IEP Amritsar, July 26

As a mark of respect to the brave soldiers of the country, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday announced to start ex-gratia grant for the Armed forces personnel in cases of physical casualty during service along with doubling the ex-gratia of physically disabled soldiers and hiking the financial assistance of non pensioner ex-servicemen of World War I and II.

 The Chief Minister led the state in paying homage to Kargil Martyrs, who laid down their lives for safeguarding the borders of the country, in a function to mark Kargil Vijay Diwas  here at Punjab State War Heroes Memorial and museum.

 Addressing the gathering after paying homage to the war heroes, the Chief Minister said that recognizing the immense contribution of soldiers, the state government has now decided to start ex-gratia worth Rs 25 lakh to Physical Casualty cases in the Armed forces. He said that, earlier, there was no such provision but his government has taken this initiative as these valiant warriors also sacrifice their lives during call of duty. Likewise, Bhagwant Mann said that ex-gratia for the physically disabled soldiers have also been enhanced by the state government.

 The Chief Minister said that soldiers with 76% to 100% disability will now get Rs 40 lakh ex-gratia instead of Rs 20 lakh, soldiers with 51%-75% disability will now get Rs 20 lakh instead of existing Rs 10 lakh and those with 25% -50% disability will now get Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia instead of Rs 5 lakh. Likewise, he said that the monthly financial assistance of non pensioner ex-servicemen of World War I and II or their widows has been enhanced from existing Rs 6000 to Rs 10000. Bhagwant Mann said that the state government is duty bound to secure the interests of these brave soldiers who had served the country selflessly.

 The Chief Minister further said that this is an emotive function and the entire country feels proud of the supreme sacrifice made by these valiant sons. He said that the soldiers perform their duty despite the vagaries of weather to ensure that the borders of the country are safeguarded. Bhagwant Mann said that the countrymen will ever remain indebted to these national heroes for their bravery and selfless service to the nation.  

 The Chief Minister said that after assuming the charge of office his government has decided to give Rs 1 crore to the distressed families as a mark of respect for the supreme sacrifice made by these heroes for the country. He said that this humble initiative of the state government is in recognition of the immense contribution of these sons of soil towards preserving the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country. Bhagwant Mann said that financial assistance to these families of martyrs is in consonance with the commitment of the state government to ensure the well being of the soldiers and their families.

 The Chief Minister recalled that during the Kargil War he was an artist and to express solidarity with these national heroes they had organized a charity show. He said that the charity show was held at Patiala in which a number of other artists also took part. Bhagwant Mann said that all the collections from the show were handed over to the Army authorities as a token of gratitude towards their heroic deeds.

 The Chief Minister said that as a colony of the British Empire, our country had suffered a lot but the brave and determined heroes of our freedom struggle made enormous sacrifices to remove the shackles of foreign imperialism. He said that it is on record that more than 90% of the great patriots who laid down their lives or were subjected to British tyranny in one form or other were Punjabis. Bhagwant Mann said that a string of gems like Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and several others, shed their blood to achieve freedom for us.

IEP Chandigarh, July 26

 In view of the loss of the residents of the state due to floods caused by unseasonal rains in Punjab, the Headmaster Association Punjab, with the support of the entire cadre, under the leadership of the state president Kulwinder Kataria, presented a check of five lakhs to the Minister of School Education Harjot Singh Bains for the ‘Chief Minister Punjab Relief Fund’.For this initiative, School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains  appreciated the noble efforts of Headmasters Association Punjab.  On this occasion, MLA Bhador Mr. Labh Singh Ugoke, Headmasters Association Punjab General Secretary Jaswinder Singh Bhullar, Gurdas Singh Sekhon, Amarjit Singh, Jagjit Singh, Headmaster Maninder Singh District President Bathinda, Headmaster Harmesh Kataria Bathinda, State Committee Member Headmaster Navdeep Singh Batala were present. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 26 

Taking a giant leap forward to fulfill another promise, the Punjab Government is going to regularize the services of Education Providers, I.E, EGS, STR, AIE and Special Inclusive Teachers, who were working on contract in School Education Department since a decade.Disclosing this here, Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that a special event would be held on 28th, July at Chandigarh and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will be the Guest of Honour on that occasion. He said that the Chief Minister will hand over Service Regularization Letters to these 12,500 contractual teachers and the event will simultaneously replicated at school level throughout the state.The Cabinet Minister further said that our government had promised to regularize the services of employees including teachers, which is now going to fulfill. He informed that special programs will be organised at each & every school, which would be attended by Principals, Members of School Committees, and representatives of Panchayats & Urban organizations along with education officials besides MLAs to appreciate the services rendered by these teachers.While extending congratulations to these teachers, Mr. Harjot Singh Bains said that the Punjab Government led by Bhagwant Mann is fulfilling every promise made with the people of the state. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 26 

