Category Archives: Punjab

Chandigarh, Punjab

DECISIVE WAR AGAINST DRUGS: 327 DRUG SMUGGLERS/SUPPLIERS HELD WITH 11.73KG HEROIN, 20KG OPIUM, 9KG GANJA, Rs 20.07 LAKH DRUG MONEY IN A WEEK

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 24, 2022

Amid the ongoing decisive war against drugs launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Police have arrested 327 drug smugglers/suppliers after registering 230 first information reports (FIRs), including 31 commercial, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) act across the state in the last one week. The Police have arrested 43 Proclaimed offenders (POs)/absconders in NDPS Act cases last week.

          Inspector General of Police (IGP) Headquarters Sukhchain Singh Gill, while addressing his weekly press conference here on Tuesday, said that the Police have also recovered 11.73Kg Heroin, 20Kg opium, 9Kg Ganja, 5.76 quintals of poppy husk, and 28k tablets/capsules/injections/vials of Pharma opioids besides recovering Rs 20.07 lakh drug money after carrying out cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas beside laying nakas at vulnerable routes across the state.

          Talking about new trends in drugs smuggling, he said that with Punjab Police has tightened the noose around the drug smuggling, the drug peddlers/suppliers are now adopting new ways to evade arrests by selling drugs in very little quantities— in milligrams and grams so that it could not be detected. “One latest trend has come to fore wherein drug smugglers smuggled drugs by concealing them in onion-loaded trucks to avoid the stink,” he added.     

          Recently, it has also been observed that supply from Abohar and Ferozepur sides is increasing and drug suppliers are now preferring public transport to smuggle drugs, to avoid checking, the IGP said, adding that intoxicant tablets are majorly being supplied from UP-Delhi side from areas of Saharanpur, Ghaziabad, Bahadurgarh via Haryana, while opium and poppy husk are mostly coming from MP-Rajasthan side.

 IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill said that the Punjab Police besides tightening the noose around the drug smugglers/suppliers, the Punjab Police have also waged war against anti-social elements and gangsters.

          Since Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Government came to power, Punjab Police teams have successfully busted 67 criminal modules and arrested 301 gangsters besides neutralizing two dreaded gangsters in the encounter and recovered 640 weapons along with 174 magazines and 3364 cartridges from their possession. Apart from this, the Police teams have also recovered seven hand-grenades and five IEDs, he added. 

          Meanwhile, the DGP has strictly ordered all the CPs/SSPs to further tighten the noose around the drug smugglers by identifying all top drug smugglers and the hotspots infamous for drug smuggling in their jurisdictions and launching a combing operation to nab all those selling/smuggling drugs. He also directed the Police chiefs to effectively forfeit the property of all the arrested drug smugglers so that their ill-gotten money could be recovered.

Chandigarh, Punjab

AAM AADMI GOVERNMENT HAS HANDED APPOINTMENT LETTERS TO 17,313 YOUTH IN MERELY FIVE MONTHS: ASSERTS CM

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 24, 2022

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said that in merely five months of assuming charge the Aam Aadmi government in the state has handed over appointment letters of government jobs to around 17,313 youth in the state.

Addressing the gathering here while handing over appointment letters to newly recruited 4358 constables in Punjab Police, the Chief Minister said that the state government has conducted the entire recruitment process in a transparent and fair manner. He asserted that merit had been the only criteria of selection in this recruitment drive. Bhagwant Mann further said that recruitment for filling 5739 more vacant posts of the Police department will be also embarked soon.

Exhorting the newly recruited constables in Punjab Police to update their expertise for eliminating crime and criminals from the state, the Chief Minister emphasised that it is a matter of great pride and satisfaction for them that all the recruits are highly qualified and well equipped with academic and technical knowledge. He asserted that this qualification can be very helpful with dealing with the crime and criminals in today’s era of technological advancement. However, Bhagwant Mann further said that as the criminals are devising new techniques of committing crime so the cops should also update their expertise for tackling crime and criminals efficaciously.

