Category Archives: Chandigarh

Chandigarh

Fusion between Medicine and Technology is the way forward; Director AIIMS, New Delhi

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IEP Chandigarh

PGIMER’s 9th Annual Research Day, the big ticket medical research showcase, concluded on a highly successful note with over 500 research papers on display and 37 researchers winning awards in the surgical, medical, and basic sciences fields for ‘Research publications’ and 9 researchers in the ‘Innovations’category for their exemplary and credible research work conducted here at PGIMER in the last three years.

The Annual Research Day had the august presence of esteemed Prof M Srinivas, Director of the AIIMS,New Delhi as the Chief Guest. Ms. Tamar Ghosh, CEO of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, London; and Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director of the IIT, Ropar graced as the Guests of Honour at an impressive function organised to mark the 9th Annual Research Day at Bhargava Auditorium here at PGIMER today.

Prof M Srinivas, Director, AIIMS,New Delhi while addressing the audience as the Chief Guest highlighted, “The fusion between medicine and technology is the way forward as we in India are focusing on ‘Make in India’ campaign. These endeavours towards research are a step forward towards collaboration, towards bringing in fusion between medical and engineering, which is commendable as we haven’t seen these initiatives much in India.”

Complimenting PGIMER for being visionary in making efforts towards collaborations, Prof. M. Srinivas stated, “The kind of research that is on display, with less resources, without scientists and despite the huge workload is appreciable. It’s a great thing that the past and present luminaries have brought this institute to this level of clinical and research experience and the quality and the standards is clearly visible in the outcome of the research.”

Speaking on Grant opportunities from Royal Society ofTropical Medicine, Ms. Tamar Ghosh, CEO of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, London,who graced the occasion as Guest of Honour detailed about the initiatives of the organisation as she stated, “We help building the careers of our members by funding them, by showcasing them, by publishing their work, by giving them platforms to learn new skills by introducing them to new networks, and individuals around the world.”

Ms Tamar Ghosh encouraged the young researchers to apply for funding with her organisation,“Whether the research project be in a lab, a field-based project with communities or policy-based project, whatever it is, it doesn’t matter what disease area, it’s in the area of health. The point is we want to stimulate the new leaders and the new innovators by taking that first plunge doing their first projects.”

Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director IIT, Ropar, present as Guest of Honour, emphasised research as the mother of innovation as he said, “You cannot be an innovative country until your research is very strong. The most innovative countries in the world are small Nordic countries which are in the top 10 in innovation. However, in India, we are below 40. Though we have made a lot of progress, there is still a long way to go.”

Highlighting ‘collaborative efforts’ as the precursor for research, Director IIT, Roparspoke on the upcoming hub for medical innovations in IIT Ropar and the MoU signed between PGIMER, Chandigarh and IIT, Ropar.

Earlier, while welcoming the dignitaries, Prof. Vivek Lal, Director PGIMER cited India as the pioneer in research and highlighted the rich research and scientific heritage of PGIMER.Expressing gratification to see such an overwhelming response to the 9th Annual research Day, the Director PGIMER said, “Some of the series were absolutely outstanding outstandingly displayed, outstandingly discussed and presented in our interview and have been published in outstanding impact journals.” 

The Director PGIMER highlighted, “Commitment to me comes before equipment. In today’s time and age, equipment is important, but commitment is still more important than it.”

The event concluded with the award ceremony wherein 37 researchers won awards in the surgical, medical, and basic sciences fields for ‘Research publications’ and 9 researchers in the ‘Innovations’ category  The awards were based on the H Index which measures both the productivity and citation impact of the publications.

