IEP CHANDIGARH, July 25  

         Further intensifying the ongoing campaign to make Punjab a crime-free and drug-free state as per the vision of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Police in a joint operation with Special Task Force (STF) on Tuesday continued its special Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) focused on drug trafficking, anti-social elements and criminals for the second day. Today’s CASO was conducted in the Ferozepur Range on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav.          The development came a day after the Punjab Police made 41 arrests after registering 33 FIRs and recovering drug money and narcotics from their possession during a CASO in Bathinda range.          The operation was conducted from 1 pm to 5 pm simultaneously in both the police districts of Ferozepur range including Ferozepur and Fazilka, and SSPs were asked to plan this operation in a meticulous manner amid massive deployment of the Police Force. The operation was conducted under the overall supervision of ADGP Law and Order Gurinder Singh Dhillon and DIG Ferozepur Range Ranjit Singh Dhillon.          Divulging details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla said that the Police teams have arrested 19 anti-social elements after registering 15 first information reports (FIRs) during the operation. The Police teams have also recovered Rs 13.96 lakh of drug money, 320 grams of heroin and a huge quantity of Lahan (Raw material used to make liquor) from their possession, besides, impounding 27 vehicles of suspected persons.          He said that the strong force of 1300+ Police personnel carried out CASO in over 62 drug hotspots identified in both the districts. Apart from arresting anti-social elements, Police teams have also rounded up around 50 suspicious persons for questioning, he said.          The Special DGP said that the intent to carry out such operations was to instil a sense of safety and security among the common people and increase the presence of the Police force in the field to infuse fear among the anti-social elements. Such operations will continue in the coming days to completely root out the menace of drugs from the state, he added.

IEP Chandigarh, July 22  

        Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said that the state is on the threshold of ushering a new revolution by imparting quality education to the students of the government schools.          Interacting with the media on the sidelines of flagging off third and fourth batch of 72 Principals to Singapore Principals Training academy, the Chief Minister said that as per the guarantee given by them to ensure quality education the batches of these Principals are being sent to Singapore. He said that out of these 72 Principals, 92-93% are visiting abroad for the first time adding that their visit will prove to be milestone in reforming the education sector. Bhagwant Mann said that the motive is to ensure that students of the state get world class education in Punjab thereby enabling them to compete with their convent educated peers.          The Chief Minister said that revolutionary changes are being witnessed in the education sector in the state where Principals and teachers are being sent for training abroad, students are witnessing spectacular events like Chandrayaan III at ISRO and schools of eminence have emerged as a hub of educational and extracurricular activities to ensure holistic development of children. He said that these endeavors are solely aimed at reversing the trend of brain drain in the state and channelize the unbounded energy of youth in a positive direction. Bhagwant Mann said that the day is not far when the students from state will excel in every field and bring laurels for the state.          The Chief Minister said that best coaches are being provided to youth in sports field and teachers in education sector. He said that the motive is to ensure that the comprehensive development of the youth is ensured in every field so that they can scale new heights in these fields. Bhagwant Mann said that the youth of state has a huge potential and they can excel in any field if they are given right direction.          The Chief Minister envisioned that during the training these principals will be equipped with modren teaching practices prevalent abroad. He said that after their return these Principals will share the practices with students and their colleagues thereby ensuring that students get acquainted to the pattern of study on foreign shores. Bhagwant Mann envisioned that this will enable the students of the state to compete with their peers educated abroad.          The Chief Minister said that this is a path breaking initiative which will rejuvenate the entire education system of state for well being of students. He said that it is a proud moment for him as these Principals will act as agent of change in the education sector in the coming times. Bhagwant Mann expressed hope that this will bring the much needed qualitative change in the education system of the state by benefitting the students.          The Chief Minister said that the first batch of teachers had gone to Singapore for training in February whereas the second batch had visited Singapore in March. He said that after their five days training at Singapore the third and fourth batch of Principals will return to country on July 29. Bhagwant Mann said that online applications were sought from these Principals for training and their selection has been made completely on merit.          The Chief Minister also said that the state government is opening eight hi-tech centres for imparting training to the students for competitive exams. Bhagwant Mann said that these centres will provide quality training to youth for clearing the UPSC exams and sit on coveted positions in state and country. He said that the target of the state government is to ensure that youth sit in high offices and serve the country.          The Chief Minister was accompanied by Cabinet Minister Harjot Bains and others.

