Mohali, February 25

In order to prevent dengue fever cases in the upcoming season, the district health department is imparting sensitization training to Nursing college students in the district. Civil Surgeon Dr Sangeeta Jain said that the district team under District Epidemologist Dr Anamika Soni has trained around 1500 students of various Nursing colleges and sensitized them on symptoms, causes, prevention and treatment of the killer disease.

She said that the purpose behind this drive is to get involved Nursing students in the anti-dengue drive and to give a boost to the checking, spraying and awareness campaign Har Shukarwar, Dengu te war” launched by the Punjab Government recently. Moreover, this is also a part of their studies. Students have been taught about that Dengue is a viral infection that spreads from Aedes aegypti mosquito to people. Dengue Symptoms include sudden high fever, severe headaches, pain behind eyes, severe joint and muscle pain, Skin rash, fatigue, nausea, vomiting etc. Self-medication should be avoided if dengue symptoms occur. The prevention method is that water should not be let stagnate anywhere in and around homes and other places as the mosquito prefers to breed in clean, stagnant water easily found in our homes. If for some reason dengue fever occurs, there is no need to panic. The patient should visit a government health facility where dengue test and treatment is absolutely free. The health department’s helpline number 104 may also be contacted. Photo Caption : Dr Anamika Soni imparting training to students.

Chandigarh, February 24, 2025: Kamal Soi, Member of the National Road Safety Council, Government of India, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, and Chairman of Raahat – The Safe Community Foundation, has raised serious concerns over the Punjab government’s move to take control of driving license (DL) and registration certificate (RC) issuance.

Addressing a press conference at the Chandigarh Press Club today, Soi highlighted that 268 employees have already lost their jobs due to this transition. He referred to the Request for Proposal (RFP) issued on February 10, 2025, which mandates that the Transport Department will oversee the personalization of data, issuance, and distribution of final personalized smart cards post-supply.

Concerns Over Corruption and Inefficiency

Soi criticized the move, arguing that government control over a project previously managed by a system integrator will lead to increased corruption, inefficiency, and inconvenience for the public. He emphasized that system integrators bring in skilled professionals, including IT specialists and project managers, whose expertise is now at risk of being disregarded.

He said, over 5 lakh people in Punjab are waiting for DLs and RCs and are left in the lurch and are being subjected to inconvenience, which will only lead to corruption. Moreover Why driving tests are not being conducted by the government in Punjab”, he questioned.

“In a startling revelation, I had earlier addressed a press conference on February 7 about the public inconvenience due to delays in DL and RC issuance. It appears that in a hasty response, the Transport Department issued the RFP on February 10, 2025, for the selection of an agency to supply smart cards. However, the department has decided to manage critical functions of data personalization and distribution itself, which is a cause for major concern,” Soi stated.

Potential Failure of Implementation

According to Soi, this move could lead to complete failure and chaos at the implementation stage, as the Transport Department lacks the necessary expertise, infrastructure, and workforce. He pointed out that the department does not have access to NIC’s (National Informatics Centre) Vahan and Sarathi ecosystem, which is essential for data handling. Furthermore, critical steps such as data deployment in a print-ready format, quality control in DL/RC printing, and proper dispatch management require specialized expertise.

Need for Transparency and Efficiency

Soi warned that government involvement in issuing DLs and RCs could lead to conflicts of interest and favoritism, thereby reducing transparency and efficiency. He noted that private sector firms operate under competitive market forces and performance-based incentives, ensuring better accountability than government-managed operations.

He urged the Transport Department to reconsider its decision and amend the RFP to allow the selected agency to manage data personalization and issuance of smart cards. He also suggested that until a new vendor is appointed, the DL & RC project in Punjab should be managed by NICSI (National Informatics Centre Services Inc.), which has a credible track record in the transportation sector for over 25 years.

“The public should not suffer due to administrative inefficiencies. It is crucial that the government ensures a seamless, transparent, and accountable process for issuing DLs and RCs while also safeguarding employment for skilled professionals in the private sector,” Soi concluded.