IEP Chamrod Pattan (Pathankot), February 3

To launch In order to give further impetus to the tourism sector in the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday announced to launch Jet Ski, Motor Paragliding and Hot air Balloon activities at Chamrod Pattan.

The Chief Minister, who witnessed the trial of these activities here today, said that Water spots/ Adventure activities and Speed Boating is already going on at this scenic place. He said that two speed boats are already operating at the place which is major source of attraction for the tourists coming at this picturesque location. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this area has huge potential of tourism for which state government is already exploring this sector.

The Chief Minister further said that trial/Demonstrations of Jet Ski, Motor Paragliding and Hot air Balloon had been done here today and soon it will be formally launched. He said that this area has huge potential for water sports/ Adventure activities adding that the state government has already notified water adventure sports policy to boost tourism in the state. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that in the coming days all these activities will be operational commercially thereby giving a major boost to tourism sector.

The Chief Minister said that this area is blessed with bounty of natural resources which can attract the tourists from across the globe adding that this is the need of hour for promotion of economic activity in the region thereby transforming the lives of people. He bemoaned that due to negligence of the successive state governments the area has been hitherto ignored in the lace of development. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the untapped potential of tourism in this area will harnessed for attracting the tourists to this land with immense natural beauty.

IEP SAS Nagar/Chandigarh, February 2

Punjab Chief Secretary Mr Anurag Verma on Friday conducted a surprise inspection of Civil Hospital Mohali. After the inspection, while talking to media persons, he said that the purpose of this inspection was to check and ensure that the announcement by Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann regarding providing free medicines to the patients at Government hospitals was being properly implemented.

Mr. Verma also spoke to patients coming out of the Civil Hospital and inquired from them as to whether they had been provided all the medicines prescribed by the doctors free of cost. All the patients confirmed that they had got free medicines and appreciated this public welfare initiative of the Government.

 Mr. Verma said that in consultation with the doctors, an Essential Drug List (EDL) comprising of 276 drugs has been prepared by the Health Department. Out of these, rate contracts have been done for 90% of the drugs. For the remaining drugs and drug prescribed by Government doctors, the Senior Medical Officers (SMO) will purchase the medicines from the market and provide them to the patients so that patients do not have to spend anything from their pocket for purchase of prescribed medicines. For this purpose, Rs. 25 Cr has been approved by the Chief Minister. The Financial powers of SMOs have been increased from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 2.50 Lakhs to enable them to purchase these medicines.

The Chief Secretary said that there are 23 District Hospitals, 41 Sub Divisional Hospitals and 161 Community Health Centres in the State. The above system has been put in place in all these hospitals. He further said that yesterday on his directions all the Deputy Commissioners in the State had conducted an inspection of their District Hospitals to ensure implementation of above decision. In addition, all the Deputy Commissioners held detailed meeting with Civil Surgeons and SMOs to resolve any teething problems.

Mr. Verma said that if any patient coming to any of the above Government Hospitals does not get the medicine prescribed by the Government doctor, he/she should immediately get in touch with the SMO or the DC concerned. In addition, the matter may be reported at Helpline No. 1100. He also directed the Health Department to ensure that this public welfare decision of the Government is implemented in letter and spirit.

The Chief Secretary was accompanied by Principal Secretary, Health Mr. Ajoy Sharma and MD, Punjab Health System Corporation Mr. Varinder Kumar Sharma.

IEP Chandigarh, February 1

          The Punjab Government has taken strict actions to stop the illegal mining in the state with the intervention of the latest technical mechanism.

          Giving further details, the official spokesperson of the Mining and Geology department said that all the mines are geo-tagged and geo-fenced by the department before the starting of the mining operations. Currently, geotagging or geofencing of mines located in the state of Punjab has already been completed are also available in the public domain through department portal.

          The spokesperson said that pre mining survey has been done with the help of drones on all the mining sites, allotted by the department,  so that illegal mining can be stopped.

