Chandigarh/ Sri Anandpur Sahib, April 15:

Transforming the state’s education landscape by ensuring the state-of-the-art infrastructure in government schools, Punjab School Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains today inaugurated developed infrastructure projects worth over Rs 84 lakh in ten schools of Sri Anandpur Sahib Constituency as a part of “Sikhya Kranti” initiative.

The Education Minister inaugurated infrastructure development projects in high, middle, and primary schools of the constituency. The inaugurated projects include a boundary wall constructed with Rs 5.10 lakh and rooms renovated with Rs 6.31 lakh at   Government Primary Smart School Majara, a boundary wall and renovation works worth Rs 12.6 lakh at Government Primary Smart School Lang Majari, new toilet block and renovation works worth Rs 5.67 lakh at Government Primary Smart School Chandesar, classroom renovation works worth Rs 7.33 lakh at Government Primary Smart School Mehroli, a boundary wall and other development works with Rs 8 lakh at Government Primary Smart School Khamera, classroom renovation with Rs 4.85 lakh at Government Primary Smart School Ghnaru, new classrooms and classroom renovation worth for Rs. 11.16 lakh at Government Primary Smart School Agampur, a boundary wall constructed with Rs. 2 lakh at Government Middle School Gara, and three classrooms and a boundary wall constructed at a cost of Rs. 21.53 lakh at Government High School Agampur.

The Education Minister also announced additional grants of Rs. 10 lakh for Government Primary Smart School Majara and Rs. 40 lakh for Government Primary Smart School Chandesar.

Fueling hopes for a brighter future in the state, he said that the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government has launched the ambitious “Sikhya Kranti” program to revamp government schools and elevate educational standards in the state. The program aims to ensure that children from ordinary households receiving education in government schools become valuable assets in this era of global competition. 

The Government schools are now equipped with a range of modern facilities, including high-speed Wi-Fi connections, clean drinking water, separate toilets for boys and girls, boundary walls, smart classrooms, integrated science labs, interactive panels, playgrounds, and modern furniture. This significant investment in infrastructure aims to create a conducive learning environment for students, he added.

The Education Minister highlighted the Punjab government’s commitment to transforming government schools into centres of excellence, emphasising their evolution into “Schools of Eminence,” “Schools of Happiness,” and “Schools of Brilliance.” To further enhance the quality of education, teachers and school heads are being sent to prestigious foreign institutes for professional development and skill enhancement. This investment in human capital aims to elevate educational standards and ensure that government schools surpass private schools in terms of quality. The Education Minister emphasised that the Punjab Government is not only providing high-quality education but also fostering a supportive learning environment in government schools.

Chandigarh, April 15:

          In a major stride toward its goal of eliminating tuberculosis (TB) as desired by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh flagged off an advanced van equipped with handheld X-ray machine and fluorescent microscope from Directorate of Health and Family Welfare here on Tuesday.

          Notably, the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, in collaboration with the People-to-People Health Foundation has donated two handheld X-ray machines and two fluorescent microscopes to the Punjab Health Department.

          While expressing gratitude to the IOCL, Dr Balbir Singh said that these machines will strengthen diagnostic capabilities in Sangrur and Malerkotla districts.

          Underlining the need of early detection, Dr Balbir Singh said that, in Punjab, the 2020-21 survey revealed a prevalence-notification ratio of 2.8:1, underscoring the critical need for enhanced screening efforts. Notably, the survey also found that over 40% of notified cases were asymptomatic and detected through X-ray findings, emphasizing the vital role of this diagnostic tool.

          Recognizing the limitations of traditional fixed X-ray machines in reaching underserved populations, Punjab has embraced innovative solutions like handheld X-ray technology.

          Highlighting the importance of these machines the Health Minister said that these compact and portable devices proved their effectiveness during the recent 100-day intensified TB campaign, where approximately 1.49 lakh X-rays were conducted in the field. The addition of these two new handheld units, alongside two fluorescent microscopes also provided by IOCL, will empower healthcare workers in Sangrur and Malerkotla to conduct wider screenings and facilitate early diagnosis and treatment initiation among vulnerable communities.

          “We are immensely grateful to IOCL and the People-to-People Health Foundation for their invaluable support in our mission to eliminate TB from Punjab,” said Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh during the flagging-off ceremony. “These handheld X-ray machines represent a significant leap forward in our diagnostic capacity. Their portability will allow us to reach individuals in remote areas, work places like factories and congregation settings like old age homes, orphanages etc ensuring that more cases are detected early, leading to better treatment outcomes and ultimately saving lives.”

