IEP Chandigarh,  February 12

          The state government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is making continuous efforts to provide good governance to the people and to raise their standard of living.  Under this purpose, Minister of Social Security, Women and Child Development of Punjab Dr. Baljit Kaur operated a blind couple’s eyes of Fazilka at free of cost which was completely successful.  Today, after the treatment of one month, Minister was here to know the condition of the couple.

          Dr. Baljit Kaur shared more information that Suraj and Kavita, husband and wife, from village Ladhuwala, Fazilka had lost their eyesight due to white cataracts for a past year.  She expressed that both had been ignored due to their poverty. These patients were brought by an institution.  She said that both the husband and wife underwent an eye surgery a month ago which was remained successful and now the couple have seen the colors of life.

          The Cabinet Minister further said that Suraj and Kavita, both husband and wife, had come today for the operation of their other eye.  She said that both of them have been operated and surgery of white cataract has been done successfully.  She shared that these people always motivate the society to work ahead in life.  She said that both of them can now see the universe with their own eyes.

          On this occasion, Sri Guru Nanak Sahib Sarbviapi Modikhana community apart from other social workers were also present.

IEP Ludhiana, February 12

          Reiterating the firm commitment of the state government to make agriculture a profitable venture, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday advocated for making new experiments in the field of agriculture to supplement the income of the farmers.

          Presiding over the first of its kind initiative of  Government- Farmers (Sarkar-Kisan) interaction (milni), which got massive response from the farmers here at PAU, the Chief Minister said that this unique endeavor is aimed at ensuring the well being of the farmers. He said that active participation of farmers is the need of the hour to bail them out from the ongoing agrarian crisis. Bhagwant Mann said that due to ever escalating input costs and diminishing returns agriculture is no longer profitable venture.

          The Chief Minister said that due to this the farmers of the state are on cross roads. He said that the sole motive of organizing this interaction is to reduce the gap between decision makers and stakeholders so that policies are designed as per the needs of the farmers. Bhagwant Mann called upon the farmers to shun traditional methods of agriculture and adopt new ultra modern techniques for maximizing their profit adding that the state government will ensure fulsome support and cooperation to them. 

          The Chief Minister said that the state government is already pursuing the matter of providing Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the farmers on alternative crops with the Government of India. He said that this will help in supplementing the income of the farmers on one hand and weaning away the menace of stubble burning on the other. Bhagwant Mann said that the state government is also laying major thrust on the food processing sector and processing plants for Sugarcane, Leechi, Garlic, Kinnow and other fruits will soon be set up in the state.

          The Chief Minister also said that the state government is also planning to boost the agro-industry in a big way. He said that Punjab produces 80% of the total Basmati produced in the country adding that this production will be further enhanced in the coming days. Bhagwant Mann said that this will further give fillip to the Basmati industry on one hand and supplement the income of farmers besides saving the precious natural resource in the form of water.

          The Chief Minister gave a clarion call to the farmers to adopt Basmati cultivation across the state. He assured the farmers that the state government will make every effort to ensure that they do not suffer any sort of loss in cultivation of Basmati. Bhagwant Mann also said that every effort will be made to ensure that assured price is made available on Basmati cultivation.

          The Chief Minister said that the state government is also mulling to enhance the cultivation by optimum utilization of the canal water.  He said that the irrigation network across the state will be further spruced up to benefit the framers. Bhagwant Mann said that all out efforts will be made to ensure that water reaches even at the tail end villages.

          The Chief Minister said that in a major pro-farmer initiative, no power cut was imposed in the state during the previous paddy season due to which farmers got uninterrupted and regular supply of power.  He said that due to the efforts of his government the power generation in the state has been enhanced by 83%. Bhagwant Mann said that owing to strenuous efforts made by his government the supply of coal for power generation from Pachwara coal mine has resumed after a long time.

          The Chief Minister said that as the state now has surplus coal with it, the Punjab government has also urged the Union government to give consent to coal supply to the private thermal plants. He said that the state government is providing corruption free governance to the people and several initiatives have been taken in every sector. Bhagwant Mann said that till now more than 9000 acres of land have been recovered from under the illegal occupation adding that this drive will continue in coming days too.

          The Chief Minister further said that his government has broken the backbone of the sand mafia by bringing transparency in the sand mining. Bhagwant Mann said that 16 public mines have been dedicated to the masses thereby ensuring pit head price of sand to Rs 5.50 per cubic feet. He categorically said that the sand mafia that had flourished during the previous government regimes will no longer exploit the people.

          The Chief Minister also reiterated the firm commitment of his government to make Punjab a ‘drug free state’. He said that the menace of drugs is being dealt with a heavy hand and a zero tolerance policy is being adopted against the drug peddlers. Bhagwant Mann said that sporting activity is being promoted in the state along with opening of new avenues of employment to channelize the unbounded energy of youth in a positive direction.

