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Chandigarh, Punjab

PUNJAB MARCHES AHEAD WITH WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

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IEP Chandigarh, July 19     

     Working on its commitment towards empowering women financially, led by Chief Minister Punjab Bhagwant Mann the Punjab Government is ensuring implementation of schemes related to the economic empowerment of women.          Director of Social Security, Women and Child Development Department, Mrs. Madhvi Kataria, while giving information in this regard, said that according to the guidelines of Minister for Social Security, Women and Child Development Dr. Baljit Kaur, the department is working sincerely towards strengthening women economically. Under the same objective, a conference was organized at the sector 34 office of department with the aim of making the women entrepreneurs more aware of the modern ways of buying and selling through Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC).          She added that this department organized this conference to enable small and middle-class entrepreneurs of Punjab have better access to government facilities. Mr. Brij Purohit, Director of ONDC’s seller app of the Government of India, said that ONDC is very beneficial for Punjab and gave a presentation by sharing success stories from other states.          She said that it provides the right opportunity to small and home entrepreneurs and self-help groups to increase their income by connecting them with this seller app. An online market will be provided where all these institutions and entrepreneurs associated with them will be able to deliver their products to people on a large scale and at the same time will be able to connect with the entrepreneurs of other states.          Officials of Punjab Agro, Punjab Small Industry and Export Corporation, Punjab Khadi Board, Rural Development and Panchayat Department and local Government department participated in this conference. 

Chandigarh, Haryana

Punjab Cabinet Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur takes strict action against forgery of Scheduled Caste Certificates in Punjab

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IEP Chandigarh, July 19     

     The Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is committed to protecting the interests of the Scheduled Castes of the state.           Accordingly, Fake Scheduled Caste Certificate of Parmod Kumar son of Mr. Bangali Dass, House No. 1829, Janta Colony, Adarsh Nagar, Naya Gaon, SAS Nagar (Mohali) and Mrs. Shinder Kaur wife of Mr. Amrik Singh, resident of Village Dhablan Tehsil and District Patiala, had been rejected by the state level scrutiny committee constituted at the Government level.          Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities  Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur said that Mahesh Kumar, son of Mr. Vishal Singh, House No. 1808, Janta Colony, Naya Gaon, SAS Nagar had lodged a complaint with the Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission. The complaint stated that  Pramod Kumar a resident of Naya Gaon village District SAS Nagar, had forged a Scheduled Caste certificate despite belonging to the Christian caste.          Apart from this, Gurcharan Singh son of Mr. Sampuran Singh of village Dhablan Tehsil and district Patiala filed a complaint with the Punjab State Scheduled Caste Commission that Shinder Kaur had forged a Scheduled Caste certificate despite being a Muslim.          The Minister further informed that the Punjab State Scheduled Caste Commission had forwarded these complaints to the Department of Social Justice, Empowerment for investigation. She said that after investigation by the department, it has been confirmed that the Scheduled Caste certificates of Mr. Pramod Kumar and Mrs. Shinder Kaur was indeed fake.          The Minister stated that the department has written to the Deputy Commissioner of SAS Nagar regarding the Scheduled Caste Certificate No. 2148 dated 07.02.2014 of Mr. Pramod Kumar and the Deputy Commissioner of Patiala regarding the Scheduled Caste Certificate No. of Mrs. Shinder Kaur. 1027 dated 17.03.2008 and called for cancellation and confiscation of their certificates.

Chandigarh, Haryana

Punjab State Food Commission to learn from best practices of Andhra Pradesh & Telangana for amending Punjab Food Security Rules 2016

