Tag Archives: PUNJAB

KULDEEP SINGH DHALIWAL INTERVENES TO GET ONE MONTH EXTENSION FOR FARMERS TO GET VERIFICATION THROUGH E-KYC UNDER PRADHAN MANTRI KISAN SAMMAN NIDHI YOJANA

IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 31, 2022

Punjab Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal today participated in a video-conference meeting held by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar regarding Pardhan Mantri Kisan samman Nidhi Yojana. Sharing information about the meeting, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that 44 percent of farmers in the state have been verified through e-KYC to avail benefit of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Yojana. There was a slight delay in verification of farmers through e-KYC, for which the Punjab Minister appealed to the Union Agriculture Minister to give one month’s extension. On this the Union Agriculture Minister asked the states to complete this work by September 30.

          It is worth mentioning that in the year 2019, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan samman Nidhi Yojana was implemented by the central government to give a benefit of 2 thousand rupees every four months to the farmers. Nearly 17.50 lakh farmers of Punjab are registered under this scheme, who are getting the benefit of this scheme. But the central government has ordered all the states to re-review the registered farmers under this scheme so that only the eligible beneficiaries can get the benefit of the scheme.

          After e-KYC 44 percent of the farmers of Punjab have been verified under this scheme. Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal has appealed to the farmers of the state to visit Common Service Centers for e-KYC registration or go to the online portal for registration to avail the benefits of Pardhan Mantri Kisan samman Nidhi Yojana. Besides this, he also issued directions to the officials of the Agriculture Department to ensure that this work is completed in time. He also directed the officials to link land records of farmers under this scheme so that the farmers can get the benefit of this scheme.

NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH WILL BE CELEBRATED IN THE STATE FROM SEPTEMBER 1 TO SEPTEMBER 30: DR. BALJIT KAUR

IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 29, 2022

The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Maan is continuously working for the welfare of children and women. Under this series, National Nutrition Month is being celebrated by the state government from 1st September 2022 to 30 September 2022 in the state. This information was given here today by the Minister for Social Security, Women and Child Development, Dr. Baljit Kaur.

Dr. Baljit Kaur said that this nutrition month and fortnight is celebrated every year by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) with the participation of all partner ministries/departments.

She said that activities related to women and their health, child and education and also water conservation and management, nutritional food for women and children will be conducted during the National Nutrition Month. People can send their suggestions in this regard at e-mail ID reshma.nair@gov.in to make the National Nutrition Month a grand success.

DONATE EYES AND HELP SOMEONE SEE THE WORLD : CHETAN SINGH JAURAMAJRA

IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 29, 2022

Health and Family Welfare Department Punjab is observing 37th Eye Donation Fortnight from 25th August to 8th September. In this 15-day campaign celebrated every year, health institutes and other stakeholders are encouraged to campaign for mass public awareness about eye donation and to motivate citizens to pledge their eyes after death.

Blindness is one of the major public health problems in our country. According to World Health Organization, corneal diseases (Damage to the tissue covering the front of eye called cornea) are among the major causes of vision loss and blindness, after cataract and glaucoma. Loss of sight due to Corneal damage can be corrected through a surgical procedure known as corneal transplantation or Keratoplasty, where the damaged cornea is replaced by a healthy cornea from the donor eye. There are a total of 13 registered eye banks and 30 Cornea Transplantation centres in Punjab.

Health and family Welfare Minister Punjab Chetan Singh Jauramajra made an appeal to the people of Punjab to come forward and pledge their eyes for donation after death and participate in the noble deed of giving the gift of sight to a needy. He stressed upon the urgent need to strengthen IEC (Information Education and Communication) component through Mass Media including digital media where we will be able to motivate the general public and retrieve more and more corneas.

Director Health and Family Welfare Punjab Dr. Ranjit Singh Ghotra while informing about the activities to be undertaken during this fortnight stated that myths and misconceptions relating to eye donation will be busted through awareness. Eye donation pledge forms are available in all District Hospitals,Sub-Division Hospitals and Vision Centres.Moreover now people can pledge to donate their eyes by simply registering online by logging on to the website https://nhm.punjab.gov.in/Eye Donation , after completion of the registration they can download and print their registration form.

