IEP Chandigarh, January 31

The Haryana Government has chosen four films for subsidy under the “Haryana Film and Entertainment Policy-2022.” The selection was made during a meeting of the Governing Council, convened under the Haryana Film Promotion Board, chaired by Governing Council Chairperson Ms Mita Vashishtha. The selected films will receive subsidies ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 2 crore.

On this occasion, Director General of Information, Public Relations, Language and Culture Department and Member Secretary of the Council, Sh Mandip Singh Brar was also present.

Sh. Brar said that the selected films would soon receive subsidies during a function organized by the state government. It is noteworthy that since the formation of the state, the current government has implemented the film policy for the first time. The primary objective of this policy is not only to preserve and promote the folk culture of the state but also to offer wholesome entertainment to the people through cinema. Additionally, this initiative aims to generate employment opportunities in the state. Following the formulation of the film policy, Haryana has begun attracting producers creating films in languages other than Bollywood, aided by “single-window” shooting permissions and subsidy incentives.

Actress Sumitra Hooda, actor Yashpal Sharma, and Harish Kataria were also present among the council members during the meeting.

Former IPS officer Anil Kumar, renowned filmmaker and scriptwriter Rumi Jaffrey, and Chief Minister’s Media Advisor Rajiv Jaitley participated virtually in the meeting and shared their insights.

During the meeting, discussions revolved around providing access to quality cinema and showcasing the rich culture of the state in rural areas for the people’s benefit. Council Chairperson Mita Vashishtha said that continuous efforts should be made to make the film policy more effective and practical.

Director General of Information, Public Relations, Language, and Culture Department, and Member Secretary of the Council, Mr. Mandip Singh Brar, affirmed the state government’s commitment to proactively advancing the “Haryana Film and Entertainment Policy-2022.”

Additional Director (Administration) Vivek Kalia, Joint Director Neeraj Kumar and other officers from the Department of Information, Public Relations, Language, and Culture were also present in the meeting.

IEP Chandigarh, January 31

The Haryana government has set a target of spraying nano-urea on one lakh acres of land in the state. The aim of the scheme is to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers and to promote natural farming, as part of the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department initiative. Under the scheme, the government will provide nano-urea to farmers at half price. Farmers in all districts of the state can apply for the scheme on the portal till February 15, 2024.

Sharing information in this regard an official spokesperson said that  nano urea spraying will be conducted on 7,000 acres of land each in Bhiwani, Fatehabad, Hisar, Karnal, and Sirsa. Similarly, in Kurukshetra, Jind, and Kaithal, it will be done on 6,000 acres each, while in Sonipat and Yamunanagar, on 5,000 acres each. Ambala, Panipat, Mahendragarh, Rewari, Rohtak, and Palwal will see the benefits of spraying on 4,000 acres of farmers’ land. Additionally, in Mewat and Jhajjar, it will be on 3,000 acres each, Charkhi Dadri, Faridabad, and Gurugram on 2,000 acres each, and Panchkula on 1,000 acres.

Under the scheme, farmers will be provided a bottle of nano-urea for only Rs.100. The remaining cost will be borne by the state government. Drones and other methods will also be used to spray the nano-urea in the fields.

The spokesperson said that the excessive use of chemical fertilisers leads to a decrease in soil fertility and also have a negative impact on crops and vegetables. 

He said that this is a great scheme for farmers as the government is providing this benefit to farmers at a very low cost. Nano-urea spray helps to increase soil fertility by combining with nitrogen oxide and other atmospheric gases. It also helps to reduce air pollution.

To apply for the scheme, farmers need to register on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora Portal https://fasal.haryana.gov.in and they also need to apply for nano-urea on the portal https://agriharyana.gov.in/nanofertilizer.

IEP Chandigarh, January 31

The Haryana Scheduled Caste and Backward Class Welfare Department is providing financial assistance of Rs. 80,000 for housing repairs under the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Awas Navinikarn Yojna to all Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. Initially, this benefit was only extended to BPL families belonging from the Scheduled Caste, but the Haryana government decided to include all BPL families under this scheme last year.

