Chandigarh, March 26 – Haryana Chief Minister Sh Nayab Singh Saini said that the state government has taken stringent action against travel agents involved in sending youth abroad through illegal means. A total of 127 cases have been registered, and action has been taken against 102 agents, with eight travel agents arrested.

The Chief Minister was speaking during the discussion on the Haryana Travel Agents Registration and Regulation Bill 2025, presented during the ongoing budget session in the Assembly here today.

He said that the bill aims to protect the youth from exploitation, ensuring transparency, accountability of travel agents, and the investigation and curb of illegal activities.

The Chief Minister added that while he is unsure of the opposition’s stance on the bill, the state government’s intention is clear that stringent action will be taken against travel agents who facilitate illegal migration.

He further informed that the bill, which concerns the youth, had been introduced in the House earlier. However, after the introduction of three new criminal laws, some sections were revised. This bill is now being reintroduced with strengthened provisions to safeguard the youth from exploitation. He highlighted that many youth used to sell their land to go abroad and they were sent abroad in an unsafe manner. Once the bill becomes law, the government becomes successful in curbing all such illegal practices.

The Chief Minister also informed the House that the bill includes provisions to combat human trafficking, with penalties of 7 to 10 years of imprisonment for those found guilty.

He said that the state government has established a Foreign Cooperation Department to manage the process of sending youth abroad for business, education, or employment. The primary goal of this bill is to ensure that all travel agents are registered, and that they operate under the new legal framework and the government can also have accurate information.

Sh Nayab Singh Saini said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh Narendra Modi, the Central Government successfully brought back 23,000 youth stranded in Ukraine during their MBBS studies.

Chandigarh, March 26 – The Haryana State Child Welfare Council has taken a unique initiative to take forward the vision of Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini towards women empowerment. In this regard, the Council’s Vice President Smt. Suman Saini invited the wives of all the ministers and MLAs of the Haryana Government to the Chief Minister’s residence Sant Kabir Kutir and sought suggestions for women empowerment through the Kamal Sakhi Manch. The idea of Kamal Sakhi Manch was started on the suggestion of the country’s Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi and the National President of the BJP Sh. Jagat Prakash Nadda. The idea was that ministers, MLAs and MPs keep meeting during programs but their family members do not get the opportunity to come on one platform, so the Kamal Sakhi Manch was formed.  The objective of this platform is to encourage the spirit of one party-one family so that family relationships can be strengthened.

It is noteworthy that earlier also, in the direction of women empowerment, Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini organized a program in Jind on the occasion of the holy month of Sawan Hariyali Teej and presented Kauthli to the women. The tradition of giving Kauthli in Haryanavi culture has been going on for centuries. The girl’s family sends Kauthli to her in-laws on Teej. This strengthens the brother-sister relationship. It is a coincidence that the oath ceremony of the newly elected mayors, chairmen and councillors of municipal corporations, municipal councils and municipalities was held in Panchkula yesterday, in which the number of women was more than 50 percent. This reflects the vision of women empowerment of the Haryana Government to ensure 50 percent participation of women in Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies.

Apart from this, the newly elected women public representatives also watched the proceedings of the ongoing budget session in the Haryana Assembly.  This is probably the first occasion after the formation of Haryana that the wife of a Chief Minister has invited the wives of ministers and MLAs together to the Chief Minister’s residence. Even before this, Smt. Suman Saini has been celebrating Haryanvi festivals with women at the Chief Minister’s residence from time to time.

In today’s program, Haryana Assembly Speaker Sh. Harvinder Kalyan, Health Minister Arti Singh Rao, Women and Child Development Minister Smt. Shruti Choudhry, MLAs Krishna Gehlawat, Shakti Rani Sharma, Bimla Chaudhary and a large number of women associated with Kamal Sakhi Manch were present.

