Category Archives: Chandigarh

BEAUTY CONTEST ADVERTISEMENT INCIDENT IN BATHINDA IS CONDEMNABLE: DR. BALJIT KAUR

IEP Chandigarh, October 14

 Pasting the posters to organise a beauty competition in Bathinda to choose a girl of a particular caste for marriage, is highly condemnable.

The said statement by Minister of Social Security, Women and Child Development of Punjab Dr. Baljit Kaur here today. The Minister ordered the Director of Social Security, Women and Child Development Department to submit a report of matter as soon as possible. Along with this, Dr. Baljit Kaur asked the Deputy Commissioner Bathinda to take strict action under the section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Management) Act, 1986. After which an FIR has been filed against those who planted the controversial flex and arrested.

Dr. Baljit Kaur said that the matter came to her notice through social media. There will an awareness march in the city against the incident, she added. She said that the desire of Punjabi’s to settle abroad also causes such incidents to happen.

Statue of Prithviraj Chauhan will be unveiled on November 13 in village Kulana of Jhajjar: Chief Minister

IEP Chandigarh, October 14

Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal said that the statue of Prithviraj Chauhan will be unveiled on November 13, 2022 at village Kulana, Jhajjar. The Defense Minister, Sh. Rajnath Singh will be the Chief Guest on this occasion.

Sh. Manohar Lal informed this while interacting with the mediapersons today. The Chief Minister said that today a delegation led by BJP State President, Sh. O.P. Dhankar met him. The delegation included heads, representatives and members of various Khaps.

The Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal said that extensive discussions took place on various issues during the meeting with the delegation. One of the primary issues of discussion was the amendment of the Hindu Marriage Act, which will be proceeded in consultation with the legal experts, he added. The other topic discussed during the meeting was the cases registered during the Jat reservation movement. The Chief Minister assured the delegation that we had decided to withdraw the cases; some cases are pending, which will be reviewed soon.

Responding to another question regarding the Adampur bye-election, the Chief Minister said that he is optimistic regarding the grand victory of BJP’s candidate Sh. Bhavya Bishnoi. Similarly, in response to a question regarding general elections in Himachal Pradesh, Sh. Manohar Lal said that elections are important in a democratic system. He claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party government will be formed again in Himachal Pradesh.

        Responding to a question regarding the meeting held with the Chief Minister of Punjab in Chandigarh today on the issue of SYL, the Chief Minister said that “Today’s meeting was held in a very pleasant atmosphere, but Mann Sahib did not agree”.

Haryana Govt done commendable work toward reducing air pollution in the NCR region

IEP Chandigarh, October 14

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, Dr. P.K. Mishra, has expressed satisfaction over the steps taken by the Haryana Government to prevent contamination of the air environment in the NCR region. He has also appreciated the incentives being given to farmers to curb stubble burning.

        The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister was presiding over the meeting on the Management of Air Pollution through video conferencing with the Chief Secretaries of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab today.

        He said that Haryana Government has done commendable work toward reducing air pollution in the NCR region. He said that other states should also follow the steps taken by the Haryana Government to make the environment clean in the NCR region.

        In the meeting, Chief Secretary, Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal said that Haryana has taken effective steps to prevent stubble burning. Village-level committees have been constituted under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioners. These committees are keeping a strict vigil on stubble burning. Last year till date 389 incidents of stubble burning were reported whereas only 102 instances of stubble burning have occurred this year, which indicates a 23 percent drop from the previous year. The state’s administration is making efforts to further reduce it.

The Chief Secretary said that so far 60 percent of paddy had been harvested in the state. The state government has fixed the target of 55 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, out of which 31 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has been procured so far.

        He said that the straw management system has been promoted. Under this, committees have been formed by dividing the state into red, yellow, and green categories, in which the officers of the Agriculture Department have been included. An amount of Rs. 1000 per acre is being given to the farmers as an incentive for not burning the stubble. Industries are being connected to PNG clean fuel. Apart from this, a subsidy is being given to promote electric vehicles. The state has also imposed a ban on the production, sale, and use of all types of firecrackers.

