IEP Chandigarh December 12

Sh. Amit Kumar Agrawal, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Haryana, Director General, Information, Public Relations & Languages, Secretary to Government, Information, Public Relations & Languages Department, Project Director, Chief Minister’s Good Governance Associates Programme and Secretary to Government, Grievances Department has been given additional charge of Secretary to Government, Haryana, Art & Cultural Affairs Department, in addition to his present duties.Sh. Aditya Dahiya, Director, Medical Education & Research, Haryana, Special Secretary to Government, Haryana, Medical Education & Research Department and Special Secretary to Government, Human Resources Department has been given additional charge of Special Secretary to Government, Monitoring & Coordination Department and Special Secretary to Government, Haryana, Administrative Reforms Department in addition to his present duties.

IEP Chandigarh, December 12

          Following the commitment of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to provide transparent, convenient and hassle free services to the people of the state, the State Government has decided to initiate the process of allotment of government houses at Chandigarh for government employees.

          The Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua today launched eAwas Housing Management System portal which has been developed by NIC concerned General Administration at Punjab Civil Secretariat.

          Divulging the details, the Chief Secretary Mr. Janjua said that through this portal, the allotment of houses of Punjab pool located in Chandigarh will now be made online only. According to the merit, the government house will be allotted automatically keeping in view the seniority of the government officials. With this system no house will remain vacant for a long time if an employee does not get a plot.

          Mr. Janjua further informed that in the first phase, the allotment of 1257 government houses of different categories of Punjab pool located in Chandigarh will be made online, while in the second phase, allotment of government houses of Punjab pool located in different districts of the state will be done.  On this occasion, the Chief Secretary asked the General Administration Department and NIC to work on setting up a system for generating online admission passes for those coming to the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh.

          The General Administration Secretary Kumar Rahul said that information about applying for housing will be available at eawas.punjab.gov.in. The Government officials can apply according to their preference by checking the list of vacant houses on the portal. NIC State Informatics Officer and Deputy Director General Vivek Verma informed that through this system, employees will now be able to apply for a house sitting at their homes. iHRMS data of every government employee is populated using validation through mobile number.

          Prominent among others who were present at the occasion included General Administration Joint Secretary Jagjit Singh, NIC’s Additional State Informatics Officer Vikram Jeet Grover, Senior Technical Director & HOD Anoop Kumar Jalali and Project Lead Technical Director Narinder Singh.

IEP Chandigarh, December 12     

     With the decisive war against drugs waged on the directions of Chief Minister Punjab Bhagwant Mann to root out the menace of drugs entered sixth month, Punjab Police have arrested as many as 8755 drug smugglers including 1244 big fish since July 5, 2022. The Police have registered a total of 6667 first information reports (FIRs) of which 746 are related to commercial quantity.          Inspector General of Police (IGP) Headquarters Sukhchain Singh Gill, who was addressing his weekly Press Conference here on Monday said that the Police teams have recovered 325.55-Kg Heroin from across the state after carrying out cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas besides laying nakas at vulnerable routes across the state. Additionally, 147.5-Kg heroin was recovered by the teams of Punjab Police from Seaports of Gujarat and Maharashtra, taking the total effective recovery of heroin to 473.05-Kgs in just five months, he said.          Apart from seizing big-haul of heroin, the IGP said that Police have also recovered 350-Kg opium, 355-Kg Ganja, 211 quintals of poppy husk, and 28.96 lakhs tablets/capsules/injections/vials of Pharma opioids from across the state. The Police have also recovered Rs 5.80 crores of drug money from the possession of drug smugglers arrested in these five months.          He said that the Punjab Police teams in coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF) have dealt a major blow to the cross-border smuggling after recovering 15.34-Kg heroin dropped via drones in just a week. The police have also recovered four drones.          Notably, a hexacopter drone carrying six packets of heroin, weighing 6.68 kg, was recovered in the jurisdiction of Border Outpost (BOP) Harbhajan in Khemkaran on November 29. On the very next day, a broken quadcopter drone was recovered from the area of village Van Tara Singh in Khalra. Similarly, another hexacopter drone carrying five packets of heroin, weighing 5.60 kg, was recovered from the Khemkaran area in Tarn Taran on December 2, while, a Quadcopter drone loaded with three packets of heroin, weighing 3.06Kg, was recovered from area of Border Outpost (BOP) Kalia in Tarn Taran on the next intervening night.          The IGP said that the follow-up investigations into the recovery of 13kg heroin from two Rajasthan-based drug smugglers from Amritsar on November 21 further led to arrest of their two aides and based on their interrogation, the police teams with support of BSF, later recovered 10 AK-47 assault rifles and 10 foreign made .30 bore pistols from border area of Ferozepur.          Giving weekly update, the IGP said that in last one week, the police have arrested 247 drug smugglers/suppliers after registering 197 first information reports (FIRs), including 21 commercial, and recovered 45.55-Kg Heroin, 16.62-Kg opium, 4.80-Kg Ganja, 3.60 quintals of poppy husk, and 28305 tablets/capsules/injections/vials of Pharma opioids besides recovering Rs 55.25 lakh drug money from their possession.          He said that with 15 more Proclaimed Offenders (POs)/Absconders in NDPS cases arrested in the last one week, the total number of arrests reached 562 since the special drive to arrest POs/absconders was started on July 5, 2022.          Pertinently, Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab Gaurav Yadav had given strict instructions to all the CPs/SSPs to investigate backward and forward linkages minutely in each and every case, especially related to drug recoveries, even if they recover a meager amount of drugs.          Meanwhile, on the direction of Chief Minister Punjab Bhagwant Mann to make Punjab a drug-free state, extensive anti-drug drives have been launched by the Punjab Police to combat the menace of drugs from the border State. The DGP has also strictly ordered all the CPs/SSPs to identify all hotspots where drugs are prevalent and all top drug smugglers in their jurisdictions. He also directed the Police chiefs to effectively forfeit the property of all the arrested drug smugglers so that their ill-gotten money could be recovered.

