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.

BULLDOZER ACTION IN LAKHANPAL VILLAGE (JALANDHAR); ILLEGAL PROPERTY ACQUIRED BY DRUG MONEY RAZED

Chandigarh/Jalandhar, April 27:

In a major action under the Punjab Government’s aggressive ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ (War Against Drugs) campaign, Commissionerate Police Jalandhar demolished illegal constructions made by drug smugglers in village Lakhanpal, a locality long notorious as a major drug hotspot.

Leading the operation, Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur said that village Lakhanpal, traditionally infamous for rampant drug sale and supply, had been under close surveillance. Acting swiftly, a joint team of the Panchayat Department and Jalandhar Commissionerate Police razed unauthorized structures built on government land by known drug peddlers. The action, focused on cutting the roots of the drug network, marks a significant step in reclaiming the area from the clutches of narcotics.

Police investigations revealed that the primary accused who encroached the Government land, Hardeep Singh alias Deepa— a history-sheeter — had 9 cases registered against him, including 7 under the NDPS Act. His father Sarbjit Singh and brother Sandeep alias Sonu also faced two criminal cases each.

Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur said the demolished encroachment was being misused by drug peddlers to cross over rooftops and escape during police raids. “By removing these illegal structures, we have curtailed their escape routes. We intend to intensify our raids further and clean the village of its bad name once and for all,” she asserted.

Earlier, during the crackdown in this drug hotspot, nine drug peddlers were arrested, while several others fled, leaving their homes locked. In addition to the arrests, the police have identified two properties for freezing under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act to further tighten the noose around drug traffickers.

Highlighting the collective resolve against drugs, the village panchayat of Lakhanpal also passed a formal resolution banning the sale and consumption of drugs within the village, extending full support to the government’s anti-drug campaign.

The CP reiterated the commitment of the Commissionerate Police to eradicate drugs from the roots and appealed to citizens to come forward with information. She urged people to share any drug-related tips on the Punjab Government’s dedicated WhatsApp number 9779-100-200, assuring that the identity of informants would be kept strictly confidential.

The residents of Lakhanpal welcomed the bulldozer action against the drug mafia, expressing hope for a safer and drug-free future for the village.

Shoolini’s theatre troupe brings Molière’s “Naatak Paracetamol” to life on stage

Chandigarh, April 26

Shoolini University’s vibrant theatre wing, Shoolini Creative Studio, captivated audiences with its latest production Naatak Paracetamol—an adaptation of Molière’s iconic comedy – The Doctor in Spite of Himself.  The play was staged at the Tagore Theatre, here today.

Directed by Ankur Bashar, a seasoned theatre practitioner and Assistant Professor of Performing Arts at Shoolini University, the play is a witty, high-energy satire that pokes fun at blind faith in doctors and the absurdities of societal norms.

Naatak Paracetamol follows the comically twisted tale of Sganarelle, a woodcutter who is mistakenly believed to be a doctor. Through a series of outrageous circumstances involving deception, mistaken identity, and social critique, the play unfolds with themes as relevant today as in Molière’s time—touching on domestic violence, access to education, and socio-economic divides.

“This year, we chose comedy as a political act,” and, “In today’s world, the comic is often political and the political, deeply comic. Molière’s work continues to mirror the hypocrisies of modern society, making it ideal for a student-led performance that is both engaging and thought-provoking”, said Ankur Bashar.

Backed by a talented ensemble of students, the play featured Samarth Singh Thakur, Abhijit Nair, Dakksh Parekh, Rajat Sharma, Dibansee Rana, Sunidhi Deo, Lakshmi Vasundhara Mamidi, and many more in lively roles. The musical direction was helmed by Abhijit Nair and Lakshmi Vasundhara, with original compositions performed live by student musicians.

The creative team included Sunidhi Deo and Ankur Bashar for set design, Ujjwal Kumar on lights, and Khushi Maheshwari as choreographer. The production was managed by Prashant Kumar, with costumes and murals by Shibani.

New Book Sheds Light on India’s Top Audit Institution: A Critical Look at the CAG’s Role in Democracy

Chandigarh, April 26

A compelling new book provides an in-depth and balanced examination of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, exploring its vital contribution to transparency, good governance, and democratic accountability.

Authored by seasoned civil servant and audit veteran P. Sesh Kumar, the book delves into the domestic and international impact of the CAG, detailing its successes, challenges, and evolving role in the governance landscape. Through meticulous research and analysis, it highlights how landmark audits, such as those on coal block allocations and the 2G spectrum, catalyzed systemic reforms and brought unprecedented public attention to the institution’s work. The book has been published by White Falcon Publishing.

