IEP Chandigarh, April 17

 Exhibiting zero tolerance policy against those involved in heinous crime of drug smuggling, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday terminated the services of PPS officer Rajjit Singh, after his involvement has surfaced in this grave crime against humanity. Divulging more details, the Chief Minister said that this action is in consonance with the directions of Punjab and Haryana High court to act strictly against those named in report pertaining to drug trade in state. He categorically said that those who have ruined youth of Punjab through drugs won’t be spared adding that he had asked the Vigilance Bureau to probe about the wealth amassed by Rajjit by drug money so that it can also be confiscated. Bhagwant Mann said that as Rajjit’s involvement has been ascertained in this serious crime so his services have been terminated with immediate effect. The Chief Minister said that further details will be shared very soon adding that this is just the beginning and all those who are involved in this sin against state and its youth will be brought to book. He said the drug trade which had flourished during the previous Akali-BJP and Congress regime had ruined the future generations of the state. Bhagwant Mann said that the affluent leaders of both these parties had patronised this illegal trade in connivance with the bureaucrats and drug smugglers to mint money illegally. The Chief Minister said that the probe report on this issue had been in wraps since long as none of the previous government was sincere to take action against those forces which had ruined the future of Punjab. However, Bhagwant Mann said that now when he had received the report in three packets from High court, severest of severe action will be ensured against  forces inimical to state and its youth. He assured the Punjabis that exemplary action will be taken against those people whose hand are drenched with blood of countless youth who fell prey to drug menace. Pertinently, these reports were pending since five years and the previous Congress government had not taken any action on the same but after assuming the charge of office, the Chief Minister had given consent to High court on February 15. Bhagwant Mann had given his consent to bring into public domain all sealed reports submitted before the Punjab and Haryana High Court that establish a nexus between police officers and drug traffickers. These reports were submitted by a Special Investigating Team, which enquired into the matter deeply. This action had paved way for stern action against the strong nexus of officers-politicians and drug peddlers who have been involved in this trade since long.

IEP CHANDIGARH/KHANNA, April 17  

        Call it as his expertise, experience or a vigil eye, any anti-social elements including drug smugglers could not get away from the naka being headed by Khanna Police Anti-Narcotic Cell Incharge Jagjiwan Ram, who has got registered as many as 145 first information reports (FIRs) mostly under the Arms Act and NDPS act in just one year.          These FIRs led to the effective recovery of 6.8Kg heroin, 77.5Kg opium, 8 quintals poppy husk, 1.8Kg ICE, 5.8Kg Charas, 79Kg Ganja, 2.39 lakh intoxicant tablets, 50 pistols, one rifle, Rs Indian currency worth Rs 4.74 crores, Fake Indian currency worth Rs 1.39 lakh fake currency, 4kg gold and 213kg silver. Apart from this, Jagjiwan was also a man behind unearthing the illegal liquor distillery plant running at the premises of rice sheller in Baho Majra village in Khanna.           Recognising extra-ordinary dedication towards his duty, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Monday promoted Sub-Inspector Jagjiwan Ram to the local rank of Inspector. The DGP was accompanied by Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Khanna Amneet Kondal.          DGP Gaurav Yadav, while symbolically pinning the star on the shoulders of Jagjiwan Ram, wished him good luck. “The added star on your shoulders comes with a bigger responsibility,” he said, while encouraging the newly promoted Inspector to work harder and perform with dedication, sincerity, and honesty.          Special DGP Arpit Shukla termed Insp Jagjiwan Ram as a role model for the 80000 strong Police force and exhorted all the field Police officers/officials to do their duty selflessly and with full devotion to make Punjab a crime-free and drug-free state.          SSP Khanna Amneet Kondal said that the quality of Jagjiwan Ram is that he always remains available for the duty and he does not have any fixed time to conduct special nakas. “Jagjiwan could be seen conducting nakas even during the odd hours and he could detect the anti-social elements from their movement, facial expressions and body language,” she said.            Inspector Jagjiwan Ram, while thanking the DGP Punjab and Special DGP Law and Order for recognising his services said that he has fully devoted himself for the service of the nation. Jagjiwan had joined the Police force as a constable in 1991, and was promoted as an ASI in 2013, followed by SI in 2021.