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today expressed profound grief and sorrow over the sad demise of the noted Punjabi singer Surinder Shinda, who passed away on Wednesday at a private hospital in Ludhiana, after a prolonged illness. In a condolence message, the Chief Minister described Surinder Shinda as a ‘legendary Punjabi singer, who regaled the millions of Punjabi music lovers with his melodious voice. He said that Surinder Shinda’s death has created a void in the arena of Punjabi music industry, which will be difficult to be filled in the near future. Bhagwant Mann said that the renowned Punjabi singer will be ever remembered through his enchanting songs amongst his fans adding that he was a versatile singer who was instrumental in giving a new dimension to Punjabi music industry.  Sharing his heart-felt sympathies with the members of the bereaved family, the Chief Minister prayed to the Almighty to give them courage and strength to bear this irreparable loss and grant peace to the departed soul.

IEP Chandigarh, July 25      

     Amidst its ongoing campaign against corruption in the state, Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Tuesday nabbed a Patwari, Jatinder Singh, posted at Handiaya while accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from Jaswinder Singh resident of Garcha road, Barnala.          Divulging the details here today, an official spokesperson said that Jaswinder Singh lodged a complaint that the accused Patwari had demanded a bribe of Rs 20,000 for mutation of a land which was bought by the complainant recently.          After preliminary investigation of the complaint, the spokesperson said, a team of VB laid a trap and arrested the Patwari while accepting Rs 20,000 as a bribe from the complainant in the presence of official witnesses.          In this regard, a FIR has been registered against Patwari Jatinder Singh at Police Station Vigilance Bureau, Patiala Range and further investigation is in progress.  

IEP CHANDIGARH, July 25      

    Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Tuesday contributed one month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for flood relief and rehabilitation efforts in the aftermath of recent flooding in Punjab. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) of Punjab joined the Health Minister and contributed Rs 35 lakhs towards the CM’s Relief Fund.          Dr Balbir Singh accompanied by President IMA Punjab Dr Bhagwant Singh handed over a cheque of Rs 35 lakhs to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during a meeting at his residence here. Other representatives of IMA Punjab including Secretary Dr Sanjeev Mittal, Treasurer Dr RS Bal, Vice President Dr Sanjeev Goel, Dr Jatinder Kansal, Dr SPS Sooch, Dr Rakesh Vig, Dr Paramjit Mann, Dr Manoj Sobati, Dr JP Singh and Dr Kulwinder Mann were also present on the occasion.          While thanking IMA Punjab for lending a helping hand to the state government during the crisis, Dr Balbir Singh said that IMA has already been extending all kind of possible medical help including providing ambulances, beds in private hospitals associated with IMA, medicines, doctors and mobile teams to the health department, besides organising medical camps at flood affected areas.          He said that the floods have caused destruction at a mass-level and affected people in the entire state of Punjab. “Now, the bigger challenge is to save people from water-borne and vector-borne diseases. Our health teams have been working round-the-clock to save people from such diseases,” he said.          The Health Minister reiterated that Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan led Punjab Government stands by its people and has not been leaving any stone unturned to save precious human lives and property, besides working on a war footing to carry out relief works in flood-affected areas.          He also exhorted the people of state to contribute their bit to the CM’s relief fund to help the flood-affected families in this natural calamity.          IMA Punjab President Dr Bhagwant Singh termed it as a small and collective effort of all the members of IMA Punjab to serve humanity in this crisis. He said that providing Ambulances, medical teams and other medical aids is the responsibility of the IMA. He assured to extend all possible help to the state government.

IEP Chandigarh, July 25      

    Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa today held an important meeting with Forest Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak to resolve the common issues of both the departments. Senior officials of water supply & sanitation and forest department were also present.          Jimpa said that the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is making significant efforts to provide clean potable water to all the villages in the state. For this purpose many water supply schemes are operational and many schemes are new/under construction. He said that the approval of the Forest Department is required at many places for laying pipelines of water supply schemes, which needs to be approved in a timely manner so that there is no delay in the implementation of the projects.          During meeting, Jimpa mentioned about 17 surface water supply schemes including Patrewala (Muktsar), Katteawali (Fazilka), Sohangarh (Firozepur), Chawinda Kalan and Kandowali (Amritsar), Talwara (Hoshiarpur), Bhuchar Kalan (Taran Taran) and Manakpur (Rupnagar) for which the clearance of the Forest Department is mandatory.          The Forest Minister asked the senior officials of the department to issue clearances for all such schemes in a timely manner so that these schemes can be completed/implemented on time. He said that common issues will be resolved with mutual cooperation of both the departments.          On this occasion, Principal Secretary of Water Supply and Sanitation Department D.K Tiwari and Department Head Mohammad Ishfaq, Financial Commissioner (Forests) Vikas Garg, PCCF R.K Mishra and Chief Conservator of Forests Basanta Raj Kumar were present.

