Category Archives: Chandigarh

PUNJAB VIGILANCE BUREAU NABS ASI FOR ACCEPTING BRIBE OF RS.10,000

IEP Chandigarh, July 1

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has nabbed an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Gurdeep Singh posted at City Police Station, Zira in Ferozepur district for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs.10,000.The accused ASI has been arrested on the complaint of Sanjeev Kumar resident of zira, who is owner of Dabur Gun House.Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson of the VB said that the complainant Sanjeev Kumar had lodged a complaint with VB Police Station, Ferozepur Range that the accused ASI had demanded a bribe of Rs.10,000 for helping him and his family members in a scuffle case registered against them under sections 353, 186, 294, 506 and 149 of IPC at City Police Station, Zira on August 26, 2021.The complainant said that the accused ASI has taken a bribe of Rs.5000 to help his brother Rajiv Kumar alias Monu in getting bail in the case on June 23, 2023 and now he was demanding Rs 10,000 more. He also alleged that the ASI had already took Rs 60,000 as a bribe from them in past.The spokesperson informed that after a preliminary investigation of this complaint, a VB team laid a trap and arrested the accused ASI on the spot while accepting a bribe of Rs.10,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.In this regard, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused ASI at Police Station VB, Ferozepur Range. Further investigation in this case was under progress.

PUNJAB EXCISE DEPARTMENT WILL ADOPT SOFTWARES AND TECHNOLOGIES LIKE ERP & POS TO ENHANCE ITS EFFICIENCY: HARPAL SINGH CHEEMA

IEP Chandigarh, July 1

A Punjab Government delegation led by Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema, Financial Commissioner, Taxation,Mr Vikas Partap and Excise Commissioner Mr. Varun Roojam visited Kerala to study supply chain management ERP software and PoS (Point of Sale) system being used by the Kerala Excise department.

          Giving details of the visit, Mr. Harpal Singh Cheema said that the purpose of the visit was to learn about the technological interventions which are important from the point of view of plugging revenue leakages and enhancing the excise revenue. He said that the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software would provide the Punjab Excise department an integrated and real-time view of its core processes which would be easily accessible through one centralized system.

          Divulging further, Mr. Cheema said that these softwares will help in enhancing transparency in the governance. He said that during this visit the officials of Kerala government also gave a detailed presentation regarding the technological solutions they have been using in their Excise department.

          Meanwhile, Mr. Harpal Singh Cheema also held a meeting with the Kerala Excise Minister Mr. M B Rajesh. He apprised his counterpart in Kerala Government that the Punjab Government is very keen to adopt new software based technological solutions to streamline the process of Excise revenue collection and plug the leakages within the system to check any revenue loss.

          Reiterating the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led Punjab Government’s commitment to increase the own revenue in a bid to put the state on higher trajectory of growth and prosperity, Mr. Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Excise department would try to adapt itself to embrace these software solutions to further enhance its efficiency and strength.