Program Officer N.P.C.B.V.I. (National Program for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment) Dr. Neeti Singla said that detailed guidelines have been issued to all the civil surgeons in Punjab to organize IEC activities during the fortnight to spread the message and to create awareness. The target is to clear the backlog of all the corneal blind patients. Inspite of the ongoing pandemic 835 Keraroplasty surgeries have been successfully conducted in the state in the year 2021-22.

BHAGWANT SINGH MANN GOVERNMENT TO ESTABLISH FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES TRAINING INSTITUTE IN LALRU

IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 29, 2022

Punjab Government led by the Chief Minister of Punjab Mr. Bhagwant Mann has decided to establish a Punjab Fire and Emergency Services Training Institute to train youth in latest fire fighting techniques. It will be the first institute of its kind in North India.

          Stating this here today, Local Government Minister Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar said that this high tech institute will be constructed in Lalru town of SAS Nagar. The institute to be built in an area of about 20 acres and will be recognized by the Government of India. This institute will be under control of the Punjab Fire and Emergency Services Department.

          He said that in this institute, ultra modern and world level training will be given to the students with the latest technologies. Courses on fire fighting, rescue, fire acts, state acts, national building code, fire safety standards, industrial standards, emergency response system, special service calls, dealing with emergency situations etc. will be conducted in this institute and students will be trained with hi-tech safety equipment.

          According to Dr. Nijjar, the training will be given by international level instructors. Apart from this, services of qualified officers and employees working in Punjab Fire Services will also be taken for training. He said that this institute will also create new employment opportunities for the youths. Apart from this, the officers and employees who are already serving in the fire services can also obtain advanced training from this institute for the better opportunities.

POWER DEPARTMENT PROVIDES JOBS TO 1702 IN SIX MONTHS

IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 29, 2022

The Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has given jobs to 1702 candidates in Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) during last six months. The recruitment process for another 2314 posts is underway.

Disclosing this, Punjab Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO said that the Punjab Government is committed to provide government jobs/employment to maximum youngsters of the state. He said that 889 Lower Division Clerks, Junior Engineers, Assistant Sub Station Attendants etc. have been provided government jobs in PSPCL. He said that so far the kin of 86 employees, who lost their lives in line of duty, have been given jobs on compassionate grounds in PSPCL.

The Cabinet Minister further said that 727 Junior Engineers (Electrical), Junior Engineers (Civil), Assistant Sub Station Attendants and Assistant Linemen etc. have been given jobs in Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) till July, 2022.

The Minister said that the recruitment process of 624 JEs and Clerks in PSPCL is going on and appointment letters will be handed over soon. He specifically mentioned that the advertisement for posts of 1690 Assistant Lineman in PSPCL has already been released. He said that the eligible candidates of the state will soon be appointed to these posts.

The Minister said that the Punjab government is committed to extend helping hand towards youngsters in the shape of providing government jobs in all departments to root out the menace of brain drain. He said that a large number of youngsters of the state will get employment in coming months.

DECISIVE WAR AGAINST DRUGS: SEAPORTS OF GUJARAT AND MAHARASHTRA EMERGE AS NEW HOTSPOTS TO SMUGGLE DRUGS INTO INDIA

IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 29, 2022

As Punjab Police on the directions of Chief Minister Punjab Bhagwant Mann  intensified its crackdown on drug smugglers in the state it has emerged that seaports of Gujarat and Maharashtra are the new route to smuggle  drugs into India. In the last two months, Punjab Police has recovered 185.5Kg heroin smuggled via seaports of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The consignments were supposed to be delivered in Punjab, said Inspector General of Police (IGP) Headquarters Sukhchain Singh Gill here on Monday.

