IEP Chandigarh, March 24        

  In wake of the incessant rain across the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday ordered special girdawari to ascertain the loss of crop, orchards and houses due to untimely rainfall in the state.          Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the Chief Minister has directed the Financial Commissioner (Revenue) to issue detailed instructions to the concerned Deputy Commissioner’s to immediately carry out girdawari in the areas lashed by rains to ascertain damage caused to crops, orchards and houses on the priority. He asked the officers to ensure that the report is submitted at the earliest so that adequate compensation as per government’s norms is given to the affected people.          The Chief Minister assured the people that the government is committed to safeguard their interests against nature’s fury. He said that every effort will be made to compensate the farmers and labourers for the losses suffered due to the current spell of recent rains in the state.

IEP Chandigarh

CII Northern Region, at its Annual Regional Meeting & Conference today, announced that Mr Deepak Jain, Chairman & Managing Director of Lumax Industries Ltd and Mr Madhav Singhania, Deputy Managing Director & CEO, JK Cement Ltd have been elected as the Chairman and Deputy Chairman respectively of CII Northern Region for 2023-24. The proficient incumbents were elected during the first meeting of the newly elected Regional Council members. Mr Jain will head CII Northern Region which comprises 7 States – Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and 3 Union Territories – Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh. Elaborating on the priorities for 2023 – 24, Mr Jain said, “CII, through its programmes and interventions will aim to foster the digital transformation of businesses that impact social and economic development by adopting innovative and sustainable practices. For this, the strategy for the year would be to build domestic competitiveness through a range of measures along with focused policy advocacy while working with different countries and regions to facilitate Indian business engagement.” Jain listed 5 priority areas for CII Northern Region for 2023 – 24: Competitiveness, Sustainability & Environment, Digital Transformation, Innovation, and Internationalisation. A special session on ‘Driving India’s Growth with Robust & Sustainable Infrastructure’ was also organised as part of the CII Northern Region Annual Meeting & Conference where Shri Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India was the Chief Guest. Speaking at the occasion, “The dream of the Prime Minister to make the Indian economy a 5 trillion-dollar economy and AatmaNirbhar Bharat is in the process and is our priority. For that, we seek cooperation and communication from the industry.” He further urged the industry to focus on two important subjects, one circulation economy and the other green economy. “In addition to the already existing initiatives, I suggest the industry look at water conservation and green energy practices such as rainwater harvesting for ameliorating the lives of farmers,” he shared. Deepak Jain is the Chairman & Managing Director of Lumax Industries Ltd, a flagship company of Lumax-DK Jain Group, a leading manufacturer of automotive components and systems in India, with market leaders in Lighting and Gear Shifter Systems. The Group comprises 15 companies with 34 manufacturing locations spread across 8 states, along with 3 government-recognized R&D Centres and overseas Design Centres in Taiwan and the Czech Republic.  Jain is the Chairman, Regional Committee on Advanced Manufacturing, CII Northern Region; Past President, Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) – (2019-2021); Vice President, Toyota Kirloskar Supplier’s Association (TKSA); Executive Council Member of Maruti Suzuki Supplier Welfare Association (MSSWA), TATA Motors Suppliers Council, and Member of International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) Research Advisory Board (RAB). Madhav Singhania, Deputy Managing Director & CEO, JK Cement Ltd, one of the leading Grey Cement producers in the country and the third largest white cement producer globally. He joined JK Cement Ltd in early 2010 and has been instrumental in spearheading new capacity expansion projects. Having a keen interest in technology and automation, he has led new capacity expansion projects that have doubled the grey cement manufacturing capacity from 7.5 MTPA in 2010 to around 20 MTPA in 2022. His ambitious expansion plans have seen the Company’s footprint expand across the Country. Madhav Singhania has been very actively involved with various industrial bodies. He has held the position of the Chairman, CII Delhi; Chairman, Young Indians (Yi), Delhi Youth Wing of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII); and is currently serving as the Sherpa for Yi at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance. He has served on the Board of Governors for National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCCBM) and as the President of the Rotary Club of Kanpur Gaurav. He has also represented India in the Australia-India Youth Dialogue between the two countries in 2018 and is currently on its steering committee.

