Khijrabad (Banur)/Chandigarh, May 15:

          Punjab Rural Development and Panchayats Minister, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, announced that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government has embarked on a transformative mission to enhance the aesthetics and vitality of the state’s villages. He emphasized that the Punjab government’s initiatives will leave a lasting impact on rural Punjab.

          Highlighting key developments, Minister Sond stated that 15,000 village ponds are being cleaned and rejuvenated, and 13,000 rural sports grounds are being developed or upgraded as part of a comprehensive strategy to uplift rural life and promote youth engagement. He criticized previous governments for their inaction in maintaining village ponds and providing sports facilities for rural youth.

          Addressing a press conference during a visit to the rural sports ground in Khijrabad (Banur), accompanied by MLA Neena Mittal, Sond remarked, “In every village, two locations define its spirit — the pond and the playground. Our government is committed to revitalizing both, ensuring that they become symbols of prosperity and pride.”

          As part of the Rural Rejuvenation Mission, the government is building or upgrading over 13,000 sports grounds across all 154 development blocks. These efforts are aligned with the government’s broader vision of a “Yudh Nashiyan Virudh,” encouraging youth participation in sports and steering them away from substance abuse.

          The projects are being implemented through a combination of budgetary funds worth Rs. 3,500 crore, MGNREGA, and Finance Commission grants. Furthermore, 3,000 new Model Sports Grounds are being constructed with special focus on locally popular sports, and 4,300 existing playgrounds are undergoing significant upgrades.

          Sond expressed concern that many rural children grow up without access to sports facilities, which hinders their physical development and career prospects. “We are ensuring that every child in every village has access to safe, green, and well-equipped playgrounds to play, compete, and grow,” he stated.

          Later, Sond visited villages including Azizpur, Fareedpur Gujjran, Bhateri, Nalas Khurd, and Manakpur to review the status of playground development and pond cleaning. During an inspection of the Azizpur Stadium, he noted some deficiencies and directed the Patiala ADC to submit a report.

          He revealed that this is the first-of-its-kind mission in Punjab, aimed at cleaning, rejuvenating, and treating water in over 15,000 ponds across all 154 blocks in a phased manner. According to field reports, Dewatering has been completed in 1,587 ponds and ongoing in 4,408 ponds. Similarly, Desilting has been completed in over 515 ponds and underway in 1,901 ponds. The entire dewatering process is expected to be completed by May 30, 2025.

          The Minister announced that in the first phase of FY 2025-26, 5,000 ponds will be developed under the Thapar/Seechewal model. “This is not just a cleanliness initiative. It is a movement to restore dignity and quality of life in our villages,” he said.

          For decades, many village ponds had turned into dumping grounds, filled with waste, plastic, and wild overgrowth, becoming unfit for animals, mosquito breeding grounds, and unsuitable for agriculture. Now, these water bodies are being transformed into clean water sources to be reused for farming and community needs.

          He emphasized that large-scale dewatering and desilting operations are being undertaken for the first time in decades, significantly enhancing water storage capacity and natural flow patterns. This initiative marks a historic step in Punjab’s rural transformation, demonstrating the state government’s unwavering commitment to clean water, youth empowerment, and sustainable village development.

Chandigarh, May 15, 2025 –

 The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), in line with the zero tolerance policy against corruption adopted by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab government, has apprehended Sukhdev Vashisht, an Assistant Town Planner (ATP), Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar for demanding a bribe of Rs. 30,000.

Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the state VB said the said accused has been arrested based on several complaints received from the stakeholders.

He further added that the complainants have alleged that the said accused had been deliberately delaying file approvals and extorting money from the applicants. They informed that despite 70 percent of building maps in the area have already been approved by the MC, but the aforementioned ATP Vashisht had refused to clear certain files unless bribes were paid. As per the complaint, the said ATP has demanded Rs. 30,000 to process the case. The complainants also accused him of using threats, including sealing buildings during inspections to intimidate applicants and even told that he is not afraid of his transfer.

He further added that after a preliminary examination of the complaint, the VB Jalandhar range has registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act against the said MC official and arrested him. Further Investigations are ongoing to determine the extent of corruption, he said.

Chandigarh, May 15, 2025:

 Under the able guidance and visionary leadership of  Chief Minister of Punjab, S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) continues to make remarkable strides in strengthening and expanding the electricity infrastructure across the state. The North Zone has seen significant improvements in electricity supply, capacity enhancement, and infrastructure development during the year 2024–25.