IEP Chandigarh April 14      

    The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its ongoing campaign against corruption in the state, on Friday nabbed an Assistant Sub Inspector -Local Rank (ASI/LR) Rajinder Singh, posted in police station, Hariyana, Hoshiarpur district for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000. Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the VB said the above said police official has been arrested on the complaint of Sanjay alias Ashu, resident of village Bassi Nau, in Hoshiarpur. Giving details he added that the complainant has approached the VB and alleged that the above said police official has demanded Rs 5,000 as a bribe to submit chargesheet in a police case registered against the complainant at the police station, Hariyana. The spokesperson informed that a VB team from Jalandhar range has laid a trap and the accused police official has been arrested on the spot while taking Rs 5,000 as a bribe from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.In this regard a case under prevention of corruption act has been registered against the accused ASI at VB police station Jalandhar range. Further investigation in this case was under progress.

IEP Chandigarh, April 14     

     The Punjab Government led by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann stands fully committed to ensure that the farmers face no difficulty in the mandis across the State during the current Rabi Marketing Season (RMS).          As proof of this, full amount of MSP at the rate of Rs 2125 per quintal, totalling Rs. 502.93 crore has been released directly into the bank accounts of 19642 farmers in a single day, disclosed the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak in a statement today adding that no value cut has been imposed on farmers while releasing the payments of MSP.     He also added that till today i.e. April 14th, 8 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) of wheat has been procured by Govt. Procurement Agencies           Robust arrangements to ensure smooth Procurement operations  at all the mandis have been put in place at all the mandis with the directions to procure every single grain of foodgrain produced so laboriously by the farming community, added Mr. Kataruchak.

IEP Chandigarh, April 23     

     Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday expressed deep shock and anguish over two tragic accidents in which 10 people were killed and 20 were injured in a road mishap near Khuralgarh near Garhshankar on Wednesday and Thursday.          Expressing profound grief and sorrow over this disastrous accident, the Chief Minister shared his heartfelt sympathies with the members of the bereaved families and prayed to the Almighty to give them courage to bear this irreparable loss in the hour of crisis and grant peace to the departed souls. Meanwhile, Bhagwant Mann also announced an Ex Gratia grant of Rs. 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to the injured from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. He had already directed district administration to provide free treatment to all the injured.

IEP Patiala, April 14    

      Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday paid obeisance at Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib on the sacred occasion of the festival of Baisakhi and prayed for the peace, progress and prosperity of the state.          The Chief Minister felicitated the Punjabis across the globe on the sacred occasion of Baisakhi that symbolizes the spirit of Punjab, Punjabi and unity in diversity. Reminding the people about the rich glorious and cultural heritage of the day, he said that on this sacred day in 1699, Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji – the Tenth Master of the Sikhs had created ‘Khalsa Panth’ at the holy city of Sri Anandpur Sahib by baptizing ‘Panj Pyaras (beloved ones) belonging to different regions and religions. Bhagwant Mann said that Dashmesh Pitaah thereby carved out a casteless society and preached the gospels of love and compassion for mankind, universal brotherhood and communal harmony.          The Chief Minister further said that this festival marks the beginning of the harvest season and ripening of Rabi crops. He said that on this festival the farmers of the state gather the fruits of toil and rejoice over their prosperous future. However, Bhagwant Mann bemoaned that this year the situation is different as farmers have suffered huge losses of crop due to the incessant rains.          The Chief Minister reiterated the firm commitment of the state government to bail out the farmers from this situation and said that the state government is solidly behind the beleaguered peasants and farm labourers in this hour of crisis. He said that the state government has already started the process for disbursing compensation to the farmers for this huge loss. Bhagwant Mann said that a transparent process has been adopted for Girdawari to ascertain the loss to compensate the farmers.          Exhorting the people to celebrate this joyous festival in unison with traditional gaiety and fervor, the Chief Minister said that it will help in strengthening the secular and social fabric of our country. Bhagwant Mann said that in unison with the teachings of the great Sikh Gurus the Punjab government is making strenuous efforts for progress of the state and prosperity of its people. He said that Punjab is today one of the most peaceful states in the country due to which big industrial tycoons of the country are making a beeline to invest in the state adding he urged the people to beware of the misleading propaganda being made by some elements to disturb hard earned peace of the state.          On the occasion, Cabinet Ministers Chetan Singh Jauramajra and Balbir Singh along with others were also present. 