A government spokesperson, providing information on the matter, stated that along with expanding the scope of beneficiaries, the government has also increased the amount under the scheme from Rs 50,000 to Rs 80,000. He said that the Haryana government’s Awas Navinikarn Yojna is related to Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes, and applicants included in the BPL list are eligible for this scheme.

Explaining the eligibility criteria for the scheme, the spokesperson mentioned that to avail the benefits, the applicant must be a permanent resident of Haryana. Apart from this, the applicant should belong to the Scheduled Caste or Backward Class and applicants included in the BPL list to be a BPL family.

He further informed that applicants must validate that either they have received a grant for housing from any department or their self-constructed house is more than 10 years old, and it is eligible for renovation.

The spokesperson informed that the applicant must be a permanent resident of Haryana and needs to present proof of being part of the Scheduled Caste or Backward Class and belonging to a BPL family. Documents such as Parivar Pehchan Patra, BPL ration card, ration certificate, SC/BC caste certificate, Aadhaar card, bank account number, mobile number, two documents from electricity bill, house registry, and water bill, and an estimate of the renovation cost are mandatory for the application.

This initiative aims to provide financial support to economically weaker sections for the renovation of their homes, contributing to improved living conditions for the beneficiaries.

IEP Chandigarh, January 31

The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, a nationwide campaign to promote central and State government welfare schemes, has been a success in Haryana and proved to be effective for citizens as now people are not only getting aware of the government welfare schemes but are also getting the benefits of those schemes on the spot.

People are excited about the yatra and appreciate the vision of Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal as they are receiving the benefits of the schemes at their doorstep, as a result, the state has topped the country in terms of participation, with over 51 lakh 20 thousand 718 lakh people taking part in the yatra out of which 21 lakh 54 thousand 375 women showed their appreciation for the initiative by participating in it. 

The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra (VBSY), initiated by Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi on November 16, 2023, across the country, aims to raise awareness and achieve saturation of government schemes, as well as making India a developed and Self-reliant nation by 2047. With that objective, the Haryana Yatra has covered every village and ward in the state. It has been a benefit to the people of Haryana, bringing government services to their doorsteps.

A platform to honour women, meritorious students, and athletes

The yatra has also been a platform for the government to honour women, meritorious students, and athletes. Over 37,000 women, 49,000 students, and 7,320 athletes have been felicitated during the yatra.

Health- Check-up Camps are being organised during the yatra

During the yatra health check-up camps are also being organised for the people to inform them about their health and the importance of being healthy. Additionally free medicines are also being provided on the spot.  Over 8 lakh 68 thousand 204 lakh people have had their health checked during the camps, and 5 lakh 94 thousand 733 lakh people have been examined for tuberculosis. 

The yatra has also helped people to avail of various government schemes and 18,239 people have also had their Aadhaar cards made during the yatra.

IEP Chandigarh, January 31

Haryana Chief Minister Sh Manohar Lal, inaugurated the Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness at the Psychology Department of Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra on Wednesday.

The Happiness Center, established in collaboration with the Rekhi Foundation for Happiness, aims to provide a platform for students, teachers, employees, and the general public to explore the principles of happiness, cope with life changes, and effectively navigate challenges.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Chief Minister Sh Manohar Lal highlighted the significance of incorporating the science of happiness into education. He emphasized that by imparting knowledge about happiness, students can combat stress in the technological era, fostering a positive mindset to achieve their goals successfully. The Chief Minister extended his congratulations to Vice-Chancellor Prof. Som Nath Sachdeva, Rekhi Foundation representatives Dr. Kiranjot Singh and Dr. Prabhleen Singh, and their entire team for their efforts in establishing this transformative center.

Prof. Som Nath Sachdeva, the Vice-Chancellor, expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Sh Manohar Lal and KU Chancellor Sh Bandaru Dattatreya for their vision in establishing the Happiness Center. He outlined the center’s objective to equip teachers, non-teaching staff, and students with strategies to manage mental stress, alleviate work pressure, and approach various life situations with resilience.