The winners include Dr Rakesh Sehgal (Medical Parasitology), Dr Joseph L Mathew (Pediatric Pulmonology), Dr Usha Dutta (Gastroenterology), Dr Suchet Sachdev (Transfusion Medicine), Dr Tulika Gupta (Anatomy), Dr Maryada Sharma (ENT), Dr Karthigeyan M (Neurosurgery), Dr Sunil Kumar Bijarania (Anesthesia) and Ms. Gunjan Goyal (Medical Parasitology) received awards for their innovations. The three best published research papers each in category of Assistant Professor (Medicine- Rimesh Pal, Valliappan Muthu, Arka De; Surgery- Shipra Gupta, Venkata Ganesh, Aakriti Gupta; Basic sciences- Kamal Kishore, Manju Dhandapani, Rakesh Yadav), Associate Professor (Medicine- Vishal Sharma, Ashu Rastogi, Krishan Kumar; Surgery- Nitika Goel, Manjul Tripathi, Aditya Prakash Sharma; Basic sciences- Amol Patil, Ashish Kakkar, Parikshaa Gupta) Additional Professor (Jaya Shukla), and Professor (Medicine- Ritesh Agarwal, Ravindra Khaiwal, Shankar Prinja; Surgery- Vishali Gupta, Shalini Gainder, Praveen Salunke; Basic sciences- Bikash Medhi, Anup Ghosh, Shalmoli Bhattacharya) received awards in this ceremony.

Naveen M, ChandrimaNaskar received awards in the resident’s category; Shweta and Subodh Kumar in the Pool officer category/post-doctoral fellow category, Manisha Prajapat and Nishant Shekhar in PhD category, while Sinu Jose, Gunjan Goyal, and Geetanjali Kalyan received awards in the miscellaneous category.  

The event was aptly wrapped by Prof. Rakesh Sehgal, Dean (Academics) &Head ,Deptt. of Medical Parasitology, PGIMERby proposing a vote of thanks. 

Chandigarh, Haryana

Wherever crops were affected due to water-logging, those farmers will be paid Rs. 15,000 per acre as per the policy of Haryana Government.

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IEP Chandigarh, November 18

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister, Sh. Dushyant Chautala said that wherever the crops were affected due to water-logging, those farmers will be paid Rs. 15,000 per acre as per the policy of the Haryana Government.He said this while addressing a meeting in Jhajjar today.The Deputy Chief Minister said that the Government has ensured fifty percent women representatives in the recently concluded panchayat elections. Due to the policies of the government, a large number of educated representatives have been elected, which will give a new impetus to rural development.Along with him, Minister of State for Labour and Employment (Independent Charge), Sh. Anoop Dhanak was also present.Referring to the Haryana Government’s Gram Darshan portal, the Deputy Chief Minister said that demand related to the development of the village can be sent on this portal, further action will be taken automatically. Similarly, all the panchayats should send their demands regarding opening of the digital library in the villages. With the opening of a digital library in the village, a positive environment will be created towards education and youth will be helped in competitive examinations. Meanwhile, the newly elected Panch-Sarpanchs from several villages of the district met the Deputy Chief Minister.In response to a question asked by media persons, Deputy Chief Minister, Sh. Dushyant Chautala, said a report has been sought regarding purchase of paddy from DCs in all the districts. Reports of 9 districts have come and the numbers received from the transport provider agencies through Vahan portal are being scrutinised. Similarly, farmers will be paid as per the Land Acquisition Act for the land acquired for the Orbit Rail Corridor. On the question of development of roads in the area, the Deputy Chief Minister said that Rs. 25 crore has been sanctioned for each assembly constituency. After this, the Deputy Chief Minister also heard the grievances of the people and gave directions to the officers to resolve them.

Chandigarh, Haryana

Strict action will be taken on complaints received on fake/forged educational certificates of newly elected Panch-Sarpanchs- Sh. Dhanpat Singh

