PUNJAB TAKES A GIANT LEAP TOWARDS EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE WITH REINFORCED 'AAP DI SARKAR, AAP DE DWAR' PROGRAM

FINANCE MINISTER ADVOCATE HARPAL SINGH CHEEMA ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECTIVES ISSUED FOR DEPUTY COMMISSIONERS

DEPUTY COMMISSIONERS TO DEDICATE FOUR DAYS A WEEK TO VISITING VILLAGES; COVERAGE OF ALL VILLAGES WITHIN JURISDICTION IN TWO TO THREE MONTHS

DC’S TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR DIRECT INTERACTION WITH VILLAGERS TO GATHER FEEDBACK AND RESOLVING ISSUES, AND DISSEMINATING INFORMATION TO SUPPORT THE "YUDH NASHIAN VIRUDH" CAMPAIGN

INITIATIVE WILL ENCOURAGE SPORTS AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES TO CHANNELIZE YOUTH ENERGY

Chandigarh, March 28-Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Friday announced new directives issued by the Chief Secretary, Punjab under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann Punjab to all the Deputy Commissioners of the state to take significant steps towards reinforcing effective governance and addressing the genuine concerns of its citizens through the "AAP DI SARKAR, AAP DE DWAR" program. This initiative aims to ensure effective governance and address the genuine concerns of people at the grassroots level.

Addressing a press conference here at Punjab Bhawan, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the directive mandates regular visits by the Deputy Commissioners to villages within their respective jurisdictions. He said that officials will dedicate four days a week—Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday—for this purpose. “During these visits, they are encouraged to cover three to four villages each day, to gradually reach all villages under their jurisdiction within two to three months”, said Cheema.

Revealing the primary aim of these visits, Finance Minister said that the Deputy Commissioners will engage directly with the villagers, providing a platform for them to voice their grievances, and gather firsthand feedback on the performance of village-level government functionaries, including teachers and healthcare professionals etc. “Officials are also tasked with inspiring communities to maintain cleanliness in their villages, disseminate critical information to support the state’s Yudh Nashian Virudh campaign, and promote youth engagement in sports and social development activities”, said the Finance Minister while adding that this proactive approach is expected to channelize the energy of young individuals for the overall progress of the society.

The Finance Minister said that the directives also emphasized the importance of structured planning to ensure the effectiveness of these visits. He said the officials would schedule their visits in advance and provide adequate notice to the respective villages. He said that this initiative focuses on prompt grievance redressal and delivering government services at the doorstep of the citizens. “Public meetings will also be organized during these visits to foster direct interaction with the villagers, understand their concerns, and document their grievances meticulously”, he added.

Emphasizing Inter-departmental coordination as a vital aspect of this initiative, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that based on the feedback and requirements shared by the villagers, concerned departments will be instructed to address their issues promptly. “Furthermore, officials are required to compile comprehensive reports on their visits. These reports will detail the grievances received, the actions taken to address them, and any further remedial measures suggested”, said the Finance Minister while adding that the compiled reports will be submitted to both the Department of Removal of Public Grievances and the Chief Secretary’s office for review.

Highlighting the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government's unwavering commitment to the welfare of the people, the Finance Minister said that the Deputy Commissioners are directed to adopt a proactive approach to resolving issues faced by the people in their area of jurisdiction, thereby contributing significantly to the state's progress and the well-being of its citizens. He said that these concerted efforts are expected to yield tangible benefits for the people, ensuring their voices are heard and their issues are addressed effectively.

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₹178CR OVERHAUL OF DIAL 112: PUNJAB POLICE AIMS TO CUT EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIME TO 8 MINUTES

— CM BHAGWANT SINGH MANN LED PUNJAB GOVT ALLOCATES ₹125Cr FOR EXPANSION OF ERV FLEET, ₹53Cr FOR CONSTRUCTION OF STATE-OF-THE-ART DIAL 112 BUILDING

— DGP GAURAV YADAV CHAIRS MEETING OF ERSS’s STATE LEVEL STEERING COMMITTEE

— FOUR KEY DEPARTMENTS DEALING WITH EMERGENCY SERVICES TO BE INTEGRATED SOON, SAYS DGP GAURAV YADAV

— EMERGENCY RESPONSE VEHICLES RECENTLY UPGRADED WITH 165 NEW SMARTPHONES TO IMPROVE RESPONSE TIME: SPL DGP ARPIT SHUKLA

CHANDIGARH, March 28:With Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government allocating ₹178 crores to upgrade its Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) or Dial 112 in the state, Punjab Police has launched intensive efforts to integrate the four key departments dealing with emergency services— Police, Health, Fire and Disaster Management— into a unified response network with the goal of reducing emergency response time from 25 minutes to 8 minutes— setting a new national benchmark.

Notably, during the ‘Badalda Punjab’ Budget for financial years 2025-26, Punjab Government has allocated ₹125 crores for expansion of Emergency Response Vehicles fleet and upgradation of district control rooms, while, ₹53 crore were allocated for construction of new ‘Dial 112’ headquarters.

Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav, who was chairing the meeting of state level steering committee of ERSS, informed that the comprehensive overhaul, being implemented on war footing by the Punjab Police, focuses on three critical areas with first being establishing a seamless coordination between departments through technological integration, where all emergency calls to Dial-112 will be automatically routed to the relevant services.

He said that second is mobility, under which Punjab Police is massively expanding the emergency vehicle fleet with 758 four-wheelers and 916 two-wheelers, with the first phase of 300 vehicles expected to hit the roads by June 2025. Currently, Punjab Police operates with a fleet of 258 dedicated ERVs due to which the average response time to distress calls goes up to 25 minutes.

He said that thirdly, Punjab Police has been focusing on the construction of a state-of-the-art Dial 112 headquarters, featuring advanced technologies like AI-powered call analytics, GIS tracking systems, and integrated dispatch capabilities. The construction of building is expected to be completed by end of 2026, he added.

The DGP said that this initiative will establish a centralised command structure where all distress calls through Dial 112 will be automatically routed to the appropriate department - medical emergencies (108), fire incidents (101), or disaster situations (1070). Each emergency service will have dedicated workstations operating round-the-clock at the control room, he said.

Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla, who is member of the committee, apprised the DGP that 165 new smartphones have recently been distributed to the ERVs to improve the emergency response time. He informed that each ERV is currently fitted with Mobile Data Terminals (MDT), now in addition to it new smartphones with dual-sims will ensure uninterrupted connectivity, even if one network fails.

The Special DGP informed that Dial 112 has already processed over 2.34 crore calls and registered nearly 20.05 lakh cases till now.