Chandigarh, March 26

Haryana Chief Minister Sh Nayab Singh Saini said that the Haryana Prevention of Public Gambling Bill, 2025 has been passed unanimously in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha today to curb illegal activities such as gambling and betting in the state.

During the discussion on the Haryana Prevention of Public Gambling Bill, 2025 in the ongoing budget session of the Vidhan Sabha today, Sh Nayab Singh Saini informed the House that many families have been ruined due to illegal gambling and betting. He emphasized the urgent need for a strict Law to protect people from these activities, which is why this Bill has been introduced in the House.

Sh Nayab Singh Saini said that many times gambling and betting is also used to manipulate the environment and gain political advantage. He stated that this Bill will also help curb match-fixing and spot-fixing. Under the Bill, apart from provision of imprisonment for those found indulging in these illegal activities, heavy fines have been prescribed. He further informed that the Bill also includes provisions to confiscate any property acquired through illegal activities.    

Chandigarh, March 26 – Four Bills were passed in Haryana Vidhan Sabha today during the Budget Session. These include Haryana Honourable Disposal of Dead Body Bill, 2025, Haryana Registration and Regulation of Travel Agents Bill, 2025, Haryana Prevention of Public Gambling Bill, 2025 and Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Service) Amendment Bill, 2025. Besides this, Haryana Horticulture Nurseries Bill, 2025 and Aparna institution (Taking Over of Management and Control) Bill, 2025 were also introduced.

Haryana Honourable Disposal of Dead Body Bill, 2025

The Haryana Honourable Disposal of Dead Body Bill, 2025 was passed to maintain the basic human rights of the dead body in the state of Haryana and for the decent final disposal of the dead body and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.

The scope of the “right to life” contained under Article 21 of the Constitution of India includes the “rights and dignity of the dead”. Under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, the right to respect and fair treatment is available not only to the living person but also to his body after his death. Honour and respect for the deceased is the recognition of human dignity. Keeping in view the right and dignity of a dead person, nobody should be allowed to raise any demand or bait for pursuing any demands by way of any protest or agitation by not performing the timely last rites of a dead body.  It has become necessary to ensure that no person uses himself uses or allows the use of  the dead body for remonstration of any kind.

A legislation namely “The Haryana Honourable Disposal of Dead Body Bill, 2025, to provide for-decent and timely last rites of a dead body and, in case of family members disowning a dead body and thereby depriving it of last rites, performance of last rites by the public authority and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto, is required.

Haryana Registration and Regulation of Travel Agents Bill, 2025

The Haryana Registration and Regulation of Travel Agents Bill, 2025 was passed to establish a framework for ensuring transparency, accountability, integrity of travel agents and to check and curb their illegal and fraudulent activities, safeguarding the interests of the residents of the State of Haryana and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

It has come to notice that innocent and unemployed youth of Haryana are being lured into the trap of illegal migration on a large scale through illegitimate means. Unscrupulous and unregistered travel agents deceive such persons by promising them easy and quick immigration to foreign countries. These agents promise to arrange work visa, work permit, and study visa through offer letters from universities and colleges in foreign countries, but in many cases, they fail to fulfill their promises. In many cases, these agents provide fake offer letters and sometimes even form fake or unrecognized universities or colleges. They charge excessive fees and demand huge amounts of money at different stages. Many times these agents send innocent people to foreign countries illegally and such people are caught by the police of those countries and put behind bars, therefore there is a dire need to curb the illegal activities of such travel agents.

In the larger interest of the public, a law i.e. ‘Haryana Registration and Regulation of Travel Agents bill, 2025’ to provide for measures to check and monitor the unlawful and fraudulent activities of travel agents and to provide a mechanism to punish such wrong doers

as per law and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto is required.

