IEP Chandigarh, March 1

          The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will soon present the challan in the court pertaining to the Behbal Kalan firing case.

          A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting held between the state government and representatives of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha. In the meeting Cabinet Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora held discussions with leaders of Qaumi Insaaf Morcha including Advocate Amar Singh Chahal, Pal Singh France and Balwinder Singh.  During the meeting the Ministers apprised the delegation that the state government will soon present challan in the court regarding Behbal Kalan firing incident.

          The Ministers also apprised the delegation that the state government has already flagged the issue of making stringent provisions in existing laws of IPC related to sacrilege with the Union Home Minister. They said that the matter is already under the active consideration of the state government. They said that soon this issue will be raised before the President of India.

          On the issue of prisoners languishing in jails across the country, the Ministers said that for the release of Gurdeep Singh Khaira and Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar, the state government will soon contact the Delhi and Karnataka governments. It was also decided that the government will accept the pleas of the families of Gurmeet Singh, Lakhwinder Singh and Shamsher for their early release and start the process accordingly. It was also decided that the remaining demands regarding this will be considered in the second phase.

          They also assured that the government will take legal advice on the plea of shifting all the cases related to Jagtar Singh Hawara to Mohali court.  It was decided that the decision on this will be taken before March 31. In view of the inconvenience being caused to people, the morcha agreed to postpone the March by 31 members of morcha towards residence of the Chief Minister.

          During discussion regarding Bapu Surat Singh it was agreed that after he was discharged from the DMC Hospital, the state government will take care of his health. It was also decided that the morcha will ensure that Bapu Surat Singh will not participate in the protest for atleast a fortnight.

IEP Chandigarh, March 1      

    The Punjab Government led by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is fully dedicated since day one to improve the living standard of common man with its pro people decisions. As part of this, the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak presided over a review meeting of the PUNSUP at Sector 34.          In the meeting with the General Managers of the Headquarters and District Managers, the Minister said that the process to provide various services to the people must be transparent and accelerated. Also, in accordance with today’s era, a robust working mechanism should be developed in place of the time worn traditional practices. Modern times are an era of fierce competition hence the department needs to concentrate on innovative techniques to further improve the functioning.          Divulging further, the Minister said that focus is being placed on the core areas of employment, power, health and education by the Punjab Government.          The initiative of PUNSUP pertaining to running the LPG agencies in Amritsar, Bathinda, Ludhiana, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Barnala, Jalandhar and Kharar (Mohali) to augment the income also came in for praise from Mr. Kataruchak.          The Minister also directed to call a meeting of the Inspector rank officers sooner besides laying stress on the proper maintenance of the foodgrains stored in the godowns as the farmers toil day in and day out to produce the foodgrains.          On the occasion, the MD, PUNSUP Amrit Kaur Gill expressed gratitude to the Minister for the State Government’s gesture of paying off Rs. 350 crore debt related to the Union Bank of India incurred by PUNSUP on effective implementation of the Atta Dal scheme thus providing a huge Financial relief.          The Chairman of PUNSUP Balbir Singh Pannu was also among those present.