          The Health Minister emphasised the importance of public-private partnerships in tackling the TB crisis and lauded IOCL’s commitment to this crucial public health issue. He expressed confidence that these new resources would be effectively utilized to screen a larger population in Sangrur and Malerkotla, bringing the state closer to its TB elimination goals. The Health Minister also acknowledged the potential of Artificial Intelligence in augmenting X-ray diagnostics, as recommended by the WHO, for faster and more accurate results.

          MD NHM Ghanshyam Thori, Director Health and Family Welfare Dr Hitinder Kaur, Director Health Services(Family Welfare) Dr Jasminder, Director (ESI) Dr Jaspreet Kaur and State TB Officer Dr Rajesh Bhaskar were also present on the occasion.

CHANDIGARH, April 15:

          In yet another decisive move to eliminate drug addiction from the state amidst the ongoing anti-drugs campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ launched by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Tuesday unveiled a five-pillar action plan to during a high-level consultative and collaborative meeting with Non-Government Organisations (NGOs). This strategy marks a paradigm shift in the state’s approach to combating drug abuse through Supply Reduction, Demand Reduction, Harm Reduction and Stigma Reduction.

          Declaring an end to Punjab’s decades-old “political-police-criminal nexus”, Dr Singh asserted, ”The missing piece—political will—is now in place. With CM Bhagwant Singh Mann’s leadership and your grassroots power, we will create a ‘Rangla Punjab’.”

          Over 30 NGOs including Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Society for the Promotion of Youth & Masses (SPYM), Ananya Birla Foundation, Kalgidhar Trust Baru Sahib, Hans Foundation, Sun Foundation, etc. from across the country and experts from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi, PGI Chandigarh, Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) participated in the meeting, which took place at Punjab Bhawan here.

          Emphasising the government’s unwavering commitment to breaking the supply-demand cycle of drugs while ensuring compassionate rehabilitation for affected individuals, the Health Minister stressed on the need to prevent upcoming generation— kids and students— to fall prey to drug menace, while, focusing on ensuring treatment those those, who are already got addicted.

          He said that as part of harm-reduction, Punjab Government is soon going to introduce dose of liquid methadone in all the Medical colleges, which has proven very effective way to bring drug addicts into mainstream.

          Terming treatment of drug addicts as a challenging part, Dr Balbir Singh said that to cope up with this, doctors will put the drug addict oral drugs including BPNx (buprenorphine+Naloxone) or liquid methadone dose or any other method to stop him from using injectable drugs. “After de-addiction treatment, we will move the patient to rehabilitation centre and provide him skill development course to bring him into the mainstream,” he said, while adding that they will also rope in employment generation department to provide the patient a good job to avert the chances of relapse.

          The Minister also solicited support of NGOs to amplify efforts in relapse prevention and stigma reduction, stressing, “Addiction is a disease, not a crime. We must approach victims with empathy and equip them with skills for dignified reintegration.” He also proposed partnerships with religious organisations to expand rehab centres and community support groups.

          Dr Balbir Singh also stressed on the need to establish a data intelligence unit for better synergy and intelligence sharing between police and health department, which will help in ascertaining prevalence of drugs in particular areas to make treatment strategies accordingly. The different sessions during the meeting also explored other preventive interventions including Peer Leadership Initiatives and Model De-addiction centres, etc.

          He exhorted all the NGOs to come forward to make Punjab a drug-free state to realise the vision of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann of ‘Rangla Punjab’.

          Principal Secretary Health and Family Welfare Kumar Rahul, ADGP Nilabh Kishore, MD NHM Ghanshyam Thori, MD PHSC Amit Talwar, DIG ANTF Sanjeev Rampal, AIG ANTF Ashwini Gotyal, Director Health and Family Welfare Dr Hitinder Kaur, AD (Mental Health) Dr Sandeep Bhola, Chairman homeopathy Council Dr TP Singh, Governance fellows— Sujeet Kishan, Aryan Sahi, Anshu Gupta, Srijita Chakraborty and Neha Choudhary, representatives of various NGOs, were also present in the meeting.

