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Chandigarh, Punjab

PUNJAB WITNESSED REDUCED LEVELS OF POLLUTION THIS DIWALI: MEET HAYER

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IEP Chandigarh, October 25

          Punjab has observed the Average Air Quality Index (AQI) reduction of 16.4% from the last year and 31.7% as comparative to 2020.

          The Environment Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer while divulging the details stated that due to constant efforts of the Punjab Pollution Control Board and appealed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, this year’s air quality improved as compare to last years on the day of Diwali.

          Pointing out further, the Environment Minister said that last year as well as in 2020 no city remained in the moderate category of AQI whereas this year 2 cities (Khanna & Mandi Gobindgarh) remained in the Moderate category of AQI.

          Overall all the 6 Cities of Punjab have observed a reduction in the AQI during this year’s Diwali (2022) as compared to last year’s Diwali days (2020 & 2021), said the Minister adding the Average AQI of Punjab this year Diwali was 224 (Poor) as compared to 268 (Poor) in 2021and 328 (very Poor) in 2020.

          The Maximum AQI was recorded at Amritsar this year with AQI Category 262 (Poor). However, in the last year Maximum value of AQI 327 (Very Poor) was observed in Jalandhar & in 2020 Maximum value of AQI 386 (Very Poor) was observed in Amritsar. The minimum AQI for this year was recorded in Mandi Gobindgarh with AQI of 188 (Moderate) against the last year value of 220 (Poor) and also in 2020 with AQI value of 262 (Poor). Last year AQI of the 02 Cities (Amritsar & Jalandhar) remained in Very Poor Category whereas in 2020, 04 cities namely Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana & Patiala remained in Very Poor category. However, no city remained in very poor category of AQI this year. The Maximum AQI reduction in this year was observed in Jalandhar (31.2%) and Minimum was observed in Patiala(7.0%), said the Minister.

          Meanwhile, the Chairman PPCB Prof.  Adarsh Paul Vig thanked the people of State of Punjab for following the advisory issued with respect to time period fixed for bursting of fire crackers and using the green crackers for celebrations of Diwali festival, resulting in overall improvement in Air Quality as compared to last year and 2020 also.

          The Member Secretary PPCB Karunesh Garg said that the Punjab Pollution Control Board has installed Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) in 06 cities of Punjab namely Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Khanna, MandiGobindgarh and Patiala to monitor the ambient air quality on real time basis.

Chandigarh

MCC carries out special cleanliness drive to clean the city before and after Diwali

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IEP Chandigarh, October 25

The citizens of Chandigarh appreciated the MCC’s special drive to clean the city this Diwali.

In a statement, Col. Kulwinder Singh, President, Resident Welfare Association, Sector 10, Chandigarh expressed his gratitude to the officials of Municipal Corporation for the initiative “Ye Diwali Swachhata wali”. He said that undoubtedly, the entire team of MCC has worked very hard and displayed good execution skills expected of great leadership.

Col. Kulwinder Singh reiterated that in his experience the MCC officials always respond and react to complaints and requests of citizens quite despite the work pressure on them.

He also appealed to all residents of Chandigarh to match the efforts of the MCC and do their bit like other cities of Indore so that Chandigarh becomes No. 1 again.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh had launched a special cleanliness drive ‘Ye Diwali-Swachhata Wali’ from October 15th to 27th October to keep the city clean and beautiful with the focus on reuse, reduce and recycle under Swachh Bharat Mission.

Ms. Anindita Mitra, IAS, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh had directed the concerned officers to clean the city streets, backlanes, parks, market areas, open spaces, road berms etc. by deploying all its machinery and equipment before Diwali. She had directed them to prepare special task teams to deal with the pruning of trees, lifting of horticulture waste, cleaning of road berms, market areas, open spaces besides putting additional manpower for proper sanitation.

Additional machinery alongwith tractor trollies have been pressed into service to lift the malba, horticulture waste from the open spaces. The Commissioner said that the special teams will also cleanup the city after Diwali festival.

Chandigarh, Punjab

FOLLOW PATH SHOWN BY LORD VISHWAKARMA TO MAKE PUNJAB A FRONTRUNNER STATE IN THE COUNTRY: CM EXHORTS PEOPLE

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IEP Dhuri (Sangrur), October 25         

   Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday exhorted the people to follow the path shown by Lord Vishwakarma to make Punjab a frontrunner state in the country.          Addressing the gathering here during a function to mark Vishwakarma Day here today, the Chief Minister, while paying tributes to Lord Vishwakarma, said that he was divine architect of the entire universe, who is believed to be the master of all machinery and equipments being used by the people in the industrial activities. He called on the people to follow the footsteps of this great Deity of all craftsmen and architects. Bhagwant Mann said that Lord Vishwakarma has ever inspired the artisans, workers and labour class to work hard with utmost dedication and commitment to develop the nation.          The Chief Minister said that in line with the ideology and teachings of Lord Vishwakarma, Punjabis across the globe have proved their mettle by contributing tremendously in socio-economic growth of various countries. He impressed upon the industrialists to make a solemn pledge of making whole hearted efforts for promoting skill training as it will be a real tribute to Lord Vishwakarma. Bhagwant Mann said that it will not only help in generating employment for the youth but would also play a pivotal role in putting the state on a high growth trajectory.          The Chief Minister, while allaying the fear of global recession, said that wherever Punjabis are working this economic slowdown will never come. He said that Punjabis are hard working and are blessed with tremendous unbounded energy and enormous capabilities to excel in every field. Bhagwant Mann said that with these traits, Punjabis work very hard and ensure that no slowdown comes in any field.          Listing the several path breaking initiatives of the Aam Aadmi Government in Punjab, the Chief Minister said that from July 1 onwards the Punjab government has provided 600 units of free power to people in every bill cycle. He said that as a result of this around 50 lakh households out of total 72.66 lakh) have got zero power bill in the month of September. Bhagwant Mann said that this has given major reprieve to the people from every section of the society.          The Chief Minister further said that in a historic decision aimed at the well being of the government employees, the state government has restored the old age pension scheme for the employees of the Punjab. He said that the Old Pension Scheme was discontinued in 2004 and ever since then the employees are being given New Pension Scheme. Bhagwant Mann said that keeping in view the well being of the lakhs of employees the Old Pension scheme in the state has been restored which will ensure security to lakh of employees.          The Chief Minister said that 16 new Medical colleges will be constructed in the coming five years thereby enhancing the total tally of medical colleges to 25 thus transforming Punjab into a hub of medical education. He said that the students aspiring to pursue medical education will no longer have to go to countries like Ukraine as they will be provided quality medical education in these medical colleges. Bhagwant Mann said that earlier governments have not paid any attention towards it but the focus of his government is that every district must be touched by a medical college.          The Chief Minister said that Punjab government is committed to restore the pristine glory of the state and no stone is being left unturned for this noble cause. He said that the state government has taken several pro-people and development oriented steps in this regard. Bhagwant Mann said that in the coming days too more such path breaking initiatives will be taken.          The Chief Minister also announced to give facelift to Hospitals at Dhuri and Sangrur to impart quality health services to people. He also said that driving test centre for heavy licenses will also be operational soon at Dhuri to avoid inconvenience caused to people while visiting Mahuana centre for same purpose. Bhagwant Mann also announced that work on construction of Railway Overbridge at Dhuri will also be started soon by the Railways.

Chandigarh

Lakhs of devotees take holy dip on solar eclipse in Kurukshetra

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IEP Chandigarh/Kurukshetra October 25, 2022

Thousands of devotees from various parts of the country on Tuesday converged at the holy city of Kurukshetra and took a holy dip at the sacred Sarovars during the solar eclipse.

Devotees thronged the Brahma Sarovar, Sannihit Sarovar, Jyotisar Tirtha, Pehowa Tirtha and other sites of the Kurukshetra, the land of Mahabharata.

The district administration had made arrangements for over five lakh people for the Mela organised during the solar eclipse, which occurred between 4.27 pm to 5.39 pm, officials said. According to Hindu beliefs, a bath in the holy tanks at Kurukshetra during a solar eclipse is considered auspicious.

Kurukshetra witnessed a huge rush of devotees for the solar eclipse fair after a pandemic-induced gap of two years.   Meanwhile, the seers reached holy Brahma Sarovar and a ‘havan’ was also performed. Rituals were held at the Ganga Ghat area of Brahma Sarovar.

More than 100 checkpoints were set up to manage the rush of pilgrims, Deputy Commissioner (Kurukshetra) Sushant Sharma said.  The solar eclipse fair area was divided into 20 sectors and duty magistrates were appointed in all the sectors. Proper arrangement of water, toilets, health, and security, provision of temporary electricity and generators have been made.

More than 250 CCTV cameras were installed in and around the Surya Grahan Mela area. Special trains were also running for Kurukshetra to facilitate the pilgrims. Superintendent of Police, S S Bhoria said nearly 4,000 policemen have been deployed as part of elaborate security arrangements for the fair.

Twenty-nine parking spaces have been created while 40 telephone booths have been set up for the pilgrims. 260 e-rickshaws and 20 mini buses have been made available free of charge for the devotees proceeding to Brahma Sarovar. As a precautionary measure, several teams from the Fire Department had also been stationed at different spots.

Multiple teams with motorboats and divers were also deployed to ensure that no untoward incident takes place.

