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

Chandigarh, Punjab

COMPLETE VACCINATION FOR LUMPY SKIN DISEASE IN ALL GAUSHALAS WITHIN THREE DAYS, ENSURE 50,000 VACCINATION DAILY; DIRECTION BY GROUP OF MINISTERS

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 24, 2022

The Group of Ministers (GoM), formed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to closely monitor the situation and take necessary steps for the control of Lumpy Skin disease (LSD) in the state, directed the officials of the animal husbandry department to vaccinate all the bovine in Gaushalas within three days.

Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Animal Husbandry Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar directed that the relief work should be carried out on a mission mode.

Asking to ensure the target of vaccinating 50,000 cattle per day, the Cabinet Ministers said, “We have to strictly deal with this calamity. And, the lackadaisical approach in the ongoing prevention work will not be tolerated.” They categorically instructed to issue show cause notices to the employees with poor performance, saying that all the holidays of the employees should be cancelled to ensure timely treatment to the animals. They also asked to use the generic medicines as per requirement.

While reviewing the ongoing operations to prevent African Swine Fever, the Ministers said that the guidelines of the “Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009” should be implemented in letter and spirit and the movement of pigs should be strictly banned.

Principal Secretary Mr. Vikas Pratap apprised the Ministers that till date, the animal Husbandry department has received 6.86 lakh doses of goat pox vaccine. Over 3.31 lakh cattle have been vaccinated, while more than 3.54 lakh doses of goat pox vaccine are available with the department. He informed that 1,08,958 animals are suspected to have been affected by the lumpy skin disease out of which 64,475 animals are cured. He emphasized that the vaccine is being administered totally free of cost.

He said that the animal husbandry department had received Rs.1 crore from the Rural Development Fund to purchase the medicine and logistics. To shun the practice of throwing the carcasses of dead animals in the open, the SOP has also been released to district administration for ensuring proper disposal of carcasses, said Mr. Vikas Pratap adding that besides deployment of 179 Veterinary interns and Para-veterinary students to different districts for the control of disease, school students are also roped in the awareness campaign among the livestock farmers regarding cause and spread of disease and safe consumption of milk from affected animals.

It was discussed that services of NGOs and other veterinary doctors may be taken, if need arises.

Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Finance Commissioner Rural Development & Panchayats K. Siva Prasad, Director Animal Husbandry Dr. Sanjeev Goel, Dr. Inderjeet Singh, Vice Chancellor, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana and Dr. SPS Ghuman, Dean of Veterinary Science College.

Chandigarh, Punjab

Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana: Withheld funds released after Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal raises issue before Union Panchayati Raj Minister

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 24, 2022

Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Kapil Moreshwar Patil visited Punjab on Monday to attend the inaugural function of two-day national workshop on Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) in Panchayats being organized by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats at Crystal Resort near Chandigarh. On this occasion, Rural Development Minister Punjab, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, informed the Union State Minister that the funds of many central sponsored schemes related to rural development have been withheld by the union Panchayati Raj Department. He especially brought to the knowledge of the Union State Minister that funds under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural) were pending for a long time with the union Panchayati Raj Ministry.

On the request made by the State Panchayat Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal regarding the release of funds the Union Minister Kapil Moreshwar Patil immediately ordered to release Rs. 35.28 crore for building 10,654 new houses and to complete 7,293 under-construction houses besides State Government’s share of Rs 25.52 crore will also added to this.

Rural Development and Panchayat Minister, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal wholeheartedly thanked the Union Minister for this initiative and said that now with the release of this amount 17,947 houses for poor people will be completed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural) in the state.

He also hoped that the union government would soon release pending funds under MAGNREGA and other schemes so that the overall development of the villages could be accelerated.

Along with this, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal hoped that the central government would provide funds for the development of the villages of Punjab so that the standard of living of the people can be improved by improving the basic infrastructure including health, education, and drinking water in the villages of the state.

Chandigarh, Punjab

Cheema writes to Sitharaman, seeks her personal intervention in taking into account reversal of Input Tax Credit for IGST settlement

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 24, 2022

Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday sought personal intervention of Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in taking into account the reversal of Input Tax Credit by the taxpayers registered within the state for the IGST settlement.

In a letter to Union Finance Minister, Harpal Singh Cheema said that It has been observed that although the taxpayers registered within the State have carried out reversal of huge amount of Input Tax Credit but the same has not been considered for the IGST settlement.