The Chief Minister said that he is elated to learn that youth with high academic qualifications have been successfully recruited for this challenging job. He revealed that out total 4358 candidates 103 are post graduates, 2607 are graduates and 1648 are senior secondary pass outs. Similarly, Bhagwant Mann said that 2930 constables fall in age group of 18-25 years whereas 816 fall in age group of 26-30 years. 

Congratulating the girls for excelling in every field, the Chief Minister asserted that though out of the total advertised posts 33% were reserved for the girls but due to their penchant for moving ahead the girls have got recruitment for more than posts reserved for them in the Punjab Police due to their enormous capabilities and capacities. He further said that this a positive sign for the development of a progressive and harmonious society. Bhagwant Mann emphasised that the state government is committed for ensuring the well being of the girls by imparting quality education to them.

Recalling the immense contribution of the state, the Chief Minister said that more than 90% of the martyrs who had attained martyrdom during the freedom struggle hailed from the state. Likewise, he said that even today the brave soldiers from state sacrifice their lives while protecting the borders of country. Bhagwant Mann emphasised that youth of the state have imbibed this spirit from great Sikh Gurus who have taught us to fight against tyranny, oppression and injustice.

The Chief Minister further said that employment in Police is not merely a job but a spirit to render service to the nation. He said that the Punjab Police has a glorious tradition of serving the country even in the most hostile conditions. Bhagwant Mann expressed hope that the new recruits will uphold this rich legacy inherited by them.

The Chief Minister asserted that the state government will leave no stone unturned for ensuring the welfare of the cops. Likewise, he said that there is no dearth of funds for equipping the Police with ultra modern technology to enhance their efficiency. Bhagwant Mann emphasised that Punjab being a border state has faced the enemies of the country since ages adding that the brave youth of state will continue to do so in future also.

Striking an emotional chord with the new recruits, the Chief Minister called on them to use their services for delivering justice to needy people in a fair and transparent manner. He further said that the cops must dispense their services honestly with utmost professional commitment so that people don’t face any problem and feel secure in the state. Bhagwant Mann expressed hope that newly recruited cops will work untiringly to maintain peace in state and maintain law and order.

Congratulating the new constables, the Chief Minister said that their selection to this job is result of their hard work, consistency and commitment. He asserted that the youth who have worked hard deserve this post as they have cleared the cut throat competition totally on merit basis. Bhagwant Mann further said that more such transparent recruitments are in pipeline and will be completed soon.

Earlier, the Punjab Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua welcomed the Chief Minister on the occasion. The Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav moved the motion of thanks.

On the occasion, Principal Secretary Home Anurag Verma and others were also present.

Chandigarh, Punjab

Punjab government to provide quality wheat seed, fertilizers and medicines to farmers at reasonable prices: Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 24, 2022

The state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will provide quality wheat seed, fertilizers and medicines to the farmers at reasonable prices. Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal after a high-level meeting with PUNSEED, Punjab Agro and Agriculture Department officials here today sharing this information said that even a single grain of duplicate wheat seed will not be allowed to be sold in the market.

Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that the base of our agriculture is seeds, so the Punjab government has taken a big initiative to provide quality seeds to the farmers at a reasonable price to save our farmers from the loot in the hands of private duplicate seed sellers.  The Agriculture Minister said that the Punjab government is making a concrete fool proof policy to make seeds available to the farmers through the government agencies PUNSEED, National Seed Corporation etc. These seeds will be made available to the farmers only through recognized dealers. Seeds will be provided to farmers without delay and the system for subsidy on seeds will be further simplified.

The Minister asked the officials to liaise with the National Seed Corporation to meet the shortage of seeds if need arises. Along with this, he issued strict directions to the officials to timely provide quality seed fertilizers and medicines to the farmers. ‘A solid plan should be prepared and presented by next week so that the farmers do not face any kind of hardship’, Dhaliwal directed the officials.

Prominent present in the meeting included Secretary Agriculture Department Arshdeep Singh Thind, MD PUNSEED Manjit Singh Sidhu, Director Agriculture Department Gurvinder Singh, besides officials of PUNSEED and Punjab Agro were also present.