Chandigarh, April 15

In order to streamline public services and eliminate any kind of corruption within the Revenue Department, Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema om Tuseday announced a series of transformative measures including clearing all pending cases regarding attestation of uncontested mutations, copying service, issuance of income certificate and inspection of Revenue records beyond the stipulated timelines on a campaign basis by April 30, 2025.

Addressing a press conference held here at Punjab Bhawan, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, accompanied by Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian and Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Financial Commissioner Revenue Anurag Verma, revealed that the Revenue Department has received 8,42,362 applications regarding attestation of uncontested mutations, 31,164 regarding copying service, 5,33,054 regarding issuance of income certificate and 1,73,149 regarding inspection of Revenue records during last one year out of which 26658, 17400, 4362 and 2123 were pending respectively beyond the stipulated timelines. He said that all these pending cases would be resolved by April 30.

Announcing to reduce the stipulated time for attestation of uncontested mutations from 45 to 30 days from May1, 2025, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced that the Deputy Commissioners will now monitor the pendency of overdue cases on a daily basis, ensuring regular oversight of pending applications. He said that stipulated timeline for copying service is 10 days, for income certificate is 15 days and for inspection of Revenue records is 7 days. The Finance Minister further added that the accountability of the concerned government official or employee of the Revenue Department has been fixed to deliver services as per stipulated timelines and in case of any undue delay strict action would be taken against them under the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government’s zero-tolerance policy towards inefficiency and corruption.

Highlighting the online module allowing citizens to submit requests for Mutations directly through the Revenue Department’s website, www.jamabandi.punjab.gov.in., Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that this digital approach aims to simplify procedures and reduce reliance on physical visits to government offices enhancing efficiency and accountability. He said that the earlier cumbersome process of obtaining Mutations often requires individuals to navigate through multiple layers of bureaucracy involving Patwaris, Kaungoes, and Tehsildars. He said that this not only leaded to undue harassment but also opened avenues for corrupt practices. “Similarly, services such as Copying Service, Income Certificate issuance, and Inspection of Revenue Records, though available through Sewa Kendras, were plagued by inefficiencies, forcing citizens to visit various offices like DC offices, Tehsils, and Municipal Committees after submitting their applications”, he added.

Reiterating Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government’s unwavering commitment to improving governance and enhancing the quality of public services, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that this initiative would eliminate corruption, deliver services within fixed timelines, and ensure that citizens are not subjected to unnecessary harassment when visiting government offices.

Chandigarh/Jalandhar, April 15:

Punjab State Food Commission Chairman Bal Mukund Sharma emphasized nutritional security while addressing a meeting with officials from various departments here today.

  During the meeting, which included Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rural Development) Buddhi Raj Singh and officials from the departments of Food and Civil Supplies, Health, Social Security, and Education, the Chairman stated that while the Commission is committed to providing quality food to the people of the state, special focus is being given to children’s health.

The Chairman stressed the need to develop nutrition gardens at Anganwadi centers in the district to ensure that children receive food rich in essential nutrients. He also instructed officials from the School Education Department to ensure that vacant areas in schools are used to grow fruits, vegetables, as well as herbal and medicinal plants. This will help provide fresh and nutritious food to children.

While reviewing the mid-day meal program, Mr. Sharma emphasized providing high-quality and nutritious food to children. He said proper storage of rations, cleanliness during food preparation, and hygiene must be ensured. He also said that food coming to Anganwadi centers for beneficiaries and the mid-day meal ration in schools must be stored properly.

In addition, he instructed that cooks, helpers, and other staff should be given formal training on hygiene and standards. He stressed the importance of coordination between the Health Department and the School Education Department for this purpose.

The Chairman also reviewed the health check-up programs in schools and instructed that proper records be maintained. He said that a bright future for children can be secured through nutritional security.

The Additional Deputy Commissioner shared that 1,30,683 students in the district are currently benefiting from the mid-day meal scheme, and all government schools have kitchen sheds, gas connections, gas stoves, and fire extinguishers.

He also stated that in Shahkot, which is an aspirational block, nutrition gardens have been developed in 30 Anganwadi centers.

   The DFSC Narinder Singh informed that the district currently has 790 fair price shops, and that there are 278,856 ration card holders and around 1,254,856 beneficiaries who are provided wheat through ration depots.

Present at the occasion were DSSO Manjinder Singh, DEO (Elementary) Harjinder Kaur, and officials from various departments.