20,000 posts lying vacant in health services in Hry: Bhupinder Hooda

Chandigarh:  Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda on Friday said about 20,000 posts were lying vacant in health services in the state. “There is a shortage of 14,000 doctors in hospitals. About 94 percent of specialist doctors' posts are lying vacant in villages. Due to lack of staff and facilities, thousands of patients have been facing difficulties,” he said. Hooda said that patients have to make rounds of hospitals for several days for lab tests, or they have been compelled to go to private laboratories. “According to WHO guidelines, there should be one doctor for every 1,000 people, but in Haryana there is one doctor for 2,035 people. There should be one bed for 200 people, but in the state there is one bed for 2,086 people. “Owing to this, it is seen in many places that two or three patients are lying on one bed and deliveries are taking place on the floor. More than 1,100 out of 5,253 posts of Senior Medical Officer, Medical Officer and Dental Surgeon have been lying vacant,” Hooda said in a statement. The two-time Chief Minister said that in 2014 the BJP had promised that it would build medical colleges “in every district as soon as it comes to power”. “The reality is that in the last 10 years, not even a single new medical college announced by the BJP has been started. Only the institutions built during the Congress’ tenure are providing health services to the people,” he added.

Political parties can campaign on Doordarshan and All India Radio: CEO

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal on Friday said that the Election Commission of India has fixed time for recognized national and regional political parties to conduct their election campaign through the regional centers of Doordarshan and All India Radio for the Haryana Assembly elections. In a statement, Agarwal said that the Election Commission has allotted time to 6 national and 2 regional political parties of Haryana. The national parties include Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya People's Party and Aam Aadmi Party. Apart from this, regional parties include Indian National Lok Dal and Jannayak Janata Party. He said that the Commission had permitted free use of television and radio for campaigning in the 1998 general election, and subsequently extended it to the state legislative assembly/general elections.  The Chief Electoral Officer said that a total time of 720 minutes each has been allotted to the political parties for campaigning on All India Radio and Doordarshan.
 
Gurugram Admn to conduct voter awareness activities in collaboration with RWAs

Gurugram: Gurugram District Election Officer and DC Nishant Kumar Yadav on Friday said that the district administration has decided to conduct voter awareness activities in collaboration with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) in the district given the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. Under the plan, the district administration will later pick the top three RWAs and honour them for their commendable work in encouraging voters to participate in the elections, he added. Yadav said that voting for the four assembly constituencies in Gurugram district -- Pataudi (SC reserved), Badshahpur, Gurgaon, and Sohna -- will take place on October 1. As per the latest voter list, there are 14,87,310 registered voters across the four assembly constituencies in the district. The voter awareness campaign will focus especially on urban areas alongside rural regions. For this purpose, polling stations have been set up in 126 high-rise buildings as well, he added. "To increase voter turnout, awareness activities under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) program will be intensified, with active cooperation from RWAs. Administrative officers and voter awareness brand ambassadors will also participate in these activities organised with the help of RWAs," he added.

Council of Junior Engineers announce agitation programs in Pb

Chandigarh: The Council of Junior Engineers PSEB, a representative body of Power Junior Engineers and Engineering Officers promoted from ranks in Punjab Power Sector has announced a series of agitation programs over the non-settlement of various pending demands of the cadre of Power Junior Engineers. This was informed to the press by Davinder Singh, State General Secretary of JEs Council.  Paramjit Singh Khattra State President and  Davinder Singh- State General Secretary of JEs Council jointly stated that the agitation will begin by holding protest rallies in front of all PSPCL circle H.Qs. on 4th September. Thereafter, Zonal protests will commence from 9th September at West Zone, at Bathinda, 13th September Central Zone, at Ludhiana, 17th September Border Zone, at Amritsar, 20th September North Zone, at Jalandhar, 24th September South Zone, at Patiala followed by a day-long peaceful protest Dharna will be held in front of PSPCL H.Q., The Mall, Patiala on 8th October by all the Central Working Committee members of JEs Council. The Council leadership said that the Power Management is continuously ignoring the important demands of junior engineers, including pay revision and pending arrears payment.

Punjab Vets to Stage Statewide Protest on Sep 1

Mohali: In response to the Punjab Government's continued neglect, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Vets is preparing for a state-level sit-in protest at Mohali on September 1. The demonstration aims to highlight the government's failure to restore pay parity for veterinarians with their counterparts in the Health Department. Veterinarians have been on strike since June 24, boycotting services such as Artificial Insemination and extension camps as a mark of protest. The issue stemmed from a pay scale reduction implemented by former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal during the previous Congress regime, which lowered their entry pay scale from Rs 56,100 to Rs 47,600. Despite repeated assurances from Animal Husbandry Ministers, no concrete actions have been taken. JAC media in-charges Dr Gurinder Singh Walia and Dr Parshotam Singh on Friday expressed frustration over the lack of progress and urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to intervene. They called for an immediate resolution to ensure justice and address the concerns of these dedicated professionals.

Himachal CM says environmental protection is a priority 

Shimla: Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday inaugurated the ‘Wetlands for Life’ film festival and forum, organized by the HP State Wetland Authority, HP Council for Science, Technology and Environment and the Department of Environment, Science, Technology and Climate Change.  The event featured the screening of short films, including Guardians of Wetlands: Women as Stewards of Conservation, Green Renuka Ji Fair: A Collective Endeavour of Renuka Lake, and Municipal Solid Waste around Wetlands in Himachal, an initiative of healing Himalayas. Sukhu said that environmental protection is a priority for the present state government and it was working tirelessly to preserve the natural beauty and ecological balance of the state. He remarked, "Last year, Himachal Pradesh faced a disaster unlike any we have witnessed in our lifetime. Every part of the state suffered significant damage. Today, it is raining in Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti areas that historically never received rainfall. Due to carbon emissions and changes in our lifestyle, the earth's temperature is rising and we are witnessing its harsh consequences in every part of the world. However, it is not too late, public participation is crucial in addressing this issue. It is not solely the government's responsibility, but people must also engage in this noble cause, said the Chief Minister.