Chandigarh, March 24:

Responding to a question raised through an call attention notice by MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh in the Punjab Legislative Assembly, Punjab Local Government Minister Dr. Ravjot Singh said that necessary procedures and processes must be followed regarding the inclusion of 12 gram panchayats of Amritsar (North) constituency into the Amritsar Municipal Corporation.

The Cabinet Minister said that Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh had raised this matter during a meeting of the Panchayati Raj Institutions Committee of Punjab Legislative Assembly on January 24, 2024. Subsequently, some of the 12 gram panchayats passed resolutions in February 2024 requesting the inclusion of their areas into the Amritsar Municipal Corporation.

The Local Government Minister said that new panchayats have been constituted following the gram panchayat elections held last October. In this regard, it would be appropriate for the newly formed gram panchayat institutions to pass fresh resolutions regarding their inclusion in the Municipal Corporation.

He further said that after the urban local body elections held in December 2024, a new house of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation was constituted on January 28, 2025. When the Municipal Corporation house would pass the resolution regarding the inclusion of these gram panchayats, further action will be initiated under Section 3(6) of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976.

The department is in continuous contact with the Deputy Commissioner and the Commissioner of Amritsar Municipal Corporation regarding this matter, he added.

Chandigarh, March 24, 2025 –

In a decisive move to combat food adulteration in the state, teams from the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) and the Food Safety department conducted surprise inspections at several dairies in Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar on Monday. 

Disclosing this, an official spokesperson of the state VB said the joint operation resulted in the collection of multiple samples of milk, curd, and paneer for laboratory testing, signaling the government’s intensified crackdown on adulterated food products. 

The spokesperson added that the raids, led by Food Safety Officer Satwinder Singh and VB Inspector Shakunt Choudhary, inspected Imaan Dairy, located near Jyoti Saroop Chowk, Fatehgarh Sahib where samples of milk, curd, and paneer were collected. Additionally, milk samples were seized from Cheema Dairy, situated opposite Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College, Fatehgarh Sahib for further analysis. 

The VB issued a stern warning, stating, “The Punjab Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards food adulteration. A sustained campaign to root out this menace would continue in the coming days. He emphasized that legal action would be swift and severe if any adulteration is confirmed through laboratory testing”.

Checking conducted in Rupnagar as well

In a parallel operation, the Vigilance Bureau, under the supervision of SSP/VB Rupnagar range Arun Saini, DSP/VB Unit Rupnagar Gurcharan Singh and Assistant Commissioner Manjinder Singh from the Health and Food Safety Department, Rupnagar, conducted surprise inspections at various locations in Rupnagar.

The teams, including Food Safety Officer Simranjit Singh (Rupnagar-1) and Dinesh Jot Singh, collected samples of soya chaap, spring rolls, momos, bakery items, bread and ghee from unlicensed vendors. The spokesperson added that samples were sent to laboratories to check for quality and purity. Besides, notices were issued to owners operating without licenses or maintaining poor hygiene standards, and fines were imposed in several cases.

He further added that during the inspections, dairy owners, sweet shops and food joint owners were formally cautioned about the consequences of adulteration and briefed on the state’s ongoing campaign to ensure food safety. The VB teams, in collaboration with the Health and Food Safety Administration, have been conducting statewide operations, with particular attention to areas where adulteration is believed to be more prevalent. “Citizens were also encouraged to report suspected cases of food adulteration through the VB’s dedicated helpline, with assurances of confidentiality and prompt action,” he said.

Chandigarh, March 24:

          The Local Government Minister Dr. Ravjot Singh has appealed to the residents of all ULBs of the state to participate actively in Swachhta Survekshan-2025.

          Dr. Ravjot Singh said that under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the department has taken the initiative to make all the cities of the state green and clean because only then the dream of a colourful Punjab can be fulfilled. He said that the participation of citizens in the Swachhta Survekshan is the key to a clean future. Along with this, he has directed all the ULBs to make this cleanliness survey a people’s campaign.

          The Local Government Minister exhorted all the urban residents to actively participate in the Swachh Survekshan 2025 by giving their valuable feedback on the cleanliness and sanitation services in their area. This is important to improve the ranking of their respective cities in this nationwide cleanliness survey and help create a clean, healthy environment for all.