          In the latest haul, the SBS Nagar Police on Sunday  recovered 38Kg heroin— that had apparently entered India’s borders via the sea route of Gujarat, from a truck coming from Bhuj in Gujarat. Two persons were  arrested. This recovery is in addition to the 13.51Kg heroin recovered in the state last week, taking the weekly cumulative quantity of heroin to 51.51Kg, the IGP added.

          Earlier, in a joint operation with ATS Gujarat on July 12, Punjab Police recovered 75Kg Heroin from a container at Mundra Port in Gujarat, while, in a similar operation with Maharashtra Police on July 15, 72.5Kg heroin was recovered from a container at the Nhava Sheva Port in Mumbai.

          Addressing his weekly Press Conference on Drug Recovery, the IGP said that Punjab Police have arrested 370 drug smugglers/suppliers after registering 283 first information reports (FIRs), including 33 commercial, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) act across the state in the last one week.

 He said that with Chief Minister Punjab Bhagwant Mann having given the Punjab Police a free hand and full liberty to wage war against drugs, extensive anti-drug drives have been launched to combat the menace of drugs from the border State of Punjab.

 Apart from recovering a big-haul of heroin, the Police have also recovered Rs 1.09 crores of drug money, 13Kg opium, 12Kg ganja, seven quintals of poppy husk, and 1.36 lakh intoxicant pills/capsules/injections/vials among other drugs after carrying out cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas beside laying nakas at vulnerable routes across the state.

          IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill said that with 17 more Proclaimed Offenders (POs)/Absconders in NDPS cases arrested this week, the total number of arrests reached to 247 since the special drive to arrest POs/absconders was started on July 5, 2022.

 Meanwhile, the Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav 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.

COMPREHENSIVE REAL ESTATE POLICY ON CARDS TO STOP  HAPHAZARD DEVELOPMENT, SAYS AMAN ARORA

IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 29, 2022

In order to stop illegal & haphazard development in the urban areas, Punjab Chief Minister S Bhagwant Mann led state government is all set to bring a comprehensive Real Estate policy, disclosed Mr. Aman Arora, Minister for Housing and Urban Development.

          He was presiding over a high-level meeting with senior officials of Revenue & Rehabilitation Department and Real Estate Developers at Punjab Bhawan here, on Monday. He asked the Real Estate Developers to submit their representation to Additional Chief Secretary-cum-FCR Mr. Anurag Agarwal for their queries and problems.

          The Cabinet Minister assured the Real Estate Developers that their all legitimate demands will be considered sympathetically and he will discuss it with the Chief Minister, who is personally supervising the every development in this regard. He asked the developers to make sure that the interests of property buyers should be protected.

          Interacting with media persons after the meeting, Mr Aman Arora said that the previous governments have created a mess in the name of urban development, which resulted in mushrooming of around 14000 illegal colonies in the state. Mann Government is fully aware of all the problems being faced by the common man and it would bring a comprehensive policy to clean this messy system so as to ensure planned development in the state, besides keeping a check on loot of people in this business.

          On a question of making NOC compulsory for property registration, the cabinet minister said that this issue would also be resolved soon as Punjab Government’s three departments Housing & Urban Development, Revenue and Local Government are working in tandem to sort it out at the earliest.

          Additional Chief Secretary-cum-FCR Mr. Anurag Agarwal, Deputy Commissioner Ludhiana Ms. Surabhi Malik and other senior officials of Revenue department were also present in the meeting.

PUNJAB GOVERNMENT DISBURSES RS 45 CR  UNDER CONSTRUCTION WORKERS WELFARE SCHEMES

IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 29, 2022

The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Punjab S.Bhagwant Mann and under the direction of Labor Minister Anmol Gagan Mann are making continuous efforts for the welfare of construction workers. In order to further implement the schemes being run for the welfare of construction workers and to help them, an amount of 45 crores was distributed by the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board under various schemes related to construction workers after the formation of the present government.

