IEP Chandigarh, January 10       

   Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa said that Punjab Government led by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is making stupendous efforts to ensure supply of clean water in those villages, where the ground water was contaminated. Chief Minister had announced to provide all facilities to the people at the doorsteps.           In its endeavor to provide safe drinking water to water quality affected villages, the Punjab government and the World Bank launched the Moga project, a comprehensive surface water supply scheme designed to provide clean and safe drinking water to affected villages in the region. It serves as a model for other regions looking to improve their drinking water supply and promote social development. The project has had a significant and transformative impact on the quality of life and livelihoods of residents in the region. By providing access to clean, safe drinking water, the project has reduced the prevalence of waterborne diseases and improved the overall health of the community, added Jimpa.                   Water supply and sanitation Principal Secretary DK Tiwari and HoD Mohammad Ishfaq said that the project’s success is a testament to the vision and hard work of the Punjab government. It has demonstrated that, with the right planning, coordination, and resources, it is possible to improve the quality of life and livelihoods of rural communities, while also ensuring long-term water security.          Despite all challenges, the project is a major success. The 50 MLD water treatment plant is now fully operational, providing clean and safe drinking water to 85 villages with a population of approximately 4 lakhs. The plant has been designed to operate on a sustainable basis, using state-of-the-art technology to minimize energy and water consumption. The project is not only providing safe water but will save 5 crore litres of ground water daily.          It is pertinent to mention that Punjab had long struggled with heavy metal contamination, decreasing underground water levels, and waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, amoebiasis, hepatitis B, and dysentery. These issues had a negative impact on the region’s economy, as residents were forced to devote time and resources to dealing with the consequences of polluted drinking water.                   The Moga project involved the construction of a 50 MLD water treatment plant in the village of Dhaudhar. This plant was designed to treat surface water and provide a long-term, sustainable solution to the area’s drinking water needs. The project was completed on a Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) basis, with M/s Larsen & Toubro Private Limited.  

IEP Chandigarh, January 10

Punjab Cabinet Minister Dr. Balbir Singh today assumed charge of the Health & family Welfare, Medical Education & Research and Elections Departments in the presence of his Cabinet colleagues Finance Minister Mr. Harpal Singh Cheema, Social Security Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur, Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Mr. Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Education Minister Mr. Harjot Singh Bains, Information and Public Relations Minister Mr. Aman Arora, Horticulture and Freedom Fighter Minister Mr. Chetan Singh Jauramajra besides Mr. Kulwant Singh, Mr. Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, Mr. Ajit Pal Singh Kohli, Kulwant Singh Shutrana, Mr. Gurlal Singh Ghanaur (all MLAs) and Mr. Raman Behl, Chairman Punjab Health System Corporation.          Dr. Balbir Singh, MLA from Patiala Rural, who won the 2022 Assembly Election by a whopping margin of over 50000 votes, expressed gratitude towards the Party National Convenor & Delhi Chief Minister Mr. Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Bhagwant Mann and assured that he would discharge the responsibility assigned to him with full dedication and honesty.          Interacting with the media persons, Dr. Balbir Singh said that the Delhi model of development has been popularized in the country and abroad, and the Delhi model will be delivered in each and every corner of the state of Punjab.          The Health Minister said, “health and education are the areas of the core concern of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led government. Therefore, it will be my priority that the health programs should be implemented at the grassroots level to provide quality primary, secondary & tertiary healthcare facilities to the people”. The health sector will be taken to greater heights with the cooperation of the government and the private sector, he added.          The Cabinet Ministers present on the occasion, expressed hope that Dr. Balbir Singh being a hardworking, capable and visionary leader would take the departments to new heights of glory. Dr. Balbir Singh himself is a renowned doctor and knows the nuances of the health sector.          A renowned eye surgeon and a philanthropist, Dr. Balbir Singh has been providing low cost eye care to the farmers and the poor masses since last four decades. As a doctor, he had treated lakhs of patients at a very low cost and donated the gift of vision to over 30,000 blind patients besides distributing free medicines to tens of thousands of patients. Patients from the entire northern region, especially from the states of Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana throng to Patiala for getting treatment by Dr. Balbir Singh. The recipients of many awards from state governments across the country, Dr. Balbir Singh organised a free medicines and medical service langar at Delhi borders during the farmers agitation against the draconian farm laws. 

IEP Chandigarh, January 10

In order to achieve the best results under the campaign “Mission 100% Give Your Best” launched by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ahead of the annual examinations, an amount of over Rs 3. 5 crore has been released to provide photostat and printed material to the students studying in classes VIII and X in all the schools across the state.          Disclosing this here today, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that Rs 72 per will be given to each student studying in class VIII and Rs 90 per to a student studying in class X. He said that the amount has been released to each district according to the strength of the students.          Mr Bains said that with this amount, students can purchase required print material including photostat as per their requirement.          Which district received how much grant Under this grant, Rs 26.38944 lakh to district Amritsar, 7.0767 lakhs to Barnala, 18.04032 lakhs to Bathinda, 7.9867 lakhs to Faridkot, 6.5421 lakhs to Fatehgarh Sahib, 19.16298 lakhs to Fazilka, 12.2192 lakhs to Ferozepur, 20.13318 lakhs to Gurdaspur, 17.697 lakhs to Hoshiarpur under this grant.Likewise, Rs 20.71746 lakhs to Jalandhar, 7.90722 lakhs to Kapurthala, 32.67072 lakhs to Ludhiana, 4.15926 lakhs to Malerkotla, 11.61 lakhs to Mansa, 11.87406 lakhs to Moga, 13.06098 lakhs to Sri Muktsar Sahib, 7.44912 lakhs to Pathankot, 23.80038 lakhs to Patiala. Rs 6.60924 lakhs to SBS Nagar, 15.0489 lakhs to Sangrur, 11.96244 lakhs to SAS Nagar and 15.5142 lakhs to Tarn Taran. Meanwhile, a total of over Rs 3.5 crore  has been released district wise. 

