IEP Chandigarh, November 14

Haryana Right to Service Commission imposed a penalty of Rs. 5,000 on District Welfare Officer (DWO), Sonipat for delay in delivering the notified service to an applicant. The commission took prompt cognizance of the matter and issued a suo-moto notice to DWO on the complaint of Smt. Pooja who applied for Legal Aid Scheme through Antyodaya SARAL portal.

        Giving information in this regard an official spokesperson from the commission said that a report was sought from Sh. Rajbir Sharma, District Welfare Officer (DWO), Sonipat and in the enquiry it was found due to issues regarding the Public Finance Management System (PFMS) and required budget for the said scheme was not allocated on time. Prima facie, the payment of the appellant could not be done, due to the inability to generate vouchers for the Legal Aid Scheme.   

He further informed that as per the Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014, there are two appellate authorities as the first grievance redressal authority (FGRA) and the second grievance redressal authority (SGRA) in the appellate mechanism. If an eligible person does not receive a notified service within the notified timeline from the Designated Officer, he/she can file an appeal with the First Grievance Redressal Authority (FGRA). FGRA has a timeline of 30 working days to resolve the appeal. In case the appeal is not resolved within this timeline or the eligible person is unsatisfied with the resolution he/she can file an appeal with the Second Grievance Redressal Authority (SGRA). The SGRA has 30 working days to resolve the appeal. In case, the appeal is not resolved within this timeline or the eligible person is unsatisfied with the resolution he can file an appeal with the Commission. 

In this context, a revision appeal was filed by Smt. Pooja from Sonipat. She has applied online for the Legal Aid Scheme through Antyodaya SARAL portal. Since the scheme was not provided within a notified timeline, an automatic appeal was raised on the Auto appeal system (AAS) to the FGRA –cum- ADC, Sonipat, followed by a physical appeal by the appellant. The appeal was resolved without any opportunity for a hearing granted to her. She then filed an appeal before the SGRA-cum- Deputy Commissioner on April 18, 2022 which remained pending, and the appeal was escalated to the Commission.

He further said that the commission considered all the facts of the case carefully, it was evident that undue delay had been caused in the delivery of notified service/scheme due to budget allocation as well as major delinquency on the part of the Sh. Rajbir Sharma, DWO Sonipat was observed in the enquiry. He submitted the case of the applicant to the Deputy Commissioner, Sonipat for approval which was given in March 2021. Since March is the closing month of the financial year, due to a lack of adequate funds, the benefit could not be provided on time, however, the respondent was duty-bound to ask for additional funds from the HQs, but he kept quiet for more than 4 months and 14 days.

To defend his case DWO made a deliberate attempt to provide manufactured evidence for contesting the facts regarding inaction on the application by his office between March 7, 2022 and July 21, 2022. But it was evident the delay was made from his end. He could have informed the higher authorities regarding  shortage of funds in due time. The Commission expressed its displeasure towards Sh. Rajbir Sharma, DWO for showing irresponsible behavior towards the delivery of notified service. Thereby, imposed a penalty of Rs 5, 000/.

While following the mantra of Antyodaya, given by Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal, Haryana Right to Service Commission is making strenuous efforts to ensure that the benefits of the notified service reach the last person. Whenever complaints related to notified services come to the commission via email or post, the commission immediately takes prompt cognizance of the matter through a transparent investigation.

IEP Chandigarh, November 14

Haryana Government has directed to ensure complete procurement of paddy by November 15, 2022 in the grain markets of the state.

Giving information in this regard, an official spokesperson of the Food and Civil Supplies Department said that for the convenience of farmers of the state, adequate arrangements including drinking water, sheds for grain storage and uninterrupted electricity supply have been made in the grain markets for smooth procurement of paddy in the state. He further informed that till November 13, 2022, about 58.33 lakh metric tonnes of paddy have been procured in the grain markets across the state.

Notably, the Central Government had fixed a time period from October 1 to November 15, 2022 for paddy procurement.

IEP Chandigarh, November 14

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala informed that fortified flour will bring positive change in the lives of the people.

The Deputy Chief Minister was reviewing the pilot scheme of providing fortified flour to the women of poor families in five districts by the Food and Supplies Department at his office here today. Minister of State for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Sh. Anoop Dhanak was also present in the meeting.

While expressing happiness over the results obtained from the pilot scheme, Sh. Dushyant Chautala informed that this pilot programme was initially launched in Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, and Haryana. He added that due to the efforts of the Haryana Government; great outcomes have emerged that are well above expectations.