IEP Chandigarh, July 22

      Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Friday nabbed Senior Constable Kinder Singh, Home Guard Jujhar and a Private Person Rohit Hans from Hoshiarpur for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1 Lakh. These accused have been arrested on the complaint of Conductor Gurmail Singh posted at Punjab Roadways Depot Hoshiarpur.          Disclosing the details here today, an official Spokesperson of the VB said that the Bus Conductor has approached the VB Flying Squad-1, Punjab Mohali and lodged a complaint that the accused Police Officials had recovered a minimal quantity of opium from his possession and they started blackmailing him to book him under large quantity of narcotics if he would not pay them Rs. 2.50 Lakh as a bribe.           After preliminary investigation of the complaint, a team of VB Flying Squad-1, Punjab laid a trap and arrested Rohit Hans while accepting a bribe of Rs.1 Lakh from the complainant in the presence of official witnesses. Later, the VB also arrested Senior Constable Kinder Singh and Home Guard Jujhar from Police Station Model Town, Hoshiarpur. The VB teams are on manhunt to nab absconding Constable Amit.          The spokesperson added that a FIR no. 25/2023 has been registered against these accused at Police Station VB Flying Squad-1, Punjab at Mohali and further investigations are under progress.

IEP Chandigarh, July 21    

      Taking inspiration from Agriculture Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, the Plant Doctors’ Services Association Punjab (PDSA) to contribute one day’s salary, which amounts to Rs.10 lakh, to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.          The Agriculture Minister has contributed one month salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund this week.          Divulging this, the official spokesperson said that a delegation of the ‘Plant Doctors Service Association, a joint organization representing Agriculture Development Officers (ADOs) and Horticulture Development Officers (HDOs) today called on the Agriculture Minister and expressed their admiration for the exceptional efforts of the Minister in advancing agricultural and horticultural initiatives across the state.          In recognition of exemplary works of the Chief Minister, commendable works of the Agriculture Minister and to extend their support towards the rehabilitation of the flood-affected people in Punjab, the members of the PDSA, consisting of approximately 500 ADOs and HDOs, collectively decided that each member will donate one day’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.          With this benevolent gesture, the ‘Plant Doctors Service Association Punjab’ aims to extend a helping hand to those affected by the recent floods and aid in their recovery and restoration efforts. The total contribution from the association amounts to an admirable sum of Rs.10 lakhs, which will be utilized by the state government to support the flood-stricken communities and farmers in need.          Commending efforts of the members of PDSA, Agriculture Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that through unity and compassionate action, we can collectively overcome challenges and contribute to the welfare of the society.          Association President Dr. Jaswinder Singh said that we express our heartfelt gratitude to the Agriculture Minister for his continuous dedication and guidance, which has inspired our organization to take this noble step.

IEP Chandigarh, July 21      

     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, 26800 persons have been evacuated and taken to safe places. A spokesperson informed that 1441 villages have been affected by the flood till 8 am on July 21. A total of 155 relief camps are running in the state in which 4560 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 40 people have lost their lives due to floods in the state.            As per the information received from the animal husbandry department, a total of 1746 animals treated in the state while the number of vaccinated animals is 4836.            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, 458 Rapid Response Teams (RRT) have been working at flood affected areas. The health department has set up 246 medical camps in the affected areas.           He further informed that dry food packets are being continuously distributed in the flood affected areas. 22,881 dry food packets have been distributed in Rupnagar, 64000 in Patiala, 4800 in SAS Nagar, 5700 in SBS Nagar and 2200 in Fatehgarh Sahib.