          The Minister further said that Swachh Survekshan is an annual survey conducted under the Swachh Bharat Mission, which assesses the cleanliness and sanitation standards across cities and towns in India.

          Encouraging residents to share their feedback, the Municipal Commissioner or Executive Officer said, “The feedback from residents plays a vital role in evaluating municipal services, including waste management, public hygiene, and waste segregation. This feedback also helps in ensuring improvements to our urban infrastructure and sanitation services, making sure that our cities continue to grow in cleanliness and sustainability.”

          By participating in Swachh Survekshan, citizens are directly contributing to better sanitation services in their neighbourhoods. Citizen feedback will help improve waste collection, waste segregation, cleanliness in public spaces, and other essential facilities. The Municipal Commissioner or Executive Officer further added, “Not only will this feedback ensure that the services provided meet your needs, but it will also help our city earn a better ranking, showcasing our collective commitment to cleanliness at both the state and national levels.”

          Participating in this survey is simple and accessible for everyone. Citizens can sign up with their mobile number through the official Swachhta Survey portal or by scanning the given QR code with their smartphone and answering the survey-related questions in Punjabi, Hindi or English language as per their convenience. It takes only two to three minutes to complete the survey. The Municipal Corporation/Municipal Council/Nagar Panchayat is committed to engaging all citizens in this essential process, and your feedback will help us in making real time improvements in the quality of sanitation services in our area. Your participation matters, and by contributing, you ensure that your voice is heard in shaping the cleanliness and development of our city.

          For any queries or assistance, please contact the concerned ULB.

CHANDIGARH, March 24:

          Striking a major blow to the narco-terrorism hawala networks amidst the ongoing anti-drugs campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Punjab Police with the support of Central Agencies has arrested 11 persons— including five drug smugglers, three drug hawala money couriers and three hawala traders— and recovered drug money in different foreign currencies amounting to Rs 5.09 crores, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Monday.

          The arrested drug smugglers have been identified as Harjinder Singh alias Ajay (26) of Ram Talai in Amritsar, Harmanjit Singh alias Harry (27) of Guru Nanak Colony in Amritsar, Sagar (28) of Naraingarh in Chheharta of Amritsar, Lavdeep Singh (30) alias Lala of Husanpura Kalan in Batala and Harbhaj Singh (30) alias Bheja of Kakkar in Amritsar, while, drug hawala money couriers have been identified as Saurav alias Saurav Mahajan (24) of Joda Phatak in Amritsar, Tanush (28) of Ghah Mandi Chowk of Amritsar and Harminder Singh (28) alias Harry of Damganj in Amritsar.

          The arrested Hawala traders have been identified as Ashok Kumar Sharma (60), an owner of Phagwara-based Sharma Forex Money Changer, and his accomplices Rajesh Kumar (50) of Mutiarpur Mohalla in Phagwara and Amit Bansal alias Sunil (47) of Sukhchain Nagar in Phagwara.

          The development came following two months of meticulous investigations and sustained follow-up of backward and forward linkages in the arrest of two individuals Harjinder Singh alias Ajay and Harmanjit Singh alias Harry after recovering 263 grams heroin and Rs 5.60 lakh drug money from their possession on January 21, 2025.

          DGP Gaurav Yadav, while addressing a press conference, said during the investigations in this case police teams from ANTF arrested three hawala money couriers Saurav Mahajan, Tanush and Harminder alias Harry on the very next day, and recovered Rs 47.50 lakhs drug money, besides impounding their Mahindra XUV 300 vehicle. Following the trail of investigations, on January 24, police teams have successfully arrested two more drug smugglers identified as Sagar and Lavdeep Singh alias Lala, and Rs 5 lakh drug money along with an Activa scooter and 160 grams heroin were recovered from them, he added.

          The further investigations into this case has led the police teams to expose the role of an inmate lodged in Central Jail Amritsar identified as Harbhaj Singh alias Bheja, who emerged as the mastermind of this racket and was found to be in contact with Pakistani drug smuggler Shahbaz from inside the jail, he said, while adding that on January 26, the accused was brought on production warrant from Central Jail Amritsar and formally arrested in this case.