ANURAG VERMA ASSUMES CHARGE AS 42ND CHIEF SECRETARY OF PUNJAB

IEP Chandigarh, July 1      

    A 1993 -batch IAS officer, Mr. Anurag Verma, on Saturday took charge as 42nd Chief Secretary of the state in the presence of outgoing Chief Secretary Mr Vijay Kumar Janjua and other senior civil officers.          Born in a family of academicians from Patiala, Mr. Verma will also be the Principal Secretary Personnel and Vigilance in addition to his present assignment as Chief Secretary.          On the occasion senior civil officers DK Tiwari, Kumar Rahul, Malwinder Singh Jaggi, Vipul Ujwal, Ramvir, Sonali Giri, Isha Kalia, Gauri Parasher Joshi, Puneet Goyal,  Bhupinder Singh,  Neeru Katyal Gupta, Sukhjeet Pal Singh were also present.          After assuring the charge as Chief Secretary, Mr. Verma said that under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann he will accord top priority to clean, efficient, responsive and transparent administration besides giving major thrust on Health and Education sectors along with all round development of the state. The Chief Secretary said that he will discharge his duty with due diligence and devotion to ensure well being of every section of society.          Mr. Verma said that Punjab, being a border state and food bowl of the country, assumes lot of significance for the entire country adding that with the support of all civil and police officers besides government employees, will make Punjab a front ranking state in the country.          The Chief Secretary said that major thrust will also be laid on implementing the state government’s citizen centric and development oriented policies with feedback from the ground level. He said that every effort will be made to percolate the benefits of the pro-people policies of the state government at the ground level.  He further said that a viable mechanism will be evolved for further resolving the grievances of general public on priority basis and in a prompt manner.          Notably, Mr Verma’s native village is Chalela in Patiala district and he is a Gold Medalist from the Thapar College, Patiala in Electronics and Communication Engineering. He bagged overall 7th rank in the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 1993.          Earlier, Mr. Verma was holding the charge of Additional Chief Secretary Home, Industries & Commerce, Legal and Legislative Affairs, Information Technology and Investment Promotion. He had also served the state in various capacities including in Rural Development and Panchayats, Excise and Taxation, Revenue. He took extraordinary step of computerizing revenue land records and establishing Fard Kendras in the state while serving as Special Secretary of Revenue. While serving as Excise and Taxation Commissioner, he made it simple and transparent for people to pay their taxes, which was one of his greatest accomplishments. As a result of his effectiveness and work ethic, he also significantly increased the revenue.          In his capacity as the Finance Commissioner for Rural Development and Panchayat, he successfully carried out the MGNREGA scheme’s ground-level implementation. By obtaining the construction of playgrounds and sports parks in more than 1000 villages throughout the state, he continued to create a healthy sporting environment.          During his field posting as the Deputy Commissioner for the districts of Bathinda, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar, he provided excellent and effective services. He then performed admirably in a variety of positions at the Head Office.

PUNJAB HEALTH MINISTER URGES MEDIA TO SHOW POSITIVE SIDE of INITIATIVES & POLICIES OF GOVERNMENT

IEP Chandigarh, July 1

Terming the media as the fourth pillar of democracy, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh said that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led Punjab Government has created an environment where journalists can work freely and carry out their responsibilities without interference.  “It also keeps a check on the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary to uphold the values of democracy,” he said.The Health Minister, who was the chief guest at 24th State Annual Meet Of Chandigarh-Punjab Union ofJournalists (CPUJ) organised at MGSIPA here, also released a souvenir. The CPUJ is affiliated to the Indian Journalists Union.After inaugurating the 24th State Annual Meet of Chandigarh-Punjab Union of Journalists, he said that journalism can play a pivotal role to eliminate drugs menace and other social ills in the society. Media acts like a mirror which shows the actual image of society, besides holding governments accountable and promoting transparency. It’s the duty of all Journalists to uphold truth, fairness, and integrity in their work.Urging the media to show the positive side of initiatives and policies of the government, he said that with the advent of social media challenges like misinformation and fake news have also emerged. He categorically said that Chief Minister S Bhagwant Mann led Government is fully committed to provide the best possible health care facilities to the people of the Punjab and as many as 580 Aam Aadmi Clinics have already been functioning in the state and out of these around 75% clinics have been opened in rural areas. He further said that Facilitation Centres will also be opened in state hospitals.Extending his best wishes to the doctor fraternity on the National Doctors day, the Health Minister proudly said that he was a doctor, is a doctor and will always be a doctor.In today’s digital age, media literacy is more important than ever and by holding such Annual Meets of media fraternity helps to fight misinformation and maintain a healthy democratic dialogue, he said, while adding that, this meet will instil a sense of pride within the media fraternity and inspire more people to pursue careers in journalism.Underlining the facilities being provided by Punjab Government to journalists, Dr Balbir Singh informed that Health Insurance cover worth Rs 5 lakhs is being given to the Yellow Card Holders and Accredited Journalists and their families. Premium is being paid by the Government of Punjab.  In case of the death in an accident, an Accidental Insurance cover of Rs 5 lakhs is being given to the family of the journalist. The government also exempted journalists from paying tolls at all the toll plazas of Punjab State Highways.On the occasion, Founder Indian Journalists Union Suresh Akhouri, President Indian Journalists Union and CPUJ Vinod Kohli, Secretary General Indian Journalists Union Saba Nayakan, General Secretary CPUJ Naveen Sharma and Senior Vice President Anirudh Gupta were present.