IEP SAS Nagar, July 21

 To gear up for the paddy straw management in advance, the Deputy Commissioner, Aashika Jain held a meeting with Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), all Sub-Divisional Magistrates, Chief Agricultural Officer and officials of various departments and progressive farmers for making the requisite machinery available during the harvest season.      She said that in view of the sowing of paddy in an area of 39000 hectares in the district this time, an action plan should be drawn up for the maintenance of stubble before the harvesting season. She said that out of this, 16000 hectares would be managed by In situ (disposal by plowing in the field itself) and 23000 hectares of ex-situ (disposal outside the field) measures.    She said that since most of the 962 stubble management machines in the district are for in-situ disposal, farmers and groups should be encouraged for ex-situ machines like baler, rake etc. as the area for ex situ disposal is more.  She said that the farmers and groups should also be informed about the extension in the date of submitting applications till August 15 on stubble management machinery and agriculture mechanized machinery subsidy by the government through mass awareness. She said that out of the 327 online applications received by July 20, the demand for 20 balers should be met as well as encouraged to get more baler machines. She said that the Punjab government has increased the amount for subsidy limit from 5 lakhs to 15 lakhs for custom hiring centers, now they can get a subsidy of Rs 12 lakh rupees at the rate of 80 percent subsidy, so instead of getting it individually, the groups should be encouraged to procure it.     She also asked the Punjab Pollution Control Board to encourage the industrialists to set up pellet units for straw management along with existing biomass plants in the district. She said that awareness should be raised about the subsidy amount of Rs 28 lakhs at the total cost of Rs 70 lakhs per tonne for setting up a pallet unit.    She fixed targets for Sub-Divisional Magistrate Derabassi, Mohali and Kharar for timely acquisition of stubble management machinery and other activities in the district to make stubble management machinery available at individual or custom hiring centers operational before the harvest season. They were also asked to create awareness about the extension of applying date to August 15 for stubble management machinery being provided on subsidy.      DSP Ashok Sharma, Executive Engineer Punjab Pollution Control Board Gursharan Das Garg, DDPO Amarinder Singh Chauhan, DR Co-operative Societies Gurbir Dhillon, DFSC Dr  Navreet,  Chief Agriculture Officer Gurmail Singh, Baler owners, representatives of Bio Mass Units, Agriculture Department officials/employees and progressive farmers participated in the meeting. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 22  

      Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) nabbed an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Ram Prakash, posted at Police Station Patara in Jalandhar district, for accepting a bribe of Rs. 30,000.          The accused ASI has been arrested on the complaint of Jasvir Singh Judge resident of Guru Nanak Nagar of village Kaki. He is running a Dairy Farm at village Kangniwal.          Divulging the details here today, an official spokesperson of the VB said that the complainant approached the Police Station VB, Jalandhar Range and lodged a complaint that he had got registered a case against Gurpreet Singh and others under sections 323, 341, 149 of IPC at Police Station Patara on May 13, 2022 and the other party was pressurizing him for settlement in the case. Gurpreet Singh and his brother Amanpreet Singh came to his Dairy Farm on 27-09-2022 and thrashed him. After that, Gurpreet Singh had managed to register a fake FIR no 78 dated 5-10-2022 under sections 323, 324, 326, 506, 148, 149 of IPC against him (Jasvir Singh) and his son Jastej Singh at Police Station Patara.          The Complainant’s father Karnail Singh submitted an application at the office of SSP Jalandhar (Rural) and Human Rights Commission, Chandigarh against the illegal case registered against his grandson Jastej Singh as he was at college on 27-09-2022. On this application, an inquiry of FIR no 78 dated 5-10-2022 was marked to ASI Ram Prakash for investigation. The accused ASI demanded Rs. 2 Lakh to withdraw Jastej’s name from the FIR and on his repeated requests; he agreed to take Rs. 30,000 for the same.          After the preliminary investigations of the complaint, the spokesperson said that a team of VB Jalandhar laid a trap and arrested the accused ASI while accepting a bribe of Rs.30,000 from the complainant in the presence of official witnesses.          In this regard, an FIR no. 17 dated 20-07-2023 under section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused ASI Ram Prakash at Police Station VB, Jalandhar Range.