          Pertinently, Pakistani smuggler Shehbaz, a resident of village Burewal in district Narowal had illegally entered India, and FIR under relevant sections was registered against him in February 2021, following which, he had remained lodged in Central Jail, Amritsar before his deportation to Pakistan.

          The DGP said that preliminary investigations have revealed that accused Harbhaj Singh and Harmanjit alias Harry were introduced to Pak-based smuggler Shehbaz, when they together were lodged in the Central Jail Amritsar. After his release from the jail, the latter established a link with these individuals via mobile phones to run the drug smuggling business and also involved Harminder alias Harry in this business, he added.

          During interrogation, arrested accused Harmanjit and Harminder revealed that they were using services of Sharma Forex Money Exchanger and Forex Advisor in Phagwara to deposit drug money as per the instructions of Pakistani smuggler Shehbaz, he said, while adding that, police teams have nominated the owner Ashok Sharma and his accomplice Sunil in the case and arrested both of them on March 17 and March 18 respectively.

          DGP Gaurav Yadav said that based on technical information, police teams have also arrested Ashok Sharma’s another associate identified as Rajesh alias Bobby from his house and Rs 50.50 lakh was recovered his possession.

          He said that during the further course of investigations police teams have recovered an additional Rs 36.59 lakhs (taking total recovery of Indian currency to Rs 1.45 crores), 2,63,630 Euros, 7000 US Dollars, 10,020 Canadian Dollars, 27,500 Pounds and 285 Dirhams, besides, recovering 372 grams gold from different locations. Apart from Mahindra XUV 300, Police teams have also impounded their three more vehicles including BMW, Mahindra Thar Automatic and Hyundai i10.

          The DGP said that the ANTF has also identified illegal properties of this network worth of Rs 100s of crores and the process has been initiated to freeze them under section 68F of the NDPS act. Probe has also revealed that the network unearthed till now spans from Amritsar to Tarn Taran to Phagwara to Panchkula, he said.

          “Police teams have nominated seven more persons in this case and manhunt is on to nab them,” he added.

          Meanwhile, sharing outcomes of the 24 days of ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’, the DGP said that Punjab Police arrested of 3868 drug smugglers after registering of 2177 first information reports (FIRs) across the state since March 1, 2025. During this drive, Police teams have recovered 135.5 kg heroin, 82.9 kg opium, 1419 kg poppy husk, 34.24 kg Ganja, 7.58 lakh intoxicant tablets/pills/injections, 1 kg ICE and Rs 5.42 crores drug money from the possession of arrested drug smugglers, he said.

Chandigarh, March 24

Highlighting the remarkable achievements of the Punjab government under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, while drawing a sharp contrast with the previous administrations led by Congress and Akali-BJP, Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday expressed gratitude to Punjab Governor Mr. Gulab Chand Kataria for his insightful speech in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema began his speech by recalling the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) promise during the 2022 elections to provide free electricity to the people of Punjab. He proudly announced that this promise was fulfilled within three months of the government’s formation, with 90 percent of domestic electricity consumers now receiving zero electricity bills. He also higlighted the government’s historic decision to acquire the private thermal plant at Goindwal Sahib, a project worth Rs 6000 crore, for just Rs 1080 crore, ensuring it be a public asset, a first in Punjab’s history.

Taking a dig at the previous governments led by Congress, Finance Minister Cheema criticized Congress party’s walk-out during the session, attributing it to their inability to confront the current government’s success in clearing the Rs 9000 crore subsidy arrears left by the Congress led state government.

Referring to the Aam Aadmi Party’s promise to bring a health revolution in the state, the Finance Minister highlighted the transformative impact of Aam Aadmi Clinics, which have provided free treatment, tests, and medicines to countless citizens, contrasting this with the Congress-led government’s failure to recruit adequately for healthcare positions. He said that during the Congress-led government, an advertisement for 547 posts was issued, out of which only 43 people were recruited. He said that current government not only recruited specialist doctors but the government hospitals are also being transformed.

