IEP Chandigarh, December 31

Haryana Chief Minister has extended best wishes to the state and the countrymen on the eve of New Year 2023.

He wished that may this year bring happiness and prosperity for all and wished everyone to stay hale and hearty. He also called upon the people of the state and countrymen to keep giving their important contributions to the progress of the state and the country.

The Chief Minister said that the Haryana government has succeeded in its efforts to bring good governance in the state and these efforts would continue in the future as well. 

Today Haryana is recognized among the developed states of the country and the reason for this is the immense hard work of every Haryanvi along with the successful implementation of the welfare policies of the government at the grass root level. Following the mantra of Haryana Ek-Haryanvi Ek, we have ensured holistic development of the state, as a result of which today every section of the society is feeling connected with our policies, added Sh. Manohar Lal.

He said that while following the Antyodaya philosophy as taught by Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, the State Government had taken a resolution to celebrate the year 2022 as Antyodaya Utthan Varsh to bring all those sections of society, who were left, into the mainstream.

He said that emphasis has also been given to promoting 5S — Shiksha, Swasthaya, Suraksha, Swabhiman and Swavlamban to ensure the holistic development of Haryana.

The Year 2023 will be  Antyodaya Arogya Year

The Chief Minister said that taking forward the journey of the State Government’s efforts made for the upliftment of Antyodaya, it has decided to celebrate the year 2023 as Antyodaya Arogya Varsh.

‘Health for all’ is our resolve. We are ensuring that no one, because of financial constraints, should face any difficulty in getting timely treatment. To achieve this target Nirogi Haryana Yojana has been launched. Under the first phase, the health checkups of Antyodaya families will be done, shared the Chief Minister.

2023 will be celebrated as Millets Year

 Sh. Manohar Lal said that the year 2023 is going to be very significant from the perspective desired by Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi, the year be celebrated as the International Millet Year. 

The Haryana government will also make every possible effort to promote the use of millet in the state following the call made by the Prime Minister, added the Chief Minister.

He said that while the use of coarse grains will be encouraged, farmers will be encouraged for its cultivation as well so that their income also increases. 

The Chief Minister said that coarse grains are known for their nourishing and disease fighting abilities. These grains are full of fiber, minerals, and protein. That’s why coarse grains must be included in the food and in this way it will also work as ‘Diet is Medicine’.

IEP Chandigarh, December 31

Haryana Governor, Sh. Bandaru Dattatraya has extended hearty greetings to the people of the nation, especially Haryana residents, on the auspicious occasion of New Year 2023. The Governor stated in his message that the dawn of the new year brings new hopes and aspirations, which we can fulfill with determination and dedication. He wished everyone a happy and prosperous new year and wished them all a great, glorious, and prosperous future.

Sh. Dattatraya has expressed the hope that in year 2023 also, Haryana will remain a leader in the fields of agriculture, sports, health, transport, public welfare and social welfare etc. and will emerge as an ideal state in every sector of development. He has appealed to the people of the state to work together to strengthen national unity and integrity in the spirit of brotherhood, communal harmony and friendship in the new year and resolve to stay away from evils.

IEP Chandigarh, December 30

The Haryana Government has notified the time limits and appellate authorities for 10 services to be provided to the citizens by the Employment Department under the Right to Services Act, 2014.        Giving information in this regard, Chief Secretary, Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal said that 15 days timeline has been set for registration for Saksham Yojana, a 1-month timeline for registration For Job Seeker, 15 days for Registration under one Family one job, 15 days time limit for Addition Qualification and other related certificates, 15 days for the time limit for Registration Renewal and a Grace period of two months of Renewal 15 days for registration renewal and two months grace period for renewal, 15 days for Transfer of Registration from one Exchange to another Exchange within State, 45 days limit for Relaxation in Renewal after delay of two months, 01-day time limit for Providing of free travel vouchers for interviews to all eligible applicants, 03 months timeline for Unemployment allowance and a time limit of 15 days has been set for registration of employers in the employment exchange.

IEP Chandigarh, December 30

Haryana Institute of Public Administration, (HIPA) Gurugram, Haryana welcomed on its premises, the first time ever visit of the Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) Sh. G.C. Murmu as the Chief Guest for the Valedictory Ceremony of the Special Foundation Course for officers of the Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) and Indian Postal Service (IPoS) from 2018, 2019 and 2020 batches.

