IEP Chandigarh, July 3       

   Political parties will now be able to file their financial accounts online to the Election Commission. The measure has been enabled with the launch of a new web-portal (https://iems.eci.gov.in/) to facilitate the online filing of Contribution Report, Audited Annual Account and Election Expenditure Statement by the Political Parties. These financial statements are required to be submitted by political parties to the Election Commission/Chief Electoral Officers of States/Union Territories, as per the Representation of People’s Act, 1951 & transparency guidelines issued by the Commission, from time to time, over the last many years.          Divulging the details, CEO Punjab Sibin C informed that in a letter addressed to all political parties, ECI has said that the facility has been created with twin objectives: firstly, to facilitate political parties in overcoming the difficulties in physical filing of reports, and secondly, to ensure timely filing of financial statements in the prescribed/standardised formats. The online availability of the data is expected to enhance the level of compliance and transparency.          In the letter, the ECI pointed to the pivotal position of political parties, and stressed that it is incumbent on them to adhere to the principles of democratic functioning and transparency in electoral processes, particularly in financial disclosures.          The on-line portal also has a facility for sending reminders in the form of messages on the registered mobile number and registered emails of the authorised representatives of the political party so that the dates of compliances are not missed. A comprehensive guiding manual with graphical representations, and FAQs have also been sent to the political parties explaining the online module and the process of filing reports online.          He added that to give further guidance on the on-line filing, the ECI would also organise a hands-on training programme for the designated person(s) from various political parties. The political parties not wishing to file the financial report through online mode will have to convey the reasons for not filing on-line to the Commission in writing and may continue to file its reports in hard copy along with CDs/Pen drive in the prescribed formats. The commission will, in turn, publish all such reports online, along with a letter of justification sent by the party for not filing financial statements online. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 3     

     In a dream come true, the farmers of the state got canal water after decades on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to provide the same to them. For the first time in their lives, the new generation of farmers saw nature’s bounty irrigating their fields in the form of canal water.          It was stated by Water Resources Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer during a press conference at Punjab Bhawan here today.          Meet Hayer lauded all the officers and employees of his department for the historic achievement and said that strengthening the canal water network is the main need of the hour to save the agriculture and groundwater of the state. He said that whereas the farmers are  getting canal water for the first time, the same was provided to cotton belt farmers during sowing season on their demand.          Meet Hayer further said that out of 15741 water courses closed in the state due to the non-availability of canal water for the last several decades, 13471 water courses were restored by the Water Resources Department during the last two and a half months. Now, out of a total of 47000 water courses in Punjab, only 2270 remain to be restored, regarding which the work is also going on a war footing. To restore the water courses, the government issued a notification and they were given government status instead of community water courses. Apart from this, the condition of repairing the water courses was abolished only after 25 years.          The Water Resources Minister said that the department has restored these closed water courses at a cost of Rs.  200 Crore through MGNREGA. Similarly, unutilized funds were also used. More than 20 percent of the canals in Punjab are running beyond their capacity due to which sufficient water is also reaching the tails.          The department also increased the capacity of BML, BDC and UBDC. He said that they are continuously getting the canals inspected by deploying Patwari to XENs of the department to ensure that canal water reaches the farmers. He said that till last year in Punjab only 21 percent of irrigation was done with canal water while the remaining 79 percent was done with underground water. The new initiative will significantly increase the area irrigated with canal water.          Meet Hayer further said that taking another big step, the revenue cases of canal water disputes which have been pending for a long time were resolved quickly. In one year, 4700 new cases of disputes came up while 5016 cases were solved by the department in which the backlog was also cleared. Now only 1563 cases are pending which will also be solved soon.          Giving details about the works being done to deal with the possible threat of floods in the rainy season, Meet Hayer said that the department has completed 318 flood prevention works at cost of Rs. 89.10 Crore before the season started. Among them, 193 drain cleaning works were completed with Rs. 39.53 Crore expenditure and 75 different flood prevention works were done with Rs. 46.43 Crore cost. Similarly, five machines were purchased by the department at the cost of Rs. 3.15 Crore which are being used for cleaning the drains. He said that with this, the department will now clean the drains throughout the year.          Principal Secretary Water Resources Krishan Kumar was also present on this occasion. 

