Chandigarh 9 June 2025:

 Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker  S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan met Dr. Tejinder Pal Singh, Chairman Council of Homeopathic System of Medicine Punjab and Padam Shri Bhai Harjinder Singh Srinagar Wale Ji a great personality among Sikh Panth at Ludhiana and received their valuable suggestions which is a part of the campaign launched to get suggestions from various religious, social and political personalities pertaining to commemorate 350th martyrdom anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji.

Bhai Sahib gave important suggestions for this event and he prayed to Guru Sahib to shower His choicest  blessings so that this centenary can be observed with true spirit and in a grand manner.

Chandigarh: The 4th Postgraduate International Vaccinology Course (PGIVAC 2025) began today at the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh, with the participation of nearly 70 professionals from across India. The inauguration ceremony featured an esteemed lineup of dignitaries. Dr. Arun K. Aggarwal, Head of the Department, delivered the Welcome Address. *Dr. Rajeev Raghuvanshi, Drug Controller General of India,* delivered the Distinguished Address emphasising the importance of innovation, regulation, and India’s leadership in vaccine research; Dr Bhupinder Tripathi Director, Infectious Diseases and Vaccine Delivery, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, delivered a Special Address on importance of Advancing Vaccinology for a Healthier Tomorrow: Leadership, Equity, and Innovation in Public Health and Dr Rupinder Bakshi a representative from the Punjab Medical Council spoke on credit hours.

The Keynote Address was delivered by *Chief Guest Dr. Vinod Kumar Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, Government of India*, who highlighted the critical role of immunisation in India’s public health strategy. *Dr. Madhu Gupta, Course Director,* delivered the Vote of Thanks, marking a successful start to the academic event. The first module of the course focused on the Introduction and History of Vaccine Development, with Dr. Rajesh Kumar, former Dean and HOD, and Dr. Madhu Gupta, jointly presenting an insightful session on the historical evolution of vaccines. This was chaired by Dr. Jayaprakash Muliyil, renowned epidemiologist and former Principal of CMC Vellore. A case study on Smallpox eradication was followed by a session on the National Vaccine Policy in India, delivered by Dr. Nirmal K. Ganguly, Former Director General of ICMR. Dr. Jayaprakash Muliyil also presented on the impact of vaccination on disease epidemiology and strategies to control vaccine-preventable diseases. The post-lunch session opened with Dr. Ananda Bandyopadhyay from the Gates Foundation presenting on the role of vaccines in solving public health challenges, particularly lessons from polio eradication. This was followed by sessions on Measles and Rubella control by Dr. Shivani Gupta of WHO, and managing outbreaks with vaccines by Dr. Kapil Goel of PGIMER. Dr. Prasad Kulkarni of the Serum Institute of India spoke on the pivotal role of the vaccine industry in development efforts. The day concluded with a Special Legacy Lecture by Dr. Stanley A. Plotkin, Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania and a global authority in vaccinology, who reflected on the public health importance of vaccines and lessons for the future. The session was chaired by Dr. Ananda Bandyopadhyay. Dr. Madhu Gupta wrapped up the day with a summary and session feedback. PGIVAC 2025 continues through the week with high-level sessions from national and international experts, aiming to strengthen India’s capacity in vaccine science, research, and public health policy.

Chandigarh, June 9:

Punjab’s crop diversification efforts got a major fillip with cotton cultivation witnessing around 20% surge, taking the area under cotton from 2.49 lakh acres last year to 2.98 lakh acres this year, an increase of over 49,000 acres, informed S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Punjab.

While chairing a meeting to review the ongoing Kharif season and departmental projects here at Kisan Bhawan on Monday evening, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian stated that Fazilka district leads in cotton cultivation with 60,121 hectares, followed by Mansa (27,621 hectares), Bathinda (17,080 hectares), and Sri Muktsar Sahib (13,240 hectares).

