IEP Chandigarh, August 21

Under the effective leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is continuously working for the welfare of every section of the state. Taking a step forward in the same direction, Social Security, Women, and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur held a meeting of the Raj Parishad constituted under Senior Citizens Rules 2012, Rule 24 of the Care and Welfare of Parents and Elderly today at Punjab Civil Secretariat-1, Sector-1 in Chandigarh.

          Speaking about this, Cabinet Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur said that a detailed discussion was held with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Information and Public Relations, and Department of Home Affairs and Justice regarding various demands of senior citizens. The Minister stated that the main demands of the senior citizens are to increase the old-age pension for senior citizens, considering inflation, to open old-age homes in every district of the state of Punjab, to provide free health services for the elderly in government health institutions, to ensure the welfare of parents and the elderly and to fully implement The Care 2007 Act in the state of Punjab. Additionally, the implementation of the Protection of Life and Property Act, spreading awareness about Government rules for elderly care among Government offices, society and families, creating a separate directorate for senior citizens, and addressing the demands for formulating a state policy for elderly welfare and establishing a helpline number (14567) for senior citizens were discussed.

          Dr. Baljit Kaur emphasized that the elderly are our valuable capital, and it is our moral responsibility to take care of them. The Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is continuously working for their welfare.

          During the meeting, the minister assured the association’s representatives that their legitimate demands would be addressed by corresponding with the concerned departments.

          On this Occasion, Special Chief Secretary of Social Security, Women and Child Development, Mrs. Raji P. Shrivastava, Director of Social Security, Women and Child Development Department, Mrs. Madhvi Kataria, Director of Information and Public Relations Department, S. Bhupinder Singh, Additional Director of Social Security, Women and Child Development Department, S. Charanjit Singh and Deputy Director of Health and Family Welfare Department, Dr. Daljit Singh were present.

IEP Chandigarh, August 21

 In a major decision for holistic development of the villages, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday announced special grant of Rs. 5 lakh to unanimously elected panchayats under ‘Mukh Mantri Pind Ekta Sanman.

 Stressing on to maintain brotherhood and bonhomie in Panchayat Elections, the Chief Minister said that these elections are critically important for the development of the villages, thereby the state government has anounced to extend the special grant to the villages which will elect Sarpanch and Panches unanimously.  He said that this decision will set the trend to elect their representative unanimously across the state and root out the political acrimony from grass root level.

 The Chief Minister said that Panchayat Elections are mainly concerned on the development of villages and these elections shouldn’t be used as the tool to score the political grudge against the opponents as the people of the villages sharing sorrow and joy of each other since time immortal. He said that the Sarpanch is the real leader of the entire village not for one particular section so they should act as the leader of the village. Bhagwant Singh Mann urged the people to put aside their political differences and elect their Panchayat representatives unanimously in the coming elections so that the ethos of brotherhood and harmony could be further strengthened.

 The Chief Minister exuded confidence that maximum number of villages will exploit this monetary assistance opportunity with the implementation of this decision to elect their Panchayat representatives instead of their political affiliations and put their villages on high growth trajectory.

 The Chief Minister also announced that every possible effort will be made to keep these elections free from political spheres.  He said that the purpose of this decision is to create congenial atmosphere during Panchayat elections and ensure overall development of every nook and corner of the villages. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the successive governments used these elections as the tool to create factionalism among villagers to gain political mileage but at the end the villages have to bear the consequences

IEP Chandigarh, August 21

To make Punjab the leading state of the country in sports and to create sporting culture, under the direction of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, after the success of the first season of ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan’ launched, it has been decided to start torch relay for the first time to create awareness about sports before the start of season-2 this year.

          Punjab Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer disclosed here today that according to the tradition of the Games, this time the torch relay will start tomorrow on August 22 from Ludhiana before the opening ceremony of the season-2 of the Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan and will be taken to every district headquarters in Punjab for a week. He said that last year the first season of ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan’ had ended in Ludhiana, due to which the torch will be started from Ludhiana and after marching all over Punjab, the torch will reach Bathinda on August 29, where the second season of the Games will be inaugurated. The torch relay at each district headquarters will be attended by local eminent sportspersons, sports department personnel, local representatives and district administration officials.

