IEP Chandigarh, February 22   

       In order to further ramp up healthcare services and to provide employment to the youth of the state as promised by CM Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Wednesday distributed appointment letters to the newly appointed eight clerks and one peon at Directorate of Ayurveda, Punjab here.          Congratulating the newly recruited youth, the Health Minister implored them to serve the people diligently and full honesty. The Minister further said that Punjab government led by CM Bhagwant Mann has adopted a zero tolerance policy against corruption any employee involved in such malpractices will not be spared.          He said that Mann Government has not been leaving any stone unturned to improve health services in Punjab and soon, all the vacancies in all the departments related with health services will be filled up to ensure the world-class health services to the people of Punjab at Government Hospitals.          He also emphasized the department officials to take concrete steps to make the common people aware for Ayurvedic treatment systems. Ayurvedic treatment methods can also be beneficial to free the youth from the bad effects of drugs, he added.          Meanwhile, all the candidates thanked the Health Minister and assured him that they will do their duty with honesty and dedication.          Commissioner AYUSH Dr Abhinav Trikha, Director Ayurveda Punjab Dr Shashi Bhushan, Director Homeopathy Dr Balihar Singh and District Ayurvedic and Unani Officer Sangrur Dr Ravi Doomra were among the other officials who were present on the occasion.  

IEP Chandigarh/SAS Nagar (Mohali), February 19

          In view of board examination starting from tomorrow, the Punjab School Education Department and Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) have geared up and made all the arrangements pertaining to smooth conducting of board examination of class V, VIII, X and XII.

          Elaborating the details, Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that the Punjab School Education Board is going to conduct the annual examinations from Monday onwards with starting of 12th class examination. He informed that the 2,99,744 candidates will enrolled to appear in this examination. He said that 14501 candidates will appear under Open Category, while 713 students appearing under Additional Subject Category, besides 30 candidates are going to appear in the examination to improve their performance. Similarly, 1095 candidates are going to appear under re-appear category. “2255 examination centers have been established in 3914 schools for the twelfth class examination across the state,” he added.

          However, annual examination of class V is being conducted from 25th February 2023, which will continue till March 4, 2023. The School Education Minister informed that 2,98,296 students were enrolled to appear in this examination and they have especially provided the facility of self-centres. Harjot Bains said that 17307 Self-Examination Center have been set up to accomplish the task. He further added that 2482 examination centers have been established in 10694 schools for class VIII students and 3,10,311 candidates will appear in this annual examination.

          Speaking about the arrangements being made for smooth conducting of Matriculation examination, the Education Minister said that total 2,85,068 have been enrolled to appear in the examination, while 10361 will appear under Open School System, besides 2366 students of Additional Subject Category. He added that twenty students to be appeared under Performance Enhancement category, while 1090 candidates are going to appear under Re-Appear Category. He informed that 2576 examination centers have been set up in 7178 schools for this examination.

          Mr. Bains said that arrangements have been made to complete all these examinations in a peaceful and convenient manner.  The question papers for class twelfth examination have been handed over to the banks of all the districts.  Similarly, the question papers of fifth and eighth classes will be delivered to the banks on February 21 and the question papers of class 10 on March 17.  From where the staff posted in the examinations will get the question papers.  Instructions have been issued for the staff posted in the examinations during the conduct of the examinations. Cameras are installed  to insure transparency.

          The Education Minister also informed that instructions have been issued to the District Education Officers of the state to supervise the examinations and instructions have been issued to  the police officers of various districts for the smooth conduct of the examinations and to prevent any untoward incident.

IEP Mumbai/ Chandigarh, January 24

          In consonance with the commitment of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to turn dreams into reality for ushering an era of industrial revolution, the work on setting up of scrap based steel plant by Tata Steel at a cost of Rs 2600 crore kicked off on Tuesday in Ludhiana.

          “This is just the beginning as we deliver, what we say and the day is not far when we will make Punjab a frontrunner state in the industrial growth across the country”, said the Chief Minister during a meeting with the representatives of the Tata group here on Tuesday.

