Transport Minister instructs officials to furnish concrete proposals to address the demands of contractual drivers/conductors

Officials to submit report during July 19 meeting

Maiden meeting of committee formed by Chief Minister to address issues of contract-based drivers and conductors held

Cabinet Minister attentively listens to demands of Punjab Roadways/PUNBUS and PRTC Workers

Chandigarh, July 12: Punjab Transport Minister S. Laljit Singh Bhullar today instructed the officials to furnish concrete proposals to swiftly address the demands of contractual drivers/conductors of Punjab Roadways/PUNBUS and PRTC.

Chairing the first meeting of the committee constituted by Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann to address the issues of contractual drivers and conductors in Punjab Roadways/PUNBUS and PRTC, Transport Minister S. Laljit Singh Bhullar instructed officials to adopt a sympathetic approach towards employees' concerns, stating that the next meeting will be held on July 19 at his office and by then, officials should furnish concrete proposals to resolve all the demands.

While meeting with other committee members and two union representatives at his office in the Punjab Civil Secretariat, the Transport Minister said that the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government is committed to timely resolution of every issue of employees. He urged officials to swiftly consider the demands and find suitable solutions.

Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Secretary Transport Mr. Dilraj Singh Sandhawalia, MD PUNBUS Mr. Gurpreet Singh Khaira, MD PRTC Mr. Ravinder Singh, Deputy Director State Transport Mr. Parneet Singh Minhas, ADO PUNBUS Mr. Rajiv Dutta, GM PRTC Mr. Maninder Singh and other officials.

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PRIORITISE REGISTRATION OF FIR EVEN IN PETTY CRIMES, DGP PUNJAB DIRECTS CPs/SSPs

— DGP GAURAV YADAV CHAIRS STATE LEVEL CRIME REVIEW MEETING WITH SENIOR FIELD OFFICERS AND HEADS OF OPERATIONAL WINGS

— PUNJAB POLICE COMMITTED TO MAKING PUNJAB A SAFE AND SECURE STATE AS PER DIRECTIONS OF CM BHAGWANT SINGH MANN

— PAY ATTENTION TOWARDS MAKING ARRESTS IN HEINOUS CRIMES, PRODUCING CHALLANS IN TIME BOUND MANNER: DGP GAURAV YADAV TO DISTRICT POLICE CHIEFS

— DISTRICTS WITH GOOD WORK GETS PAT FROM DGP PUNJAB, UNDERPERFORMING DISTRICTS ASKED TO PULL UP THEIR SOCKS

— FOCUS ON DRUG SUPPLIERS/PEDDLERS TO BRING DOWN STREET AVAILABILITY OF DRUGS: DGP PUNJAB

CHANDIGARH, July 12:In order to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Friday directed all the district heads to prioritise registration of the first information report (FIR) even in petty crimes including snatching and theft to crackdown against crime in the state.

“It has come into my notice that field officers usually shows reluctance in registering FIR, especially in petty crimes. There should be a free registration of FIRs in all the districts which will help in maintaining law and order in the state,” he said.

The DGP was chairing a state-level crime review meeting via Video Conference with all the senior field officers and Heads of Operational Wings to evaluate performance of all the 28 Police districts and take stock of the ongoing fight against organised crime, drug trafficking and terrorism. Special DGP Special Task Force (STF) Kuldeep Singh, Special DGP Internal Security RN Dhoke, ADGP Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) Promod Ban, Commissioners of Police (CPs), Range IGPs/DIGs and Senior Superintends of Police (SSPs) attended the meeting presided over by DGP Punjab from Punjab Police Headquaters (PPHQ) here.

DGP Gaurav Yadav directed all the CPs/SSPs to pay attention towards making arrests in heinous crimes and producing challans in the Court in time bound manner. He also asked them to hold weekly meetings to review the undertrial cases and improve the conviction rate.

While reviewing the performance of all the Police districts, he lauded the efforts of districts which did good work and asked the underperforming districts chiefs to pull up their socks. He also asked the CPs/SSPs to focus on arresting proclaimed offenders (POs) and absconders.

Stressing on the need to pay special attention on pending investigations, he directed the CPs/SSPs to speed-up the investigations and quality of investigations should be improved. He also asked CPs/SSPs to take preventive action against criminal elements.