Haryana Prevention of Public Gambling Bill, 2025

Haryana Prevention of Public Gambling Bill, 2025 was passed to provide for the prevention and punishment of public gambling, keeping of common gambling houses, betting in sports or elections, match fixing or spot fixing in sports in the State of Haryana and matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Gambling in India is governed by the Public Gambling Act, 1867 which is an old, British era law. The Law Commission of India in its 249th report has termed this law obsolete and recommended that it be its repealed. All state governments do possess power of making their respective legislation as the subject matter falls under the State List under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India and many states have enacted their public gambling laws from time to time. The majority of the gambling laws in India are outdated because there has been a sea change in the form of gambling!’ with use of electronic devices in view of advance

Technology and betting syndicates are playing havoc with the finances of the general public as the legislation has not yet been updated. It has become necessary for introducing stringent punishment for those involved in organizing gambling. Therefore, a primary responsibility of regulating betting and gambling rests with the State.

A legislation i.e. ‘the Haryana Prevention of Public Gambling Bill, 2025’ to provide for prevention and punishment of public gambling, keeping of common gaming-houses, betting in sports or elections, match fixing or spot fixing in sports and matters connected therewith or incidental thereto or of like nature in the State of Haryana and to achieve the object of saving the public at large from becoming victim of fraud committed by any such activity is required.

Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Service) Amendment Bill, 2025

The Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Service) Amendment Bill, 2025 was passed to amend the Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Service) Act, 2024.

Under the Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Service) Act, 2024, the benefit of security of service is admissible to those contractual employees who have completed at least 5 years of service in a government institution on full-time basis as on the appointed date i.e. August 15, 2024. The following provision has been made in Explanation 2 below Section 3 (ii) of the Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Service) Act, 2024.

For the purpose of calculating the number of years of appointment as per the above provision, a contractual employee who has received remuneration for at least 240 days in a calendar year shall be deemed to have worked for the entire year.

The contractual employees have requested to count 240 days during a year of contractual service instead of calendar year. Otherwise their service of their first calendar year of joining will not be counted if their date of joining is between the months of May and December. Similarly, the current year 2024 upto the cut-off date August 15, 2024 are 227 as a result their contractual service may not be 240 days during these years.

Since the request of contractual persons were genuine and for this purpose the matter was put up in Council of Ministers meeting dated December 28, 2024 for consideration that the condition of 240 days in a calendar year may be amended to 240 days during a period of one year contractual service. The Council of Ministers had approved the proposal.

It was proposed to bring this proposal by means of an Act, however, delaying this until the next session of the Legislative Assembly would to have exacerbated the distress and uncertainty among these employees, leading to potential disruptions in various Government functions.Therefore, Ordinance in this regard was notified on January 31st, 2025 i.e. Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Service) Amendment Ordinance, 2025.

The proposed Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Service) Amendment Act,2025 seeks to reduce distress and uncertainty among these employees, leading to potential disruptions in various Government functions.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday said that the Cabinet has decided to offer MLA Vinesh Phogat, the option to receive benefits equivalent to those of a silver medal under the state’s sports policy. He said that the state’s sports policy offers three types of benefits: a cash prize of Rs. 4 crore, an OSP job under Group ‘A’, and the allotment of an HSVP plot.

Addressing a press conference after presiding over the Cabinet meeting, Saini said that Vinesh had raised this issue in the Vidhan Sabha. In today’s Cabinet meeting, considering the matter, Vinesh Phogat has been treated as a special case and considered for grant of benefits under the scheme. Since Vinesh is now an MLA, the Cabinet has decided to seek options from her that which benefits she wishes to avail. The Chief Minister stated that Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Paris Olympics through a procedural decision. Given the circumstances at the time, he had tweeted that he would not allow the honour of Haryana’s pride, Vinesh Phogat, to be lessened.

In reply to another question, the Chief Minister mentioned that a group of farmers from Punjab, including 15-20 Sarpanches, most of whom were young, had come to meet him. The farmers invited him to participate in several programs. The Chief Minister stated that the youth and farmers of Punjab have expressed faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies. Farmers in Punjab see Modi as their role model, and people across the country are impressed by his policies.

