IEP Chandigarh, January 8

          On the directions of the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa visited Talwara Surface Water Project last evening. This project will provide clean and drinkable water to 197 villages of Talwara, Hajipur, Bhunga and Dasuya blocks. The project is scheduled to be completed by next year. It is pertinent to mention that through this project, a pipeline of about 231 km long is to be laid from Shah Canal Barrage.

          Jimpa said that the total cost of this project is Rs. 258.73 crore. After the completion of this project, the drinking water problem of the people of Kandi area will be solved.  Jimpa also issued directions for timely completion of the project and instructed that the work should be of high standard.

          He further said that the government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is dedicatedly working towards making the state ‘Rangla Punjab.’ For this purpose, all necessary facilities should be prioritized for villages. He said that the villages in which the ground water is not drinkable are being connected with canal water projects.

          On the occasion, MLA Karamvir Singh Ghumman, SE Vijay Kumar, Executive Engineer Anuj Sharma and other officers and employees of the department were present.

IEP Chandigarh, January 8

Punjab School Education Department under the guidance of Secretary, School Education Kamal Kishor Yadav is piloting a training of School Management Committee (SMC) members. This training is for SMCs of 117 Schools of Eminence, 10 Meritorious Schools and 8 Senior Secondary Girls Schools in the state and commenced today (8th January) and till 12th January.

          In the pilot, the capacity building sessions will be conducted in 145 schools for 600+ SMC members. This will guide the approach to training of 2.8 lakh SMC members across the state. The sessions are aimed at orienting the SMC members towards their roles and responsibilities in supporting the school and identifying and resolving the needs of the school. This initiative aims to build a strong sense of responsibility and ownership in SMCs and support the implementation of schemes in the schools. In an innovative step, the Department of School Education has made a documentary for SMC members and a Booklet, which will be used as a training resource.

          Towards bringing the Education Revolution in Punjab, parents and community members play a key role in their child’s learning and school’s development by being a part of SMCs. Only an aware, informed and invested SMC can truly actively participate in partnering with the school to enable change. Bringing schools and communities closer through SMCs and encouraging them to partner can be an uphill task- one which requires insight and initiative. Through this SMC capacity-building initiative, the Department of School Education, Punjab has taken great strides towards fostering partnerships between schools and communities.

          The Punjab model of transforming school education can be considered an example of the role of vision, leadership and governance in development. In recent times, government schools of Punjab have shown impressive performance in the state-wise evaluation of the National Achievement Survey. Initiatives such as the establishment of Schools of Eminence, Mission 100%, Mission Saksham, Mission Samrath and Edusat have significantly contributed to the improvement of school education in Punjab.

          One of the key focus areas for the government of Punjab has been building strong relationships with parents and community. In that regard, the Department of School Education, Punjab conducted initiatives such as Mega PTM and a statewide School Management Committee (SMC) formation process in May 2023, in which SMCs were formed across around 19000 government schools in the state. In a landmark move during the SMC formation process, the Department of School Education, Punjab mandated the inclusion of a student in all SMCs across the state.

          Mr. Churchil Kumar, IFS Special Secretary, School Education said that under section 21 of the Right to Education (RTE) Act mandates the constitution of School Management Committees (SMCs) in every government school across the country. SMCs are a platform for parents, students, teachers, school leaders and local government representatives to come together and work on issues for the welfare of the school.

IEP Chandigarh, January 8

          As part of the ongoing drive to make Punjab a drug-free state as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Police on Monday conducted a massive state-level Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) at identified drug hotspots and vulnerable areas in all the 28 Police districts of the state. The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav.

          The operation was conducted from 8am to 2pm simultaneously across the state and Spl DGP/ADGP/IGP/DIG rank officers from Punjab Police Headquarters were deputed in each Police district to personally supervise the operation.

          The CPs/SSPs were told to plan this operation in a meticulous manner by identifying drug Hotspots— the points of sale of drugs and psychotropic substances in their respective districts or certain areas which have become shelter/safe haven for drug peddlers, to carry out this operation amid massive deployment of the police force.

          Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla, who joined Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ravjot Kaur Grewal in Fatehgarh Sahib, said that the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Prevention and Rehabilitation— to eradicate drugs from the state.

          He said that the Punjab Police has not been leaving any stone unturned to make Punjab free from drugs. “These kinds of CASOs at a mass-scale level not only help in infusing fear among anti-social elements but also boost public confidence and increase the presence of the cops in the field,” he said.

          The Special DGP said that over 600 Police teams, comprising over 9000 police personnel, have cordoned off as many as 268 drug hotspots and as many as 5505 suspicious persons were frisked.

          During the operation, the Police registered 202 first information reports (FIRs) after arresting 48 persons, besides, apprehending 21 Proclaimed Offenders (POs), he said.

          Sharing outcomes, Spl DGP Arpit Shukla said that Police teams have recovered 1.9-Kg Heroin, ₹6.80 lakh drug money, 1.1-kg opium, 87.5kg poppy husk, 10125 intoxicant tablets, 18 injections, 885 litres of illicit liquor and 12350 litres lahan, besides, impounding 16 motorcycles and one car.

          Meanwhile, the operation was conducted after the identification of drug hotspots through data analysis by district police forces.

IEP Chandigarh, January 6

          On the directives of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann special camps were held on Saturday in all Tehsils and Sub-Tehsils across the State to resolve the pending cases of mutation.

 Revenue Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa said that these camps got massive response of people as more than 31538 pending mutation cases were resolved in these camps. This is the new record that in a single day such a large number of mutation cases were sorted out, said Jimpa adding that he personally visited the camp sites at Hoshiarpur, Phagwara, Phillaur, Ludhiana West, Ludhiana East and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Tehsils to inspect the  progress. He also interacted with the people to inspect the functioning of camps. He said that people also brought various petty problems being faced by them in offices and he directed the officials on the spot to resolve all said issues within short span of time.

Giving information about the special camps, the Minister said people got their pending mutations done on the spot. CM Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government is making all out efforts to minimise the hassle of people by providing requisite services in offices. He also urged the people if they face any issue for getting their works done in revenue office at any level they should WhatsApp their written complaint on helpline no. 8184900002 while the NRIs could send complaints on given number 9464100168.

 Pertinently, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is making surprise visits in Tehsil Offices to inspect the functioning of revenue offices so people should not face any problem.

 The Minister also urged that people should not hesitate to register complaint against any officials, in case of demanded bribe, so that requisite action could ne initiate to maintain transparent administration across the state.

 As per reports received maximum mutations were done in Ludhiana districts with 6265 number followed by Gurdaspur with 2806 mutations. Similarly as many as 1818 cases of mutations were done in district Patiala, 2686 in Hoshiarpur, 883 in Kapurthala, 667 in Fathegarh Sahib, 693 in Taran Tarn, 1043 in Bathinda, 525 in Faridkot, 971 in Ferozpur, 838 in Moga, 1718 in Jalandhar,  646 in Mansa, 1324 in Amritsar, 537 in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, 814 in Pathankot, 768 in Sri Mukatsar Sahib, 1943 in Shahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, 567 in Barnala, 1326 in Roopnagar, 713 in Malerkotla, 1093 in Sangrur and 894 mutations were done in Fazilka district.

 IEP Chandigarh, January 6

 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday announced that no parade of Republic Day will be held in any ground, with synthetic track, across the state.

 In a statement issued here today, the Chief Minister said that during the functions to commemorate Republic Day on January 26, the parades will be organised only on the grounds or stadiums without synthetic athletic tracks. He said that during the parade a number of tableaus and other events are organised to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the state and country. Bhagwant Singh Mann said said that during the functions the movement of vehicles and other machinery during the parade cause damage to the track.

 The Chief Minister further said that the  damage caused to track causes lot of inconvenience to the players which is not justifiable. He said that to avoid this the state government has consciously taken a decision to not hold the Republic Day parade in any stadium with the synthetic parade. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that it will help in promotion of sporting activity in the state.

