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Chandigarh, Punjab

IN YET ANOTHER FIRST, PUNJAB GOVERNMENT INTRODUCES RESERVATION FOR LAW OFFICERS IN STATE

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

In yet another pioneering move,  the  Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has introduced reservation in  posts of law officers recruited by the state government.

The advertisement in this regard was issued by the department of Home Affairs here on Saturday in which applications have been called from eligible Scheduled Caste Advocates/ candidates for engagement as law officers in the office of Advocate General, Punjab at Chandigarh and Legal Cell, New Delhi. . As per details applications have been invited for 12 posts of Additional Advocate General (10 at Chandigarh and two at Delhi), for post five posts of Senior Deputy Advocate General at Chandigarh, for 16 posts of Deputy Advocate General (14 at Chandigarh and two at Delhi), for 23 for posts of Assistant Advocate General (22 at Chandigarh and one at Delhi) and out of two posts of Advocate on Record at Delhi from eligible SC candidates. The eligible candidates can apply for post by September 13, 2022.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said that he had always been a votary of giving equal opportunities to the youth of SC community to excel in every field. He asserted that the state government has been implementing the reservation policy in true spirit to ensure that  candidates of weaker and underprivileged sections get equal opportunity for getting jobs. Bhagwant Mann unequivocally said that for the first time in history of the state the Aam Aadmi party government has made this provision to give reservation to SC candidates in recruitment for post of law officers too.

The Chief Minister lamented that despite of enormous capability of SC candidates, they have not got a chance to make it for the posts of law officers due to many  reasons. However, he envisioned that with the state government introducing reservation for these candidates it will enable them to serve judiciously as law officers. Bhagwant Mann asserted that Aam Aadmi government is probably the only government in the country to provide reservation to SC community for these posts.

Reiterating the firm commitment of state government to ensure well being of SC brethren, the Chief Minister said that no stone will be left unturned for this noble cause. He emphasised that the state government is making all out efforts to provide equal opportunities of progress and prosperity for the community. Bhagwant Mann said that unlike the previous governments which had only made lip service for welfare of community, the Aam Aadmi government has taken tangible steps in this regard.

Chandigarh, Chandigarh, Punjab

EXPERIENCE CLAUSE ABOLISHED TO ENCOURAGE NEW ENTERPRENEURS

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

Acting on the directions of the Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann for revamping the various policies/procedures in the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, the Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak today gave approval to the revised Tender specifications for purchase of Tarpaulins used to protect paddy stocks against inclement weather.  

The revised tender Terms and Conditions have now been brought broadly in sync with the Terms and Conditions approved by the FCI for its own purchases across the country. 

In order to encourage new entrepreneurs, the policy has now done away with the experience clause, opening the doors for new industrial units to bid for the tenders. Further, in order to encourage wider participation, suppliers, who are authorised by the Principal Manufacturers, have also been allowed to participate in the tender process.  This is expected to increase the competition since it was felt that manufacturers, who are located far away, often did not participate in the tender process. 

The minimum quantity of tarpaulins to be offered by the bidder has  been reduced in order to encourage smaller industries to participate in the tender process. The tenders shall continue to be called on the e-tendering website of Punjab Government to ensure complete transparency. 

Comprehensive inspection protocols have also been introduced to check the quality of the Tarpaulins being supplied. These include inspections in both factory premises as well as delivery point, making these protocols even more stringent than those adopted by FCI.

Recognising the monetary benefit of the existing specifications for Tarpaulins, which provide for usage of 2 years,, the state specifications have been retained. It may be noted that for the past many years, the Punjab Government has it’s own specifications for Tarpaulins, which offer a significant financial saving to the Government over Tarpaulins purchased with FCI specifications, which having a life span of only one year. 

Herein it may be noted that a few months back, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had, in a meeting to review the working of the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, directed the department to comprehensively review and revamp the existing policies and purchase procedures existing within the department to make these more transparent and competitive. He had also directed that the Department should encourage new entrepreneurs, wherever possible, in order to encourage new industry. In compliance with these directions, the Department has already revised the Custom Milling Policy, which has introduced landmark initiatives, and was subsequently approved by the Cabinet. The Department has also revised its Labour Policy and the Transportation Policy, both of which are due to be placed before the Cabinet in its next meeting for approval.