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IEP Chandigarh, July 19       

       With a view to adopt the best practices for further streamlining the food security mechanism, the Punjab State Food Commission (PSFC) has taken the initiative of amending Punjab Food Security Rules, 2016 on the pattern of Andhra Pradesh Food Security Rules, 2017 and Telangana Food Security Rules.           In a meeting of the commission in this regard presided over by the Chairman Mr. D.P. Reddy, it was decided that Mrs. Indra Gupta and Mrs. Preety Chawla, Members would give their own suggestions regarding amendment of Punjab Food Security Rules. Thereafter a consolidated list of suggestions given by the School Education Department and the Social Security, along with suggestions of the Members, may be forwarded to the Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department for incorporating the same in the Punjab Food Security Rules, 2016.            The Commission also accorded its approval to the revision of minimum rate of wages in respect of the various categories of outsourced employees such as Peon-Helper, Safai Karamchari cum Chowkidar, Driver Light, Clerk, Office Assistant (Senior Assistant), Personal Assistant,  Office Superintendent Grade 1, and Private Secretary who are working in the Commission, w.e.f. 01.04.2023 to 31.03.2024 (both days inclusive) in compliance with the orders of Deputy Commissioner, UT Chandigarh issued vide his order No. DC/DN/F-20/2023/13357-63 dated 28.05.2023.            Further, the Commission also authorized the Chairman, PSFC, to sanction the minimum revised rates of wages to its outsourced employees in future as & when these are revised by the Deputy Commissioner, U.T. Chandigarh.           On the occasion, the Chairman expressed deep concern over the situation arising out of floods in the State and asked for the identification of the affected schools as well as the Anganwadis so as to salvage the situation.

Chandigarh

Budding players will fulfil the dream of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to make Punjab a leading state in sports

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IEP Chandigarh, July 19    

      After a month’s training at the Jwala Gutta Badminton Academy in Hyderabad, one could see the excitement and enthusiasm on the faces of the players who returned to Punjab. Eight year old Yuvan Bansal, 10 year old Kamil Sabharwal, 13 year old Shivan Dhingra and 14 year old Arushi Mehta were full of confidence. These new age players now aim to reach the top in the Badminton field like Pullela Gopichand, Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Jwala Gutta and Lakshe Sen.          Such confidence was evident in all the 34 players as they shared their training experiences with Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer. The surroundings of Punjab Bhawan Chandigarh were filled with the enthusiasm these budding sportsmen. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s dream of making Punjab the number one state in sports in the country will now be fulfilled by these players with their diligence and hard work.          The 34 players sent to Hyderabad for training at their own expense by the Sports Department of Punjab will continue to receive guidance during their daily practice to further hone the lessons and techniques learned, from Dronacharya awardee and former Indian badminton coach SM Arif. After meeting with ace Indian Badminton star Jawala Gutta, every player was determined to be like her.          During the meeting players also shared their experiences with Sports Minister Meet Hayer. The new techniques and the method of stretching were liked most by the players. Meet Hayer assured the sportsmen that the State Government is making all possible efforts to bring the sportsmen of Punjab onto the international stage of sports and the new sports policy will give a new direction to the sportsmen of the state.          On this occasion, the players also presented a memento to Meet Hayer, which was specially sent by Jawala Gutta Academy for the Sports Minister.          Director Sports Harpreet Singh Sudan said that a total of 34 badminton players in the age group of 8 to 15 years received one month of training in Hyderabad. There were 18 girls and 16 boys among them. Coach Varun Kumar and Sehnaz Khan also went with these players. At the end of the camp, the Bhangra performance presented by the players of Punjab enthralled all the players of Jwala Gutta Academy.

Chandigarh

Punjab restored 83 percent of flood-affected water supply schemes: Jimpa

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IEP Chandigarh, July 19   

       Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa has informed that more than 83 percent of the water supply schemes of the villages affected by floods have been repaired. He said that 368 water supply schemes of south, north and central zone were affected due to flood and 308 schemes have been repaired till 12 noon on July 18 with the restoration rate being 83.69 percent.          He said that some days back, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had released funds to the tune of Rs. 10 crore for the repair of drinking water supply schemes and also directed to provide clean drinking water to the flood affected people in all circumstances.          It may be recalled that Bram Shankar Jimpa had also held a meeting with the officials and field staff of department last week and instructed that there should be no shortage of clean drinking water in the flood-affected rural areas.          It is pertinent to mention that the Punjab Government has ensured the supply of clean water to the flood victims through alternative arrangements and sufficient quantity of water tankers have been sent to the areas where water could not reach through pipes.          Jimpa informed that the remaining 60 water supply schemes will also be made operational soon. Officials and employees of different zones and circles are actively working to repair them.