Punjab CM questions silence of Partap Singh “Bhajpa” (Bajwa) on HP Congress government’s claim on Chandigarh

IEP Chandigarh, July 1 

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday dared Leader of opposition and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa to clarify the stand of his party on the claim of Himachal Pradesh government over Chandigarh. In a statement, the Chief Minister said that stoic silence of Partap Singh “Bhajpa” (Bajwa) over the issue is surprising. He said that Bajwa must clear the stand of his party over the false claim made by Congress government in Himachal. Bhagwant Mann also quipped that Bajwa, who is also hand in glove with BJP (Bhajpa) must also clarify the stand of saffron party over the issue. The Chief Minister further said that it is shameful that these leaders change their stance over the interests of the state for their political benefits in other states. He unequivocally said that Chandigarh is, Chandigarh was and Chandigarh will always be an integral part of the state. Bhagwant Mann categorically said that the state government is firmly committed to safeguard the interests of the state and its people.

Ayurveda and Yoga have the same aim to heal the body and to make people healthy: Dr Geeta Joshi

IEP Chandigarh

Yoga is an Ayurveda associated physical practice that has been performed since ages to provide body and mind with good health and peace Ayurveda and yoga are complementary practices that are used together to create a more integrated and powerful approach to overall health.

Ayurveda and yoga are sister sciences that have been united or thousands of years for the sake of healing body, mind and soul Yoga and meditation are integral part of Ayurvedic curriculum Yoga and Ayurveda are considered “sister sciences” which can promote health and well being Ayurveda is the health science that focuses on healing the mind and body, and yoga is its sister science that is directed towards the practice of health science that relieves the mind and body. Although, Ayurveda is more focused on healing the body, yoga deals with the purification of the mind and soul Staying fit and healthy is of great significance among the modern generation. There are multiple ways to achieve the fitness goal and both yoga and gym help with the cause.

However, fitness enthusiasts often get confused when it is time to pick between yoga and gym. It is therefore recommended to know about both of them before making a refined choice. Yoga is the ancient Indian practice developed by saints. Primarily yoga was the practice used during meditation. Apart from its benefits on physical health, it remarkably works on mental health too. This type of exercise needs high discipline and continuous practice to meet perfection. Yoga works by calming down the soul and body. It further evokes a spiritual enlightening into the individuals. However, to get a proper result, practitioners must do the postures correctly. Gym training is the process of enhancing the strength of the body by performing light to heavy exercises. The main feature of gym training is using different machines and tools to pump up the muscles.

Therefore, in these exercises, you need to contract and put more force on your muscles. Gym training is extremely important for sports persons, bodybuilders, weight lifters, and power lifters. In addition, gym training boosts the positive mental strength of the trainees. Yoga is definitely a great choice for improving heart health as it is a process of healing from inside. Yoga works brilliantly on mental health. It calms down the anxiety level and boosts positivity. Yoga works more on the internal organs, muscles and glands and removes the toxins.

Therefore, it is more effective for detoxification of the body. Yoga helps in better concentration and cheerfulness of the mind It is remarkable in reducing stress and anxiety Yoga postures work on the core glands, which results in more secretion of important hormones and enzymes It is extremely helpful for digestion system Yoga builds better immunity, thus removing the chances of disease attacks Blood circulation system gets improved by performing yoga every day Yoga can create perfect body balance and flexibility It also helps in healing long time diseases It also has anti-ageing benefits One can always include yoga in your daily routine. yoga can work on internal healing. yoga hardly has any harmful effect on your body.

Therefore, if you do not have any serious health issues, you can perform a moderate amount of yoga every day. Indiaepost is a bilingual news portal, dedicated to provide update news to the people of the world.