          A provision for online complaints has also been made in the Mining Portal (Mineral Sale Management and Monitoring System) https://minesandgeology.punjab.gov.in. An ‘android application (Punjab Sand)’, has been available on the Google Play Store which can be downloaded by any person, for the purpose of making complaints about the illegal mining along with the coordinates and pictures in any area in the State.

          It is worth bringing to the notice that up till October 31, 2023, a total 5366 cases have been registered by Police Department against illegal mining in the State.

          The Department of Mines and Geology has also constituted a ‘District Level Task Force’ to curb illegal mining in the State as per NGT orders.

          In compliance with NGT orders, a total of 110 FIRs have been filed, and 156 vehicles have been seized in Ropar District. Additionally, in instances of illegal mining in Ropar District, the Department has cancelled the registration of 13 crushers.

          He said that the mining and geology department is in the process of signing MoU with the IIT Ropar with the objective of sustainable management and monitoring of riverbeds and other mining sites using satellite data.

          Refuting the misleading statement of the leader of opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa, the spokesperson of the Mining and Geology department clarified that the allegations regarding mining activities in Punjab are categorically incorrect and contrary to the claims of LoP as the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF) issued comprehensive guidelines in 2020, emphasizing the use of geo-fencing and geo-tagging for mining sites.

          The spokesperson further added that the Punjab government has diligently implemented these guidelines by creating Keyhole Markup Language (KML) files for all mining sites, utilizing GPS coordinates. These files serve as robust tools for geofencing and geotagging, enabling anyone to easily identify mining areas on platforms like Google Earth. It’s worth noting that every Mine Plan is accompanied by a mandatory KML file, and each Environmental Clearance (EC) application includes this essential documentation.

          He said that the department is currently at the final stage of obtaining 40 Environmental Clearances (ECs).

          He said that a few years ago, mining activities were conducted without the necessary ECs and permissions. However, under the present government, strict adherence to legal protocols is maintained, ensuring that mining operations are only permitted in areas where ECs or permissions from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) have been obtained. The state government is committed to upholding the law and safeguarding the environmental integrity of our region, he added.

IEP Chandigarh, February 1

          The Punjab government has released an amount of Rs. 46.89 crore for the payment of honorarium to Anganwadi workers and helpers.

          Divulging in this regard,  Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur said that the state government will continue its efforts for the welfare of needy women and children of Punjab.

          The Cabinet Minister stated that an amount of Rs 46.89 crores has been released for the payment of honorarium to Anganwadi workers and helpers from November 2023 to January 2024 under the ICDS scheme. She said that under this scheme, services like supplementary nutrition, immunization, health check-up, referral services, nutrition and health education and pre-school are being provided to children aged 6 months to 6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

          The Social Security Minister said that  Rs. 1.83 crore to Pathankot, Rs. 1.94 crore to Tarn Taran,  Rs. 1.61 croreto Sri Muktsar Sahib,  Rs. 1.54 crore to SBS Nagar,  Rs. 1.62 crore to Moga,  Rs. 1.64 crore to Mansa,  Rs. 3.70 crore to Patiala,  Rs. 36.96 lakh to Sangrur,  Rs. 1.63 crore to Kapurthala, Rs. 3.08 crore to Jalandhar, Rs. 4.01 crore to Hoshiarpur, Rs. 2.18 crore to Ferozepur, Rs. 1.71 crore to Fazilka, Rs. 1.32 crore to Fatehgarh Sahib, Rs. 97.32 lakh to Faridkot, Rs. 1.73 crore to Bathinda, Rs. 1.33 crore to Barnala, Rs. 3.31 crore to Amritsar,  Rs. 4.71 crore to Ludhiana,  Rs. 1.76 crore to Rupnagar, Rs. 1.22 crore to SAS Nagar and Rs. 3.58 crore to Gurdaspur have been allocated.

          Dr. Baljit Kaur further added that while the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is committed to the welfare of women and children of the state, it is also taking care of the demands and issues of Anganwadi workers and helpers.