Haryana Police razes illegal properties of a notorious criminal

IEP Chandigarh, October 14

While continuing with its drive of demolishing the illegally constructed properties/structures by criminals, Haryana Police along with the civil administration demolished the illegal buildings built on government land in Sonipat district by notorious criminal Sandeep aka Kala Jatheri who is involved in more than three dozen cases of crime.

Sharing the information here today, a Haryana Police spokesperson informed that a joint team of police and civil administration demolished the illegal construction by rolling bulldozer on the premises.

Giving further information, he said that the state police is taking stern action against miscreants and drug traffickers and in the last few days, several properties acquired through ill-gotten means by such criminal elements have been demolished.

In this series, Police on Friday demolished illegal buildings built on government land including six shops, one service station and one RO plant in Sonipat district by accused Sandeep aka Kala, a resident of village Jatheri. These premises were built from the money earned by illegal extortion.

Cases are registered against the accused in various police stations for murder, attempt to murder and robbery. The accused is still serving jail term in many cases and some cases are still pending.

A list of criminals who have acquired property in an illegal manner is being prepared by the police and strict action will be initiated against them.

HRSC imposes penalty of Rs 10,000 each on Assistant Director, Ambala and Clerk, Hisar both from Labour Deptt

IEP Chandigarh, October 14

Haryana Right to Service Commission imposed a penalty of Rs. 10,000 each on Assistant Director, Ambala and Clerk, Hisar both from the Labour Department.

Giving information in this regard, a spokesperson of the Haryana Right to Service Commission said that the Haryana Government under the leadership of the Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal has made every effort to ensure that the benefits of the notified services reach to the last person. The Haryana Right to Service Act, which was enacted in 2014, there are 622 services of 43 departments and institutions are notified under this Act, which pertains to the entire life cycle of a person.

        The spokesperson said that whenever complaints related to notified services are received Commission via letter or e-mail from various districts of Haryana, the commission promptly takes cognizance of them.

He said that a complaint by Sh. Sanjay Kumar, related to welfare benefits provided by the Haryana Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board, from district Fatehabad was received by the Commission. The complainant had applied for financial assistance under the Education scheme, Tool kit and Bicycle scheme of Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. But this service was not provided by the Board to the complainant within the RTS timeline.

Taking cognizance of the matter, the Commission issued notice to the then Labour Commissioner, Sh. Mani Ram Sharma and was called for hearing before the Commission. During the hearing, a detailed review of all the applications submitted by Sh. Sanjay Kumar to the Board was done.

During the hearing, it was also found that an application of the complainant was lying with the  Ajay, Clerk o/O Assistant director Hisar for 90 days without taking any further action. On the second application of the complainant, it was found that Clerk Ajay had raised wrong objections and recommended to reject the application to Assistant Director, Ambala, Sunil Nanda. The Assistant Director also accepted the baseless objection of the clerk without seeing the rules and showing a careless attitude towards his work.

For this negligence of the rules, the commission issued notice to both the employees of the labour department. They were also called to give their explanation by the Commission. Even during the course of the hearing, both the employees did not state any satisfactory reasons for the lapse on their part and negligence in rendering their service. After considering all the facts and  circumstances, the Commission took a stern decision to impose a fine of Rs. 10,000 each on Assistant Director, Ambala and Clerk, Hisar. The spokesperson added that such negligence in delivery of notified services will not be tolerated by the commission.

In second phase, Panchayat elections will be held in 9 districts, State Election Commissioner

IEP Chandigarh, October 14

Haryana State Election Commissioner, Sh. Dhanpat Singh said that in the second phase, elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions will be held in 9 districts including Ambala, Charkhi Dadri, Gurugram, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Rewari, Rohtak, Sirsa and Sonipat districts.

        In these districts, voting for members of Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti will be held on November 9, and on November 12 polls for the posts of Sarpanch and Panch will be held, shared Sh. Dhanpat Singh while addressing a press conference held today in Panchkula.

