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Chandigarh

MAJOR RELIEF TO EMPLOYEES AS CM ANNOUNCES THAT PUNJAB GOVERNMENT IS MULLING TO REVERT TO OLD PENSION SCHEME

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IEP Chandigarh, September 19

 In a major relief to the Lakhs of employees of the state government, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday announced that the state government is considering to revert to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Divulging more details, the Chief Minister said that he has asked the Chief Secretary of the state to explore the feasibility and modalities of implementation of the scheme that is likely to give major relief to the employees of the state. Reiterating the firm commitment of his government to ensure well being of the employees, Bhagwant Mann said that no stone will be left unturned for this noble cause.  He said that employees are the backbone of the government and every effort will be made to ensure their welfare. The Chief Minister said that his government had already taken several path breaking pro-employees initiatives in last few months. He said that his government has introduced policy for the regularisation of the contractual employees in the state. Likewise, Bhagwant Mann said that his government has also embarked a major recruitment drive in government so that youth can get jobs on one hand and performance of departments can be optimised by overcoming shortage of staff on the other. Pertinently, the 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.

Chandigarh

PUNJAB GOVERNMENT TO CONVENE SPECIAL SESSION OF PUNJAB VIDHAN SABHA ON SEPTEMBER 22 (THURSDAY)

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IEP Chandigarh, September 19

The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has decided to convene a special session of state assembly on September 22 (Thursday) for seeking confidence of the people of state.“The people of state had given thumping majority to our government but some forces inimical to democratic values are trying to lure our MLAs with money. So we have decided to seek confidence from people of state in this special session”, said the Chief Minister.The Chief Minister unequivocally said that MLAs of AAP are non purchasable as they are committed to the ideology of the party. He said that nefarious attempts to destabilise government had failed in Punjab too as the party MLAs are loyal to the people of the state. Bhagwant Mann said that this special session will clear the myst regarding conspiracy to topple democratically elected governments in Punjab.The Chief Minister said that fraudulent practice of horse trading has crashed in Punjab as the MLAs have foiled the nefarious attempts to destabilise their government. Bhagwant Mann said that all the parties had tried to lure the voters with money during the state assembly polls but people stood with AAP and elected these MLAs. He said that now these MLAs will repose their confidence in progress of Punjab and prosperity of its people.The Chief Minister said that these MLAs are loyal to party, people and state adding that they will never sell their conscience for a few pennies. He asked the anti-Punjab forces to stop daydreaming about toppling the elected government in Punjab as Punjabis will never forgive them for this sin. Bhagwant Mann said that all MLAs of AAP will make strenuous efforts to restore the pristine glory of the state.

Chandigarh

PUNJAB CHIEF SECRETARY ASKS RBI TO PREPARE AND SHARE WHITELIST OF LEGAL APPS OFFERING LOANS

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IEP Chandigarh, September 19

Punjab Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua has chaired the 18th meeting of the State Level Coordination Committee (SLCC) on Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Unincorporated Bodies (UIBs). The meeting was convened by MK Mall, Regional Director, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Chandigarh.

            During the meeting, regulatory and policy initiatives taken by RBI, awareness programmes on protection of interest of investors/depositors and similar other issues were discussed. The Chief Secretary impressed upon greater usage of the banning of unregulated deposit schemes act, 2019 by giving wide publicity so that all the citizens in Punjab be made aware about said act and instructed the law enforcement agencies to comply with the provisions of this act as it is a comprehensive mechanism to curb the unregulated deposit schemes to protect the interest of depositors. 

            Further, while discussing recommendations of the working group on digital lending, Chief Secretary expressed concern on increasing instances of illegal loan apps offering loans to vulnerable group of people. On this issue, Regional Director, RBI apprised about the meeting held under the Chairpersonship of Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs wherein RBI has been asked to prepare a “Whitelist” of all the legal Apps and MeitY will ensure that only these “Whitelist” Apps are hosted on app stores. The Chief Secretary asked RBI to prepare and share Whitelist of such legal Apps at the earliest, so that the same may also be given wide coverage in order to protect the general public from falling prey to any illegal loan apps.

            Regional Director, RBI emphasised on the need for better co-ordination between the regulators and law enforcement agencies to prevent unscrupulous entities from duping the general public of their hard-earned money. He also apprised the forum about the usefulness of the ‘Sachet portal’ of RBI which facilitates lodging of complaints by general public as also the sharing of any relevant information by members of public and is intended to help in addressing the problem of unauthorised collection of deposits more effectively.