          The Chief Minister also called upon the officers especially the deputy Commissioners and Additional Deputy Commissioners to maximize their field visits, especially in villages, and interactions with the people by going to villages. He said that it is the need of the hour to facilitate the people in getting their day-to-day works done easily besides ensuring good governance to them. Bhagwant Mann said that this will help in better functioning of the offices along with better acquaintance with the ground realities.

          Meanwhile, during this Sarkar-Kisan Milni held at Punjab Agriculture University around 15,000 farmers registered themselves.

          Renowned Punjabi singer and lyricist Debi Makhoospuri and Raj Tewari enthralled the audience with their spellbound performances.

          Prominent amongst others present on the occasion included Cabinet Ministers Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Laljeet Singh Bhullar, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Lal Chand Kataruchak, Brahm Shankar Jimpa, Chetan Singh Jauramajra, Inderbir Singh Nijjar and Harbhajan Singh ETO, MPs Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal and Sanjeev Arora and others.

IEP Chandigarh, February 11

          The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its ongoing campaign against corruption in the state, has nabbed Manjinder Singh,  Surveyor, in Punjab Forest & Wildlife Protection department, SAS Nagar red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs. 2 lakh.

          During search of his house in village Singhpura, SAS Nagar district, the VB  has recovered Rs. 1,04,200. Meanwhile the the Judicial Magistrate has remanded the accused for four days police remand to further investigate any involvement of other persons/officials in the matter.

          Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the state VB said the above mentioned accused official has been arrested on the complaint of Dinkar Singh of Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda district. Giving details he further informed that the complainant has approached the VB and informed that he has applied for getting No Objection Certificate (NOC) for installation of new petrol pump on Rama Mandi-Talwandi Sabo road and alleged that the accused official has demanded Rs 2 lakh for the same. He further informed that the accused has already taken Rs 3 lakh for this purpose.

          The spokesperson further added that after preliminary investigation of the said complaint, a VB team laid a trap and the accused official was arrested in Phase 7 Market, SAS Nagar while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.

          In this regard a case under prevention of corruption act has been registered against the accused official at VB police station, Flying Squad, Punjab at SAS Nagar, he added.

          He informed that during the search of house of the accused in village Singhpura, Mohali district, the VB team has recovered Rs. 1,04,200. In this case further investigation was under progress and the role of more persons/officials would be probed in this case.

IEP New Delhi, February 11      

    Welcoming the first batch of 36 Principals who returned back after training at Singapore, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said that this paradigm shift of equipping the Principals with best global teaches practices has heralded a new era of education revolution in the state.          Interacting with the Principals after their return in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister said that the enhanced and enriched expertise of the Principals will help in grooming the future of the students in view of their interests. He said that it is a red letter day in the history of the state as these Principals will act as a catalyst in imparting quality education to the students. Bhagwant Mann said that the state government has started this program with an aim to rejuvenate the education system in the state on one hand and to ensure a bright future for the students on the other.          The Chief Minister said that this first of its kind initiative by the state government is part of the State scheme for teachers’ foreign training cleared by Cabinet. Speaking about this unique initiative, he said that when a new policy is introduced then the voice of dissent crops up but he will never hesitate to take any decision which is in the interests of the state. Bhagwant Mann said that he is well aware of the basic problems of teachers as he is the son of a teacher adding that his government will utilise the services of teachers only for teaching and not for any other work.          The Chief Minister said that he had got a letter from the Union government to depute teachers in census duty but he categorically refused the same and asked them to deploy educated youngsters. He said that it will help in job opportunities for youth on one hand and ensure quality education to our students on the other. Quoting a proverb that experience is the comb that Nature gives us after we are bald, Bhagwant Mann said that we are trying our best to take advantage from the experience of others because Punjab had lagged behind in this sector due to callousness of previous governments.          Exhorting the teachers to become role models for students, the Chief Minister said that this program aims at enhancing the professional skills of the teaching fraternity, so that they can deliver the best quality education to the students. Bhagwant Mann said that this initiative will open doors of quality education for the students of government schools thereby enabling them to compete with their convent educated peers and excel in life. He reiterated that teachers are the nation builders who can uplift the level of education, so the state government has decided to upgrade their teaching skills by ensuring quality training to them.          The Chief Minister said that as a part of this guarantee the first batch of 36 Government School Principals had gone to Singapore on February 4 for professional training. He said that these Principals during their stay at Singapore had participated in a Professional Teacher Training seminar from February 6-10. Bhagwant Mann said that after the completion of training this first batch has returned back today.          The Chief Minister further said that this training program will further widen the horizon of the teachers by equipping them with state-of-the-art teaching practices, leadership skills, creation of teaching-learning materials and audio-visual technology to meet  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. He envisioned that this path breaking initiative will prove to be a milestone for reforming the education system in the state. Bhagwant Mann said that the day is not far when with these efforts Punjab will soon become a front runner state in the field of education adding that this ambitious program will continue in the coming days too.          Addressing the gathering, the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal envisioned that this knowledge sharing interaction will prove fruitful in the coming times adding that this will become a regular feature in future. Sharing his experiences to rejuvenate the education sector, Kejriwal said that he is a votary to imbibe positive energy in Principals and teachers through such programs besides laying thrust on building and upgrading infrastructure. He said that when we delivered results then people showed interest in enrolling their wards in government schools by leaving the private schools.          The Delhi Chief Minister said that it is it is a matter of great pride and satisfaction that the reformatory work in health and education which was done in Delhi in years was accomplished by Punjab merely in 10 months under the leadership of Bhagwant Mann. He also slammed some people for creating undue obstacles in way of Delhi government to implement such pro poor initiatives in the national capital also. However, Kejriwal said that various designs of these people will never succeed and this pro poor initiative will soon be implemented in Delhi. Advocating international training for teachers, Arvind Kejriwal said that global learning experience is the need of hour to groom the students for future challenges.          The Delhi Chief Minister said that this unique endeavour of Punjab government will go a long way in reforming education system in the state. He said that a system has now evolved and the day is not far when we will see that teachers of Singapore will come to Punjab for the training. Kejriwal also complimented Punjab Chief Minister for taking the path breaking initiative to transform education system in state.          On the occasion the Principals also shared their enriched experiences at Singapore. They lauded the historic initiative taken by the state government for enhancing their skills. They said that the day is not far when this step will transform the destiny of the students especially from the weaker and underprivileged sections of society.          Prominent amongst others present on the occasion included Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia, Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains and others.