“Particular instance has been identified of M/s HPCL Mittal Energy Limited (GSTIN 03AABCG5231FIZ8) which has reversed ITC to the tune of Rs. 223 crores in financial year 2018-19, Rs. 230 Crores in FY 2019-20 and Rs. 227 crores in financial year 2020-21 respectively”, said Cheema.

He further added that the said amount has not been taken into account while undertaking the process of IGST settlement for the said period thereby depriving the State of its rightful share of rrevenue “I have been informed that this issue has been consistently and constantly raised by my officers with the Government of India but no solution has emerged till now” said Cheema.

Referring to the grave importance of the issue for the revenue of the state, Cheema urged the Union Minister that her personal intervention is of much importance for the resolution of this matter as early as possible. He said that the significance of this issue resonates more strongly in light of the expiry of the GST compensation regime.

Chandigarh, Punjab

PSPCL successfully meets all time highest ever peak power demand of 14295 MW: Harbhajan Singh

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 24, 2022

Under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited has successfully met its all-time highest ever power peak demand of 14,295 MW on August-22, 2022 thereby surpassing its previous  demand achievement of 14,207 MW recorded on June-29, 2022.

Overall increase in energy supplied is also up by 12.87 % from April till date as against 2021. –  33,242 MUs viz-a-viz 29,452 MUs.

          Disclosing these details, Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO, said that peak demand of PSPCL is observed during the end of June month or start of July month due to high temperatures and initial high irrigation demand of paddy plantation. But this year due to prevalence of comparatively dry weather conditions, the peak demand in the state has continued till end August.

He further said that in August till 22.8.2022, PSPCL has successfully met a rise of 6.57% in power demand viz-a-viz last year i.e 6,316 MUs against 5,927 MUs during the same period.

          PSPCL has also made additional arrangements of power through more banking from other states and allocation of 1300 MW additional power from Central sector. During the month of June & July, PSPCL has arranged 2,836 MUs through banking from other states which is 130 % more in comparison to last year i.e 1,234 MUs. He said that this year with the optimum utilization of the available resources and close monitoring of the energy generated from the generating stations, Hydro Generation of PSPCL has been increased by 3% from last i.e 1715 MUs viz-a-viz 1664 MUs. Notably, Ranjit Sagar Hydro Power Project has achieved its all-time maximum generation of 149.55 LUs in a single day on 22-08-2022 which surpasses its previous maximum generation of 149.02 LUs on 28-08-2019 since the date of its commissioning.

He said that PSPCL is supplying regular 8 hour supply to Agriculture Tubewells without imposing any power cut on any other category of consumers.

Chandigarh, Haryana

Entrepreneurs should adopt one ITI, sponsor & associate it with their industry: Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Sh Dushyant Chautala today said that entrepreneurs should adopt one ITI,  sponsor it and associate it with their industry. There they can train the man power required for their industry. By doing this, youth will get employment opportunities and industries will get man power at the local level according to their need.

Deputy CM Shri Dushyant Chautala was interacting with the members of entrepreneur organization named ‘EO Gurgaon’ in Gurugram. It was informed in the program that this organization comprises of entrepreneurs from 40 different fields and about 80000 personnel are employed in their units. The organization has 106 members.

The members of the entrepreneurial organization interacted with the Deputy CM on many topics and also asked him questions related to his personal life experiences concerning political responsibilities. Sh. Chautala told the young entrepreneurs that they should come up with new and innovative ideas, the state government would help them fully. He said that the industry had contributed a lot in providing oxygen cylinders at the time of Corona and now after the end of the Covid-19 era, the industry has to grow. Urging the entrepreneurs to adopt an ITI in the state, he said that we can bring machinery but trainers are not available. Machines become outdated in industry in 2 years, which they can send to the adopted ITI or Polytechnic and train the local youth. He said that there are many alternative areas which need to be thought of and youth should be trained in them. Giving examples, the Deputy Chief Minister said that there is a shortage of technicians to connect the high-tension wires of electricity. With the help of Shri Vishwakarma Skill University, we got 20 persons trained in this field and today they are earning 90000 rupees each. He told the entrepreneurs that the area of NCR region is being reduced in the state, after which the restrictions imposed in the areas outside the NCR will also be reduced and entrepreneurs can set up their units in those areas. He also mentioned the government’s Padma scheme and said that to promote industrialization, different clusters have been formed in the state, in which incentives are also being given by the government to those who set up industries there.