          The Chief Minister, while congratulating the Tata group for starting work on this ambitious project, assured fulsome support and cooperation to them in this noble cause. He said that this project is first ever investment made by this globally acclaimed company in the state and second biggest in the country after Jamshedpur. Bhagwant Mann expressed hope that investment by this major industrial group will further put the state on a high growth trajectory of industrial development besides opening new vistas of employment for the youth.

          The Chief Minister described it as a ‘Dawn of New Era’ as earlier the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) were confined upto paper only whereas now the actual work has started to give fillip to progress of the state. He said that earlier the companies were forced to ink agreements with the affluent families in the state to secure their vested interests. However, Bhagwant Mann said that now the pacts are being done with the people of the state to carve out a progressive, vibrant and peaceful Punjab.

          The Chief Minister unequivocally said that the youth of the state will be immensely benefited from this project, which will play a key role in restoring the pristine glory of the state. He said that the Tata Group is investing around Rs 2600 crore in the first phase of the project coming up at Ludhiana, adjacent to Hi-Tech Valley Industrial Park of Government of Punjab. Bhagwant Mann envisioned that this prestigious project will prove to be a milestone in propelling industrial growth in the state.

          The Chief Minister said that this electric arc furnace based plant will produce 0.75 MTPA finished steel adding that the raw material for the steel making process is 100% scrap. Bhagwant Mann said that the plant will be spread over 115 acres of land adjacent to the state-of-the art Industrial Park developed by PSIEC. He said that the project is part of the commitment of the state government to ensure that Punjab leads the country in the arena of industrial growth.

IEP Chandigarh, January 24

Utilizing the precious natural resources in a constructive manner is called development in actual sense as it leaves a healthy legacy for the coming generations and it is a matter of primary importance for the Punjab Government led by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. These views were expressed by the PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO at the MGSIPA in Sector – 26 today while addressing a seminar held under the aegis of the Wirtgen company for recycling of used material in the construction of roads.

The Minister also said that the concept of conserving natural resources is part of the nationwide consciousness and such seminars play a vital role in furthering this mission. “Such endeavours such as recycling of used material leads to less mine blasting and less transportation costs besides being eco friendly”, said the Minister adding that this innovative method is inexpensive too.

The Minister exhorted the entire department to work with dedication and honesty in improving the road infrastructure and strive to make Punjab Number one in this sector.

On the occasion, the Minister was apprised that the road construction mechanism with this new technique involves cement in very less quantity and the addition of additive foam bitumen apart from using the old material. This increases the quality of the roads to a very large extent.

IEP Chandigarh, January 19

In order to fulfil the dream of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to make Punjab the leading state of the country in sports again, the sports department has laid emphasis on comprehensive reforms in the new sports policy. It was stated by the Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer in a press communiqué released after the meeting held at the Punjab Bhawan Chandigarh with the expert committee to deliberate on the draft of the Sports Policy.

Meet Hayer said that the implementation of the new sports policy will fulfil the Chief Minister’s dream. In today’s meeting, it was decided to adopt a scientific method regarding talent search for the selection of players. The Minister also said that the performance data of the players of the state should be collected and analyzed. By identifying the specialized places of various sports in the state, the focus should be on the respective sports there. Besides, the gradation policy should be rationalized, said Meet Hayer.

The sports minister said that a policy should be made to get financial help from corporate houses to create a sportsperson friendly ultra modern infrastructure. Similarly, a platform should be provided for NRIs to sponsor players and teams. Apart from this, the sports department along with the school education, higher education, technical education and medical education departments made a joint sports calendar.

Prominent among others who were present at the occasion included Principal Secretary Raj Kamal Chaudhary, Director Amit Talwar, Arjuna Awardee Hockey Olympian Surinder Singh Sodhi, Dronacharya Awardee and former National Boxing Coach Gurbaksh Singh Sandhu and Vice Chancellor of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Sports University Patiala Lt. General (Retd.) JS Cheema.

