Shimla:

A meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee was held today under the chairmanship of Revenue and Tribal Development Minister Jagat Singh Negi. During the meeting, officials of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) gave a detailed presentation on the progress of the 450 MW Shongtong Hydropower Project.

It was informed that the river diversion work of the Shongtong Hydropower Project has been completed besides the other works like completion of Barrage would be completed soon. It was informed 81.91 percent construction work of feeder tunnel has been completed. Hydro-mechanical works have also begun.

Managing Director of HPPCL, Abid Hussain Sadiq, stated that the target was to commission one unit of the project by December 2026 and work was being carried out at pace to achieve this goal. He further informed that the corporation has achieved significant milestones, including the widening of three vertical pressure shafts and completion of Unit-1 of the powerhouse.

Expressing satisfaction over the progress, Minister Jagat Singh Negi directed the officials to speed up the work on the Lippa project as well and ensure timely completion of all other projects.

The meeting was attended by Director (Personnel & Finance) Naresh Thakur, Director (Civil) Surender Kumar, General Manager of Shongtong Karchham Hydropower Project Sunil Kanwar and other senior officers and officials.

Shimla: Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi today chaired the third meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee here wherein all the  Deputy Commissioners joined the meeting virtually.

The Minister reviewed the entire details of the land transferred to various Government departments and the unutilized land in the districts.

The Revenue Minister directed all Deputy Commissioners to convene meetings with all the concerned departments in their respective districts, compile accurate land data and complete the exercise by March 31, 2026.

It was also informed that if land transferred to any department remains unutilized for two years, it will be reverted back to the Revenue Department.

Reviewing various important issues related to Revenue Lok Adalats, Jagat Singh Negi stated that following amendments by the State Government, under Section 123 of the Himachal Pradesh Land Reforms Act, 1954, Naib Tehsildars and Tehsildars are required to dispose of partition (Takseem) cases within six months. In case of failure, they must submit written reasons to the Deputy Commissioner. If the reasons are found justified, an extension of three months may be granted otherwise, action will be initiated under the Civil Services (Conduct) Rules. Similarly, a time limit of two months has been fixed for demarcation (Nishandehi) cases and three months for correction (Duroosti) cases.

Secretary, Digital Technology and Governance, Ashish Singmar, Secretary Animal Husbandry Ritesh Chauhan, Additional Secretary Revenue Balwan Chand and other senior officers were present in the meeting.

Chandigarh, January 21 — Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, while interacting with startup founders and entrepreneurs during a pre-budget consultation programme held today in Manesar, said that young innovators and startups are giving a new direction to Haryana’s economy.

The Chief Minister said ‘National Startup Day’ was celebrated on January 16, and today’s pre-budget consultation is a continuation of that celebration. Referring to the vision of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, he said, “Startup India is not merely a government scheme, but a ‘Rainbow Vision’ that connects different sectors with new possibilities.”

He said a startup is an idea that needs to be given a concrete shape. It is a small seed which, with the right support, can grow into a huge tree.

On this occasion, Haryana’s Industries and Commerce Minister Sh. Rao Narbir Singh, Minister of State for Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Sh. Gaurav Gautam, and Gurugram MLA Sh. Mukesh Sharma were present.

The Chief Minister said with the resolve to make the country developed by the year 2047, the government is continuously working at a fast pace. He said that major and historic changes are being witnessed in the country today. Whether it is road and transport infrastructure or other developmental projects, India is moving ahead at an unprecedented speed. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, the country has taken a new direction of development, and progress is clearly visible in every sector.

Emphasis on Funding and Technical Support

Welcoming the suggestions given by startup founders, the Chief Minister said that ideas received on issues such as ‘ease of doing business’, ‘funding’, and ‘technical support’ have been noted. He said, “No matter how small an idea may be, if it has the strength and vision, it does not take long to change the world.”

The Chief Minister informed that over the past 10 years, the number of startups in the country has increased from 500 to more than 2 lakh. Haryana has played a leading role in this growth, especially Gurugram and Manesar. Haryana now has more than 9,500 startups and ranks seventh in the country in this regard. Additionally, 19 unicorns have emerged from Haryana.

Haryana AI Mission to be established

Sharing details of key steps taken in the Budget 2025–26, the Chief Minister said that the future belongs to Artificial Intelligence (AI). With this vision, the Haryana Government has proposed the establishment of the ‘Haryana AI Mission’, for which an assurance of assistance of Rs. 474 crore has been received from the World Bank. Under this mission, one AI hub each will be set up in Gurugram and Panchkula, where 50,000 youth will be trained in new technologies.

He said to promote research in colleges and universities, the ‘Haryana State Research Fund’ has been established with an initial corpus of Rs. 20 crore. Along with this, a ‘Fund of Funds’ of Rs. 2,000 crore has also been created.

The Chief Minister said that to encourage startups, financial assistance of Rs. 10 lakh per startup is being provided through HSIIDC, and the ‘Mukhyamantri Kaushal Samman Yojana’ has been launched. The ‘Haryana State Startup Policy–2022’ is in force in the state, and recently, financial assistance of Rs. 1.14 crore has been provided to 22 startups.