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IEP Chandigarh, November 18

Haryana State Election Commissioner, Sh. Dhanpat Singh said that the commission has received few complaints regarding forged/fake educational certificates of newly elected Panchs and Sarpanchs. This is in regards to the panchs and sarpanchs elected during the General Elections 2022 of Panchayati Raj Institutions conducted by the State Election Commission in 18 districts.The State Election Commission has directed all the District Deputy Commissioners and District Election Officers (Panchayat) to take necessary action in this regard.Sh. Dhanpat Singh said that the information about the complaints received by the Commission has been sent to the concerned Deputy Commissioners of all 18 districts except Faridabad, Fatehabad, Hisar and Palwal where elections are yet to be held and they have been directed to investigate them in the district.He further said that the investigation will be carried out by any working IAS / HCS officer. If any panch or sarpanch is found ineligible after investigation, then action should be taken against him under sub-section (3) of section 51 of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994. According to this provision Sarpanch or Panch can be suspended or removed. Before taking this action, the Deputy Commissioner will have to give an opportunity of hearing to such Panchs/Sarpanchs.In the letter issued by the Commission, Sh. Dhanpat Singh has directed the Deputy Commissioners to inform the State Election Commission about the action taken on such matters.Any person who has any complaint in this regard should directly send it to the Deputy Commissioner of his concerned district.

Chandigarh, Haryana

NCB’s Deputy Director General of Northern and Western Regions express satisfaction over Haryana’s action plan

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IEP Chandigarh, November 18

Determined about rooting out drugs in the state and personally taking command of it, Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal presided over the third meeting of the State Level Committee of Narco Coordination Center (NCORD) today and directed the officials that not only the police but all the concerned departments would have to work together to eradicate the menace of drugs. Home and Health Minister Sh. Anil Vij was also present in the meeting.

Sh. Manohar Lal said that the drugs have not only become an interstate menace but also an international problem. “Many types of financial transactions are linked to drug cases. Beside strict police action on drug smugglers by putting them behind the bars, their properties will also have to be seized. In Haryana, the properties of smugglers have been demolished at many places recently,” he added.

Haryana government taking stern steps for de-addiction

The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Sh. Amit Shah is working vigorously to make India drug free and the Haryana government is also taking stern steps in this regard. He said that drug smuggling also poses a threat to national security and for this all the departments will have to coordinate and run awareness campaigns as well as strict action have to be taken against the culprits.

Mapping of de-addiction centers should be done in the state

While giving directions, the Chief Minister said that from time to time, the government receives information about intoxicants made available at the de-addiction centers and thus to keep a close vigil on this; all the drug de-addiction centers in the state, whether government or those being run through non-governmental organizations, should be mapped and the data of the patients who came here for treatment should be analysed by conducting a survey by December 31.

Appeal to citizens – ‘Apprehend drug addicts, Get rid of drugs’

Sh. Manohar Lal said that the slogan of the Haryana government is “Tu Nischay toh kar, Nasha Pakadwao, Nasha Chhutwao” (Make up your mind, apprehend the drug addicts, get rid of the drugs) and for this, anti-drug helpline number – 9050891508 has also been issued. The Chief Minister directed that this number should be publicised at public places as well as on the Haryana Transport buses; so that the common people can be made aware and every citizen can join the campaign of the state government. He also appealed to the citizens to immediately share any information received about drug smuggling or use of drugs to the police; as it is very important to break the chain of demand and supply for the eradication of drugs.

The Chief Minister directed the officials to make the society especially the youth aware by running a special awareness campaign on the drugs menace and diseases caused by it and its adverse effects in the society. Not only this, the students in schools, colleges and universities should be administered an e-pledge against the drugs.

Along with police, health department will also have to be stern: Sh. Anil Vij

Home and Health Minister, Sh. Anil Vij said that along with the police, the health department will also have to be strict and at the time of post-mortem, if the cause of death is found to be drug overdose; it will have to be confirmed and for this, the opinion of a medico-legal consultant should also be taken.

He said that the problems being faced at the de-addiction, rehabilitation and counselling centers being run on the basis of pilot project in Sonipat; should be resolved and ensure that such problems do not arise in the six centers being set up at the divisional level. Also, suggestions should be taken from the representatives of the Medical Association.

Chief Secretary. Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal informed the Chief Minister that instructions have been issued to inspect de-addiction centers and duties have been imposed on all the sub-divisional officers (civil) to inspect de-addiction centers in their respective districts. They have also been directed to take stock of the facilities being provided along with its functioning and submit the action taken report to the headquarters.