          Divulging the details of the torch relay, the Sports Minister further said that it will go from Ludhiana to Moga on August 22, Ferozepur, Tarn Taran and Amritsar on August 23, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Hoshiarpur on August 24, Jalandhar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and Rupnagar on August 25, SAS Nagar, Sri Fatehgarh Sahib and Malerkotla on August 27, Patiala, Sangrur and Mansa on August 28, Barnala, Faridkot and Fazilka on August 28 and at Sri Muktsar Sahib and Bathinda on August 29.

IEP Chandigarh, August 21

          Punjab Horticulture Minister S. Chetan Singh Jauramajra, today directed that records of land related to the horticulture department in the state will be digitized soon.

          Addressing a meeting of the department’s head office and district officials in his office here, S. Jauramajra said that officers should submit district-wise lists and images of departmental land within 15 days so that complete data can be uploaded online. He said that with this, the possibility of encroachment on the land owned by the department will be zeroed, on the other hand the department will be able to generate more income resources by planting saplings on the vacant land. He said that the purpose of making the department’s data online is to ensure more transparency in the functioning.

          The Cabinet Minister  also directed the Principal Secretary Mr. KAP Sinha to immediately issue letters to district horticulture officers to expedite action in this regard.

          Issuing directions to ensure registeration of private nurseries with the department, S. Chetan Singh Jauramajra said that the officials will also ensure the plantation of state-specific saplings for the commercial purposes.

          In addition to these matters, NHM employees’ demands were also discussed. Cabinet Minister S.  Chetan Singh Jauramajra said that these employees are an integral part of the department. And, the demands of the NHM staff will be considered sympathetically. He asked to submit detailed report in this regard. He said that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann’s government is committed to creating maximum employment in the state and no activity to end the services of the any employee will be tolerated.

          The Cabinet Minister asked Director Mrs. Shailender Kaur to visit all the offices of the state and submit a report regarding the staff and equipments.

          During the meeting, emphasis was also laid on adopting crop diversification to increase the income of farmers. He said that the horticulture department should make an important contribution in crop diversification to make agriculture a profitable occupation and should sensitize more and more farmers about the schemes of the department. Reviewing the progress of the district offices, S. Jauramajra directed the officials to provide technical information about horticulture schemes to farmers through camps so that they can earn more income than the conventional crops.

          Apart from this, the issues of promotion in the department, the proposal regarding the recruitment of grade-4 employees and the latest situation regarding the rules of sub-inspectors, malis and beldars were also discussed in the meeting.

IEP Chandigarh, August 21

          Punjab Public Works and Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO on Monday laid the foundation stones for special repair and reconstruction of two important road projects worth Rs 11.93 crore falling in Samrala constituency of Ludhiana district.

          Divulging the details, the PWD Minister said that the projects including plan road Samrala-Jhar Sahib road (12.47-KM) at Rs 6.78 crore and plan road Guru Gobind Singh Marg, Machiwara Sahib (9.35 km) at Rs. 5.15 crore. These works will be completed within six months as the thickness for both the roads would be 18 inch so as to make them most durable.

          The Minister said that 12.47-km stretch connects Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway with Ropar-Chamkaur Sahib- Neelon-Doraha Road. He said that historic Gurudwara Sri Jhar Sahib is situated on this road adding that a large number of devotees use this road to visit this holy place. However, this road was in bad shape due to which devotees were harried a lot, he said. Likewise, the 9.35 KM long stretch in Samrala constituency connects Ropar-Chamkaur Sahib- Neelon-Doraha Road with Machiwara Sahib-Chak Lohat Road, which is also a part of Guru Gobind Singh Marg. The minister further said that historic Gurudwara Sri Charan Kanwal Sahib is situated on this road due to which this road have influx of devotees. However, condition of this road was quite bad, thereby immediate repairing was need of the hour, he added.

          The minister said that the dilapidated condition of these roads had become a nightmare for commuters. He mentioned that the earlier governments had failed to pay heed on the demands of the people to construct these roads. Notably, both the roads were last time repaired in 2009, and 2015.

