IEP Chandigarh, January 24

          Maninderjit Singh Vicky Ghanaur took charge as Vice Chairman of the newly appointed Punjab Health System Corporation, as announced by the Punjab Government today.

          Vicky Ghanaur, expressed gratitude to The Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. He assured that he would diligently fulfill the entrusted responsibilities, contributing to the progress and development of the corporation, including efforts to expedite the fulfillment of vacant positions.

          On this occasion, Information and Public Relations Minister S. Chetan Singh Jaudamajra and Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh extended congratulations, expressing optimism that the new Vice Chairman would ensure the welfare of the Punjab Health System Corporation.

          It is noteworthy that Maninderjit Singh Vicky from Ghanaur in the Patiala district is an international Kabaddi player.

          Present at the occasion were Budh Ram, M.L.A. Budhlada; Raman Bahal, Chairman Health System Corporation; Harchand Singh Barsat, Chairman Mandi Board; Dev Mann, M.L.A. Nabha; J. P. Singh, Chairman Technical Education; Inderjit Singh Sandhu, Vice Chairman Conware; Prabhjot Kaur, Chairman Planning Board Mohali; Surinder Pal Sharma, Chairman Reform Trust Nabha; Jassi Sohian, Chairman Planning Board Patiala; Megh Chand Shermajra, Chairman Reform Trust Patiala; Baljinder Singh Chonda, Chairman Reform Trust; Loves Mittal (son of MLA Nina Mittal); Rajwant Singh Ghuli, Chairman Market Committee Dhuri; Deepa Ramgarh, Chairman Market Committee Bhadson; Sukhwinder Kaur, Chairman Market Committee Amloh, among others.

IEP Chandigarh January 24

          The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested accused Balvir Singh, a resident of village Alampur, District Patiala, who was an accomplice of accused Malwinder Singh Sidhu, AIG, Human Rights, Punjab. He was wanted in a corruption-cum-criminal case registered by the VB as he used to submit complaints against employees in their departments and exhorted money by blackmailing at the behest of above said police officer.

          Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the state VB said the Bureau has secured a 5-day police remand of accused Balvir Singh in order to recover the weapon always kept by him on his person as well as to identify and ascertain the involvement of more persons.

          Giving more details the spokesperson informed that in this regard the Bureau, on the basis of a Vigilance Enquiry, has registered a case FIR No. 28, dated 30. 10. 2023 under sections 7, 7-A of Prevention of Corruption Act and 384, 419, 420, 120B, 201 of IPC at police station, Vigilance Bureau, flying squad-1, Punjab at SAS Nagar. The said AIG Sidhu, his accomplice Balvir Singh and other accused were involved in this case. AIG Sidhu was already in judicial custody in the above said case.

          He further added that during the probe it was found that AIG Sidhu misrepresented himself as IGP, Vigilance Bureau, Punjab, along with above said Balvir Singh and other accused, thereby used to initiate complaints against government employees, only to subsequently withdraw these in order to blackmail them and get illicit gains. Mentionably, this police officer had never held positions of AIG or IG within the Vigilance Bureau, Punjab since 2017.

          He informed that it has came to light that AIG Sidhu had misused the government vehicle, Ertiga (PB-65-AD-1905) as fuel and other expenses were being drawn from the government account. However, he never maintained records of vehicle usage (log-book) which amounted to misuse of government property.

          The spokesperson further added that afore mentioned Balvir Singh, at the behest of AIG Sidhu used to submit complaints against employees in different departments who had presumably been recruited under the Scheduled Castes and Freedom Fighters quota in order to pressurize and blackmail them in lieu of bribes, which were shared by him, Malwinder Singh and the other accused.

          Further investigation into this case was under progress and remaining accused would be arrested soon, he added.

IEP CHANDIGARH, January 24

          Taking the first step towards realising the vision of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann of having AI-driven modern policing in the state, Punjab Police inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar for the establishment of first-of-its-kind in-house Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Lab, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday.

