Chandigarh/Panchkula, July 29 – Haryana’s Energy, Transport, and Labour Minister Sh. Anil Vij, while commenting on the ongoing debate in the Lok Sabha regarding Operation Sindoor, said that “The opposition is not happy with India’s achievements and victory in Operation Sindoor, which is why they are lamenting in the Lok Sabha.”

Sh Vij was responding to questions asked by media personnel in Panchkula today. Notably, Sh. Vij had come to Sector 6 Civil Hospital in Panchkula for an eye check-up.

In response to questions regarding the opposition’s concerns about Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, he said that “The whole country is witnessing that a 20-20 cricket match is underway in the Lok Sabha over Operation Sindoor. On India’s side are the BJP and its allies batting, while on Pakistan’s side are the Congress and its allies.”

*“Our army destroyed terrorist bases” -Vij*

Sh. Vij said that “The entire country knows that our army fought bravely, with advanced technology, precise targeting, and gave a befitting reply to Pakistan. Our forces destroyed terrorist hideouts, airbases and their air defense systems.”

*”Our army has made it clear that there was no mediation in the India-Pakistan ceasefire” -Vij*

He added that “Congress and the opposition are unable to digest the success of our army, which is why they keep raising these issues repeatedly and claiming that the India-Pakistan ceasefire was mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump. However, our army has clearly stated that there was no third-party mediation in the ceasefire. Our Prime Minister has also said there was no mediation. Even Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister has confirmed that there was no mediation.”

Taking a jibe at the opposition, Vij asked that “If the opposition does not trust our army or our Prime Minister, do they at least trust Pakistan, their ‘friend’, and its Deputy Prime Minister who also confirmed there was no mediation?”

Sh.Vij said that he heard Dipender Singh Hooda’s statement where he claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned the ceasefire 32 times. Vij sarcastically remarked that “The opposition has no other work; they just keep counting how many times Trump has said it—once, twice, thrice…”

*”It is good that Congress is adopting children orphaned in the Pahalgam attack”- Vij*

When asked about Congress adopting children orphaned in the Pahalgam attack, he said that “It is a good thing that Congress is adopting these children. However, in the past, whatever they adopted, they never followed up or cared for them once they were in power.”

Chandigarh, July 29

Punjab Finance Minister Cum Chairman of the Cabinet Sub-Committee for the Resolution of Employee Issues, Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema, today convened productive meetings with three employee unions to discuss their demands and expedite solutions.

The meetings, held at the Finance Minister’s office in the Punjab Civil Secretariat, included representatives from the Unemployed PSTET Pass Art and Craft Sangharsh Union Punjab, the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board Employees Contract Workers and Labour Union, and the PWD Field and Workshop Workers Union Punjab.

During the discussion with the Unemployed PSTET Pass Art and Craft Sangharsh Union, Finance Minister Cheema issued directives to the Education Department. He directed the department to arrange a joint meeting with all relevant unions, including the Unemployed PSTET Pass Art and Craft Sangharsh Union, to develop a proposal under a Common Minimum Program. “This resulting proposal will then be presented to the cabinet sub-committee in the next meeting for a suitable resolution”, he added.

The Finance Minister also attentively heard the concerns of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board Employees Contract Workers and Labour Union, and the PWD Field and Workshop Workers Union Punjab. He reiterated the Punjab government’s commitment to addressing their legitimate demands and assured them that necessary solutions would be found promptly.

Today’s meetings witnessed the presence of key representatives including President Rakesh Kumar, Vice President Kirandeep Kaur, and Cashier Harbans Singh from the Unemployed PSTET Pass Art and Craft Sangharsh Union, General Secretary Phuman Singh, Kishore Chand Gaj, and Sukhchain Singh from the PWD Field and Workshop Workers Union Punjab, and President Sher Singh Khanna, Treasurer Gurvinder Singh Dhaliwal, and Assistant Treasurer Pradeep Singh Chhahar from the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board Employees Contract Workers and Labour Union.

CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR, July 29:

          In a major intelligence-led operation amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar has busted a cross-border illegal arms smuggling module with the arrest of one of its operatives working under the directions of a Pakistan-based smuggler, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Tuesday.

          The arrested person has been identified as Bharatpreet Singh, a resident of village Marhi Megha in Tarn Taran. Police teams have recovered five sophisticated pistols —  two 9 MM, two .30 bore and one .32 bore— from his possession, besides, impounding his Splendor motorcycle being used for transporting the consignments.

          DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the arrested accused person along with his two other associates was acting upon the directions of Pakistan-based smuggler, who has been using drones to drop weapon consignments from across the border. The arrested accused was further supplying the arms to criminals and gangsters in Punjab with the intention to fuel criminal activities in the state, he said.

          Sharing operation details, the DGP said that teams of CI Amritsar received specific intelligence about retrieval of weapons consignments from Indo-Pak border area falling near village Daliri in Tarn Taran. Acting swiftly, police teams have intercepted suspect Bharatpreet Singh from village Ibban-village Mulechak road in Amritsar, when he was going to deliver the consignment to some party, and recovered illegal weapons from his possession, he added.

          Further investigations are underway to uncover the network’s backward and forward linkages.

          A case FIR No. 41 dated 28-07-2025 has been registered under sections 25, 25(1)(A) and 25(1)(B) of the Arms Act and section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station State Special Operation Cell, Amritsar.

Chandigarh, July 29:

Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission Chairman Sardar Jasvir Singh Garhi returned home today after his 27-day visit to New Zealand. Sardar Garhi will hear public grievances at the Punjab Civil Secretariat, Sector 1, Chandigarh, on July 30, 2025.

During his New Zealand tour, Jasvir Singh Garhi visited several regions across the country.

He met members of the Punjabi community living in Auckland and Hamilton, and also held meetings with National Party Member of Parliament Cameron Brown and Senior Opposition Member of Parliament Phil Tifford, where he shared the issues faced by the Punjabi community.

Chandigarh, July 29

In a significant decision aimed at enhancing the healthcare and education sectors in Punjab, Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema announced on Tuesday that the Finance Department (FD) has officially approved the proposal from the Medical Education and Research Department to increase the retirement age for doctors and dental faculty governed by the Punjab Dental Education (Group-A) Service Rules, 2016, from 62 to 65 years.

Revealing this in a press communiqué issued here, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema elaborated that this crucial approval would extend the retirement age of the Dental Teaching Faculty to 65 years, mirroring the policy already in place for the Medical Teaching Faculty at the Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals in Amritsar and Patiala. He emphasized that this decision was made to leverage the expertise and experience of this highly skilled faculty for a longer duration, thereby enhancing the overall performance and quality within the Medical Education and Research Department.

Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that this decision would extend the service period of 113 professionals, including 112 dental teaching faculty members and a Joint Director, thereby leveraging the expertise and experience of these medical faculty to further enhance the performance of the Medical Education and Research Department. “By retaining the services of this seasoned faculty, the Punjab government aims to harness their knowledge and skills to continually improve the dental healthcare system in the state, ultimately benefiting the students and patients who rely on these institutions,” he added.

Highlighting the state government’s commitment, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema affirmed that the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government remains steadfast in its dedication to delivering superior education and health services to the residents of Punjab. He said that this measure also underscored the government’s proactive approach to strengthening the healthcare infrastructure and ensuring a continued high standard of medical and dental education.

Chandigarh, July 29-

In a significant move to honour the legacy of Shaheed Udham Singh Ji and fulfil the long-standing demand of the Kamboj community, the Punjab Government has declared a gazetted holiday on July 31st to commemorate the martyrdom day of the legendary freedom fighter, stated Mr. Aman Arora, AAP State President and Cabinet Minister, Punjab.