Chandigarh, Punjab

PATIALA’S MANJAL KHURD ALSO DECLARED AS ASF CONTAINMENT ZONE

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 24, 2022

Punjab Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, on Tuesday, informed that ‘Manjal Khurd’, the third area in district Patiala, has been notified as a containment zone for the prevention of ‘African Swine Fever’ (ASF).

He said that the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) -National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal has confirmed ASF in swine samples from this area. He directed the officials of the department to comply with the provisions of “The Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009” for effectively preventing, controlling, eradicating the scheduled disease-ASF. The Cabinet Minister further said that up to a kilometre, from the village declared the epicenter, is considered as “infected zones” while up to 10 KM area is classified “surveillance zone.”

He said that no live/dead pig (including feral or wild pigs), unprocessed pig meat, feed or any material/goods from the piggery farms or backyard piggery shall be taken out of or brought into the infected zone and no person shall bring or attempt to bring into the market any pig or pig products which is known to be infected with the scheduled disease.

Notably, the whole state of Punjab has already been declared as “Controlled Area” after ASF found in two areas namely ‘Bilaspur’ and ‘Sanauri Adda’ of district Patiala and the inter-state movement of any pig or its belongings has been strictly banned.

Chandigarh, Punjab

SCHEME TO SAVE RS 170 CRORE OF 1.54 CRORE PEOPLE; WILL GET RELIEF FROM WAITING IN LINE FOR HOURS: MINISTER KATARUCHAK

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

The ambitious scheme ‘Ghar Ghar Ration’ of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government will start from October 2 and about 1.54 crore people will benefit from this scheme, said the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak.

Disclosing this, the minister Lal Chand Kataruchak gave detailed information about this scheme.

The scheme will save about Rs 170 crore to the public

The Minister informed that there are about 1.54 crore beneficiaries in Punjab under this scheme. About Rs 170 crore is being spent by people on milling the flour, therefore, the scheme will save money of common man.

Flour will not be older than 7 days, whereas flour is available in the market for about one to two months old

The minister said that it is our endeavor that within seven days of grinding the flour in the mill, it should be delivered to all the houses, so that people can get fresh flour, which will also have a good effect on their health. He said that even in the market the flour is about one or two months old.

Why is the government giving flour instead of wheat? Minister replied

Earlier people had to stand in the scorching heat or inclement weather for hours to get food grains under the food security scheme. Then people have to spend money on its gridding for flour. Now people’s time, money, hard work and energy will be saved by delivering flour directly at home.

How will the plan work and how will the delivery happen?

The government will pick up the wheat from the FCI godowns and give it to the flour mill. Then, the delivery partners will be responsible for delivering the flour to every household. Many big delivery companies of the country have participated in the tendering process. The contract for delivery will be allocated to a firm soon.

Camera to monitors, the delivery van will have GPS system and there will also be options for digital payment for payment

The minister said that the delivery of floor bags will be done under the supervision of the camera so that there is no scope for any disturbance in the delivery, so that people do not get any chance to complain. The delivery van has been equipped with GPS system for timely delivery. Nowadays is the era of online. People do not always have cash money. Therefore, the option of digital payment has also been kept for payment.

Old ration depot holders have also been taken care of

The government has signed an MoU with the old ration depot holders, under which the old ration depot holders will be able to work related to various online services of the central government such as BSNL landline and phone bills and other online facilities of the central government to ensure that they get employment.

The minister also responded to the allegations of the opposition

Minister Kataruchak said that during the previous governments regime, there was huge corruption in the food distribution scheme. The politicians used to scam crores and billions of rupees from officers to middlemen. Our government is eliminating corruption and implementing it in a transparent manner. Now there is no scope for corruption in this. We are providing facilities at home to the people with the same money by eliminating corruption.

Chandigarh, Punjab

Vigilance arrests former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu in food grains transportation tenders scam

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau in its drive against corruption on Monday arrested former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu in the food grains transportation tenders scam and further investigation in this case is under progress.

            Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the State Vigilance Bureau (VB) said that the Bureau, after verification of a complaint made by complainant Gurprit Singh, has already registered FIR No. 11 Dated 16-08-2022 u/s 420, 409, 467, 468, 471, 120-B IPC and 7, 8, 12, 13(2) Preventions of Corruption Act at VB police station Ludhiana in which contractors namely Telu Ram, Jagroop Singh and Sandeep Bhatia besides owner/partners of Gurdas Ram & Company has been booked.

            Revealing more he informed that accused Telu Ram has already been arrested in this and he is on police remand. During investigation by the VB, accused Telu Ram has submitted that he met Bharat Bhushan Ashu through his PA Meenu Malhotra for getting tenders for the season 2020-21 who further told him to meet Rakesh Kumar Singla, Deputy Director Food & Civil Supplies. Singla was incharge of all Punjab being chairman of departmental chief vigilance committee for tenders and was acting on the directions of former minister.

            The accused Telu Ram has informed the VB that when he met RK Singla, he has demanded Rs 30 Lakh on behalf of former minster and on different days he has given the bribes to RK Singla Rs 20 lakh, PA Menu Malhotra Rs 6 lakh and money to officers.

            The spokesperson added that on the basis of revelations as well as the material evidence above mentioned persons and former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu have been nominated as an accused in this case. During Investigation it has come on record that Telu Ram has purchased about 20 acres land and accused Meenu Malhotra, who is at large, has also made number of properties and record is being collected in this regard. He informed that the record with regard to posting of accused Rakesh Kumar Singla is also being collected besides properties made by him would be probed.

            Revealing modus operandi of this scam, the spokesperson informed that the tenders were invited cluster wise in which ‘A’ group of mandis and work of all procurement agencies was allotted for the cluster and name of leading mandis in particular area was used as cluster name. In Ludhiana district, Telu Ram was having 4 clusters namely Jodhan, Mullanpur, Raikot and Payal which contains 34 grain markets. Apart from this, Telu Ram was also having cluster in district Ferozpur at Talwandi Bhai and district Ropar local.

            During investigations it has come to light that main accused Telu Ram had received approximately amount of Rs 25 crore for the said work. In order to get tenders the lists of vehicles submitted by accused were containing registration numbers of Cars, Scooters, Motor Cycles etc but the same transportation vehicles were required to be verified. After verification technical bid was required to be rejected by district tender committee however they in connivance with each other allotted the tenders.

            He added that even in the gate passes numbers of Scooters, Cars etc were mentioned but the above mentioned officers made payments to the accused contractors in respect of material quoted in these gate passes thereby matter regarding misappropriation also comes to light. He informed that further investigation in this regard is under progress and involvement of others would also be probed in this scam.

Chandigarh, Punjab

IN YET ANOTHER FIRST, PUNJAB GOVERNMENT INTRODUCES RESERVATION FOR LAW OFFICERS IN STATE

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 22, 2022

In yet another pioneering move,  the  Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has introduced reservation in  posts of law officers recruited by the state government.

The advertisement in this regard was issued by the department of Home Affairs here on Saturday in which applications have been called from eligible Scheduled Caste Advocates/ candidates for engagement as law officers in the office of Advocate General, Punjab at Chandigarh and Legal Cell, New Delhi. . As per details applications have been invited for 12 posts of Additional Advocate General (10 at Chandigarh and two at Delhi), for post five posts of Senior Deputy Advocate General at Chandigarh, for 16 posts of Deputy Advocate General (14 at Chandigarh and two at Delhi), for 23 for posts of Assistant Advocate General (22 at Chandigarh and one at Delhi) and out of two posts of Advocate on Record at Delhi from eligible SC candidates. The eligible candidates can apply for post by September 13, 2022.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said that he had always been a votary of giving equal opportunities to the youth of SC community to excel in every field. He asserted that the state government has been implementing the reservation policy in true spirit to ensure that  candidates of weaker and underprivileged sections get equal opportunity for getting jobs. Bhagwant Mann unequivocally said that for the first time in history of the state the Aam Aadmi party government has made this provision to give reservation to SC candidates in recruitment for post of law officers too.