IEP Chandigarh, January 30

The Punjab government will organize a NRI Milni program of NRIs at Chamrour (mini Goa) in Pathankot district on February 3. In this meet, the issues of the NRIs of Pathankot, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur districts will be redressed.

Giving this information, NRI Affairs Minister Punjab S. Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that the milni program will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Punjab S. Bhagwant Singh Mann on February 3.

Dhaliwal said that this NRI Milni is being organised by the Punjab government and arrangements for the milni program are being made by the district administration, Pathankot for which the NRI affairs department is in constant touch with the district administration.

The Minister further said that this milni program is not just being organised to redress the issues of NRIs but also to showcase the natural beautiful tourism destination of Punjab to attract the NRI tourists.

Dhaliwal has appealed to the NRIs belonging to the state to reach Chamrour (mini Goa) in district Pathankot on February 3 and join the NRI meet. He said that the Punjab government is always present at the service of the Punjabi diaspora.

IEP Chandigarh, January 30

Akshdeep Singh & Manju Rani of Punjab won the first place in both the Men and Women categories of the 20 km walk of the ongoing 11th National Open Walk Racing Competition at Chandigarh and brought glory to the name of the state.

Three of the first five positions in the Men’s category were bagged by athletes from Punjab and two of the first four positions in the Women’s category were bagged by athletes from Punjab.

Punjab Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer congratulated both the winning Athletes and said that they have brought laurels to the name of the state with their performance. He said that Akshdeep Singh of Kahneke village of Barnala district, is the National record holder and has also qualified for the Paris Olympic Games. Similarly, Manju Rani of village Khaira Khurd in Mansa district won a Bronze medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games besides setting a national record.

He said that the State Government led by Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann is making continuous efforts to make Punjab shine again on the sports map. Recently, the Chief Minister honoured Manju Rani with a prize money of Rs. 50 lakh while Akshdeep Singh was honoured with a prize money of Rs. 5 lakh for qualifying for the Olympics.

In the ongoing championship at Sukhna Lake today, Akshdeep Singh won the Gold medal with a time of 1.19.38 in the Men’s 20 km walk. Punjab’s Arshpreet Singh came fourth and Sahil came fifth. In the women’s category, Manju Rani clocked 1.33.00 to won the Gold Medal medal, while another athlete from Punjab, Ramandeep Kaur, finished fourth.

IEP Chandigarh, January 30

Punjab Public Works Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO on Tuesday said that the old NH-15/54 road connecting Amritsar and Tarn Taran, the two historic districts of Majha region, will be upgraded into a four lanning road at a cost of Rs 69.67 Crore, and the project will be initiated on February 1.

Revealing this in a press communiqué issued here, the PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO said that at present the carriageway of this section of Road is 9.75 meters, and sufficient right of way is available with the state PWD, thus, no land acquisition is required for its up-gradation. He said that the total civil cost of this project is Rs. 61.24 Crore and the cost of utility shifting (including diversion of forest land, tree cutting, electrical & others) is Rs.8.43 Crore.

Disclosing further, the PWD Minister said that these 2 important Districts were connected by the old NH-15/54 stretch, and now, this section has been bypassed by the Amritsar-Bathinda section (NH-54). He said that even after the construction of the new road, the traffic on this section has increased manifold and current traffic on this stretch is around 50,000 PCUs. He said that this whole stretch has its own importance as a number of historical Gurudwaras are situated on this section.

 “Moreover, this section falls under the master plan of Punjab Urban Planning & Development Authority. Mega units of paddy processing and several rice mills are situated on this road. It also acts as an approach road to major grain markets of Amritsar as well as Tarn Taran”, he added.

The Minister said that a new railway over bridge (ROB) has been constructed by the PWD with funding of MORT&H on level crossing A-12 recently and another ROB on this section at level crossing A-25 is soon going to be started as this project is under tendering process. He said that the four lanning of this road would not only help in easing the traffic movement but would also accelerate the development of the areas adjacent to this road.

IEP Chandigarh/Amritsar, January 30

In a major success amidst the ongoing war against drugs waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Police have arrested two absconding brothers— considered as big fish in drug trade— along with their three accomplices after recovering 3Kg heroin and ₹5.25 lakh drug money from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Tuesday.