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister directs officers to provide bus facility to residents of rural areas on priority basis

IEP Chandigarh, June 30 

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister, Sh Dushyant Chautala has directed the concerned officers to provide the facility of Haryana Roadways buses to the residents of district Jind and Charkhi Dadri right from their villages upto towns and cities. Besides, arrangement of buses should be made to provide to and fro facility to the students, especially the girls from their villages to the educational institutions. He also directed to take steps regarding the renovation of bus stand Uchana and a new bus stand in Charkhi Dadri.The Deputy Chief minister was presiding over the meeting of senior officers of Haryana Roadways here today. Principal Secretary, Transport Department, Sh Navdeep Singh Virk and other senior officers were also present in the meeting.Sh Dushyant Chautala said during his recent visit to various villages of Jind and Charkhi Dadri districts to redress the grievances of people, he was apprised of shortage of buses in the villages.In the meeting held today, the officers of Haryana Roadways apprised Deputy Chief Minister, Sh Dushyant Chautala that new buses are soon going to be purchased by the Department.

A new device would be installed in the buses so as to provide information on whether the Roadways or other recognized buses are plying on their given routes. The Deputy Chief  Minister was also informed that there is a scheme to provide  free bus facility to those  girl students who need to travel far from their homes to get education, but for this the routes of the buses are fixed after getting the list from the Education Department.Sh Dushyant Chautala directed the officers that arrangement of Haryana Roadways buses should be made in all those villages of Jind and Charkhi Dadri districts where there is requirement. He directed to make arrangement of buses on priority basis for girl students studying in schools and colleges. He said that buses should be started at least during morning and evening hours as per the timing of educational institutions for those students who have to go far from their villages for education.In the meeting, the Deputy Chief Minister also held a detailed discussion with the officers of Haryana Roadways regarding the construction of a new bus stand at Charkhi Dadri.

He said that as the old bus-stand of Dadri is surrounded by the crowd of the city, it has become difficult for the buses to enter and exit from the bus stand. Apart from this, the possibility of an accident also remains high.Sh Dushyant Chautala directed the officers to identify land at a suitable place outside the city for the construction of a new bus-stand. He directed the officers to take up the issue of providing bus facility to people of rural areas and construction of a new bus stand in Dadri on priority basis.

Haryana set a target to cover 1,77,323 acres of land under the waterlogged land reclamation action plan 2023-25