IEP Chandigarh, December 12

Jalandhar Development Authority (JDA) has given an opportunity to buy residential plots and booths situated at Kapurthala and Sultanpur Lodhi. The JDA started e-auction today at 9AM and it will conclude on December 19 at 1PM.

A total of 19 properties situated in Kapurthala and Sultanpur Lodhi have been offered in the e-auction, stated an official spokesperson of the Housing & Urban Development Department.

          As far as the price of properties available in the e-auction is concerned, the price for the residential plots starts from Rs. 32.79 Lac and that of booths starts from Rs. 14.64 Lac. For submission of bids, interested bidders will have to register themselves on the e-auction portal www.puda.e-auctions.in. Complete details pertaining to the properties offered and terms & conditions of the e-auction are also available on this portal, he added.

          Successful bidders would get the possession of the auctioned sites on paying 25% of the bid price. They will be required to pay the balance amount in installments at an interest rate of 9.5% per annum, informed the spokesperson.

IEP New Delhi, December 10

 The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India today organized a function in New Delhi to celebrate Human Rights Day marking the beginning of the worldwide, year-long celebrations of the 75 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).  Addressing the gathering as the Chief Guest, the President of India, Mrs. Droupadi Murmu said that considering the sad developments, which keep taking place in many parts of the world, we wonder if the declaration, translated into more than 500 languages, has been read at all in some of those languages. The President said that in India, we can take solace in the fact that the National Human Rights Commission has been making the best possible efforts to spread awareness about them. Now in its 30th year, the NHRC has done a commendable job of protecting as well as promoting human rights. India is proud of the fact that its work has been appreciated internationally.She said that developing sensitivity and sympathy is the key to promoting human rights. There is a so-called ‘golden rule, which says “Treat others as you would like them to treat you”. Just as the concept of human rights exhorts us to consider every human being as no different from us, we should treat the whole living world and its habitat with respect. That sums up the human rights discourse beautifully. Mrs. Murmu said that over the past few years, the world has suffered from a high number of natural disasters caused by unusual weather patterns. Climate change is knocking on the doors. People in the poorer nations are going to pay a heavier price for the degradation of our environment. We must consider the environmental dimension of justice now. The President said that the challenge of climate change is so enormous that it forces us to redefine ‘rights’. We must learn – rather re-learn – to treat nature with dignity. This is not only a moral duty; it is necessary for our own survival too.The Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi in his message on the occasion of Human Rights Day, read out by NHRC Member, Mr. Justice M. M. Kumar, said that the “Theme of this year’s Human Rights Day-“Dignity, Freedom and Justice for All” is extremely meaningful and apt.” Indian philosophy and culture have always been  a strong proponent  of respecting every from the life. In fact the Fundamental Rights enshrined in our Constitution capture the very essence of basic human rights.He said that the Government of India is working unflinchingly towards building an inclusive and equitable society, with rule of law, justice, equality and fairness being its pillars. We have taken a series of steps to remove all barriers of discrimination. As India assumes the presidency of G20, we also have a chance to showcase our values of rights and respect for everyone. The Home Minister, Mr. Amit Shah in his message, read out by the NHRC Member, Dr. D. M. Mulay, said that Human Rights Day gives an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of being a human and our role in enhancing the basic dignity of mankind.  He expressed the hope that all the citizens of India will rise above discrimination and protect the human rights of all. Earlier, the NHRC Chairperson, Mr. Justice Arun Mishra reiterated the commitment of the NHRC towards the promotion and protection of human rights and said that the Commission will ensure that the benefits of welfare schemes trickle down to the needy.   He said that it is fundamental to the right to life that we live with dignity and provide the same equally to others. Freedom of speech and expression is supreme, which has to be exercised with responsibilities while protecting the dignity of others.Justice Mishra said that the development of nations is judged by human dignity, not by economic growth devoid of morals. Technological advancements should benefit humankind.  Individual freedom cannot go against the morality of society.  