IEP Chandigarh/Pathankot, July 3   

       With Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed the Punjab Police to ensure smooth and safe travel for devotees going for the Amarnath Yatra, Special Director General of Police (Special DGP) Law and Order Arpit Shukla on Monday presided over a high-level meeting of Police, Army, Civil Administration and other security agencies to take stock of the security arrangements in this regard.          The meeting, which was held in Pathankot, focused on strategic preparations for the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, encompassing diverse aspects such as police deployment, security measures, traffic management, and disaster management.          The Special DGP also deliberated on concerns including camp security, the establishment of a resilient communication network, meticulous plan for traffic regulation along the national highway and other thoroughfares. He also asked the concerned officers to make appropriate arrangements for parking, and the use strategic deployment of forces across all four yatra routes— including from Shambhu Border to Phillaur, Phillaur to Bhogpur, Bhogpur to Pathankot, and Pathankot to Lakhanpur Barrier.          Notably, the Punjab stretch spanning from Shambhu to Madhopur has been intricately divided into four sectors— Shambu to Phillaur, Phillaur to Bhogpur, Bhogpur to Mukerian, and Mukerian to Madhopur.          Emphasising the crucial role of close coordination among officers, security agencies, and the civil administration, the Special DGP stressed on the need for meticulous planning and effective mechanisms to ensure the smooth and peaceful conduct of the yatra. He exhorted officers to pay special attention to vulnerable locations and base camps, besides directing them to ensure robust security arrangements at such areas.          While underscoring the necessity of comprehensive disaster management arrangements to address any natural calamities that may arise, he stressed on the need to implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) to handle eventualities such as fire incidents or flash floods.          Later, the Special DGP Arpit Shukla also visited Facilitation Centre established by the Punjab Police at Madhopur Barrier.          Prominent officers including Commanders from different Brigades, DIG Border Range Narinder Bhargav, Deputy Commissioner Pathankot, SSP Pathankot Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh, SSP Kathua, SSP Noorpur, Shailesh Kumar from RAW and Ravinder Thakur from IB were present in the meeting. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 2

In a bid to create alternative measures to curb the stubble burning in the state as committed by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department has drafted an action plan worth Rs 350 crore for providing straw management machinery at heavy subsidised rates. Wherein, co-operative societies & other groups can avail subsidy of 80 per cent, on the other side, individual farmers will get 50 per cent subsidy.Disclosing this here today, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Mr. Gurmeet Singh Khuddian informed that the department has submitted the action plan of Rs.350 crore to Centre Government to provide funds for the current year and over 20,000 machines would be made available on subsidy to individuals for crop residue management and 1000 Custom Hiring Centers would also be established.He said that the department has invited applications from farmers, cooperative societies, FPOs and Panchayats interested in availing subsidy on various Crop Residues Management (CRM) machinery during Kharif season 2023. Under the scheme, Super SMS, Super Seeder, Smart Seeder, Happy Seeder, Paddy Straw Chopper/Shredder/Mulcher, Hydraulic Reversible Mould Board Plough and Zero Till Drill for in-situ management and Baler and Rake in ex-situ machines are being made available on subsidy. The rate of subsidy on the above-mentioned machines for the individual farmers is 50% of the cost of equipment and 80% for cooperative societies, FPOs, Panchayats limited to a maximum as per the guidelines of the Scheme.Appealing the farmers to make the most of this scheme to bring down the crop residue burning cases to zero in the state, Mr. Gurmeet Singh Khuddian said that the last date for applying to avail the subsidy on the department’s portal agrimachinerypb.com is July 20, 2023.Apart from this, the department would also launch an Information Education and Communication campaign to educate and train farmers about the available technologies for management of crop residues as the Punjab Government is proactively taking steps to address the problem of stubble burning in the State.The Agriculture Minister also asked the department office to ensure transparency in the whole process and strict action will be taken against violation of rule & regulations.

IEP Khatkar Kalan (SBS Nagar)/Chandigarh, July 2    

      Punjab Chief Secretary Mr Anurag Verma on Sunday said that under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, all out efforts will be made for realising the dreams of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh.          The Chief Secretary, who was here to pay floral tributes to great martyr at his native village, said that his every action will be guided by the ideals of Shaheed-e-Aazam Bhagat Singh. He said that blessed is this land which has given birth to a great leader like Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh.Mr Anurag  Verma said that he is fortunate to have got a chance to visit this sacred land for paying tributes to the iconic martyr who laid down his life at the altar of the national freedom struggle.          The Chief Secretary said that he will leave stone unturned for realising dream of Shaheed-e-Aazam Bhagat Singh by ensuring meticulous implementation of pro-people and development oriented policies of state government. He said that though most of dreams of the great martyr have been fulfilled but still a number of them are remaining which will be realised soon. Mr Anurag Verma said that the entire nation will always be indebted to this martyr who sacrificed his life at a young age of 23 years for emancipating the country from the clutches of British imperialism.          The Chief Secretary said that martyrdom of Shaheed Bhagat Singh at a young age had motivated the youth to join national freedom struggle thereby leading to independence of the country.  He said that Shaheed-e-Aazam will ever remain a source of inspiration for the millions of youth to render selfless service to the nation. Mr Verma also said that the youth of the state should follow the footsteps of Shaheed Bhagat Singh to make India a progressive and prosperous country.          The Chief Secretary categorically said that though there are numerous challenges before the state but under the leadership of Chief Minister all these will be overcome to make Punjab a front ranking state in the country. He asserted that Punjab was having a decisive government which is providing clean, transparent and responsive governance to the people. He also said that a detailed plan will also be chalked out for further giving a facelift to this memorial.          Earlier, Chief Secretary paid tributes at the samadhi of Shaheed-e-Aazam Bhagat Singh and his father Late S.Kishan Singh. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 2

