IEP Chandigarh, February 3

Under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Cabinet on Friday accorded approval to Electric Vehicle Policy (PEVP)- 2022 with a move to check the environmental pollution in the state due to omission from vehicles.

A decision to this effect was taken by the Council of Ministers in a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister here at his office in the Punjab Civil Secretariat- I.

Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that to create public awareness about environment protection, the Punjab Cabinet also gave nod to Electric Vehicle Policy (PEVP)-2022. The policy desires to reduce vehicular emission, create infrastructure, Manufacturing, Research and Development, Job creation, ensuring sustainability besides to establish Punjab as a favored destination for manufacturing of electric vehicles, components and batteries.

APPROVAL TO SEND 66 PRINCIPALS TO SINGAPORE FOR TRAINING

The Cabinet also gave consent for implementation of the State scheme for teachers’ foreign training. The Department of School Education will send a batch of 36 Principals to Principals Academy, Singapore and 30 Principals to National Institute of Education (NIE) which is an autonomous institute of the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in FY 2022-23. These trainings will expose them to state-of-the-art teaching practices, leadership skills, creation of teaching-learning materials and audio-visual technology adding that it will be helpful to obtain objectives of: Education in the post-Pandemic world, Essentials of Strategic Management, Shaping School Culture, Building Teachers’ Professional Capital, Curriculum Leadership, Mentoring, and Lesson Observation Skills, Innovation in Teaching and Learning and Effective Communication.

GREEN SIGNAL TO UPGRADE 117 GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS AS SCHOOLS OF EMINENCE

The Cabinet also gave its green signal for the implementation of a State scheme for upgrading Government schools into Schools of Eminence (SoE). These Schools of Eminence will serve as centers of excellence, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. SoEs will enable peer learning across institutions, and enhance learning experiences of children through contemporary schooling practices in the world of school education and in the initial phase 117 Schools will be upgraded into Schools of Eminence.

ENDORSES PROPOSAL TO PAY RS. 74.75 CR. CRORE FOR EARLY COMPLETION OF SHAHPUR KANDI DAM PROJECT

To expedite the remaining construction work of Shahpur Kandi Dam Project, the Punjab Cabinet has endorsed the proposal to pay a total Rs. 74.75 Crore to the concerned executing agency. As per this decision a payment of Rs. 74.75 Cr. will be paid to the agency and the agency will withdraw all three cases filed in Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana High Court. By implementing the above decision, the work of Shahpur Kandi Dam will be expedited and direct financial benefits of Rs. 58 Crore per annum shall be accrued and the water going waste to Pakistan shall be utilized within India especially in Punjab State. Once the Shahpur Kandi Dam Project is completed, an irrigation potential of 5000 hectare in Punjab and 32173 hectare shall be created and 1042 MU of hydro power shall be generated per annum with two power houses of 206 MW installed capacity.

IEP Chandigarh, February 2

“Decision regarding the permission of electricity connections in unauthorised Colonies of Punjab will be taken soon.”

Giving this assurance, Punjab Power and Public Works Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO on Thursday called on builders of SAS Nagar in which they demanded the permission of electricity connection in unauthorised colonies.

          He said that there is no policy yet of PSPCL to permit electricity connections in unauthorised colonies. He assured the Divine World Homes Welfare Society and other Builders that the matter to be taken at the earliest and amicable solution to be given.

Chief Engineer of PSPCL, Superintending Engineer Division Mohali, Kharar, Senior Executive Engineer of Zirakpur Mandal and various builders from Zirakpur, Kharar and Banur were present during the meeting.

IEP Chandigarh, February 2

Kultar Singh Sandhawan has decided to sensitize MLAs about mother tongue. Under the campaign launched by the Vidhan Sabha Speaker to sensitize the MLAs on various issues of public importance, S. Sandhwan is organizing a discussion on Punjabi language/ mother tongue on February 7, 2023 at the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat in which MLAs and officials are invited to participate.

According to a spokesperson of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, S. Sandhwan is organizing this discussion in view of the International Mother Language Day being celebrated on February 21 to promote the mother tongue. Along with this, MLAs will also be sensitized regarding the implementation of Punjabi language in the courts of the state.

It is to be noted that the Punjab government has also started a campaign to educate the people about the importance of mother tongue and to implement Punjabi. Under this, the month of November was celebrated as ‘Punjabi month’. During this month, a state-level function was held at Amritsar, in which chief minister Bhagwant Mann directed to put on all boards in Punjabi language across the state till February 21,  2023. Penalties will be imposed for non-compliance with these orders after the International Mother Language Day on February 21. Vidhan Sabha Speaker is mobilizing about the importance of implementing Punjabi language in the courts as well. 