Giving more information, the spokesperson of the labor department said that many schemes are being run by the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board for the welfare of the construction workers. He said that a person who is between 18-60 years of age and has worked as a construction worker for 90 days or more during the last 12 months can become a beneficiary. He said that masons, brick cement workers, painters, electricians, welders, carpenters, plumbers, stone cleaners, glass installers, POPs etc. construction workers can become beneficiaries of the labor board.

He said that 65 thousand rupees are given under Shagun scheme for the marriage of two girls of beneficiary construction workers. Similarly, 800 rupees is given for eye glasses, 5 thousand rupees for teeth treatment and up to 6 thousand rupees for hearing aids. Apart from this, financial assistance of 20 thousand rupees is given for cremation for registered construction workers and their family members. He said that up to 1 lakh rupees can be reimbursed for the indoor treatment expenses of the workers and their dependents for the treatment of dangerous diseases. A female worker can be given a benefit of Rs 21,000 and a male worker Rs 5,000 per child for a maximum of two children. He said that the registered beneficiaries of the board can get treatment of Rs. 5 lakh per family after registering under the Ayushman Yojana. An online application for this purpose can be registered at the nearest service center at a one-time registration fee of Rs.25 and Rs.10 per month for a period of one year to three years.

He said that for more information, one can contact the nearest service center, assistant labor commissioner or inspector, labor enforcement officer of the constituency.

VIGILANCE UNEARTHS RS 7 CRORE SCAM IN KARNANA MULTI-PURPOSE AGRICULTURE SERVICE SOCIETY

IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 29, 2022

Punjab Vigilance Bureau has unearthed a Rs seven crore scam in the Karnana multipurpose agricultural service society limited village Karnana, District SBS Nagar and registered a case against 7 officers/employees at VB police station at Jalandhar. In this case the Bureau has arrested 5 accused of the case.

          Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau said that during the investigation into the accounts of the society, it has came to light that a scam to the tune of Rs 7,14,07,596.23  (Seven crores, fourteen lakhs seven thousand five hundred and ninety six rupees and three paise) has been committed in connivance with officers/employees of the said cooperative society.

          He said that there are about 1000 account holders/members in the said society. This society has been running an Indian Oil petrol pump, tractor and agricultural implements to plough a large amount of agricultural land. Apart from this, the said society also sells fertilizers and pesticides to the farmers and a total of 6 employees are working in different places in the said society.

          He said after investigating the matter, it came to light that NRIs of village Karnana and the people of this village got the FDRs worth crores of rupees in the name of above society. Secretary of the said Sabha Inderjit Dhir, who has also been the cashier earlier, embezzled crores of rupees by setting limits etc. on the said FDRs in collusion with the president Randhir Singh and the present cashier Harpreet Singh.

          The spokesperson said that during the checking of the records by the technical team from 01.4.18 to 31.03.20, the loans taken by the members of the sabha and deposits of the members amounted to Rs. 7,14,07,596.23 were found to be embezzled

          Giving the details of this scam, he informed that during the investigation, it was also found that two computers were installed in the society by the secretary Inderjit Dhir, out of which one system was to show the records to the members so as to satisfy them about the entries of their deposits. On the second computer, it was found that the secretary used to feed the data according to the amount of fraud committed to get verification of from the audit team and other officials.

          On the basis of investigation of this scam, it has been established that former secretary of the society Inderjit Dhir, Harpreet cashier, Randhir Singh former president, Sukhwinder Singh vice president, Ravinder Singh committee member, Mahinder Lal committee member and Kamaljit Singh committee member (all residents of village Karnana) have in connivance with each other committed a fraud to the tune of Rs 7,14,07,596.23 in the above said society.

          The spokesperson said that in this regard, a case no 15 dated 29.08.2022 against the above-mentioned accused under sections 406, 409, 420, 465, 468, 471, 477-A, 120-B of I.P.C. and  u/s 13(1), 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, has been registered at Vigilance Bureau, Police Station Jalandhar.

          The accused in this case, Randhir Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Ravinder Singh, Mahinder Lal and Kamaljit Singh (all residents of Karnana village) have been arrested. Further investigation in this case is under progress.