IEP Chandigarh/ New Delhi, March 1  

        Punjab NRIs Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Wednesday demanded to include both the Amritsar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport (Mohali) for direct flights connectivity to Canada, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco (USA) etc underlying that the commencement of these direct flights would ensure great facility to large number of travellers for both sides.           Calling on Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M. Scindia here, Punjab NRIs Affairs Minister apprised that large number of Punjabis and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card holders had been living in Canada and USA since long. He requested on behalf of the Government of Punjab to include both the Airports of Amritsar and Mohali for direct flights connectivity to airports namely Vancouver, Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco (USA) to redress this long pending demand of the Punjabi Diaspora living in these countries. He apprised the Union Minister that during the NRI Sammelans organised by Punjab Government in December last year the Punjabi NRIs emphasized for commencement of these flights.           The Minister pointed out that there had been a persistent demand for providing direct air connectivity between Amritsar and Canada. Citing that it is of utmost significant to make direct flights operational from Amritsar to Canadian cities, said the Minister adding that presently travelers both from Amritsar and Canadian cities are hugely inconvenienced, as they have to travel to or from New Delhi or other cities in India to reach their destinations.           Emphasizing that there is enough volume of travelers from Amritsar, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal informed the Union Minister that this volume of travellers could cater to at least five flights in a week of wide bodied aircrafts to Canada. The recent bilateral Air Services agreement between India and Canada includes other Indian cities but has excluded Amritsar in the list of cities for direct flight operations, said the Minister adding that the Amritsar should had also been included in these cities.          On behalf of large number of Punjabi travelers of this region and the State Government, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal also requested the Union Minister to revisit the agreement by including the city of Amritsar and Mohali for direct flight connectivity. He said that this direct air connectivity would be of great benefit to Punjabis besides addressing long pending issue of the people of the region.          Mr. Dhaliwal revealed that Mr. Scindia assured to consider this demand on priority and to do sincere efforts for solving this issue.

IEP Chandigarh, March 1

          The Youth Services Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer has called upon the youth clubs of the state to expand their scope of activities at the ground level by reviving them and channelize the energy of the youth in the right direction. In this regard, the youth services department also released an amount of Rs. 1.50 Cr. to all the districts for the activities of the clubs.

          It was stated by Meet Hayer in a press communiqué issued today after presiding over a high-level meeting of the Youth Services Department at Punjab Bhawan. He said that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has visualized the dream of Rangla Punjab, in the fulfillment of which the youth can play the biggest and most important role. He said that the youth will be engaged in constructive activities for building a better society.

          Meet Hayer said that after the announcement made by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, this time after a long period of time, the selection process of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Youth Award given to the youth has been finalized. The names of the selected youth will be announced soon. In order to inculcate leadership qualities in the youth, they would be taken on tour to the tourist, heritage, religious and historical places of the State.

          The Minister further said that the number of youth clubs in the state is large but the activities of most of the clubs are completely closed. Such clubs should be identified and activated. He said that prevention of drugs, participation in sports, awareness among farmers against stubble burning, cultural activities etc. should be given priority in the activities of youth clubs.

          The meeting was attended by Punjab Youth Development Board Chairman Parminder Singh Goldi, Youth Services Department Director Amit Talwar, Deputy Director Dr. Kamaljit Singh Sidhu, Assistant Director Rupinder Kaur, Nehru Yuva Kender State Director Surinder Saini and all the field officers.

IEP Chandigarh, March 1

          Punjab Information and Public Relations Minister Mr. Aman Arora on Wednesday mourned the sad demise of Principal Harbans Kaur, the mother of Padma Shri S. Jagjit Singh Dardi, Chairman of Charhdikala Group. Principal Harbans Kaur (95) take her last breath today at her home in Patiala.

          Extending his heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved family and relatives of the deceased, Mr. Aman Arora prayed to the Almighty to give them courage to bear this irreparable loss and grant eternal peace to the departed soul.

          Meanwhile, Principal Secretary Information and Public Relations Mr. Rahul Bhandari and Director Ms. Sonali Giri also expressed their heartfelt condolences to S. Jagjit Singh Dardi in this hour of grief.

IEP Chandigarh, February 27

          The newly appointed Chairman of Punjab Mandi Board Harchand Singh Barsat on Monday assumed the charge of his office at Punjab Mandi Board in presence of galaxy of Cabinet Ministers, MLAs and others.

          On this occasion, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh, Local Bodies Minister Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Transport and Animal Husbandry Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar and Revenue Minister  Bram Shanker Jimpa extended warm words of congratulations to the newly appointed chairman and expressed hope that the Punjab Mandi Board would scale new heights under his leadership. They assured the newly appointed Chairman for all possible help and cooperation.

