Chandigarh, January 8:

As part of its ongoing efforts towards campus security and digital transformation, Panjab University today rolled out Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based unique Smart Identity Cards for its employees, including teaching staff, non-teaching staff, daily wagers and retirees.

The first RFID-based Smart Identity Card was presented to PU Vice Chancellor Prof Renu Vig and Registrar Prof Y.P. Verma by Committee Chairperson Prof Sonal Chawla, Prof A.S. Naura, PUTA President, Dr Parveen Goyal, NSS Coordinator, Dr Anuj Sharma, Chairperson, DCSA, and Honey Thakur, PUSA President.

The initiative aims to ensure authorised access to the Panjab University campus by authenticating bona fide employees and preventing unauthorised entry. The RFID cards have been designed to strengthen security while supporting the university’s broader modernisation agenda.

Speaking on the occasion, PU Vice Chancellor Prof Renu Vig stressed the need to extend RFID-based Smart Cards to PU students, beginning with pilot projects in university hostels. She appreciated and lauded the efforts of the Smart Card Committee members.

Registrar Prof Y.P. Verma said the RFID-based Smart Identity Cards would help establish a robust and reliable system of employee authentication and enhance campus security.

The RFID Smart Identity Cards feature encrypted personal data and photographs encoded into an official QR code and RFID tag using intelligent applications. The encoded data is unalterable, and any attempt to generate counterfeit cards renders the code unreadable. On scanning, only verified and correct information is displayed.

The cards operate on advanced security algorithms and comply with ISO/IEC 14443 standards. They communicate with RFID readers through a secure three-pass authentication process before any data exchange takes place. The system links RFID-tagged data with the university’s employee database through multiple identification layers and decoding modules.

Chairperson of the committee Prof Sonal Chawla said that once all cards are issued, they will be mapped and integrated with boom barriers at university gates through RFID technology. She added that the project would later be extended to students by linking RFID Smart Identity Cards with mess cards, library cards and other services through a single digital interface.

Mohali, 8 January 2026 : Dyson, the global technology company, has announced the opening of its first Dyson Store in Mohali. Located in the upcoming premium space, at the HLP Galleria Mohali, this new store marks Dyson India’s 34th store in the country and second store in the state of Punjab. The new Dyson Store is an interactive space where consumers can experience Dyson’s problem-solving technologies with demonstrations by Dyson experts. This store launch is part of Dyson’s commitment to bringing the latest technologies closer to consumers with personalized experiences so they can truly understand the Dyson difference across home, beauty, and audio categories.

The new Dyson store is designed to be a destination where people can test the advanced performance of Dyson vacuums on a variety of floor types and fine debris, simulating real-life cleaning challenges. Live air quality visualizations illustrate Dyson’s commitment to healthier homes, while interactive digital displays illuminate the science behind each product. At dedicated Dyson styling stations, consumers can enjoy complimentary, expert styling sessions featuring Dyson’s cutting-edge beauty technologies including the new Dyson Airstrait™ straightener, Dyson Airwrap i.d.™ multi-styler and dryer and Supersonic Nural™ hair dryer. Trained stylists offer bespoke consultations, tailored for every hair type and styling preference, reimagining the traditional beauty consultation as a moment of discovery.

Chandigarh, January 8. The State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Palwal Sub-Centre, carried out a major operation today and arrested Ganesh Kumar, an Assistant Lineman (A.L.M.) of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), while accepting a bribe of ₹7,500. A case has been registered against the accused under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and legal proceedings have begun.

According to the Bureau, the complaint stated that under the Haryana Government’s Ghar-Ghar Bijli Yojana, the work of installing electricity poles, cables, and meters was being executed in Village Mandouri, and the responsibility of the process was assigned to lineman Ganesh Kumar. The complainant’s house is located about 300 meters away from the main road. When the complainant requested the installation of the electricity pole and connection, the lineman allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹10,000.

Under compulsion, the complainant had paid ₹2,500 to the accused on December 22, 2025. However, even after taking the money, neither the electricity pole nor the meter was installed. The accused continued to demand the remaining ₹7,500 from the complainant. After verification of the complaint, the SV & ACB team from the Palwal Sub-Centre laid a planned trap today and apprehended the accused red-handed while accepting the bribe in Village Mandouri.

Superintendent of Police, Vigilance Bureau Faridabad Range, Anil Yadav, stated that the recovered amount and other important evidence have been seized. He added that the investigation is ongoing and strict action will continue under the state government’s zero-tolerance policy against corruption.

Chandigarh:

The Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, in association with Tech Mahindra Smart, today organized a training workshop on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and basic medical care for Pink Material Recovery Facility (MRF) employees at Sector 25, Chandigarh.