Replying to a question, Sh. Dushyant Chautala said that we have implemented a new policy by removing the flaws in the Haryana Entrepreneur Promotion Policy(HEPP), as a result of which an investment of Rs 28000 crore was made in Haryana in last two years. Most of this investment has been made in the mother units. Ancillary units related to these mother units will also come up and this will also give boost to the real estate sector. He informed that many big companies including Maruti Suzuki India Limited, JBN, ATL, Flipkart, Aditya Birla Group are investing in the state. At the same time, he informed that four different policies including startup, e-vehicle policy etc. have been made in the state so that industries can be promoted. He said that the aero defence sector would also come in Haryana, no one had ever thought of it. Now with the coming up  of the country’s largest airport in Hisar, the probability of aero defense sector coming there becomes strong. By the end of next year, four to five big companies related to global cargo are going to come to the state. He said that Hisar airport would be connected with Delhi airport after which the movement of cargo would become smooth.

Replying to another question, the Deputy CM said that Kharkhoda is going to become the second important thrust area of the state from the point of view of industrialization. He said that when Maruti came to Gurugram, no one thought that Gurugram would reach this level of progress. After this, Manesar was developed industrially in 2003. He said that good work is being done in Haryana in manufacturing, but apart from this, alternative industries like medicine, IT and ITeS, service industry etc. have a lot of scope in Haryana.

Replying to another question, Sh. Chautala said that Global City will be developed on Dwarka Expressway in Gurugram, which is a 1000-acre project. It will be the largest global city of its kind in the world. He further  said that work is underway on Metro expansion in Gurugram and we have held two meetings in this regard in the last 4 months. There are plans to provide Metro connectivity to Manesar via Global City by connecting Delhi’s Bijwasan to HUDA City Center in Gurugram.

Chandigarh, Haryana

12,500 vaccines (100 ml vials) will be made available today to contain the spread of LSD in Haryana

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

Haryana Government under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal is carrying out the vaccination campaign to contain the spread of Lumpy Skin Disease in the state.  There are about 19,32,039 animals in the state. Till now, around 3000 vaccines (Goat Pox Vaccine 100 ml) have been distributed, while 17000 more vaccines are required in the state. 12,500 vaccines (100 ml vials) will be available by August 23, which will be distributed by August 23 and 24.

Giving information in this regard, an official spokesperson said that 4500 vaccines (100 ml) are expected to be received by August 27 which will be distributed by August 28 and 29.

          The spokesperson said that till now 50 vaccines in Ambala, 300 in Bhiwani, 51 in Charkhi Dadri, 81 in Faridabad, 222 in Fatehabad, 81 in Gurugram, 252 in Hisar, 99 in Jhajjar, 60 in Jind, 144 in Kaithal, 144 in Karnal, 81 in Kurukshetra, 201 in Mahendragarh, 50 in Mewat, 50 in Palwal, 91 in Panchkula, 231 in Panipat, 200 in Rewari, 100 in Rohtak, 261 in Sirsa, 201 in Sonipat and 50 in Yamunanagar  (100 ml) have been distributed so far.

Similarly, on August 23 and 24, 515 vaccines in Ambala, 587 in Bhiwani, 258 in Charkhi Dadri, 272 in Faridabad, 645 in Fatehabad, 418 in Gurugram, 1102 in Hisar, 405 in Jhajjar, 836 in Jind, 592 in Kaithal, 1070 in Karnal, 713 in Kurukshetra, 258 in Mahendragarh, 205 in Mewat, 345 in Palwal, 190 in Panchkula, 418 in Panipat, 198 in Rewari, 430 in Rohtak, 1572 in Sirsa, 698 in Sonipat and 773 in Yamunanagar (100 ml) will be distributed, said the spokesperson.

He further informed that on the coming August 27 and 29, 185 vaccines in Ambala, 213 in Bhiwani, 91 in Charkhi Dadri, 97 in Faridabad, 233 in Fatehabad, 151 in Gurugram, 396 in Hisar, 146 in Jhajjar, 304 in Jind, 214 in Kaithal, 386 in Karnal, 256 in Kurukshetra, 91 in Mahendragarh, 75 in Mewat, 125 in Palwal, 69 in Panchkula, 151 in Panipat, 72 in Rewari, 150 in Rohtak, 577 in Sirsa, 251 in Sonipat and 277 in Yamunanagar (100 ml) will be distributed across the state.

