IEP Chandigarh, September 21

Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema said on Wednesday that the Finance Department has released a funds amounting to Rs. 646 Crore for major schemes.

Revealing this in a statement issued here, Harpal Singh Cheema said that now there was no pendency under any Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) or its respective state’s share with the Treasury after the release of Rs. 345 crore today to this effect. He also directed the concerned departments to utilize these funds in a time bound manner rather than waiting for the end of the financial year. He said that any lapse of funds due to non-utilisation shall be viewed serious by the Department of Finance.

Giving details of the funds released for the various other schemes, Cheema said that the Finance Department has released Rs 240 crore under Major Works head. He further added that the Department has also released Rs 36 crore to Milkfed and Rs 25 crore to Health and Family Welfare Department for Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana. Reiterating the commitment of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led Punjab Government to ensure overall development of the State, Cheema said that the Finance department has been putting in every effort to improve the fiscal health of the state besides ensuring the judicious utilization of the available resources.

IEP Chandigarh, September 21

Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday said that the state has collaborated with World Bank under a $215 million Building Fiscal and Institutional Resilience for growth (BFAIR) project in which the contribution of the state will be $65 million. He said that unlike other loans this is a reform based project targetted at bring about reforms in the systems and processes of five administrative departments.

Disclosing this in a statement issued here, Finance Minister said that the project will improve systems in Finance, Planning, Governance Reforms, Local Government and Women and Child Development. He further added that the project will significantly improve delivery of the services at local level.

“The project will be implemented over a period of 5 years to bring in process and policy-based institutional reforms to enhance resilience and fiscal sustainability”, said Cheema. He also informed that $150 million assistance from the World Bank will  be available in the form of a very low cost loan wherein repayment will begin shortly during the course of the project. 

“The Punjab Government’s contribution of $65 million in this project will introduce an overarching framework by strengthening of the institutional capabilities and accountability; supporting better public service delivery and other reform measures for good governance”, said Cheema.

IEP Chandigarh, September 20     

     Punjab Cabinet Minister Anmol Gagan Mann participated in the three-day national conference of Tourism Ministers of various states and union territories of the country at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh.  This conference was organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India from 18 to 20 September to discuss the issues related to the development of tourism in the country.Cabinet Minister Anmol Gagan Maan participated in this conference with the aim of developing Punjab as a tourism hub at the international level and the boundless possibilities of tourism in Punjab.Representing Punjab in the National Conference for the development of the tourism industry in Punjab and to highlight it further, she said that tourism is being given top priority in the country and  abroad today. She said that the state government under the leadership of Chief Minister S.Bhagwant Singh Maan is continuously striving to make Punjab a tourism hub for domestic and foreign  tourists.  On this occasion, She shared information about Punjab’s rich heritage, historical buildings and lifestyle with the various representatives who participated in the national conference.She said that the heritage and culture of Punjab reflects its ancient glory.  The experience of travel in Punjab is a source of inspiration for the culture, heritage, history and mutual love of the people. She said that Punjab will soon be seen on the map of the world as a tourism destination.This conference held at Dharamshala in Himachal was presided over by the Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Mr. G.Kishan Reddy.  The National Conference was specially attended by Union Ministers, Tourism Ministers of various States and Union Territories Tourism Ministers, administrators and senior government officials, state governments and heads of tourism and hospitality associations.  The main objective of this national conference was to promote the development of the necessary infrastructure for tourism.  In this conference, there was a special discussion on the issues and opportunities related to the development of tourism.

IEP Chandigarh, September 19

Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana will conduct a feasibility study on Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) for its utilization in Agriculture and Horticulture. This was decided in a high-level meeting chaired by New and Renewable Energy Sources Minister Mr. Aman Arora, Science Technology & Environment Minister Mr. Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and Agriculture Minister Mr. Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal at Punjab Bhawan here on Monday.

Discussing ways and means to utilize FOM, the Ministers asked the 21-member Task Force, constituted to discuss and create an enabling mechanism for off-take of FOM, to work on every possibility of using it to come up with a permanent solution to stubble management.

Promising positive outcomes, PAU Vice Chancellor Dr. Satbir Singh Gosal apprised the Ministers that experts from university have already initiated research on FOM as an agro input and its impact on plant growth and soil health. He said that PAU would share an interim report regarding pros & cons of using FOM in agriculture by April next year after studying two crops.  

Meanwhile, Mr. Aman Arora said that Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants are the best possible solution to check stubble burning in a scientific way and also stressed on creating an enabling mechanism for off-take of FOM generated from CBG plants.