Duo arrested ‘drug big fish’ have been identified as Manjit Singh alias Manna and Lavjit Singh alias Lav alias Labh, both residents of Guru ki Wadali Chheharta in Amritsar, while, their three accomplices have been identified as Kans Kaur of Chheharta in Amritsar, Harmanjit Singh alias Harman and Manpreet Singh alias Manna, both residents of village Dhun Dhahewal in Tarn Taran. Apart from recovering heroin and drug money, Police teams have also impounded their three cars including Toyota Fortuner, Hyundai i20 and Renault Pulse and one Splendour motorcycle, besides, seizing an electronic weighing scale from their possession.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said that both Lavjit alias Lav and Manjit alias Manna, who were absconding since 2015, had a dozen of cases registered against them under the NDPS act. “Both the accused brothers were most wanted by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) Mumbai in 260-Kg Heroin seizure and Delhi Special Cell in 356-Kg Heroin seizure,” he said.

The DGP said that both the accused have also got prepared fake passports from Lucknow on the addresses of Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh and were planning to flee from the country. Preliminary investigations have also revealed that both the accused brothers were also deeply involved in Hawala network, which has also been destroyed, he added.

Sharing more details, Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that following reliable inputs about Harmanjit alias Harman going to supply heroin after picking the consignment from Lavjit alias Lav and Manjit alias Manna, Police team from CIA staff led by Inspector Amolakdeep Singh had arrested accused Harman from Chherata area after recovering 2-kg heroin, Rs 1.25 lakh drug money and Hyundai i20 car, in which he was travelling.

He said that in a follow-up operation, the Police teams have also arrested both the accused brothers and their two accomplices Manpreet and Kans Kaur after recovering 1-kg heroin, Rs 4 lakh drug money, two cars and one motorcycle from their possession.

The CP said that the Police have also identified the properties— including a house in Amritsar and land/plot in Shivpuri of Madhya Pardesh, Baba Bakala in Amritsar, Raipur in Amritsar— purchased by both the accused brothers, allegedly, using the drug money. Further investigations are on to unearth the entire drug cartel and to find out more people involved in this cartel, he added.

A case FIR no. 15 dated 20-1-2024 has been registered under sections 21-C, 27-A and 29 of the NDPS Act at Police Station Gate Hakima in Amritsar.

IEP Chandigarh, January 29

          The Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is continuously working to provide better civic facilities to the state’s residents. In pursuit of this goal, Local Government Minister Balkar Singh conducted a review meeting in the presence of Information and Public Relations Minister Chetan Singh Jauramajra, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh and MLAs, with Municipal Commissioner, and Additional Deputy Commissioner (Urban Development), Patiala. Additionally, EOs from Municipal Council/Panchayats in Nabha, Rajpura, Samana, Patar, Sanur, Bhadso, Ghagga, Ghanoor, Devigarh, Malerkotla, Ahmedgarh, and Amargarh attended. In the review meeting concerning various development projects, officials were instructed to expedite ongoing development works.

          During the meeting, Local Government Minister Balkar Singh discussed projects under various schemes, including land availability for Sewerage Treatment Plants, Water Treatment Plants, Tranche-3 Amrut, and MDF/PIDB. Furthermore, ongoing development projects under, 24×7 canal water supply project, and the rejuvenation of Patiala’s Baddi Naddi and Choti Naddi were emphasized to maintain high quality.

          Balkar Singh informed the officials that the government has sufficient funds for development works. Therefore, if a Municipal Council/Nagar Panchayat requires additional funds for development, they should contact the MLA of their constituency and submit a comprehensive proposal with the action plan to the Head Office in Chandigarh. He also urged officials to share complete information about development works with the MLA of their constituency to align with the needs of the people.

          Minister added that if there are challenges in finding suitable locations for sewerage treatment plants, water treatment plants, and other local-level development works, these issues should be brought to the attention of the MLA and district administration for a prompt resolution. Special attention should be given to conducting development works efficiently.

