CHANDIGARH, March 24:

Further empowering the education journey for the students of Government Schools in the state, Punjab School Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains dedicated a brand new bus, having 31 seating capacity, for Government Senior Secondary Smart School, Sukhsal in Ropar district.

SML Isuzu’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Mr. Rakesh Bhalla, presented the new bus to the school education department as part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.

S. Harjot Singh Bains said that this generous initiative will greatly improve the school’s transportation capabilities, ensuring safe and comfortable travel for all students.

Reaffirming the commitment of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government to elevate the standards of school education to world-class levels, S. Harjot Singh Bains stated that the school education department already possessed 230 buses and over 12,000 government school students have been availing the transportation facility. It reflects the government’s unwavering commitment to supporting education, besides ensuring that all students have access to quality learning opportunities.

He said that the bus will play a vital role in facilitating student access to school, extracurricular activities, and educational excursions. This new transportation resource will ensure that students can readily participate in the enriching experiences, fostering a more inclusive and vibrant learning environment, he added.

Expressing happiness over receiving the new bus for school, Mr. Gurdeep Kumar Sharma, Principal of Government Senior Secondary Smart School, Sukhsal, expressed gratitude towards the Education Minister for his relentless efforts to ensure the quality education in government schools. He also highlighted the importance of the new bus and its positive impact on the students.

Chairman Punjab School Education Board Dr. Amarpal Singh, senior officials of school education department, SML Isuzu’s Secretary Mr. Parvesh Madan and Chief Manager Vivek Chanana were also present on the occasion.

Chandigarh, March 24

Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister, Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema, has issued a directive to maximize taxpayer participation in the GST amnesty scheme introduced for non-fraud cases. The Minister emphasized the importance of proactive engagement through comprehensive public awareness campaigns, utilizing traditional advertising and social media platforms to inform eligible taxpayers about the scheme’s benefits.

Chairing a crucial meeting with senior officers of the Taxation Department at Punjab Bhawan, the Finance Minister stressed the need for sensitizing field staff to personally engage with taxpayers and facilitate the application process. This move aims to enable taxpayers to avail the benefits of the GST amnesty scheme and facilitate the recovery of revenue currently locked in arrears, thereby bolstering the financial health of the state.

The GST Amnesty Scheme, introduced under Section 128A of CGST Act, aims to ease the compliance burden on taxpayers by waiving interest and penalties on tax demands raised under Section 73. The GST Amnesty Scheme allows taxpayers to clear their outstanding dues pertaining to the financial year 2017-18 to 2019-20 by March 31, 2025. Additionally, the corresponding forms must be submitted by June 30, 2025.

The Finance Minister also issued a stern directive to all officers, mandating the attainment of established revenue targets without exception. During the meeting, the Finance Minister was briefed on the overall revenue growth, with a focus on Value Added Tax (VAT) and Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections.

Notably, VAT collection demonstrated a 5.74% increase, while GST revenue witnessed a more substantial growth of 13.39% up to February 2025. The divisions of Ludhiana and Amritsar were identified as key contributors to this success, exhibiting above-average performance in GST revenue collection.

The Finance Minister also reviewed outstanding Goods and Services Tax (GST) arrears, directing officers to ensure current arrears are promptly recovered and prevented from becoming part of the accumulated backlog. He emphasized the need for strict enforcement measures to avoid further delays and secure timely revenue collection.

The meeting was attended by senior officials, including Additional Chief Secretary (Taxation) Jaspreet Talwar, Taxation Commissioner Varun Roojam, Additional Commissioners, Joint Commissioners, and Deputy Commissioners of State Tax of the Divisions.

Chandigarh, March 24

The Punjab government has approved the construction of a bypass in Jalalabad city on the Ferozepur-Fazilka road to ease traffic congestion.

Responding to a query in the Legislative Assembly, Punjab PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO informed that administrative approval for constructing the bypass from Ferozepur-Fazilka Road (Bagho ke Uttar) to FF Road (Amir Khas) (Shaheed Udham Singh Marg) has been issued by the Secretary, Punjab Mandi Board. The 8.75 km long and 5.5 meter wide road will be constructed along the canal and serve as a bypass for Jalalabad city, helping streamline traffic flow.

