IEP Chandigarh, July 12    

      Minister of Social Security, Women and Child Development, Dr. Baljit Kaur, stated that the age proof rule has been amended by the Punjab Government in the 1966 Rules for Financial Assistance Grant for Pensioners for Old Age Pension, Widow and Homeless Women, Dependent Children, and Disabled Persons.          Divulging in this information, Dr. Baljit Kaur, the Minister of Social Security, Women and Child Development, stated that Notification No. 1670, dated July 12, 2023, has been issued by the department. According to the new amendment, an Aadhaar card has been made mandatory as age proof. Additionally, a voter card or voter list, a birth certificate issued by a competent authority, or a Matriculation certificate can be submitted.          Cabinet Minister said that this amendment has been made for the convenience of the pensioners, as they used to face difficulties in presenting their school certificates.          Minister said that the Punjab Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is committed to providing a better life for the people of the state. The pension system for old age pension, widow and homeless women, dependent children, and disabled persons has been made fully effective and transparent.

IEP Chandigarh, July 12

Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday said that Punjab’s case for amendment of section 10 of the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) Act was vociferously argued while identifying the structural imperfection in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system during the 50th meeting of the GST Council held in New Delhi this Tuesday.Disclosing this in a press communique issued here, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the approval of the proposal for the clear definition of place of supply in Business to Consumer transaction (B2C) over the counter supplies in accordance with the principle of destination-based consumption tax was successfully reasoned. He said that this amendment has been expected to have a strong beneficial impact on the GST revenue of the State.Taking up the cause of preventing evasion of tax in the scrap sector, Cheema said that the state government proposed a broad-based consultative meeting comprising major stakeholders including representatives of both trade and industry as well as that of tax administration so that suitable pro-active solutions can be envisaged for the said sector. “Speaking on the issue of taxation of online gaming, the impact it has on the youth of the country and the cause of concern the unregulated mushrooming of this sector can have on the social fabric of the country was highlighted”, said the Punjab Finance Minister while adding that the state government fervently supported the proposal for taxing online gaming at 28% and the tax to be paid on the face value rather than on the gross gaming revenue. “While discussing the proposal for the pruning of the present exemption being given to the services provided to the government and local bodies, we boldly stated that such pruning will have an adverse impact on the capacity of the State government as well as Local Government bodies including panchayat and municipalities in providing basic services to the public and therefore the said agenda requires further introspection and no decision should be taken in a hurried manner. Taking a cue from the said argument, the GST council has deferred the said agenda”, he added.

IEP Chandigarh, July 11

Haryana School Education, Forest and Tourism Minister, Sh. Kanwar Pal said that the questions raised by Congress leader, Sh. Randeep Singh Surjewala over the recruitment of Women forest rangers is baseless.“Opposition has made a habit of protesting for everything. Like every time, this time too they are raising questions over these recruitment just to mislead people,” said Sh. Kanwar Pal while addressing a press conference at Yamunanagar on Monday.He said that today women are establishing new dimensions, whether it is the field of wrestling or any other field, women have made their mark in every field.“The daughters of Haryana have increased the pride of the state in the entire world. It is a matter of pride for us. Earlier, there was very little representation of women in the armed forces but now the women are serving at the top positions. In such times, if a person makes an irresponsible statement, then there is no justification for it, said Sh. Kanwar Pal.He said that this rule has been in force since the year 1998 and in the year 2013, the Congress government was in power, on the basis of the parameters of these rules, Forest rangers were recruited.“It is not that we have introduced or framed these rules. Recruitment is being done on the basis of these rules in 7 states of the country including Punjab, and Himachal. But it seems that some people have a job of opposing everything our government does. We have started a fair and transparent process for recruitment and such people are trying to mislead the public. Congress is filled with negativity,” said Sh. Kanwar Pal.He said that even at the time of the Pandemic, Congress has raised their voices against vaccination.  They also opposed GST.  It seems that Congress has made it their right to protest and mislead people. But the people of the state and the country know their truth, no one is going to pay any heed to their statements,” said Sh. Kanwar Pal.The Minister said that the recruitment is being done according to the rule that was in place at that time in the recruitment of forest rangers in the past. The state government completely respects the honour of women. In the earlier governments, there was nepotism regarding jobs and sports, while the present state government has earned the trust of the people by bringing transparency in every field, said Sh. Kanwar Pal. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 11

