IEP Chandigarh, July 20

The Manohar Lal-led State Government time and again has been taking several initiatives to bridge the gap between the government and the public. From starting the ‘Sarkar Apke Dwar’ programme to holding direct Samvad with eminent citizens and the local representatives, the Chief Minister is leaving no stone unturned in taking direct feedback from the general public about the ongoing development works, plans and works to be done in the future.        In this direct Samvad, the Chief Minister not only takes Vidhan Sabha-wise information about the work being done on the ground but also addresses on-the-spot grievances raised by the public. So far, Sh. Manohar Lal has held meetings with people’s representatives and eminent persons of 6 Lok Sabha constituencies and has quickly redressed most of the grievances by issuing directions to the top officers attached to the Chief Minister’s Office and administrative secretaries of various departments under one roof.        Meanwhile, continuing this series, today the Chief Minister had a meeting with public representatives and eminent citizens of Karnal Lok Sabha constituency. Notably, so far the Chief Minister has covered 54 Assembly Constituencies and plans to cover all 90 assembly constituencies by the end of July.        “Eminent citizens and officers are the team of the government and act as a bridge between the public and the government. Programmes could not be held in the field due to heavy rains in the past few days. The government along with NDRF, SDRF, Army, Police and NGOs has carried out relief work in the flood-affected areas with promptness. Eminent citizens should also cooperate with the administration in such an emergency and work in the public interest,” added Sh. Manohar Lal.        The Chief Minister said that usually there is a myth among the people that officers at the Chandigarh headquarters delay in clearing the files, but breaking this myth a transparent system has been made in which every single file or application reaches the CMO and is scrutinized. Not only this, the person who has sent an application or complaint is also informed about his demand and problem, added Sh. Manohar Lal.        During the meeting, the Chief Minister sought suggestions from the local representatives and eminent citizens, Indri MLA, Sh. Ramkumar Kashyap said that such meetings must be held at least once in three months.        Sh. Manohar Lal said that people’s representatives along with eminent citizens should publicize the schemes and services of the government among the masses, so as to ensure the maximum number of beneficiaries can take advantage of these schemes. The state government has made such a system through the Parivar Pehchan Patra, due to which the eligible citizens are getting the benefits of the schemes, said the Chief Minister.        In the meeting, the officer of the School Education Department apprised the Chief Minister that in every school where there are up to 100 students, recruitment on one post of Group D will be done and approval has also been given to keep the employees associated with EDUSAT on a full-time basis.  Group D posts will also be filled through Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam.        The Chief Minister was further apprised that the amount of the old age allowance scheme will now be paid through an Aadhaar-based payment system.        MLAs, Sh. Harvinder Kalyan, Sh. Mahipal Dhanda, Sh. Dharam Pal Gonder, Sh. Ramkumar Kashyap, Sh. Pramod Vij, Mayor, Karnal, Smt. Renu Bala, former MLA, Sh. Bakhshish Singh Virk, Sh. Bhagwan Das Kabirpanthi, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, Sh. Sudhir Rajpal, Additional Chief Secretary, Development and Panchayats Department, Sh. Anil Malik, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Dr. G. Anupama, Additional Chief Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department, Sh. AK Singh, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. V. Umashankar, Chairman, Power DISCOMS, Sh. PK Das, Deputy Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. K. Makarand Pandurang, Political Advisor to Chief Minister, Sh. B.B. Bharti, OSD, Sh. Sudhansu Gautam, Sh.  Jawahar Yadav and Sh. Bhupeshwar Dayal and other senior officers also remained present on this occasion. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 20

The National Forensic Science University is set to establish its new campus in Panchkula. A meeting was convened on Thursday, where Speaker Haryana Vidhan Sabha Sh. Gian Chand Gupta, along with Mayor, Kulbhushan Goyal, and senior officials of the state government discussed the allocation of land for the campus.        The meeting was attended by Home Secretary T V S N Prasad, Director General of Police P K Agrawal, Haryana Urban Development Authority Chief Administrator Ajit Balaji Joshi, Deputy Commissioner Panchkula Dr. Priyanka Soni, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sachin Gupta, and various other dignitaries.        Home Secretary T V S N Prasad apprised that he is in constant touch with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Vice Chancellor of the University to establish the campus of National Forensic Science University located in Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat, in Panchkula. The project will require 50 acres of land for the new campus. In the interim period, classes can commence in any suitable building until the new infrastructure is constructed.        A temporary space of 50000 square feet will be needed to initiate classes, and a team, led by Deputy Commissioner Dr. Priyanka Soni, has been formed to identify a suitable location. This team comprises officers from the Home Department and Haryana Urban Development Authority, along with Panchkula DCP and Joint Commissioner of Municipal Corporation. Several potential sites, including Sector 26 Polytechnic, NIFT, Agro Mall, Saket Hospital, and various community centers, are being considered for this purpose.        To assess the building and land, a faculty team from the National Forensic Science University will soon visit Panchkula. Home Secretary TVSN Prasad expressed confidence that classes can begin within the next three months.        Speaking about this development, Speaker Vidhan Sabha Sh. Gian Chand Gupta noted the significant growth of large-scale institutions in Panchkula over the last about nine years. These institutions have contributed to the city’s enhanced reputation, and the robust infrastructure has paved the way for more such prestigious establishments. He emphasized that the new campus of the National Forensic Science University will create employment opportunities for the youth and will benefit Panchkula as well as the entire region. He said that the establishment of such institutions also boosts the economy.