IEP Chandigarh, February 10     

     To streamline the official functioning and provide hassle free citizen centric services, Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Friday instructed to install Biometric Machines to mark the attendance of employees in all field offices of the department.          Disclosing this, the Cabinet Minister informed that it has been observed that some of the employees were coming late in field offices across Punjab due to which public has to go through tough times thereby the department has started to mark the attendance on Biometric Machines to counter this problem and provide on time services to the masses. He instructed that the Biometric Machines would be installed up to February 28, 2023 at all field offices of the department so that the attendance would be marked from March 1, 2023.          Speaking about the initiative, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal informed that some of the other departments have already introduced Bio-Metric Attendance System a few years back but the same was discontinued due to COVID Pandemic. ‘’Other departments will follow the footsteps to install these systems, while some of them have already resumed this system to mark the attendance,’’ he added.          The Cabinet Minister said that the Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann firmly committed to provide citizen services to the people at their doorsteps thereby the steps have been taken to counter the practice of absenteeism among the employees. He exhorted that the government would ensure that the people will not face any hardships for public utility services.

IEP Chandigarh, February 10

          Aiming to curb the menace of corruption in the state on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Friday nabbed a Forest Guard Munish Kumar, posted at Malerkotla and residing at Sunam road, Sangrur red handed for accepting a bribe of Rs. 15,000.

          Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of VB said the above said forest official has been arrested on the complaint of Nirbhey Singh, resident of village Burj, Malerkotla district.

          Giving more details he informed that the complainant has approached the VB and alleged that the above said official has been demanding a bribe of Rs. 15,000 for for not reporting the damage to forest park adjoining his plot.

          After verifying his complaint, a VB team from economic offences wing Ludhiana range laid a trap and the accused Forest Guard was arrested while accepting a bribe of Rs. 15,000 as a bribe from the complainant and the tainted money was recovered from him in the presence of two official witnesses, he added.

          The spokesperson informed that a case under prevention of corruption act has been registered against the accused official at VB police station Ludhiana range and further investigation was under progress.

IEP CHANDIGARH/JALANDHAR, February 10:        

  As part of the ongoing drive against anti-social elements launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Police arrested an associate of Canada-based terrorist Lakhbir Singh alias Landa and his three aides after recovering four pistols along with ammunition from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Friday.          The arrested key accused has been identified as Vijay Kumar alias Toti of village Bhikha Nangal in Kartarpur, Jalandhar, while, his three aides have been identified as Amardeep Singh alias Patwari, Sooraj Singh and Rahul Lahoch, all residents of Jalandhar. Whereas, all the accused persons are History-sheeters, the main accused Vijay alias Toti has been facing as many as 18 criminal cases pertaining to drugs, illegal weapons, kidnapping and extortion.          DGP Gaurav Yadav said that acting on a reliable input that accused Vijay along with his gang members were hatching a conspiracy to commit crime in Kartarpur area, Police teams from Jalandhar Rural promptly conducted special naka near Drain in Durgi area of Jalandhar and successfully arrested all the four accused persons, who were travelling on two motorcycles.          He said that the Police impounded both the motorcycles and have recovered four pistols including two .32 bore country-made pistols along with 10 live cartridges, one 9 mm country-made pistol along with two live cartridges and one .12 bore country made pistol along with one live cartridge from their possession.          Divulging more details, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jalandhar Rural said that two of the arrested accused persons were also wanted by Kapurthala Police in kidnapping case, wherein they had abducted a resident of Gaji Gadana village in Kapurthala district and sought Rs 3 crore as ransom for his release. The case FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Police Station Dhilwan in Kapurthala.          Meanwhile, a fresh case FIR no. 16 has been registered under sections 379-B, 386, 392 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 25 of the Arms Act at Police Station Kartarpur.