Haryana ensured better implementation of schemes at grassroots level

During the meeting, Sh. Gyaneshwar Singh, Deputy Director General, NCB, Delhi appreciated the efforts being made by Haryana for drug prevention. He said that Haryana has ensured better implementation of schemes at the grassroots level by including most of the parameters in its action plan. He also recommended the Home Department to submit an action plan soon to enhance the forensic capacity of the state.

Mission teams being prepared from village-ward to state level, 45,000 citizens also part of the teams

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau, Sh. Shrikant Jadhav informed that according to the state action plan, mission teams are being prepared from village-ward to the state level for drug prevention. The main objective of these teams is to trace drug addicts, enter their data in the mobile application, counselling such people and making various efforts for their rehabilitation and spreading awareness.

He informed that out of 7,590 village teams, 2,584 teams have been formed so far. Similarly, 635 teams have been formed at ward level, 190 teams at primary health centers and 44 teams at subdivision level. Apart from this, a separate team will be formed in each district for instructions and monitoring. A total of 10 people have been added to each team. Out of about 95,000 people, 45,000 are common citizens.

He further said that last year 84 deaths were registered due to overdose of drugs, out of which most of the deaths were of youth in the age group of 18 to 35 years. He informed that the ‘Sathi’ mobile app will be launched soon by the bureau.

Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. D.S. Dhesi, Additional Chief Secretary of Home Department, Sh. TVSN Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary of Finance Department, Sh. Anurag Rastogi, Director General of Police, Sh. P.K Aggarwal, Director General Prisons, Sh. Mohammad Akil, ADGP CID Sh. Alok Mittal, Director of Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Sh. R.S Dhillon and officials of other concerned departments were present.

Chandigarh, Haryana

Chief Minister releases ‘Lamho Ki Shabnam’ – a poetry collection’

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IEP Chandigarh, November 18

Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal released the fifth collection of poems ‘Lamho Ki Shabnam’ composed by Dr. Sumita Misra, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, here today. The Chief Minister said that it is also an art to highlight the thoughts and feelings through the book; which has been done to reach the people through poems.

He said that Dr. Mishra has the best art of writing, who has written this collection by taking out time despite being in a high position. “It shows her rare talent and it also proves that she is rich in qualities. Even before this, four collections of her poems have come, two each in English and Hindi,” said the Chief Minister. He wished Dr. Sumita Mishra to continue to bring such collections of poems in future as well and keep sharing her experiences through her writing.

Sh. Manohar Lal further said that an attempt has been made to show the positive aspects of sensitivity in the collection of poems ‘Lamho Ki Shabnam’. “It seems from the collection of the poems that a glimpse of aggression towards women would be revealed in it, but this collection of poems characterizes the same definition as cold, beautiful, transparent and relaxing as Shabnam is,” he said, adding that this collection is not written from the mind but from the heart; which also reflects poignant relationships. The realization of history among the artists makes their writing strong and brilliant.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister also cited some poetic verses from the book. Poet and Additional Chief Secretary, Dr. Sumita Misra said that there are 75 poems in this poetry collection which is dedicated to ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, which she has written while on tours. She also thanked the Chief Minister for releasing the book.

On the occasion, Director, Hindi Sahitya Academy, Dr. Chander Trikha, Director of Chandigarh Sahitya Academy, Sh. Madhav Kaushik, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. D.S Dhesi, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Dr. Amit Agrawal and other officials were also present.

Chandigarh

RERA awards 60 days civil imprisonment to ILD builder in contempt case

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IEP Chandigarh, November 18

The Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), Gurugram has awarded 60 days civil imprisonment to ILD builder Salman Akbar in a contempt case. Sh. Rajender Kumar, Adjudicating Officer (AO), RERA, Gurugram, pronounced the sentence in the matter of Garima Gupta vs ILD Millennium Private Limited.