IEP Chandigarh, April 13   

       In order to make youth skillful to make them eligible for jobs as per the vision of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Employment Generation, Skill Development and Training Minister Mr Aman Arora has inaugurated ‘PARIVARTAN’ scheme, under which skill development training will be imparted for optional seven job roles, which are high in demand. A centre has been set up for this purpose at Plot No.1-15, Sector-101, Alpha IT City, SAS Nagar with most advanced facilities to impart training, he said.          After inaugurating the scheme, Mr Aman Arora inspected the centre and interacted with the youth who are getting trained there.          He emphasised that these kinds of schemes are the need of the hour to open new job avenues for the youth. It will also help in providing skilled manpower to industries.          Director Employment Generation, Skill Development and Training Ms Deepti Uppal informed that the training will be imparted to the youth in seven training courses including General Duty Assistant, Medical Lab Technician, Hospital Front Desk Executive, Retails Sales Associate-cum-Cashier, Account Executive, Junior Software Developer, Search Engine Marketing Executive.          Divulging more details about the scheme, Ms Deepti Uppal informed that 10th and 12th passed (as per course) individuals can register themselves and get assessed and certified under this scheme. The training will be provided at free of cost to 2100 students across the state under CSR scheme of PSDM. After training, the candidates will be issued certificate for their course through National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). The course curriculum will be as per the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF).          She further said that the department is constantly striving to make this mission a single point of contact within Government to formulate and steer skill development schemes.          Notably, the Parivartan scheme, an initiative by Punjab Skill Development Mission in association with HDFC Bank Ltd, will be implemented through a training partner M/s Orion Educational Society. 

IEP Chandigarh, April 13

Punjab Finance, Planning, Programme Implementation, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday launched the State Intelligence and Preventive Unit (SIPU), and GST Prime, an analytical tool for state GST officers to analyse and monitor the tax collection and compliance in their jurisdiction.Addressing the launch event held here at Punjab Bhawan, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the existing 7 mobile wings of the Taxation department at Amritsar, Bathinda, Fazilka, Shambu in Patiala, Ludhiana and Jalandhar have been now converted to State Intelligence and Preventive Units (SIPUs) besides creating 3 new SIPUs. “The three new SIPUs will be at Madhopur in Pathankot, Mohali and Central Unit at Head Office, Patiala. The Central Unit and SIPUs will work directly in coordination with Tax Intelligence Unit, Patiala”, he added.Highlighting the key features of GST Prime, the Finance Minister said that this portal wouldl result in better tax monitoring by tax officials and enhanced compliance by the taxpayers. He said the  system caters to the requirements of the field level offices and enforcement & intelligence offices to identify the defaulters and tax evaders. The system acts as an interface between GST Common Portal and E-way Bill Systems and tax administrators, he added.The Finance Minister said that these initiatives of the Taxation department  have been aimed at effective Tax compliance, identification of Top defaulters, keeping tax payer details at finger tips and identification of tax payers for audit and Inspection to detect frauds.Prominent amongst others, Vikas Partap, Financial Commissioner Taxation, Kamal Kishore Yadav, Taxation Commissioner, Viraj S. Tidke, Additional Commissioner -1, Ravneet Khurana, Additional Commissioner Audit were also present on this occasion. 