          Cabinet Minister Balkar Singh instructed the officials emphatically, stating that the outstanding funds must be promptly utilized for welfare projects. Additionally, he emphasized the need for the swift completion of the tender process for new projects, followed by the prompt commencement of the works.

          Minister Balkar Singh highlighted that the Punjab government, under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is committed to providing a corruption-free administration to the state’s people. Therefore, anyone found involved in corruption will not be spared.

          Present at the occasion were MLAs Ajit Pal Kohli, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, Gurdev Singh Dev Mann, Gurlal Singh Ghanuar and Mohamad Jameel Ur Rehman, Ajoy Sharma, Principal Secretary of Local Government, Malwinder Singh, Deepti Uppal, CEO of PMIDC, Uma Shankar Gupta, Director of the Local Government Department, EOs of Municipal Councils/ Nagar Panchayats, and other senior officials of the department.

IEP Ludhiana, January 26

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday felicitated prominent officers/officials, participants and persons from various walks of life during the Republic Day Celebrations for their remarkable contribution towards society and the state.

Bhagwant Singh Mann bestowed Chief Minister’s Medal for outstanding Devotion to Duty to cops including Senior Superintendent of Police Jalandhar Mukhwinder Singh, Commandant RTC Mandeep Singh, DSP Gursher Singh Sandhu, Inspectors Harwinder Singh and Simerjeet Singh, Sub Inspectors Sukhwinder Singh, Bhupinder Singh, Major Singh, Jasjit Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Gurmukh Singh and Amandeep Verma, Assistant Sub Inspector Mahinder Pal Singh and Senior Constable Prabhdeep Singh.

The Chief Minister also honoured Parade Commander Aakarshi Jain IPS, second commander Babandeep Singh IPS, commanders of Platoon number 1 ASI Pawan Kumar, Platoon 2 ASI Jagdev Singh, Platoon 3 ASI Raj Kumar, Platoon 4 ASI Amrik Singh, Female Platoon SI Kuljeet Kaur, Platoon of PHG SI Raj Kumar Thakur, NCC Platoon SUO Ravi Kumar, NCC Platoon SUO Karan, Air Wing Platoon CSUO Taranveer Kaur, NCC Girls Platoon UO Anu Kumari, Platoon PAU School Aarti, Scout Leader Jashanpreet Singh and Band Inspector Rakesh Kumar.

He also felicitated Gold Medalist in National School Games Arshdeep Singh, International Para karate player Tarun Sharma, Ludhiana Youth Federation Harjinder Singh, Road safety activist Kundan Kumar, Veterinary Officer Dr Gurwinder Singh, Volleyball player Mohpreet Kaur, Head Teacher Janamdeep Kaur, SMO Samrala Dr Tarakjot Singh, Dr Meenakshi, Puneet Pal Kaur Batra, Dr Sahil Goel, Dr Pawan Dhingra, NGO Manukhta Di Sewa for social service, Superintendent Grade II Rachpal Singh and Senior Assistant Gurmeet Singh.

Bhagwant Singh Mann also honoured Police Inspectors Kulwant Singh and Beant Juneja, ASIs Harjap Singh, Daljeet Singh, Buta Singh, Sukhdeep Singh and Amrik Singh, Head Constable Balwinder Singh, Senior Constables Jaspreet Singh and Charanjit Singh for exemplary service.    

The Chief Minister also feted the participating Principals and students for various events including Lecturer Anoop Kumar and students Khushi and Anjali for PT Show, Principal Pardeep Kumar and students Japmanpreet Singh and Aarti for Scout and Guide, HOD Punjab Ogesh Kumar and students Harshita and Naisha for Choreography, Principal Gurnek Singh and students Jashanpreet Singh and Akshpreet Singh for Bhangra, Principal Gursharanjeet Kaur and students Soni and Mannat for Giddha, Neelam Mittar, Palak Noor and Priyanjal from BVM Kitchlu Nagar and Joginder, Gurmehar and Devansh from DAV.