HIPA organized this fifteen-week-long prestigious training programme from September 19, 2022, to December 30, 2022, on behalf of LBSNAA Mussoorie. The valedictory function was organized to commemorate the learnings and experiences of the officer trainees. The trainees were felicitated with Certificates on the successful completion of the Special Foundation Course and the meritorious officers were awarded Medals for their exemplary performances across academic and non-academic domains.

In his Valedictory address, Sh. G.C. Murmu highlighted that the Foundation Course is one of the most memorable periods in the life of a Civil Servant as they come into contact with officers of other services and develop a bonding that could help shape inter-cadre teamwork in their jobs.

He expressed confidence that the purpose of providing insights into the social, economic and political environment in the country to the trainees has been met fully. He appreciated the feedback of trainees which shows that the SFC has been able to provide them with inter-service friendships for a lifetime and nuanced understanding of the social, cultural, environmental and economic aspects of the functioning of the Country.

From his experience of heading Jammu & Kashmir as its Lt. Governor, Mr Murmu could provide valuable insights on challenges of governance in border areas and the national security issues and what it means for any officer or official serving the people there. He congratulated HIPA for successfully conducting this course and introducing many innovative pedagogy initiatives. He wished all officers a successful professional journey in service of the nation.

Welcoming the Chief Guest, Smt. Surina Rajan, Director General, HIPA elaborated on the key objectives and outcomes of the SFC. Dr. K.L. Prasad, Course Director, in his Report; brought out the key components of the SFC which focus on inculcating a spirit of camaraderie and esprit de corps amongst the Officer Trainees (OTs) of various services and different backgrounds apart from the academic domain knowledge.

The arduous trek to Hampta Pass in Himachal Pradesh of these Trainees helped them develop the bonding across diverse individuals of the Group. The opportunity to stay in villages in 5 districts in North-east & Rajasthan provided the trainees with an opportunity to live the lives of these common people, to be one of them and amongst them.

The OTs had individually and collectively studied the five critical areas of health, education, agriculture, gender and Panchayati Raj Institutions. The modules like Data Analytics, Sabka-Sath Sabka-Vikas, National Security and India & its neighbourhood made them understand the issues of a citizen on the ground and choices and dilemmas before the leadership at the national level.

A unique feature of the SFC at HIPA has been the focus on developing perspectives of OTs through ‘thinking out of the box’. The OTs have submitted many essays that showcases their abilities in this regard which could help shape policy making capabilities of the OTs.

The OTs got a lifetime experience during training in interacting with President Smt. Droupadi Murmu. The trainees got an opportunity to share their HIPA training experience with  President when hosted at President’s House.

The essence of shared ideals during training was synthesized by the trainees. They said, “The SFC at HIPA has been the crucible where friendships have been forged, inhibitions have been lost and confidence gained. It has further added to the training received at our respective academies”.

The ideals of Propriety, Proficiency and Productivity learnt at the Indian Railways Institute of Financial Management have been strengthened by classes on Economics and Public Policy. The IPOS motto of ‘Service Before Self’ has been imbibed by IPS and IRAS officers too as reflected by the camaraderie experienced during the arduous Himalayan trek.

“At the Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Police Academy, IPS officers learn the importance of the values: Satya, Seva and Suraksha – our modules on national security and India and its neighbourhood conducted at the Foreign Services’ Institute have helped all of us to take a more expansive, international view of these terms”, said one of the Trainees. India has 14000 police stations, a 67000 kilometers long network of railway track and dotted by 1.6 lakh post offices, an emblem of the Government’s effort to provide last mile service delivery to the common man. A Vote of Thanks was proposed by Dr. Manveen Kaur.

IEP Chandigarh, December 30

Haryana Chief Secretary, Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal today directed all administrative secretaries of departments to ensure the satisfaction of all the citizens and business stakeholders in order to strengthen the ease of doing business across the state.

Sh. Kaushal today took a detailed review of the Business Reform Action Plan (2022-23) with the administrative secretaries. He directed the administrative secretaries to resolve the pending grievances of citizens and business stakeholders at the earliest.

Sh. Kaushal stated that Haryana is able to maintain its stature of being the most preferred investment destination due to the strenuous efforts contributed by the various departments.

The Chief Secretary stated that in the last Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) ranking, Haryana has been ranked in the category of ‘Top Achievers’. He stated that he is optimistic that the state will continue its stellar performance in ease of doing business this year as well.

Under the current BRAP 2022 report released by DPIIT in the month of June 2022, there are 352 Reforms pertaining to Ease of Doing Business which are further divided into two parts Plan Action A consisting of 261 reforms relating to business, and Plan Action B consisting 91 reforms directly relating to citizens, he added.