Chandigarh, Punjab

Over 210 persons arrested for corruption since AAP forms government in Punjab

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

The Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s war against corruption has met with unprecedented success in only five months since the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government came to power in Punjab.

The Vigilance Bureau has arrested as many as 135 government officials including 25 gazetted officers for accepting illegal gratification, said an official spokesperson.

Some of those who are arrested include top ministers of the AAP and the previous Congress government. A top IAS officer, a IFS officer and over 50 police officials.

From sacking and subsequent arrest of AAP’s health minister Vijay Singla on charges of corruption, the Mann government has also cracked the  whip on big sharks including arresting former Congress minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot in a corruption case, 2008-batch IAS officer Sanjay Popli, who was posted as director pensions and Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Vishal Chauhan and many others. In addition, services of two government officials were terminated by their administrative departments.

As the pace of work in the Anti-Corruption campaign picked up, in the month of July alone, eight government employees were arrested for accepting bribes in five different cases. The accused included two employees of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and three employees of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust. The Bureau had registered 14 criminal cases in which 20 accused were involved in corruption. In these criminal cases, among others four police personnel, two revenue officials and six employees of Improvement Trust Ludhiana including its former chairman Raman Bala Subramanyam was booked by the VB for further investigations. Subramanyam has been identified as a powerful official under whose supervision the scam took place.

The Vigilance bureau has also nabbed around 80 private individuals. Data revealed that in seven cases, convictions were handed down by various courts in which eight government officials and a private person were involved.

A fresh case has been registered against former Minister of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Friday in the scam of allotting transportation tenders on fake registration numbers of vehicles. An enquiry is underway and more officials of the Food and Supplies department are under the scanner.

The  chief minister’s anti-graft helpline is leading the way in exposing corruption and corrupt officials as people are coming forward to use this tool effectively to expose those who are blocking good clean governance in the state. Complaints in the helpline alone led to the arrest of 61 persons  and registration of 40 FIRs, since its inception on March 23 this year. The government received 4135 complaints with audio / video recordings on the given  number and after verifying genuine complaints.

Reiterating the AAP government’s avowed policy of “zero tolerance for corruption” CM Bhagwant Mann said that after assuming charge of his office, he had promised to deliver a corruption-free, transparent and clean administration to the people for which a number of initiatives have already been taken, including launching an anti-corruption helpline number in bid to annihilate corruption from Punjab.

CM said that departmental inquiries are going on and many more scams would be unearthed soon without any bias. All perpetrators who have looted the public money whether they are senior officers or politicians will be taken to task.

Chandigarh, Punjab

Major reforms initiated in higher education to make youth employable : Meet Hayer

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 21, 2022

Major reforms have been initiated in the higher education sector in order to make the youth of Punjab employable within the country.  Stating this here today, Higher Education Minister, Punjab, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer today said that under the leadership of  Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, school,  medical and technical education sectors are being focused upon to ensure a robust educational structure.

The minister was speaking during a state-level seminar on Higher Education in Punjab and New State Government: Hopes, Aspirations, Visions, and the Road Ahead at Rayat Bahra University, Mohali organised by Association of Unaided College Teachers (AUCT), Punjab and Chandigarh. The seminar was attended by around 400 unaided teachers from colleges across the state and the UT.

Meet Hayer said that with the reforms initiated by the State Government, not only will the exploitation of teachers end, but higher education will be made affordable, and skill-based thus making the teachers employable in the country with provision of jobs. Career oriented higher education is the great need of the present time, said the Minister adding that a committee will be formed to identify and resolve the issues of higher education institutions of Punjab.

The minister called upon the students of colleges and universities to actively participate in the ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Deya’ a two day sporting extravaganza being organized by the state government from August 29th. .

Renowned educationist Dr. Piyara Lal Garg delivered the key-note address while  Former Advocate General Anmol Rattan Singh Sidhu, Senior Journalist Jatinder Pannu and Vice Chancellor Rayat Bahra University Dr. Parvinder Singh also participated in the deliberations. The vote of thanks was presented by spokesperson of the AUCT Prof. Tarun Ghai.