Chandigarh, Haryana

VIGILANCE BUREAU NABS CLASS IV EMPLOYEE FOR ACCEPTING BRIBE OF RS.10,000

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IEP Chandigarh, July 19       

   Amidst its ongoing campaign against corruption in the state, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Wednesday nabbed Class IV employee Sukhdev Singh posted at Tehsil Office Patti in Tarn Taran district for accepting a bribe of Rs. 10,000.          The accused employee has been arrested on the complaint of Jagroop Singh Sandhu resident of village Margindpura in Tarn Taran district.          Revealing details here today, an official spokesperson of the VB said that the complainant had approached the VB and lodged a complaint that his grandfather had died on 12-08-2021 and he had applied for the post of Numberdar in December 2022 at the Office of Tehsildar Patti. He said that the accused employee sent the file to SDM, Patti for further action. He has demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 in lieu of getting his file cleared from SDM office.          The spokesperson informed that after preliminary investigation of this complaint, a team of VB unit Tarn Taran laid a trap and arrested the accused employee for accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from the complainant in the presence of official witness.          In this regard, a case under various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused Class IV employee at Police Station VB, Amritsar Range. Further investigations in this case are under progress.

Chandigarh, Haryana

Haryana to contribute Rs 5 crores to Himachal CM relief fund as flood relief, announces CM

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IEP Chandigarh, July 19

Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Manohar Lal today announced to contribute  an amount of Rs. 5 crores to  Himachal CM relief fund as flood relief. He said that the state government is providing all possible help, both financially and medically for those who have been adversely affected due to heavy rainfall in the past.

        While addressing a press conference held here today, Sh. Manohar Lal said, “Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall received in most of the parts of Haryana as well as in the neighbouring States for three consecutive days i.e from July 8 to 10 that has triggered flood-like situation in the State, throwing normal life out of gear and causing unfortunate loss of lives, animals and extensive damage to properties and infrastructure.

Sharing the rainfall statistics, the Chief Minister said that from July 8 to 12, the state received 110 mm of rainfall, which is 387 percent of the normal of 28.4 mm. The normal rainfall in Yamunanagar was 32.8 mm, 32.9 mm in Kurukshetra, 53 mm in Panchkula and 58.5 mm in Ambala, while this time these four districts received 842, 814, 699 and 514 percent of normal rainfall respectively.

        “As a result, almost all rivers in Haryana namely Yamuna, Markanda, Tangari, Ghaggar, and Saraswati. Besides this, all drains have remained in full spate. There were breaches and overflows at many places leading to flooding of fields, roads and habitations causing loss of lives and damage to properties that necessitated immediate rescue and still ongoing relief and recovery efforts,” said  Sh. Manohar Lal. 

The Chief Minister further shared that 12 districts were declared flood-affected. Sharing the data regarding the same, he said that 1353 villages and 4 MC areas in 12 districts namely Ambala, Fatehabad, Faridabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Panchkula, Panipat, Palwal, Sonipat, Sirsa and Yamunanagar have been declared as flood affected in the State.

While refuting the allegations levied by the Opposition alleging that the flood situation in the state has caused due to increasing mining in the rivers, the Chief Minister said that such statements are illogical to make as flood and mining have no connection.

        He said that legal mining in riverbeds as per the mining plan can rather have the potential of increasing the water intake capacity of rivers and rather help in preventing floods in low-lying areas, as excess built-up of silt is removed in the mining process.

        Sh. Manohar Lal also suggested that excess slit should be removed by way of mining and otherwise from canals as well so that their water capacity in canal beds can also increase.

        He said that during the Flood Control Board meeting held in January, an amount of Rs. 930 crore has been already approved for tackling flood relief works.

The Chief Minister informed that the proposal to construct a dam 500 metres behind the Hathnikund Barrage is being taken up with the Himachal government.   He said that due to floods caused by excessive rains, there has been a loss of approximately Rs 500 crore as per the initial estimate in the state. Out of which about Rs 281 crore has been received from the Central Government as disaster relief amount. Apart from this, an additional amount will be demanded from the Central Government for flood relief.