What sets this book apart is its honest engagement with criticisms of the CAG. It scrutinizes areas needing reform, including limited introspection, ineffective peer reviews, and shortcomings in initiatives like Voucher Level Computerization and One IAAD One Audit. Advocating for the transformation of the CAG into a multi-member body, it proposes stronger internal controls, transparent oversight mechanisms, and a renewed focus on balancing accountability with developmental needs.

“The CAG is a cornerstone of Indian democracy, but like all institutions, it must evolve,” said the author. “This book seeks to demystify its role, encourage public dialogue, and offer constructive recommendations for its future.”

About the Author

P. Sesh Kumar joined the Indian Audit and Accounts Service in 1982 and brings over three decades of experience across audit, public administration, and policymaking. He served in the Department of Atomic Energy and the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, and held key roles auditing critical sectors such as direct taxes, energy, finance, and public enterprises. Post-retirement, he continued to serve in important roles, including as Secretary to the Supreme Court-mandated oversight committee on the Medical Council of India. He now consults part-time on issues of corporate governance and public policy while also assisting charitable organizations. This book is essential reading for policymakers, scholars, civil servants, and anyone interested in the future of public accountability and governance in India.

Freeing Gurugram from waterlogging not just a goal, but our collective responsibility: Rao Narbir Singh

Chandigarh, April 26 – Haryana’s Industry and Commerce Minister Rao Narbir Singh said freeing Gurugram from waterlogging is not just a goal but our collective responsibility. He said the accountability of the concerned officer should be fixed at each of the critical points of waterlogging that have been identified by the Municipal Corporation and GMDA.

Rao Narbir was chairing a review meeting with the Municipal Corporation and GMDA officials in Gurugram today. In the meeting, other measures to assess the progress made so far to deal with the problem of waterlogging during monsoon and to address the challenges were also discussed.

He directed the officials to prioritize the measures required for drainage of water and find permanent solutions to reach the root of the problem. He said the officials of the corporation and authority should ensure that the measures being taken to deal with waterlogging and its progress report are regularly sent to his office. Both the departments should work together for the places where there is drain inlet mismatch.

He directed the concerned officials to ensure cleaning of small sewerage network on the lines of drainage system. Rao Narbir Singh summoned the report of the current status of the functioning of 41 micro STP plants located in the Municipal Corporation area and directed the officials of the Regional Pollution Control Board to get all the STPs inspected in the next 15 days. Along with this, move forward towards getting FIR registered against those industrial units where STP is not being maintained. He told the corporation officials to get all the non-functional boosters in the corporation area started within the stipulated time.

In the meeting, GMDA officials apprised the minister about the progress of waterlogging measures and said desilting work is going on in 12 km area of storm water drain, which will be completed before June 30. New cleaning work has also been awarded in Leg 2. Similarly, in the cleaning of sewerage system, 85 km network has been cleaned so far and work is going on on 11 km which will be completed in the stipulated period.

Officials said the tender process is going on for cleaning 404 rain water harvesting systems located in the district, in which all rain water harvesting systems will be cleaned by June 10 under the prescribed procedure. Similarly, 74 percent cleaning work has been completed in the 4500 meter network of Master Train from Sector 72A to National Highway 48. Giving information about the efforts being made for the cleaning of the pedestrian crossing located on the National Highway, Corporation Commissioner Ashok Garg said these are being cleaned by the corporation. In future, an estimate will also be prepared for their maintenance and cleaning. There are currently 41 micro STPs in the corporation area, out of which 28 are functioning smoothly.

All crops of farmers will be purchased on MSP if BJP government is formed in Punjab: Nayab Singh Saini

Chandigarh, April 26 – Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said the central and state governments are true well-wishers of farmers. This is proven by the fact that all crops of farmers in Haryana are being purchased on MSP and in the last 10 and a half years, the government has given Rs 14500 crore to farmers for crop loss, whereas before 2014, during the Congress government, only Rs 1155 crore were given to farmers as crop loss compensation.

The previous Congress government in Punjab and now the current Aam Aadmi Party government have never taken care of the farmers nor have they purchased the crops of farmers on MSP. When a BJP government is formed in Punjab in 2027, all crops of farmers will be purchased on MSP on the lines of Haryana.

The Chief Minister said this during a programme organized in Dera Bassi, Punjab where he was invited as the chief guest today.

Former Union Minister Preneet Kaur, Rajya Sabha member Sh. Satnam Sandhu, Sh. Gurdarshan Singh Saini, former Speaker of Haryana Assembly Sh. Gian Chand Gupta, Sh. Sanjeev Vashisht and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

The Chief Minister said under the able leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, India has emerged as a strong and powerful country in the world today. In Haryana too, the government has considered honesty, transparency and service as its basic mantra. The politics of casteism, appeasement and dynasty was ended due to which the people of the state formed the BJP government for the third time. Today, a responsible and sensitive non-stop government is working in Haryana.