Regarding the reconstruction of the causeway on Mubarakpur to Dhakoli Road, the Cabinet Minister said the existing 330-meter-long (including approach roads) and 8-meter-wide causeway was damaged in the July 2023 floods. While temporary repairs were made as per SDRF norms, the structure now requires permanent repairs due to heavy vehicle movement. Girders installed to restrict heavy vehicles have been damaged. The estimated repair cost is ₹44.87 lakh, with work to commence after budget approval.

The Minister added that a project to construct a new 150-meter-long causeway is under consideration at an estimated cost of ₹18 crore, with completion expected in 18-24 months.

On the construction of a railway under bridge at Tanda Phatak Level Crossing on the Sahnewal-Jalandhar-Amritsar line in Jalandhar district, Mr. ETO stated the proposal is under consideration. Administrative approval for the ₹13.06 crore project has been received. The Public Works Department will construct approach roads while work within railway boundaries will be handled by the Railway Department.

Chandigarh, March 24, 2025

During the ongoing session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Deputy Speaker Jai Krishan Singh Rouri, serving as the Chairman of the Estimates Committee, presented the committee’s report on the budget estimates of the Department of Forest and Wildlife Protection and the Department of Revenue and Rehabilitation.

While presenting the report, Deputy Speaker Rouri stated that the committee had conducted a thorough review of the budgetary provisions, held detailed discussions with departmental officials and submitted comprehensive recommendations to the House.

The report on the Revenue and Rehabilitation Department includes key recommendations such as ensuring timely attendance of revenue officials in offices, strict monitoring of patwaris and conducting surprise inspections to address delays in property transfers, and streamlining the land registration process by enhancing online services for public convenience.

Streamlining the land registration process by enhancing online services for public convenience.

Similarly, the report on the Department of Forest and Wildlife Protection emphasizes optimal utilization of budget allocations to enhance efficiency, regularization of daily wage and contractual employees to improve workforce stability, and fair and transparent transfers of officials and employees. The committee has also recommended massive afforestation efforts by planting native trees such as Kikar, Tahli, Jang Karir, Jamun, Mango, Dek, Neem, Bohar, and Pipal on vacant government lands, riverbanks, canals, drains, and roadsides.

Deputy Speaker Rouri highlighted that 29 state government departments were selected for examination this year. The Committee scrutinized records, conducted oral examinations of officials, and thoroughly reviewed financial estimates.

Emphasizing the importance of judicious use of public funds, Rouri stated, “The budget allocated by the House represents the hard-earned money of the people. Departments must ensure that these funds are utilized efficiently and transparently for the maximum welfare of citizens.”

He concluded by expressing gratitude to all esteemed Committee Members and the supporting team of the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat for their efforts in preparing the report.

Chandigarh, March 24:

          Punjab is actively undertaking conservation and restoration work on various historical monuments and tourist sites across the state.

          Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond, while responding to a question in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, stated that the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs is focused on preserving and restoring historically significant monuments and tourist destinations in different districts. He further added that if the Bathinda district authorities submit a proposal to develop Bathinda lakes into a food hub or a tourism site, the Punjab government will give it priority.

          In response to MLA Jagroop Singh Gill’s query, Tarunpreet Singh Sond emphasized that if the Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda submits a detailed proposal for the beautification and development of Bathinda lakes as a tourist destination and food hub, the Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department will take prompt action.

          Adding his insights, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan remarked that Punjab is one of the most beautiful places in the world, boasting mountains, rivers, lakes, and diverse weather conditions. He also highlighted Punjab’s historical forts and religious sites, underscoring the state’s rich cultural, religious and natural heritage. The Speaker suggested that a comprehensive plan should be devised to boost tourism in Punjab.

          In response, Tarunpreet Singh Sond affirmed that Punjab is unique in terms of tourism and that the government is already working on numerous projects. He assured that future initiatives would further elevate Punjab’s tourism sector to new heights.

Chandigarh, March 24

          Punjab Revenue and Rehabilitation Minister Hardip Singh Mundian said that the ‘Mera Ghar Mere Naam’ (Swamitva) scheme is being implemented in the state to grant ownership rights to the occupants of plots falling within the Lal Dora in rural areas of Punjab. This scheme will be completed by next year.