The objective of the seminar was to bring the academia, intelligentsia and the government on a common platform to discuss and deliberate upon the burning issues concerning higher education in Punjab and devise a roadmap for its upliftment.

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Efforts underway in Uttarakhand to reopen 257 blocked roads, restore power & water supply in affected villages

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

According to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), about 257 roads were reported to be blocked in various parts of the State.

After considerable damage caused by heavy rainfall on Saturday, comparatively clear weather in different parts of the State brought relief on Sunday. According to the SEOC, a total of 75 roads under the Public Works Department were blocked on Sunday while 140 were blocked on Saturday. Out of the total 215 blocked roads, 102 roads were reopened on Sunday with efforts underway to reopen the remaining 113 blocked roads. The roads reported blocked on Sunday include 10 State highways, three main district roads, three other district roads and 98 rural roads. Further, 19 roads under the PMGSY were reported blocked on Sunday in addition to the 178 blocked on Saturday. Out of the total 197 blocked PMGSY roads, 50 were reopened on Sunday with efforts underway to reopen the remaining 144 blocked roads. On Sunday, the authorities had deployed 25 mechanical excavators and other machines on State highways, 11 on main district roads, nine on other district roads and 105 on rural roads- totaling to 150 machines reported to be working on clearing the roads. Apart from these, 27 machines were deployed on PMGSY roads.

Apart from the roads, power supply was disrupted to a number of villages due to rain in Chamoli, Pauri, Dehradun, Tehri, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag districts. According to the official data on Sunday, electricity supply had been restored in 311 out of 428 villages where it was disrupted. Efforts were underway to restore power supply in the remaining 117 villages.

When it comes to drinking water supply, 28 water supply schemes were damaged during the past three days due to heavy rain and disaster. Three of these have been restarted temporarily with work continuing to restore supply through the remaining 25 water supply systems. During the past 24 hours, personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) conducted rescue operations in various affected parts of the State, rescuing both people and domesticated animals.

Dehradun

DGP Ashok Kumar and MLA Pritam Singh Panwar inspect disaster affected areas

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar along with Dhanaulti MLA Pritam Singh Panwar and other officials conducted on-site inspections of disaster affected areas of Kumalda, Sarkhet, Maldevta and the nearby areas.

During the inspection, the DGP instructed the officials concerned to continue the rescue operation and provide relief works through police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). He also directed the SDRF to form alternate connectivity routes for the villagers at the earliest while keeping the consistent search on for missing persons. Kumar said that the local Manoj Payal had first informed about the disaster to the authorities by calling at 112 due to which local police and SDRF arrived at the affected spot. He cooperated along with the local people in the police and SDRF’s rescue work. The DGP thanked Payal for his efforts and said he will be honoured for his alertness, courage and cooperation in such a sensitive situation. The Tehri district magistrate, the senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Dehradun and DIG Garhwal Zone were also present during the inspection.

Meanwhile, SDRF also recovered a dead body from the disaster-hit Raipur area on Sunday morning. The body was found by the deep diving team of SDRF near a bridge from the Soda Saroli area of Raipur. According to the SDRF officials, the body could not be identified but it has been handed over to the district police to carry out the further process.

Chandigarh

Lumpy skin disease: Gurugram admn bans transport of cattle

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

In view of the outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in some districts of Haryana, the Gurugram district administration on Sunday issued orders under Section 144, imposing a ban on inter-district and intra-district movement of cattle within the jurisdiction of Gurugram. Earlier, State Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal had directed the Deputy Commissioners to restrict the movement of cows taken by the cowherds from one place to another in the respective districts. There should also be a complete ban on inter-state and inter-district movement, he had instructed.

According to the order from the district administration, an outbreak of LSD among cattle has been reported in several districts of Haryana and neighbouring states of Punjab and Rajasthan. Directions under section 144 CrPC are necessary to prevent, control and contain the spread of disease among the animals. LSD is a contagious disease in which peculiar lumps or nodules appear on the skin of affected cattle.
Symptoms of the disease include fever, loss in milk production, nodules on the skin, nasal and eye discharge etc.