The workshop was inaugurated by Medical Officer of Health Dr. Inderdeep Kaur, in the presence of concerned officers and staff. The main objective of the programme was to create awareness and provide practical, hands-on training on life-saving techniques, particularly CPR for children and young individuals, along with essential basic first-aid measures.

During the session, participants were imparted practical training and live demonstrations on emergency response, early identification of medical distress, and immediate care that can be administered before professional medical help arrives. The importance of timely and correct intervention in emergency situations was strongly emphasized.

Sh. Amit Kumar, IAS, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, lauded the initiative and stated that such capacity-building programmes are extremely important for frontline and field staff. He emphasized that timely and appropriate response during medical emergencies can save precious lives, and training in CPR and basic first aid equips employees with the confidence and skills to act effectively during critical situations.

The Commissioner further stated that MCC is committed to strengthening public health preparedness and promoting preventive healthcare through meaningful collaborations with reputed organizations like Tech Mahindra Smart. He appreciated the efforts of Tech Mahindra Smart and the Health Department for organizing this practical and impactful training programme and expressed hope that similar workshops would be conducted regularly to build a safer, more responsive, and health-conscious workforce across the city.

The initiative was well received by the Pink MRF employees, who actively participated in the workshop and appreciated the informative and practical approach adopted by the trainers. Such programmes play a vital role in enhancing safety awareness and emergency preparedness among sanitation and waste management workers.

Tech Mahindra Smart was commended for organizing this meaningful initiative, which aligns with the broader goal of promoting public health awareness and strengthening emergency response capabilities within the community.

Chandigarh:

In a continued effort to create public awareness and curb the menace of littering in public places, the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh has intensified its enforcement drive against violators of solid waste management norms. During the last seven days, MCC has issued challans to 16 residents for littering in public places across different parts of the city by following clues from waste.

Acting on the strict directions of the MC Commissioner, Sh. Amit Kumar, IAS, sanitary inspectors conducted random inspections at various locations to identify and nab violators indulging in illegal dumping of waste.

 During these inspections, the teams recovered slips, documents, and other proofs of identity from the dumped waste, which helped in tracing the offenders and issuing challans as per rules.

The challans were issued at multiple locations including H. No. 8 and 13, Sector 8-A; H. No. 736, Sector 8-B; H. No. 631, Sector 11; H. No. 232, 290, 397, 1365, 2040, 2046 and SCF No. 21, Sector 15; H. No. 516, 545 and 578, Sector 16; H. No. 1681, Sector 18; H. No. 2738-C, Sector 37, Chandigarh.

MC Commissioner Sh. Amit Kumar, IAS, reiterated that maintaining cleanliness is a collective responsibility and warned that MCC will adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards littering and illegal dumping of waste. He emphasized that strict action will continue to be taken against violators under the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Rules to ensure a clean, healthy, and hygienic city.

The Municipal Corporation has appealed to citizens to cooperate with civic authorities, adopt responsible waste disposal practices, and contribute actively towards making Chandigarh a cleaner and greener city.

Chandigarh, January 8 – In a major administrative push to ease public hardship and strengthen citizen-centric governance, the Haryana Government has launched a time-bound statewide campaign ‘Jalsa-E-Aam’ to clear all pending mutation cases, while simultaneously accelerating Agristack implementation, digital revenue reforms, improve disposal of land partition cases, inter-State boundary demarcation and comprehensive cold-wave preparedness.

The measures were reviewed and announced by the Financial Commissioner Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Dr. Sumita Misra, during a high-level meeting with Deputy Commissioners through video conferencing here today.

The Jalsa-E-Aam campaign will be conducted on Saturdays — January 10, 17, 24 and 31 — to ensure time-bound disposal of mutation cases. Dr. Misra directed that the campaign be given wide publicity to ensure maximum public participation. The State is currently processing 1,89,635 mutation applications across 143 tehsils and 7,104 villages. Deputy Commissioners have been instructed to prioritise 50,794 cases pending for more than ten days, with Faridabad, Palwal and Ambala accounting for the special focus. To further ease public inconvenience, the State is moving towards auto-mutation, for which the existing backlog must be cleared on priority.

Stressing the need to address long-pending land partition cases, Dr. Misra ordered strict enforcement of the substituted Section 111A of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, which provides for quick disposal. To accelerate disposal, each Assistant Collector (Second Grade) has been mandated to dispose of a minimum of 12 partition cases per month, while Tehsildars with lighter workloads have been assigned a target of 20 cases per month.