          The MoU was signed by ADGP Technical Services Punjab Ram Singh and Director IIT Ropar Professor Rajeev Ahuja in the presence of DGP Punjab Gaurav Yadav. SP Technical Services Punjab Sandeep Kaur Sandhu and Asst. Professor IIT Ropar Dr Santosh Kumar Vipparthi were also present.

          DGP Gaurav Yadav, while thanking CM Bhagwant Singh Mann for complete support to Punjab Police in its modernisation, said that this collaboration will not only pave the way for various technological innovations but will also help in harnessing the cutting-edge technologies for predictive policing, crime pattern recognition & analysis, facial recognition and intelligent decision-making.

          He said that where AI can assist the Police in the detection of criminal activities and fraud by identifying patterns and trends in large volumes of data, on the other side, ML algorithms can help understand criminal behaviour and allocate resources accordingly. The lab will also help in optimising the deployment of manpower based on real-time data, he said.

          Sharing more details, ADGP Ram Singh said that in the present era, the rapid progress in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence holds the potential to transform the operations of law enforcement agencies.

          He said that this initiative, which is driven by the goal to leverage state-of-the-art technologies, will further help enhance law enforcement capabilities, improve public safety, and foster innovation in AI-driven security solutions. This initiative reflects the commitment to exploit the advancements in ML and AI for revolutionizing law enforcement practices and enhancing security measures throughout Punjab, he added.

          Meanwhile, the lab will also play a crucial role in automating the generation of reports and paperwork, saving time of officers and administrative staff. AI-driven dashboards can provide law enforcement agencies with real-time analytics and insights into ongoing operations and events, improving situational awareness.

IEP CHANDIGARH, January 23

In order to ensure peaceful celebrations on the occasion of Republic Day as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Police have deployed senior Police Officers from the Headquarters in different districts and mobilised a force of over 20000 police personnel to ensure foolproof law and order and security arrangements at all the venues.

Notably, Governor of Punjab Banwarilal Purohit will unfurl the National Flag and take the salute during a state-level Republic Day function to be held in Patiala, while, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann will unfurl the National Flag in Ludhiana.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Headquarters Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill, who was addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, said that Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav has been personally supervising the security arrangements for Republic Day and has also appointed Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla as the nodal officer to ensure meticulous security arrangements at all the venues.

 “Foolproof arrangements are in place and Senior Police officers of the rank of Spl DGP/ADGP/IGP/DIG have been asked to camp in different districts to monitor the security arrangements at their respective venues personally,” he said.

He said that all the Gazetted Officers and Station House Officers (SHOs) have also been asked to remain in the field till the culmination of the Republic Day event, besides this, additional forces have been deployed at the sensitive pockets.

The IGP said that the DGP Punjab has ordered extensive checking of vehicles and suspicious people across the state. Plans to seal all the inter-state, inter-district and inter-city boundaries in the state are being implemented, he added.

He also urged the people of Punjab to remain alert all the time, and immediately report to the police if they find any suspicious. “People can inform the Police on 112 helpline number,” he added.

Meanwhile, CPs/SSPs have also been asked to conduct cordon and search operations (CASO) at and around Railway Stations and Bus Stands and check vulnerable places including markets Government Buildings and Religious places.

IEP CHANDIGARH, January 23

With Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government has been focusing on bringing the people trapped in vicious drug menace back into the mainstream, more drug consumers are coming forward to avail the provision of section 64-A of the NDPS act by pledging to undergo the rehabilitation treatment, said Inspector General of Police (IGP) Headquarters Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill here on Tuesday.

 “In just 20 days, the Hon’ble Court has confirmed 237 cases where the order has been passed under section 64-A NDPS act, and as many as 282 drug consumers have been undergoing the treatment of de-addiction and rehabilitation,” he said.

Pertinently, the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Prevention and Rehabilitation— to eradicate drugs from the state. As part of the strategy, the Punjab Police has been promoting and creating awareness about section 64-A of the NDPS act, which provides an opportunity to a drug consumer—caught with a few grams of heroin or narcotic powder— for rehabilitation.