Chandigarh, Punjab

PUNJAB POLICE ARRESTS TWO SHOOTERS AMONG FOUR PERSONS FOR MURDERING SHOPKEEPER IN TARN TARAN; 4 PISTOLS RECOVERED

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IEP CHANDIGARH/TARN TARAN, October 23        

   The ongoing relentless war against gangsters launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann delivered yet another success after Punjab Police has arrested four persons, including two shooters, for murdering a Tarn Taran-based Shopkeeper Gurjant Singh, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Sunday. Gurjant Singh was shot dead at his shop by two assailants at his shop on October 11, 2022.          The arrested persons are close-associates of Canada-based terrorist Lakhbir Singh alias Landa and Europe-based terrorist Satpal Singh alias Satta, who in turn are close associates of a Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).          The arrested shooters have been identified as Gurkirat Singh alias Ghugi of village Sheron in Tarn Taran and Ajmeet Singh of Naushera Pannuan in Tarn Taran, said DGP Gaurav Yadav, while identifying two others as Harmanjot and Akashdeep Singh— both resident of Batala, who were arrested for providing weapons and other logistic support to the shooters. The police had also recovered four pistols including two 9mm and two .30 bore from their possession, he added.          The development came four days after the arrest of two persons, identified as Ravisher Singh alias Ravi of village Sheron in Tarn Taran and Varinder Singh alias Bhindi of Naushera Pannuan in Tarn Taran, who carried out recce and harboured shooters in this case. The Police had also recovered one .30 bore pistol and two cars including Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Vento— which were used in the crime, from their possession.          CP Amritsar Arun Pal Singh said that following reliable inputs, in a joint operation Tarn Taran Police, Commissionerate Police Amritsar and Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) arrested all the four accused persons.          Preliminary Investigations have revealed that the arrested persons were hatching a conspiracy to commit another target killing in the area of Amritsar at the behest of Landa and Rinda.          SSP Tarn Taran Ranjit Singh Dhillon revealed that there was a family dispute between Gurjant and his estranged cousin Arshdeep Singh alias Batti, who is close-associate of Satnam Satta and Landa, and was arrested by the Delhi Special Cell in Kurukshetra IED planting case. “Landa and Satta avenged the arrest of Arshdeep Batti by murdering Gurjant, who according to them was the informer to the Police and played a pivotal role in getting Arshdeep Batti arrested,” he added.          Pertinently, a case FIR No. 200 dated 11.10.2022 had been registered under sections 302, 506 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 25/54/59 of the Arms Act at Police Station Sadar Tarn Taran.

Chandigarh, Punjab

AMAN ARORA exhorts people to celebrate a clean, green & safe Diwali

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IEP Chandigarh, October 23

Punjab Information & Public Relations, Housing & Urban Development and New & Renewable Energy Sources Minister Mr. Aman Arora extended warm wishes to the people of Punjab and media fraternity on the eve of festival of lights, Diwali and Bandi Chhor Diwas.

          Urging the people to celebrate the festival with traditional fervor and gaiety rising above the parochial considerations of caste, color, creed and religion, the Cabinet Minister said, “May this Diwali and Bandi Chhor Diwas fill the lives of people with joy and happiness coupled with healthy and prosperous future.”

          In his message, he also prayed to the Almighty that the sacred occasion brings peace, prosperity besides strengthening the bonds of brotherhood which will pave a way to build Rangla Punjab.

          Exhorting the people to celebrate the pious festival responsibly, Mr Aman Arora said, avoid fire crackers to save the earth from pollution. Celebrate a clean, green and safe Diwali this time, he appealed earnestly.

Chandigarh, Punjab

BRAM SHANKER JIMPA GREETS PEOPLE ON DIWALI AND BANDI CHHOR DIWAS

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IEP Chandigarh, October 23

        Punjab Revenue Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa today extended his warm wishes to all the Punjabis living across the globe on the sacred occasion of the festival of lights- Diwali and Bandi Chhor Diwas.

      In his message, Jimpa said that this festival symbolizes the triumph of truth and righteousness over falsehood and of good over evil and highlights the ethos and high values of the country’s civilizational history.

         He appealed that we should celebrate diwali to safeguard our environment as pollution problem is Grave and affect all of us.

          At the same time,  Revenue Minister also greeted the entire countrymen especially the Sikh Panth on the historic ‘Bandi Chhor Diwas’-to mark the release of 52 Hindu Princes from the Gwalior fort by Sixth Guru Sri Hargobind Sahib ji on the Diwali festival in year 1612.

      Jimpa hoped that the festival would further strengthen the bonds of communal harmony, brotherhood, amity, tranquility and secularism, which are the hallmarks of our glorious composite cultural traditions and prayed for the well-being of the people of the State.