Chairman of the Psychology Department, Prof. Rohtash Singh shared insights into the origins of the Happiness Center under the guidance of VC Prof. Som Nath. The Rekhi Foundation for Happiness, initiated in the United States in 2016 by Dr. Satindra Singh Rekhi and Harpreet Rekhi, seeks to establish similar Happiness Centers in universities globally

Minister of State Sardar Sandeep Singh, Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sharma, SP Surender Singh Bhoria, KU Registrar Prof. Sanjeev Sharma, Dean Students Welfare Prof. AR Chaudhri, Dr. Kiranjot Singh, Dr. Prabhleen Singh, Prof. Brajesh Sawhney, Prof. Rohtash Singh, Prof. Hardeep Lal Joshi, Prof. Anil Gupta, Dr. Deepak Rai Babbar, Dr. Rajratan, Dr. Ashu Dhawan, Dr. Abid Ali, OSD Pawan Rohilla, Dr. Jitendra Jangra and Executive Engineer Pankaj Sharma were also present on this occasion.

IEP Chandigarh, January 31

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday held a high level meeting with the Deputy Commissioners from all the districts to review the implementation of the various citizen centric schemes in the state.  

Chairing a meeting with Deputy Commissioners here at the Punjab Bhawan, the Chief Minister expressed satisfaction over the fact that most of the districts were performing well in implementing the door to door scheme in the state. He said that this ambitious scheme aims at providing 43 citizen centric services to the people at their doorsteps. Bhagwant Singh Mann further asked the Deputy Commissioner to make sure that the scheme is implemented with missionary zeal to benefit the people.

Dwelling on another agenda, the Chief Minister said that 664 Aam Aadmi Clinics are functional in the state and around 98 lakh patients have so far taken benefit from these clinics. He said that medicines worth Rs 40.50 crore have been provided free to patients along with lab tests worth Rs 5.77 crore that have been done free. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that 150 new clinics will be dedicated soon to the people of the state for which all the arrangements have been made adding he asked the Deputy Commissioners to make regular checkings in the clinics across the state.

Similarly, the Chief Minister said that the state government has decided that all the medicines prescribed in the government hospitals will be made available to the Patients within its premises. He said that 276 medicines have already been included in the State Essential Drugs List at District Hospitals and Sub Divisional Hospitals. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that for procurement of medicines other than Essential Drug List (EDL) Standard Operating Procedure has been issued adding that the Deputy Commissioners must ensure that the medicines are available to the patients.

The Chief Minister also said that the state government has also launched Farishtay scheme for Road side trauma victims as per which treatment will be provided free of cost at the nearest empanelled hospital . He asked the Deputy Commissioners to ensure that District level Committees scrutinize the expenditure wherever the same is more than the prescribed limit / days without any inordinate delay. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that 52 packages have been identified and 495 hospitals have been empanelled under this scheme across the state.

The Chief Minister said that the state government has taken several steps to ensure that canal water reaches at the tail end in every village. He asked the Deputy Commissioners to complete the ongoing process so that the farmers are immensely benefitted from it. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state government is committed to making optimum utilization of the canal water to benefit the farmers.

The Chief Minister also said that the state government will open 13 new Schools of Eminence in districts of Amritsar, Bathinda, Fazilka, Fatehgarh Sahib, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, SAS Nagar and Tarn Taran. He asked the Deputy Commissioners of the concerned districts to ensure that these schools are operational well in time to benefit the students. Bhagwant Singh Mann also asked the Deputy Commissioners to ensure boundary wall, provision of Toilets, Furniture, Drinking water facility, campus managers along with Internet/Wi-Fi facility in all schools by March 31.

The Chief Minister also asked the Deputy Commissioners to hold regular meetings of the District Education Development Committee besides making surprise inspections in the school. He also asked the officers to make sure that the students get school uniforms well in time along with identification of innovative projects of school education at district level. Bhagwant Singh Mann also underscored the need for ensuring implementation of SoP’s on hazardous trees and unsafe buildings inside the school campus.    