IEP Chandigarh, April 13

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, special steps are being taken by the Punjab government to make the best use of water available through natural resources. The project designed by the state government to supply surface water from Kajauli Water Works to overcome the shortage of drinking water due to the continuous fall in the ground water level in Kharar is being done very fast.Giving information in this regard, Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Labour, Investment Promotion and Hospitality Minister Anmol Gagan Mann said that the people of Kharar have been struggling with water problems for a long time. She said that to solve the problem of drinking water to the people, the surface water project is being prepared by the state government at a cost of Rs.7.29 crore from Kajauli water works. The minister said that in phase-1 of this project, 5 MGD of water will be supplied to the area adjacent to Jandpur, Halalpur and Jhungian Road from the existing water treatment plant being constructed by GMADA near Jandpur village of Kharar. She added that with this project, people will get a big relief from the shortage of clean water.Apart from this, the minister added that the water treatment plant project being prepared to supply clean drinking water to the people will cost Rs.7.29 crore. She told that the necessary funds related to this project will be provided by the Municipal Council, Kharar.  The Minister further said that the project will involve laying of 600/400 mm transmission line along PR-7 road up to Jhungian Road and connection to the existing distribution network.The Minister explained that this initiative of the state government is an important step towards sustainable water management in Punjab as it aims to prevent the groundwater level in Kharar city from going down further by using surface water resources. She said that Punjab Government is dedicated to effective conservation and management of water resources to ensure sustainable future of the state.Cabinet Minister appealed to the public to ensure that they support and participate in such initiatives to protect precious natural resources and promote sustainable development. 

IEP Chandigarh, April 13

Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday said that the Excise department has fixed the minimum and maximum rate of beer in order to keep the rates of beer within reasonable limits. He said that the minimum and maximum retail sale price of pints and cans of the beer would be proportionately fixed in relation to the minimum and maximum retail sale price of their quarts.Chairing the monthly review meeting of Excise department here at Punjab Bhawan, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that in the Excise Policy, 2023-24, clause 28 has been inserted, whereby, in order to keep the rates of beer within reasonable limits, the power to decide the minimum and maximum retail price of beer to be sold at L-2/L-14A retail vends and stand alone vends, has been given to the Government. He said that the minimum retail sale price of beer brands has been calculated according to the prescribed formula in Annexure 3 of the policy and maximum retail sale price has been fixed keeping in mind the interests of the consumers so that they are able to get affordable products.He said that this step has been taken to check the exorbitant prices of the beer besides discouraging its smuggling from the neighboring states. He said that such steps would also discourage the production and consumption of illicit liquor.Issuing directions in compliance of Orders of Apex court in case of SLP (Civil) No 3764 of 2021, the Finance Minister asked the department officials to further boost the enforcement activates to completely root out illicit liquor trade from the state besides running awareness campaigns against this trade. He said that full coordination should be extended to the police. As per orders of Apex court now the local police shall be held responsible if any illegal Bhatthi (Working Still) is found in their area.Vikas Pratap, Finance Commissioner Taxation apprised the finance minister that he had already issued instructions to the Excise Commissioner, Punjab for ensuring that all Deputy Commissioner (Excise), Zones should personally meet respective Deputy Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners of Police / SSPs for ensuring compliance of the court orders.Meanwhile, Varun Roojam, Excise Commissioner, said that the department has been keeping a strict vigil on the movement of Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) from manufacturer to its final destination. He said that the GPS equipped vehicles carrying ENA are not allowed to stop within the first 100 km of its journey and excise teams are conducting surprise checking regularly to rule out any mischief. He said that the Excise department will be regularly conducting enforcement activities to root out the menace of smuggling and production of illicit liquor.In his concluding remarks, the Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema congratulated the entire staff of the Excise department for their immense contribution in increase the excise revenue during FY 2022-23 besides breaking the back of the liquor mafia. He expressed confidence that the department would cross the five figure mark of revenue generation in the FY 2023-24.