On this occasion, the officers informed the Deputy Chief Minister that there is a severe deficiency of micronutrients in people across the country including Haryana, due to which mainly iron deficiency anemia and folate deficiency are causing birth defects. To overcome the deficiency of these micronutrients, the pilot scheme of fortified flour was started by the central government in states like Haryana, Gujarat, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Haryana. He said that a survey was conducted in November 2017 under this scheme in five districts of Haryana and flour fortification programme was started in March 2018 in which fortified flour was distributed to women and children through mid-day-meals and Anganwadis. This programme was completed in the year 2021. He said that under the said programme, the women’s hemoglobin, ferritin, red blood cell folate, serum folate and vitamin B12 were tested.

While appreciating the success of the pilot scheme, Chautala suggested the possibilities of testing its effects and health status of women by taking more samples at different divisional levels in Haryana.

On this occasion, Commissioner and Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Sh. Pankaj Agarwal, OSD to Deputy Chief Minister, Sh. Kamlesh Bhadoo and other officers were also present.

IEP Chandigarh

Department of Community Medicine & School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh and Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development, Chandigarh, Administration jointly organised the “Care of Diabetes” event on World Diabetes Day on 14th November 2022, at Civil Dispensary, Sector-49, Chandigarh.The event was organized under the aegis of the recently launched “Chandigarh Millet Mission”. Dr. Poonam Khanna (Associate Professor of Nutrition, DCM & SPH, PGIMER) briefed about the importance of nutrition in diabetes prevention and management and how millets can improve diabetes management in day-to-day life, whereas Dr. Rimesh Pal (Assistant Professor, Department of Endocrinology, PGIMER) delivered a talk on diabetes care and management.He emphasized 150 minutes of weekly physical activity for better management of diabetes and addressed various myths associated with diabetes like insulin usage and inclusion of fruit in the diet. Mr. Uttam (General Manager, Verka) discussed the consumption of milk and milk products in diabetes, and how milk was an important component of our traditional diet.Dr. Abin (Junior Resident, DCM & SPH, PGIMER) briefed about the complications of diabetes. The event also included the millet recipe demonstration by Anganwadi workers, nutrition games and cost-free screening of diabetes for all attendees.At last, Dr. Poonam has acknowledged the organizers Dr. Rachana Srivastava (Program officer, DCM & SPH, PGIMER), Mr. Savitesh Kushwaha (PhD Scholar, DCM & SPH, PGIMER) and staff of the civil dispensary sector 49, Chandigarh. The event was sponsored by Verka.

IEP Chandigarh

National Institute of Nursing Education (NINE), PGIMER, Chandigarh is organizing its annual Fete on 16^th November 2022, at NINE campus, PGIMER, Chandigarh, a fundraising event carried under the aegis of NINE & Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI) for the welfare of poor patients.

All the NINE students and faculty shall be participating in this noble activity under the stewardship of Dr. Sukhpal Kaur President, TNAI & Dr. Sunita Sharma, Secretary TNAI.

 The prime highlights of the fete include the multi-cuisine food stalls, music & dance, tombola, and other fun-filled activities & games. The organizers are expecting great participation from PGI administrative staff, technical staff & nurses to make the event a grand success. 

IEP Chandigarh

The Faculty of the Department of Transfusion Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh were awarded at TRANSCON-2022B, the 47^th Annual National Conference of Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohematology (ISBTI) organized by the ISBTI J&K U. T., Chapter and Department of Transfusion Medicine, Govt. Medical College, Jammu from November 11-13, 2022. 

Prof. Ashish Jain, was awarded prestigious “Dr Usha Gupta award “ for his vital contribution in patient care and clinical research 

Dr. Suchet Sachdev, Associate Professor, was awarded the prestigious “Prof J. G. Jolly Award” for the most outstanding motivational work in the field of voluntary blood donation and innovation in blood donor care. 

Dr. Hari Krishan Dhawan, Associate Professor, was awarded the prestigious “H. D. Shourie Award” for his innovative work in blood component processing technology and scientific research in the field of transfusion Medicine. 

IEP Chandigarh

Department of Dietetics, PGIMER, Chandigarh in association with Nutrition Society of India, Chandigarh Chapter organized a Continuing Nutrition Education (CNE) on Sunday 13th November 2022 at Bhargav Auditorium, PGIMER, Chandigarh on the theme  “Challenges and Nutritional Strategies in Gastrointestinal Disorders – Prevention and Treatment” The program was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Hon’ble Director                             Prof. Vivek Lal, PGIMER, Chandigarh. Shri Kumar Gaurav Dhawan , Deputy Director administration , Prof. Ashok Kumar, AMS  and other faculty members were also present on the occasion.