          The Minister said that the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was committed to making Punjab a progressive state as it is evident from the developmental projects being effectively carried out in every field. He said that the road infrastructure would be developed at par with standards in Punjab.

          ETO asserted that Punjab government has taken several path-breaking initiatives during its regiem in last one and a half year to put state on a high-growth trajectory. He further pointed out that the government has taken all preventive measures to tackle floods in the state and soon assessment of losses used by this calamity would be completed so that proper compensation could be provided to affected people.

          On this occasion, MLAs Jagtar Singh Dyalpura thanked the Minister for starting the projects.

          Earlier, the minister paid obeisance at both the historic Gurudwara Shri Charan Kanwal Sahib in Sri Machiwara Sahib and Sri Jhar Sahib.

IEP Chandigarh, August 21

In a bid to annihilate the practice of tax evasion from its roots, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday launched “Mera Bill App” under “Bill Liyao Inaam Pao Scheme” (Bring a bill and get a reward) to bolster revenue collection in the state.

During the launch of the App at his office here, the Chief Minster informed that the scheme is aimed at enhancing the compliance under GST and thereby the revenue of the State. The scheme is targeted at motivating the consumers to obtain bills from the dealers for their purchases made within the State and thereby forcing the dealers to issue the bills for their sales. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the consumers will be encouraged to upload the bills for their purchases on the “Mera Bill App” after they will automatically become eligible to participate in the lucky draw, which shall be held at 7th of each month.

The Chief Minister said that there will be maximum 10 prizes per Taxation district (29 taxation districts in the state), taking the tally to 290 rewards each month. The reward would be equivalent to five times the taxable value of goods/services declared in the bill with maximum capping of Rs. 10,000/- each reward. He said that the list of winners will be displayed on the website of the Taxation Department and the winners will also be informed by mobile app. Bhagwant Singh Mann informed that the sale bills of petroleum products (crude oil, petrol, diesel, aviation turbine fuel and natural gas) and liquor as well as B2B (business to business) transactions shall not be eligible for participation in the scheme.

Encouraging the people to get the bills of their purchases, the Chief Minister said that the people of the state must participate vigorously in this scheme so that the message of tax compliance can reach each and every door step and the state will get its due share of revenue for the various social welfare schemes. Bhagwant Singh Mann emphasized that this scheme is for the people and will enable the Government to check tax evasion and at the same time motivate them to move towards a tax compliant society and thereby become the biggest stakeholder in the development of the State.

Finance, Excise and Taxation Minister Harpal Singh Cheema was also present in the event

IEP Chandigarh, August 21

In yet another pro-employee decision, the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has regularized the services of around 100 teachers who attained higher education from recognised universities situated outside of the state.

          Divulging details in this regard, Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that during the recruitment of 7654 and 3442 teachers in 2009 and 2011, some teachers had produced certificates of higher education from recognized universities of other states. Due to which the services of these teachers were not regularized who were working tirelessly from 14 years. S. Bains said that when this matter came to his notice, he immediately instructed to complete the regularisation process by forming a high-level committee under the chairmanship of Director, Secondary Education.

          According to the Education Minister, now only few teachers left from getting this benefit as the process of verifying their documents is underway, which will be completed during this ongoing week.

          Director Secondary Education Mr. Sanjiv Sharma handed over the service regularisation letter to these teachers.

          S. Bains said that as per the directives of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the efforts are going on war foot to eliminate the word ‘Contractual’ from the dictionary of the education department.

IEP Chandigarh

The Department of Dermatology at PGIMER, Chandigarh headed by Prof. Sanjeev Handa and his team of nine faculty members, eight registrars and 23 residents has made PGIMER, Chandigarh, and the Nation proud by securing the 1^st rank in Asia and the 17^th rank worldwide among the Best Universities for Dermatology in a recent ranking done by EduRank.org (https://edurank.org/medicine/dermatology).  The organization ranked 14131 universities from 183 countries on 18.7.2023.  

EduRank.org is an independent metric-based, transparent ranking of 14131 universities. The final score of EduRank’s overall ranking consists of 3 parts: 45% Research performance, 45% Non-academic prominence, and 10% Alumni score. 