 The Chief Minister said that as per this only the function slated to be held at Ludhiana on Republic Day will also be held at the PAU. He said that the state government is committed for promotion of sports in the state and any sort of loss to players or sporting infrastructure is unimaginable. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the Punjab government is committed to perpetuate the glorious legacy of the state to the coming generations and these functions will be organised with this spirit only.

IEP Chandigarh January 6

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Saturday, has arrested Vishal Sharma, a resident of Amritsar, posted as Accountant, Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT), for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 8 lakh. In this case accused  AIT law officer Gautam Majithia, a resident of Green Field, Majitha Road, Amritsar, has already been arrested.

          Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the VB said the above mentioned accountant and law officer of AIT have been arrested on the complaint of Jatinder Singh, a resident of Partap Avenue, Amritsar who have lodged a complaint on the Chief Minister’s Anti Corruption Action Line in this regard.

          Giving more details he added that the complainant has alleged in his online complaint that the above said law officer and accountant had taken Rs  8 lakh in lieu of release of 20 percent compensation more for acquisition of his land on the directions of district court amounting to Rs 20 lakh. The complainant has recorded the conversation with the above said advocate regarding payment of bribe money which was submitted to the VB as an evidence.

          The spokesperson informed that during the investigation of this case the said law officer has revealed that he had handed over cheques to accountant Vishal Sharma, amounting to Rs 8 lakh, which was proved to be true as it was recorded in the audio-video conversation with the complainant. In addition to this, the accountant has signed the estimate for providing enhanced compensation to the complainant which justified the in connivance of both the accused for taking bribe money from the complainant.

          The spokesperson informed that on the basis of probe, the VB range Amritsar has also arrested the said co-accused accountant after finding him guilty for taking a bribe of Rs 8 lakh from the complainant. Further investigation in this case was under progress.

IEP Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar

To prepare the Meritorious Students for board exams, the Mohali District has come up with a novel idea for pre-board exams that would be started from January 08, 2024, in the district. This will be the first time any district has planned pre-board papers for meritorious students at the district level.      

    Divulging the details, the Deputy Commissioner Mrs Aashika Jain Sais that in line with the Mission Shat-Pratishat launched by the Punjab School Education Department, about 640 students of class 8th, 10th and 12th standards have been identified for appearing in these pre-board exams known as Mohali Scholars’ Appraisal Test (M SAT) series in September last year.

      Giving more information, she added that for classes 8th & 10th,  we have identified 210 students for each class while for class 12th, we had 47 students in the Science stream while 19 in Commerce. For Arts (Humanities group), we have adopted 154 Students who have opted for history, political science, economics and geography as their main subjects. They were provided with extra notes, question banks, quizzes, online tests etc for gearing up for board exams. 

      District Education Office (Secondary) Dr Ginni Duggal added that now the Punjab School Education Board exams are scheduled from 13th February, we have planned to have a type of pre-board tests for these students on the same pattern and schedule as they would have to appear in the final exam. We have worked on giving them fictitious roll numbers and they will be appearing in a centre which will be a school within 5 km of their school.

      She further said that the question papers prepared by our best-performing teachers will be sent to the centre school on the day of the M SAT series exam which the centre school in charge will either get printed or get it photostat. The schedule for the test will be two hours and it will cover the whole syllabus. “We have framed a date sheet also for the same before board exams so that we will be in a position to take these tests in time”, she said. 

       The answer sheets will be marked via table marking at Government Model Senior Secondary School 3B 1, Mohali.

IEP Chandigarh, January 5

          Local Government Minister Balkar Singh held a review meeting at Municipal Bhawan Sector 35 Chandigarh, discussing development works with head office and field officials, along with MLAs. He instructed officials to promptly utilize the unspent funds for the welfare of the people according to issued guidelines.

          Minister Balkar Singh highlighted the Punjab government’s commitment, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, to provide basic facilities and a pollution-free environment. The state government is actively involved in development work across Punjab to achieve this goal.