 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday unequivocally said that the state government will not pay Rs 55 lakh spent on cozy stay of dreaded criminal Mukhtar Ansari in Jails of state and will recover this money from former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. In a statement issued here today, the Chief Minister said that this was a serious crime against the state and its people adding that those involved in it will have to pay for it. He said that for reasons best known to them both Captain and Randhawa extended largesse to notorious gangster for his comfortable stay in jails of Punjab. Bhagwant Mann said that why should the state waste taxpayer’s money in this way just because those in power at that time had strong bond with Ansari. The Chief Minister said that this is brazen loot of the public money which cannot be tolerated. He said that for reasons best known to the previous regimes this notorious criminal was kept in Ropar Jail with full comforts. Bhagwant Mann said that apart from ensuring comfortable stay the state government ensured that this hardcore criminal does not face any sort of difficulty within the jail and escapes the legal action against him. The Chief Minister said that surprisingly the then government spent Rs 55 lakh of tax payers money to safeguard the interests of this criminal lodged in Ropar Jail. Bhagwant Mann said that this atrocious loot of the public money is totally unwarranted and undesirable adding that this open plundering of the common man’s money cannot be tolerated at any cost. He said that Captain and Randhawa will have to pay this money from their own pocket else their pensions and other benefits will be stopped to recover this money adding that everyone involved in this heinous crime will be made accountable for their sin. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 2 

          Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday congratulated people on completion of one year for the guarantee of free power in the state, which has immensely benefitted every section of society.          In a statement, the Chief Minister said that the state government had on July1, last year launched the guarantee to provide free power to the people. He said that since then 90% of the households in the state are getting free power and have got zero power bill since last July. Bhagwant Mann said that it is matter of immense pride and satisfaction that along with domestic consumers, the food growers of the country are also getting free and uninterrupted power in the state.          The Chief Minister said that the farmers are getting more than eight hours of power supply without any cut. He said that the elated farmers are sharing the videos regarding to it and expressing gratitude to the state government. Bhagwant Mann said that apart from it the state government has paid subsidy worth Rs 20,200 crore to the PSPCL.          The Chief Minister said that this has not been made possible by taking loans, as done by previous governments, but by checking pilferages and corruption. He said that due to concerted efforts of the state government supply of coal from Pachwara coal mine that was stopped has been resumed after 2015. Bhagwant Mann said that earlier governments had stalled supply from this coal mine to mint money illegally from the private thermal plants.          The Chief Minister said that for the first time in history of state, Punjab has coal stock of 43 days whereas earlier threat of blackout loomed large in state during earlier regimes. He said that though across the country governments were selling government properties to fetch money  but Punjab government has started reverse trend by purchasing a private thermal plant. Bhagwant Mann said that industry is being provided uninterrupted power even during the ongoing paddy season.          The Chief Minister said that the state government is making concerted efforts for making Punjab a power surplus state adding that focus is now being laid to promote green, solar and hydro power in the state. He also announced that the state government is setting up a 206 MW hydro power project in Pathankot on Ravi river to check the pilferage of water. Bhagwant Mann said that this water will be used judiciously for irrigating the fields of the state besides generating power.          The Chief Minister said that due to the efforts of state government canal water has reached at the tail end in villages which has reduced burden on tube wells thereby considerably saving power and ground water. He said that the state government is committed for carving out a rangla Punjab for which every Punjabi should play a proactive role. Bhagwant Mann said that Punjab had been a harbinger of green revolution and now the state will show a new way to entire country in every sector. 

IEP Chandigarh, July 2

          In order to make Punjab a crime-free state as desired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Police on Sunday conducted a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) under the name of “OPS Vigil-II“ at vulnerable places including Railway Stations, Bus Stands and Hotels/Sarais situated around them in all the 28 Police districts of the state. The operation was conducted on the directions of the Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav.