They utilized the OpenAlex database as a proxy to retrieve 83,166,817 scientific publications and 1,801,313,576 citations to rank the universities across various research topics.

The Department of Dermatology is very proud of the fact that of the 16 universities above them, the list has 14 Ivy League Institutions like Harvard, the University of California, and the University of Pennsylvania, etc from the USA; only one University of Toronto from Canada and one from all of Europe i.e. Charite, Medical University of Berlin.

Dr Handa shared that the entire department is very motivated by these results from an independent body based in the US and his entire team looks forward to improving upon their rank further in the years to come.     

IEP Chandigarh, August 21

Dev Samaj College for Women(DSCW), Sector 45-B, Chandigarh held the Inaugural Function for the new academic session 2023-24 at its premises here.

Shriman Nirmal Singh Dhillon, Chairman, Dev Samaj Managing Committee, presided over the function along with Dr. Agnese Dhillon, Secretary, Dev Samaj Managing Committee.

The session began with the college prayer followed by a discourse by Shriman Nirmal Singh Dhillon. Speaking on the occasion, Dhillon highlighted the ideology of Dev Samaj which inspires to achieve high morals in life.

He further elaborated on the importance of Education for a country to progress. Dr. Agnese Dhillon welcomed the students and congratulated them on embarking on a new journey. She thanked the faculty for always putting in great efforts for the progress of the college.  

Dr Agnese urged the students to follow the virtues of truth, hard work and sincerity. Dr. Meena Chopra, Principal,DSCW, heartily welcomed the faculty and students to the new academic session.

During the event, the students were made aware of the various clubs and societies of the college and encouraged to participate actively in the college activities.

IEP Dehradun 
मुख्यमंत्री श्री पुष्कर सिंह धामी ने नई दिल्ली में केंद्रीय ऊर्जा मंत्री श्री आर के सिंह से भेंट कर उत्तराखण्ड को कोयला आधारित संयंत्रों से 400-450 मे०वा० स्थायी आवंटन किए जाने का अनुरोध किया। मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि राज्य की ऊर्जा सुरक्षा के दृष्टिगत बेस लोड सुरक्षित किये जाने और राज्य को व्यापक विद्युत कटौती से मुक्त रखे जाने के लिए उत्तराखण्ड राज्य को कोयला आधारित संयंत्रों से 40 0मेगागावाट स्थायी आवंटन किया जाना अत्यंत आवश्यक है।

मुख्यमंत्री ने आपदा के कारण क्षतिग्रस्त हुई विद्युत लाइनों एवं टावरों को पुनर्स्थापित करने के लिए केंद्र सरकार से सहायता उपलब्ध कराने का अनुरोध किया। केंद्रीय मंत्री ने कहा कि क्षतिग्रस्त लाइनों की क्षतिपूर्ति केंद्र सरकार द्वारा की जाएगी, उन्होंने कहा कि क्षतिग्रस्त विद्युत टावरों का सर्वे कराकर इसकी रिपोर्ट भारत सरकार को भेजी जाय, इसका परीक्षण कराकर प्रतिपूर्ति पर विचार किया जायेगा।

मुख्यमंत्री ने बॉर्डर एरिया में विद्युत लाइनें एवं विद्युत संयंत्र शीघ्र स्थापित करने का अनुरोध किया। जिसके लिए केंद्रीय मंत्री ने कहा कि पहाड़ी राज्यों के लिए मानक अलग से निर्धारित कर शीघ्र बॉर्डर एरिया में  विद्युत लाइनें एवं विद्युत संयंत्र स्थापित किए जाएंगे।

मुख्यमंत्री ने राज्य सरकार को केंद्रीय पूल से अतिरिक्त विद्युत उपलब्ध कराने का अनुरोध किया। केंद्रीय मंत्री ने इस पर सहमति प्रदान की। मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि राज्य में सोलर ऊर्जा, हाइड्रो पावर एवं कोयला से विद्युत उत्पादन के लिए दीर्घकालिक योजना पर कार्य किया जा रहा है।

मुख्यमंत्री ने माह अप्रैल से सितम्बर 2023 तक औसतन 300 मे०वा विद्युत प्रतिमाह अनएलोकेटेड