IEP Chandigarh, September 7, 2022

Punjab Animal Husbandry, Fisheries & Dairy Development Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, on Wednesday, informed that African swine fever (ASF) has been found in the swine samples from village Talwandi Aklia of district Mansa and this area has been notified as ‘infected zones’ for the prevention of the ASF.He said that after confirmation from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) -National High Security Animal Disease Institute, Bhopal, the Animal Husbandry department has strictly enforced restrictions and declared 0 to 1 kilometre area of the epicenter as “infected zone” and 1 to 10 KM (9 KM) area as “surveillance zone” to prevent the disease in the district. The departmental officials have also been instructed to ensure 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.Giving information about the swine culling to prevent the disease in the state, Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar said, as many as 735 swine have been culled in four ASF affected districts i.e. Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, SBS Nagar and Fazilka. He said that a total 471 swine in Patiala, 68 in Fatehgarh Sahib, 176 in SBS Nagar and 20 swine have been culled in district Fazilka.”The Punjab government has announced compensation policy for culling of swine and compensation will be given only for the culling done by the department within the “infected zone” of one km radius of the epicenter notified by the department”, said the Animal Husbandry Minister.He said that compensation for the culling of a piglet weighing up to 15 kg is Rs.2200, Rs.5800 for pig weighing between 15kg to 40 kg, Rs.8400 for weighing between 40kg to 70 kg pig, Rs.12000 for weighing between 70kg to 100 kg, while compensation of Rs.15000 will be given for pigs weighing above 100 kg, while swine feed destroyed within the “infected zone” will also be compensated at the rate of Rs.22 per kg.The Cabinet Minister urged pig farmers to cooperate with the department for the culling of swine. “As per the policy of the Government of India, compensation will be given only for the culling done by the department and it is mandatory to cull swine within one kilometer radius from the epicenter of the disease”, said the Cabinet Minister, while adding that the mortality rate of the disease can be as high as 100 percent and once a pig is affected, it dies within a few days. Thus, it is better that culling should be done by the department as there is no compensation policy if the affected pig dies on its own.

IEP Chandigarh, September 7, 2022

To save people from hardships and avoid unnecessary litigation, Punjab Housing and Urban Development Minister Mr. Aman Arora asked the Real Estate Developers to ensure the delivery of property possession timely as committed at the time of sale. He said that around 3600 complaints have been filed to RERA in the last five years and most of them were related with delayed possession.

The Cabinet Minister, while presiding over an interaction meet with members of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India from Punjab, reiterated that Punjab Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Mann led state government is fully committed to ensure planned residential and commercial development equipped with state-of-the-art facilities in the urban areas of the state.

He categorically said that illegal colonies will not be allowed at any cost and it will be a thing of the past very soon, while urging the developers to join hands with the government to put the state in the orbit of high growth trajectory.

Mr. Aman Arora asked them to clear their pending External Development Charges (EDC) and other dues at the earliest as the EDC collected shall be spent on providing facilities in authorized colonies to ensure the basic civic amenities.

Lending sympathetic ears to the problems being faced by the developers, the Cabinet Minister assured them all the possible support from the government side and their all legitimate and genuine demands will be resolved soon.

He told the developers to ensure basic civic amenities to the people residing in their respective properties. At the same time, he assured them that the government would provide maximum permissions at their doorsteps under its agenda of ease of doing business

“The goal of holistic development cannot be accomplished without the support of all of you so we should all work in tandem to ensure planned development in urban areas. I am always here to facilitate you in case anyone faces any kind of problem”, Mr. Aman Arora added.

The developers shared issues pertaining to permissions they require from different departments to obtain license. The minister said he will take up the problems of the developers with concerned departments so that they won’t face any harassment and could develop their projects without any hindrance.

MLA SAS Nagar Mr. Kulwant Singh, Principal Secretary Housing and Urban Development Mr. Ajoy Kumar Sinha, Chief Administrator GMADA Mr. Amandeep Bansal, Chief Town Planner, Punjab Mr. Pankaj Bawa and other senior officials of Housing and Urban Development department were also present in the meet.

IEP Chandigarh, September 7, 2022       

   Malerkotla, Faridkot and Jalandhar districts have secured a place in certified pan India list by Government of India (GoI) for providing 100 per cent clean and safe water facility to all rural households under the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission-Har Ghar Jal’.          On occasion of achieving this milestone, Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bram Shankar Jimpa has congratulated all the officials, residents and public representatives of these districts who have worked to achieve this goal. Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has also congratulated Punjab for this achievement through a tweet.          Jimpa informed that 9 districts have secured the place among these distinctive districts across the country to provide 100 percent clean water to village homes through pipes and Malerkotla, Faridkot and Jalandhar have made their place in the list of these 9 districts.          He further added that Malerkotla, which has a total rural population of 2.58 lakh, has covered 49881 rural households with piped drinking water, while Faridkot with the total rural population of 4.09 lakh has covered 78408 rural households with safe drinking water. Similarly, Jalandhar who have a total rural population of 11.12 lakh, has covered 223400 rural households with piped drinking water.          WSS minister said that Punjab already provided piped water to 34.24 lakh rural households under ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ and a total 11933 villages and 20 districts have been covered with 100% piped water supply. He said that under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, we have set the target to cover 100% area of Punjab up to December 2022 against the national target of 2024. He also informed that the state government has already provided tap connections to Aanganwadi Centres, Panchayats, Dispensaries, and Schools

