IEP Chandigarh, October 21

          In a historic decision aimed at well being of the government employees, the Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday approved restoration of the Old Pension Scheme for the employees of the state government.

          Divulging the details, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that a decision to this effect was taken in meeting of Cabinet held under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister here at the Punjab Civil Secretariat I.

          The spokesperson further said that the employees will be given option for adopting the Old Pension Scheme or the New Pension Scheme. It may be recalled that Old Pension Scheme for employees was discontinued in year 2004 and ever since then the employees are being given New Pension Scheme.  However the employees have been since long demanding the restoration of Old Pension Scheme.

          Keeping in view the well being of the lakhs of employees the Cabinet has decided to restore the Old Pension scheme in the state. The implementation of the scheme is likely to give major relief to the employees of the state. Realizing that  employees are the backbone of the government, the state government has taken this historic decision which is likely to benefit all the employees of the state government.

          PUNJAB TO GIVE 6% DA TO GOVT STAFF & PENSIONERS FROM OCTOBER 1, 2022

          Meanwhile in significant decision, the Cabinet has also decided to give 6% Dearness Allowance (DA) to government employees and pensioners, with effect from October 1,2022. The decision, which will benefit lakhs employees and pensioners, was approved by the Cabinet.

          The Council of Ministers opined that the employees were a critical segment of the state administration and safeguarding their interests was the government’s top priority.

IEP Chandigarh, October 21

As per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann regarding providing government jobs to the youth of the state, on Friday appointment letters have been given to eight youth of paramedical staff in the Medical Education and Research Department.

Medical Education and Research Minister Chetan Singh Jauramajra while handing over these appointment letter, said that the process of filling vacancies in the department would continue so that quality health facilities can be delivered to the people of the state.

          Mr. Jauramajra further added that since May 2022, recruitment has been done against a total of 967 posts, including 880 staff nurses and 87 paramedical staff. He said that all these appointments were made on the basis of merit after taking the written test, adopting a transparent selection procedure.

          Meanwhile, the Minister inaugurated the portal of Council of Homeopathic System of Medicine Punjab. Jauramajra said that this facility would provide services online to the people of the state. He said that this online portal would benefit registered homeopathic doctors and new students in the state by saving their time.

          He said that Provisional Registration, Permanent Registration, Renewal and Restoration and Verification / NOC of Qualification and Registration have been launched. These services are available on https://eservices.punjab.gov.in and also citizen can visit any nearest Sewa Kendra to avail the services. He informed that previous governments did not recognized the importance of technology for ease of life of a common man. He has directed all its staff to use the technology platforms for the betterment of service delivery and to increase the productivity.

          Prominent amongst others Secretary Medical Education and Research Mrs. Alkananda Dayal, Director Medical Education Research Dr. Avnish Kumar, Chairman Homoeopathic Council Tejinder Pal Singh, Joint Director Dr. Akashdeep Agarwal, Joint Director Dental Dr. Puneet Girdhar, Deputy Director General NIC Mr. Vivek Verma and Registrar Ayurveda Board Dr. Sanjeev Goyal were also present on this occasion.

IEP Chandigarh, October 21

Punjab Public Works Minister Mr. Harbhajan Singh ETO, on Friday, handed over appointment letters to 10 Junior Draftsman (JDM) at PSPCL Guest House here.

He informed that as many 93 JDMs and 18 JEs (Electrical wing) were given appointment letters on 11.10.2022.

In addition to it, appointment to 81 JDMs and 201 JEs (Civil) shall be given shortly, announced Mr. Harbhajan Singh ETO, while adding that the process for the same is underway.

          Addressing the newly appointed JDMs, the PWD Minister said that providing jobs to youth is the top priority of the Chief Minister S Bhagwant Mann led Punjab Government.

Congratulating newly-appointed employees, the Cabinet Minister implored them to perform their duties diligently as the government has fulfilled its responsibility by providing jobs to them and now it’s their duty to serve the people with full dedication and honesty.

          He said that these JDMs have been recruited on a purely merit basis and in a transparent manner.

He further informed that the system has been improved to expedite the process of giving appointments to the dependents of deceased Govt. employees by removing bottlenecks. As many as 33 dependants have been given jobs on compensate grounds in PWD (B&R) till now. Not even a single application is pending for appointment on compassionate ground in the department. The process has been made smooth and appointments on a compassionate basis are being made within 4 to 6 weeks from the date of application. The same process earlier used to take over 6 months in previous governments, he said.