Cabinet approves categorization of posts under Group A, B, C & D in Municipalities

The Cabinet has approved the categorization of posts under Group A, B, C, and D in municipalities across the state, following the pattern of other government departments. This categorization will streamline recruitment processes, enhance service equality, and bring about consistency in municipal administration, said the Government official spokesperson.

He said that with this categorization, municipal posts with Functional Pay Level (FPL) equivalent to Group A and B will now be recruited through the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC), while those under Group C and D will be filled through the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC). This move will not only ensure parity between municipal employees and those in other government departments but will also facilitate the application of government instructions, including the reservation in promotion. Currently, there are 31,533 sanctioned posts across 87 municipalities in the state, including 11 municipal corporations, 23 municipal councils, and 53 municipal committees. It may be mentioned here that in 2018, the state government had declared posts with a grade pay of Rs. 6,000 or above as Group A posts in municipal corporations only.

Approves amendment in ‘Haryana One Time Settlement Scheme for Recovery of Outstanding Dues 2025’

To further simplify the scheme for small taxpayers, the Cabinet gave approval to amendments in The Haryana One Time Settlement Scheme for Recovery of Outstanding Dues 2025′. Under the scheme, an applicant who has curnulative outstanding tax dues up to Rs. 10 lakh in all the years under a relevant Act shall get a waiver of Rs. 1 lakh. Notably, there is a high percentage of entries of arrears of small traders which is less than Rs. 10 lakh and they will be able to avail benefit of this scheme. The applicant can opt for the scheme within 180 days from the appointed day.

In light of the success of the scheme and overwhelming response from entrepreneurs across the State, the State Government has decided to extend the operative period of the Haryana AatmaNirbhar Textile Policy 2022-25 along with its subsequent schemes by one year till December 18, 2026. Additionally, the government has decided to remove the cap on the number of cases under the Capital Investment Subsidy for Textile Units scheme under the Policy.

Approves hike in honorarium for part time member of Second Haryana State Law Commission

The Cabinet has also approved an increase in the honorarium for part-time members of the Second Haryana State Law Commission. The honorarium has been raised from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 per month through an amendment to notification no. 03/01/2021-4AR dated May 26, 2021. The Commission serves as the primary body for initiating law reforms in the state. Both part-time and full-time members of the Commission are typically responsible for defining specific topics and references for the Commission’s work.

Chandigarh, March 21– Haryana Environment, Forest, and Wildlife Minister, Rao Narbir Singh said that trees are important for life, climate balance, and biodiversity. We need to preserve and expand forests for future generations. To support this, Haryana, under the leadership of Chief Minister, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, is actively promoting Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi’s campaign, “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” .

Rao Narbir Singh was speaking as the Chief Guest in a programme organised at the foot of Dhosi Hills on the occasion of World Forestry Day today. He appealed to the people to plant a tree on every special occasion and care for it until it matures. 

He also encouraged people to avoid printed wedding invitations and instead use digital invitations. Besides this, he also advised against using plastic bags to protect the environment. 

He said that one of Haryana’s unique initiatives, “Pran Vayu Devta Yojana,” provides an annual financial assistance of Rs. 3,000 to those who care for trees older than 75 years. This scheme aims to prevent tree cutting and promote environmental conservation. 

To safeguard the Aravalli hills, both central and state governments have launched the Aravalli Green Wall project, and Aravalli Green Yatra will also be started soon. This scheme will also be implemented in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. Besides this, Haryana has also established 53 herbal parks, featuring medicinal plants and significant tree species. To boost eco-tourism, the state has developed a 153-km natural rail route from Pinjore to Kalesar. Besides this, Haryana has announced the creation of the world’s largest wildlife safari, Aravali Safari Park, in the Gurugram and Nuh regions.