In view of the incessant heavy rainfall in the State, Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal convened an important meeting of senior Administrative Secretaries here today and reviewed the preparations being made by the departments. He directed the officers to issue an advisory to the general public so as to ensure that people do not face any inconvenience.Sh Manohar Lal has also urged the people that in view of the possibility of excessive rains, they should remain in- doors and leave the houses only for urgent works.According to the advisory, schools can be closed if needed in rain-affected districts. The teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been called in to deal with any kind of emergency. Apart from this, constant contact is also being maintained with the Army, so that their help could be taken, if required.  People should refrain from going near rivers and drains due to rise in water level in rivers. Adequate arrangements of food and health facilities have been made by the Administration for the people affected by the rains. In case of any problem, people can contact flood helpline numbers 1070, 1077, 112, 0172-2545938.Sh Manohar Lal said that according to the forecast by the Meteorological Department, there is a possibility of similar rainfall till next Wednesday. He asked the departments to work in close coordination, so that the safety of life and property could be ensured. Besides directing all the civil and police officers to remain alert, he asked them to make all necessary arrangements so that timely assistance could be provided in any emergent situation.The Chief Minister said that information was received about 10 to 12 people from Haryana being stranded in Kullu-Manali. Sensing the urgency of the situation, he immediately spoke to the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh for ensuring the safety of people of the State. He said that all the citizens of Haryana are safe and every situation is being monitored in coordination with the Himachal Government.Sh Manohar Lal said that due to excessive rains at many places in Himachal Pradesh, rain water is expected to reach Haryana in the coming time. For this, the officers should make all necessary arrangements in this regard and also direct the field officers to gear up to tackle any situation. On the incident of a landslide in the Morni area of Panchkula  district caused by heavy rains, the Chief Minister directed the district administration to  resolve the problem arising due to the landslide and ensure smooth movement at the earliest.Sh Manohar Lal said that in areas where dairies are established, Urban Local Bodies or concerned Local Bodies should keep small trolleys or containers outside the dairy to collect cow dung. The dairy operators should also be instructed to collect cow dung and put it in trolleys or containers. Thereafter, these trolleys or containers should be taken to a designated place with the help of tractors and the cow dung be utilized for producing biogas etc. This would not only give a boost to waste to energy, but also curb the obstruction caused in the flow of water due to dung going in the drains.  He said that a pilot project of the same should be started in Karnal district.Among those present in the meeting included Chief Secretary, Sh Sanjeev Kaushal, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Sh D.S Dhesi, Additional Chief Secretary and Financial Commissioner , Revenue, Sh Rajesh Khullar, Additional Chief Secretary ,  Home Sh T.V.S.N Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Sh  Sudhir Rajpal, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Sh Anurag Rastogi, Additional Chief Secretary , Development and Panchayats Sh Anil Malik, Additional Chief Secretary Health and Family Welfare Dr. G. Anupama, Additional Chief Secretary,  Public Health Engineering Sh A.K Singh, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Sh V Umashankar, Director General of Police Sh P.K Agarwal, ADGP CID Sh Alok Mittal and other senior officers.

IEP Chandigarh, July 11

Amid heavy rains in Ambala, Home and Health Minister Sh. Anil Vij on Monday inspected the Tangri river and its nearby colonies.  During this, he gave directions to the officers to deal with the situation of waterlogging.Sh. Vij inspected Aman Nagar, Preet Nagar, New Lucky Nagar, Ajit Nagar, Vijay Nagar, Golden Park, Babyal, Ramgarh Majra and other colonies located near Tangri river.  During this, he gave directions to the officers  that people living around the river should be shifted to safer places.  Apart from this, he directed to the concerned officers for the accommodation and food arrangements for the rescued people.He also instructed to form separate teams to rescue the people and provide food to them. On this occasion, officers of district administration were present. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 11

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister, Sh. Dushyant Chautala said that the state government is keeping a close watch on the continuous rains lashing North India for the last two days. “Taking precaution, the affected areas are being constantly monitored by the state government and all necessary guidelines have been given to the administration to deal with the disaster” said the Deputy Chief Minister while interacting with journalists in Chandigarh. While giving information about the latest situation, the Deputy Chief Minister said that there has been no report of major damage in the state due to heavy rains, although there have been reports that some houses have been damaged due to rains.Sh. Dushyant Chautala assured the people of the state that the government is continuously monitoring the situation and is fully prepared to deal with any disaster. He said that the government has made adequate arrangements as per the warnings issued by the Meteorological Department.  Along with this, wherever cases of roadblocks have been reported due to rain in the state, necessary action has been taken simultaneously so that there is no hindrance in traffic movement, said Sh. Dushyant Chautala.The Deputy Chief Minister said that due to heavy rains in Himachal, the situation in North Haryana is worrying.  He said that Chandigarh has also received more than 500 mm of rain for the first time after 1994.”The Haryana government is constantly monitoring all these situations. To help the people of the state stranded in Himachal Pradesh, the Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal has spoken to the Himachal Chief Minister, the people of the state will be brought back safely once the situation becomes normal there”, said the Deputy Chief Minister.He said that the water level of Yamuna has increased due to the release of three lakh cusecs of water from the Hathnikund barrage in the Yamuna river. The Deputy Chief Minister said that water reaching the 370.5 mark in the barrage is alarming and in view of this, the government has issued an alert in many villages of Sonipat and Panipat along the Yamuna River to stay in a safe place, he added.Sh. Dushyant Chautala said that similarly the water level of Ghaggar has also crossed the danger mark,  so the government is also monitoring the situation there, he added.The Deputy Chief Minister said that due to the increase in the water level of the Tangri River in Ambala, there have been cases of erosion in many places.  Given this, the government has deployed three contingents of SDRF and NDRF there.  Along with this, the cooperation of the Army is also being taken continuously. The government is also monitoring the low-lying areas in Panchkula district, said Sh. Dushyant Chautala.He said that the local administration has also been directed to monitor that there should be no loss of life or property, for this concrete arrangements should be made. Giving information about the situation in Gurugram, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the situation in Gurugram is now under control as compared to earlier. Wherever there was water logging, the administration has resolved the issue, he added.In a tweet, the Deputy Chief Minister appealed to the people to remain vigilant.  “Request: Normal life has been affected in many places due to heavy rains. I request all of you to be vigilant in rain-affected areas as well as maintain cooperation and monitoring. Do not let the elderly and children go out in the rain. In case of any difficulty, contact the administration. Waterlogging and flood helpline numbers 1070, 1077, 112, 0172-2545938,” tweeted Sh. Dushyant Chautala on his Twitter handle.