Apart from carrying out checking at Bus Stands and Railway Stations, over 550 well-coordinated Strong Inter-State and Inter-District Nakas, were also set up under the supervision of Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) in the state for a thorough search of suspected vehicles/persons, while ensuring minimum inconvenience to the general public.

Over 7500 Police Personnel were involved to carry out this operation, which was conducted in a synchronised manner from 7am to 3pm across the state. All the CPs/SSPs were asked to mobilise a maximum number of officers and manpower for this operation to lay strong ‘nakas’ at district/city sealing points. The operation was conducted under the supervision of Range Inspector Generals of Police (IGsP).

Special Director General of Police (Special DGP) Law and Order Arpit Shukla said that SP-level officers were deputed to conduct a search of the Railway Stations and Bus Stands, while, DSP-level officers were deputed at all the Nakas. “We had strictly instructed all the Police Personnel to deal with every person in a friendly and polite manner while frisking them or checking their vehicle during the course of this operation,” he added.

He said that Police teams have carried out CASO at 141 Railway Stations and 219 Bus Stands, besides conducting checking at 926 hotels, 172 Sarais and 166 Dharamshalas during the operation. Police teams have also checked 9521 two-wheelers and 7122 four-wheelers, he added.

Sharing outcomes of the operation, the Special DGP said that the Police teams have registered 116 FIRs and arrested 141 persons after recovering 1.15 Kg heroin, 37Kg Poppy Husk, 243-litre Illicit Liquor, six pistols/revolvers, besides recovering Rs 7.02 lakhs of drug money from their possession. The Police have also arrested three Proclaimed Offenders (POs), he said, while adding that 1826 suspicious persons were also rounded up for questioning during the operation.

He said that such operations would continue till the menace of drugs and Gangsters wiped out from the state. These types of operations are part of the basic policing which includes keeping vigil at vulnerable spots and advance preparation to tackle any untoward situation, he added.

Meanwhile, such operations also help in showing the police presence in the field and boost confidence among common people.

IEP Chandigarh, July 1

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has nabbed an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Gurdeep Singh posted at City Police Station, Zira in Ferozepur district for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs.10,000.The accused ASI has been arrested on the complaint of Sanjeev Kumar resident of zira, who is owner of Dabur Gun House.Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson of the VB said that the complainant Sanjeev Kumar had lodged a complaint with VB Police Station, Ferozepur Range that the accused ASI had demanded a bribe of Rs.10,000 for helping him and his family members in a scuffle case registered against them under sections 353, 186, 294, 506 and 149 of IPC at City Police Station, Zira on August 26, 2021.The complainant said that the accused ASI has taken a bribe of Rs.5000 to help his brother Rajiv Kumar alias Monu in getting bail in the case on June 23, 2023 and now he was demanding Rs 10,000 more. He also alleged that the ASI had already took Rs 60,000 as a bribe from them in past.The spokesperson informed that after a preliminary investigation of this complaint, a VB team laid a trap and arrested the accused ASI on the spot while accepting a bribe of Rs.10,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.In this regard, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused ASI at Police Station VB, Ferozepur Range. Further investigation in this case was under progress.

IEP Chandigarh, July 1

A Punjab Government delegation led by Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema, Financial Commissioner, Taxation,Mr Vikas Partap and Excise Commissioner Mr. Varun Roojam visited Kerala to study supply chain management ERP software and PoS (Point of Sale) system being used by the Kerala Excise department.

          Giving details of the visit, Mr. Harpal Singh Cheema said that the purpose of the visit was to learn about the technological interventions which are important from the point of view of plugging revenue leakages and enhancing the excise revenue. He said that the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software would provide the Punjab Excise department an integrated and real-time view of its core processes which would be easily accessible through one centralized system.

          Divulging further, Mr. Cheema said that these softwares will help in enhancing transparency in the governance. He said that during this visit the officials of Kerala government also gave a detailed presentation regarding the technological solutions they have been using in their Excise department.

          Meanwhile, Mr. Harpal Singh Cheema also held a meeting with the Kerala Excise Minister Mr. M B Rajesh. He apprised his counterpart in Kerala Government that the Punjab Government is very keen to adopt new software based technological solutions to streamline the process of Excise revenue collection and plug the leakages within the system to check any revenue loss.

          Reiterating the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led Punjab Government’s commitment to increase the own revenue in a bid to put the state on higher trajectory of growth and prosperity, Mr. Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Excise department would try to adapt itself to embrace these software solutions to further enhance its efficiency and strength.