While addressing the press conference here at Punjab Bhawan, on Tuesday, Mr. Aman Arora informed that the state government has also decided to name the Bhawanigarh-Sunam-Bhikhi-Kotshamir road as “Shaheed Udham Singh Marg”. The Punjab Government would organise a state-level function at Sunam, the birthplace of Shaheed Udham Singh, to commemorate the martyrdom day of the legendary Indian revolutionary freedom fighter. AAP National Convener Sh. Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann will officially name the road after Shaheed Udham Singh on July 31st during the function.

He also expressed his gratitude towards Sh. Arvind Kejriwal and S. Bhagwant Singh Mann for honouring the legacy of Shaheed Udham Singh Ji, a great freedom fighter who avenged the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in London. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Aman Arora also urged the Central Government to name the Patiala-Bhawanigarh road after Shaheed Udham Singh Ji. He further informed that this matter is also being taken up with Union Govt by CM Mann to pay fitting tribute to the great revolutionary.

Jalalabad MLA  Mr. Jagdeep Kamboj Goldy and Punjab State BC Commission Chairman Dr. Malkiat Singh Thind also expressed their sincere gratitude to Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann for meeting the Kamboj community’s long-standing demands. They lauded Aman Arora’s relentless efforts in ensuring the fulfilment of these demands, honouring the martyrs’ sacrifices and bringing pride to Punjab and India.

CHANDIGARH, July 29:

          Continuing the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state consecutively for the 150th day, Punjab Police conducted raids at 347 locations on Tuesday leading to the arrest of 72 drug smugglers after registration of 53 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 23,822 in 150 days.

          The raids have resulted in recovery of 3.4 kg heroin from the possession of arrested drug smugglers.

          The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 Police districts of the state.

          Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has asked the Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendent of Police to make Punjab drug free state. The Punjab government has also constituted a 5-member Cabinet Sub Committee led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema to monitor the war against drugs.

          Divulging details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla informed that over 180 Police teams, comprising over 1100 police personnel, under the supervision of 74 gazetted officers have conducted raids across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 362 suspicious persons during the day-long operation, he added.

          The Special DGP said that with the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)— to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police as part of ‘De-addiction’ has convinced 61 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.

Chandigarh, July 29:

Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government has completed the cleaning of the state’s drainage systems and strengthened embankments to tackle any kind of flood-like situation, stated Punjab Water Resources Minister Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal while addressing media persons here at Punjab Bhawan today.

After reviewing the arrangements made by the Water Resources Department to deal with any potential floods during the high level meeting, Sh. Goyal informed the journalists that the state government has completed 1220 projects worth Rs.276 crore to tackle potential flood situations. These projects include river revetment work, installation of studs, strengthening operations and desilting/cleaning of drains. He said that additionally, 600 check dams have been constructed with 1104 and more check dams under construction. Besides this, 3905 soak pits are being created, over 53,400 bamboo saplings have been planted and 226 kilometers of vetiver grass has been cultivated.

The Cabinet Minister informed that out of the 850 drains, 601 drains required cleaning this year, which has been completed. He said that so far, 4766 kilometers of drains have been cleaned.

Sh. Goyal said that the department has completed drain desilting/cleaning work using departmental machinery, resulting in 65% cost savings compared to contractor work. He mentioned that the department currently possesses 15 machines, with 3 additional machines soon to be added to the departmental fleet.

The Water Resources Minister stated that departmental machinery is currently conducting desilting/cleaning operations at 110 locations across Sri Muktsar Sahib, Faridkot, Fazilka, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ropar and Sri Anandpur Sahib.

He said that locations where embankments had breached during previous years have been specially reinforced and sand bags have been strategically placed at 94 vulnerable locations across the state as a precautionary measure.

He informed that Water Resources Department officials have been instructed to maintain continuous monitoring in their respective areas and submit daily reports to headquarters while ensuring they do not leave their headquarters.

The Water Resources Minister also directed officials of Local Government and Rural Development Departments and Deputy Commissioners to ensure cleaning of drains and channels passing through their jurisdictions and maintain continuous surveillance.