IEP Chandigarh, January 4

The state government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is continuously striving to promote tourism in Punjab and provide maximum facilities to the tourists coming to Punjab. To fulfill the same purpose, Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Investment Promotion, Labor and Grievance Redressal Minister Ms Anmol Gagan Mann today issued tourist guide license to 30 candidates at the office in Chandigarh. Secretary of Tourism and Culture Affairs Department, Gurkirat Kirpal Singh was present on this occasion.

Giving more information in this regard, Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Anmol Gagan Mann said that tour guides play an important role in assisting tourists visiting any country or state. She explained that the duty and responsibility of a tour guide includes the tour activities from the arrival of the tourists to the departure from the state. She said that only good tour guides give real insight to the people about the history, heritage, culture, language and specialties of their country or state.

The Cabinet Minister said that these tour guides will share information about the rich heritage of the state to the tourists coming to Punjab, which will give a big boost to tourism in Punjab and will strengthen the state economically. She said that tourists coming to Punjab from all over the world can access the website of Punjab Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department: punjabtourism.punjab.gov.in to get the services of tour guides. The minister also wished the tour guides for their bright future.

On this occasion Superintendent, Tourism Rajesh Verma, Manager Marketing, Tourism Haras Mittal and other officials were present.

IEP CHANDIGARH, January 4

          As part of the ongoing drive to make Punjab a crime-free state as per the vision of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Police has arrested a 20-years-old AC mechanic for making extortion calls to a Mohali-based Pharmaceutical Company owner by posing as foreign-based infamous gangster, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday.

          The accused identified as Suraj (20), a resident of Maloya colony in Chandigarh, was arrested from Verka Chowk here, when he along with his aide identified as Mandeep Singh (32) of village Mangewal in Sri Anandpur Sahib, was going to collect extortion money on a motorcycle. The Police have also recovered two mobile phones and a Black Colour CT 100 motorcycle (without registration number plate) from their possession.

          The complainant, who is an owner of a Pharmaceutical company located in SAS Nagar, lodged a complaint with police that he has received phone calls from a man claiming to be infamous gangster on December 30, 2022. The caller demanded ₹30 lakh as extortion money and threatened to kill him in case the complainant failed to give the protection money on time.

          DGP Gaurav Yadav said that following the complaint, the State Special Operation Cell of SAS Nagar immediately started investigations into this case and arrested the accused caller Suraj, who was using the WhatsApp number of his aide Mandeep Singh to make extortion calls to the target. While accused Suraj works as an AC mechanic, his aide Mandeep is a taxi driver, he said.

          The DGP once again cautioned people to be wary of fake extortion calls and urged them to immediately inform the police whenever they receive a such call. Recent investigations in such extortion cases by Punjab Police have revealed that a very large number of such extortion calls in the name of known gangsters were made by unknown criminals, who don’t have any association with these gangs or gangsters.

          Divulging more details about the modus operandi, AIG SSOC SAS Nagar Ashwani Kapur said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused Suraj, when going to repair ACs at homes, shops or companies, would identify affluent people as possible targets and would note down their details to give them the impression that their activities are being watched, which enable him to make the victim a soft target to extort money. “We have sent both the mobile phones for forensic examination to find out if accused persons have made extortion calls to any other person,” he said.

          Meanwhile, a case FIR no 1 has been registered under sections 384 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Police Station SSOC SAS Nagar.

IEP Chandigarh, January 4

In order to give due honour to freedom fighters, martyred soldiers and eminent writers and make next generations aware about these personalities, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led government has renamed 12 government schools after famous personalities.

Disclosing this here today, School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said, as per the instructions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the department has decided to change the name of the government schools after the prominent personalities of the area so that these famous personalities remain a source of inspiration for our next generations, and names of 12 schools has been changed in first phase.

          He informed that name of Government Primary Smart School Dhaula has been changed to Ram Saroop Ankhi Government Primary Smart School Dhaula, district Barnala.