          On this occasion, Mr. Barsat tendered words of gratitude towards National Convener of Aam Aadmi Party and Delhi Chief Minister Mr. Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister of Punjab Mr. Bhagwant Mann including the senior leadership of the party for entrusting him the responsibility. He said that he will perform his duties with utmost sincerity and dedication. He said that his sole aim to work for the betterment of the state and its people.

          On this occasion MLAs Jaswinder Singh Ramdas, Ajitpal Singh Kohli, Master Jagsir Singh, Vijay Singla, Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Varinder Goyal, Charanjit Singh Channi, Gurdit Singh Sekhon, Jamilu Rahman, Devinderjit Singh Ladi Dhos, Kulwant Singh, Kuljit Singh Randhawa, Rajinderpal Kaur Chhina, Naresh Kataria, Amarpal Singh, Amandeep Kaur, Kulwant Singh Pandori, Principal Budh Ram, Labh Singh Ugoke, Balkar Singh DCP, Fauja Singh Sarari,Jagdeep Singh Kaka Brar, Neena Mittal, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Daljit Singh Grewal Bhola, Sarwan Singh Dhun, Kulwant Singh Shatrana, Dr. Ajay Gupta, Sarabjit Kaur Manuke apart from Punjab Mandi Board officials, dignitaries and family members of the newly appointed chairman were present.

IEP Chandigarh, February 27       

   In Order to achieve the objectives of the state Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwan Mann, a meeting with all Administrative Secretaries was held today under the Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua.          Chief Secretary Mr. Janjua directed all departments to work in tandem to enhance ease of life of the common man. All departments shall work to do away with all the unnecessary documentation and make process reforms to deliver services to citizens. It has been directed that services to citizens should be delivered in a seamless manner and should be delivered within timelines.          The Chief Secretary further informed that a dedicated Governance Cell has been established in the his office manned by Senior IAS officers of the State including Amit Dhaka, Varinder Sharma, Kumar Amit and Girish Dayalan. The team will coordinate with departments for process study and propose necessary reforms considering the best practices of other states/countries.          Amit Dhaka has given a detailed presentation on way forward of working of Governance Cell and gave its vision. It was informed that Governance Cell will coordinate with each department, study it and simplify the procedures with a clear objective of ease of living. It was informed that connect portal of Punjab shall be strengthened for the delivery of all Government services. Apart from it, all touchpoints like Sewa Kendras, Saanj Kendras, Fard Kendras etc., shall be revamped with modern infrastructure and amenities for the best quality service delivery.           The meeting was attended by all Administrative Secretaries of the state.         

IEP Chandigarh, February 27    

      The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is constantly striving for the welfare of every section of the state. Working in this direction, Labour, Grievance Redressal, Investment Promotion, Tourism and Cultural Affairs, and Hospitality Minister Ms Anmol Gagan Mann said that the state government has released Rs.77.65 crore to 57,829 registered construction workers under various constructions worker welfare schemes during past 11 months through the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.          Giving more information in this regard, the minister said that the state government has already increased the minimum wages of unskilled workers from Rs. 9192 to Rs. 9907, while the minimum wages of semi-skilled workers has been increased from Rs. 9972 to Rs. 10687. Apart from this, the wages of skilled workers have been increased from Rs. 10869 to Rs. 11584 and the wages of highly skilled workers have been increased from Rs. 11901 to Rs. 12616.          Apart from this, minister further informed that a mobile app “Punjab Kirti Sahayak” has already been launched with the aim of providing great convenience to the construction workers. She said that with this mobile app, the construction worker need not go to the Suvidha Centre, instead, he/she can get himself registered using his mobile phone and take advantage of the welfare schemes of the government, saving him from the loss of his daily wages.          The minister appealed the construction workers to register themselves through “Punjab Kirti Sahayak” and become beneficiaries of the construction workers welfare schemes of the state government. 