IEP Chandigarh, June 30

Haryana Government while striving to achieve Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi’s vision of ensuring adequate availability and sustainable water management in the State has planned to cover 1,77,323 acres of land under the waterlogged land reclamation action plan 2023-25. Out of this land, 5000 acres will be brought under aquaculture.As per the plan the central districts of Haryana namely Rohtak, Jhajjar, part of Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Hisar, Jind, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Sonipat, Nuh and Palwal that are experiencing a rise in water levels proposed multiple measures like vertical drainage, subsurface drainage, saline water aquaculture and green manuring would be introduced for controlling waterlogging.  Notably, topographical location and finer Aeolian sediment disposition is the main reason for water logging in these districts.Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal is known to take numerous first-of-its-kind initiatives which contain targets with actionable and monitorable outcomes along with the key performance indicators delineated for each proposed activity and intervention.Time and again the Manohar Lal-led government has launched several water management plans. Mera Pani Meri Virasat, the recent introduction of Integrated Water Resources Action Plan 2023-25, subsidies on adopting micro-irrigation entail providing a framework for achieving long-term objectives of sustainable water resources in the state.Being an agrarian state, Agriculture is an important sector of Haryana’s economy and the highest water-consuming sector. As per the official data, the water demand for the Agriculture sector has been calculated for the year 2021, as 30,05,514 crore litres for the cropped area of 152 lakh acres, which is estimated to increase by 30,34,554 crore litres in the year 2025.  Similarly, the demand of water in the industry and infrastructure development sector was 1,04,418 crore litres in the year 2021 and by the year 2025, the demand for water in this sector is estimated to increase to 1,46,518 crore litres.Further, in the year 2021, the water demand for power generation was 19,127 crore litres, which is estimated to increase to 22,107 crore litres by the year 2025. Apart from this, the water demand for fisheries, forest and wildlife, establishment and institutional water sector and domestic has been estimated to be 32,251 crore litres, 12,161 crore litres, 14,903 crore litres and 1, 35,625 crore litres respectively by the year 2025.Presently the water availability in Haryana is 30,57,298 crore litres, while the demand is 44,59,976 crore litres. To bridge the gap of 14 lakh crore litres between the demand and availability of water, a water action plan for 2023-25 has been formulated under the guidance of the Chief Minister.  Before preparing this action plan, as per the directions of the Chief Minister, the Haryana Water Resources Authority prepared a district-wise report after studying the availability of underground water at the village level. Haryana is probably the first state in the country, which has prepared water management plans at the village level.The Chief Minister firmly believes that one has to focus on a 3-R strategy i.e. Reduce, Recycle and Reuse to achieve the water management and sustainability target.  Dependence on freshwater can be reduced by reusing water. Apart from this, the state government is also running schemes to irrigate the fields through micro irrigation and underground pipelines to save water.In a bid to encourage farmers to adopt the sowing of paddy through the DSR technique, the Chief Minister launched another subsidy scheme namely Mera Pani-Meri Virasat. Under this scheme, farmers opting for crops like maize, millet and jowar instead of paddy are getting an incentive of Rs 7,000 per acre and financial assistance of Rs 4,000 per acre for sowing of paddy through the DSR technique. This decision of the Chief Minister has yielded positive results.The Chief Minister also took another unique initiative of interacting directly with the farmers through Kisan Samvad programmes. During this, he encourages the farmers of the paddy-dominated districts to sow alternative crops instead of paddy to save water. As a result, farmers saved 31,500 crore litres of water by direct sowing of paddy on 72,000 acres during Kharif-2022. The government gave an incentive amount of Rs 29.16 crore to such farmers. The Chief Minister has also announced a target of bringing 2 lakh acres of the area under direct sowing of paddy during the year 2023-24.

Haryana to use of Satellite Imagery for mining monitoring, GPS in mining vehicles: CS

IEP Chandigarh, June 30 

Haryana Chief Secretary, Mr. Sanjeev Kaushal said that the State Government has decided  to utilize satellite imagery for the regular monitoring of mining activities in the state. Furthermore, all vehicles transporting mining materials from any mining contract area will be equipped with GPS.While presiding over the meeting of the state level task force committee here today, Mr. Kaushal emphasized the need to increase the number of check posts in sensitive areas where illegal mining poses a significant problem. Additionally, the installation of CCTV cameras should be considered. CCTV cameras should be installed at designated locations for parking the impounded vehicles involved in illegal mining, he added.Mr. Kaushal stated that a special team of officers should be formed at the district level to conduct regular checks and ensure the prevention of any form of illegal mining. In addition to tackling illegal mining, mining officials must also issue challans for overloaded vehicles.The Chief Secretary emphasized the need for strict monitoring and supervision of illegal mining in the districts. When apprehending illegal vehicles, it is crucial to ensure the immediate removal of any mined material being transported. Care should be taken in handling vehicles involved in illegal mining.The Chief Secretary said that regular monthly meetings of the district-level task force should be organized, and the minutes of these meetings should be uploaded onto the portal. Additionally, it is important to consistently monitor the e-Ravana portal, and the Excise and Taxation Department should also be involved in it.The Chief Secretary said that consistent and stringent measures are being implemented to combat illegal mining in the state. In the first quarter of the year 2023-24, 120 FIRs were filed for illegal mining, resulting in the impounding of 343 vehicles. A fine of over Rs. 2.35 crore has been collected from these offenders. During the previous year, 1349 vehicles involved in illegal mining were seized, and fines amounting to over Rs. 14.89 crore were recovered. In Nuh district  68 vehicles engaged in illegal mining were seized, and 23 FIRs were registered during  the year 2022-23,. Additionally, the installation of CCTV cameras at stone crushers and screening plants has been made mandatory.During the meeting, Mr. Kaushal obtained a comprehensive report from officials regarding mining activities in, Dadri, Bhiwani, Khanak, Mahendragarh, and Panchkula etc. He also issued instructions to monitor the case of Belgarh in Yamunanagar in accordance with the directives of the NGT.Several senior officers, including Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Environment, Forests and Wildlife, Mr. Vineet Garg, ACS, Mines and Geology, Mr. Arun Kumar Gupta, and Principal Secretary, Transport, Mr. Navdeep Singh Virk, were present at the meeting. Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of districts participated in the meeting through video conferencing. 