        The State Election Commissioner said that with the election announcement, the model code of conduct has come into force in the rural areas of the above nine districts with immediate effect.  The code of conduct will not be implemented in the remaining 4 districts.

        He said that the voting of Sarpanch, members of Panchayat Samiti, and Zilla Parishad would be done through EVM. While the polling for the Panches will be done through ballot paper. To ensure the smooth completion of the election process, about 36,000 employees and officers have been deputed.

        Sh. Dhanpat Singh has urged the voters to enthusiastically participate in the Panchayati Raj elections and vote for honest candidates. He also appealed that voters should vote while rising above caste, religion etc.

Election schedule

As per the election schedule, on October 15, the concerned Deputy Commissioner-cum- District Election Officer (Panchayat) will issue the notification in these nine districts. The nomination process will begin on October 21 from 10 am to 3 pm. October 28 will be the last day for nominations. The scrutiny of nominations will be held on October 29 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 31. Candidates can withdraw their nominations till 3 Pm.  The election symbols will be allotted to the candidates on the same day.

        The final list of contesting candidates will be released on October 31. On November 9, the voting of Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad members will be held. Voting for the Sarpanch and Panch the voting will be held on November 12 from 7 am to 6 pm. If the re-poll is required for any Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members, then it will be done on November 12. If there is a re-poll for the post of Sarpanch and Panch, then it will be held on November 14.

The results of the Sarpanch and Panch will be declared after the election on the same day, while the results of Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti members will be declared after the completion of all three phases.

Educational qualifications

The minimum education qualification to contest for the post of Panch (unreserved category) is class 10 pass, while for men (SC Category) and women belonging to any category the minimum qualification is class 8 pass. In the case of a woman candidate belonging to Scheduled Caste, the minimum qualification is class 5 pass.

        The minimum education qualification to contest for the post of Sarpanch (unreserved category) is class 10 pass, while for men (SC Category) and women belonging to any category (including woman candidate belonging to SC) the minimum qualification is class 8 pass. 

        For Panchayat Samiti members, the candidates (unreserved category) must be class 10 pass, while for men (SC Category) and women belonging to any category the minimum qualification is class 8 pass. 

        For Zilla Parishad members, the candidates (unreserved category) must be class 10 pass, while for men (SC Category) and women belonging to any category the minimum qualification is class 8 pass. 

Candidates will have to deposit this security deposit

For the post of Panch, the candidate belonging to the Unreserved Category (UR) will have to deposit Rs 250, while the female and candidate belonging to Scheduled Caste and Backward Class will have to deposit an amount of Rs 125 as security.

        For the post of Sarpanch, the candidate belonging to UR will have to deposit Rs 500 and the female and candidate belonging to Scheduled Caste and Backward Class will have to deposit an amount of Rs 250 as security.

        For the post of Member Panchayat Samiti, the candidate belonging to UR category will have to deposit Rs 750 and the female and candidate belonging to Scheduled Caste and Backward Class will have to deposit an amount of Rs 375 as security.

About 5 lakh devotees likely to participate in solar eclipse fair on Oct 25

IEP Chandigarh, October 14

Haryana Chief Secretary, Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal said that about 5 lakh devotees are likely to participate in the solar eclipse fair to be held in Kurukshetra on October 25, for which necessary arrangements are being made on a large scale.

        The Chief Secretary was presiding over a meeting organized in this regard with the officers of various departments today.

        The Chief Secretary said that special buses will also be run for the fair so that the devotees do not face any kind of inconvenience in reaching the Mela area. In the meeting, the Chief Secretary directed the officers that the District Administration, Kurukshetra Development Board, and Tourism Department should work in coordination for the successful organization of the fair. He directed the concerned officers that the public address system should be further strengthened so that anybody may quickly access the fair’s information via a mobile app.

        He said that to strengthen the medical system, arrangements of ambulances, stretchers, and teams of doctors should be deployed in the fairground. In addition, there should be a provision for fire brigade. Boats, divers, and swimmers should be ensured on the banks of Brahmsarovar so that all facilities are immediately available in case of any emergency.