The administration has also banned the inter-state and intra-state movement of animals within the jurisdiction of the district Gurugram, which also includes a ban on organising animal fairs and exhibitions/displays of animals in Gurugram.

“To check the spread of the LSD disease, infected animals are to be isolated from healthy stock. Also, carcasses of animals are not to be disposed of in the open and skinning of carcasses is also prohibited. Animal carcasses are to be disposed of under the supervision of officials of Animal Husbandry department as per protocol,” read the order.

The orders further said the police will check the movement of animals/cattle in Gurugram by the deployment of adequate force at the police checkpoints at inter-state and inter-district borders as well as within the district. The movement of all trucks/tractor trolleys/other vehicles carrying animals/cattle in/out/within the district shall be stopped with immediate effect. The violation of this order is punishable under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, the order said.

Chandigarh, Haryana

Haryana CM lays foundation stone of Regional Research Centre, Kharkhari, Bhiwani

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

After laying the foundation stone of the Regional Research Centre, Kharkhari and Animal Science Centre, Bahal in Bhiwani, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said that the Regional Research Centre Kharkhari will conduct research work on all subjects related to horticulture production, which will also include the collection of varieties of fruits, vegetables, medicinal and aromatic plants, spices etc. available at all places in the country and abroad.

He further said that further work will also be done to develop advanced and hybrid varieties of fruits, vegetables, medicinal and aromatic plants, spices etc. which are resistant to pests and diseases.

Addressing the gathering in Bhiwani, the Chief Minister said that being an agrarian state, today is a special day for the agriculture sector of the state. “Today we have set two milestones by replacing the traditional food grains cultivation with new technology as per the needs of the new era. We are sure that these two regional centres of both Universities will make their mark on the strength of research in our agriculture sector,” said Khattar.

The Chief Minister also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 16 projects worth Rs 224.56 crore in Bhiwani. The Chief Minister also approved several local demands raised before him. An amount of Rs 26 crores was approved by him for the construction of 14 PWD roads. Also, an amount of Rs. 20 crores was approved for the construction of the new 32 roads of the Marketing Board and for the road repairs. On the demand made by the local residents for the construction of Gym, Community hall, PHC and CHC, Khattar assured that as soon as the feasibility report regarding all these projects is made, required steps will be taken. The Chief Minister assured to fulfill the demands related to the Irrigation Department. During this, he also announced that if the land is available, a Shaheedi Smarak will also be built in the Singhani village. On this occasion, Khattar thanked Gram Panchayat Kharkhari which has provided 120 acres of land for this Regional Research Centre to be built at a cost of around Rs.39 crore.

The Chief Minister further informed that high-quality plants and seeds will be made available to the farmers in this Centre. Besides this, research will be done on the development of new technologies, processing of fruits, vegetables, seeds, spices etc and further research will be done on already developed technologies of value addition.

The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of the Haryana Animal Science Centre, Bahal of Lala Lajpat Rai Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. The Centre will be built on an area of 9 acres of 4 kanal and an amount of about Rs. 9 crore will be spent on its construction. The Centre will be made completely ready in two years.

He informed that this Centre will prove to be very useful for the livestock owners. The main objective behind setting up this Centre is to provide timely diagnosis and treatment to the animals suffering from various health ailments.

 With the setting up of this Centre, the local livestock owners will not have to travel to Hisar or Mahendragarh for getting the treatment of their animals. Through this Center, livestock owners will be made aware of the prevention of diseases in animals. The Centre will also have facilities like surgery, obstetrics, diagnostic labs and x-rays. This Centre will also work to increase fisheries in the Bhiwani district, informed Khattar.

Khattar said that the State Government is committed to bringing Maharana Pratap Horticultural University, Karnal and Lala Lajpat Rai Veterinary and Animal Sciences University at par with Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University on the world map. And to achieve this target, regional Centres of these Universities are being opened across the State.