It was apprised in the meeting that the implementation of BRAP is already done by November 30, 2022, and an online single window is developed through which continuous monitoring is being carried out. All departments are reaching out to the stakeholders to ensure a conducive environment in the state.

During the meeting Additional Chief Secretary, Financial Commissioner, Revenue and Disaster Management and Consolidation Departments, Sh. Varinder Singh Kundu, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Haryana, Labour Department, Sh. Raja Sekhar Vundru, Additional Chief Secretary to Govt. Haryana, Public Health Engineering Department, Sh. Apoorva Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance and Planning Departments, Sh. Anurag Rastogi, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. V. Umashankar, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries & Commerce Department, Sh. Anand Mohan Sharan, Chief Administrator, Trade Fair Authority of Haryana, New Delhi, Smt. G. Anupama, Managing Director, Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd., Sh. Phool Chand Meena were present.

Days after his resignation from the new ad-hoc panel of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), Jagdish Singh Jhinda, former president of the HSGMC, on Wednesday served an ultimatum on the state government to reconsider the names nominated in the new ad-hoc committee of the HSGMC by December 31.He said the new committee members were not accepted by the ‘sangat’. “The state government has ignored the community leaders, who have struggled for the formation of a separate committee in Haryana. It has accommodated loyalists in an ad hoc HSGMC panel,” he alleged. “I have served an ultimatum that by December 31 the state government should reconsider the names of the new ad-hoc committee members, otherwise I will hold a meeting in Kurukshetra on December 31 with intellectuals of the society ,” said Jhinda.“I will appear before the Akal Takht and convey the feedback of the ‘sangat’. I will follow the directions of the Akal Takht,” said Jhinda. He also demanded elections of the committe 

IEP Chandigarh, December 29

Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda has demanded a white paper from the BJP-JJP government regarding the rising debt on the state. He said the present government has drowned Haryana in debt of more than 4 lakh crores. 

“The government has loans of Rs 3,25,000 crore and liabilities of Rs 1,22,000 crore. The situation has reached a point where the government is taking loans even to pay salaries to the employees. Due to this, there is a delay in getting salary to the employees many times,” he said.

Hooda said while the debt has been sky-rocketing, no new railway line, no metro line was laid, no big university and no big project was established in the state during the tenure of the present government. Despite this, the debt burden on the state is continuously increasing. The government has trapped Haryana in the debt trap.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, he gave details about the second phase of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Haryana. “The second phase of the yatra in Haryana would start from January 5. “Rahul Gandhi will enter Haryana via Sanauli (Panipat) from UP. There will be a big public meeting in Panipat on January 6, in which thousands of people will participate. The yatra will reach Karnal on January 7 and Kurukshetra on January 8. 10th will be break day. After this, the yatra will enter Punjab from Ambala on 11th,” he said.

Hooda said the purpose of the yatra is not for political and getting votes, but to raise issues like unemployment and price rise. “Yatra is a public awareness campaign against the politics of division and making people fight in the name of caste and religion. This is the reason why the yatra is getting tremendous support from the people,” he stated. 

Speaking on the 3-day assembly session, Hooda said the government was running away from its accountability throughout the session. “Many proposals were given for discussion by the Opposition, on which the government did not even allow discussion. Even the important issue like the case filed on the farmers during the agitation was not heard despite being on the table,” he said.

The former Chief Minister said the Congress demanded an increase in the price of sugarcane, but this too was rejected by the government. “The farmers of the state are demanding a rate of Rs 450 per quintal, but the government is not even ready to give the same rate as in Punjab. 

“This season, the government did not increase the price of sugarcane even by a paisa, pushing the farmers into losses and distress. Due to the delay in fixing the rate by the government, the payment of the farmers has also stopped. The farmers are demanding that the rate of sugarcane should be Rs 450 per quintal, but the government is not even ready to rate at par with Punjab, he said.

Hooda said till 2005 the rate of sugarcane in the state was Rs.117. During the Congress tenure, it was increased by Rs 193 to Rs 310, a jump of almost 3 times, or 165 percent. “This amounts to an annual increase of about 18.3 percent. The BJP and the BJP-JJP government increased the rate of sugarcane by only 17 percent in 8 years, an annual increase of only 2.1 percent. The BJP-JJP government does not stand anywhere close to the Congress in providing a fair price to the farmers,” he said and added that the government is running away from discussion even on the issues of farmers, like shortage of fertilizers, water logging and compensation. 