Giving this information here on Wednesday, Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO added that in the North Zone, electricity is being supplied to four districts Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala, and Jalandhar. To serve these districts effectively, the zone is equipped with 2 Sub-stations of 400KV, 15 Sub-stations of 220KV and 19 Sub-stations of 132KV. In addition, there are 128 Sub-stations of 66KV with a cumulative capacity of 3886.5 MVA.

 The zone also maintains 179 lines of 66KV covering 1555.091 circuit kilometres (CKT KM) and 3 lines of 33KV spanning 2.7 CKT KM.

He added that during the year 2024–25, electricity was supplied to a total of 22,42,638 consumers through 2059 feeders of 11KV. Out of these, 57 feeders were De-loaded to enhance reliability and prevent overloading. The length of HT (High Tension) lines under this GEN (General Electrical Network) now stands at 36,196.45 KM, reflecting an increase of 313.83 KM as compared to the previous year (2023–24).

The Power Minister said that to further support the electricity distribution network, 1,58,043 transformers have been installed across the zone with a total capacity of 6427.174 MVA — an increase of 3020 distribution transformers with 177.64MVA capacity over the previous year. The length of L.T (Low Tension) lines is now 29,686.31 KM, ensuring deeper penetration of electricity supply to remote areas.

He said that in terms of upgradation, a total of 2 Nos. power transformers have been augmented from 6.3/8.0 MVA to 12.5 MVA, 4 transformers from 10/12.5 MVA to 20 MVA, and 11 transformers from 20 MVA to 31.5 MVA across various 66KV substations under this zone. Additionally, 1No. new 66KV has been constructed to further strengthen the distribution network.

Further, he said that under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), provision of Rs.844.81 Crore has been made for the North Zone. This allocation covers 109 bi-connections of 11KV feeders, 150 Nos. cabling works, 150 Nos. upgrades to high-capacity conductors, 182 Nos. new transformers to enhance distribution capacity, the construction of 4 Nos. new Sub-stations, and the installation of 21Nos. new distribution lines.

The Power Minister said these initiatives are expected to significantly improve the quality and reliability of electricity supply and reduce incidents of tripping and outages.

SAS Nagar, May 15:
Punjab National Bank (PNB), the lead bank of District Mohali, honored meritorious students from two schools in recognition of their exceptional academic performance in the recently declared results. The initiative, driven by PNB’s top management, aims to motivate other students to excel in their studies.

The PNB Mohali team, led by Deputy Circle Head Sh. Som Dass Shivgotra, LDM Mohali Sh. M K Bhardwaj, and Varinder Singh from the marketing team, participated in the felicitation events.

The first event was held at Govt. Girls Senior Secondary School, Sohana, Mohali (Punjab School Education Board), under the leadership of Principal Ms. Himanshu Latawa and her dedicated team of teachers. PNB recognized four outstanding students for their remarkable performance in the 12th grade: Jasneet Kaur (95.4%), Kamaljeet Kaur (95%), Priya Muskan (94.4%), and Bhavneet Kaur (94.4%).

The second event took place at Sacred Soul School, Gharuan (CBSE Board), where students also achieved excellent results. In the 12th grade, Amarpreet Singh secured 95% and Rishabh Singla scored 91.8%. In the 10th grade, Tanishka achieved 96.6% and Pranav Gupta secured 94%. The event was attended by the school’s director Sh. D P Singh, Principal Mrs. Manbir Brar, and Manager Sh. Inder Pal Singh.

During the events, LDM Mohali Sh. M K Bhardwaj also addressed the students on the growing concern of cybercrimes in the region, advising them to stay vigilant during financial transactions. Additionally, PNB’s new deposit schemes were introduced to the students and school staff.

Khijrabad (Banur)/Chandigarh, May 15:

Punjab Rural Development and Panchayats Minister, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, announced that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government has embarked on a transformative mission to enhance the aesthetics and vitality of the state’s villages. He emphasized that the Punjab government’s initiatives will leave a lasting impact on rural Punjab.

Highlighting key developments, Minister Sond stated that 15,000 village ponds are being cleaned and rejuvenated, and 13,000 rural sports grounds are being developed or upgraded as part of a comprehensive strategy to uplift rural life and promote youth engagement. He criticized previous governments for their inaction in maintaining village ponds and providing sports facilities for rural youth.

