Category Archives: News

A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart.

Two-day conference begins to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Haryana State Commission for Women

IEP Chandigarh, January 11

A two-day international women’s conference was inaugurated at Rajhans Hotel in Faridabad on Thursday to mark the 25th anniversary of Haryana State Commission for Women. The programme was inaugurated by the chairperson of the National Women’s Commission, Rekha Sharma. The first session was about how to recognize women internationally for women empowerment.

Speaking at the occasion, Rekha Sharma said that the main objective of this programme is to empower women and to create awareness among women.

She said that the Constitution of India gives equal rights to women in every field and women are also ensuring their important role in protecting the country. The picture of Haryana has changed today because of the Haryana Women Commission and when the female foeticide number will be at zero only then the aim of the Commission will be accomplished, she said.

She said that daughters should be given the same freedom as boys. We have to start this from our families, because in the family itself gender discrimination should be stopped, she said.

On this occasion, the Haryana State Commission for Women, Chairperson, Smt. Renu Bhatia, said that the Commission has started organising a two-day conference called “Asian Countries Summit” – Durga Empowering Women on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. The programme was attended by women who have made a mark at the international level, she said.

Former MLA from Madhya Pradesh, Shabnam Mausi said that women should be respected equally as men and now it is time  that transgenders should also get the same respect in society.

Renowned Transgender activist, Gauri Savant said that transgenders should be given equal respect by the people of society and family, just like women and men. I have also struggled for this in my life. As society is changing we have got the right to vote and to some extent the society have started  giving good responses to transgenders, she said.

Many dignitaries remained present at the occasion.

Haryana Police Implements Trip Monitoring System for Women’s Safety during Solo Travel

IEP Chandigarh

To enhance the sense of security among women, Haryana Police is conducting campaigns at various locations, delivering a strong message to unruly individuals. Under this initiative, police teams have been deployed in each district, targeting areas where women commonly face harassment.

Haryana Director General of Police, Sh. Shatrujeet Kapur today said that this campaign has been launched statewide to curb crimes against women. Female police officials in civilian attire are stationed in areas identified as hotspots for molestation, taking action against miscreants. The teams are stationed in busy locations such as schools, colleges, educational institutions, bus stands, corporate sectors, markets, etc., actively preventing harassment and misconduct towards women and girls, taking necessary action. During these encounters, young individuals are questioned and warned, while their parents are contacted and informed about their children’s behavior to prevent future incidents.

Sh. Kapur emphasized that women’s safety is a top priority in the state. Teams of female police officers, deployed throughout the state, have undergone specialized training by experts from a voluntary organization in Gurugram district. This training equips the teams with skills to prevent crimes against women and effectively communicate with women to gather feedback.

Additionally, a Trip Monitoring System has been initiated in the state to enhance women’s safety. Women traveling alone can utilize this service provided by Haryana Police by registering on Haryana 112. Once registered, women can ensure their journey’s safety, as they will be continuously monitored by the Haryana Police team until they reach their destination securely. An appeal has been made to women to take advantage of this service by registering themselves in large numbers.

Hry Deputy CM hears grievances of people, gives directions to officers

IEP Chandigarh, January 11

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister, Sh. Dushyant Chautala said that government has increased the budget of panchayats for the development works of the villages from Rs. 1,200 per person to Rs. 2,000 per person.

Sh. Chautala was addressing public meetings in Uklana, Surewala, Kharak Punia, Rajli, Kheri Barki, and Raipur villages in Hisar district on Thursday.

He also laid the foundation stone of a rest house in Uklana in the presence of Labour Minister, Sh. Anoop Dhanak. The rest house will be constructed at a cost of Rs.11 crore 60 lakhs.

The Deputy Chief Minister announced that a community centre and school gate will be built in Kharak Punia village in Uklana assembly constituency. He also directed the officers concerned that a survey be conducted for a PHC in the village.

The Deputy Chief Minister directed the officers concerned that in the Rajli village, Barwala, a gram secretariat will be constructed along with the development of park. He said that along with these works repair work of the bank building will also be done.

Similarly, Sh. Chautala assured that many demands made by the villagers of Khedi Berki and Raipur will be fulfilled.

Labour Minister Sh. Dhanak thanked the Deputy Chief Minister for the announcements made for the various villages.

He said that the Uklana has undergone a transformation during the tenure of present state government.

Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra proving to be a boon for poor families: Kamlesh Dhanda

IEP Chandigarh

Haryana Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Kamlesh Dhanda said that the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, which is going on across the country, is proving to be a boon for citizens. Through the Yatra, eligible people and families are being provided the benefits of central and state government schemes on the spot.