The Chief Minister lamented that despite of enormous capability of SC candidates, they have not got a chance to make it for the posts of law officers due to many  reasons. However, he envisioned that with the state government introducing reservation for these candidates it will enable them to serve judiciously as law officers. Bhagwant Mann asserted that Aam Aadmi government is probably the only government in the country to provide reservation to SC community for these posts.

Reiterating the firm commitment of state government to ensure well being of SC brethren, the Chief Minister said that no stone will be left unturned for this noble cause. He emphasised that the state government is making all out efforts to provide equal opportunities of progress and prosperity for the community. Bhagwant Mann said that unlike the previous governments which had only made lip service for welfare of community, the Aam Aadmi government has taken tangible steps in this regard.

Chandigarh, Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab

Chandigarh International Airport will be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh: Chautala

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 21, 2022

There has been a mutual agreement between the Government of Haryana and Government of Punjab to name the Chandigarh International Airport after the name of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Haryana Deputy Chief Minister, Sh. Dushyant Chautala met Punjab Chief Minister, Sh. Bhagwant Mann in Chandigarh on Saturday and agreed to name it ‘Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport’. After the meeting, Deputy Chief Minister, Sh. Dushyant Chautala said that Shaheed Bhagat Singh is one such martyr of the country’s freedom struggle, who has inspired the youth of every generation. He said that the name of the Chandigarh International Airport will now be named after the great martyr Bhagat Singh and both the Punjab and Haryana Government have made mutual consensus on it.

Deputy Chief Minister, Sh. Dushyant Chautala said that the collective contribution of Haryana Government, Punjab Government and Chandigarh Administration is involved in the construction and modernization of Chandigarh Airport and after expansion this airport is boosting the development and industrialization of this area. He said that since Haryana also had an equal share in its construction, the name of the city ‘Panchkula’ should also be added to its name. The Deputy Chief Minister said that he has sent a recommendation on behalf of Haryana Government to the Punjab Government. He added the same request will also be sent to the Central Government in this regard.

Deputy Chief Minister, Sh. Dushyant Chautala said that in future, Chandigarh Airport will be a major airport of North India and it will witness progress along with fulfilling the needs of the, hence all the differences related to its naming should end soon.

Chandigarh, Punjab

CABINET SUB-COMMITTEE ASSURES CONTRACTUAL EMPLOYEES OF TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT THAT DRAFT POLICY ON REGULARISATION OF EMPLOYEES IS BEING UPDATED

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IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 18, 2022

The cabinet sub-committee formed for regularisation of contractual employees today assured employees of the transport department that the Punjab government is regularly working to update the draft policy so as to ensure that it should benefit them all.

Holding a meeting with the representatives of contractual employee unions and officials of transport department in the presence of a team of legal experts, the cabinet subcommittee discussed various aspects related to the regularization of services in the Transport department.

          Addressing the meeting, Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema and School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains welcomed the suggestions given by the employee unions. Cheema said that as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the sub-committee has been analysing the rules related to the appointment of employees in the concerned departments so that the services of the contractual employees can be regularised without any legal hindrance. He further said that sub-committee has been continuously briefing the Chief Minister about the outcomes of all these meetings.

He said that the actions of the previous governments were only  political tactics, and  the contractual employees were facing this situation just because of the vague decisions made by previous governments in the last year of tenure. He said that the Mann government has been working on mission mode to secure the future of these employees. He said that the sub-committee has been formed to consider all the legal hurdles, so that they could be provided relief without it being challenged in the courts.

Earlier, the representatives of various unions of contractual employees of transport department including that of PUNBUS and PRTC presented their cases besides suggesting solutions for the same. Finance Minister asked the officials of PUNBUS and PRTC to submit the documents related to the suggestion given by the unions to subcommittee.

Prominent Amongst others, Secretary Transport Vikas Garg, Secretary personnel Rajat Agarwal, MD PRTC Poonamdeep Kaur Dhillon and Director Transport Amandeep Kaur were also present in the meeting.