IEP Chandigarh,

September 7, 2022 Fulfilling his commitment to give impetus to the industrial growth in the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has offered 1000 acre of land in Fatehgarh Sahib district to the Government of India (GoI) for setting up Textile Park under PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks (PM MITRA) scheme. In a letter to the Union Textile Minister Piyush Goyal, the Chief Minister has expressed the desire for setting up this ambitious project on the sacred land of Fatehgarh Sahib. He envisioned that once commissioned this project will emerge Punjab as a ‘Textile Hub’ of the country. Likewise, Bhagwant Mann unequivocally said that this project will also put the state on the orbit of a high growth trajectory of Industrial growth.   The Chief Minister asserted that the ambitious scheme will help in attracting investments on one hand and opening new vistas of employment for the youth on another. He said that the Government of India (GoI) has approved the scheme for setting up of seven PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks (PM MITRA) across the country in partnership with the interested State Governments. Bhagwant Mann informed the Union Minister that under this scheme the state government is ready for setting up of Textile Park at Fatehgarh Sahib. The Chief Minister categorically said that all environmental clearances and norms as fixed by Centre and State Pollution Control Boards will be adhered to while setting up this Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Park. He asserted that one of the basic requirements for the project is that the interested state government should have ready availability of contiguous and encumbrance free land parcels of 1000 acres for this project. Bhagwant Mann emphasized that Punjab Government has already identified land parcels in Fatehgarh Sahib for the above said project adding that all the necessary requirements will be fulfilled for setting up this project at the earliest.

IEP Chandigarh

Haryana State Vigilance Bureau has booked an HCS officer in a bribery case on the allegations of corruption which were proved during the course of the enquiry by the Bureau officials.

Sharing this information here today, a spokesperson of the Bureau informed that the State government on the orders of the hon’ble Chief Minister had entrusted a complaint to the SVB alleging demand and acceptance of bribe by the 2011 batch HCS officer Rajesh Prajapati who currently holds the charge of OSD to the Divisional Commissioner, Hisar. The Bureau conducted a thorough enquiry in which the allegations of bribery and extortion were proved against him.

Accordingly a criminal case has been registered on 7.09.2022 against the accused under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code in the State Vigilance Bureau Police station Gurugram. The accused officer has been arrested and further investigation is underway.

IEP Chandigarh, September 7, 2022

Punjab Public Works Minister Mr. Harbhajan Singh ETO will  participate in the National Conference ‘Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahautsav’ being held at Bengaluru on 8th and 9th September, 2022 to mark completion of 75 years of Independence of the country.

In a statement before leaving for this National conference, Mr. ETO said that he would use this opportunity to raise the issues regarding  strengthening  of  communication between state and Center for further improvement in the road network. ”The difficulties being faced by the state governments for the approvals regarding national highways will be disscussed  in detail during the disscutions there”, said ETO.

The Public Works Minister further added that he would vigorously raise the issues related to the stalled roads projects of the state, besides raising other pending issues of his department with the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and other representatives of the centre government.

IEP Chandigarh, September 7, 2022

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau during its drive against corruption on Wednesday nabbed registry clerk Jaspal Singh, posted at tehsil Dirba, Sangrur district red handed while accepting bribe of Rs. 10,000.

Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau (VB) said registry clerk Jaspal Singh was arrested on the complaint of Sukhdev Singh of village Sular, Sangrur district.

He informed that the complainant has approached the VB and alleged that the accused was demanding demanding Rs. 10,000 to execute registration of land. After verifying his information, a Vigilance team from Patiala range laid a trap and the accused clerk was arrested on the spot while accepting bribe of Rs. 10,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.

He informed that a case under Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at VB police station Patiala and further investigation was under progress.

IEP Chandigarh,

September 7, 2022Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the financial health of the state is well maintained and treasury has released more than Rs. 3,400 Crore.          In a statement issued here, the Punjab Finance Minister said that payments including salaries of Punjab Government employees were delayed as the State was gearing up for revival of Special Drawing Facility (SDF) as per the CSF/GRF guidelines and norms by the Reserve Bank of India.          Thanking the Government employees and other stakeholders for bearing with the State Government, Harpal Singh Cheema said that treasury has released Rs. 2719 crore including salaries and GPF besides releasing Rs. 600 Crore to PSPCL as power subsidy and Rs. 75 crore to Sugarfed.          Rejecting rumors regarding any financial crunch or crisis at State’s end, Cheema stated that majority of the pending payments have been made with today’s release by the treasury and any other pending payments shall be released within a few days. He said that delay in payments was all due to a financial exercise done to ensure financial welfare of the state in long-term.          Reiterating Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s commitment to put state back on rapid growth track, Harpal Singh Cheema said that it is an open secret that Punjab was reeling under financial mess when they gained people’s referendum in March 2022. “Now, the state government has been putting all efforts to revive the fiscal health of the state besides fulfilling the guarantees given to the people of the state”, said Cheema.