Smt. Kamlesh Dhanda addressed the villagers and participated as the chief guest in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra programme of the villages Sisla and Sismore of Kaithal. On this occasion, she also inspected the stalls set up by various departments and provided the benefit of welfare schemes to the underprivileged.

She said that the government is working diligently to make sure that the welfare schemes of the central and state government reaches to the last person in the society and immediate resolution is being given for the public grievances.

She stated that the government has implemented different schemes keeping all sections in mind. In this context, she mentioned the government’s various pension schemes, Ayushman Bharat, Ujjwala and Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana etc.

Smt. Kamlesh Dhanda said that under the leadership of Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi and Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal, the country and the state are progressing on the path of progress and development. The government’s schemes and projects are being reached to every section of the people. The state government is working on the policy of ‘Sabka Saath-Sabka Vikas-Sabka Vishwas-Sabka Prayas’.

Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal is carrying out uniform development work in the state. Employment is being provided to the youth of the state and through various types of portals, where services are being provided to the people, corruption has also been curbed.

Basic amenities like roads, water, sewerage, sanitation and other are being provided to the public. If there is any problem anywhere, it is being resolved on priority.

Ghar-Ghar Congress, Har Ghar Congress’ campaign will be launched in Haryana on January 15

IEP Chandigarh

The Congress announced the start of the ‘Ghar-Ghar Congress, Har Ghar Congress’ campaign in Haryana from January 15. It was decided that that the party would reach every home and every voter, showcasing the policies of the Congress and the failures of the government, at a state level meeting of the party at Congress Bhawan in Chandigarh today. 

The meeting was presided over by party in-charge Deepak Babaria. Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, State President Chaudhary Udaibhan, Rajya Sabha member Deepender Hooda, party MLAs, former MLAs, senior leaders and Congress volunteers attended the meeting.

Party in-charge Deepak Babaria said Haryana Congress is continuously working in election mode. “Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ is going to start from 14th, and this yatra too is also expected to get historical support like ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. The very next day, a new campaign will be started by Haryana Congress,” he said.

“Jan Aakrosh rallies are being held continuously by the party, which are getting tremendous support from the public. Now one to one communication will be established with the voters through ‘Har Ghar Congress’ campaign. The workers will tell the public how Congress is known for keeping its promises, while BJP is known for breaking promises,” he added. 

Babaria pointed out that the BJP has retracted from the announcement of ₹500 cylinder in Rajasthan. “Today there is an atmosphere of inflation and inequality in the entire country including Haryana. The youth of Haryana are forced to migrate from the country. BJP-JJP have broken all records of unemployment and corruption in Haryana,” he stated.

On this occasion, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said there was a clear wave in favour of the Congress in the state and added that the the obvious does not need proof. “The wind of change in favour of the Congress can be clearly felt in Haryana. During Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, Congress held record breaking rallies in Mewat and Panipat. Recently, the ‘Kisan Mazdoor Jan Aakrosh Rally’ in Sirsa left all the rallies behind in terms of crowd attendance,” he stated.

“The actions of BJP-JJP have been exposed before the public. Congress had made Haryana number one in per capita income, investment, employment generation, law and order, development and prosperity, but the present government has made the state number one in unemployment, inflation, crime, drugs, corruption and atrocities. That is why the public is inclined towards Congress. The support base of Congress is continuously expanding in the state. The party is getting stronger with the continuous joining of leaders like Nirmal Singh and Chitra Sarwara in Congress,” he added. 

The former Chief Minister said he would launch the ‘Ghar-Ghar Congress, Har Ghar Congress’ campaign from Jind, while state Congress president Chaudhary Udaibhan would launch it in Narnaul and Congress MP Deepender Hooda would launch the campaign from Rohtak.

Haryana Congress president Chaudhary Udaibhan said a committee of 31 people will be formed at the booth level under the new campaign. “The responsibility of this committee will be to eliminate bogus votes, know the problems of the people and connect them with Congress through social media,” he said.

“War rooms will be set up by the party in Delhi and Chandigarh. Jaideep Dhankhar has been made the chairman of Delhi War Room. At the same time, the command of Chandigarh has been handed over to Chandvir Hooda, Ravindra Rawal and Pawan Jain. Under this, 30 coordinators will be appointed, who will perform various responsibilities in all the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies. In the coming days, the entire state will be painted in the colors of Congress,” he stated.

Deepender Hooda said despite being in power, BJP-JJP leaders are leaving the party and they are continuously joining Congress, despite the party being in opposition. “So far, 37 former ministers and former MLAs from other parties have joined Congress. This is the result of the party’s activism because Congress has played the role of a strong opposition in the last four and a half years,” he said.

“Congress has been seen standing together in the struggle of every class. Haryana has always created history. Be it farmers or wrestlers, the government always had to bow before the struggle and resolve of the people of Haryana,” he added.