Addressing a press conference during a visit to the rural sports ground in Khijrabad (Banur), accompanied by MLA Neena Mittal, Sond remarked, “In every village, two locations define its spirit — the pond and the playground. Our government is committed to revitalizing both, ensuring that they become symbols of prosperity and pride.”

As part of the Rural Rejuvenation Mission, the government is building or upgrading over 13,000 sports grounds across all 154 development blocks. These efforts are aligned with the government’s broader vision of a “Yudh Nashiyan Virudh,” encouraging youth participation in sports and steering them away from substance abuse.

The projects are being implemented through a combination of budgetary funds worth Rs. 3,500 crore, MGNREGA, and Finance Commission grants. Furthermore, 3,000 new Model Sports Grounds are being constructed with special focus on locally popular sports, and 4,300 existing playgrounds are undergoing significant upgrades.

Sond expressed concern that many rural children grow up without access to sports facilities, which hinders their physical development and career prospects. “We are ensuring that every child in every village has access to safe, green, and well-equipped playgrounds to play, compete, and grow,” he stated.

Later, Sond visited villages including Azizpur, Fareedpur Gujjran, Bhateri, Nalas Khurd, and Manakpur to review the status of playground development and pond cleaning. During an inspection of the Azizpur Stadium, he noted some deficiencies and directed the Patiala ADC to submit a report.

He revealed that this is the first-of-its-kind mission in Punjab, aimed at cleaning, rejuvenating, and treating water in over 15,000 ponds across all 154 blocks in a phased manner. According to field reports, Dewatering has been completed in 1,587 ponds and ongoing in 4,408 ponds. Similarly, Desilting has been completed in over 515 ponds and underway in 1,901 ponds. The entire dewatering process is expected to be completed by May 30, 2025.

The Minister announced that in the first phase of FY 2025-26, 5,000 ponds will be developed under the Thapar/Seechewal model. “This is not just a cleanliness initiative. It is a movement to restore dignity and quality of life in our villages,” he said.

For decades, many village ponds had turned into dumping grounds, filled with waste, plastic, and wild overgrowth, becoming unfit for animals, mosquito breeding grounds, and unsuitable for agriculture. Now, these water bodies are being transformed into clean water sources to be reused for farming and community needs.

He emphasized that large-scale dewatering and desilting operations are being undertaken for the first time in decades, significantly enhancing water storage capacity and natural flow patterns. This initiative marks a historic step in Punjab’s rural transformation, demonstrating the state government’s unwavering commitment to clean water, youth empowerment, and sustainable village development.

Chandigarh, May 15:

Continuing inspection spree of ensuring sanitation arrangements across Punjab while complying with the directions of the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Local Government Minister Dr. Ravjot Singh today conducted surprise visit to various areas of Hoshiarpur city early this morning.

Reviewing the Municipal Corporation’s sanitation arrangements along with MLA Bram Shankar Jimpa, the Cabinet Minister expressed displeasure over cleanliness negligence at several locations and issued strict directions to officials. He was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain, Mayor Surinder Kumar, Backfinco Chairman Sandeep Saini, District Planning Committee Chairperson Karamjit Kaur and Municipal Commissioner Dr. Amandeep Kaur.

Dr. Ravjot Singh took serious notice of the garbage heaps found accumulated in a plot near Civil Hospital. He directed Municipal Corporation officials to issue notices to the concerned plot owners with clear instructions against dumping garbage, stating that such plots are deteriorating city’s cleanliness system and require immediate action.

Dr. Ravjot Singh also instructed regular cleaning of the roadside from Civil Hospital to Prabhat Chowk and directed that the area be transformed into a green zone, besides ensuring cleanliness around the Labour Shed near Ghanta Ghar and removing encroachments. He directed that closed public toilets be reopened immediately with proper cleaning and regular maintenance, making it clear that any negligence in providing public amenities would not be tolerated.

Dr. Ravjot Singh also visited garbage dump points near Red Road, Shimla Pahari Chowk, Government Elementary School Bahadurpur and DAV College. He assessed the cleanliness situation at all these locations and directed the concerned officials to ensure regular cleaning of these hotspots.

The Cabinet Minister ordered the immediate removal of garbage scattered along the roadsides leading to Indoor Stadium, Vardhman Officer Colony and Gurdwara Sri Zahra Zahur Sahib, asserting that making Hoshiarpur city clean, beautiful and organized is a priority of the state government and no negligence in this work would be tolerated at any cost.