The Chief Minister also asked the Deputy Commissioners to optimally utilise the MGNREGA scheme for giving fillip to the development of villages on one hand and providing jobs to needy people on the other. He said that till date, 308 lakh mandays have been generated under the scheme in the state thereby giving employment to 8.17 lakh Households. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state has set an expenditure target of Rs 2,000 crore for all districts, which translates into 440 lakh mandays for all districts put together adding that the Deputy Commissioners should ensure that the target is achieved in the current fiscal.

Dwelling on another Chief Minister, ask the officers to ensure that work for starting construction of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra National Highway is put on fast-track mode. He said that this is an ambitious project, which once completed, will save time, money and energy of commuters travelling from Delhi to Punjab and Jammu-Kashmir especially those desirous of paying obeisance at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the 254 kilometer long highway will be constructed at a cost Rs 11,510 crore and will pass through nine districts of the state viz. Jalandhar, Sangrur, Malerkotla, Patiala, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur.

The Chief Minister also asked the Deputy Commissioners to ensure the proper upkeep of the roads within their jurisdiction. He said that the funds have been already allotted to the PWD authorities for the proper upkeep of roads. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that no stone is being left unturned for ensuring that commuters do not face any sort of inconvenience on roads.

IEP Chandigarh January 31

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Wednesday, has arrested Punjab Home Guard (PHG) volunteer Harjinder Singh, posted at Police Post, village Lalton Kalan, Ludhiana district for accepting bribe of Rs 10,000.

Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the state VB said this case has been registered against the said accused on an online complaint lodged by Mandeep Kaur, a resident of Bhai Bala Colony, Pakhowal Road, Ludhiana on the Chief Minister anti corruption action line.

He further added that the complainant has alleged in her complaint that  PHG Harjinder Singh and ASI Ravinder Kumar, both posted at Police Post, Lalton Kalan, Ludhiana have been demanding bribe money of Rs 30,000 to get favour in a police case registered against her brothers. She further alleged that the

on behalf of said ASI, the accused PHG had already obtained bribe money of Rs 10,000 from her for the said purpose. The complainant had also made recording of demands raised by the said PHG and submitted to the VB as an evidence.

In this regard the VB range Ludhiana has investigated the complaint and found the allegations made in the complainant as true and correct. On the basis of this report, a case FIR No 05 dated 31.01.2024 under section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused PHG Harjinder Singh at VB police station Ludhiana range and he has also been arrested. He would be produced in the competent court tomorrow. He further added that role of above mentioned ASI Ravinder Kumar and other police officials would also be examined during the future investigations in this case.

IEP Chandigarh, January 31

Punjab Information and Public Relations Department today gave a warm farewell to the Information and Public Relations officer Dr. Sarbjit Singh Kagniwal on his retirement. He efficiently served the department for nearly 22 years.

Remembering the bonds of companionship with Dr. Sarbjit Singh Kangniwal during a farewell function, Joint Director Mr. Randeep Singh Ahluwalia, Joint Director Mr. Harjit Singh Grewal, Joint Director Mr. Preet Kanwal Singh, Deputy Director Mr. Ishwinder Singh Grewal, Deputy Director Mr. Manvinder Singh, Deputy Director Mrs. Shikha Nehra, Deputy Director Mr. Gurmeet Singh Khaira, IPRO Mr. Navdeep Singh Gill and Mr. Kultar Singh Mianpuri and other officers unfolded various hidden pages of Kanganiwal’s life. While lauding the marvelous services rendered by Dr. Kagniwal during his service in the department, they added that the exemplary hard work, dedication and perseverance exhibited by the Dr. Kagniwal will ever inspire his colleagues and newly-inducted staff members to discharge their duties with utmost determination.

Wishing Dr. Kagniwal a better and healthier post-retirement life, the speakers also said, now he will be able to spend more valuable time with his family besides fulfilling his social responsibility. Dr. Sarbjit Singh Kagniwal and his Wife Dr. Malti Singh, Scientist, NIPER were also honoured with a memento by the staff members.