He said as soon as the third term of the BJP government started in Haryana, 26,000 youth were given government jobs without ‘parchi-kharchi’.

He said Haryana is among the leading states of the country in national highways, industry, digital services, skill development for youth, women safety and welfare of farmers.

He said Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi had announced that elderly people above 70 years of age will get free treatment under the Ayushman Yojana. The Haryana Government has given the benefit of this scheme to the elderly of the state.

He said by linking public service with technology, more than 52 lakh families in Haryana are being given direct benefit of more than 400 schemes and services at home through the Parivar Pehchan Patra. This is a unique initiative in itself. Similarly, the Haryana Government has given respect to the elderly by increasing the social security pension to Rs 3000. On the formation of BJP government in Punjab, people will be given the benefit of public welfare schemes on the lines of Haryana.

He said under the ‘Mhara Gaon-Jagmag Gaon’ scheme in Haryana, 5878 villages are also being given 24-hour electricity on the lines of cities. If BJP government is formed in Punjab, 24 hours electricity will be provided to people. On reaching the function, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini was given a warm welcome and honoured with a memento.

Continuous improvements being made to make Panchayati Raj system efficient: Krishan Lal Panwar

Chandigarh, April 26 – Haryana’s Development and Panchayat Minister Sh. Krishan Lal Panwar said under the leadership of Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, continuous improvements are being made to make the Panchayati Raj system more efficient, transparent and accountable. In this series, Gram Panchayats with more than 5000 population as per Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) will be awarded Rs 11 to 51 lakh and Gram Panchayats with less than 5000 population will be awarded Rs 5 to 31 lakh at the state level, district level and block level, which was announced by the Chief Minister on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day in Panchkula recently.

The Development and Panchayat Minister said under the Mukhyamantri Jagrut Gram Puraskar Yojana, awards will be given to those Gram Panchayats which will perform excellently on socio-economic parameters like education, health, self-employment, water conservation, women leadership, agricultural productivity, digital connectivity and sustainable infrastructure. The objective of this scheme is that the Panchayats not only implement the schemes, but also become an example of sustainable solutions with public participation.

He said this time the participation of youth has increased in the educated Panchayats of the state and a large number of Panch-Sarpanch have been elected as members and chairmen of Block Committee and District Council. These young public representatives will play an important role in strengthening the rural economy to give concrete shape to the goal of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi to make India developed by 2047.

Category 1- Gram Panchayats with more than 5000 population

The Development and Panchayat Minister said this award will be given to the Gram Panchayats at the state level, district level and block level under 2 categories. He said under Category 1- Gram Panchayats with PPP population of more than 5000 will be awarded in three categories at the state level. The Gram Panchayat coming first at the state level will be given an incentive of Rs 51 lakh, the Gram Panchayat coming second will be given Rs 31 lakh and the Gram Panchayat coming third will be given Rs 21 lakh. Similarly, the Gram Panchayat coming first at the district level will be given an incentive of Rs 31 lakh and the Gram Panchayat coming second will be given Rs 21 lakh. The Gram Panchayat coming first at the block level will be given an incentive of Rs 11 lakh.

Category 2- Gram Panchayats with less than 5000 population

He said in category 2- Gram Panchayats with less than 5000 PPP population, the Gram Panchayat coming first at the state level will be given Rs 31 lakh, the Gram Panchayat coming second will be given Rs 21 lakh and the Gram Panchayat coming third will be given Rs 11 lakh. The Gram Panchayat coming first at the district level will be given an incentive amount of Rs 21 lakh, the Gram Panchayat coming second will be given Rs 11 lakh. The Gram Panchayat coming first at the block level will be given an incentive amount of Rs 5 lakh. All these amounts will be spent on the development works of the Gram Panchayats.

Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh hands over appointment letters to youth in Gurugram

Chandigarh, April 26- Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh distributed appointment letters to newly appointed youth during a Rozgar Mela programme organized in Gurugram district. The event was a part of the 15th Rozgar Mela being held across the country in which Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi addressed more than 51,000 youth appointed at 47 places across the country through video conferencing. Earlier, in the programme organized in Gurugram, the Union Minister and the people present observed two minutes of silence and paid tribute to the civilians killed in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

Rao Inderjit Singh congratulated the youth and said that today’s appointments are a direct proof of the deep commitment of the Central Government under the leadership of the Prime Minister towards employment generation. He said that the government is constantly striving to not only provide employment opportunities to the youth of the country, but also make them a strong participant in the country’s development journey.