MLA Bram Shankar Jimpa also asked Municipal Corporation officials to launch a special campaign to make the city dump-free and to intensify the cleaning of prominent intersections and garbage hotspots.

Senior Deputy Mayor Praveen Saini, Deputy Mayor Ranjit Chaudhary, Market Committee Hoshiarpur Chairman Jaspal Singh Chechi, Hoshiarpur Cooperative Bank Chairman Vikram Sharma and other Municipal Corporation officials were also present on this occasion.

Chandigarh, May 15:

Punjab Transport Minister S. Laljit Singh Bhullar today said that the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government is committed to the welfare and protection of rights for all sections of society, with a special focus on the upliftment of the employees.

Presiding over the meeting of representatives of PUNBUS and PRTC employee unions at the Punjab Civil Secretariat, the Cabinet Minister listened attentively to the demands of the employee unions and assured them that the state government would sympathetically consider all their demands. He said that employees are the backbone of any organization and the government will remain committed to protecting their rights.

In accordance with suggestions provided by the unions, detailed discussions were held on bringing PUNBUS and PRTC to greater profitability and implementing further improvements in departmental operations. The Cabinet Minister instructed senior officials to examine the technical aspects of the employees’ key demands and submit a report promptly.

S. Bhullar said that the Punjab government is continuously making new decisions for employee welfare and will continue to work with the same responsibility in the coming days.

Chandigarh, May 15:

In a step further aimed at saving 15-20% precious groundwater of the state, the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday started the Direct Sowing of Rice (DSR) which will act as a catalyst for checking the further depletion of groundwater besides supplementing the income of farmers in a big way.

In a statement issued here today, the Chief Minister said that after assuming the charge of his office his government has taken several path breaking initiatives to safeguard the interests of the farmers. He said that as a part of this endeavor only the state government has encouraged DSR technique of paddy cultivation as a part of which sowing under the scheme has been started from today (Thursday). Bhagwant Singh Mann said that his Government has set a target of bringing five lakh acres of land under DSR technique during this Kharif season.

Urging the farmers to make maximum use of this scheme, the Chief Minister said that this initiative is aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture on one hand and conserving the groundwater on the other. Bhagwant Singh Mann further said that it is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction for him that the state government is giving financial assistance worth Rs. 1,500 per acre to the farmers adopting DSR. He said that the state government has also kept a budgetary allocation of Rs. 40 crore for this purpose in the financial year 2025-26 adding that the farmers interested in it can register for the DSR scheme at online portal agrimachinerypb.com from May 10 to June 30, 2025.

The Chief Minister said that this scheme will save 15-20% of the groundwater in the state besides saving the additional expenses on agriculture. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the DSR technique is a big boon for the state as it will help in checking the depleting groundwater levels besides reducing labour costs of approximately Rs. 3,500 per acre. He said that the farmers should come forward and adopt this scheme and discharge their duty towards their motherland in a befitting manner.

The Chief Minister said that the state government has always been sensitive towards steering the farmers out of the prevailing agrarian crisis and for saving the precious groundwater of the state. He said that the state had played a key role to make the country self-reliant in food that too at the cost of overexploitation of the only available natural resources of the state in terms of soil and water. However, Bhagwant Singh Mann bemoaned that agriculture today was no longer a profitable venture as the farmers were facing acute agrarian crisis due to ever escalating farm inputs and non remunerative Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Chandigarh, May 15:

Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar today instructed Punjab Roadways and PRTC officials to accelerate the process of adding new buses to their fleet. It is noteworthy that 606 buses will be added to the Punbus fleet and 656 to PRTC fleet including 100 Mini buses, a total of 1262 new buses.

While chairing a meeting to evaluate the ongoing procurement of new buses with Punjab Roadways and PRTC officials, Laljit Singh Bhullar said that under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab government’s efforts to provide better public bus services have restored people’s confidence in government bus transportation. As a result, government buses have recorded an increase in revenue per kilometer.

Laljit Singh Bhullar directed officials of Punjab Roadways and PRTC to complete the ongoing procurement process for new buses before the existing buses are condemned, ensuring that the public does not face any inconvenience.

Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included PRTC Managing Director Bikramjit Singh Shergill, Punjab Roadways Director Rajiv Gupta and other officials.