IEP Chandigarh, February 2

Kultar Singh Sandhawan has decided to sensitize MLAs about mother tongue. Under the campaign launched by the Vidhan Sabha Speaker to sensitize the MLAs on various issues of public importance, S. Sandhwan is organizing a discussion on Punjabi language/ mother tongue on February 7, 2023 at the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat in which MLAs and officials are invited to participate.

According to a spokesperson of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, S. Sandhwan is organizing this discussion in view of the International Mother Language Day being celebrated on February 21 to promote the mother tongue. Along with this, MLAs will also be sensitized regarding the implementation of Punjabi language in the courts of the state.

It is to be noted that the Punjab government has also started a campaign to educate the people about the importance of mother tongue and to implement Punjabi. Under this, the month of November was celebrated as ‘Punjabi month’. During this month, a state-level function was held at Amritsar, in which chief minister Bhagwant Mann directed to put on all boards in Punjabi language across the state till February 21,  2023. Penalties will be imposed for non-compliance with these orders after the International Mother Language Day on February 21. Vidhan Sabha Speaker is mobilizing about the importance of implementing Punjabi language in the courts as well. 

IEP Jalandhar, February 2

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday vowed to work tirelessly for ameliorating the woes of weaker and underprivileged sections of society in consonance with teachings of Sri Guru Ravidass ji.          Addressing the gathering before flagging off a train of pilgrims from the city Railway station to Benaras for celebrating upcoming parkash purab of Sri Guru Ravidass ji, the Chief Minister, after taking blessings from head of Dera Ballan Sant Baba Niranjan Dass ji, said that the state government is duty bound to ensure the well being of the poorest of poor. Bhagwant Mann said that with the blessings of Sri Guru Ravidass ji his government has been voted to power with a thumping majority. He said that no stone will be left unturned for ensuring the well being of the poorest of poor strata of society.          The Chief Minister said that Sri Guru Ravidass Ji gave the message of welfare of the entire humanity, equality of all the sections of the society thus creating a society based on egalitarian values. He said that Sri Guru Ravidass Ji laid out the concept of such an ideal society where nobody undergoes suffering of any kind. Bhagwant Mann said that his government is committed to carve out a society based on the teachings and philosophy of Sri Guru Ravidass ji.          The Chief Minister said that the life and teachings of Sri Guru Ravidass ji continue to guide humanity towards carving an egalitarian society. He said that Sri Guru Ravidass ji was a great spiritual ambassador and messiah of the poor and unprivileged sections of the society taught us to lead a virtuous and noble life. Bhagwant Mann said that this ‘Parkash Utsav’ is an occasion to rededicate ourselves to the task of creating a society where every human being leads a life with self respect and dignity regardless of any discrimination.          The Chief Minister also lauded the role being played by Dera Ballan in the social and economic well being of the masses. He said apart from connecting the people with teachings and philosophy of Sri Guru Ravidass Maharaj ji, the Dera has always remained instrumental in imparting quality education and health services to the needy and underprivileged sections of society. Bhagwant Mann also lauded the philanthropic services rendered by the Dera for the well being of the people.          The Chief Minister said that after assuming the charge of his office, he had issued instructions that only the pictures of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Baba Sahib Dr. BR Ambedkar must be installed in all the government offices. He said that this step was as a mark of respect to Shaheed Bhagat Singh- the legendary freedom fighter who freed the country from foreign rule and Baba Sahib Ambedkar- who framed the constitution to secure equal rights for all. Bhagwant Mann said that his government is committed to realize the dreams of both these great national leaders.          The Chief Minister said that as per the ideology of Baba Sahib Ambedkar the state government is empowering the weaker sections of society by imparting quality education to them. He said that ‘Schools of Eminence’ will realize the dreams of Baba Sahib by grooming the poor but bright students for a prosperous future. Bhagwant Mann also urged the pilgrims to pray for the peace, progress and prosperity of the state and the holy city of Benaras adding that with the blessings of Sri Guru Ravidass ji a new, vibrant and progressive Punjab will soon be carved out by the state government.          On the occasion, MLAs Balkar Singh, Raman Arora, Shital Angural and Inderjit Kaur Mann, Deputy Commissioner Jaspreet Singh, Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Chahal, Additional Principal Secretary to CM Himanshu Jain and others were also present

IEP Chandigarh, February 1

          Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday asked the officers to ensure that new Industrial Policy is dedicated to industry soon.

          Chairing a high level review meeting here at his office, the Chief Minister said that Punjab is on the threshold of becoming a front runner industrial state in the country. He said that the new Industrial Policy which is being prepared by the state government will act as a pivot for it. Bhagwant Mann said that for the first time this industry policy has been formulated after taking the views of all the stakeholders especially the industrialists.