IEP CHANDIGARH, July 19     

     Amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per the vision of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Police’s State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) on Wednesday arrested a member of Lawrence Bishnoi Gang, who was making threat calls and demanding extortion from affluent persons in Mohali, Chandigarh and adjoining areas.          The arrested accused identified as Kashmir Singh alias Bobby Shooter (24), a resident of village Ghangroli in Patiala was working as a taxi driver. The Police teams have also recovered one country-made pistol along with two live cartridges.          AIG SSOC SAS Mohali Ashwani Kapur said that following several reports of extortion attempts and threatening phone calls made by an individual claiming affiliation with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, Police teams launched a comprehensive investigation into the matter. With the assistance of advanced intelligence gathering, the police were able to apprehend Bobby from District Khanna, he added.          Divulging details about the modus operandi, AIG Kapur said that Kashmir alias Bobby used to make extortion and threat calls to affluent persons including owners of night clubs and bars in Chandigarh, Mohali and other adjoining areas.          Pertinently, a case FIR No 10 dated 24-06-2023 was already registered under section 25-54-59 of the Arms Act at Police Station SSOC SAS Nagar. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 19    

      As part of its commitment to provide succour to the beleaguered people in accordance with the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the State Government machinery has plunged headlong to mitigate the situation created by floods in the state.          To speed up the relief operations in the state and as per the directions of CM Bhagwant Mann, 26482 persons have been evacuated and taken to safe places. A spokesperson informed that 1438 villages have been affected by the flood till 8 am on July 19. A total of 155 relief camps are running in the state in which 4234 people are staying.          Currently, 19 districts are affected by floods including Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar, Kapurthala, Patiala, Moga, Ludhiana, SAS Nagar, Jalandhar, Sangrur, SBS Nagar, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Mansa, Bathinda and Pathankot.          According to the report received by the revenue department from different districts, a total of 38 people have lost their lives due to floods in the state and 15 injured while 2 are still missing.          As per the information received from the animal husbandry department, a total of 2331 animals treated and 7940 animals vaccinated in the state. Rescue teams of the department are working round the clock to provide treatment, supply feed, fodder and silage to the needy animals. Special flood relief camps are also being organised in affected districts.          On the other hand, the teams of the health department are working in the flood-affected areas with full attention. According to the spokesperson, 465 Rapid Response Teams (RRT) have been working at flood affected areas. The health department has set up 263 medical camps in the affected areas.          He further informed that dry food packets are being continuously distributed in the flood affected areas. 22,641 dry food packets have been distributed in Rupnagar, 64000 in Patiala, 4400 in SAS Nagar, 5700 in SBS Nagar and 2200 in Fatehgarh Sahib..

IEP Chandigarh, July 19    

      Giving a big relief to the cancer patients of the state, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha Member Parliament Sanjeev Arora on Wednesday announced to provide free treatment worth Rs 1.5 lakh each to 100 Cancer patients every year.          He made this announcement, while chairing a meeting of Punjab Health Department Officials here at Punjab Bhawan.          Detailing about the initiative, MP Arora said that medical expenses are very high in India and in the case of cancer treatment, the expenses incur into lakhs of rupees. It was his dream that no patient of cancer should suffer due to lack of treatment because of unaffordability, he said, while adding that to realise this dream, he has formed ‘Krishna Pran Breast Cancer Charitable Trust’  in the memory of his mother, who died recently fighting breast cancer. This trust will provide Rs 1.5 lakh worth of free treatment to 100 Cancer patients every year.          It is pertinent to mention here that Cancer patients in Punjab are already being provided treatment worth Rs 1.5 lakh under Mukh Mantri Cancer Rahat Kosh and this proposed treatment will be in the shape of matching contribution by the trust. Therefore, the patient will get free treatment worth a total of Rs 3 lakhs.          Emphasizing on the need to raise awareness about the Mukh Mantri Cancer Rahat Kosh scheme, the MP said, as general public is not aware of this scheme and as a result many of the cancer patients fail to take benefit of this scheme.          Principal Secretary Health Vivek Partap Singh assured the MP to implement the proposal in expedited manner and instructed the concerned officials to carry out the modalities for earliest implementation of this new initiative.          Director Health and Family Welfare Punjab Dr Adarshpal Kaur and Assistant Director cum State Program Officer Cancer Control Cell Punjab Dr. Sandeep Singh Gill were also present in the meeting.