          On this occasion, Secretary PWD Mr. Malwinder Singh Jaggi, Chief Engineer PWD Arun Kumar, Chief Engineer PWD Amardeep Singh Brar, Chief Engineer PWD SP Singh,  Chief Engineer PWD Gagandeep Singh, Superintending Engineer PWD Gurmukh Singh and Executive Engineer Anil Sharma among other officials were present.

IEP Chandigarh, October 21       

    In a landmark decision aimed at further cementing the ethos of Punjab, Punjabi and Punjabiat in the state, the Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today gave nod for amending Rule 17 of Punjab Civil Services (General and Common Conditions of services) Rules, 1994 and Punjab State (Group D) Service Rules 1963 with an aim to ensure that only those candidates are appointed in the Punjab government who have in depth knowledge of Punjabi language. A decision to this effect was taken in the meeting of the Council of Ministers held under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister here at Punjab Civil Secretariat- I.           Divulging the details a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that in the rule 17 of the Punjab Civil Services (General and Common Conditions of Service) Rules, 1994, the first proviso, for the words “Provided that where a person”, has been replaced with “Provided that no person shall be appointed to any post in Group-‘C’ service unless he has passed a qualifying test of Punjabi Language equivalent to Matriculation standard with at least fifty per cent marks, to be conducted by respective recruitment agencies in addition to competitive examination. The test of Punjabi Language shall be a mandatory qualifying test and failure to secure a minimum of fifty per cent marks in Punjabi Language will disqualify the candidate for being considered in the final merit list of candidates to be selected irrespective of their scores or marks in other papers of the respective exam.           Similarly as per amendment in clause (d) of the Rule 5, in the Punjab State (Group-D) Service Rules, 1963, the words “provided that” has been replaced with “Provided that no person shall be appointed to any post in any service by direct appointment unless he has passed a qualifying test of Punjabi Language equivalent to Middle standard with at least fifty per cent marks, to be conducted by the respective recruitment agencies in addition to competitive examination. The test of Punjabi Language shall be a mandatory qualifying test and failure to secure a minimum of fifty per cent marks in Punjabi Language will disqualify the candidate for being considered in the final merit list of candidates to be selected irrespective of their scores or marks in other papers of the respective exam. AMENDS PUNJAB MINOR MINERALS RULES 2013 TO ENHANCE PENALTY ON PERPETRATORS OF ILLEGAL MINING           In order to check illegal mining in the state, the Cabinet also gave green signal to amend rule 7.5 of the Punjab Minor Minerals Rules 2013 thereby enhancing the slab of penalty from existing Rs 5000- Rs 25,000 to Rs 50000 to 2.5 lakh. The decision has been taken as it was realized that people engaged in illegal mining are afraid of penalty, whereas the rates of penalty are very negligible and were fixed a long time ago and had varied between Rs 5000 to Rs 25000 which is very low. So it has been decided to enhance these rates ten times and fix the rates of penalty between 50000 to 2 50 lac depending upon the carrier mode viz. Tractor Trolly and other small vehicles. Truck and Multi excel truck or other. APPROVES TO AMEND ‘THE PUNJAB AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE MARKETS ACT-1961’           With a view to cut down financial expenditure and administrative burden in the state, the Cabinet also gave approval to amend in Section 3 (1) of ‘The Punjab Agricultural Produce Markets Act-1961’ to abolish the posts of Vice-Chairman and Senior Vice-Chairman in Punjab Mandi Board. The posts of Vice Chairman and Senior Vice Chairman were created in the year 2010 and 2016 respectively. CREATES 23 POSTS OF CM’S FIELD OFFICER BY ABOLISHING ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER (GRIEVANCES)           To overhaul the grievance redressal mechanism, the Punjab Cabinet gave its approval to abolish the existing 23 posts of Assistant Commissioner (Grievances) with creation of a similar number of new Posts of Chief Minister’s Field Officer at District level. With this significant decision, the citizens of the state would get a formal platform where their grievances can be redressed in a timely manner after being analyzed in an impartial, categorical manner. The Deputy Commissioner of the district shall monitor the work of the Chief Minister’s Field Officer regularly and have requisite support provided for effective Redressal of grievances. APPROVES SCHEME FOR COMPASSIONATE APPOINTMENT TO THE WARDS OF THE DECEASED EMPLOYEES OF PSEB (NOW PSPCL)           The Cabinet also approved the Scheme for compassionate Appointment to the wards of the deceased employees of PSEB (now PSPCL) expired before April 16, 2010 who have earlier been covered under solatium policy. As per this decision grant of compassionate employment shall be applicable prospectively to only those cases where the date of death of the deceased employee was before April 04, 2010 and which were earlier considered under solatium policy including the cases in which date of death of deceased employee was prior to the year 2002 (the year in which compassionate appointment policy was discontinued). This scheme for grant of compassionate employment shall be optional. The dependents who don’t want to opt for a job on compassionate grounds under this scheme will be allowed to retain the benefits of solatium and/or special pension already availed under solatium policy

IEP Chandigarh

Centre for Social Work, in collaboration with School of Communication Studies, Panjab University (PU) organised a Diwali exhibition, ‘TARANG’ at Student Centre, PU.  Chairpersons of both departments, Dr. Gaurav Gaur and Dr. Bhavneet Bhatti supervised the event.