        He said that law and order should be strengthened in view of the security of the fair. Proper arrangements should also be made for accommodation, drinking water, toilets, parking, etc. facilities for the devotees. He said that arrangements for electricity and telephone should also be made in the Mela area. Apart from this, complete arrangements for cleanliness should be made in the fair area.

        He said that e-rickshaws and mini-buses should also be run for the convenience of the devotees and transport-related coordination should also be established with the neighboring states. Apart from this, directions were also given to establish coordination with the Railways so that the devotees do not face any kind of inconvenience in reaching Kurukshetra.

        It was informed in the meeting that the Mela area has been divided into 20 sectors, for which about 4500 policemen and 2000 home guards will be deployed. Apart from this, a police control room will also be set up at the Mela Ground. Videography will also be done with the help of drones for the security of the fair area. It was also informed in the meeting that to deal with the emergency situation, a dedicated route is being made from the Mela area to the main road, through which the movement of ambulances, fire vehicles, and police vehicles will be facilitated. It was informed in the meeting that group insurance of all the devotees will be done during the fair. In addition, 25 parking spots have been identified for parking arrangements. It was informed in the meeting that if any child or person goes missing during the fair, help desks will be set up for them. Reception centres will also be set up at various places in the Mela area.

        In the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Sh. T.V.S.N. Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance and Planning Departments, Sh. Anurag Rastogi, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. V Umashankar, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Dr. Amit Agrawal, and other concerned officers were present.

Construction work of 1000 new ‘Vyayamshalas’ in the second phase should be completed soon: Anil Vij

IEP Chandigarh, October 14

Haryana Health and Home Minister, Sh. Anil Vij reiterated his resolve to take yoga to the masses and said that the construction work of 1000 new vyayamshalas  should be completed soon in the second phase.

Health and Home Minister, Sh. Anil Vij said this while presiding over a meeting today. Additional Chief Secretary of Health & Family Welfare Department, Smt. G. Anupama, Director General, AYUSH, Dr. Saket Kumar, Chairman, Haryana Yoga Commission, Dr. Jaideep Arya, Vice-Chairman, Sh. Roshanlal and newly appointed members were present in the meeting.

        The Health Minister said that the Resident Welfare Association should be contacted for conducting yoga classes in every park and society in the urban area. He also approved the proposal of the Haryana Yoga Commission to appoint yoga teachers through the Park Society, in which yoga teachers in the age group of 42 to 65 years will be appointed to render part-time services for 2 hours to 4 hours.

        Emphasizing on setting up of one Ayush Yoga Centre in every district, he said that the benefit of primary health should be provided to the general public through yoga and naturopathy. He also approved the proposal to collect the data of all the yoga classes running in Haryana and organize an annual meeting of all such yoga teachers and review their work from time to time and honour the best yoga teachers.

        While giving consent to the proposal to set up a yoga and meditation centre at the global level in the Gita Upadesh Sthali pilgrimage site at Kurukshetra. The Health Minister, directed to send its budget proposal to the state government.

IMPunjab Bootcamp kickstarted: Startups awarded Rs 1Lac to nurture their business plans

IEP Mohali, 12 October 2022

Innovation Mission Punjab, a unique private-public partnership that aims to build, empower and act as a catalyst for local startup communities in Punjab, conducted its first Bootcamp at Kalkat Bhawan Mohali.  The Bootcamp was organised to enable the entrepreneurs in creating a solid business plan, communicate, and synergize to create opportunities for further growth. 

IMPunjab Bootcamp is rigorous two-day training for prototype/product stage startups to build their capacity and nudge them to start thinking about a startup’s various functions which include costs, technology, revenues, partners, operations, supply chain, customer relations and numerous other basics of business. During the workshop, we had experts decode the business model canvas as well as mentors on the dynamics of customer acquisition for entrepreneurs. 

A cohort of 20 startups participated in the workshop. The entrepreneurs gained a thorough understanding of the business model canvas, marketing strategy and customer-centricity approach for their startups. They also acquired knowledge of the basics of unit economics and how to pitch their business plans. At the end of the event, the Top 2 entrepreneurs won the pitch round Ayush from Rooms Vital and Rishov from Myra Healthcare was awarded total prize money of INR One Lakh.