The Agriculture Minister said that the Punjab government would provide a 33% subsidy on cotton seeds to growers, with over 49,000 farmers have already registered online. He directed Chief Agriculture Officers to ensure all cotton growers complete online registration by June 15.

The Agriculture Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian expressed satisfaction over the enthusiastic response of the state’s farmers towards Kharif maize cultivation, with over 54,000 acres already sown in just nine days since sowing commenced on June 1 across the state.

The Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government will give incentive of Rs. 17,500 per hectare to farmers for shifting from paddy to Kharif maize under a pilot project covering six districts- Bathinda, Sangrur, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar and Kapurthala. The project aims to bring 12,000 hectares under Kharif maize, promoting agricultural diversification and groundwater conservation. To facilitate this transition, the state government has appointed 200 Kisan Mitras to guide and encourage farmers.

The state’s agricultural sector is showing positive trends, with these numbers reflecting the combined efforts of farmers and the state government’s initiatives to promote crop diversification and boost agricultural productivity.

The Agriculture Minister also reviewed the status of Direct Sowing of Rice (DSR), fertilisers availability, and other projects, while directing district agriculture chiefs to ensure quality agricultural inputs to farmers as safeguarding the farmers’ interests remains the top priority of the Punjab Government.

The Administrative Secretary Agriculture Dr. Basant Garg, Special Secretary Ms Baldeep Kaur, Agriculture Commissioner Ms. Babita, Director Mr. Jaswant Singh and other senior officials of the department were also present in the meeting.

CHANDIGARH, June 9:

          The ongoing relentless anti-drugs campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has delivered a big jolt to the financial backbone of drug syndicates with Punjab Police freezing illegally acquired properties of 157 drug smugglers worth Rs 78.52 crores and recovering Rs 13.03 crores drug money in first 100 days.

          Since the launch of this anti-drug drive on March 1, 2025, Punjab Police, under the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav,  has been conducting operations daily simultaneously in all the 28 Police districts of the state. Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann had 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.

          Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla said that Hawala network has been effectively disrupted with the arrest of as many as 48 big Hawala operators, resulting in recovery of Rs 13.03 crore drug money. The freezing of illegally acquired properties and seizure of drug money from arrested drug smugglers have given a substantial setback to the economic infrastructure of drug smugglers and their network, effectively disrupting their funding channels and undermining their operational capacity, he added.

          During 100 days of ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign, the Special DGP said that Punjab Police has registered 9693 first information reports and arrested 16,533 drug smugglers since March 1, 2025, and recovered 627 kg heroin, 252 kg opium, 15 ton poppy husk, 9 kg charas, 264 kg ganja, 2.7 kg ICE, 2.6 kg cocaine and 26.51 lakh intoxicant pills/tablets from their possession.

          Sharing details of outcome of Day 100, the Special DGP said that Punjab Police on Monday has arrested 127 drug smugglers and recovered 4.1 kg heroin, 20 kg poppy husk and ₹2.20 lakhs drug money from their possession.

          Over 200 Police teams, comprising over 1400 police personnel, under the supervision of 90 gazetted officers have conducted raids at as many as 466 locations across the state leading to the registration of 99 first information reports (FIRs) across the state, he said, while adding that police teams have also checked as many as 489 suspicious persons during the day long operation.

          Meanwhile, 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 46 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment.

Chandigarh, June 06:

Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities Minister, Dr. Baljit Kaur, today informed that the Punjab Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has provided significant financial relief to the people of the state by releasing ₹16.36 crore under the Ashirwad Scheme for 3,207 beneficiaries belonging to Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections during the current financial year 2025-26.

Giving further details, the Cabinet Minister stated that applications under the Ashirwad Scheme were received this year through the Ashirwad Portal from 3,207 beneficiaries belonging to Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections across 18 districts, namely Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Sri Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Mansa, Moga, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Patiala, Pathankot, SAS Nagar, Sangrur, Malerkotla and Tarn Taran.