“You are hereby authorised to detain Salman Akbar in civil imprisonment for 60 days and produce him on 60th day of his detention before the AO,” read the orders. Earlier on October 31, an arrest warrant was issued by the AO court to produce Salman Akbar on or before December 21, 2022. The RERA court had ordered ILD Millennium Private Limited to pay the sum of Rs 27,30,376 to the complainant, but it was not paid. The directors of the company were then asked to file an affidavit stating the particular of its assets to satisfy the decree; but despite giving an opportunity they failed to respond leading to intentional disobedience of the orders of the adjudicating officer.

The matter dates back to January 2013, when complainant Garima Gupta had booked a unit in ILD Spire Greens, Sector 37 and executed an agreement. The promoter had to hand over the possession in July 2016, but failed to do so. After no avail, the allottee filed a complaint to the RERA court in November 2018, alleging the promoter of delaying in handing over the possession.

The authority had passed an order in favour of the aggrieved allottee asking the builder to pay the interest for every month of delay on the amount paid by the complainant from the date of possession till the handing over of actual possession of the unit, which the promoter failed to comply with.

Chandigarh

Vision to develop Jyotisar Tirtha on the lines of Brahma Sarovar. Rs 250-crore worth projects underway : Chief Minister

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IEP Chandigarh, November 18

With a vision to nurture one of the most venerated tirtha of the state, Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal said that Jyotisar Tirtha will be developed on the same lines as the Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra. 

Moving ahead with this, work is underway on different projects worth Rs 250 crore at Jyotisar Tirtha.

The Chief Minister said that Lord Shri Krishna’s ‘Viraat Swaroop’ has been installed at Jyotisar Tirtha at a cost of more than Rs 10 crore, which has been made by renowned sculptor Ram Sutar. Similarly, a 3-D projection mapping show will also be seen, which will be inaugurated during the Gita Mahotsav.

Sh. Manohar Lal said that apart from this, 6 museums will also be built at the premises of Jyotisar Tirtha, where episodes related to Mahabharata, Shrimad Bhagvad Gita, Kurukshetra and 48 Kos will be shown virtually. For this, state-of-the-art technology like Augmented Reality, Holographic Image, Robotic and Drone etc will be used, he added.

Virtual episodes will be changed after a specified time

Chief Minister Sh. Manohar Lal further said that different stories will be shown virtually in six museums being built in Jyotisar. He said that these stories and episodes will be changed after a specified time; so that the people who have seen them once, will get to see new episodes on their next turn. The most modern technology will be used in these museums, which will make these events amazing and panoramic, he asserted.

Chandigarh

State Transport Buses to charge 50 percent fare for Gita Jayanti devotees: Transport Minister

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IEP Chandigarh

Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal has announced 50 percent concession in state transport bus fares to the passengers of 10 districts from November 19, 2022 to December 6, 2022 for the International Gita Jayanti celebrations to be held at Kurukshetra. 

This will directly benefit a large number of pilgrims coming to participate in the festival.

Transport Minister, Sh. Mool Chand Sharma informed that International Gita Jayanti Mahotsav is celebrated every year in Kurukshetra. Lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad participate in this festival. Keeping in view the importance of the festival and to provide the benefit of transport, services to the maximum number of people, a 50 percent discount is being given in the fare of Haryana State Transport buses. He informed that on the recommendation of the Kurukshetra Development Board, fare concession was being provided earlier only to the pilgrims of Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Jind and Kaithal districts.

The transport minister informed that now Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Sonipat and Rohtak districts have also been included in this fare waiver for the purpose to ensure more pilgrims to visit this religious and holy place during the International Gita Jayanti Festival.

Now pilgrims from these 5 districts will also be able to take advantage of 50 percent concession in state transport buses to participate in the Kurukshetra Gita Jayanti festival. In this way, the state government will provide concession in the fare of state transport buses during Gita Jayanti festival to the pilgrims of ten districts adjoining Kurukshetra.

The transport minister informed that during the International Gita Jayanti celebrations, various programmes will be organized by the government at 75 religious pilgrimage sites falling within the radius of 48 Kos of Kurukshetra. He added that pilgrims can also attend various programmes scheduled during the Mahotsav days.