This would disturb the very fabric of our society.  Cyberspace is being blatantly used for criminal and immoral purposes.He said that we have to get rid of child labour, child trafficking, and child sexual abuse material.  The commercialization of education is also a cause for concern. To ensure justice for all, the system has to build a homogenous and productive society. We have to create trust in institutions. Justice Mishra said that discrimination is seen against women worldwide due to social, customary, and religious practices. The time has come to take care of the same by enacting legislative provisions to remove discrimination in inheritance, property rights, parental rights, domicile of married women, and legal capacity. Improving the condition of women in vulnerable sections and in rural areas is needed.  Article 44 of the Constitution, enabling equality by enacting a Common Civil Code should not remain a dead letter.           The NHRC Chairperson said that globalization has brought foreign investment but it has created centers of power even in competition with the power of states. Free movement of capital causes money laundering. The challenge is ensuring the right to livelihood from aggregator platforms with no investment. The majority of them are distributors.  Their monopoly disrupts the global supply chain. They can change shape and location easily and are involved in anti-labour practices of hire and fire, predatory pricing, and dodging taxes in gross violation of human rights.  Hence, the new approach should be adopted by judiciary, legislative, executive and Human Rights Institutions. Even civil society has to be vigilant.Justice Mishra also said that we must ensure respect for human rights by multinational corporations and guard against superior bargaining power within the national legal framework. The terms and licensing conditions to operate must include provision for protection of human rights. Licensing regulations must protect the interest of the national industries/businesses. He also advocated judicious use of funds under corporate social responsibility needs to be channelized by the Government. The NHRC Chairperson said that the responsibility of Transnational Enterprises’ has to be well defined for calamities caused by Industrial Disasters. Delay in the disposal of hazardous waste by a multinational company contaminates the groundwater and soil and is a direct abuse of the right to health of the survivors and residents of the area.  He also said that we have to fight manufacturing of spurious drugs at war footing. It is a criminal act that should receive strictest punishment. No one should be allowed to play with human life.Justice Mishra said that the international Convention for Suppression of Financing of Terrorism of 1999, provides for action against financing terrorism directly or indirectly through groups under the guise of charitable, social or collateral goals.  The international community must unite to take all possible measures to wipe out this scourge.  Mr. Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India, lauded the Indian culture and tradition of respect for human rights.  He also read out the message of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Human Rights Day. The UN Secretary General in his message said that “civic space is shrinking.  Media freedom and the safety of journalists are in dangerous decline in almost every region of the world.”  He also said “I urge Member States, civil society, the private sector and others to put human rights at the heart of efforts to reverse today’s damaging trends.”The NHRC Secretary General, Mr. D.K. Singh in his report highlighted the activities and interventions of the Commission during the last one year. These included, among others, 53 suo motu cognizance cases, 46 spot enquires, recommendations for payment of Rs. 9.14 crore relief in suitable cases, various Advisories and visits to mental health hospitals with an aim to assess and seek improvement in their conditions for the protection of human rights of mentally ill patients.On the occasion, two NHRC publications were also released. These included Hindi and English Journals carrying scholarly articles on various human rights issues by the experts. NHRC Member, Mr. Rajiv Jain, former Chairperson, Chairpersons and Members of the State Human Rights Commission, Members of Judiciary and Legal fraternity, senior officers, Diplomats, civil society representatives, media persons, among others were present. 

IEP Panchkula, December 10

Maat Pitah Gowdham Trust members including its founder Gyan Chand Walia were felicitated during a felicitation ceremony at a Panchkula temple on Saturday.

The Trust was recently honoured with an award by Ruth Margaret Cadbury the Shadow Minister for International Trade, British Parliament during Indo-UK Global Business Conclave 2022 at The House of Lords London recently.

The Trust was honoured in recognition of significant contribution to the society for setting up world’s first and only ‘Maat Pita Mandir’ on Banur-Ambala road at Khallaur village in Mohali district.