“It is with efforts of our students that we are able to bring this event together which supports  AtmaNirbhar Bharat initiative” said Dr. Gaurav Gaur, Chairperson, Centre for Social Work.

“I believe this Diwali we should go ‘Vocal for Local’ and we at School of Communication Studies are happy to collaborate with Centre for Social Work for this great intiative promoting local artisans and NGOs.” said Dr. Bhavneet Bhatti,

Chairperson, School of Communication Studies.

 The event featured NGOs and Self Help Groups from all over the Tricity. A total of 21 stalls were set up for the event, where each of them appeared for a noble cause. Owing to the festive fervour, a very positive response was gained.

From Phulkaris to Scented Candles and handmade diyas, a whiff of festive flavour was visibly evident in the variety of products on display. Students of both the departments were seen actively coordinating with the stall owners.

Moreover, the students were seen interacting with the stall owners and asked questions related to their business and the noble cause behind it.

IEP Chandigarh, October 21

Haryana Government is taking all necessary steps for free, fair, smooth and transparent conduct of Combined Eligibility Test (CET) examination for the recruitment of Group-C posts to be held on November 5 and 6, 2022.  These steps include setting up of examination centres for physically challenged and girls candidates in their own or adjoining districts, conducting examination in two shifts, in addition to 4 options, 5th option is added in the answer, examination in two shifts, keeping question paper in the bank as per their Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Section 144 imposed around exam centres.

Haryana Chief Secretary, Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal today reviewed the preparations with the District Deputy Commissioners, Superintendents of Police, General Managers of Roadways through video conferencing here today. Chairman, Haryana Staff Selection Commission, Sh. Bhopal Singh, Principal Secretary, Transport Department, Sh. Navdeep Virk and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.

Sh. Kaushal said that about 11, 36,874 candidates have registered for this examination and  centres have been set up in 17 districts of the state including Chandigarh. The examination which is conducted by the National Testing Agency will be held in two shifts morning and evening. Thus, less than 3 lakh children will appear for the exam in one shift. November 7 has been kept as a reserve day, if for some reason there is a need to re-conduct the examination, then this examination can be conducted on November 7, he added.

Setting up of examination centers for physically challenged candidates and girls in their own or adjoining districts

The Chief Secretary said that allotment of examination centres would be done randomly. However, this time efforts have been made to  facilitate physically challenged candidates to get the examination centre in their own district so that they do not have to travel long distances and do not face any kind of inconvenience. Similarly, efforts will be made for girls to be allotted examination centres in their own or adjoining districts.

The Chief Secretary said that since the examination is being conducted by NTA, they will keep the question paper in the bank as per their Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). While bringing and carrying the question paper, adequate security arrangements should be ensured, he directed.

In addition to 4 options, 5th option was added in the answer, it is mandatory to fill the 5th option

A major change has been made to make the CET exam cheating free. Apart from 4 options, the 5th option has also been added to the answer of the question in the CET exam. In this 5th option, not-attempted will be mentioned. If a candidate does not fill the 4th option of answer, then he/she will have to fill 5th option. No answer can be left blank. There will be no negative marking in CET. Provided that, if a candidate does not fill in even the 5th option as required, 0.95 marks will be deducted for each question that he/she has skipped.

In the previous examinations, questions were usually raised that some candidates leave the answers unattempted, in which there was a possibility of some discrepancies later. This issue has been sought by adding the mandatory filling of the 5th option.

While giving directions to the Deputy Commissioners, Sh. Kaushal said that the CET exam is being conducted by NTA. But the responsibility of its successful conduct lies with the administrative officers of the state government. Therefore, all officers should discharge their duties with full devotion. He said that the consent process of the centres should be completed by October 27 and 28 in any case, so that complete arrangements can be made for the examination.

Exam time will be 105 minutes

Sh. Kaushal said that 100 questions will be asked in the CET examination, for which the exam time will be 100 minutes. However, additional 5 minutes will be given to the candidates to fill the 5th option. Thus the total time of the exam will be 105 minutes. On November 5 and 6, the exam will be held in 2 shifts. The timing of the morning exam will be from 10 am to 11:45 pm. The reporting time for this shift will be 8:30 am. Similarly, the evening shift timings will be from 3 PM to 4:45 PM. The reporting time for this shift will be 1:30 PM, he added.