The DGP also took stock of the ongoing drive against drugs and asked the district police chiefs to focus on drug suppliers and peddlers to bring down the street availability of drugs. Sustained follow up in important, he said, while directing the field officers to establish forward and backward linkages in all the drug cases to catch the big fish.

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Rs. 32.20 crores releases to 6314 beneficiaries of Scheduled Castes: Dr. Baljit Kaur

Chandigarh, July 12-The Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is constantly striving for the welfare of all sections, while continuously working for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes. An amount of Rs. 32.20 crore has been released from the budget provision of the year 2024-25 to a total of 6314 beneficiaries of the Scheduled Castes for the year 2023-24 under Ashirwad Scheme for Scheduled Castes.

Divulging in this regard, Minister of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities Dr. Baljit Kaur said that the Punjab Government has released an amount of Rs. 32.20 crore for 6314 beneficiaries of scheduled castes of Barnala, Faridkot, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Malerkotla, Moga, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Sangrur and Tarn Taran districts. This amount covers a total of 6314 beneficiaries received on the Scheduled Caste Ashirwad portal during the year 2023-24. She said that 01 beneficiaries of district Barnala, 482 of Faridkot, 757 of Gurdaspur, 1356 of Hoshiarpur, 253 of Malerkotla, 817 of Moga, 935 of Sri Muktsar Sahib, 854 of Sangrur and 859 of Tarn Taran have been covered.

The Minister added that to avail the benefit of Ashirwad scheme, the applicant should be a permanent citizen of Punjab state, her family should be below the poverty line, the applicant should belong to scheduled caste, backward classes and other economically weaker families. If the family annual income from all sources is less than Rs 32,790 , two daughters of such families are eligible to benefit from this scheme.

Dr. Baljit Kaur further informed that the Punjab Government is committed to the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections. She said that the payment of financial assistance is made directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

He also directed the CPs/SSPs to freeze illegally acquired properties of big fish under section 68F of the NDPS Act.

He also asked the CPs/SSPs to focus on forming more Village Level Defence Committees (VLDC) in the state. Giving target of forming at least 12000 VLDCs, he said that there should be one VLDC in each village. Currently, there are 6500 VLDCs in the state helping the security forces on ground in sharing real-time info leading to disruption of drug networks in the state, he added.

Special DGP STF Kuldeep Singh, while terming the drive against drugs going good, asked the district officers to keep up the momentum. He asked the officers to increase public meetings and awareness activities in their respective districts and take qualitative feedback from the public.

Special DGP Internal Security RN Dhoke apprised the DGP Punjab that this year Punjab Police has arrested 35 terrorists after busting five terror modules.

ADGP AGTF Promod Ban asked the field officers to keep watch on activities of bailed out criminals and gangsters to avert any possible criminal activities in their concerned districts.

Meanwhile, the DGP Punjab also took feedback from all the CPs/SSPs to understand practical issues being faced at ground level. He asked CPs/SSPs to hold weekly crime review meetings with all the sub-divisional DSPs and station house officers (SHOs). He also asked CPs/SSPs to make sure inspection of Police Stations formally or informally frequently.

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MARGIN MONEY WORTH RS. 45 CRORE TO BE RELEASED TO RATION DEPOT HOLDERS: LAL CHAND KATARUCHAK

Chandigarh, July 12:The Punjab Government led by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann stands fully committed to safeguard the interests of all stakeholders in State's economy and depot holders comprise an important part of it.

Disclosing this here today, the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak said that as part of the holistic commitment of the State Government to ensure the Welfare of depot holders, balance amount of commission to be paid to Depot holders under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), Rs. 45 crore margin money would be deposited directly in the bank accounts of depot holders over the next week.

Already, in the last one year, Rs. 61.45 crores of margin money/commission has been released to the FPS dealers for the distribution made under NFSA, said Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak.

The Minister further informed that with the current release, the commission/margin money payment to the depot holders would stand paid up-to-date. He asserted that the State Government is committed towards the welfare of the Fair Price Shop dealers and has already provided one dedicated epos machine at each FPS for smooth distribution of wheat under NFSA.

The work order for 14000 Electronic Weighing Machines has also been issued and all the Fair Price Shops will be equipped with an Electronic Weighing Machine in the coming 4 weeks, said Mr. Kataruchak urging the Fair Price Shop owners to ensure the seamless distribution of foodgrains to the beneficiaries.