In the education sector, Finance Minister Cheema higlighted a 57 percent increase in budget by the AAP led Punjab Government. He lauded initiatives such as the School of Eminence and international teacher training programs, while condemning the Congress government’s plans to close 1207 schools, a decision thwarted by the Aam Aadmi Party. He said that most of the leaders of the opposition parties got education in heavily charged private schools, therefore were unaware of the condition of government schools in the state.

Finance Minister Cheema also underscored the government’s success in attracting over Rs 90,000 crore in investments, attributing this to the state’s improved law and order under Chief Minister Mann’s leadership. He credited the Anti-Gangster Task Force for dismantling gangster culture, which he said had flourished under the Congress regime. “Congress party gave birth to gangster culture in the state; gangsters from other states were brought and kept in Punjab jails”, said Cheema.

On the issue of drug eradication, Finance Minister Cheema detailed the government’s “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, which has led to 2200 FIRs, 3800 arrests, and the demolition of 43 illegally constructed properties of drug dealers, so far. He said that for the first time during the Akali-BJP government, the people of the state heard the name of ‘Chitta’. “After this, Captain Amarinder Singh took an oath to end drugs by holding Gutka Sahib exactly 35 km from Talwandi Sabo, but later during the Congress regime, this drug business flourished further”, he added.

Finance Minister Cheema highlighted the government’s efforts to provide employment to over 50,000 youth and promote sports through initiatives like ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan’ and the plan to establish 1000 sports nurseries. He also highlighted the appointment of accomplished sports persons to high-ranking positions to inspire the younger generation.

Stressing on the need to save groundwater to save agriculture, Finance Minister Cheema said that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led government’s took initiatives to savr groundwater by ensuring canal water supply to the tail end after decades besides ensuring hours of uninterrupted electricity for agriculture . He also mentioned the continuation of electricity subsidies for tubewells.

Finance Minister Cheema also reaffirmed the government’s dedication to honoring the sacrifices of soldiers by providing financial assistance of Rs 1 crore to their families. He also highlighted the government’s efforts to manage the state’s debt, pay off interest, and regularize teacher services, contrasting these achievements with the failures of previous SAD-BJP and Congress led governments.

“The previous Akali-BJP and Congress governments have left Punjab with a staggering debt burden of approximately Rs 3 lakh crore. The interest on this debt alone is a whopping Rs 20,000 crore annually, which is a significant drain on the state’s finances. While efforts are being made to repay the principal amount, a substantial portion of the budget is still being allocated towards paying off the interest, putting a strain on the state’s resources”, said the Finance Minister.

Talking about employees issues, the Finance Minister highlighted AAP led state government’s efforts to pay the dues of about Rs 14,500 crore, owed to employees when the Congress government issued the 6th Pay Commission. He stated that the services of the maximum number of teachers have been regularized in Punjab, and non-permanent teachers are now receiving a salary of Rs 25000, up from Rs 6000 during the Congress party government.

Concluding his speech, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Aam Aadmi Party has made remarkable strides in Punjab, despite being only 8 years old in the state’s legislative assembly. He said that under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab government has been consistently driving progress and development in the state.

Chandigarh, March 22:

 The Punjab Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, remains committed to the welfare of all sections of society, especially senior citizens, widows, destitute women, children, and persons with disabilities. Since assuming office, the government has disbursed ₹16,847.83 crore in financial aid under various social security schemes.

Providing details, Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur stated that ₹11,310.33 crore has been distributed under the Old Age Pension Scheme. In the financial year 2022-23, ₹3,651.08 crore was allocated to 21.26 lakh beneficiaries, followed by ₹3,950.68 crore in 2023-24 to 22.11 lakh beneficiaries, and ₹3,708.57 crore in 2024-25 to 22.64 lakh beneficiaries.

Dr Baljit Kaur further said that Punjab government has provided financial aid of ₹3,140.62 crore to widows and destitute women. In 2022-23, ₹1,013.07 crore benefited 5.84 lakh women, while in 2023-24, ₹1,084.92 crore was distributed to 6.11 lakh beneficiaries. In 2024-25, ₹1,042.63 crore was allocated to 6.47 lakh women under the scheme.