            Smt. Garima Singh, Secretary Finance & Director Institutional Finance and Banking, Punjab, Sarabjit Singh, Additional Inspector General of Police and senior officers from RBI, SEBI, ROC, ICAI etc. also participated in the meeting.

Chandigarh

MCC opens collection centre for e-waste

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IEP Chandigarh, September 19

Anindita Mitra, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation Chandigarh has launched an e-waste collection centre in the MCC campus to create awareness about proper disposal of electronic waste.As a part of ‘Swachh Amrit Mahotsav’, the collection centre has been started to get rid of the waste responsibly so that it does not pollute the environment, said the Commissioner. She said that this centre has been set up in association with “Karo Sambhav”, working in the field of collection of e-waste management that will further take care of the e-waste collected in the centre.She said that it is normal for people to dump e-waste in garbage what seems innocuous comes back to the society, causing harm. The NGO will dispose it responsibly and it will also provide the MCC a report on the amount of e-waste generated with the centre. She said that this centre is a bid to segregate e-waste from domestic biodegradable waste and dispose it off to authorized recyclers.She said that the Municipal Corporation itself generated huge quantity of e-waste including old desktops, keyboards, mouse, laptops and mobile phones etc. which will be deposited in the e-waste collection centre now and the necessary directions have been issued to the concerned offices. She said that the employees have also been advised to collect the e-waste generated in their household be deposited in the centre responsibly.She said that while importance has been accorded to the disposal of conventional wet waste and other biodegradable waste from commercial areas and residences, e-waste collection and disposal had not received adequate focus.She appealed the residents of city beautiful to dispose off their e-waste separately for recycling it responsibly and do not mix it with other type of household waste.

Chandigarh, Haryana

Haryana awarded for its exemplary performance to promote and enforce Energy Conservation in Building Sector

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IEP Chandigarh, September 18

Adding yet another feather to its achievement hat, Haryana has been awarded ‘Special Award’ for State Designated Agency (SDA) – Category-II by the jury for NEERMAN Awards 2022.

The State was awarded during three-day international conference ‘ANGAN 2022’ (Augmenting Nature by Green Affordable New-habitat)‘ Making the Zero-Carbon Transition in Buildings’ organized by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power from September 14 -16 at New Delhi.

Sharing more details in this regard, an official spokesperson said that the Department of New and Renewable Energy, Haryana and HAREDA has bagged the said award for its exemplary performance to promote and enforce Energy Conservation in Building Sector in the State. Dr. Hanif Qureshi, Director General, New and Renewable Energy Department and HAREDA received the award from the Ministry.

Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal has congratulated the New and Renewable Energy Department and HAREDA for this achievement.

The three-day conference was inaugurated by Sh. Alok Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Power. Sh. Ajay Tiwary, Additional Secretary Ministry of Power also attended the event.

The winners of the BEE’s 1stNational Energy Efficiency Roadmap for Movement towards Affordable and Natural habitat (NEERMAN) Awards were felicitated during the award function which was held on Sept.15. These awards are institutionalized with the objective to acknowledge and encourage exemplary building designs complying with BEE’s Eco-NiwasSamhita (ENS) and Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC).

Notably, Haryana has designated the Department of New and Renewable Energy and HAREDA as State Designated Agency for the promotion and enforcement of energy conservation activities in the State.

The State Government has also mandated the implementation of Energy Conservation Building codes for all new buildings having connected loads above 100 KW.

More than 95 percent of government buildings have LED lights

As per the directions of Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal more than 95 percent of Government buildings/offices have replaced their conventional lights with LED Lights. For this exemplary performance, Haryana has bagged the award.

ANGAN 2.0, was organized by BEE

        The spokesperson shared that the  ANGAN 2.0, was organised by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power, in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC) under the Indo-Swiss Building Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP).

Experts from more than 15 countries and international organisations discuss technologies for energy-efficient buildings.  Conference hosts exhibition of various low carbon products, technologies and innovations applicable in the building sector.

Haryana has made a pivotal contribution to the Prime Minister’s target of making India Net Zero by 2070

The objective of this conference is to promote a healthy ecosystem which was mentioned at COP 26 in Glasgow by the Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi on  Lifestyle For Environment(LiFE) and Panchamrit, aiming to make India Net Zero by 2070 and the contribution of Haryana to the achievement of this target is significant.

Furthermore, the commitment of the Department of New and Renewable Energy Haryana and HAREDA towards this endeavour of the State and Centre Government is substantial.

