IEP Chandigarh, November 17

The Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led State Government had made a firm commitment to all the stakeholders viz. Farmers, Labourers, Millers and Arhtiyas before the start of paddy procurement season about ensuring the uninterrupted procurement. That the Government has fully lived up to its commitment is proved by the fact that during the current season, 180 Lakh Metric Tonne (LMT) paddy stands procured out of the target of 184 LMT. The procurement has been made at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs. 2060 per quintal fixed by the Government of India. The rest of the procurement would also be completed by today evening.

Interacting with the mediapersons at the Anaj Bhawan here today in connection with the paddy procurement season, the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak said that this time no problem was encountered by the farmers in the mandis and procurement as well as lifting was done on time. Within mere 4 hours of the procurement, the payments were credited into the bank accounts of the farmers.

Giving more details, the Minister said that the State Government had set up 1806 traditional purchase centres in the mandis besides declaring as many as 583 public places and 37 rice mills as interim purchase centers for the facilitation of farmers and then the allotments were made. Divulging more, he said that the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department has so far credited Rs. 34263.40 crore into the accounts of the farmers for the paddy procured by the agencies of the State. He also informed that the Government procurement is being ended in most of the Districts of the State and the procurement process would be completed in the few remaining pockets by today evening.

The Minister lauded the yeoman’s role played by the Department apart from the Mandi Board in ensuring hassle free procurement. Besides, he also appreciated the contribution of the Punjab Police in effectively stonewalling the illegal paddy coming from the other States by putting up Nakas at the interstate barriers.

Coming to the other issues, Mr. Kataruchak said that the verification of the blue cards would be completed by the November 30th so as to make sure that only the eligible beneficiaries are facilitated. He also expressed satisfaction that the custom milling policy of the State Government has garnered praise from the Government of India which has asked the State Government to share its expertise with the other States.

Among others present on the occasion included the Principal Secretary Mr. Rahul Bhandari, Director Mr. Ghanshyam Thori and other officers of the department.

IEP Chandigarh, November 17       

    The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is continuously working to provide basic facilities and clean environment to the people of the state.  Taking another step forward in this direction,  Local Government Minister Dr.Inderbir Singh Nijjar said that the Punjab government has decided to spend Approximately Rs.11.65 crores for development works related to water supply and sewerage at Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib in Samana, Bhadson and Mandi Gobindgarh.  The department has started the tender process for these works. Diviluing more details , Local Government Minister Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar said that the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board will be  spend Rs 5.98 crores for laying a new sewerage line from the main road Patran to the sewerage treatment plant in Samana of Patiala and  all also other works related to sewerage will be done.  Similarly, approximately Rs.1.44 crore will be spent on Providing and Laying sewerage and other related works at Bhadson.Dr. Nijjar said that apart from this, Rs. 4.23 Crores will also be spent  at Mandi Gobindgarh of Fatehgarh Sahib for sewerage related works and Providing and Laying of different sizes of water supply lines and all the works related to water supply and Sewerage will be done.          He also said that apart from this, Local Government Department  has also published e-tenders for many other works related to water supply and sewerage.  Through these tenders, rates have been sought for carrying out various works.The Cabinet Minister  said that the Punjab government led by Bhagwant Mann is trying hard to provide basic facilities and clean environment to the people of the state so that the life of the common people of the state can be easy and healthy.He further said that local government department has already e-published tenders for these works on the website www.eproc.punjab.gov.in.  If any amendment is made in these tenders, the details thereof will also be available on this website.          The Cabinet Minister also said that the state government wants to provide corruption free administration to the people of the state. He has directed the officials of the Water Supply and Sewerage Board to ensure transparency and quality in these works.

IEP Chandigarh, November 17

Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) on Thursday organized a one-day workshop in association with Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power GoI on Signing of MoUs with 14 identified Industries and a technical session on “Adoption of ISO 50001:2018 Standards” at PEDA Auditorium here.Welcoming all the participants, Chief Executive PEDA Dr. Sumeet K. Jarangal encouraged industries to implement energy efficiency measures to achieve the global mission for saving energy, environment, and climate. There were a total 40 Designated Consumers (DCs) notified by the Ministry of Power under PAT Scheme in the State of Punjab and out of 40 DCs, two industries namely NFL Bathinda and Ropar from the fertilizer sector have signed MoU with BEE for implementation of ISO 50001:2018 standards, he added.Meanwhile, Chairman PEDA Mr. H.S. Hanspal, the Chief Guest of the Workshop, deliberated upon the importance and involvement of industries & MSMEs for implementation of energy efficiency projects in the State which would further boost the economy. He suggested that financial institutions shall provide required support for implementation of such projects in the State.Director BEE Mr. S.K. Khandare has emphasized upon the importance of energy efficiency & implementation of new and innovative energy efficient technologies in Industries & MSME at the Central & State level. He also stressed on the importance of investment potential in Industries & MSMEs which could enhance the infrastructure at the state level.The dynamics of industry, transport, buildings and agriculture sectors were bringing new opportunities, said he, while mentioning that energy was slowly transitioning to be demand driven rather than supply driven. He further deliberated upon the importance of bridging the communication and knowledge gap between project implementers and funding agencies for the implementation of energy efficient activities in Industries & MSMEs.Director PEDA Mr. M.P. Singh said that PEDA has been making concerted efforts to translate energy sector strategies into actionable low-carbon solutions to increase the utilization of clean and green energy. He said that PEDA has been planning to assess potential of latest technologies such as electric vehicles (EV) and utilization of hydrogen that could invariably impact the energy demand in the transport and industry sectors, which would contribute significantly in reducing the GreenHouse Gases emission. He thanked all the participants for attending the event.Additional Director PEDA Mr. Jaspal Singh, Project Engineer BEE Mr. Ravinder Yadav and representatives of various industries and MSMEs across India also attended the workshop.