Chandigarh, Haryana

Morni is being developed from a tourism perspective: Chief Minister

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IEP Panchkula October 23

Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal today celebrated Diwali with villagers of Marog in Bhoj Naita of Morni. On this occasion, he extended warm wishes to the people of state and wished them a happy Diwali, the festival of lights.

Sh. Manohar Lal expressed his happiness to celebrate Diwali in a remote village of Morni with the villagers. When the Chief Minister arrived in Marog, the residents gave him a warm reception and offered him sweets. Sh. Manohar Lal is probably the first Chief Minister who has came to this remote village of the hilly region.

While addressing the villagers present at Government Primary School, Marog, the Chief Minister said that Morni is a hilly area of Haryana and as an ‘Sangathan Mantri’, he has visited this area numerous times. He said that he shares a special bond with the people here. He said that in the year 2015, he had the privilege of attending a similar programme organized in the school at Mandhana in Morni in the month of May as well. On this occasion, the Chief Minister honoured Baldev Singh, a senior citizen of the village with a shawl and an idol of Lord Krishna.

Due to the area’s difficult accessibility, the Chief Minister stated that all necessary facilities like electricity, water, education and road connectivity are being provided by the state government to the people in Morni including village Marog so that the people here do not face any kind of inconvenience. He said that Morni is being developed from the point of view of tourism. Adventure activities have been started in Tikkartal of Morni. Apart from this, a home stay policy has been implemented in Morni, due to which new employment opportunities have been created for the local residents. He said that Morni is a hilly area bordering Himachal Pradesh and has immense potential for tourism. All necessary facilities are being provided by the state government to the tourists coming here so that the footfall of tourists in this area increases.

 He said that the ‘Parivar Pehchan Patra’ has been started by the State Government, through which health, education, old age pension and other facilities have been directly linked so that all facilities can be made easily available. He said that due to the creation of ‘Parivar Pehchan Patra’, now the person eligible for old age allowance will not have to run from pillar to post to avail the benefits of the scheme. He said that a person after attaining the age of 60 with an annual income of less than Rs. 2 lakh automatically gets eligible for the Old Age Samman Allowance without any hassle.

 On this occasion Additional Director General of Police CID, Sh. Alok Mittal, Deputy Commissioner, Sh. Mahavir Kaushik, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Sh. Surinder Pal Singh, former MLA of Kalka, Smt. Latika Sharma, besides other officers including villagers were present.

Chandigarh

VIDHAN SABHA SPEAKER ANNOUNCED ONE LAKH RUPEES FROM HIS DISCRETIONARY QUOTA TO VILLAGES WHICH DO NOT BURN STRAW.

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IEP Chandigarh, October 23 

Taking a new initiative, The Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker, S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan has announced to give one lakh rupees each to the village panchayats of his constituency who do not burn paddy stubble. This amount will be given from his discretionary quota.S. Sandhwan said that the burning of paddy stubble has a harmful impact on the environment along with the loss of fertility of the land. He said that according the principles of Gurbani, the people of Punjab love nature the most. As the people get aware about the harmfull effects of stubble burning, they are abandoning this trend. He said that the day is not far when the people of the state will completely abandon the trend of burning straw and wheat.S. Sandhwan has not only continuously made people aware about the harmful impact of stubble burning, but he has also honored people who did not burn the paddy stubble. Last week, he honored the farmers of different districts of the state during a ceremony at the Vidhan Sabha. It was a unique initiative of its kind. In this ceremony, 18 farmers from Faridkot district, 13 from Moga, 10 from Sangrur, 1 from Rupnagar, 10 from Gurdaspur and 7 from Ludhiana and Barnala were honored. He also appealed to the farmers to plant more trees for the protection of environment.

Chandigarh

VIDHAN SABHA SPEAKER GREETS PEOPLE ON DIWALI, BANDI CHHOR DIWAS AND VISHWAKARMA DAY

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IEP Chandigarh, October 23      

    Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker, S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan has greeted people on the occasion of Diwali and Bandi Chhor Diwas. In his message, S. Sandhwan urged people to celebrate the festival of lights “Diwali” in a traditional manner in the spirit of harmony and amity.         S. Sandhwan has also extended warm greetings to the people, especially the Sikh Panth, on the historic ‘Bandi Chhor Diwas’, to mark the release of 52 Hindu Princes from the Gwalior fort by Sixth Guru Sri Hargobind Sahib ji during the Diwali festival in the year 1612.          He also conveyed his best wishes for Vishwakarma Day, hoping that Lord Vishwakarma’s craftsmanship would continue to imbue one and all with the feeling of dignity of labour and bring prosperity to the live

s of the people.