Notably, as many as 20 million ton paddy straw was being produced every year. To meet this challenge, a CBG plant of 33.23 ton per day capacity has been commissioned in Sangrur and 42 more with a total capacity of 492.58 tons per day have also been allocated by PEDA. On commissioning, these projects are expected to produce at least 10 lakh ton FOM annually.

Prominent among those who were present in the meeting include Additional Chief Secretary New & Renewable Energy Sources Mr. A Venu Prasad, Chief Executive PEDA Mr. Sumeet Jarangal and other senior officials of the state government and CBG plant investors.

IEP Chandigarh, September 19

          On directions of Chief Minister Punjab Bhagwant Mann, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Monday constituted a three-member all-woman Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the overall supervision of ADGP Community Affairs Division and Women Affairs Gurpreet Kaur Deo, to ensure the effective and speedy investigation into Chandigarh University case.

          The SIT comprises SP Counter Intelligence Ludhiana Rupinder Kaur Bhatti as the Incharge, while, two members include DSP Kharar-1 Rupinder Kaur and DSP AGTF Deepika Singh. The SIT will function under the supervision of DIG Rupnagar Range Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and SSP SAS Nagar Vivek Sheel Soni, and can co-opt any other member, based on functional requirements.

          The development came a day after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ordered a high-level probe into the matter.

          Terming the incident at Chandigarh University as unfortunate, DGP Gaurav Yadav apprised that the investigations are going on at full pace and the Police on Sunday late evening made three arrests including that of the student and two others from Himachal Pradesh after seizing certain electronic devices from their possession. He also expressed gratitude to the DGP Himachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh Police for extending all cooperation to the Punjab Police.

          “The SIT will go to the bottom of this matter and whoever is found involved in this case will not be spared,” he assured.

          While appealing to students, parents, and the community at large to maintain calm and peace, the DGP assured them to protect the privacy and dignity of all the individuals concerned. He also urged the people to rely only on authentic channels for information and not get swayed away by the rumors being spread on various social media platforms, which are sometimes unverified.

IEP Chandigarh, September 19

          The government of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan is making continuous efforts for the development of Scheduled Castes. Under the same series, applications are invited for admission for the session 2022-23 to provide Punjabi and English Stenography and one year free training of Basic Computer Course and  to eligible Graduate (BA pass) youths belonging to Scheduled Castes resident of Punjab State.

          Divulging the details, Minister for Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, Dr. Baljit Kaur said that the applicant should belong to the Scheduled Caste and be a resident of the state of Punjab, the age of the applicant should not be more than 30 years on 30 September 2022. For admission, the annual income of Scheduled Caste families should not exceed Rs.2.50 lakh per annum. Income certificate should be issued from competent authority. Only unemployed candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste whose minimum educational qualification will be graduation can avail the benefit of this scheme.

          The Cabinet Minister informed that the complete application from the applicant along with attested copies of certificates related to qualifications should reach the concerned office till 30 September 2022, incomplete and application received after the specified date will not be considered.

          She said that eligible Graduates belonging to the Scheduled Castes who are interested in doing Punjabi, English Stenography and Computer courses can apply. As per the convenience of the candidates for District Jalandhar they should submit their application to the District Social Justice and Empowerment Officer, Dr.BR Ambedkar Bhawan, DAC Complex, Tel. No. 0181-2225757, Email ID dwojalandhar@gmail.com, District Social Justice and Empowerment Officer for District Sangrur, Dr.BR Ambedkar Bhavan, Patiala Gate, Tel. No. 01672-234379 Email ID dwosangrur@gmail.com, District Social Justice and Empowerment Officer for District Sri Muktsar Sahib , Dr.BR.Ambedkar Bhavan, Bathinda Road, Tel. No. 01633-268847 Email ID dwomuktsar@gmail.com and Principal Ambedkar Institute for District SAS Nagar (Mohali), Sector-60, Phase 3 B 2, Tel. No. 0172-2228396 E-mail id ambedkarinstitute013@gmail.com within the stipulated time.

          Dr. Baljit Kaur further said that there are 25-25 seats (Punjabi Stenography) for Stenography Training Institute Jalandhar, Sangrur, Sri Muktsar and 80 seats (40 Punjabi and 40 English Stenography) for Stenography Training Institute Mohali. For addmition Interviews have been held in these institutes on October 4 at 10 am.

          She said that no separate notification will be sent to the candidates for the written test/interview. Selection of candidates for training will be done by the selection committee. Selected candidates will be given a stipend of Rs.1500/- per month as per rules.