IEP Chandigarh, January 10

Taking a path breaking initiative towards providing quality, nutritious and hygienic food to around 11 lakh beneficiaries in Anganwari centres, the state government led Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today inked a strategic tie up between Social Security, Women and Child development department and Markfed to supply dry ration.

As per this agreement, the Markfed will supply the dry ration in form of besan, wheat flour and other commodities to the department of Social Welfare, Women and Child development to prepare nutritious food to the beneficiaries in Anganwari centres and other places.

Congratulating both the departments, the Chief Minister said that this historic initiative is aimed at ensuring hygienic and quality food to the children in Anganwaris centre along with the food given to the pregnant women, lactating mothers and others. Bhagwant Mann said that he had been a votary of providing quality food to the students during Mid Day Meal and Anganwaris, for which this step has been taken. He said that the state government is committed to the holistic development of the children in the state.

The Chief Minister said that this unprecedented tie up between Marked and the department will ensure smooth, hassle free and time bound supply of ration to the Anganwaris. He said that besides ensuring the welfare of the women and children, the agreement will also help in further expansion of Markfed- the premier cooperative of the state thereby strengthening the cooperative movement in Punjab. Bhagwant Mann said that earlier a number of complaints used to pour in regarding the poor quality of the ration being supplied in these centres. “However this tie up will ensure that the best quality of ration is supplied through the Markfed thereby ensuring holistic growth of children and women”, he added

IEP Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali), January 10      

     Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday asked the officers to expedite the work of installing a hi-tech 5D statue of Shaheed Bhagat Singh near the Shaheed-e-Aazam Bhagat Singh International Airport here.           The Chief Minister inspected the proposed site where this hi-tech statue is to be imposed and asked the officers to ensure that the work is completed within the stipulated time period. He expressed hope that this statue will inspire the younger generations to serve the country zealously. Bhagwant Mann said that this statue will be a befitting tribute to the legendary martyr by the state government.           The Chief Minister said that the ideology of Shaheed-e- Azam Bhagat Singh is the panacea of all the ills faced by the country. Bhagwant Mann said that this statue will play a pivotal role in perpetuating the glorious legacy of this young martyr amongst the younger generations of Punjabis Diaspora landing at the airport from within the country and across the globe. Along with this, he said that this statue will also remind of the supreme sacrifice made by this young national hero to the commuters from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu-Kashmir and other states.           The Chief Minister said that Shaheed Bhagat Singh was a votary of equality, communal harmony and brotherhood. Bhagwant Mann said that Shaheed-e-Azam had envisioned a society free from corruption and injustice. He said that only such ideology can make India a frontrunner country in the world.           The Chief Minister further said that the young martyr is remembered not only for his heroism but also for his philosophy of socialism and fight against injustice. He said that the life and philosophy of young martyr will always inspire the young generations to serve the country with patriotic zeal. Bhagwant Mann reiterated that the state government is committed to realizing the dream of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and no stone is being left unturned for this noble cause.           On the occasion Director Information and Public Relations Sonali Giri, Additional Principal Secretary to CM Himanshu Jain, Deputy Commissioner Amit Talwar, Senior Superintendent of Police Dr. Sandeep Garg and others were also present. 

IEP Chandigarh, January 10

The Punjab Mining Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer while reacting to the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s permission to operate the closed quarries has described this decision as a victory for the people of Punjab. He said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the State Government is making continuous efforts to eliminate the sand mafia and provide sand to the people of Punjab at reasonable prices.          After the sustained efforts of the State Government, DSRs of 3 districts Fazilka, Pathankot and Ropar were approved on 27th December 2022 by SEIAA. The DSRs of these three districts include 150 potential mining sites as identified by sub-divisional level committees. Subsequently SEIAA had allowed mining on the sites included in DSRs vide letter dated 30.12.2022 with some conditions.          Today the Hon’ble High Court has allowed mining in these three districts on the terms indicated by SEIAA. The DSRs of other 11 districts are under preparation and government is monitoring the same on day to day basis. These will also be submitted to SEIAA in a time bound manner expeditiously. Also, the Mining plans of 150 sites included in DSRs are being prepared. The government has hired 3 consultants for preparing these mining plans.          Meet Hayer said that there will be no reduction in the supply of sand to the people with the recent decision of the High Court regarding the opening of quarries. He said that the State Government has also fixed the prices of sand so that the common people do not face any kind of trouble. He said that the State Government has also opened a government sand depot at New Chandigarh where sand is being provided at fixed prices. He further said that the government is opening government depots for the sale of sand in other districts as well.          The Minister said that the mafia was protected by the previous governments due to which the people had to bear the brunt leading to buying sand at expensive prices. He said that the State Government is fully committed to protect the interests of the Aam Aadmi and has wiped out the mafia as soon as it came to power. For the first time, a government depot has been opened to sell sand at cheap rates.

IEP Chandigarh, January 10

From now, Sarpanch, Chairman, Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad will grant administrative approvals of all development projects from their own funds as well as grant in aid. Earlier all such files used to come to the government level for final approval. While officers upto the rank of Junior Engineer, SDO, XEN, Superintending Engineer and Chief Engineer have been designated as the competent authority to grant technical approvals for all such development works.Sharing more information in this regard, an official spokesperson said that Junior Engineer can give technical sanction for the works upto Rs 2 lakh, SDO can approve works upto Rs 25 lakh, XEN can approve works upto Rs 1 crore, Superintending Engineer can approve works upto 2.5 crore and Chief Engineer can give approvals for works exceeding Rs 2.5 crore.