The jury for the event comprised industry professionals and a mix of entrepreneurs and startup enablers from the region Mr Somveer Anand CEO & Mission Director, Mr. Abhishekh Purohit, Head of Accelerator, Mr. Amrit Tiwari AVP Investments IIM-L Enterprise Incubation Centre, Mr Shashi Gupta, Strategy and Innovation, Consultant, Mr Tushar Mittal from MySoho and Mr Satyendra Singh from IISER among many others. 

Concerning the initiative, Somveer Anand, CEO & Mission Director, IMPunjab said, “The entrepreneurs of the Punjab region come up with some of the most brilliant ideas, however, the challenge is to convert an idea into a business opportunity and eventually a startup. IMPunjab organized this Bootcamp to help entrepreneurs understand the several functions of a startup such as marketing, finance, sales, revenues, value proposition, partners and resources along with its practical use cases.” 

The pitching session also helped the startups on how to approach the ecosystem and get investment ready. 

About IMPunjab:

Some of the marquee names in the private sector and solid support back IMPunjab from the Punjab Government. Pramod Bhasin, Founder of Genpact, Clix Capital, and Asha Impact chairs the Mission. The Board of Directors includes eminent leaders such as Saurabh Srivastava, widely acknowledged as an architect of the Indian IT Industry, noted economist and author Ajay Shah, D.S. Brar, Promoter-Chairman, GVK Bio, and award-winning film producer Bobby Bedi. The Mission also has Naina LalKidwai, Manoj Kohli, Rajan Anandan, Ido Arahoni, architect of Brand Israel, and other business leaders on its Advisory Board.

Haryana and Punjab Chief Ministers will meet today on SYL issue

IEP Chandigarh, October 13

Haryana and Punjab Chief Ministers will meet on October 14 on the issue of Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. Discussions will be held to address this issue in meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 11.30 a.m. The Chief Minister of Haryana, Sh. Manohar Lal and the Chief Minister of Punjab, Sh. Bhagwant Mann will be present in the meeting. Before the meeting, the Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal stated that residents of Haryana have the right over SYL water and he is affirmative that they will definitely get their right. SYL water is very important for Haryana. Now it is necessary to fix a time line in this matter, so that the availability of water to the farmers of Haryana can be ensured. He expressed optimism that this crucial meeting, scheduled for Friday, will draw some positive solution.

It is well known that despite two Supreme Court judgments, Punjab has not completed the construction of SYL. Instead of implementing the decisions of the Supreme Court, Punjab tried to obstruct their implementation by enacting the Cancellation of Agreements Act in 2004. It is worth mentioning that under the provision of Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966, according to the order of the Government of India dated March 24, 1976, 3.5 MAF of water was allocated to Haryana out of the surplus water of Ravi-Beas. Due to non-completion of SYL canal, Haryana is using only 1.62 MAF of water. Punjab is illegally using about 1.9 MAF of water from Haryana’s share by not completing the SYL canal in its region.

Due to this attitude of Punjab, Haryana is not able to take its 1.88 MAF share of water. Punjab and Rajasthan are using about 2600 cusecs of water from Haryana every year. If this water had reached Haryana, it would have been used to irrigate 10.08 lakh acres of land, quench the state’s thirst, and help thousands of farmers.

Due to non-availability of this water, the groundwater level in South-Haryana is also going down considerably. Due to non-construction of SYL, farmers of Haryana irrigate by using expensive diesel and running tubewells with electricity, which incurs an additional burden of Rs. 100 crore to Rs. 150 crore every year. Due to non-formation of SYL in Punjab region, the irrigation potential created to irrigate 10 lakh acres in Haryana is lying idle. Additionally, the state also bears the loss of 42 lakh tonnes of food grains every year. Haryana would have generated an additional 130 lakh tonnes of food grains and other crops had SYL been established in 1983 in accordance with the 1981 agreement. The total value of this agricultural produce at the rate of 15,000 per tonne is Rs. 19,500 crore.