The Chief Minister said that around 6629 persons have been evacuated. 41 relief camps have been organised. Around 1774 persons are currently housed in these camps. Food and other civil supplies arrangements have been made for the public residing in marooned areas. Army, Airforce, NDRF and SDRF, Civil Society organisations, and NGOs have assisted tirelessly, the district administrations in search, rescue and relief operations.

Chandigarh, Haryana

Officers should ensure to inspect schools once a week: Haryana Minister

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IEP Chandigarh, July 19

Haryana School Education Minister, Sh. Kanwar Pal while directing the officers said that all the officers should ensure to inspect the schools once a week. He added that where there are deficiencies in government schools, they should be rectified immediately.        The School Education Minister was addressing the meeting with DEOs, DEEOs, BEOs of all the districts through video conferencing today.        Sh. Kanwar Pal directed the DEO, DEEO, BEO that if any teacher is found not present in the school, then that teacher should be marked absent. If any teacher is found absent during checking/inspection, disciplinary action should be taken against that teacher. A list of 10 officers has been issued in each district to inspect schools.        Sh. Kanwar Pal said that the teachers should talk to the parents of the children over the phone, having low attendance or facing any issues in studies. He added that this exercise will help the parents to stay updated regarding their child’s performance.        Directing the officers, the School Education Minister said that the children should be given assignments on tablets. Along with this, teachers should also make 100 percent use of tablets.Sh. Kanwar Pal said that in the districts of the state where the schools are doing very well, the principals of other schools should go and visit such schools. He added that success stories of the school and students should be shared on social media so that good practices of one school can be adopted by other schools as well. Director of Secondary Education Department, Sh. Anshaj Singh, Director, Elementary Education, Haryana, Sh.  Ashok Kumar Garg and other officers of the department were also present in the meeting.  

Chandigarh

NABARD has also played an important role in emerging Haryana as the leading state in several domains – Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister

IEP Chandigarh, July 19

Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Sh. J.P. Dalal said that National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has been instrumental in strengthening the rural infrastructure of the country. With the cooperation of NABARD, Haryana has emerged as the leading state in several domains. NABARD has stepped up as a key supporter of the animal husbandry sector, offering self-employment opportunities to the youth residing in rural areas.

        Sh. J.P. Dalal was speaking as the Chief Guest at the 42nd Foundation Day of NABARD at the NABARD Regional Office here today.

        Sh. J.P. Dalal commended NABARD for its contribution in preparing the State Focus Paper and for its efforts in computerizing Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS). He mentioned that when Haryana separated from Punjab and became an independent state in 1966, there were concerns regarding the payment of salaries to employees. However, with the support of NABARD, the farmers and employers of Haryana have propelled the state to a position of leadership in various fields, while NABARD has provided capital for rural infrastructure development.

        Sh. Dalal highlighted that approximately 7 to 8 lakh acres of land in Haryana are alkaline, and 2 lakh acres are saline, rendering about 10 percent of the land unsuitable for cultivation. However, this land can be utilized for activities like fishing and shrimp farming. Haryana alone exports shrimp worth around Rs 100 crore. He further emphasized that by collaborating, the Haryana government and NABARD can together steer the rural economy towards a new direction.

        Sh. JP Dalal said that NABARD should also come forward to form organic farmer producer groups on the same lines as NABARD is providing financial assistance to self-help groups.The demand for organic agricultural products in Gurugram and Delhi is more . The state government is exploring possibilities of setting up organic market in NCR. He expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, as due to his efforts United Nations has declared 2023 as Millets Year. Southern Haryana produces a great amount of  Millets  and the government purchases it at a minimum support price of Rs 2500 per quintal. NABARD stepped up to help farmers transition from the wheat and paddy crop cycles to other crops.

        He said that the Haryana Government is providing financial assistance at the rate of Rs. 7,000 per acre to the farmers for growing other crops in place of paddy. Similarly, farmers who sow paddy using DSR technology are also being given financial assistance of Rs 4,000 per acre. He called upon the officers of NABARD to come forward to support the farmers with an open mind and work as Team India to realize Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and strengthening the rural economy.

        He stated that, the Haryana Government is setting up an International Fruit and Vegetable Market at Gannaur which will cost around Rs 10 lakh. The annual turnover of this market is estimated to be 30 to 40 thousand crore rupees. Which will also  generate employment opportunities at the local level and NABARD will also cooperate in this project too.