Sh. Kaushal further informed transport facility will also be provided by the state government as per the instructions of the Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal. Special instructions have been given to the Transport Department to transport the candidates from the district headquarters and sub-divisional headquarters to the examination centers. Apart from this, arrangements will also be made for the accommodation of the candidates and their accompanying family members.

He said that the Chief Minister has given guidelines that there should not be any kind of inconvenience to the candidates and their families appearing for the examination. All the District Deputy Commissioners should constitute District Transport Management Committees under the chairmanship of Additional Deputy Commissioners in their districts. The Superintendent of Police and Roadways General Managers should also be included in this.

He said that Haryana Roadways buses would ply from the district headquarters and sub-divisional headquarters and drop the candidates at the district headquarters allotted for the examination. From there, the responsibility of transporting them to the examination centres will be the responsibility of the local administration. For this, the district administration should ensure to make complete arrangements through school buses or other vehicles.

Mobile app and portal to be developed for advance booking of buses

The Chief Secretary said that the Transport Department would develop a mobile app and portal for advance booking of buses for the convenience of the candidates. Through this, candidates will be able to make advance booking by getting information about buses, time table etc. Help desks will also be set up at each bus stand. Apart from this, cooperation of Railways will also be taken and help desks will also be set up at railway stations.

He said that arrangements for lodging will also be ensured for the candidates. He directed the Deputy Commissioners to mark Dharamshalas in their respective districts and ensure complete arrangements by coordinating with social and religious institutions as well.

Sh. Kaushal directed the District Deputy Commissioners to implement Section-144 within a radius of 500 meters from the examination centers on November 5 and 6 for the CET examination. Apart from this, coaching centers and printing, stationery shops should remain closed. He directed that the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police should visit the examination centres a day before. Security arrangements of examination centres should be ensured. The invigilator will not allow carrying their mobile phones. There will be no parking facility within 200 meters of the examination centres. Apart from this, arrangements for ambulances and ERV vehicles of Dial-112 should also be kept on alert.

Chairman, Haryana Staff Selection Commission, Bhopal Singh said that the examination is being conducted by NTA. He said that the Commission has strengthened its functioning under the guidance of Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal.

IEP Chandigarh October 21, 2022

Punjab Engineering College (Deemed to be University), Chandigarh and the Indian Navy signed a MoU on 20 Oct 2022, to collaborate on aviation research and development, and to ramp up self-reliance efforts for the Indian Navy.  

The MoU was signed by Dr Tejinder Kumar Jindal, HoD Aerospace Engineering Department, PEC and Captain P Vinayagam, Capt (APP), Indian Navy, in the presence of Senior Officers of the Indian Navy including V Adm Sanjay Mahindru, AVSM, NM, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff and R Adm Deepak Bansal, VSM, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air Materiel).

The MoU provides a formal basis for the Indian Navy to interact with relevant faculty members at Punjab Engineering College (Deemed to be University) and will promote joint research programmes, Academia-Industry expert interaction, Joint skill development exercises in fields of mutual interest including sponsoring officers of the Indian Navy for masters and doctoral degrees. 

Under this MoU, the areas of collaboration will fall under the domain of Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering, with a focus on Propulsion, Material Sciences, Systems and Controls, Instrumentation and Sensors etc.

“It is a privilege for us to collaborate with the Indian Navy in these important areas of mutual interest. We look forward to the many exciting research and development outcomes that will emerge from this partnership,” said Dr Tejinder Kumar Jindal. 

Regular interaction between Punjab Engineering College faculty members and Indian Navy officers will also be facilitated as a result of the collaboration.

IEP Chandigarh, October 21

Anil Thakur on Friday assumed charge as Chairman, Punjab Traders Board in the presence of Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema, and Local Government Minister Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjer.

          Speaking on the occasion, Finance Minister expressed confidence that Anil Thakur would act as a bridge between the government and traders for the effective implementation of pro-traders policies. Congratulating Thakur, Finance Minister extended his every support in the implementation of various government schemes to ensure the welfare of the traders.

          Anil Thakur, while thanking Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and senior leadership for showing faith in him, said that he would fulfill to the best of his abilities and responsibilities assigned to him. Pertinently, Bathinda-based Anil Thakur is also state president of Trade and Industry wing of AAP,  General Secretary of Punjab Hotel Association, and General Secretary of Punjab Rajput Mahasabha.