Additionally, the Punjab Government has provided ₹1,077.41 crore for the welfare of destitute children and ₹1,319.47 crore for persons with disabilities.

Reaffirming the government’s commitment, Dr. Baljit Kaur stated, “Our senior citizens are our pride, and the Punjab Government is continuously striving for their well-being. These initiatives aim to build a prosperous and progressive Punjab.”

She also directed officials to ensure the transparent and efficient implementation of social security schemes so that the rightful beneficiaries receive their due benefits without any hindrance. Strict action will be taken against any negligence or irregularities in the execution of these schemes.

Chennai, March 22:

          Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday announced that the state will vehemently oppose the unfair, faulty and undemocratic delimitation being done by the BJP led Union government to muzzle the voice of the opposition parties.

          “This shameful act of BJP to reduce the seats in the states where they can’t win is undemocratic and we won’t allow the saffron party to succeed in its nefarious designs to weaken the democracy”, said the Chief Minister while participating in a conference organized by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.

          The Chief Minister said that this arbitrary move of the Union government is just aimed at eliminating the opposition parties by reducing the seats where BJP is not able to win. He said that contrary to this BJP is trying its level best to enhance the seats in Hindi belt where it gets most of the seats. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that it is ironic that in the name of population density the seats are being reduced in South Indian seats.

The Chief Minister said that as a fact of matter the southern seats are being punished for zealously implementing population control programs. He said that it will not be a surprise if the BJP enhances the tally of seats in Uttar Pradesh from 80 to more than 140 after the delimitation. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the idea is to bifurcate or even trifurcate the seats which are the stronghold of the saffron party and to carve out more winning seats from it.

          Citing an example, the Chief Minister said that the Lok Sabha seat earlier represented by him was Sangrur which comprised three districts Sangrur, Barnala and Malerkotla. He said that supposing if this seat was monopoly of BJP then as per their current designs they would have trifurcated this seat in three and carved out Sangrur, Barnala and Malerkotla as separate Lok Sabha seats. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this is how the BJP intends to increase the Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 or more to consolidate its position.

The Chief Minister said that the BJP wants to eliminate the belts where they are weak and enhance the seats where they are strong. However, he said that this is intolerable, unwarranted and undesirable adding that it will be opposed tooth and nail. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that power mad BJP is trying to weaken the democracy in the country but this will never be allowed at any cost.

The Chief Minister said that the BJP wants to humiliate Punjab, which has made enormous sacrifices in the national freedom struggle, through this delimitation. He said that currently the state has 13 Lok Sabha seats through which the share of Punjab in the temple of democracy is 2.39%. However, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that BJP intends to increase Lok Sabha seats in the state to 18 but it will reduce the percentage of state’s share to 2.11%.

The Chief Minister said that this will not be accepted as the share of the state which has 90% sacrifices for freedom of the country should not be reduced. He said that rather than the share should be increased or kept the same by enhancing the seats to 21. Meanwhile, Bhagwant Singh Mann assured fulsome support and cooperation to all the like minded parties for opposing this draconian move in form of delimitation adding he invited all the parties to hold next conference in any city of Punjab.

Chandigarh, March 22, 2025: In a significant move to safeguard public health and ensure food safety, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on the instructions of Punjab Government, has initiated a joint inspection and surveillance drive in the Kharar area of Mohali district.

Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the VB said the operation, led by the Bureau Unit Mohali and the Food Safety Wing Mohali under the supervision of the District Health Officer, Mohali, aimed at to enforce strict compliance with food safety regulations. 

During the surprise inspections, the joint team visited food manufacturing units, food vending stalls, restaurants, and hotels in Kharar. A total of five premises were inspected, resulting in the issuance of one unhygienic challan and the collection of five food samples. These samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Kharar for detailed analysis, he added.

He further added that the team emphasized the importance of adhering to food safety norms and maintaining hygiene standards to protect consumer health. Officials warned that strict action would be taken against establishments found violating food safety regulations. 

The spokesperson added that the VB has planned further inspections and enforcement actions across the state to curb malpractices and promote safe food practices. This initiative underscores the Punjab Government’s commitment to ensuring the highest standards of food safety and public health, he said.