Chandigarh, Haryana

Haryana has done remarkable work in the power sector: Chief Minister

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IEP Chandigarh, November 18

Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal attended the 83rd meeting of the Forum of Regulators, organised by the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission as chief guest here today. Addressing the chairpersons and members of the Electricity Regulatory Commissions from other states, the Chief Minister said that in the last 8 years, Haryana has done remarkable work in the power sector, which has paved the way for Haryana to become one of the leading states in the country in terms of providing electricity.

He said that with the objective of providing 24-hour electricity to the villages, the state government initiated ‘Mhara Gaon-Jagmag Gaon Yojana’ from Kurukshetra in 2016, adding that today, 5,680 villages in the state; about 80 percent villages are getting 24-hour power supply.

Free electricity is no electricity

Talking about the concept of free electricity, as some states have done, the Chief Minister said that Haryana has rejected this concept as ‘free electricity is no electricity’. “This neither benefits the consumers nor the government. The people of Haryana have also understood this and are fully supporting the government,” he added. Sh. Manohar Lal said that the state government has taken stringent steps to check non-payment of electricity bills. He said that the government started an initiative and appealed to the citizens across the state to pay the bills, which garnered public cooperation and today Haryana is setting up new dimensions in the power sector.

The Chief Minister said that in order to strengthen the power sector, the state government provided relief to the consumers by waiving off the overcharge. “Not only this, defaulted consumers were given an option to pay the principal amount of their electricity bills in installments and the interest and surcharge of crores of rupees was also waived off. On the strength of these initiatives taken by the state government, Haryana has become one of the leading states in the Energy Efficiency Rank, in the last two years,” he asserted.

No hike in power tariffs in last 8 years 

Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal said that the state government has not increased the electricity rates in the last 8 years, and has instead  brought relief to the people by reducing the power tariffs. He said that the Fuel Surcharge Adjustment (FSA) was 37 paise, which was abolished. “Not only this, the electricity rate was Rs 4.50 per unit up to 150 units, which was reduced and the rate was fixed at Rs 2.50 per unit up to 200 units and Rs 2 per unit for monthly electricity consumption up to 50 units,” he added.

Sh. Manohar Lal further said that the state government was thinking   that more concessions can be given to the people who consume up to 50 units of electricity; so that the poor families can get relief. For this, the government will discuss the proposal with the Electricity Regulatory Commission, he said.

By reducing line loss, saved power corporations from losses

The Chief Minister said that the line loss in the state was 29 percent in 2014, which has come down to 14 percent today. With this, about Rs 6,000 crore have been saved and due to the efforts of the government and power corporations, today all the four power corporations of Haryana are in a position of dividend, he said, adding that the government has laid emphasis on curbing electricity theft, reducing line loss and strengthening the metering system.

Work done on infrastructural development

Sh. Manohar Lal said that work has also been done on infrastructural development to ensure uninterrupted power supply. “To strengthen the broadcasting network, 57 new sub-stations have been established at a cost of Rs. 3,679 crore and the capacity of 522 sub-stations has also been increased, from October 2014 till now,” he asserted. He said that 50,000 new transformers were also installed in the state with addition of transmission lines of 1,895 km. Not only this, 2,539 dangerous lines passing over houses, colonies, ponds and schools have been removed to avoid any untoward incident.

Target to provide 1 lakh solar connections

Sh. Manohar Lal said that almost free electricity is being given in the agriculture sector in Punjab and Haryana; but the Haryana government has also emphasised on promoting the use of solar energy. “Under this, 30,000 solar connections have been given and the work of giving 50,000 more solar connections is underway. A target has been set to provide a total of 1 lakh solar connections,” he added. The Chief Minister further said that the use of solar energy has resulted in the fact that earlier a total of Rs 7,200 crore was given as subsidy on electricity, whereas today Rs 5,500 crore is given as subsidy. Apart from this, to promote the use of solar energy in government buildings, the Rooftop Solar Policy has been implemented.

