The members of the Maharashtra Veej Kamgar Sangh, INTUC and the MSEB Worker's Federation are expected to participate in the strike, to press for implementation of a pension scheme, subsistence allowance for famillies of dead MSEB employees, house rent, city compensatory allowance and the exclusion of ESI scheme for the MSEB.

Twentyeight cash stations, 33 sub-stations and 30 complaint centres in the State will be closed down, with employees of the third shift striking from June 8 and cashiers handing over charge the day before. The central representatives of the employees union from Nagpur had served a strike notice to the Government and the MSEB on May 10. MSEB employees have been staging demonstrations in Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Akola since May.

FYBCom syllabus
The University of Pune has published the revised syllabus for FYBCom effective from this month. The new syllabus includes practicals in accountancy, in business communication (SY) and business taxation and auditing (TY). For students appearing for special subjects in the second and third year there will be practical exams of 20 marks.

Boy sodomised
An 11-year-old boy was allegedly sodomised on Tuesday evening when he was on his way back from the market near the Air Force canteen in Lohegaon.According to the FIR lodged with the Yerawada police station, Arunkumar Ramlal Chinalia (24) accosted the boy on Tuesday night when he was coming back from Sunny market. He threatened the boy and asked him to sit on his cycle. Taking him to a lonely spot, Chinalia beat up the boy and later sodomised him.

The boy narrated the incident to his parents who took him to the police station and a complaint was lodged. Chinalia, who used to work as a sweeper, was arrested by the police on Wednesday.

Stabbed to death
Ankush Sopan Alam from Wadgaon Maval village on Mumbai-Pune road was stabbed to death on Wednesday, allegedly by two neighbours, over the suspicion that he was having an affair with their relative.

Wadgaon Maval police said knife-wielding Devidas Deshmukh and his brother Balu barged inside Alam's residence and stabbed him shortly after midnight. Ankush's brother Pandurang also suffered some injuries when he tried to rescue Ankush, they added.

Parkhe awards
The G S Parkhe Industrial Merit Awards of Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture for 1999 have been announced. John Thomas of Soft Aid Computers Private Ltd, Erandwana, is one of the four winners.

These awards, instituted 52 years ago, are given to SSI entrepreneurs from the State for innovative products, design or process or import substitutes developed by them. A panel of 10 experts from engineering, electronics, chemicals, etc. selects the winners every year.