It is exciting to witness the uptake of the Energy Conservation Building Code and this accomplishment in Haryana which will certainly make a positive impact in driving the nation towards a Zero-Carbon future. 

Chandigarh, Haryana

Chief Minister Manohar Lal inaugurated the ‘Faculty House’ in Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa

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IEP Chandigarh, September 18

Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal inaugurated the renovated Faculty House of Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa built at a cost of Rs.1.8 crore.

The Chief Minister took a round of the various rooms  built in this building along with the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Ajmer Singh Malik.

It is noteworthy that along with promoting infrastructure facilities in the University, several initiatives are being taken to promote quality education as well. CM Suite, Drawing Room, VIP Dining Hall etc. have also been built in the newly renovated Faculty House.

Chandigarh, Punjab

To save lives in road accidents and assisting in road safety works, Punjab to engage social organizations and academic institutions: Laljit Singh Bhullar

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Punjab Express Bureau

IEP Chandigarh, September 18

Giving the top priority to saving lives in road accidents in the state, the Punjab Government has decided to engage expert organizations, institutes, universities/colleges, NGOs and registered societies for assisting in road safety work.These institutions, said the Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, will be registered with any state government or union government and will assist in road safety works such as road safety audit, crash investigations, ambulance mapping, identification of accidental black spots, training of stakeholders and holding road safety awareness campaigns etc. in the State.The Cabinet Minister further said that the task to engage such institutions at the earliest has been entrusted upon the Punjab State Road Safety Council, which is the Lead Agency on Road Safety constituted as per the directions of Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety to undertake and oversee the implementation of various traffic management and road safety measures in Punjab.The eligible organizations will be empanelled for a period of two years and from time to time entrusted with the work relating to traffic management and road safety. These organizations will provide technical assistance to the lead agency and State government specifically in terms of devising an “Action Plan for Traffic Management and Road Safety in Punjab” and also to conduct “Awareness and Capacity Building of the Stakeholders of the road safety and traffic management on National Highways, State Highways and other Major District Roads in Punjab”.He said that the Empanelled Organizations/Institutions are expected to guide and support the Lead Agency on Road Safety, Traffic Police and Transport Department to perform the tasks and deliver outputs, which are best suited to deliver outcomes for improved road safety management and road safety in Punjab, such as to develop material on road safety awareness such as posters, pamphlets, skits, video/audio content, etc., to conduct road safety education and awareness campaigns in association with District Road Safety Committees, development of information, education and communication material to conduct road users’ behavior and surveys, to assist traffic enforcement, engineering and other concerned agencies to conduct road crash investigation as per approved SOP by the Centre/State under Motor Vehicle Act Section 135, to conduct Road Safety Audit as per IRC Guidelines on State Highways, Major District Roads and National Highways etc., identification and review of accidental Black Spots in Punjab, assistance to Lead Agency to analyze various road accident/traffic data or other available data and preparation of reports.He said that the organization, should not have been debarred or blacklisted in any earlier projects by State government and have the expertise in designing, developing and executing proactive strategies and campaigns raising awareness in target community groups, experience in conducting road safety audits/identification of Black spots/preparation of mobility plans and other allied fields, management of similar projects at State, District and sub-district Level with multiple stakeholders departments, implementing similar kind of projects in any other field supported by adequate professionals.The organizations or expert institutions having adequate experience in road safety and traffic management works have been asked to apply by October 3. The organisations can submit applications along with relevant documents online through email of Lead Agency or physically submit applications in the Lead Agency office.

Chandigarh, Punjab

MASSIVE RESPONSE FOR AAM AADMI CLINICS FROM COMMON MAN

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Punjab Express Bureau

Chandigarh, September 18

The flagship program of Punjab Government, Aam Aadmi Clinics have garnered enormous response across the state with a cumulative patient footfall of 1.82 lakh till date.  SAS Nagar has secured first spot among districts to provide health care facilities to maximum number of patients.

According to the data available here, total 25990 patients have got treatment and 2811 lab tests have been done till date in SAS Nagar, whereas Ludhiana district have attained second spot among 23 districts with 21384 patients and 2343 clinical tests, while District Bathinda gained third position with response from 16889 patients and 2243 clinical tests. In addition to this, cumulative footfall of patients have touched 1,82,325 from August 15 to September 17, 2022 with total 23402 clinical tests across the state.