IEP Chandigarh/SAS Nagar, February 27

          With an aim to spread awareness about the HIV/AIDS, sensitise people and provide adequate treatment to the infected people, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Dr Balbir Singh on Monday flagged off 11 awareness vans from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Science at Phase-6, Mohali. This one month long HIV/AIDS public awareness campaign was jointly initiated by the Punjab State AIDS Control Society and Health and Family Welfare Department.

          These IEC (Information, Education and Communication) awareness vans are equipped with LEDs to exhibit Audio-Visual awareness films to the people, while printed material will also be distributed among them. Lab technicians and counsellors have been specially assigned with these vans, who will conduct free HIV/AIDS tests of the people at their doorstep.

          Divulging more details, Dr Balbir Singh said that these 11 special awareness vans will visit different villages of all the districts in Punjab to sensitise people about this deadly disease— which is preventable but not curable. Each van will cover 4-5 villages daily and these vans will cover as many as 1650 villages in a month, he added.

          He said that apart from conducting tests, showing audio-visual awareness films and distributing printed material to sensitise the people about this disease, Theatre artists will also perform Nukkad Nataks at villages to create awareness. “HIV/AIDS can be avoided by being aware and taking some precautions,” he said, adding that due to lack of information, people fall prey to this disease.

          Dr Balbir Singh has appealed to people to take maximum advantage of these vans and get themselves tested to check their HIV status.

          He said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led Punjab Government is committed to provide world-class healthcare facilities to the people of the state.

           Project Director of Punjab State AIDS Control Society Pradeep Kumar Agarwal, Director Health Services Punjab Dr Ranjit Singh, Dr BR Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Science Director Principal Dr Babneet Bharti, Additional Project Director of Punjab State AIDS Control Society Dr Bobby Gulati and Civil Surgeon Mohali Dr Adarshpal Kaur were among other officials, who were present on the occasion.

IEP Chandigarh, February 25    

      The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is constantly striving for the welfare of Scheduled Castes. Efforts are being made by the Punjab government to give maximum benefits to the beneficiaries of the welfare schemes being run for the poor section of the state.          Divulging in this regard, Minister of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities Dr. Baljit Kaur said that under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jati Abhyudhay Yojana, a State Level Project Evaluation-cum-Convergence Committee has been formed to evaluate and prioritize district and state level projects for the social and economic betterment of scheduled castes.          She said that under the Anusuchit Jati Abhyudhay Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana, Grants-in-aid for District/State-level projects for the socio-economic betterment of Scheduled Castes and construction /repair works are carried out of Educational hostels for Scheduled Caste students(Boys and Girls).          Dr. Baljit Kaur said that Special Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary and Secretary of the Social Justice Empowerment and Minorities Chairperson of this Committee.          Dr. Baljit Kaur said that Administrative Secretary or representative of department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Horticulture, Soil and Water Conservation, Industries and Commerce, Co-operatives, Finance, Planning, Rural Development and Panchayats, Social Security Women and Child Development, Higher Education and Languages, School Education, Health and Family Welfare, Water Supply and Sanitation, Public Works, Irrigation and Water Resources, New and Renewable Sources of Energy, Information Technology, Employment Generation and Training, other concerned departments member of this committee.          She said that Chairman Punjab State Commission Scheduled Castes, representative from up to 5 PMAJY districts whose villages are being covered and National Informatics Center shall be the head or representative member.          Cabinet Minister said that the Director of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minority will be the Member-Secretary in the case of Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana and Construction/Repair of Educational Hostels for SC students (Boys and Girls). In addition, the Director (SCSP)-cum-Joint Secretary will be the Member-Secretary in the case of Grants-in-aid for District/State-level projects for the socio-economic betterment of Scheduled Castes.          The Cabinet Minister directed that it will be necessary for the State Level Project Appraisal-cum-Convergence Committee to meet once in six months.Apart from this, the Deputy Commissioner at the district level will be the Chairperson of the Project Appraisal-cum-Convergence Committee.