          During the meeting, the Minister discussed projects under Swachh Bharat Mission and Amrut Mission, emphasizing the need for officials to complete ongoing projects efficiently. He also addressed issues related to finding suitable locations for sewage and water treatment plants, stressing the resolution of any delays through coordination with MLAs and district administration.

          Emphasizing the government’s ample funds for development, the Minister urged the purchase of equipment and machinery for urban local units to ensure a clean environment for residents.

          Officials were instructed to share comprehensive information with MLAs about development works in their constituencies. The Minister emphasized the timely implementation of development-related schemes and proper utilization of funds.

          The Cabinet Minister urged officials to work diligently and honestly, emphasizing the government’s commitment to providing a corruption-free administration. He warned that those involved in corruption would not be spared.

          The meeting was attended by MLAs Jagdeep Kamboj Goldy, Amit Rattan, Naresh Kataria, Balkar Sidhu, Ranbir Singh Bhullar, and Master Jagsir Singh, along with the Secretary of the Local Government Department Ajoy Sharma, PMIDC CEO Deepti Uppal, and other officials.

IEP Chandigarh, January 5

           Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday assailed the state BJP President Sunil Jakhar for ‘putting foot in his mouth’ by speaking a naked lie on the issue of rejection of Tableau by the BJP led Union government.

           In a statement issued here today, the Chief Minister said that while the state government had always maintained that the Modi government had rejected the Tableau of the state because of its anti-Punjab syndrome, but Jakhar was trying to be ‘more loyal than the king’ by justifying the move of Union government that too on false ground. He said that Jakhar misled the people of the state by asserting that the tableaus of the state government had his pictures, which was just a figment of his imagination. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that now that the Ministry of Defence had made it crystal clear that there were no pictures in the tableau, the lie of Jakhar has been exposed.

           The Chief Minister said that the tableaus designed by the state government were aimed at showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the state along with tradition of sacrifice and martyrdom during the Republic Day Parade. Slamming the BJP led Union government for rejecting the tableau of state for the Republic Day parade, he reiterated that the ‘power mad’ centre government is demeaning the enormous sacrifices made by Punjabis in the national freedom struggle. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that BJP government is playing such dirty tactics to humiliate Punjab adding that martyrdom and sacrifices is part of the glorious heritage of the state which was to be duly highlighted in the tableaus of state.

          However, the Chief Minister said that by rejecting these nationalistic and progressive ideas of tableaus, the Union government has insulted the great sacrifice made by great patriots and national leaders. He said that unfortunately the newly transformed ‘Bhakts’ like Jakhar are blindly justifying the arbitrary moves of the Modi government by completely ignoring the interests of the state. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that it is shameful that despite hailing from Punjab these leaders are hand in glove with their high command, for demeaning the contribution of state, just for vested political interests.

           The Chief Minister said that state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar is yet to master the art of lying as per whims and fancies of his masters. He said that Jakhar had recently joined BJP so he is yet to adapt himself in reading the scripts prepared by their high command. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that it is unfortunate that BJP leadership is humiliating the state and these leaders are singing their paeans.

IEP Chandigarh, January 5

          While the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is constantly working for the welfare of every class, it is also continuously focused on the welfare of the Scheduled Castes. The Punjab government has released an amount of Rs. 29.14 crore from the budget of the current financial year under the Ashirwad scheme for Scheduled Castes.

          Divulging in this regard, Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur stated that with the release of this amount, 5715 beneficiaries of scheduled castes for March 2023 have been covered. She said that these 5715 beneficiaries had been approved based on the recommendations received from the district-level committee.

          The cabinet minister added that to be eligible for the benefits of the Ashirwad scheme, the applicant should be a permanent citizen of Punjab state, their family should be below the poverty line, the applicant should belong to Scheduled Caste, Backward Classes, and other economically weaker families, and all family members should meet the eligibility criteria. If the annual income from all sources is less than Rs 32,790, two daughters of such families are eligible to benefit from this scheme.

          The Minister further highlighted that the Punjab Government is continuously working for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes, and Economically Weaker Sections.

          She mentioned that the financial assistance is directly deposited into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.