Chandigarh, March 21 – In line with Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini’s commitment to providing healthcare services online, the Haryana Health Department has launched a toll-free helpline 104 to help patients book appointments with doctors in government hospitals.

 Health and Medical Education Minister Kumari Arti Singh Rao inaugurated this portal today from Sector-1, Panchkula.

Meanwhile addressing the media, she said that today is a historic day for the Health Department. The helpline will also allow people to register complaints related to healthcare services, which will be addressed within five days. Besides this, the helpline will provide information about medicines as well. CMO’s from across the state participated in the event via video conferencing. She said that the main objective of the portal is to prevent people from standing in queues at civil hospitals. Appointments for doctor consultations can be scheduled in advance by dialing 104, she added.

Responding to questions, Kumari Arti Singh Rao stated necessary steps will be taken to ensure the safety of healthcare workers in hospitals and 761 new doctors have recently been appointed to address staff shortages. She also mentioned that the existing e-telemedicine services will be integrated with this new system. Besides this, she said that a meeting with the Public Works Department will soon be held to discuss hospital maintenance and repair work.

Additional Chief Secretary, Health Department, Sh. Sudhir Rajpal, Director General Health Services, Dr. Manish Bansal, Director, National Health Mission, Dr. Virender Yadav, Dr. Kuldeep Singh and other officers of the department also remained present.

Chandigarh, March 18

Haryana Health Minister Arti Singh Rao today praised the budget presented by Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini as Finance Minister and said this year, the budget of the Health Department has increased by 8.17 percent as compared to last year. She said with a budget of more than Rs 10,000 crore, while the infrastructure in the hospitals of the state will be strengthened, modern facilities and equipment will be increased in government health institutions.

Arti Singh Rao said that many medical colleges are being completed in the state and during this year, the MBBS seats will increase to 2485. This will help in meeting the shortage of doctors in the state.

She said in the last 10 years, we have increased 1485 seats of MBBS, 754 seats of post graduate degree and diploma, 30 seats of DM and MCH. Today, the state has 2185 MBBS seats, 1043 seats for post graduate degree and diploma and 37 seats for DM and MCH.

The Health Minister said at present, “Day Care Centres” are running for cancer patients in Panchkula, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Yamunanagar and Faridabad, and the announcement made in today’s budget to open “Day Care Centres” in the remaining 17 districts will provide great convenience to cancer patients. He also thanked the Government of India for approving an investment of Rs 201.59 crore in the year 2025-26 for 70 Advanced Life Support Ambulances and other structural improvements in the district hospitals of 14 districts to increase the treatment facilities during accidents and trauma. This will reduce deaths due to lack of timely treatment. She appreciated the Chief Minister for the government’s focus on Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathic systems of medicine and said that this would help the people of the state in maintaining good health. She welcomed the proposal made by the Chief Minister in the budget to upgrade the District Hospitals of Hisar and Panipat from 200 to 300 bedded hospitals, to upgrade the District Hospital of Jhajjar from 100 to 200 bedded hospitals, to equip all the District Hospitals with modern services and latest equipment and to create a Critical Care Block of 50 beds in each District Hospital and in every Government Medical College. She said the Chief Minister has shown that he is concerned about the health of the people of the state.

Budget reiterates govt’s commitment to implement National Education Policy first in country: Mahipal Dhanda

Haryana Education Minister Sh. Mahipal Dhanda said special provisions have been made in the state’s budget for the year 2025-26 to implement the National Education Policy first in the country. Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, as Finance Minister, has prepared the budget in accordance with the norms of the budget framework, which is commendable.

Reacting to the budget, Sh. Mahipal Dhanda said that the Chief Minister has consulted all stakeholders to prepare the budget outline and has given place to important suggestions in the budget. The pre-budget consultation talks with the MPs, ministers and MLAs of the state in Panchkula were very important, in which the MLAs of the ruling and opposition parties gave important suggestions. The MLAs also praised the Chief Minister wholeheartedly for this initiative.