IEP Bathinda, March 23

Max Hospital, Bathinda has announced the launch of an advanced neuro and cardiac intervention cath lab today. The lab first of its kind in Malwa belt will help in accurate diagnosis and treatment of several cardiac and neurology-related ailments. The lab can also be used for visualisation of the arteries, veins and other vascular malformations of the brain, spinal cord and the heart, said Dr. Rohit Mody, director cardiology

IEP Chandigarh March 22  

        Aiming to curb the menace of corruption in the state, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Wednesday arrested Ravi Pankaj Sharma Assistant Town Planner (ATP)  Jalandhar and his two accomplices Kunal Kohli and Arvind Sharma, both private individuals, have been nabbed for accepting a bribe of Rs 8 lakh. The arrest of Ashish Arora, the fourth accused in this case, is pending, for which the VB has formed teams to arrest him. Meanwhile the accused were produced in the local court and were sent on five days police remand to the VB.          Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the VB said that Narinder Singh, the director of Castle Heritage Company, a resident of village Bath Kalan, district Jalandhar, had constructed the ‘Bath Castle’, a marriage palace, at Jalandhar in 2005 after approval of a map plan from the Municipal Corporation (MC) Jalandhar.          The complainant has informed the VB that he received a letter dated 20-01-2023 from the above said ATP in which he wrote that the MC has received a complaint according to which Bath Castle had been illegally constructed without the approval of MC Jalandhar.  Due to which the company was asked to submit the approved map plan and completion certificate of the said palace within three days.          He further added that thereafter, director of Bath Castle, Narinder Singh met the said accused ATP, who showed him a complaint made by private persons Kunal Kohli, Ashish Arora and Arvind Sharma. The accused ATP advised the complainant that these private persons would not withdraw the complaint without taking money and Rs 15 lakh would have to be paid to settle this matter. The spokesperson further informed that after this, the said ATP Ravi Pankaj Sharma arranged a meeting of Narinder Singh with Kunal Kohli, who demanded Rs 20 lakh to withdraw the complaint.          The complainant further informed the VB that in this case, the deal was settled for Rs 10 lakh and Ravi Pankaj Sharma had already taken Rs 2 lakh from him in two installments and demanding the remaining Rs 8 lakh from him.          The spokesperson added that after the preliminary investigation of the case, the VB’s Flying Squad-1 team from Mohali laid a trap and arrested the said ATP Ravi Pankaj Sharma including above said two private persons from Jalandhar while taking a bribe of Rs 8 lakh. On the occasion, the said town planner tried to run away, but the alert team of vigilance overpowered him. In this case, fourth accused Ashish Arora, is yet to be arrested.          He further informed that in this regard a FIR No. 12 dated 21.03.2023 has been registered against all the said accused under section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act and section 120-B of IPC at Vigilance Bureau, Police Station Flying Squad-1, Punjab, Mohali.  Further investigation of this case was under progress.          The spokesperson further informed that after this trap, the vigilance team searched the said accused Kunal Kohli during which ATMs of several banks, two press identification cards were recovered besides five live cartridges and a revolver was confiscated from his possession. Apart from this, several files having fake complaints to be made against various persons, have also been recovered from the car of the said accused, from which it seems that the said accused used to collect bribes after handling fake complaints against common people and used to settle them with mutual agreement by taking bribes.

IEP Chandigarh/New Delhi, March 22  

        President of India Mrs. Droupadi Murmu today conferred the coveted Padam Shri Award to Noted  academician and Sikh scholar Dr. Rattan Singh Jaggi at a Civil Investiture Ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan this evening.          An eminent Sikh scholar Dr Rattan Singh Jaggi was given the award by the President in the presence of Vice President of India Mr. Jagdeep Dhankar and Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi besides several Union Ministers. The prestigious award has been conferred upon to Dr. Rattan Singh Jaggi in recognition of his enormous contribution in the field of education and literature. Dr Jaggi, a nonagenarian is an eminent scholar of Hindi and Punjabi with Gurmat and Bhakti Movement Literature being his forte.