IEP Chandigarh, September 19

            Punjab Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua has chaired the 18th meeting of the State Level Coordination Committee (SLCC) on Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Unincorporated Bodies (UIBs). The meeting was convened by MK Mall, Regional Director, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Chandigarh.

            During the meeting, regulatory and policy initiatives taken by RBI, awareness programmes on protection of interest of investors/depositors and similar other issues were discussed. The Chief Secretary impressed upon greater usage of the banning of unregulated deposit schemes act, 2019 by giving wide publicity so that all the citizens in Punjab be made aware about said act and instructed the law enforcement agencies to comply with the provisions of this act as it is a comprehensive mechanism to curb the unregulated deposit schemes to protect the interest of depositors. 

            Further, while discussing recommendations of the working group on digital lending, Chief Secretary expressed concern on increasing instances of illegal loan apps offering loans to vulnerable group of people. On this issue, Regional Director, RBI apprised about the meeting held under the Chairpersonship of Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs wherein RBI has been asked to prepare a “Whitelist” of all the legal Apps and MeitY will ensure that only these “Whitelist” Apps are hosted on app stores. The Chief Secretary asked RBI to prepare and share Whitelist of such legal Apps at the earliest, so that the same may also be given wide coverage in order to protect the general public from falling prey to any illegal loan apps.

            Regional Director, RBI emphasised on the need for better co-ordination between the regulators and law enforcement agencies to prevent unscrupulous entities from duping the general public of their hard-earned money. He also apprised the forum about the usefulness of the ‘Sachet portal’ of RBI which facilitates lodging of complaints by general public as also the sharing of any relevant information by members of public and is intended to help in addressing the problem of unauthorised collection of deposits more effectively.

            Garima Singh, Secretary Finance & Director Institutional Finance and Banking, Punjab, Sarabjit Singh, Additional Inspector General of Police and senior officers from RBI, SEBI, ROC, ICAI etc. also participated in the meeting.

Punjab Express Bureau

IEP Chandigarh, September 18

Giving the top priority to saving lives in road accidents in the state, the Punjab Government has decided to engage expert organizations, institutes, universities/colleges, NGOs and registered societies for assisting in road safety work.These institutions, said the Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, will be registered with any state government or union government and will assist in road safety works such as road safety audit, crash investigations, ambulance mapping, identification of accidental black spots, training of stakeholders and holding road safety awareness campaigns etc. in the State.The Cabinet Minister further said that the task to engage such institutions at the earliest has been entrusted upon the Punjab State Road Safety Council, which is the Lead Agency on Road Safety constituted as per the directions of Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety to undertake and oversee the implementation of various traffic management and road safety measures in Punjab.The eligible organizations will be empanelled for a period of two years and from time to time entrusted with the work relating to traffic management and road safety. These organizations will provide technical assistance to the lead agency and State government specifically in terms of devising an “Action Plan for Traffic Management and Road Safety in Punjab” and also to conduct “Awareness and Capacity Building of the Stakeholders of the road safety and traffic management on National Highways, State Highways and other Major District Roads in Punjab”.He said that the Empanelled Organizations/Institutions are expected to guide and support the Lead Agency on Road Safety, Traffic Police and Transport Department to perform the tasks and deliver outputs, which are best suited to deliver outcomes for improved road safety management and road safety in Punjab, such as to develop material on road safety awareness such as posters, pamphlets, skits, video/audio content, etc., to conduct road safety education and awareness campaigns in association with District Road Safety Committees, development of information, education and communication material to conduct road users’ behavior and surveys, to assist traffic enforcement, engineering and other concerned agencies to conduct road crash investigation as per approved SOP by the Centre/State under Motor Vehicle Act Section 135, to conduct Road Safety Audit as per IRC Guidelines on State Highways, Major District Roads and National Highways etc., identification and review of accidental Black Spots in Punjab, assistance to Lead Agency to analyze various road accident/traffic data or other available data and preparation of reports.He said that the organization, should not have been debarred or blacklisted in any earlier projects by State government and have the expertise in designing, developing and executing proactive strategies and campaigns raising awareness in target community groups, experience in conducting road safety audits/identification of Black spots/preparation of mobility plans and other allied fields, management of similar projects at State, District and sub-district Level with multiple stakeholders departments, implementing similar kind of projects in any other field supported by adequate professionals.The organizations or expert institutions having adequate experience in road safety and traffic management works have been asked to apply by October 3. The organisations can submit applications along with relevant documents online through email of Lead Agency or physically submit applications in the Lead Agency office.