He said that like COVID-19, the lumpy skin disease is quickly spreading in animals and we have to take timely action to stop this viral illness. The State Government is ensuring the vaccination of 20 lakh animals. At present, 3 lakh doses of vaccination are available in the state and an order for more than 17 lakh vaccines has been placed, informed the Chief Minister.

Chandigarh

20 yr-old youth stabbed to death over road rage in Chandigarh; 3 held

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IEP CHANDIGARH, AUGUST 22, 2022

In a road rage incident, a 20-year-old youth was stabbed to death and two of his friends were left injured following while they were on their way to have tea in Sector 22, Chandigarh on Sunday morning.

Sagar, a resident of Ram Darbar, along with his four friends was going in an I-10 car from Bus Stand Chowk to Cricket Stadium Chowk. As they reached opposite Jalandhar Hotel, Sector 22, a WagonR car came out of the parking lot from the wrong side. The occupants of WagonR entered into an argument with Sagar and his friend following which the former attacked the latter with sharp-edged weapons and sticks.

Sagar was stabbed on his chest and back, while his friend Nitish was stabbed on wrist and one Vishal suffered fracture after being hit with a stick. The accused fled the spot after the attack.

Sagar was rushed to GMSH-16 by his friends from where he was referred to PGI where he succumbed to his injuries. Acting on the complaint, the local Police registered a murder case at Sector 17 police station. A team of crime branch led by Inspector Rajiv Kumar nabbed the accused identified Monu Jaiswal (22) who is preparing for IELTS, Sonu Jaiswal (24), a cab driver, both brothers, Kshitij alias Cherry, all residents of Hallo Majra and Suraj, a resident of Ram Darbar, who works as a courier boy. The car was also recovered by the police. Meanwhile, other accused in the case are absconding.

Chandigarh, Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab

UT Police arrest six from Rajasthan, Haryana for running sextortion racket

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

The Operations Cell of the UT Chandigarh Police arrested six members of a sextortion gang from Rajasthan and Haryana. The accused have been identified as Ali Sher (24), native of Bharatpur Rajasthan; Altaf (19), native of Palwal, Haryana; Shazid (19), native of Kathumar, Rajasthan; Talah (20), native of Bharatpur, Rajasthan; Sahib (19), native of Bharatpur, Rajasthan and Satish (24), native of Bhaaratpur, Rajasthan.

Police officer said that these accused were nabbed from Rajasthan by a team led by Inspector Amanjot Singh, in-charge of the Operations Cell. Police recovered three laptops, 13 Mobile Phones, one          Pay tm Card, one Swipe Machine, one Finger Print impression on plastic device, 19 Pass Books, seven PAN Cards, two Cheque Books, 22 Adhaar Card, 13 SIMs, two ATM Cards and cash Rs 66000 from their possession.

Earlier, the victim, a resident of Sector 19, had complained that he received a WhatsApp message from a suspect, who claimed to be government school teacher. The suspect had candid conversation with the victim. He later received a video call in which there was a girl on the other side who lured the victim and asked him to remove his clothes. The victim then received threats in which the suspect asked him to deposit Rs 25,000 or else his objections videos will be uploaded on social networking sites.

Later, the victim received a call from another number and the suspect introduced himself as some SHO calling from the DC office, Chandigarh. The suspect told the victim that a complaint had been received against him at the DC office and they were going to take action against him. The suspect then asked the victim to pay him money to reach a compromise.

The suspect gave him a mobile number of some Anmol Sharma and asked him to make payment on Google Pay, following which he transferred Rs 3,120. However, the suspect kept on demanding more money, following which the police were informed.

During the course of investigation, the raiding party of the Operations Cell, Sector 26, Chandigarh, went to Kaithwara, Bharatpur district, Rajasthan and Palwal and nabbed six suspects. During interrogation, accused revealed that they were running a sextortion gang and had targeted people in Chandigarh and other states by recording their objectionable videos.

In course of investigation, it was revealed that there are around 25-30 members in the gang who have used over 2,000 SIM cards in the past one year to cheat and extort money from people. Bank details of the three accused revealed that they were extorting around Rs 50 lakh per month through sextortion racket and a majority of their money was invested in real estate.