To ensure accountability, Dr. Misra instructed the establishment of a three-tier monitoring mechanism, with monthly reviews at the district, divisional and State levels. She also directed the introduction of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism, under which retired Revenue Officers will be engaged on a contractual basis to conduct village-level camps for consensus-based settlements. An honorarium of Rs. 10,000 per successfully resolved case, to be shared equally by the contesting parties, has been approved to encourage amicable resolutions. DCs were directed to empanel retired revenue offices to conduct ADR camps in villages with a higher number of pending revenue cases.

*Digital Transformation Gains*

Reviewing progress in digital revenue administration, Dr. Misra said Haryana has digitised over 60 lakh land records. Since the launch of the paperless registration system, 83,379 property deeds have been registered through paperless registration mode. Of 1,17,931 deeds processed, 90,711 have been approved, reflecting an approval rate of 76.9 percent. She directed that registration cases reverted more than twice should be automatically escalated to senior officers for timely resolution.

*Tatima Digitisation Nears Completion*

As of January 5, 2026, 60.43 lakh Tatima records have been completed across 6,351 geo-referenced villages. Mahendragarh has achieved 99.7 percent completion, while Bhiwani and Jind have completed 3.82 lakh and 4.28 lakh records, respectively. Remaining districts have been directed to complete the work by January 31, 2026.

*Agristack Rollout and Compliance Measures*

Under Agristack, data buckets have been created for over 98 lakh farmers, with 5.12 lakh enrolments completed so far. Dr. Misra directed that PPP-ID and Aadhaar seeding for landowners be carried out simultaneously at Agristack camps and completed within one month. Priority will be given to PM-Kisan beneficiaries, who will be mobilised through SMS alerts sent by the Agriculture Department.

She further directed that Agriculture, Revenue and CRID officials work together on a common platform during field-level camps to ensure seamless Aadhaar-PPP seeding and updating of revenue records. Dr. Misra also emphasised expeditious disposal of pending disciplinary proceedings and strict adherence to court-mandated timelines in arbitration cases under the National Highways Act.

*Inter-State Boundary Demarcation*

On the Haryana–Uttar Pradesh border, 535 out of 1,221 boundary pillars have been erected so far. Sonipat leads with 74.6 percent completion, followed by Palwal and Karnal. The remaining work has been directed to be completed by February 18, 2026.

*Cold Wave Preparedness and Public Advisory*

Dr. Misra said the State has implemented a Cold Wave Action Plan in line with India Meteorological Department guidelines. District-level emergency response teams equipped with medical supplies and warm clothing have been activated and will respond within 24 hours.

She appealed to citizens to check on vulnerable neighbours, particularly elderly persons living alone, pregnant women and families with young children. Community centres, gram panchayats and resident welfare associations have been urged to organise awareness camps on recognising early signs of hypothermia and frostbite. Citizens can report anyone in distress due to extreme cold by dialling the emergency helpline 112, she added.

Chandigarh, January 8 – Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini today held a meeting with a delegation led by Managing Director and India Head of Mizuho Bank of Japan, Sh. Ryo Murao, at the Civil Secretariat here. The meeting focused on strengthening economic cooperation and exploring new avenues for strategic investments in Haryana.

During the discussions, the delegation expressed keen interest in entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Foreign Cooperation Department of Haryana. Key areas identified for collaboration included automobile manufacturing, education, financial services and, notably, the semiconductor sector, which is emerging as a critical area of global and national importance.

The delegation informed the Chief Minister that, impressed by Haryana’s progressive policies and robust Ease of Doing Business ecosystem, Mizuho Bank has shifted its office from Delhi to Gurugram. They sought continued cooperation and support from the State Government to further expand their operations and investment footprint in Haryana.

The Chief Minister assured the delegation of the State Government’s full support and said Haryana is committed to providing a stable, investor-friendly environment backed by transparent governance, modern infrastructure and skilled manpower. He emphasized that Haryana’s strategic location, policy reforms and proactive administrative approach make it a preferred destination for global investors, especially in high-technology and knowledge-driven sectors.

On the occasion, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini also presented a copy of the Bhagavad Gita to Sh. Ryo Murao and discussed its timeless philosophy and universal message of duty, ethics and balanced decision-making.

Notably, the Department of Foreign Cooperation is a dedicated department of the Haryana Government, responsible for the state’s diplomacy, bilateral and multilateral relations at the international level, and assistance to the Haryanvi Diaspora. It propagates the state government’s vision of transforming Haryana through a ‘Go Global Approach’.

Advisor CM for Foreign Cooperation Department, Sh. Pawan Kumar Choudhary and other senior officers were present in the meeting.