Employees of Punjab Excise and Taxation Department and the State Forest Department have donated one day's salary to the state War Heroes Family Welfare Fund. Forest Minister Mohan Lal presented a cheque of Rs 2,66,126 to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, while the state Excise and Taxation employees collected an amount of Rs 5.88 lakh, an official release said here today.

UT Finance and Health Secretary Rakesh Singh and Health Services Director Joginder Singh presented a cheque of Rs two lakh to the Adviser to the UT Adminstrator Vineeta Rai here today, as contribution of Health Department employees. They also presented a cheque Rs 11,694, contributed by the staff of the UT Directorate of Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy, for this noble cause.

A delegation of Tubewell Corporation Employees Welfare Union handed over a draft of Rs 1,15,650 to Punjab Governor Lt Gen. (retd) B. K. N. Chhibber, here today. Members had donated one day's salaries towards the National Defence Fund for the welfare of families of Army personnel who had laid down their lives in Kargil.

The Chamber of Chandigarh Industries presented a draft of Rs 2,21,400 to the Adviser to be forwarded to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund.

Members of the Super Bazar Employees Union collected Rs 52,000 for the Army Central Welfare Fund. While handing over the amount to the Punjab Govenor, members urged that the money be used to provide health and medical facilities to the injured.

A cultural programme was organised in memory of Kargil martyrs at the Maloya Colony today. Colony residents also collected Rs 15,000 for the welfare the martyrs' families. The cheque was handed over to SDM (South), Ashish Kundra, who was the chief guest on the occasion.

City traffic warden donates Rs 10,000
A Traffic warden, Harjas Kaur, has donated a sum of Rs 10,000 for the cause of Kargil victims. In a letter to the UT Senior Superintendent of Police, she said that she was "contributing the amount on the occasion of my birthday". She also appealed to the public to contribute liberally to the cause of the soldiers "who have sacrificed their lives to make our future secure".