Chandigarh, June 26

Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema announced today that the Finance Department is actively engaged in a strategic initiative to merge various small and interconnected state government departments to significantly boost efficiency, accelerate administrative processes, and optimize the utilization of available resources.

Lauding the Punjab Cabinet Decision to merge Various Directorates under the Department of Finance, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the move is aimed at significantly enhancing administrative efficiency and achieving substantial cost savings for the state. He said this strategic restructuring is projected to save the state approximately ₹2.64 crore annually. He said that these mergers will not only streamline operations but also improve the overall functioning and strength of these vital departments. This restructuring is a key step towards a more agile and fiscally responsible administration, he added.

Adding further, Finance Minister Cheema said that the Finance Department has been working on comprehensive restructuring and merger of other such state government departments to streamline government operations, reduce redundancies, and foster a more cohesive and responsive administrative framework.  “By bringing together departments with overlapping functions or shared objectives, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab government anticipates a notable increase in the speed of decision-making and implementation, ultimately benefiting the citizens of Punjab through more effective and accountable public services”, said the Finance Minister.

It is worth noting that the Punjab Cabinet has approved the merger of several directorates under the Department of Finance, aiming to enhance administrative efficiency and reduce costs. The merged entities will include the Directorate of Small Savings, Banking, and Lotteries; the Directorate of Financial Resources and Economic Intelligence (DFREI) and Department of Public Enterprise (DPED); and the Directorate of Treasury & Accounts, Pension, and NPS. This consolidation is expected to yield significant benefits in terms of streamlined operations and improved governance.

Chandigarh, 26 June 2025:

          Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan held a meeting with Bibi Navpreet Kaur from San Francisco and Bhai Baldeep Singh Ji to get suggestions  to observe the 350 centenary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji.  During the meeting, Bibi Navpreet Kaur gave proposal under ‘Gavni’ in which 31 Ragas will be chanted by 31 women Ragis from different countries to commemorate the 350th Martyrdom Anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs. Guru Sahib Ji unparalleled sacrifice for religious freedom, pluralism, and human dignity will continue to inspire global citizens.

          During the discussion, Bibi Navpreet Kaur said these 31 women Ragis will perform Guru Kirtan in 9 different cities of India and 7 different cities of the Punjab. She highlighted her motive that people will connect with Shabads of Gurbani which give eternal happiness and disseminate the legacy of Guru Sahib ji in this centenary. Miss Sophia Kaur was also present in the meeting.

CHANDIGARH, June 26:

          With the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state completed 117 days, Punjab Police on Thursday arrested 155 drug smugglers and recovered 1.09 kg heroin, 64 kg poppy husk and Rs 5410 drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 19,365 in just 117 days.

          The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 Police districts of the state.

          Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has asked the Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendent of Police to make Punjab drug free state. The Punjab government has also constituted a 5-member Cabinet Sub Committee led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema to monitor the war against drugs.

          Divulging details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla informed that over 200 Police teams, comprising over 1400 police personnel, under the supervision of 93 gazetted officers have conducted raids at as many as 481 locations across the state leading to the registration of 103 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 488 suspicious persons during the day-long operation, he added.

          The Special DGP said that with the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)— to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police as part of ‘De-addiction’ has convinced 87 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.

Chandigarh, June 26:

On the directions of the Cabinet Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare department has issued Show Cause Notices (SCNs) to seven Chief Agriculture Officers (CAO) for failing to meet quality control drive targets.

The development came a day after Agriculture Minister ordered departmental action against districts lagging behind in the quality control drive to ensure accountability and improvement.

Dr. Basant Garg, the Administrative Secretary Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, has initiated the action against the defaulting district agriculture chiefs posted in Kapurthala, Barnala, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Tarn Taran, Sangrur and Hoshiarpur districts, while directing them to respond within seven days or face further strict action as per the rules.

Reiterating the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government’s zero-tolerance stance against negligence, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian categorically said that officials displaying negligence or lackadaisical attitude towards duty will face the music and accountability will be fixed.

S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that the Agriculture department has constituted five flying squad teams to ensure regular monitoring and checking of Agriculture inputs for safeguarding the state farmers from exploitation. He also urged the farmers to demand proper bill on the purchase of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides and if dealers refuse to provide bills or supply substandard agri-inputs, farmers should immediately report to district agriculture offices.

Chandigarh, June 26:

Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government is firmly committed to provide world-class civic amenities to urban residents and special emphasis is being laid on the beautification and modernization of cities across the state, said Local Government Minister Dr. Ravjot Singh while presiding over a review meeting with senior departmental officers and officials of SAS Nagar (Mohali) district here today.

Reaffirming the resolve to make Punjab’s cities clean, green and beautiful, the Cabinet Minister said that all urban local bodies under SAS Nagar (Mohali) including Municipal Councils Kharar, Dera Bassi, Rajpura, Banur, Zirakpur, Lalru, Naya Gaon, Gharuan and Kurali will be developed into clean and aesthetically pleasing towns.

While directing the officials to carry out urban development projects in a planned and time-bound manner, Dr. Ravjot Singh stressed that landscaping, road development, beautification of villages under Mohali city, works of urban citizens’ facilities and construction of buildings being constructed in the cities should be ensured under safety rules.

After reviewing the detailed status of ongoing development works, the Cabinet Minister directed that all projects must be completed within stipulated timeframes. He asserted that providing quality civic amenities to urban residents is a top priority for the Punjab Government and no negligence in this regard will be tolerated.

Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Additional Chief Secretary Mr. Tejvir Singh, CEO PMIDC Mrs. Deepti Uppal, Joint Director Local Government Mr. Jagdeep Sehgal, Commissioner Municipal Corporation Mohali S. Parminder Pal Singh, ADC (Urban Development) S. Anmol Singh Dhaliwal, Chief Engineer Mr. Naresh Batta and Executive Officers of Municipal Councils Kharar, Dera Bassi, Rajpura, Banur, Zirakpur, Lalru, Naya Gaon, Gharuan and Kurali.

Chandigarh, June 26:

Punjab Horticulture Minister Mr. Mohinder Bhagat today held a review meeting of the Horticulture Department at the Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh, to assess the progress of ongoing projects and various schemes of the department.

During the meeting, Secretary Horticulture Mr. Mohammad Tayyab apprised the Minister of the progress made under various schemes and projects of the department. Mr. Tayyab also highlighted key achievements and shared updates on field-level implementation.

Mr. Bhagat stressed the need for transparent and timely disbursal of subsidies to farmers so that they can avail maximum benefit from government schemes without delay. He also directed to ensure the swift completion of all horticulture-related initiatives and to engage proactively with farmers at the grassroots level.

The Minister said that the Punjab Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is continuously working to strengthen the horticulture sector and ensuring better opportunities for farmers. He emphasized that promoting horticulture is a key step towards increasing farmers’ income and achieving agricultural diversification in the state.

Mr. Bhagat directed the department to submit monthly progress reports outlining the implementation status of all ongoing schemes and projects.

Chandigarh, 26 June 2025:

          Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan held a meeting with Bibi Navpreet Kaur from San Francisco and Bhai Baldeep Singh Ji to get suggestions  to observe the 350 centenary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji.  During the meeting, Bibi Navpreet Kaur gave proposal under ‘Gavni’ in which 31 Ragas will be chanted by 31 women Ragis from different countries to commemorate the 350th Martyrdom Anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs. Guru Sahib Ji unparalleled sacrifice for religious freedom, pluralism, and human dignity will continue to inspire global citizens.

          During the discussion, Bibi Navpreet Kaur said these 31 women Ragis will perform Guru Kirtan in 9 different cities of India and 7 different cities of the Punjab. She highlighted her motive that people will connect with Shabads of Gurbani which give eternal happiness and disseminate the legacy of Guru Sahib ji in this centenary. Miss Sophia Kaur was also present in the meeting.

Chandigarh:

Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government is firmly committed to provide world-class civic amenities to urban residents and special emphasis is being laid on the beautification and modernization of cities across the state, said Local Government Minister Dr. Ravjot Singh while presiding over a review meeting with senior departmental officers and officials of SAS Nagar (Mohali) district here today.

Reaffirming the resolve to make Punjab’s cities clean, green and beautiful, the Cabinet Minister said that all urban local bodies under SAS Nagar (Mohali) including Municipal Councils Kharar, Dera Bassi, Rajpura, Banur, Zirakpur, Lalru, Naya Gaon, Gharuan and Kurali will be developed into clean and aesthetically pleasing towns.

While directing the officials to carry out urban development projects in a planned and time-bound manner, Dr. Ravjot Singh stressed that landscaping, road development, beautification of villages under Mohali city, works of urban citizens’ facilities and construction of buildings being constructed in the cities should be ensured under safety rules.

After reviewing the detailed status of ongoing development works, the Cabinet Minister directed that all projects must be completed within stipulated timeframes. He asserted that providing quality civic amenities to urban residents is a top priority for the Punjab Government and no negligence in this regard will be tolerated.

Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Additional Chief Secretary Mr. Tejvir Singh, CEO PMIDC Mrs. Deepti Uppal, Joint Director Local Government Mr. Jagdeep Sehgal, Commissioner Municipal Corporation Mohali S. Parminder Pal Singh, ADC (Urban Development) S. Anmol Singh Dhaliwal, Chief Engineer Mr. Naresh Batta and Executive Officers of Municipal Councils Kharar, Dera Bassi, Rajpura, Banur, Zirakpur, Lalru, Naya Gaon, Gharuan and Kurali.

Chandigarh:

In a refreshing blend of science and art, the Department of General Surgery at PGIMER, Chandigarh organized a unique Scientific Illustration Workshop today, drawing enthusiastic participation from surgical residents and new joiners.

The workshop was led by Ms. Shivali Angurala, Guest Lecturer in Medical Animation & Audio-Visual Creation, along with Mr. Brij Lal, In-Charge of the Photography Department, PGIMER Chandigarh, who joined as Guest Faculty. Together, they offered participants a comprehensive introduction to the growing field of scientific illustration, combining artistic principles with medical precision.

The session covered diverse topics such as storytelling through surgical illustrations, fundamentals of drawing, digital illustration techniques, color theory, and the science of visual communication.

A key highlight of the workshop was the live hands-on drawing session, where participants actively engaged in translating complex surgical scenarios into effective visual representations. Mr. Brij Lal shared valuable insights on the technical aspects of medical photography and its integration into surgical documentation and illustration.

Dr. Utkarsh conducted an interactive demonstration on video editing techniques, showcasing how modern tools can be utilized to create high-quality educational content for surgical teaching.

Adding a competitive edge, Dr. Arun organized a quick healthy competition, allowing participants to showcase their creativity under time constraints. The session concluded with a special segment by Dr. Swapnesh Kumar Sahu, introducing the audience to the application of ChatGPT in thesis writing and academic research, opening doors for innovative AI integration in surgical education.

The workshop, held at the Seminar Room of the General Surgery Office, not only fostered technical skill development but also encouraged creative exploration among young surgeons. Participants lauded the session as an eye-opener, combining academic rigor with creative freedom — a perfect learning blend for today’s multidisciplinary medical landscape.

With such interactive initiatives, PGIMER continues to demonstrate its commitment to fostering holistic development of its surgical trainees, preparing them not only as skilled clinicians but also as effective communicators and educators.