To cover these beneficiaries, the government has sanctioned a total financial assistance of ₹16.36 crore.

The Minister added that, through this released amount, 94 beneficiaries from Barnala, 219 from Bathinda, 80 from Faridkot, 41 from Sri Fatehgarh Sahib, 137 from Fazilka, 135 from Gurdaspur, 602 from Hoshiarpur, 123 from Jalandhar, and 27 from Kapurthala have been provided financial benefits.

Similarly, financial assistance has also been disbursed to 254 beneficiaries in Mansa, 64 in Moga, 43 in Sri Muktsar Sahib, 616 in Patiala, 127 in Pathankot, 200 in SAS Nagar, 288 in Sangrur, 16 in Malerkotla, and 141 in Tarn Taran.

Dr. Baljit Kaur highlighted that under the Ashirwad Scheme, the state government provides financial assistance of ₹51,000 for the marriage of girls belonging to families with low income backgrounds.

She further informed that to avail benefits under the scheme, the applicant must be a permanent resident of Punjab, belong to a family falling below the poverty line, and should belong to a Scheduled Caste, Backward Class, or Economically Weaker Section. The total annual family income should not exceed ₹32,790, and up to two daughters from such a family are eligible for assistance under the scheme.

The Minister stated that the financial aid is disbursed directly into the beneficiaries’ bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), ensuring transparency and efficiency.

Dr. Baljit Kaur reaffirmed that the Mann Government is committed not only to the welfare of all sections of society but is also actively working for the upliftment and socio-economic empowerment of Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections across the state.

CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR, June 6:

          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 links to Pakistan and arrested two of its operatives, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Friday.

          Those arrested have been identified as Sukhchain Singh, a resident of Daoke in Amritsar and Jugraj Singh, a resident of village Bhakna Kalan in Amritsar. Police teams have also recovered eight sophisticated pistols— three 9MM Glock, four Px5, and one .30 bore pistol— from their possession, besides, impounding their black Splendor motorcycle (PB02DC1197) being used for transporting the consignments.

          DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused were acting under the directions of Pakistan-based smuggler identified as Noor, a resident of Manihala in Pakistan, who has been using drones to drop weapon consignments from across the border. The arrested accused were further distributing the arms to gangsters across Punjab with intention to fuel criminal activities in the state, he said.

          Sharing operation details, the DGP said that CI Amritsar has received specific intelligence about retrieval of weapon consignment from near village Bhaini Rajputtan in the jurisdiction of Gharinda in Amritsar.

          Acting swiftly, police teams have intercepted duo on Amritsar-Attari GT Road near Khasa in Amritsar, when they were going to deliver the consignment on their motorcycle, and recovered weapons from their possession, he said, while adding that further investigations are underway to uncover the network’s backward and forward linkages.

          A case FIR No. 34 dated 05.06.2025 under sections 25, 25(1)(A) and 25(1)(B) of the Arms Act and section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered at Police Station SSOC, Amritsar.

CHANDIGARH, June 6:

          With the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state entered 97th day, Punjab Police on Thursday arrested 134 drug smugglers and recovered 1.08 kg heroin and Rs 4.97 lakhs drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 16,079 in just 97 days.

          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 200 Police teams, comprising over 1500 police personnel, under the supervision of 94 gazetted officers have conducted raids at as many as 537 locations across the state leading to the registration of 96 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 572 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 110 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.

Chandigarh, June 6:

Punjab Power Minister S. Harbhajan Singh ETO’s relentless efforts have borne fruit as the Union Power Minister has approved the setting up of three additional 800 MW power generation units in the state. During a conference of North Indian Power Ministers organized by the Government of India’s Power Department today, S. Harbhajan Singh ETO raised this matter, while representing the state of Punjab.

The conference was chaired by Union Power Minister Mr. Manohar Lal Khattar, with participation from Power Ministers and officials from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Delhi.