IEP Chandigarh, July 25

 In a major relief aimed at facilitating the people of the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant on Tuesday said that the state government will soon launch shuttle bus service in big cities of the state. Chairing a meeting here today, the Chief Minister said these shuttle bus services will provide excellent means of public transport to people. He said that as a pilot project this bus service will be introduced from SAS Nagar (Mohali). Bhagwant Mann said that later on this service will be replicated in other big towns and cities of the state. The Chief Minister said that this will go a long way in providing best facilities of public transport to people. He envisioned that these modes of public transport will also go a long way in solving the problem of traffic congestion in these cities. Bhagwant Mann said that the state government will leave no stone unturned to ensure that this shuttle service is operative in all the major cities of the state soon. The Chief Minister said that apart from solving the problem of traffic this shuttle service will also help in reducing the environmental pollution with less consumption of fuel. He asked the officers to complete the modalities soon so that this service is launched at the earliest. Bhagwant Mann said that he will be personally reviewing the project for its execution in a prompt and time bound manner. On the occasion Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, Additional Chief Secretary to CM A Venuprasad and others were also present.

IEP Chandigarh, July 25 

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said that the state government will soon release around Rs 49 crore for construction of new boys hostel and expansion of girls  hostel at Panjab University. The Chief Minister, who inspected the sites where these hostels will come up, said that five new floors will come up over the existing two storey building of the girls hostels whereas six storey boys hostel will also come up in the university. He said that these hostels will be constructed while keeping in view the futuristic needs of the students. Bhagwant Mann said that these hostels are the need of hour to ensure that students can focus on their education while studying in university and don’t have to shelve money while living in PGs or other places. The Chief Minister said that Panjab University is the part of great cultural legacy of the state and has produced eminent personalities who have left indelible imprint in various fields. He said that the staff, students and senate members had called on him and urged to construct these hostels. Bhagwant Mann said that keeping in view the needs of the students these hostels will be constructed on modren lines. The Chief Minister said that Punjab government is committed for the holistic development of the university as 175 colleges of the state are affiliated to it. He said that it is a matter of great pride and satisfaction that number of MLAs from his party have also studied from this university only. Bhagwant Mann said that the hostels will not only have rooms with four walls but they will also provide a conducive atmosphere for education. The Chief Minister said that the hostel will have dining hall, common rooms along with neat and clean washrooms. He said that instead of earlier practice of constructing washroom after every six rooms now the bathrooms will be constructed after every four rooms to facilitate the students. Likewise, Bhagwant Mann said that 38 rooms will also be constructed with attached bathrooms for the research scholars and others. The Chief Minister envisioned that once constructed these hostels will offer home like stay to the students during their academic years. He said that students develop emotional bonding with the hostel rooms especially in case their parents or grandparents had stayed there. Bhagwant Mann said that state government is giving major push to education sector in the state be at school, college or university level. Making it clear that Panjab University, Chandigarh is part of emotional, cultural, literature and rich legacy of the state, the Chief Minister categorically said that no college of Haryana will be given affiliation from the university.  He bemoaned that regular attempts are being made to change the status of the university. However, Bhagwant Mann said that the Punjab government will not allow any such move to safeguard the interests of the students. Taking a jibe over the statement of Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit over validity of session, the Chief Minister reminded him that even in his view Budget session was also illegal. However, he said that after the Apex court reminded him about the legal provisions then he had given sanction for the session. Bhagwant Mann said that the session was in consonance with the ethos of the constitution of India and was totally legal.

IEP Chandigarh, July 25

 As part of its commitment to provide succour to the beleaguered people in accordance with the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the State Government machinery has plunged headlong to mitigate the situation created by floods in the state.  To speed up the relief operations in the state and as per the directions of CM Bhagwant Mann, 27286 persons have been evacuated and taken to safe places. A spokesperson informed that 1469 villages have been affected by the flood till 8 am on July 25. A total of 173 relief camps are running in the state in which 1616 people are staying. Currently, 19 districts are affected by floods including Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar, Kapurthala, Patiala, Moga, Ludhiana, SAS Nagar, Jalandhar, Sangrur, SBS Nagar, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Mansa, Bathinda and Pathankot.  According to the report received by the revenue department from different districts, a total of 41 people have lost their lives due to floods in the state.  As per the information received from the animal husbandry department, a total of 2451 animals treated in the state while the number of vaccinated animals is 1906.  Rescue teams of the department are working round the clock to provide treatment, supply feed, fodder and silage to the needy animals. Special flood relief camps are also being organised in affected districts. On the other hand, the teams of the health department are working in the flood-affected areas with full attention. According to the spokesperson, 440 Rapid Response Teams (RRT) have been working at flood affected areas. The health department has set up 201 medical camps in the affected areas. He further informed that dry food packets are being continuously distributed in the flood affected areas. 22,929 dry food packets have been distributed in Rupnagar, 64000 in Patiala, 4800 in SAS Nagar, 5700 in SBS Nagar and 2200 in Fatehgarh Sahib..