He said that in this way a total of 750 vaccines in Ambala, 1100 in Bhiwani, 400 in Charkhi Dadri, 450 in Faridabad, 1100 in Fatehabad, 650 in Gurugram, 1750 in Hisar, 650 in Jhajjar, 1200 in Jind, 950 in Kaithal, Karnal  1600, 1050 in Kurukshetra, 550 in Mahendragarh, 330 in Mewat, 520 in Palwal, 350 in Panchkula, 800 in Panipat, 470 in Rewari, 680 in Rohtak, 2400 in Sirsa, 1150 in Sonipat and 1100 in Yamunanagar (100 ml) will be distributed across the state.

Chandigarh, Punjab

PUNJAB BECOMES FIRST STATE TO CONDUCT A NATIONAL WORKSHOP FOR MAKING PANCHAYATS SELF-RELIANT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF VILLAGES

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

Punjab Rural Development Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Union Minister of State Panchayati Raj Kapil Moreshwar Patil on Monday inaugurated a two-day National Workshop on Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) in Panchayats through Thematic Approaches on Village with Self-Sufficient Infrastructure at the Central Panchayat Center in Crystal Resort near Zirakpur, Chandigarh.

            Speaking on this occasion, Minister for Rural Development, Agriculture and NRI Affairs of Punjab, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that Punjab has fought many battles for the country, be it guarding the borders or filling the country’s food reserves to feed the people. But today Punjab is facing a financial crisis and the union government should provide special financial packages to the state to improve the fiscal situation of the state. He said that 63 percent of the population of Punjab lives in rural areas and comprehensive development of the villages is possible only if the centre government allocates maximum funds for health facilities, drinking water, sports facilities, and maintenance of ponds in the villages.

            The Cabinet Minister stressed that it is also the duty of the centre government to extend helping hand to Punjab as Punjab gives a large share as GST to the center in lieu of tax. Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal further said that the government in Punjab led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has taken many initiatives to remove illegal encroachment from panchayat lands in the state. He said that during the last five months, about 9000 panchayat lands have been freed from illegally encroachers. He also said that it kis for the first time that Garm Sabha Sessions were held in 12000 villages out of total 13000 villages in Punjab.

            Speaking on this occasion, Union Panchayati Raj State Minister Kapil Moreshwar Patil praised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and said that Punjab has become the first state to hold a national conference for development of villages and the state government has made very good arrangements for the two-day national conference. He assured that the necessary funds will be released for whatever proposals are sent by the Punjab government according to the central schemes. He also assured that the funds that were stopped due to technical flaws in some schemes will be released soon. He stressed that the Panchayats will have to work hard to increase their income from their own resources to become self-reliant so that they do not have to depend on the government for development. Making an important announcement on this occasion, the Union Minister said that a program will be started in which panchayats will be sent to other states to show the good work of panchayats of different states.

            On this occasion, Union Minister Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Punjab Rural Development Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and the other guests present also launched Panchayati Raj Information Mapping and Evaluation System, Prime APP, SDG website and Punjab State Livelihood Mission website.

            Speaking on this occasion, the cabinet ministers of the state, Lal Chand Kataruchak, Harbhajan Singh ETO, Dr. Baljit Kaur, Brahm Shankar Jimpa, Anmol Gagan Mann and Chetan Singh Joudemajra said that it is necessary for the all-round development of the village only if the funds are spent on development works in a transparent manner without any discrimination, the real picture of village development can emerge.

Earlier, Chief Secretary of Punjab Vijay Kumar Janjua and Secretary of Central Panchayati Raj Ministry Sunil shared information and said that during this workshop, emphasis will be placed on theme 6 – village with self-reliant infrastructure. The main objective is to demonstrate capacity building and training, exemplary strategies, visions, coherent actions and innovative models in terms of best practices for promoting and adapting LSDG themes in the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP).

The national workshop will provide a forum for panchayats to learn together on various models for institutionalizing the LSDG process through a grassroots lens thematic perspective. In addition, it will provide an opportunity for exchange of information/ideas through exchange programs in international organizations and local governance. About 1300 elected representatives of Panchayati Raj institutions from 34 states and union territories across the country are participating in this national workshop.