The IGP, however, said that the crackdown against big drug smugglers is also ongoing, with Punjab Police arresting 141 drug smugglers/suppliers including 31 big fish after registering 109 first information reports (FIRs) in the last week, and recovering 19.4-Kg Heroin, 8.3-Kg opium, 25.23 quintals of poppy husk, and 4201 tablets/capsules/injections/vials of Pharma opioids besides recovering Rs 1.40 lakh drug money from their possession.

He said that with six more Proclaimed Offenders (POs)/Absconders in NDPS cases arrested in the last one week, the total number of arrests reached 1260 since the special drive to arrest POs/absconders was started on July 5, 2022.

Giving details on disposing-off drugs under the NDPS act from January 1, 2024, to January 15, 2024, IGP Sukhchain Gill said that different field and special units of Punjab Police have destroyed over 523Kg heroin, 79.92 quintals of Poppy Husk, 298Kg Ganja and 17.57 lakh narcotic pills/capsules under the supervision of High-Level Drug Disposal Committees of contraband by burning them in a incinerators following proper procedure.

He said that Punjab Police have also forfeited 263 properties worth Rs 111 crores of big smugglers since the formation of the government, while, 9 more proposals to forfeit properties worth Rs 3.60 crores are pending with the competent authority.

Apart from this, IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill said that the Punjab Police have not been leaving any stone unturned to improve the law and order situation in the state.

The Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), since its formation on April 6, 2022, has succeeded in busting 312 gangster/criminal modules after arresting 951 gangsters/criminals and neutralising 10, after 963 weapons and 208 vehicles used in criminal activities, he said.

IEP Chandigarh, January 23

Local Government Minister Balkar Singh, conducted review meeting in the presence of MLAs, with Municipal Commissioner Ludhiana, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Urban Development) Ludhiana, and EOs of Municipal Corporation/Nagar Panchayats of Jagraon, Khanna, Doraha, Mulanpur Dakhan, Raikot, Sahnewal, Samrala, Machiwara, Payal and Malod.In the review meeting, officials were instructed to promptly utilize unused funds.

During a review meeting at the Municipal Bhawan in Sector 35, Chandigarh today, Local Government Minister Balkar Singh discussed in detail the sewerage treatment plants and water treatment plants being constructed under the Swachh Bharat Mission and the AMRUT Mission, respectively, along with other development works. He directed authorities to ensure quality and transparency in these development initiatives.

Cabinet Minister Balkar Singh further stated that projects with approved DPRs should commence soon after obtaining tenders, and DPRs for pending projects should be approved expeditiously. He warned of appropriate action against officials if allocated funds are not utilized for development within specified time frames.

Balkar Singh shared comprehensive information about works under various schemes and allocated funds with MLAs, urging officials to ensure transparent communication with MLAs for public-centric development. He emphasized that the overarching goal is to comprehensively develop the state.

Local Government Minister reiterated the Punjab government’s vision, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Maan, to make Rangla Punjab. He stressed the collective responsibility to work diligently and honestly towards achieving this vision.

Cabinet Minister Balkar Singh affirmed that the state government has ample funds for development works. If a regional office requires additional funds, it should submit a complete proposal with an action plan to the head office.

On this occasion, MLAs Madan Lal Bagga, Rajinderpal Kaur Chinna, Daljit Singh Grewal, Ashok Parashar Pappi, Kulwant Singh Sidhu, Sarvjit Kaur Manuke, Jagtar Singh Dayalpura, Hardeep Singh Mundian, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, Manwinder Singh Giaspura, Hakam Singh Thekedar besides Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board CEO Malwinder Singh Jaggi, Local Government Department Director Uma Shankar Gupta, Municipal Commissioner, Ludhiana, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, Senior Officers of Head Office, Constituency In-charge Aam Aadmi Party Mulanpur Dakhan and EOs of Municipal Council/Nagar Panchayats were present in the meeting.