Hry CM approves purchase of 186 Walkie-Talkie sets for enhanced prison security

Chandigarh: To enhance the communication capabilities of prison staff, ensuring the safety and security of inmates and prison personnel, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday approved the purchase of 186 walkie-talkie sets at the cost of around Rs 56.7 lakh for various prisons in Haryana. In a statement, the Director General of Prisons, Haryana, highlighted the critical need for robust communication systems among prison staff, including those stationed at watchtowers. Effective communication is paramount for maintaining order and addressing any security concerns promptly, he added.

Himachal Pradesh Administrative Services Officers call on CM

Shimla: A delegation of Himachal Pradesh Administrative Services Officers led by its President Shravan Manta called on Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday.  The Chief Minister said that the State Government was doing reforms in various government sectors to provide quality services to the people of the State and HPAS officers could play a very instrumental role in these initiatives. He said that the Education and Health sectors were the main focus areas of the State Government and there was a lot of scope to revamp the system in the interest of the common man.  He asked HPAS officers to work diligently and dedicatedly to come up to the expectations of the people of the State. HPAS Association assured  full cooperation to the Chief Minister for implementation of policies and programmes of the State Government in a letter and spirit.
 
Himachal State AIDS Control Society organizes training program

Shimla: Project Director, Himachal Pradesh State AIDS Control Society Rajiv Kumar on Thursday said that a training workshop was organized for the participants of Police, ITBP, NCC, Home Guard and SSB Medical Center. The main objective of this workshop is to provide training to the participants as master trainers regarding HIV/AIDS, so that all the master trainers can provide information about various training programs on HIV/AIDS in the respective training institutes. He said that 30 to 40 master trainers were being trained every year by the AIDS Control Society. In the training program, all the jawans of Police, ITBP, NCC, Home Guard and SSB would be trained as master trainers by providing them detailed information about HIV/AIDS, so that they could further spread awareness. Project Director said that the District AIDS Control Program Officers of the Society also organize workshops in all the Police Training Centers of the state.

Song dedicated to Legendary Singer Surinder Chhinda to be released on His First Death Anniversary

Chandigarh: The song, "Khite Tur Giya Yara..!" will released to pay tribute to the iconic Punjabi singer Surinder Chhinda on his first death anniversary. The event, scheduled for July 26, will take place at the Punjab Kala Bhavan in Chandigarh. Cabinet Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur will grace the occasion as the chief guest, accompanied by a host of veteran artists from the Punjabi film industry. Renowned lyricist Babu Singh Maan Marara wala, Padma Shri awardee Hansraj Hans, Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi, Gugu Gill, Karamjit Anmol, Pali Detwalia, Yuvraj Hans, and former MP Mohammad Sadiq will be among the distinguished guests. The ceremony will also be attended by prominent film personalities, including Harpreet Sekhon, producer Taljinder Singh Nagra, Bobby Bajwa, and many others. The song, "Khite Tur Gyan Yara..!", is a heartfelt tribute to Surinder Chhinda, who enthralled audiences with his soulful voice in hits like "Jatt Jiuna Mor", "Put Jattan De", and "Truck Ballye". This event is a testament to the enduring legacy of Surinder Chhinda and his contribution to Punjabi music and culture.

Final Publication of Electoral Roll on August 27: Hry Chief Electoral Officer

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal on Thursday said that changes have been made to the special summary revision program of the voter list. According to the guidelines of the Election Commission, new voters will now be registered considering July 1, 2024 as the qualifying date. Providing detailed information in this regard, the Chief Electoral Officer mentioned that the draft voter list will be published on August 2. He mentioned that the revised schedule of June 25 has now been extended to August 1. Agarwal informed that claims and objections can be filed from August 2-16. The resolution of claims and objections will be carried out by August 26. Special dates of August 3, 4, 10 and 11 will be issued for the BLOs to be present at the polling stations by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer. He also urged the representatives of political parties to instruct their booth level agents to contact the BLOs on these dates and be present at the polling stations. No voter can cast their vote without their name on the voter list. The final publication of the voter list will be on August 27, he added.

CRM machines’ physical verification today

Chandigarh: Punjab Government has decided to undertake the physical verification of Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines on Friday (July 26, 2024), which was pending from the last season. Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Thursday said that around 5034 CRM machines’ physical verification is pending since last year due to which around Rs 58 crore subsidy has not been disbursed to the beneficiary farmers. He appealed to the beneficiary farmers, farmer groups, Panchayats, Co-operative societies, who could not get their machines verified, to contact their district Agriculture offices concerned to present the machines for physical verification at the decided time and place to avail the subsidy at the earliest.
 
Punjab Govt to focus on strengthening secondary healthcare sector

Chandigarh: Punjab Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education and Research Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Thursday said that after the success of Aam Aadmi Clinics, the State Government is now focusing on further strengthening the tertiary and secondary level healthcare facilities in the State. Addressing the sixth edition of CII Northern Region Healthcare Summit in Gurugram, he said that so far, as many as 1.79 crore citizens have availed treatment or OPD services at 842 Aam Aadmi Clinics, established by the Punjab Government. “We have digitized the primary healthcare sector in Punjab. We get data relating to water-borne and communicable diseases even from far flung rural areas without any delay with the advancement of IT implementations that helps us in regular monitoring and taking appropriate steps. Now we are chalking out to further strengthen the tertiary and secondary health services,” he added.

Punjab to adopt Kerala Model to curb illegal migration

Chandigarh: Punjab NRIs Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Thursday announced that the state will adopt the Kerala model to check illegal migration as well as to ensure basic facilities to the NRIs. The announcement comes during Dhaliwal's visit to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, where he studied the successful initiatives of the NORKA (Non-Resident Keralites Affairs) department. “Punjab Government will establish a dedicated agency, similar to NORKA, to regulate migration and provide support to Punjabi NRIs. The agency will focus on preventing illegal migration, promoting safe and legal migration, providing welfare services to NRIs, enhancing skill development and employment opportunities,” he said.

Punjab Education Dept opened online portal for transfers

Chandigarh: Punjab School Education Department on Thursday opened an online portal for general transfers of teachers, which will remain open till August 5, 2024. Spokesperson said that the transfer of teachers will be processed as per the Teachers Transfer Policy-2019, and according to the amendments made from time to time. Apart from this, Transfers of Computer faculty and non-teaching staff will be as per the instructions issued in 2019 and 2020. Spokesperson said that they can modify their online application till August 5, 2024.

Compensation worth Rs 65 crores for cotton crop released: Hry Agriculture Minister

Chandigarh: Haryana Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Kanwar Pal Gujjar on Thursday said that a sum of Rs 65 crores is being released to compensate the farmers affected by the loss of cotton crop during Kharif 2023. Additionally, a subsidy of Rs 101 crores has been sent to the farmers' bank accounts for the purchase of agricultural equipment.

HARCO Bank sets a target of Rs 100 crore net profit

Chandigarh: HARCO Bank has set a target of Rs 100 crore net profit for the financial year 2024-25, the bank's Managing Director and CEO Prafulla Ranjan said, adding that a meeting of all branch managers was held to determine this target. He mentioned that the bank has also made changes in its loan distribution schemes, increasing the home loan limit to Rs. 75 lakh and the education loan limit to Rs. 40 lakh. Ranjan shared details about the bank's financial status, stating that as of June 2024, HARCO Bank has disbursed loans amounting to Rs. 838.28 crore and has deposits worth Rs. 4,008.37 crore. He also mentioned that the bank is fully prepared to present its schemes on its web platform and is engaging with all sections of society through the ‘Hath Se Hath Milane’ campaign.