Pleased with this overwhelming response and patting the back of the doctors and officials, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Mr. Chetan Singh Jouramajra informed that 75 such clinics have embarked on Independence Day, while 25 more clinics have started their operations later, which have been provided health care facilities to more than seven thousand patients per day now. “As per our commitment with the people to set up a network of such clinics to provide quality healthcare services free of cost, we have dedicated 100 clinics (65 in Urban and 35 in Rural Areas) to the people till date”, said the Health Minister.

The Cabinet Minister said that soon such clinics will be set up in every nook and corner of the state.  He added that this revolutionary initiative is rejuvenating the entire healthcare system in the state. Mr. Chetan Singh Jouramajra said that patients can avail the medical services by stepping into the clinics or can avail facility of online appointment. He added that rather the people are getting quality healthcare services free of cost that too at places near their homes. He said that all the successive governments have hitherto paid no attention towards providing healthcare services to people due to which the common man had to suffer a lot.

Meanwhile, Mr. Jouramajra said that this humble step of the Aam Aadmi government is revolutionizing the healthcare sector. He said that people have been availed 75 Drugs and 41 diagnostic tests at free of cost through these clinics. He expressed hope that 90% of patients are getting treatment facilities from these clinics only thereby reducing the burden in hospitals. Mr. Jouramajra further said that only the serious patients with major ailments will be further referred to the big hospitals.

Chandigarh, Punjab

Punjab Health Minister Chetan Singh Jauramajra honors Unsung Heroes of Covid

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Punjab Express Bureau

Chandigarh, September 18

Pioneer of Medical Sciences, a major project of SRSF associated with Govt. of Punjab and India  conducted a Medical Conference, Health and wellness Program in Chandigarh.The program was chaired by Health and family welfare minister Punjab Chetan Singh Jauramajra.The program aimed to provide a platform to recognize and appreciate the contribution of the unsung medical heroes for their excellence and exemplary contribution to the society especially during the pandemic times.

Calling the medical and paramedical professionals  as image of God on earth , Mr. Jauramajra conferred awards upon doctors and paramedical staff such as nurses,ward boys and security guards .

Addressing the gathering. Mr. Jauramajra said that medical professionals played a significant role in combating Covid, those were the times when even family members did not dare to come near their dying relatives but these professionals did their duty without any fear and saved lives with their efforts.

He added that reformation of health sector in Punjab is the top most priority of CM Bhagwant Mann and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and his government will leave no stone unturned to make quality health services available in government hospitals.

He also laid emphasis on providing affordable medical education in the state so that youth of Punjab will not have to go to foreign countries for medical education by paying exorbitant fees.

Specially attended the function, Aam Aadmi party’s Rajya Sabha member Padam Shree Balbir Singh Seechewal a renowned environmetalist, stressed on protection of environment by invoking the Gurbani’s hymns stating ‘Pawan guru, Paani pita mata dhart mahatu ‘ which emphasises the importance of three pillars essential to life on earth. 

On this occasion, a panel discussion regarding the life in the Covid times was also organised in which subject experts from medical, spiritual and psychology took part.Dr. Gurbir Singh, Dr. Digambar, Yogi Amandeep Singh and Reena Gupta underlined the importance of good mental health in today’s scenario as everyone of us is under some kind of stress which often leads to poor physical health.

          Director SRS Foundation, Dr. Sajan Sharma said that with the help of Bhagwant Mann led Punjab government and under the able leadership of Health Minister Punjab Mr. Jauramajra,our organization is striving hard to make the health sector of the state of Punjab, as number one in the country.

          Among others present on the occasion included MLA Dr. Charanjit Singh from Chamkaur Sahib and MLA Dr. Amandeep Kaur Arora from Moga, MLA Neena Mittal from Rajpura and Dr. Prabhjot Kaur District President AAP Mohali.

Chandigarh

CM ORDERS HIGH LEVEL PROBE INTO UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT AT CHANDIGARH UNIVERSITY

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Chandigarh, September 18       

   Describing the incident at Chandigarh University as unfortunate, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has ordered high level probe into the matter.The Chief Minister said that daughters are our dignity and pride adding that any such incident is highly condemnable. Bhagwant Mann said that he is peeved to learn about the entire matter and has asked the district administration to undertake in-depth enquiry about the incident. He categorically said that anyone found guilty will not be spared and severest of severe action will be taken against the perpetrators of this heinous crime.The Chief Minister said that he is in constant touch with the district administration and is keeping a tab on the entire situation. Bhagwant Mann urged the people to not get swayed away with the rumours being spread by some anti-social elements. He also warned that strict action will also be taken against those who are spreading canards regarding this sensitive issue.