          The Chief Minister said that the suggestions of industrial captains of the state have been duly incorporated in this policy. Likewise, Bhagwant Mann said that the opinions received from the industrial tycoons during his recent visits to Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai too have been included in it. He said that this new industrial policy will give much needed fillip to industrial growth of the state.

          The Chief Minister asked the officers to ensure that this policy is finalised very soon so that it can be duly implemented in the state. He said that the officers must ensure that this policy is dedicated to the industrialists at the earliest. Bhagwant Mann expressed hope that the policy will put the state on high growth trajectory of industrial growth.

          On the occasion Additional Chief Secretary to CM A Venuprasad, Principal Secretary Industries Dalip Kumar, Dircetor Industries Sibbin C and others were also present.

IEP Chandigarh

 The Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, PGIMER, Chandigarh under aegis of Indian Society for The Study of Pain (ISSP) city branch along with two international distinguished pain physicians and PGI alumini Dr. Sanjeeva Gupta, from Bradford, UK and Dr Joysree Subramanian from Oklahoma, USA organized a Symposium on Neuropathic Pain in LT-1, PGIMER today ie 01-02-2023.

The symposium was inaugurated by Prof. Vivek Lal, Director, PGIMER. Prof Y Narayanan, Head, Deptt of Anaesthesia and intensive care and other senior faculty members and resident doctors from other departments were present on the occasion.Prof. Vipin Kaushal, Head, Deptt of Hospital Administration, Sh. Kumar Gaurav Dhawan,DDA and Sh. Kumar Abhay, Financial Advisor, PGI were also present.

Pain is marked as the fifth vital sign and affects each person differently. Around 80% of patients coming to Pain Clinic, PGIMER, Chandigarh suffers from Neuropathic Pain of various types ranging from head to toes such as radicular pain, diabetic painful neuropathy, Trigeminal neuralgia, post herpetic neuralgia, cancer pain, nerve pressure or nerve damage after surgery or trauma, post viral infections, alcoholism, multiple sclerosis etc etc. Management of Neuropathic Pain is quite challenging as it is very difficulty to treat and involves multifactorial assessment and multidisciplinary involvement of many approaches like physical therapy, medicines, minimally invasive interventions, advance interventions, spinal cord stimulation, and psychosocial interventions.

In view of this, the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, PGIMER, Chandigarh has organized an symposium on “Neuropathic Pain” in collaboration with Visiting Professor, Dr Sanjeeva Gupta (Consultant in Pain Medicine and Anaesthesia, Bradford Hospital NHS Trust, Bradford, UK) and Dr Joysree Subramaniam (Consultant, Oklahoma University of Health Sciences Centre, Oklahoma, USA) under the aegis of Indian Society of Study of Pain, Chandigarh. The symposium was organised today,ie 1st February 2023 (Wednesday) in Lecture Theatre-1 from 3.00 PM- 7.00 PM.

Dr Sanjeeva Gupta, an PGI alumni and a renowned pain physician, discussed about evidence based management of Neuropathic Pain. He has expertise in assessing and managing pain originating from the spine, chronic postoperative pain and neuropathic pain. He is also expert in precision pain diagnosis and management, which has enhanced the knowledge of delegates in the interest of patient care. Dr Joysree Subramaniam another PGI alumni, is an American Board of Anaesthesiology certified Pain specialist. Her areas of interest include advance techniques and stem cell therapies for pain management. She has discussed recent advances in management of patients with refractory neuropathic pain.

A MoU has been signed between PRF (pain relief foundation) – Liverpool UK and Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care PGIMER Chandigarh for collaboration in four domains – academic, clinical, research and quality improvementPhoto- 

Prof. Vivek Lal,Director, PGIMER ( 3rd from left) inaugurated the  symposium with Lamp lighting ceremony

photo- A MoU  for collaboration in  Academic, Clinical,Research & Quality improvement   was signed between PRF (pain relief foundation) – Liverpool,UK and Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care PGIMER, Chandigarh

IEP Chandigarh

Cold weather conditions prevailed in most places of Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday as minimum temperatures dropped by a few notches. Parts of south Punjab, south, south-western and north Haryana were enveloped in fog. Ferozepur in Punjab recorded a minimum temperature of 4.4 degrees Celsius, Amritsar 5.3 degrees Celsius and Pathankot 6.4 degrees Celsius according to the meteorological department. Piercing chill prevailed in Gurdaspur, Faridkot and Patiala, which recorded minimum temperatures of 5.5 degrees Celsius, 5.4 degrees Celsius and 7.8 degrees Celsius respectively. Ludhiana’s minimum temperature settled at 9 degrees Celsius. In Haryana, Sirsa reeled under severe chill, recording a low of 5.4 degrees Celsius. Karnal recorded a minimum temperature of 7.2 degrees Celsius while Hisar registered a low of 7.9 degrees Celsius.