Rao Inderjit Singh also mentioned that the Rozgar Mela is not only a means of providing jobs but it also provides an important opportunity to the youth to actively contribute to nation building. The Rozgar Mela is a major initiative of the government to connect the youth with employment, which aims to strengthen the role of youth in the development of the country, he added.

Build as many check dams as possible in hilly forest areas, CM tells officials

Chandigarh, April 26 – Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini directed Forest Department officials to build as many check dams as possible in the hilly forest areas so that water can be conserved during the rainy season. This will not only fulfill the water requirement of the trees and plants of the forest but will also help in maintaining the groundwater level.

The Chief Minister was reviewing the projects related to ‘CM Announcements’ here today. The Chief Minister reviewed the projects of various departments, including the Home Department, Revenue, Environment, Forest and Wildlife, Transport, and will review the projects of ‘CM Announcements’ of remaining departments on April 29.

Sh. Nayab Singh Saini told officials not to compromise with quality at any cost in the construction of check dams. He also directed to check the current condition of all the old check dams and repair them. The Chief Minister directed to plant saplings on the roadsides in the upcoming rainy season and ensure their care. He told officials to give concrete shape to the plan of establishing at least two Oxyvans in every district. While giving instructions to clean the Ghaggar river from environmental point of view, he said at some places, dirty water is being cleaned through the STP and is being poured into the Ghaggar. For this, he directed that the STP does not get damaged and dirty water does not bypass and go into the river. If any such complaint is received at any place, then penalty should be imposed on the STP contractor.

The Chief Minister, while giving instructions to complete the projects related to ‘CM Announcements’ within the stipulated period, said delay in completion of the project also increases its cost. He also said that if there is delay in completion of the work due to any valid reason, then the officer must write the ‘Reason for delay’ on the file.

He asked to ensure space for the office of ‘Fire Brigade’ in the industrial areas of HSIIDC in future so that there is no delay in controlling any fire incident in the industry. Advising officers to work with full honesty, he said they should maintain complete transparency in completing various schemes and projects. The main objective of the state government is to work with the spirit of Antyodaya and provide the benefits of schemes and services to the poorest of the poor in the society on time.

On this occasion, Chief Secretary Sh. Anurag Rastogi, Administrative Secretaries of various departments and other senior officers were present.

Urban Local Bodies Minister Vipul Goel visits Bandhwari Plant in Gurugram, holds meeting with MC officials

Chandigarh, April 26— Haryana’s Urban Local Bodies Minister Sh. Vipul Goel on Saturday visited the waste management plant located at Bandhwari in Gurugram and reviewed the ongoing work at the plant. On this occasion, he also held a meeting with Municipal Corporation officials and representatives of waste management agencies.

During the meeting, the minister gave clear instructions to speed up the garbage disposal work and complete the work within the stipulated time. He said the government is fully committed to cleanliness and environmental protection and any kind of negligence in this direction will not be tolerated.

The minister took information from the officials about the functioning of the plant, the condition of the machines and the current status of processing of garbage. He said the Bandhwari plant plays an important role in the garbage management of the area and there should not be any delay in its work. He also directed all the concerned agencies to work in coordination and resolve the challenges on priority. He said to maintain the clean image of a metropolis like Gurugram, any kind of negligence in waste management work will not be tolerated.

Mahipal Dhanda unveils statue of Swami Vivekananda at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Law University

Chandigarh, April 26 – Haryana Education Minister Sh. Mahipal Dhanda today unveiled the statue of Swami Vivekananda at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Law University located in Education City, Rai, Sonipat. After this, he formally started the programme by lighting the lamp as the chief guest at the foundation day celebrations of the university.

Addressing the students, the Education Minister said the Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi and the Haryana Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini are continuously working with the resolve to make India a world heritage, self-reliant and developed nation.

He called upon the youth to play an active role in the development of the country. He said efforts should be made to find innovation in the judicial process, which can accelerate the development of the nation. He said while many countries in the world are struggling with instability, India is moving on the path of development due to its diplomatic policies.

He said under the leadership of the Prime Minister, India changed the policies and provided security to foreign investors, due to which today the major companies of the world want to invest in India.

He said Haryana is the first state in the country to implement the National Education Policy-2020. Under this, by making extensive changes in the curriculum, children have been given the freedom to study in the language of their choice. Also, the government is working to include the subject of entrepreneurship in school education so that children can become self-reliant.

The Education Minister said he sees positive energy and dedication towards nation building in the university students. He called upon the students to learn from the fairness of the Panchayati Justice System and go to rural areas and run legal awareness campaigns.