He said 197 Government Model Sanskriti Vidyalayas are functioning in the state to provide quality education in accordance with the National Education Policy. In the financial year 2025-26, a new Model Sanskriti School will be opened in the state within every 10 km radius.

It has been decided to develop one Government Model Sanskriti Vidyalay in each district as a Center of Excellence in Sports to hone the talent of the youth of Haryana in sports, which is welcome. Haryana already has a name in the world in sports. These Excellence Centers will provide a new platform to the emerging sports talents.

The minister said collective efforts are being made by Vishwakarma Skill University, Palwal, Haryana Education Board Bhiwani and Education Department to implement the National Education Policy in the state. A total of 12 schools are running in double shift in districts Ambala, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Fatehabad, Charkhi Dadri and Mahendragarh in the state. In the financial year 2025-26, a provision has been made to run these schools in single shift by creating infrastructure as per the requirement. He said the talented students of the state are already bringing laurels to the country and the state in sports. Now in the budget, students have also been encouraged to participate in Mathematics Olympiad. There is a plan of organizing ‘Haryana Math Olympiad’ every year for the students of Class 10th to 12th, which is a good initiative. This will give the youth an opportunity to know the method of our ancient Vedic mathematics.

He said students will be given the opportunity to choose and promote their career in accordance with the National Education Policy. By starting their own startup, students will not only make themselves self-reliant but will also provide employment to other youth. Entrepreneurship competitions will be organized in every district from the academic session 2025-26 and the selected teams will be given an amount of Rs 1 lakh to convert their idea into a business model. He said in the interest of the safety of students and teachers, PM Shri School and Model Sanskriti Schools are being established in every cluster. He informed that for the first time in the budget, a provision has been made to install CCTV cameras for security, surveillance and discipline in 1497 government schools in the state. Apart from this, there is also a mention of building e-libraries in 197 Government Model Sanskriti Schools and all 250 PM Shri Schools and keeping them open for general public use after school hours.

State budget gives special focus on sports: Gaurav Gautam

Haryana’s Minister of State for Sports, Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship, Sh. Gaurav Gautam, while welcoming the budget for the year 2025-26 presented by Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini in the Assembly, said this budget will provide opportunities to the youth of Haryana in accordance with the sports policy of the state. In the coming time, new sporting talent of the state will bring glory by winning medals in national and international competitions.

He said many new proposals have been made in the budget 2025-26 to further strengthen Haryana’s sports infrastructure, provide better resources to emerging players and establish the state as a global sports power.

He said the new sports excellence centers will be opened in 5 universities of the state, namely Maharishi Dayanand University, Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Kurukshetra University and Indira Gandhi University, Rewari. He said in the budget, it has been decided to start the “2036 Vijayibhav” scheme with the aim of bringing maximum medals by the players of Haryana in the Olympic Games to be held in the year 2036 for which a provision of Rs 20 crore has been made. This is a unique initiative taken in the budget of any state. This will definitely encourage the players of Haryana and as per the vision of the Chief Minister, Haryana will make its mark in the 2036 Olympics.

Similarly, a provision has also been made in the budget for the proposal of Khiladi Bima Yojana in the financial year 2025-26, under which the players will be given medical coverage of up to Rs 20 lakh, whose premium will be paid by the government. He said in the same way, in order to motivate and encourage the players, a reward of Rs 50 lakh, 30 lakh and 20 lakh will be given to the 3 best akhadas every year at the state level.

He said that for better operation and maintenance of sports complexes of the state, two sports complexes will be given to run on PPP mode on pilot basis.

He said it is the priority of this government to keep the youth away from drugs. Under this, the Haryana Sports Equipment Provision Scheme has been started in 2023-24, in which there is a provision to allocate equipment for eight sports like volleyball, football, basketball, handball, boxing, wrestling, judo and cricket through municipal bodies and panchayats.