Diet and nutrition are known to play key roles in the pathogenesis and as therapeutic options in many gastrointestinal diseases. The amount of food, its form, the frequency of feeding, and the composition of diet each have important effects on GI function and may be used to help ameliorate signs of GI disease.

Right from uncomplicated digestive issues like constipation, diarrhea and  Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) to complicated ones like Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), gastrointestinal cancer, and colorectal cancer; all can lead to deterioration of health and can even be fatal at times.

Eminent Speakers from PGI and other hospitals of repute in north India shared their knowledge on the subject. Speakers from PGI Prof. S.K.Sinha, Prof. Atul Sachdeva (Max Hospital), Dr. Neelam Mohan from Medauta Medicity hospital, Gurugram,                     Dr. Nancy Sahni, Chief Dietician, PGIMER, Ms. Ritu Sudhakar, Chief Dietician, DMC, Ludhiana, Ms, Neelanjana Singh, Chief Dietician, PSRI Hospital, New Delhi deliberated in the prevention and treatment of GI diseases about causes, symptom and preventive measures for the GI aliments. Since nutrition is of utmost importance in prevention and treatment of GI disorders, the sole purpose of this CNE was to provide a much needed platform for doctor, dieticians and paramedical staff to enhance Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) knowledge for the prevention of the disease and improvement of MNT out comes.

This CNE was an endeavor to focus on creating awareness. Approximately 600 delegates which included doctors, dieticians, nutritionist and dietetic students from the Tricity as well as from states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi Participated

IEP Chandigarh, November 13

The State Government, which is making continuous efforts in the management of paddy straw, has taken an important step in this direction and has decided to make it mandatory for brick kilns across the state to use 20 percent of straw as fuel.

          It was disclosed by Environment, Science and Technology Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer in a press communique here today. He said that under the guidelines of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the State Government has issued a notification that 20 percent of straw pellets for brick kilns must be used as fuel. He also said that brick kiln owners have been given six months to prepare for this new management and action will be taken against those who do not implement these instructions after May 1, 2023.

Hayer said that in situ and ex situ works are being done by the State Government to help farmers in stubble management and deal with the problem of pollution caused by stubble burning. The farmers of Punjab have been provided 1.25 lakh machines on subsidy for in situ stubble management whereas under ex situ, industries are being encouraged to use stubble as fuel. Efforts are being made to generate CNG, electricity and other energy sources from straw, said the Minister.

Hayer said that under the new decision, 20 percent use of straw as fuel in brick kilns will give a big boost to straw management and farmers will also get financial help by selling straw. He further said that the Department of Environment and Science and Technology will provide all technical assistance to the brick kilns. Besides, all Deputy Commissioners have also been asked to follow these instructions under the notification issued in this regard.

IEP Chandigarh/Mohali, NOVEMBER 11

To instill a sense of safety and security among the people, Rupnagar Range Police on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday carried out a special cordon and search operation (CASO) in three districts including Rupnagar, SAS Nagar and Fatehgarh Sahib.

The operation was led by Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF)-cum-Ropar Range Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and conducted jointly by the Police forces under the supervision of SSPs of three districts including Mohali SSP Vivek Sheel Soni, Fatehgarh Sahib SSP Ravjot Grewal and Rupnagar SSP Sandeep Garg.

          The police teams have rounded-up at least 93 persons on suspicion basis after conducting the operation at seven societies including Orbit Society in Zirakpur, Park Plaza in Lohgarh, Gulmohar City in Dera Bassi, Dream House Society in Lalru, Modern Valley Society in Kharar, Cooperative Homes in Sector-91, Wembley in Sector-91, besides crowded markets in Mohali including 3B2 Market. Apart from this, the Police teams have also carried out CASO in five villages including Baliali, Bilongi, Badhmajra Colony, Jujhar Nagar Colony and Mataur.

          Divulging details, DIG Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that the police had received information from reliable sources that some of the tenants are staying there without verification process and some have even further sublet their flats. He said that Police teams have also done verifications of tenets living at rented accommodations during the checking.

          He said that each society was cordoned off and a thorough search operation was carried out under the supervision of the concerned SSPs. He said that these kind of operations will be continued in the coming days as part of the ongoing drive against anti-social elements.

          The DIG said that Residents’ Welfare Societies have also appreciated the effort of the Punjab Police.

          Meanwhile, the Police teams have been questioning the people rounded-up on suspicion for further verifications on the recovered weapons and cash.