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Backfinco Board of Directors announces Significant Decisions to Aid Backward, Economically weaker section and Minorities

Chandigarh, July 12-The Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is dedicated to the welfare of all sections of society. To achieve this goal of , Dr. Baljit Kaur, Minister for Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities and in accordance with the directives issued periodically by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Welfare Committee, presided over the 141st meeting of the Board of Directors of Backfinco on Friday. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Sandeep Saini, Chairman of Backfinco.

During this meeting, significant decisions were made to maximize the benefits of the schemes run by the Punjab government for the welfare of backward classes, economically active classes, and minorities.

Chairman, Backfinco Board of Directors, Sandeep Saini elaborated that under the direct loan scheme, it was decided to increase the loan amount from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh and to raise the annual family income limit from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh.

Mr.Saini also explained that the Board decided to recommend an increase in the corporation's share capital. This initiative aims to provide more opportunities for educated unemployed individuals in Punjab to establish self-employment ventures. Furthermore, several other important decisions were made in the interest of both borrowers and the corporation.

The meeting was attended by Vice-Chairman Harjinder Singh Seechewal, Executive Director Dr. Sona Thind, Additional Secretary of the Social Justice Empowerment and Minorities Department Ajay Arora, and other members of the Board of Directors.

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PWD MINISTER HARBHAJAN SINGH ETO HANDS OVER APPOINTMENT LETTERS TO 15 CANDIDATES

Chandigarh, July 12-In a gesture of humanitarian concern, Punjab Power and Public Works Minister Mr. Harbhajan Singh ETO on Friday handed over appointment letters to 15 candidates in the Public Works Department on compassionate grounds, including 3 in Group C and 12 in Group D.

On this occasion, PWD Minister Mr. Harbhajan Singh ETO said that the department has made significant strides in bolstering its workforce since the formation of the Punjab Government under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann's leadership. “A total of 596 employees have been recruited across various groups; comprising 25 in Group A, 229 in Group B, 289 in Group C and 53 in Group D. Handing over appointment letters to 15 new recruits, brought the total number of new employees to 611” said the Minister while revealing that recent promotions within the department have created vacancies, which will be filled expeditiously.

The Minister emphasized the importance of extending support to those in need, stating, "We are dedicated to ensuring that the bereaved families of our employees receive the necessary support and care." He said that these appointments, made in the Public Works Department, are a testament to the government's commitment to supporting families of deceased employees.

After handing over the appointment letter, Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO interacted with each newly appointed employee, congratulated them and inquired about the well-being of their families. He encouraged these employees to work diligently in the department and to keep on improving their educational qualifications to achieve greater success in life.

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Punjab's 'Bill Liyao Inam Pao' Scheme Achieves Milestone in Promoting Tax Compliance: Harpal Singh Cheema

Penalties Worth Rs 5.87 crore Recovered, Awarded Prizes Worth Rs 1.37 crore

Chandigarh, July 12-Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Friday announced a significant crackdown on vendors issuing invalid bills under the 'Bill Liyao Inam Pao' scheme, with penalties totalling Rs 7.63 crore imposed and Rs 5.87 crore already recovered.

Highlighting the success of the scheme in a press communiqué issued here, the Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that out of 1604 notices issued to vendors for billing discrepancies, 711 have been resolved, and the scheme has led to 123 new GST registrations, indicating improved tax compliance.

“The scheme, launched by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on August 21, 2023, encourages consumers to upload purchase bills via the 'Mera Bill App' and has seen a robust response, with 91,719 bills uploaded to date”, said Cheema while adding that prizes worth Rs 1.37 crore have been awarded to 2353 'Bill Liyao Inaam Pao' scheme winners winners to date.

The Finance Minister urged the state residents to continue participating, retaining purchase bills, and supporting the state's tax infrastructure, with monthly prizes up to Rs 10,000 available. He clarified that bills for petroleum products, liquor, out-of-state purchases, and B2B transactions are ineligible, and only bills from the last month are considered for the draw, ensuring fairness and effectiveness.

The Finance Minister said that the enforcement actions by the Taxation department have marked a significant milestone in Punjab's efforts to promote tax compliance and transparency, with the 'Bill Liyao Inam Pao' scheme playing a vital role in this endeavour. “By encouraging consumers to upload bills on Mera Bill mobile app, this initiative of the Punjab Government foster a culture of transparency, accountability, and compliance, ultimately strengthening the tax ecosystem”, said Cheema.