Delegation from Maharashtra visits UHBVN, HSVP and DC office to study the online public service delivery system

IEP Chandigarh, June 30

The government of Haryana has raised new hope among people through good governance and a responsive administrative mechanism. The state government is working hard with total dedication and integrity to accelerate the pace of holistic development of Haryana and improve the people’s ease of life, said Chief Commissioner, Maharashtra State Commission for Right to Service Sh. Baldev Singh.A 3-member delegation from Maharashtra is on a visit to Haryana to study the reforms done in the public service delivery system. In this series, the delegation visits UHBVN, HSVP and DC office today at Panchkula. During the visits, the officers of the concerned department apprised the delegation regarding the services in the RTS Commission’s purview. The delegation was amazed to see the exciting figures for the service delivery timelines and appreciated the robust system of redressing the grievances.The Delegation highly appreciated the implementation of AAS (Auto Appeal System) which is also a very robust initiative towards putting multiple checks in the process of delivery of services.The delegation first visited the UHBVN office, Panchkula. During the meeting, it was apprised that 26 services of UHBVN are notified under the Right to Service Act, 2014 which are faceless, cashless and paperless. It was further informed to the delegation that after the active intervention of the RTS Commission, the average time of delivery for new connections has come down from 57 days to 19 days from FY 2017-18 to FY 2021-22. The average timeline for extension of load has substantially lowered to 11 days, Service related to Change of name is down by 53 days to 4 days and Reduction load from 45 days to 7 days. It was further apprised that there is a dedicated power supply grievances team that operates 24X7 in three shifts.Thereafter, the Delegation visited the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) office. It was apprised that there are 42 services notified in the purview of RTS Commission.During the meeting it was apprised that many important services like issuance of possession certificate has been notified with the new right to service timeline of 3 days, removal of encroachment within the timeline of 15 days, cleaning of road/berm within the timeline of 5 days, maintenance of park-horticulture within the timeline of 7 days and more such services have been added to curb corruption, reduce hassle of the applicant beneficiaries and also ensuring the delivery of notified services in a time bound manner.Also, the timelines for delivery of certain important notified services that have a bearing on the daily lives of people have also been significantly reduced as the transfer permission letter in death case which was previously delivered in 45 days has been reduced to 4 days, issuance of re-allotment letter from 30 days to 4 days, issuance of conveyance deed from 20 days to 5 days, fresh building plan- residential from 30 days to 3 days, issuance of no dues certificate from 10 days to 3 days.Later, the delegation visited the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Panchkula where the Deputy Commissioner Dr. Priyanka Soni apprised them about the services notified in the purview of RTS Commission. Apprising the delegation about the land/revenue notified services, she informed that the registered sale deeds are being delivered same day to the beneficiaries by the department concerned. It was also apprised that all data is integrated with Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) in case any applicant desires for certificates like caste, income etc. which are immediately generated with ease of a click.The delegation also visited the SARAL Kendra at the premises of the DC office and took stock of the functioning and services provided to the citizens.The delegation said that some unique good-governance practices of Haryana may be replicated in Maharashtra for the ease of people. They added that Haryana is a role model for other states in the implementation of digital services. The delegation shared some best practices of Maharashtra as well which can be replicated in Haryana to smoothen service delivery.