IEP SAS Nagar, February 10

 Special camps are being held on February 12 at SAS Nagar to link voter card with Aadhaar card. Giving this information, District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner SAS Nagar, Mrs. Ashika Jain has appealed to voters to link their voter cards with Aadhaar card. In this regard, special camps are being organized as per the instructions of the Election Commission of India. These special camps will be organized on February 12, 2023 at all the polling stations.

Mrs. Jain said that, during the special camps BLOs will be present at their respective polling stations and collect Form 6B to link the Aadhaar card with the voter card. Apart from this, the District Election Officer has appealed to the voters to give full support to the BLO in this campaign so that the Aadhaar card of all the voters of the district can be linked with the voter card. Voters themselves can fill form no.6 on nvsp.in or Voterhelpline App to link their voter card with Aadhaar card. The purpose of this is to provide better electoral services to voters in future.

IEP Chandigarh, February 9

          Emphasizing more nutritious content in the mid day meals being provided to the children in the schools across the State, the Chairman, Punjab State Food Commission D.P. Reddy said that the cooks deployed for cooking the meals must ensure cleanliness.

          Chairing a meeting with the School Education Department here at MGSIPA regarding Mid Day meals in the State, the Chairman said that health checkups of the children at regular intervals are also the need of the hour besides taking steps to ensure the making of health profile of the children soas to have proper assessment about their well being.

          The Chairman also exhorted the officers of the department to arrange funds under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to make sure that the ROs are installed in all the schools in the coming 6 months across the State to provide clean drinking water to the students. Besides, Mr. Reddy also said that the short film made by the commission on the mid day meals should be uploaded on the EDUSAT platform of the department. Depending upon the resources, the exhaust fans should be provided to get rid of smoke thus protecting both the children as well as the cooks, said Mr. Reddy underscoring the importance of learning from the best practices adopted by the other states in this regard.

          Stressing the significance of social media in spreading awareness about the commission’s activities, the Chairman batted for the Education Department to follow the social media handles of the commission so as to ensure a wider reach for various initiatives of the commission. The notice boards and complaint boxes must be installed at all the places to generate more awareness among the people apart from enabling them to offer suggestions.

          The Chairman& Members shared their experience of field visits & gave some important suggestions. It was assured by the School Education Department authorities that the same will be kept in view & will be taken care of properly.

          Among others present on the occasion included A.K. Sharma, IRS (Retd.), Preety Chawla, Indra Gupta, Vijay Dutt, Chetan Prakash Dhaliwal, Members and officers of the Punjab State Food Commission, Director General School Education Vinay Bublani and officers of the School Education Department.

IEP Chandigarh, February 9   

       The Punjab Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa has informed that about 98 percent of the complaints received in the Shikayat Nivaran Kender (SNK) of the department during last 11 months have been resolved. He said that under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, it is the priority of the State Government to provide clean drinking water in the villages of the state and for this purpose the department is working with all sincerity and diligence. He said that many schemes are also being initiated to keep the villages clean and garbage free.          Jimpa said that on toll free number 1800-180-2468 issued by the department, 18,693 complaints have been registered from 1 March 2022 to 6 February 2023 regarding water supply, R.O. plants, sewage, Individual Household Latrine and others. Out of these, 18,308 complaints have been redressed with the rate of redressal being 97.94 percent.          He further said that after resolving the complaint, feedback is also taken from the complainant and if he/she is not satisfied, appropriate action is taken again on his/her complaint. The Minister said that the State Government is making all efforts to provide clean drinking water and adequate sewage facility to the residents of State villages.  He said that as per the instructions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Department of Water Supply and Sanitation has also started an online Janta Darbar so that citizens can raise their complaints and problems directly before the Minister.          Jimpa appealed that if any village resident has any kind of complaint or suggestion regarding water supply and sanitation, then he/she should not hesitate to submit his/her views. The State Government will leave no stone unturned for people’s welfare and lifting the standard of living, added Jimpa.