TRANSPORT MINISTER URGES MOTOR VEHICLE OWNERS TO AFFIX HSRPS

IEP Chandigarh, January 10

Punjab Transport Minister S. Laljit Singh Bhullar, on Wednesday, urged all the owners/drivers to affix HSRPs on their vehicles on priority.

In a press communiqué issued here, the Transport Minister said that as per the orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and notification of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, affixation of High Security Registration Plates (HSRPs) is mandatory for all vehicles. These directives make it necessary for all vehicles registered in the State of Punjab to have High Security Registration Plates.

S. Bhullar mentioned various measures undertaken by the state government such as opening of additional fitment centers and offering the option of house fitment etc. to simplify the process of affixing HSRPs.

The Cabinet Minister informed that in the past, awareness campaigns conducted across various media platforms to sensitize individuals about the necessity of HSRPs, resulting in many complying already. S. Bhullar once again appealed to all the motor vehicle owners and drivers to affix HSRPs on their vehicles, as the violation of the same will lead to heavy penalty.

CM FORMALLY ANNOUNCES CULMINATION OF THE SECOND EDITION OF KHEDAN WATAN PUNJAB DIAN

IEP Chandigarh, January 10

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday announced the formal culmination of the second season of the biggest sporting extravaganza of the state Khedan Watan Punjab Dian.

The Chief Minister said that more than 4.5 lakh players had participated in these games held across the state. He said that cash awards worth Rs 8.30 crore have been digitally transferred in the bank accounts of around 11,000 players who had bagged Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the state level during games. Bhagwant Singh Mann congratulated all the players for their stupendous success adding he hoped that these players will continue to bring laurels for the state in sporting competition at national and international level.

The Chief Minister said that this year 35 competitions were held in eight age groups adding that for the first time Rugby, Cycling, Horse Riding, Wushu and Shooting Volleyball have been introduced in the games. He said that the competitions were held in the age groups of under 14, under 17, Under 21, 21-30 years, 31-40 years, 41-55 years, 56-65 years and above 65 years age group. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that players were given cash prizes worth Rs 8.30 crore including RS 10,000 for gold, Rs 7000 for silver and Rs 5000 for bronze medal winners.

The Chief Minister further said that these games are a right step towards this direction as they are providing a platform to the players for showcasing their talent. Bhagwant Singh 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. He further said that the state government is leaving no stone unturned to popularize sports in the state as it can play a key role in progress of the state and prosperity of its people.

PUNJAB TO REDUCE CROP RESIDUE BURNING TO 50% THIS YEAR: GURMEET SINGH KHUDIAN

IEP Chandigarh, January 10

Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, on Wednesday, said that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government has set a target to bring down the crop residue burning to 50 per cent in the upcoming season.

          He was addressing the one-day state level workshop-cum-training on “space based technology for monitoring stubble burning under Agro-geoinformatics” organized by Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC), Ludhiana here at MGSIPA.

          S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that pollution is a vast issue, and holding only farmers responsible for the same would not change anything on ground as they are also victims of uncontrolled pollution. All should come together and find a solution to save the environment for our future generations, said S. Khudian while adding that the hardworking farmers and laborers of the Punjab, who made the country self-dependent in food security, would contribute their maximum in this move.

          He further said that Punjab Government has not been leaving any stone unturned to tackle the crop residue burning menace as around 23000 Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines are being provided to the state farmers on the subsidy during FY 2023-24. Due to the concerted efforts of the government, the stubble burning incidents have reduced to 36,623 in 2023 from 49,922 fire incidents in 2022, reflecting a positive change of 26 per cent. Earlier, this facility was running under 100% assistance from GoI but at present it is on sharing basis of 60:40 ) Centre- State).

          Meanwhile, Special Chief Secretary (Development) Mr. KAP Sinha said that the state government is mulling to launch the Crop Residue Management (CRM) campaign this year in advance to contain the fire incidents more effectively, besides encouraging the farmers to adopt the crop diversification to wean away them from two crops (wheat-paddy) cycle to address the problem of groundwater depletion. 

          He said, “Punjab is known for Agriculture that’s why the state is called a food bowl of the country. Our prestige attached with agriculture and Punjab will not let it go to any other state”, while adding that the capacity of In-situ and Ex-situ will also be increased in hot-spot areas, besides, involving cooperative societies to support small, marginal and SC farmers.

          Director PRSC Dr. B. Pateriya highlighted the harmful effects of stubble burning on air, soil quality, as well as human health. He called for synergy among the Department of Agriculture, NGOs, academia, industry and farmers to tackle the menace of paddy straw burning.