IEP Ludhiana, November 17

With the promise to meet again next year, the around three months long sporting extravaganza ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Dian’ culminated here on Thursday at the local Guru Nanak Stadium as the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann vowed to restore the pristine glory of the state.Addressing the gathering after digitally transferring cash amount worth Rs 6.85 crore in the bank accounts of 9961 players who had bagged Gold, Silver and Bronze medal at the state level during games, the Chief Minister congratulated all the players for their stupendous success. He said that Rs 10,000 cash award has been transferred in account of winner of Gold medal, Rs 7000 in account of silver medal winner and Rs 5000 has been transferred in account of bronze medal winner. Bhagwant Mann said that these games will be held every year to promote sporting activity in every nook and corner of state.The Chief Minister also felicitated the teams of Patiala, Ludhiana and SAS Nagar for bagging first, second and third position in the state level games with 202, 133 and 123 gold medals respectively. He also honoured nine districts including Amritsar, Barnala, Faridkot, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Roopnagar, SAS Nagar and Sangrur for successfully organising state level games well in their districts. Bhagwant Mann also congratulated the Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer for successful completion of these games.Announcing the culmination of this around three months long gala sporting event, the Chief Minister said that it is a matter of great pride and satisfaction that in this mega event more than three lakh players have participated in different six age groups. He said that these players have participated in various competitions from block to the state level in 28 sports categories. Bhagwant Mann also announced that the state government will give top priority to recruit the outstanding players in various government departments.Congratulating the players who had won medals in the games, the Chief Minister urged them not to feel proud of their victory but to stay humble and work hard for more success. He said that the games have got overwhelming response across the state and youth have participated in them with huge enthusiasm. Bhagwant Mann said that he is elated to share that even in some events three generations of families have participated in these games.The Chief Minister said that he is an avid sports lover due to which he is making strenuous efforts for promotion of sports. He said that his government had felicitated the commonwealth contingent as soon as they had returned from the games. Bhagwant Mann envisioned that the day is not far when all the first three slots in every game will be bagged by Punjabis both at national and international level.The Chief Minister said that in a path breaking initiative his government has resumed Shaheed Bhagat Singh youth award, which will be bestowed to 46 youth every year for their outstanding contribution in several fields. He said that the award winners will get cash money worth Rs 51,000 along with appreciation certificate. Bhagwant Mann bemoaned that this award was stopped around seven years back but will be resumed now.The Chief Minister also vowed to make Punjab as the front runner state in the country. He said that his government is already making all out efforts for this noble cause. Bhagwant Mann envisioned that the concerted efforts will give desired results and an era of unprecedented progress and prosperity will be ushered in state.The Chief Minister further said that the prestigious G-20 summit, scheduled to be held in the holy city of Amritsar in March-2023, will promote Punjab as a preferred destination for business on the international level. He said that the summit will also provide a stage to the government to showcase its achievements and facilities for setting up new businesses. Bhagwant Mann said that this is a golden opportunity when Punjab can be highlighted as a land of best opportunities adding that the state is fortunate to have got this opportunity to host this event, in which leading countries from around the world will discuss education and labour and other crucial issues.The Chief Minister said that the state government has been making all out efforts for promoting sports across the state to channelize the unbounded energy of youth in a positive manner.  He said that these games were a right step towards this direction as it has provided platform to the players for showcasing their latent. Bhagwant Mann asserted that these games will also help the state government to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the players which will be beneficial for grooming them for the national and international events in future.The Chief Minister further said that the state government is leaving no stone unturned to popularize sports in the state as it can be play a key role in progress of the state and prosperity of its people. He asserted that it is the need of hour to encourage more budding players to excel in field of sports. Bhagwant Mann said that Aam Aadmi government is working on an aggressive campaign to produce maximum number of trained sportspersons so that Punjab can contribute more players in the Indian contingent for international events.The Chief Minister said that Punjab has abundant sports talent and Punjab government will leave no stone unturned to tap their potential and enable them to participate and excel in international events. Bhagwant Mann said that Punjab and sports have a strong and inseparable bond adding that the youth of the state have an inherited talent but the successive governments have failed to provide requisite infrastructure to them. He asserted that now the players will be provided the state of art infrastructure and world class facilities.Earlier, Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer welcomed the Chief Minister and other dignitaries on the occasion. He also lauded the role played by the entire government machinery to make this sporting event a huge success. Meet Hayer said that these games have scripted a new success story in history of the state.Meanwhile, Commonwealth silver medalist weightlifter Vikas Thakur handed over the games flag to Chief Minister.  Bhagwant Mann gave the flag to Sports department for organising the games annually.During the closing ceremony, cultural performances by artist troupes mesmerised the audience with their dazzling performances. Leading Punjabi singers Kulwinder Billa, Pari Pandher and Armaan Dhillon entertained the audience with their songs.On the occasion an impressive video about the sporting extravaganza accompanied by magnificent traditional dance ‘Giddha’ and ‘Bhangra’ enthralled the audience and forced them to tap their feet. The gathering also gave standing ovation to the dazzling firework show on the occasion.