Bhiwani’s minimum temperature settled at 8.7 degrees Celsius while in Ambala it was 9.4 degrees Celsius. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a low of 9 degrees Celsius. 

IEP Chandigarh

DST-Centre for Policy Research (CPR) at Panjab University, Chandigarh organized a 3-day online training program on “Science, Technology & Innovation (STI) role in DRR policies and strategies” from 30 Jan. 2023 to 01 Feb. 23. The program was organized with the support of National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The training program aimed to bring together the domain experts, members of academia and key stakeholders on a common platform for understanding the role of science in enhancing Disaster Resilience by exploring the penetration of STI in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).Various dignitaries from national and international level graced the event and enriched the participants with their thoughts.

Dr. Parminderjit Kaur, Senior Policy Fellow at Centre for Policy Research, IISc, Bangalorehighlighted the STI contribution in DRR. She gave the way forward that Science influences actions and choices, individual as well as collectively. She stressed that together we can create new insights and methods, solve old problems, and establish higher standards and better evidence-based policies.

Dr.Suryesh K Namdeo, consultant from United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs put forward there commendation to develop a national biosecurity strategy and stressed on the need of a dedicated agency for biological emergencies.

Ms. Namrata Sarmah, Museum Professional at State Museum Guwahati highlighted the various case studies where ample contribution has been paid to preserve the artifacts from the ancient Indian history. Around 150 participants took part in the on-line training program, including faculty members, researchers, and students from various institutions from Chandigarh region and PAN India.

IEP Chandigarh, February 1

          Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday slammed the Union government for presenting an anti-Punjab, anti-people, anti-farmers and directionless union budget.

          “It is shameful that going by its myopic mindset the Union government has completely ignored the state thereby bringing a huge disrespect to countless sacrifices made by the brave and hard working Punjabis in pre and post independent era”, said the Chief Minister in a statement issued here today.

          The Chief Minister said that he is peeved to learn that all the genuine demands of Punjab have been blatantly ignored and state has figured nowhere in the Union budget. He said that after Republic Day, during which state’s tableau was kept out of parade, this is second deliberate attempt of the BJP led centre government to undermine contribution of Punjab. Bhagwant Mann said that he fails to understand why the BJP is meting out such step motherly treatment with Punjab.

          The Chief Minister said that being a border state they had demanded Rs

1000 crore for modernisation of BSF and state Police from centre. He said that this fund necessary to combat the smuggling of drugs and weapons from across the border especially through the hi-tech drones. However, Bhagwant Mann said that Union government gave cold shoulder to this demand by not allocating budget for it thereby completely jeopardising security in border state.

          Likewise, the Chief Minister said that during pre-budget meetings they had flagged off necessity to start Vande Mataram trains from Amritsar and Bathinda to Delhi for facilitating the people. But, he said that this demand has been completely ignored along with the idea of connecting all the five Takhts of Sikhs through Rail route. Bhagwant Mann said that this religious circuit would have given boost to tourism in state besides facilitating the commuters.

          The Chief Minister also lamented that the budget has exposed the anti-farmers stance of the Modi government. He said that this is the last budget of incumbent Modi government but despite of fall claims nothing has been done to double the income of the farmers. Bhagwant Mann said that even the government has ran away from giving remunerative MSP on crops to farmers which is very unfortunate.

          The Chief Minister said that they had been pursuing case of Rs 1500 financial assistance by centre to farmers along with matching grant by state for solving the problem of paddy menace. However, he said that nothing has been done in this regard by the Union government. Bhagwant Mann said that though the Union Finance Minister has vaguely announced that new nursing colleges will be opened but for it also no timeline has been fixed.

          The Chief Minister said that though Schedule Tribes have been offered various facilities in budgets but the Schedule Caste and Backward class brethren have been completely ignored. He said that it is totally a scripted paper budget which is both directionless and retrogressive. Bhagwant Mann said that the budget lacks vision for the common man which is very unfortunate.

          The Chief Minister cautioned the Union government to stop playing with fire by ignoring the state on key issues. He said that India cannot be imagined without Punjab and BJP led Union government’s attempt to ignore the contribution of Punjab and Punjabis will not be tolerated. Bhagwant Mann said that Punjab had been sword arm and food bowl of the country and it’s role can never be eliminated by such tantrums.