Similarly, the name of the Government Primary Harijan Basti Kot Fatta, district Bathinda has been changed to Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha Government Primary School, Government Primary School, district Jail, Udham Singh Nagar Bathinda renamed as Shaheed Udham Singh Government Primary School Udham Singh Nagar, Bathinda, Government Middle School Pohlomajra, district Fatehgarh Sahib renamed as Shaheed Malkeet Singh Government Middle School, Government High School Pabarali Kalan, district Gurdaspur renamed as Shaheed Lance Naik Rajinder Singh Government High School, Government Senior Secondary Smart School Hajipur, district Hoshiarpur renamed as Shaheed Bakhtabar Singh Government girls  Senior Secondary Smart School, Government Elementary School Kalichpur Kalotan, district Hoshiarpur renamed as Shaheed Subedar Rajesh Kumar Government Elementary School, Government Elementary Smart School Rurkee, district Patiala changed as Freedom fighter Bhai Naanu Singh Government Elementary Smart School, Government High Smart School Gangrola, district Patiala renamed as Shaheed Udham Singh Government High Smart School, Government Middle School Hardosharan, district Pathankot renamed as Shaheed Ram Singh Pathania Memorial Government Middle School, Government Primary School Badeshe, district Malerkotla renamed as Shaheed Gurpreet Singh Bajwa Government Primary School and Government Primary School Dera Bazigar, district Amritsar has been renamed as Shaheed Resham Singh Government Primary School Guru Nankapura, district Amritsar.

 Bains said, on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the caste-based names of various government schools have also been changed recently, adding that renaming of government schools after famous personalities belonged to different villages/cities/towns will continue in future. The people of the state desirous to rename the school of their area can coordinate with the department, he urged.

IEP Chandigarh, December 30

Coming to protect the loved ones of those who laid down their lives in various operations for the defence of the country, Chief Minister S Bhagwant Mann led Punjab Govt has taken many landmark decisions for the welfare of next of kin of soldiers.In recognition of the gallantry services of the defence personnel, Mann government, immediately, after coming to power in the state, had enhanced rates of ex-gratia grant given to the families of martyred soldiers from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore. The financial assistance is being given to next of kin of soldiers who sacrificed their lives in various operations for the defence of the country.Punjab Defence Services Welfare Minister Fauja Singh Sarari said that the department has made a payment of Rs 3,09,40,000/- to the next of kin of martyrs during the period from April 1, 2022 to till date.Apart from this, he said that, the state government has been providing financial assistance of Rs 1 Lakh to family of Armed Forces personnel who die in harness (other than Battle Casualty) under Armed Forces Flag Day fund. An amount of Rs 26 Lakh has been paid to families of Armed Forces personnel during the period from 01.04.2022 to till date.Carrying out on the agenda of looking after widows of soldiers who die in harness, Mann Government has been paying  Sustenance amount of Rs 15000/- per month  to widows of soldiers till start of the pension upto six months.  The state government has provided Sustenance allowance to 14 widows during the period from 01.04.2022 to till date, said Cabinet Minister Fauja Singh Sarari.

IEP Chandigarh December 26

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its anti-corruption campaign on Monday , arrested an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI), Gurmej Singh, posted at police station Guru Harsahai, Ferozepur district for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 6,000.

Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the VB said the above mentioned accused ASI has been arrested red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 6000 from complaint Rani, resident of Guru Harsahai.

Giving details he added that the complainant lady has approached the VB and alleged that the above said police official has demanded Rs 10,000 as a bribe to join her in the investigations in a police case registered against her at the police station. She further alleged that the accused police official had already taken Rs 2,000 as a first instalment and was asking more money in this regard. An accomplice of the complainant has recorded the conversation as a proof while giving him this bribe amount.

The spokesperson added that the VB has investigated the allegations and laid a trap. The above said accused police official was nabbed red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 6,000 as a second instalment in the presence of two official witnesses. In this regard a case under prevention of corruption act has been registered against the above mentioned police official at VB police station Ferozepur. Further investigation in this case was under progress.