The workshop will provide a platform for panchayats to showcase and share their experiences and innovative models, strategies, approaches to institutionalize the theme of villages with self-reliant infrastructure at grassroots level, which includes roads, potable water, sanitation by developing self-sustainable infrastructure in the areas of street lights, schools, primary health centers and dispensaries, common service centers, local markets, anganwadi centers, livestock support centers and community centers.

During this two-day national workshop, representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions from States and Union Territories will showcase and share their experiences and innovative models, strategies and approaches for institutionalizing the Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) at the grassroots level in various disciplines. . The Panchayati Raj Ministry will also give a detailed presentation on the revised National Panchayat Awards.

Cabinet Ministers Lal Chand Kataruchak, Harbhajan Singh ETO, Dr. Baljit Kaur, Brahm Shankar Jimpa, Anmol Gagan Mann and Chetan Singh Jouramajra besides Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Smt. Vini Mahajan, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Shri Vijay Kumar Janjua, Chief Secretary to the Government of Punjab, Shri K. Siva Prasad, Financial Commissioner, Rural Development and Panchayats, Government of Punjab and Smt. Rekha Yadav, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India will also be present on the occasion.

Chandigarh, Punjab

2000 litres Extra Neutral Alcohol seized, Major tregedy averted

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

In a major joint operation on Monday, the Excise team from Ludhiana along with CIA  Police Khanna seized 2000 litres of Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) near Doraha.

Disclosing this here, an official spokesperson of Excise department said that ENA is the raw material from which liquor is made and incase any uncontrolled toxicity creeps in, it could result in a major tragedy like the one which happened two years ago in district Tarantaran, which claimed  a number of  lives.

Giving the details of operation, the spokesperson said that a naka was erected at Ludhaiana-Chandigarh road near Doraha on the basis of a secret information. “The vehical number Pb09 N 9001 fled away from Naka and was then chased till Doraha, Ludhiana. Two persons Gurvinder Singh and Sukhdev Singh, both residents of village-Chiddan, Amritsar are arrested on the spot”, he added.

The Spokesperson fuether added that 8 big drums (200 liters each ) and 6  cans (30 liters each) ie total 2000 litres extra neutral alcohol (ENA) was recovered from their possession.

He said that vehicle number PB 09 N 9001has been detained and FIR would be registered after further investigation

Chandigarh, Punjab

Union Panchayati Raj State Minister Kapil Moreshwar Patil and Punjab Rural Development Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal visited Sirsini model village of SAS Nagar

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

Union Panchayati Raj State Minister Kapil Moreshwar Patil and Punjab Rural Development Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal who were here to inaugurate the two-day national workshop being conducted for sustainable development of villages, made a visit the model village Sirsini which falls in Derabassi block of SAS Nagar district.

The Panchayat of this village has developed a lake in the village on 4 acre land, in which rainwater is collected and further used for irrigation purposes. Efforts are being made to raise this as a future income asset and plans are being made to convert it into a tourist destination due to its prime location.

The Panchayat Ghar has been constructed at a cost of Rs 25 lakhs with basic facilities like kitchen, separate washrooms for men and women, and a spacious meeting hall which can seat 100 persons in the village.

A mid-day meal kitchen shed was constructed by the Panchayat at Government Primary Smart School.

A project is being run in the village to collect various wastes from house to house. Each house pays Rs.50/- as remuneration to the waste collector. The wet waste is disposed of in honey comb pits, where it is converted into compost in 45 days. The compost is used to plant plants. The waste collector generates his income by selling the dry waste. .

A Nanak Bagichi has been created in the village and about 15000 saplings have been planted in cremation ground, parks and roadsides besides a Mini Jungle.

Chandigarh, Punjab

Punjab approves reservation for posts of law officers :  Dr. Baljit Kaur

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

Candidates belonging to SC category can apply for the reserved category posts of Law Officers in Advocate General Branch of the Punjab Government by 13th September 2022. This was stated today by Punjab Minister of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, Dr. Baljit Kaur.

She said that the candidates can apply online by 13 September 2022. They may apply at http://Punjab.gov.in and send their documents at e-mail-ID pblorec@punjab.gov.in.

The cabinet minister said that these posts have been advertised for the first time in Punjab. She said that the state government led by the Bhagwant Mann is committed for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and is constantly striving to give them their rights as per law.