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PUNJAB INKS MoU WITH IIT ROPAR TO IMPART TRAINING IN EMERGING DRONE TECHNOLOGIES TO YOUTH

* The collaboration will provide over 29K job opportunities to Punjab youth, says Aman Arora

* Drone Centre of Excellence to be established with assistance of IIT Ropar, informs Employment Generation Minister

Chandigarh, July 12:With an aim to open up new job avenues in the various sectors including aerial cinematography, photography, mapping, surveillance and agricultural for the youth, Punjab Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar to impart training in the upcoming & emerging drone technologies to the youth of the state.

The MoU was signed by Director General C-PYTE Major General Mr. Rambir Mann and Director IIT, Ropar Prof. Rajeev Ahuja in the presence of Punjab Employment Generation, Skill Development and Training Minister Mr. Aman Arora. Director Employment Generation Ms Amrit Singh was also present on the occasion.

Mr Aman Arora said that this collaboration will address the growing demand for indigenous drone pilots in the rapidly developing drone ecosystem, besides strengthening and expanding drone-based training, research, development and manufacturing for various sectors such as agriculture, mapping, disaster management, wildlife conservation, and healthcare.

This training program is expected to provide over 29,000 job opportunities for the youth in the state, Mr. Aman Arora said while adding that as many as 150 youth will be trained as drone pilots through C-PYTE and IIT Ropar. These youth will be given DGCA certificates, which are globally recognised.

Apart from this, lIT Ropar will also assist C-PYTE in establishing a Drone Centre of Excellence at one of its Camps, where in addition to drone operator training, drone repair and assembly is to be carried out, the Cabinet Minister stated.

Director Employment Generation Ms. Amrit Singh said that the youth who successfully complete the training will also be supported in finding appropriate employment. This endeavour will greatly benefit our youth by teaching them modern skills and providing them enhanced employment opportunities.

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PUNJAB POLICE LAUNCHES PLANTATION DRIVE TO WELCOME MONSOONS, DGP PUNJAB PLANTS ‘BOTTLE PALM’ SAPLING AT PPHQ

— CM BHAGWANT SINGH MANN LED PUNJAB GOVERNMENT COMMITTED TO ENHANCE GREEN COVER IN THE STATE

— THOUSANDS OF SAPLINGS OF DIFFERENT SPECIES WILL BE PLANTED BY PUNJAB POLICE ACROSS THE STATE, SAYS DGP GAURAV YADAV

— DGP GAURAV YADAV APPEALS PEOPLE OF PUNJAB TO JOIN PUNJAB POLICE IN FIGHTING GLOBAL WARMING

CHANDIGARH, July 12:A day after Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann gave a clarion call to enhance green cover in the state, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Friday planted a Bottle Palm sapling at Punjab Police Headquarters (PPHQ) here to commence a state-level tree plantation drive under slogan “Aao Rukh Lagayiae, Dharti Maa nu Bachayiae”.

Terming this initiative as an environment friendly approach to fight global warming, DGP Gaurav Yadav said that thousands of saplings of different species including Bottle Palm, Maulsari, Amaltas, Teak, Terminalia Arjuna, etc will be planted across all the Police Districts/Units under this plantation drive initiated by the Punjab Police.

“I appeal people of Punjab to come forward and join Punjab Police in this initiative to transform this plantation drive into a public movement,” said the DGP.

Followed by the DGP Punjab, Special DGP Community Affairs Division (CAD) Gurpreet Kaur Deo, Special DGP Human Resource Development (HRD) Ishwar Singh, Special DGP Railways Shashi P Dwivedi, Additional Director Generals of Police (ADGsP) including Dr Naresh Kumar Arora, Ram Singh, SS Srivastava, B Chandra Sekhar, G Nageswara Rao, LK Yadav and Mohnish Chawla and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Headquarter Sukhchain Singh Gill also planted saplings on the occasion. Around 25 saplings of different species were planted at PPHQ.

The DGP directed all the concerned authorities to ensure proper care of all the trees and plants they have planted in their concerned Districts/Units.

Meanwhile, all the CPs/SSPs of the 28 Police districts, besides, Heads of all units including Railways, Commando Battalion, PAP Battalion, IRB Battalion, and Intelligence wing also joined the DGP by planting the saplings in their concerned districts