He informed that the department has implemented several strategic measures to handle emergency situations, including the procurement of 8.76 lakh sand bags strategically positioned at vulnerable locations. Of these, 3.24 lakh bags have been filled and kept ready. He stated that for rapid response during emergencies, the locations of sand bags have been uploaded onto the Geographic Information System (GIS). He mentioned that for the first time, the department has purchased 10,300 jumbo bags to enable quick breach filling.

Providing information about water levels in dams, the Cabinet Minister said that all major dams are within safe limits with no cause for concern. He said that Bhakra Dam currently stands at 1618.38 feet, which corresponds to the average requirement of the past 20 years. He explained that the Bhakra Dam, with a maximum capacity of 1680 feet, is currently 47 feet below the 2023 flood level. Similarly, Pong Dam, with a maximum capacity of 1390 feet, stands at 1346.15 feet, which is 30.78 feet lower than the 2023 flood level. He stated that Ranjit Sagar Dam, with a maximum capacity of 1731.55 feet, currently stands at 1664.72 feet, which is 5.49 feet below the 20-year average and 54 feet below the 2023 flood year level.

The Cabinet Minister stressed that controlled water levels will significantly benefit irrigation as more agricultural areas are being brought under canal irrigation systems.

Chandigarh, July 29:

With the firm resolve that no child in Punjab should live on the streets, beg for survival, or suffer exploitation, the Punjab Government under Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann has rescued a total of 208 children from begging under the ongoing campaign Project JEEVANJYOT-2.

In the latest statewide action involving 20 special checks and raids, 5 more children were rescued and provided relief.

Sharing this information, Dr. Baljit Kaur, Minister of Social Security, Women and Child Development, stated that “JEEVANJYOT aims to lift children from the streets into the system of education and protection.”

Dr. Kaur informed that today, special operations were conducted in Barnala, Bathinda, Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Hoshiarpur, and Jalandhar. Additional checks were carried out in Kapurthala, Mansa, Malerkotla, Moga, Patiala, Rupnagar, Sangrur, SAS Nagar, SBS Nagar, Sri Muktsar Sahib, and Tarn Taran.

One child each was rescued from Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala, Rupnagar, Sangrur, and Sri Muktsar Sahib.

The Minister further informed that in 3 cases, after counseling and documentation verification, the children were reunited with their parents under strict warning that such exploitation must not happen again. Two other children have been safely placed in child care institutions.

Dr. Kaur reiterated that any parent found repeating such behaviour would face strict legal action.

No case requiring DNA testing was reported in today’s rescue operations. She praised the prompt and sensitive action of the district Child Protection Teams and District Child Welfare Committees.

Dr. Baljit Kaur made an earnest appeal to the public to actively support the government’s efforts to build a child begging-free and ‘Rangla Punjab’.

“If you see a child begging anywhere, immediately inform Child Helpline 1098 or the local administration,” she urged.

Chandigarh, July 29:

Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is consistently working for the welfare of ex-servicemen and their families. Taking a step forward in this direction, Defence Services Welfare Minister Mohinder Bhagat has directed officiers to accelerate the construction work of war memorials across the state.

Presiding over a review meeting with senior officers of Defence Services Welfare Department at Punjab Civil Secretariat, Mohinder Bhagat said that the Punjab Government is committed to improving the living standard of ex-servicemen and their dependents. He emphasized that all welfare schemes being run for the benefit of ex-servicemen and their families must be implemented effectively.

During the meeting, Director of the Department, Brig. Bhupinder Singh Dhillon (Retd.), presented a comprehensive report on the department’s activities over the last three months. He briefed the Minister about various ongoing schemes related to financial assistance, educational benefits, medical aid and infrastructure development for ex-servicemen.

Bhagat instructed the officers to prioritize all matters related to ex-servicemen. He also directed to ensure wide publicity and awareness campaigns about government schemes so that all eligible beneficiaries can avail the full benefits.

The Minister further directed that renovation and maintenance work of Sainik Rest Houses across the state be completed on time. He assured that there would be no shortage of funds for development works and warned that any negligence on the part of officials would be strictly handled.