IEP Chandigarh, September 7, 2022

Days after busting an inter-state illegal weapon smuggling module operating from Madhya Pradesh (MP) with the arrest of two arms suppliers, Punjab Police has also arrested arms manufacturer from Kazalpura in MP, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday.

          The arrested person identified as Sonu Singh of village Signoor district Khargone in MP, has been running a small manufacturing unit of Arms in MP and was supplying them illegally in various North Indian States including MP. The Police have also recovered 25 more weapons, including 24 pistols and one revolver from his possession, taking the total recovery of weapons from this module to 80.

          Pertinently, Punjab Police on Friday had arrested two persons identified as Bhorelal alias Manish Bade and Kailash Mal Singh, both residents of MP, involved in large-scale of illegal manufacturing and supply of weapons from MP into Punjab as well as other states.

          Divulging details, the DGP said that on the basis of preliminary investigations of Bhorelal and Kailash Mal, the Police teams have also arrested the arms manufacturer from Kazalpura after recovering eight pistols from his possession. On the disclosure of Sonu Singh, the Police teams further recovered a chunk of 16 pistols and one revolver from the location pinpointed by him at the bank of the drain near village Umarati in Badwani in MP, he added.

          The preliminary investigations also revealed that the accused persons used to sell illicit weapons at nominal price ranging from Rs 20k to Rs 30k and were using social media platforms to find buyers.

          The module was busted by the Amritsar Counter Intelligence unit of Punjab Police during a five-day long intelligence-led operation carried out in Madhya Pradesh as part of the decisive war against anti-social elements launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The operation was carried out with the help of MP Police.

          The FIR No. 24 dated 10.08.2022 had been registered under sections 25/54/59 of the Arms Act and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Police Station SSOC, Amritsar.

          Meanwhile, after nabbing anti-social elements from within the state, now Punjab Police has adopted a proactive approach to bust these illicit weapons and drug supply networks from point-of-origin to make the Punjab state free of crime and drugs.

IEP Chandigarh

Haryana Police today organized Cyber Raahgiri programs in each district to make the people aware of ways to deal with different kinds of cybercrime. About 17000 people from all walks of life actively participated in these events. 

Sharing the information here today, Additional Director General of Police, Crime, Sh. O.P. Singh informed that in order to make the public aware, it has been decided to organize Cyber Raahgiri programs in every district on Wednesday. To make the people aware of Cyber Helpline Number (1930), 1930-meter walkathon, 2.5-km marathon and 5 km cycle rally were organized in the districts. At the same time, to increase the participation of youth, police officers participated in tug-of-war competitions.

Awareness about different kinds of cybercrime topics such as how to stay safe online, what is cyber bullying/cyber grooming and how to tackle them, how to report a cybercrime, etc had been shared with the participants. In addition, people were also encouraged to be more aware and cautious while being online and be aware of the cybercrime threats which are posed in the present time.

Through nukkad natak, poems and dance, people were encouraged not to give their personal information to anyone, avoid friendship with strangers on social media and avoid false temptations related to lottery and job. If someone is blackmailing then don’t be afraid, and inform the parents. Apart from this, painting and slogan competitions were also organized to aware people.

Giving information, a police spokesman said that there are 29 cyber police stations and 309 cyber desks operating in the state. Till August, 1455 cases have been registered in the state, in which about 510 accused have been arrested. Police has saved Rs 12.45 crore from cyber criminals till August 2022 by the joint efforts of Cyber Helpline 1930 and Cyber Police Stations and Cyber Desk. The cyber team has also succeeded in solving many high profile cases. At present, Dial 112 has also been integrated with Cyber Helpline to work on cyber complaints in the state. Close to 15000 complaints have been resolved.

Working on cyber awareness, more than 1000 programs have been organized in different districts this year. Public is also being made aware about the new modus operandi of cybercrime through the print and social media. At present, cyber awareness posts have reached more than 11 lakh people through social media. The State Crime Branch and District Police are promoting the Cyber Helpline Number 1930 and cybercrime.gov.in website daily on all social media accounts. Apart from this, cyber awareness programs are being organized every Wednesday in rural schools in coordination with the Education Department.

Sh. O.P. Singh said that cyber fraudsters are continuously switching to different kinds of modus operandis to cheat people. Cyber Raahgiri has been organized to make the general public aware about cybercrime. The cyber helpline 1930 is being promoted on all social media accounts. Sometimes through street plays, sometimes through marathons and sometimes with the help of print media, public is being made aware about not giving OTP, not sharing bank information, not making friends with unknown people and keeping social media accounts safe. In the Cyber Raahgiri program, people are being encouraged to immediately register their complaint on 1930, in case of any cyber frau