Dazzling start for ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Dian’ at Jalandhar

IEP CHANDIGARH AUGUST 29, 2022

One of the biggest sporting extravaganzas of the country, ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Dian’ today began with a great pomp and show as the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, inaugurated this mega sporting event here at Guru Gobind Singh

Stadium. 

The Chief Minister took salute from the impressive march past of the participating contingents of various districts. Announcing the opening of this around two months long much awaited gala sporting event, Bhagwant Mann said that in this mega event more than 4 lakh players in different six age groups are expected to participate in the competitions from block to the state level in 28 sports categories. He said that that the state-level winners will be given cash prizes worth Rs 6 crore adding that these games will be annual feature from the coming years.

“I am elated to see Punjab happy and the youth in field of sports”, said the Chief Minister.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that the state government has been making all out efforts for promoting sports across the state to channelize the unbounded energy of youth in a positive manner. He said that these games were a right step towards this direction as it will provide platform to the players for showcasing their latent. Bhagwant Mann asserted that likewise it will also help the state government to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the players which will be beneficial for grooming them for the national and international events in future.

Congratulating the Sports Minister for organizing these games, the Chief Minister said that Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer deserves kudos for making all these arrangments. He said that it is a matter of great pride for the entire state that these games are being held in every nook and corner of Punjab. Bhagwant Mann said that these games will be made a regular feature in the coming years too.

The Chief Minister said that the state government is leaving no stone unturned to popularize sports in the state as it can be play a key role in progress of the state. Bhagwant Mann said that Punjab has became the first state in the country to felicitate its players who had brought laurels for the country in the commonwealth games. He asserted that it is the need of hour to encourage more budding players to excel in field of sports.

The Chief Minister said that Aam Aadmi government is working on an aggressive campaign to produce maximum number of trained sportspersons and to have more Punjabi players in the Indian contingent for international events. He stressed that Punjab has abundant sports talent and Punjab government would not left any stone unturned to enable the players to participate and win Olympic medals for India.

The Chief Minister also remembered the hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand on his birth anniversary. He said that this is observed as national sports day. Bhagwant Mann said that the youth must take inspiration from the hockey legend on this day.

The Chief Minister said that the games will provide an opportunity to the youth to excel in field of sports. He said that Punjab and sports have a strong bond. Bhagwant Mann said that the youth of the state have an inherit talent but the successive governments have failed to provide requisite infrastructure.

The Chief Minister asserted that the players will be provided the state of art infrastructure and world class facilities. He said that apart from inspiring us to fight against tyranny, injustice and oppression the great Guru sahiban have showed us way to stay healthy by taking part in sports. Bhagwant Mann said that we must follow footsteps of great gurus and participate in the games.

The Chief Minister said that the state government is committed for restoring pristine glory of state in field of sports. He said that new Sports policy will focus on promotion of sports and players. Bhagwant Mann said that special budgetary allocation will be for the sports.

Meanwhile, cultural performances by the school kids mesmerized the audience with their dazzling performance. Leading Punjabi singers Nooran sisters, Amrit Mann and Ranjit Bawa entertained the audience. On the occasion wonders kids stunned the audiences with their skating and gymnastic performances.

Earlier, Olympian Baljit Dhillon and Manjit Kaur brought the baton of games and Olympian Gurjit Kaur triggered of games flame from the stage. 

On the occasion the impressive video depicting the overall scenario of the games accompanied by the traditional dance ‘Giddha’ and ‘Bhangra’ enthralled the audience and forced them to tap their feet. Likewise the gathering also cheered the medley performance of students during the inaugural function in the stadium. The gathering also gave standing ovation to the dazzling firework show on the occasion.

On the occasion Cabinet Ministers Aman Arora, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjer, Harbhajan Singh ETO, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Laljit Singh Bhullar, Lal Chand Kataruchak and Brahm Shankar Jimpa, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Ravi Bhagat, Principal Secretary Sports Rajkamal Chaudhary, Director Sports and others.

On the occasion several MLAs and other officers were also present.