          Mr. Mundian, in response to a question raised by Amargarh MLA Prof. Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha today, said that Swamitva is a central scheme whose objective is to provide the rights of properties falling within the Lal Dora of villages to their owners.

          The Revenue Minister said that another objective of this scheme is to create computerized records of rights and GIS maps of the populated areas of the villages. For this purpose, the Punjab Population (Record of Rights) Act and Rules have been implemented in the year 2021, which gives legal recognition to the records of rights prepared under this scheme. GIS maps are prepared by the Survey of India using drone technology. A software/portal has been developed in this regard.

Chandigarh, March 24:

Responding to a question raised through an call attention notice by MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh in the Punjab Legislative Assembly, Punjab Local Government Minister Dr. Ravjot Singh said that necessary procedures and processes must be followed regarding the inclusion of 12 gram panchayats of Amritsar (North) constituency into the Amritsar Municipal Corporation.

The Cabinet Minister said that Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh had raised this matter during a meeting of the Panchayati Raj Institutions Committee of Punjab Legislative Assembly on January 24, 2024. Subsequently, some of the 12 gram panchayats passed resolutions in February 2024 requesting the inclusion of their areas into the Amritsar Municipal Corporation.

The Local Government Minister said that new panchayats have been constituted following the gram panchayat elections held last October. In this regard, it would be appropriate for the newly formed gram panchayat institutions to pass fresh resolutions regarding their inclusion in the Municipal Corporation.

He further said that after the urban local body elections held in December 2024, a new house of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation was constituted on January 28, 2025. When the Municipal Corporation house would pass the resolution regarding the inclusion of these gram panchayats, further action will be initiated under Section 3(6) of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976.

The department is in continuous contact with the Deputy Commissioner and the Commissioner of Amritsar Municipal Corporation regarding this matter, he added.

Chandigarh, March 24, 2025 –

In a decisive move to combat food adulteration in the state, teams from the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) and the Food Safety department conducted surprise inspections at several dairies in Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar on Monday. 

Disclosing this, an official spokesperson of the state VB said the joint operation resulted in the collection of multiple samples of milk, curd, and paneer for laboratory testing, signaling the government’s intensified crackdown on adulterated food products. 

The spokesperson added that the raids, led by Food Safety Officer Satwinder Singh and VB Inspector Shakunt Choudhary, inspected Imaan Dairy, located near Jyoti Saroop Chowk, Fatehgarh Sahib where samples of milk, curd, and paneer were collected. Additionally, milk samples were seized from Cheema Dairy, situated opposite Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College, Fatehgarh Sahib for further analysis. 

The VB issued a stern warning, stating, “The Punjab Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards food adulteration. A sustained campaign to root out this menace would continue in the coming days. He emphasized that legal action would be swift and severe if any adulteration is confirmed through laboratory testing”.

Checking conducted in Rupnagar as well

In a parallel operation, the Vigilance Bureau, under the supervision of SSP/VB Rupnagar range Arun Saini, DSP/VB Unit Rupnagar Gurcharan Singh and Assistant Commissioner Manjinder Singh from the Health and Food Safety Department, Rupnagar, conducted surprise inspections at various locations in Rupnagar.

The teams, including Food Safety Officer Simranjit Singh (Rupnagar-1) and Dinesh Jot Singh, collected samples of soya chaap, spring rolls, momos, bakery items, bread and ghee from unlicensed vendors. The spokesperson added that samples were sent to laboratories to check for quality and purity. Besides, notices were issued to owners operating without licenses or maintaining poor hygiene standards, and fines were imposed in several cases.

He further added that during the inspections, dairy owners, sweet shops and food joint owners were formally cautioned about the consequences of adulteration and briefed on the state’s ongoing campaign to ensure food safety. The VB teams, in collaboration with the Health and Food Safety Administration, have been conducting statewide operations, with particular attention to areas where adulteration is believed to be more prevalent. “Citizens were also encouraged to report suspected cases of food adulteration through the VB’s dedicated helpline, with assurances of confidentiality and prompt action,” he said.