He said that the startup culture will no longer remain limited to big cities. From the academic session 2025–26, ‘entrepreneurship competitions’ will be organized in every district, in which selected teams will be given financial assistance of Rs. 1 lakh by the government to convert their ideas into business models.

Considering Manesar as an industrial hub, the Chief Minister said that ‘incubation centres’ will be established in all industrial estates of HSIIDC so that startups can be provided workspaces at affordable rates. For this purpose, land has already been identified by HSIIDC in three IMT areas.

Reiterating the Prime Minister’s vision, the Chief Minister said, “Risk-taking has now become mainstream. Earlier, people were afraid to take risks, but today, not taking risks is considered the biggest risk.”

The Chief Minister expressed pride that more than 50 percent of startups in Haryana have at least one woman director, and the government is committed to supporting women entrepreneurs at every step.

He said that startups and young innovators working in different sectors across the country are the identity of New India. Whether it is the space sector or the defence sector, Haryana’s youth are making their strong presence felt in every field.

The Chief Minister made two requests to everyone—first, to send their suggestions through the chatbot within the next 8 to 10 days; and second, to listen to the Budget 2026–27 when it is presented in the Legislative Assembly.

He said those whose suggestions are included in the budget will be sent special invitations to witness the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly, so that they can personally see that the government has honoured their suggestions.

On this occasion, Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education Department, Sh. Vineet Garg; Additional Chief Secretary, Citizen Resources Information Department, Smt. G. Anupama; Principal Secretary, Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Department, Sh. Rajiv Ranjan; Commissioner and Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, Dr. Amit Kumar Agrawal; Director General, Industries and Commerce Department, Sh. Yash Garg; and OSD to the Chief Minister, Dr. Raj Nehru, were also present.

CHANDIGARH, January 21, 2026

The Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Government has inaugurated the Senior Citizen Home ‘Satkar Ghar’ at Mansa, taking another concrete step towards building a robust and humane social security framework for the elderly. The facility has been developed by the Department of Social Security and Women and Child Development with the objective of providing safe, dignified and supportive residential care to senior citizens, particularly those without family support.

The ‘Satkar Ghar’ initiative reflects the Punjab Government’s broader commitment to ensuring care, safety and emotional well-being of senior citizens at the district level. By creating dedicated residential infrastructure with assured services, the government has sought to address the long-standing neglect faced by elderly persons who require structured institutional support.

Constructed with a financial outlay of ₹9 crore, the Senior Citizen Home at Mansa is spread across 28 kanals and has a total residential capacity of 72 senior citizens. The three-storey building has been designed to provide uniform facilities across all floors, with seven rooms on each floor accommodating 24 residents per level. The layout ensures accessibility, comfort and parity in living conditions for all residents.

To ensure smooth functioning and continuous care, 19 posts have been sanctioned for the facility, covering caregiving, maintenance and administrative requirements. Operations are being managed through outsourced staff to provide round-the-clock assistance and ensure that residents receive timely support for their daily needs.

The inauguration of ‘Satkar Ghar’ at Mansa underlines the Punjab Government’s focus on inclusive governance and welfare-driven policy, extending support to citizens across all stages of life. Under the leadership of Bhagwant Mann, the state government has consistently emphasised strengthening public institutions that uphold dignity, care and social responsibility, with the senior citizen home emerging as a key pillar of this approach.

Chandigarh, January 21:

The Legal Metrology Wing of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Punjab, has been on upward trajectory on the multiple parameters such as compounding fees collected, inspections and the verifications carried out this year from April to December 2025 when compared with the same period the previous year.

In terms of the Compounding Fees, the Legal Metrology Wing collected Rs. 1.40 Crore in 2025-26 whereas during the same period in the year 2024-25, the wing collected just more than Rs. 1 Crore. The wing carried out as many as 22133 inspections in 2025-26 while the figures of inspections stood at 18419 during the year 2024-25. In the matter of challans done, the number stood at 2230 in 2025-26 whereas during the year 2024 – 25 the number of challans totalled 1397.

The Food, Civil Supplies and the Consumer Affairs Minister Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak has appreciated the hard work put in by the officers of the department and has exhorted them to work with even more zeal and dedication.

Notably, the wing has department owned standard laboratories at Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala while the new ones are slated to come up at Sirhind and Khanna.

The main objectives of the Legal Metrology Wing is to safeguard the interest of the consumers by ensuring that goods sold and bought are correct in quantity and volume as claimed.

CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR, January 21:

          In a major breakthrough amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Amritsar Commissionerate Police has busted a cross-border illegal arms module linked to Pakistan-based smugglers with the arrest of two operatives and recovered six sophisticated pistols from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday.