S. Harbhajan Singh ETO demanded an increase in the existing power generation capacity of Ropar Thermal Plant, stating that while Punjab has its own coal mines, the Union Government’s condition of not transporting coal beyond 1000 kilometers is creating difficulties in expanding the capacity of these thermal plants. Accepting the demand, the Union Power Minister instructed officials to extend the coal transportation limit to more than 1500 kilometers and approved the establishment of two additional 800 MW power generation plants in Ropar. Besides this, approval was also granted for setting up a new 800 MW unit in Punjab. With this approval from the Union Power Minister, the path has been cleared for setting up 2400 MW thermal plants in Punjab.

Regarding the Union Government’s target of 7000 MW solar power generation in the state, the Cabinet Minister said that due to high land costs in Punjab, achieving targets in this direction faces challenges. However, the Punjab Government is making efforts to establish these solar projects in neighbouring states from where power supply to Punjab would be convenient.

While strongly advocating Punjab’s position on power-related matters, Power Minister S. Harbhajan Singh ETO demanded prompt fulfillment of the 1000 MW power requested by the Punjab Government from the Union Government in view of the paddy season. He stressed that Punjab has always contributed significantly to securing the nation’s food reserves; therefore, keeping the paddy season in mind, Punjab’s demand should be fulfilled at the earliest so that farmers can receive timely power supply and irrigate their paddy crops. Currently, Punjab state is receiving 275 MW power from the central pool.

S. Harbhajan Singh ETO informed that all necessary approvals have been obtained for upgrading the capacity of two existing 100 MVA transformers at BBMB Jalandhar to 160 MVA and the expenditure for this work is to be borne by the Punjab Government. However, this matter is still not progressing, causing difficulties. Thus, the pending action should be expedited so that the BBMB Jalandhar unit can be operated properly.

The Power Minister also raised the issue of the Union Government’s RDSS scheme, stating that under this scheme, the Union Government was supposed to provide a 60% share of a Rs.3600 crore project in a 60-40 ratio to strengthen Punjab’s power supply infrastructure. However, due to increased project costs and fixed central grants, the grant percentage has decreased from 60% to 40%, resulting in approximately Rs.300 crore loss to Punjab state. He demanded that the Union Government should approve this project at new rates considering this situation.

The Cabinet Minister reiterated that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led government is committed to providing the best power supply to the people of the state.

Chandigarh, June 6- The Haryana Government has decided to celebrate the 10th International Yoga Day on June 21, 2025 in a systematic and unique manner. A state-level function will be organized at the Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra, in which Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini will participate as the chief guest. Yoga guru Baba Ramdev will also attend the function.

This year, as per the instructions of the Chief Minister, the Haryana Yog Aayog will not only conduct yoga sessions but also actively raise awareness about the dangers of drug abuse, encouraging people to take a pledge to stay drug-free. This reflects the healthy, aware and environmentally conscious approach of the government.

Giving information in this regard, a government spokesperson said people are very enthusiastic about International Yoga Day. So far, more than 70,000 people have registered to participate in the programme. He said in the last 10 years, the Haryana Government has opened yoga centres in villages, in which villagers are getting health benefits by doing yoga every day. He informed that the Chief Minister has announced to open 250 indoor gyms in rural areas.

This year’s event is centered on the theme ‘Yoga Yukt, Nasha Mukt’, which reinforces the dual objectives of promoting holistic health and creating an addiction-free society. The slogan also matches the government’s broader vision of promoting a healthy and environmentally conscious lifestyle.

He informed that ‘Harit Yoga Tree Plantation Campaign’ has been included in this year’s programme, which is a special initiative. The aim is to encourage tree plantation and clean the environment through this.

Registration facility has been provided to encourage citizens to actively participate and make this event a mass movement. Any citizen can register on the official website www.internationalyogadayhry.in or by giving a missed call on +91-9501131800.