply on the issue of depleting groundwater in the state. It has now asked all the respondents to file comprehensive replies.

As the PIL filed by advocate HC Arora came up for resumed hearing before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain, PUDA submitted a short reply in the court itself.

The management of the Ropar Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant has decided to shut one of its six generation units from today due to shortage of coal. Sources said the plant management was left with coal stock for just 11 days.

The 1,260 MW thermal plant has six units of 210 MW each. As an emergency measure, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has asked the plant management to shut down one of the units. Unit No. 3 would be shut down at 10 pm. It would be made operational on February 3, the sources said.

In 2009, a government survey had counted 7,738 people living with cancer across Punjab. Now that a fresh survey has counted 23,874, over three times as high, the government has acknowledged the need to identify the causes and tackle what is clearly a menace.

"Fresh studies will have to be undertaken, especially for areas where cancer incidence is high," says Health Minister Madan Mohan Mittal. The nearly 24,000 cases detected was in addition to over 33,000 deaths from cancer-related causes in the last five years — around 18 a day — and 84,453 people who showed cancer-like symptoms but who hadn't yet been diagnosed with the disease.

Political rhetoric about the upswing in Punjab’s economy aside, the state has slipped from sixth spot to twelfth in six years as per the latest edition of the Economic Freedom Index (EFI).

While the percentage of migratory birds which arrived at Harike wetland this year has gone down by almost 30 per cent, the number of species spotted has gone up by six.

Cancer patients and those identified with cancer symptoms will undergo a check-up in the next four months so that treatment, where desired, can be started immediately.

Confirming Punjab government's worst fears, a door-to-door survey of the health department — covering almost 98 per cent of the state's population — has found that the incidence of cancer is higher than national and international average.

When compared to World Health Organisartion's point of reference — 80 affected among a population of one lakh — Punjab's survey discovered that 90 in a population of one lakh were suffering from cancer.

The survey covered 97.78 per cent of the population

In a one-of-its-kind census conducted by Punjab’s Health & Family Welfare Ministry in coordination with the World Health Organisation, major medical institutions, non-government organisations and social activists it has been revealed that while 33,318 people died of cancer in the past five years, another 23,874 are still afflicted with the disease. The details of the “State-wide cancer awareness and symptom-based early detection door-to-door campaign” were released by Punjab Health Minister Madan Mohan Mittal here on Monday.

State to benefit as Centre plans to hike its share

The Union Government proposes to reward states that levy charges for canal water supply to the farm sector. Official sources said that the Centre would contribute an equal amount to what would be collected by the state government as water charges from the farmers. Punjab is one of the states that provide canal water free of cost to the farmers. Earlier, the state government used to levy “abiyana” on the farmers but it was abolished some years ago.