          Those arrested have been identified as  Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi (22), a resident of village Rattoke in Tarn Taran and Surjit Singh (35), a resident of Chela Colony in Tarn Taran. The latter has a criminal history with several cases including under the NDPS Act have been registered against him. The recovered weapons include two 9MM Glock pistols and four .30 bore pistols along with two live cartridges.

          DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the arrested accused were involved in illegal arms trafficking and supplying weapons to gangsters under directions of their foreign-based handlers. Further investigations are ongoing to establish forward and backward linkages in this case, he said.

          Sharing operation details, Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that following reliable inputs about the movement of illegal weapons, police teams apprehended suspect Gurpreet alias Gopi and recovered three .30 bore pistols and one Glock along with two live cartridges from his possession. Sustained interrogation revealed that the accused was in direct contact with Pakistan-based smugglers through various social media platforms and was receiving consignments of illegal arms through drones to further supply these weapons to gangsters, he said.

          The CP said that based on disclosures of Gurpreet alias Gopi, police teams have also apprehended his associate Surjit Singh and recovered one Glock and one .30 bore from his possession. Investigation has revealed that Surjit Singh was actively involved in transporting and delivering illegal arms at different locations as part of the same network, he said.

          In this regard, a case FIR No. 14 Dated 13-01-2026 has been registered under sections 25(1-A) and 25(6,7,8) of the Arms Act at Police Station Islamabad in Amritsar.

CHANDIGARH, 21st January 2026:

With the Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann reaffirming its commitment to the holistic development of children, Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur on Wednesday announced the launch of an online registration portal for Play-Way schools during a media conference held at Punjab Bhawan.

Addressing the media, Minister for Social Security, Women and Child Development, Dr. Baljit Kaur, said, “Registration on this portal will be mandatory for all Play-Way schools operating in Punjab as well as for private schools imparting education to children below six years of age. This step has been taken to ensure effective monitoring of children’s education, safety and overall development.”

The Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister informed that a uniform curriculum is being prepared for children below six years of age, which will be implemented across Anganwadi centres, Play-Way schools and primary schools. “The training of Anganwadi workers and supervisors will be completed by mid-February. Instead of burdening children with books, education will be imparted through play-based and creative activities,” the Minister said.

Highlighting the importance of early childhood care, Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur said, “Nearly 90 percent of a child’s brain development takes place between the ages of zero and six years. Therefore, providing quality education and proper nutrition during this crucial period is a top priority of the Punjab Government.”

She further stated that under Mission Aarambh, parents have been actively connected with their children’s daily learning process. “By sharing digital content, children are being encouraged to learn with their parents at home as well. So far, 2,941 parent groups have been formed under this mission to strengthen parental participation in children’s cognitive development. Parents are also being sent daily activities on their phones so that they can actively participate in the learning process of their children at home,” she said.

Speaking about infrastructure development, the Minister stated, “Under the target of constructing 1,000 new Anganwadi centres, 1,000 modern Anganwadi centres are being developed at a cost of ₹100 crore, with approximately ₹10 lakh being spent on each centre. Out of these, 700 centres have already been completed with well-ventilated rooms, proper kitchens, baby toilets, Bala paintings and modern furniture. The remaining 300 centres will also be completed soon.”

Concluding, Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur said, “The Punjab Government is taking historic steps in the fields of education, nutrition and safety to ensure a secure and bright future for our children.”

Chandigarh, January 21, 2026:

Panjab University (PU) has recorded a significant improvement in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, with notable gains in Computer Science, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences compared to the 2025 rankings.

As per the latest subject-wise rankings released by Times Higher Education, the University’s Computer Science discipline ranking improved from the 601–800 band in 2025 to the 501–600 band in 2026. Life Sciences registered a major jump from the 601–800 band to the 401–500 range, while Physical Sciences advanced from the 601–800 band to the 501–600 band.

In Medical and Health Sciences, PU continued to maintain a strong position in the 301–400 band globally. Business and Economics and Engineering remained stable in the 601–800 band, reflecting consistency in performance. Social Sciences retained its position in the 801–1000 band.

Appreciating the role of students, teachers and staff members in PU’s consistent improvement across all parameters in major global rankings over the past two years, Vice Chancellor Prof Renu Vig lauded their dedicated efforts in achieving this milestone. She said the University will continue to focus on improving student employability and value addition in research quality, teaching standards and global engagement to further strengthen its academic standing.

Chandigarh: January 21

The Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission, taking action in a case, has summoned the District Development and Panchayat Officer Sangrur (DDPO) to appear before the Commission.

Giving information in this regard, the Chairman of the Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission, S. Jasvir Singh Garhi said that the Commission had received a complaint from Mr. Jagwinder Singh, son of Jarnail Singh, resident of village Bakhtari, Tehsil Bhawanigarh, district Sangrur.  In this regard, the District Development and Panchayat Officer Sangrur (DDPO) was asked to appear before the Commission on 20th January, 2026 for investigation, but no representative of the department appeared on this specific date, therefore the Commission has been summoned Mr. Jaswinder Singh Bagga DDPO to appear in person at the Commission office on the specified date 30-01-2026.