Work also done in direction of water conservation

Understanding the need of the future, the Chief Minister said that the state government has also laid emphasis on water conservation. “To ensure that the future generation does not face water crisis, the government has made ‘Mera Pani-Meri Virasat scheme, so that along with land, water can also be inherited to the future generation. Under this, the farmers are being given an incentive of Rs 7,000 per acre for growing alternative crops instead of paddy. As a result, alternative crops have been cultivated in place of paddy in about 1 lakh acres of land in the state,” he asserted.

Sh. Manohar Lal said that in this regulatory forum, chairpersons and members of the Electricity Regulatory Commission of all the states will discuss several topics including better delivery of facilities to the common man. This will ensure more efficiency in the power sector by sharing best practices being adopted by different states with other states.

On the occasion, Chairman of Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission Sh. R.K. Pachnanda, chairpersons and members of Electricity Regulatory Commissions from other states were present.

Chandigarh

NHRC holds 3rd hearing in the Delhi-NCR air pollution case: States asked to develop a strategic plan for time bound implementation thereof to provide for clean air and better civic amenities: Next date of hearing on Nov 25

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IEP Delhi, November 18 

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India today held the 3rd hearing of the Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi in the matter of air pollution in Delhi NCR in the light of the reports submitted by them in response to its directions in the last meeting. Seeking further reports, the next date of hearing has been fixed for 25th November, 2022. While noting some of the actions taken by the State governments with regard to controlling air pollution by managing stubble, dust, the hospital in sewage waste, among others, the Commission emphasized that they needed to have a strategic plan in place to plug the gaps between the policies and implementation thereof for providing clean air and atmosphere with better civic amenities ensuring the protection of the right to life and health of the citizens.  The Commission said that the Government of Punjab will have to have dedicated machines for poor farmers for harvesting and disposal of stubble. The machines should be procured and provided to the poor farmers through the panchayats or cooperatives free of cost for harvesting to bring down the incidents of stubble burning to zero. Some fees may be charged from those who could afford it. The Commission asked for the specific details of stubble generated; how much was burnt and how much was processed effectively by specifying place-wise incidents.   It also asked to find out the alternatives, if crop residue decomposer machines are not effectively working.  It was stated that the States need to purchase mechanized sweeping machines for every city in coordination with the civic bodies and make special provisions in the budget for the same.  There should be a road map for providing civic amenities in a phased but time-bound manner.  The Commission was particularly concerned about the deaths of persons involved in hazardous cleaning without protective gear and asked that the governments should implement the NHRC Advisory of 24th September, 2021, invigorate the local bodies and purchase mechanical cleaning devices like Bandicoots and safety equipment for those involved in such hazardous cleaning in septic tanks. The Commission said it is high time that the public functionaries take note of it otherwise it will be constrained to recommend criminal proceedings against them. The Commission said that the officials cannot absolve themselves of their statutory responsibilities by diverting these to a contractor for cleaning septic tanks and sewage.  It also said that government should identify the spots, where there is a danger of poisonous gas and install danger signals. A specific report has been called from the Government of Uttar Pradesh about the number of hospitals served notice for not complying with the guidelines for disposal of medical waste and the date-wise details of the action taken for revocation of the licenses of those flouting the norms.  It emphasized that tree plantation and their survival has to be monitored regularly to ensure green belt cover and clean air. A time frame of March, 2023 may fix to complete the work of unpaved roads and potholes. The Commission asked the Delhi government to fix a timeline to find out and rectify the cause of poor air quality at the hot spots and when these will become normal. The Commission also enquired about the status of alternative landfill sites for garbage disposal and cleaning thereof.       In the meanwhile notices are also being issued to the concerned heads of NDMC, Transport Department, Delhi Jail Board, Police Department, Commission for Air Quality, GRAP, Delhi Cantonment Board, CPWD, NBCC, NHAI, DMRC, Central Pollution Control Board, DDA and NCDRC, Delhi Pollution Control Board for submitting their response before 25.11.2022 in connection with steps being taken or proposed to be taken to improve air quality in Delhi NCR to ensure safe health and ambient atmosphere for the citizens.