IEP Chandigarh, July 22  

      Punjab Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa has informed that more than 98 percent of the complaints received in the Shikayat Nivaran Kender (SNK) of the department during last 16 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, 24277 complaints have been registered from 16 March 2022 to 18 July 2023 regarding water supply, R.O. plants, sewage, Individual Household Latrine and others. Out of these, 23918 complaints have been redressed with the rate of redressal being 98.52 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 most of the water supply schemes of the villages affected by floods have been repaired and Punjab Government has ensured the supply of clean water to the flood victims through alternative arrangements and sufficient quantity of water tankers have been sent to the areas where water could not reach through pipes.          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. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 22  

     The Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is taking important steps to eradicate child labour from the state.          Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr.Baljit Kaur giving further information, said that the objective of “Mission Vatsalya Scheme” is to ensure the welfare of children caught in the clutches of child labour. The department is continuously working towards this goal.          A State Level Workshop on Elimination and Rehabilitation of Child Labour was organized by the Government of Punjab at Mahatma Gandhi State Level Institute of Public Administration, Chandigarh. The main objective of this workshop was to assign responsibilities to each partner involved in the process of child rescue and rehabilitation during the “Month of Action against Child Labour”. Representatives from various departments including Social Security, Women and Child Development Department, Labour, Police and Education participated in the workshop to plan and execute effective raid and rescue operations. District task forces were also constituted under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners to ensure action against child labour at the district level.          Cabinet Minister said that rescue operations have been carried out on a large scale in all the districts of Punjab to eradicate child labour from the state. District Child Protection Units in collaboration with Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) conducted awareness campaigns in slums, schools, dhabas and eateries.          She said that  total of 131 raids were conducted across Punjab in connection with the eradication of child labour, resulting in the rescue of 173 children. Apart from this,  FIRs have been registered  3 in Amritsar, 7 in Ludhiana, 8 in Patiala, 1 in Bathinda and 3 in Rupnagar to save children. Besides, 33 challans have been issued by labour inspectors under Section 14-D of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Management and Regulation) Act, 1986 against offenders in different districts of the state. Besides, 11 children have been enrolled in schools in different districts and efforts are on to compensate 13 children under the Labour Act in the current financial year 2023-24.          The Minister expressed satisfaction over the results achieved during the State Action Month against Child Labour. She appreciated the efforts of various departments, NGOs and partners, due to which the number of children saved from child labour has increased as compared to previous efforts.           Social Security, Women and Child Development Department Director Mrs. Madhvi Kataria, said that the department has brought back the migrant child labourers and reunited them with their families. She also said that the Government is making efforts to provide financial assistance to the families of these children to prevent child labour. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 22    

      With the aim of motivating the state youth towards sports, Punjab Cabinet Minister S. Laljit Singh Bhullar, on Saturday, laid foundation stone of four multi-purpose sports parks in different villages of the Patti constituency, which will be constructed at an approximate cost of Rs.2.25 crores.          He informed that these multi-purpose sports parks would be constructed in four villages; with an estimated cost of Rs.65 lakh in village Kott Budha village, with Rs.35 lakh in village Sabhra, Rs.70 lakh in village Pringri and with the cost of Rs.10 lakh in village Ratta Gudda.          While addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone, S. Laljit Singh Bhullar said that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Mann led government will construct 40 such multi-purpose sports parks in the Patti constituency, which will illuminate the life of budding players and youngsters of the region will bring laurels for their villages, constituencies and the state.          S. Laljit Singh Bhullar said that the Punjab government aims to create excellent sports arenas, promoting good health and honing sporting skills of the youth to enable the young generation of the state to achieve success in their lives.          He mentioned that the previous dispensations pushed the youth of Punjab into drugs, while our government is trying hard to eradicate drugs from the state.          On this occasion Gurvinder Singh Behadwal, Chairman, District Planning Board, Chairman Dilbagh Singh, Varinderjit Singh Kaleke Heera Bhullar, Gurbinder Singh Kaleke and Gurpinder Singh Uppal was present.