“The government is also misleading on the bond policy imposed on MBBS students. The government says that it has convinced the students. The truth, however, is that pressure was created on the students. Due to three conditions in the bond policy, the children of poor and middle class families in the state will not be able to study MBBS. The government should end this policy, because the purpose of education is not to earn profit,” he stated.

Speaking on Kaushal Rojgar Nigam, Hooda said the aim seems to be to eliminate permanent jobs, merit, reservation and recruitment bodies. Through the corporation, the government is playing with the future of educated and qualified youth. The youth are being exploited by making them do temporary jobs at low wages. 

“The job of the government is to end the contract system and provide permanent jobs, but this government is promoting contract system by eliminating permanent jobs. Bypassing the merit process, the government has made the income of the family the basis for the recruitment of the corporation,” he said. 

“The government has considered the family identity card as the basis for measuring income, but the truth is that the government has no way of determining a household’s income. There are so many flaws in PPP’s income that they can not be rectified. Everyday news of mess in the PPP is coming in newspapers. Family identity cards are being used to cut the pension of the elderly and the pension of 5 lakh people has been cut till now,” he said.

“Property ID is also a system implemented only and only to harass the public. There is a lot of confusion in this. Somewhere the landlord has been made the tenant and somewhere the tenant has been made the landlord. Mistakes have been found in more than 15 lakh out of total 42.7 lakh property IDs created by the government. People are now standing in queues in government offices to get the mistake done by the government, rectified,” he said. 

Hooda reiterated that the BJP-JJP government has become just a portal government. “Portals created by the government do not work at all. We have no problem with the portal or digitalisation, but portals should be simplify governance, not to harass people and complicate the system,” he said. 

Citing the example of ‘Meri Fasal, Mera Byora’, he said the portal did nothing but harass the farmers. “Most of the portals created by the government are often not working and the server is always down. That’s why even the work done in minutes remains stuck for many days,” he stated. 

In response to a question on Punjabi language, Hooda said the Congress government had given Punjabi the status of second language in Haryana, but the recruitment of teachers of Punjabi and Urdu is not being done during the present government. 

“The government is giving step motherly treatment to the Punjabis. Similarly, in the case of separate Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee of Haryana, the government’s attitude seems to be negative. During the Congress tenure, he had approved a separate committee for the state. The court also accepted this as correct, but the present government has not been able to complete it till now,” he said. 

State Congress President Chaudhary Udaybhan was also present in the press conference.

IEP Chandigarh, December 29

In a target drive against drug mafia and narcotic trade, Haryana Police have seized a whopping 24 tonnes of narcotic substance worth crores of rupees during the year 2022.

 The police have also attached properties worth Rs 31.45 crore of those involved in drug trafficking under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Besides, the process to attach properties worth Rs 12.23 crore of persons who are facing charges of smuggling drugs in the state is also on.

Disclosing this here today, Director General of Police (DGP), Haryana, Sh. P.K. Agrawal said that Police have filed a total of 3636 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 2022, as against the 2583 cases registered in 2021.

The DGP said that effective action is being taken against drug traffickers to completely eradicate the drug menace from the state and save the future generation. People involved in the drug trade will be dealt with strictly and no one will be spared.

Giving details about the drug-wise seizure, he said that over 271 kg opium, more than 196 kg charas/sulpha, over 10173 kg poppy husk, 6 kg 701-gram smack, over 13311 kg ganja and 35 kg 328 gram of heroin was seized from the possession of drug traffickers.

To prevent drug trafficking, Police have been working relentlessly to curb drug menace. It is because of our team’s efforts as well as increased inter-state cooperation for exchange of information that the number of cases registered has increased this year compared to last year. “We have adopted a multi-pronged approach that resulted in seizure of such large amount of narcotic substances. Our field units including the Special Task Force (STF) and Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau (HSNCB) have dismantled the potential supply of almost all types of narcotics in the state. The crackdown was made in line with the government’s commitment to make Haryana a drug-free state”, he added.

At 587, the maximum cases under NDPS Act were registered in Sirsa, followed by 349 in Faridabad, 273 in Karnal, 240 in Fatehabad and 220 in Kurukshetra.

There is no place for drugs in our society. We will continue to speed up our operations against drug traffickers and drug cartels to save the people especially youth from drug menace. Besides, special campaigns are being organized to make the youth aware of the ill effects of drug addiction, he added.

 The DGP also urged people to supplement the police efforts in tightening the noose on those involved in drug peddling by sharing information about sale, consumption and use of drugs at mobile number 7087089947, toll-free number 1800-180-1314 and landline number 01733-253023.