        Country now has a strong administration working under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, and that the world has acknowledged this permanent leadership. NABARD should take advantage of the present scenario and contribute to the country’s prosperity, he added.

        Giving details of the activities undertaken by NABARD, Chief General Manager, NABARD Regional Office Smt. Deepa Guha, said that NABARD has provided Rs.13,000 crore as loan to the State of Haryana this year, out of which Rs.1200 crore has been provided for rural infrastructure, Rs.4,700 crore for long-term loan and Rs.6,800 crore for crop loan. She informed that NABARD has approved computerization of 710 PACS out of 730 PACS in the state. Rs. 4.85 crore has been sanctioned for 661 PACS. The process from PACS to NABARD is being done online. 28 states have adopted NABARD rules, Haryana being one of them. Now PACS has been designed to function as multi-purpose institutions, with plans to run more than 25 business activities such as dairy, fisheries, setting up of warehouses, LPG, petrol, green energy distribution agency, banking correspondents, CSCs, etc.

        NABARD has granted authorization certificate for Joint Liability Group (JLG) to District Central Co-operative Bank, Jind, Rewari and Sarv Haryana Gramin Bank, Rohtak. Under this, 4 women can be given a loan of up to Rs 2 lakh. So far, loans up to Rs 1 lakh are given to self-help groups.

        Chairman HARCO Bank, Sh. Hukam Singh Bhati, Chief General Manager NABARD Punjab Sh. B. Raghunath, General Manager SLBC, Haryana Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Chairman Sarv Haryana Gramin Bank Sh. Pranay  Mohanty and other officers of NABARD and DCCB.Chairman, Sh. Harkam Singh Bhati, Chairman, HARCO Bank and Sh. B Raghu, Chief General Manager, NABARD Punjab remained  present on the occasion.

Chandigarh, Haryana

Flood declared for the first time in the history of Haryana, will compensate for the loss of all affected areas: Hry Dy CM

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IEP Chandigarh, July 19

The Haryana government has declared flood for the first time in the history of the state. According to an official  released information on Wednesday evening, a total of 1,354 places have been flooded in 12 districts of the state. Deputy Chief Minister, Sh. Dushyant Chautala, who holds the portfolio of Revenue and Disaster Management Department, informed that flood control, relief and rescue, rehabilitation and damage compensation works are being carried out at war footing at all these places.        Deputy CM said that 12 districts of the state Ambala, Panchkula, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kaithal, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Palwal and Faridabad have been flooded. A list of flood-affected areas has been issued in all these districts, according to which Ambala has been flooded at 315 places, Kurukshetra at 298 places and Yamuna Nagar at 221 places. Apart from these, floods have caused damage at 128 places in Kaithal district, 94 places in Fatehabad and 84 places in Panchkula. Furthermore, 66 places in Karnal district, 54 in Faridabad, 32 in Palwal, 25 in Sonipat, 23 in Sirsa and 14 in Panipat have been declared flood affected areas.        Sh. Chautala said that on the basis of information received at the district level, the state government, taking an important decision, has formally declared flood for the first time in the history of the state.He said that due to heavy rains from July 8 to 12 and excessive rain water from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab, have caused extensive damage to government and private properties in the state. He said that the Public Works Department has started repairing the roads damaged by the flood as soon as possible and more than Rs. 230 crore will be spent on repairing the damaged roads at about 150 places.        Repair of roads, canals, drains and buildings of other departments damaged in floods will also be done on a war footing. Apart from these, compensation of Rs. 15,000 per acre for completely damaged crops will be sent to the farmers’ accounts soon. Along with this, the loss of livestock will also be compensated and those whose houses have been damaged due to floods will also be given proper compensation as per the rules.        The Deputy Chief Minister said that in the last week he personally visited the flood-affected rural and urban areas of Panchkula, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Palwal and Faridabad districts. He said that the life of the common people has been badly affected by the flood water and livelihood, transportation, food and potable drinking water problems have arisen for many people. The state government is making strenuous efforts to expedite the relief and rehabilitation work, he added.