          Principal Scientist Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi Dr. Vinay Kumar Sehgal made a presentation on the Application of space technology in crop residue burning. Dr. RK Setia, Group Head, demonstrated the role of geospatial technology and its applications with special reference to Punjab. Dr. Hapinder Singh, Group Head, elaborated the process of monitoring satellite based crop residue burning in Punjab.

         Chairman Punjab Pollution Control Board Prof. (Dr.) Adarsh Pal Vig, Deputy Commissioner Fazilka Ms Senu Duggal, Deputy Commissioner Ferozepur Mr. Rajesh Dhiman, Deputy Commissioner Bathinda Mr Showkat Ahmad Parray and other senior officials of civil and police administration also participated in the discussion and gave their feedback to control the stubble burning in coordination with all the stakeholders.

‘NAL JAL MITRA SCHEME’ TO BE LAUNCHED SOON IN ALL VILLAGES OF PUNJAB: JIMPA

IEP Chandigarh, January 10

On the direction of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the ‘Nal Jal Mitra Scheme’ is set to be launched across all villages in Punjab. The Department of Water Supply and Sanitation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, has devised a comprehensive multi-skilling course for ‘Nal Jal Mitra.’ Beneficiaries undertaking the course will not incur any fees, as the government will bear all costs.

Divulging the further information, Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa said that the course’s primary goal is to offer skill-based training to local residents in villages, empowering them to efficiently manage water supply schemes. He said that course participants will gain the ability to perform minor repairs and maintenance, potentially leading to employment opportunities within their villages.

The Cabinet Minister said that the course spans 510 hours and aims to create employment opportunities within approximately 12,000 villages of Punjab through the Nal Jal Mitra program. The Technical Education Department will provide training in plumbing, electrical works, pump operation and more. The government is planning to launch this program by March of this year.

To facilitate the training initiative, gram panchayats in villages would nominate a local individual for maintaining their water supply scheme. Each gram panchayat is expected to have at least one person undergo ‘Nal Jal Mitra’ training.

It is pertinent to mention here that under the Jal Jeevan Mission, efforts are underway to ensure water availability for every rural household. In many Punjab villages, gram panchayats manage water supply schemes through water and sanitation committees (GPWSC). The long-term sustainability of these schemes relies on skilled human resources at the local level, making the implementation of the Nal Jal Mitra scheme crucial across all villages in Punjab.

CHETAN SINGH JAURAMAJRA SPEARHEADS MISSION ‘CANAL WATER TO EVERY FIELD’, HOLDS MEETINGS WITH MLAS TO GATHER GROUND INFORMATION

IEP Chandigarh, January 10

Under mission ‘Canal water to every field’ and to reduce reliance on underground water, Punjab Water Resources and Soil & Water Conservation Minister S. Chetan Singh Jauramajra is actively engaging with local MLAs, district administration and concerned departments to collect essential on-ground information.

During the recent meetings with MLAs of various constituencies at Patiala, Ludhiana, Moga and Amritsar, S. Chetan Singh Jauramajra has issued clear instructions to the officials concerned that canal water to each field should be ensured in a stipulated time frame, as the use of ground water in the state can be reduced only by maximum use of canal water.

S. Chetan Singh Jauramajra infomed that groundwater resources of the state are declining at an alarming rate with 117 out of 150 blocks comprising nearly 80% of state’s geographical area already under over-exploited category, stressing on need to develop alternate surface water-based irrigation water sources and also maximizing canal water usage to arrest declining groundwater resources of the state.

He said that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led government is making continuous efforts to save the underground water for future generations, while the previous dispensations kept avoiding this serious issue, which resulted in near destruction of the entire canal water infrastructure. He asserted that the Mann government will bring the canal structure fully on track, and upcoming Kharif season would witness the restoration of the canal water system, ensuring its availability to tale end and every field.

Stressing on the need to utilize treated water for irrigation purposes, S. Chetan Singh Jauramajra said that the state government, under its efforts aimed at preventing further depletion of underground water and to reduce the agricultural input costs for the farmers, has set target to double the treated water usage to 600 MLD by end of current financial year, thus benefitting 20,000 hectares of agriculture land. The state is at present utilizing 320 MLD for irrigation, he added.

The Water Resources Minister has also instructed the officials to vacate the illegal encroachments on the water courses so that the farmers can get canal water. He also urged the farmers to vacate the illegal encroachments from the water courses on their own, as these water courses will irrigate their fields.

The Cabinet Minister said that the government has acquired ten large machines for the cleaning of the water courses and drains, which resulted in 60 percent cost saving. He said that if the need arises, additional machinery will be purchased to complete the work.

He directed the officials to clean the water courses and drains and complete the ongoing projects in a timely manner, adding that demarcation of every drain should be done immediately after the harvest of the crop.