UT Chief Secy launches Standard Operating Procedures for monitoring of drug free campuses
Chandigarh: Rajeev Verma, Chief Secretary, UT Chandigarh on Thursday launched the standard operating procedures (SOPs) along with the checklist for declaring Higher education institutions drug free campuses. Prerna Puri, Secretary Education, apprised that 17 VADA clubs have been established in higher education institutions across all the colleges in Chandigarh by the Department of Higher Education in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development. These clubs align with the “Nasha mukt Bharat Abhiyaan” launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2020. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary Verma said that similar SOPs may be developed for schools in Chandigarh and there should be greater synergy between school and colleges so that the evil should be nipped at the earliest.
Haryana to launch 'Haryanvi Mahotsav': Minister
Chandigarh: To celebrate the achievements of Haryanvi expatriates, Haryana Government is set to launch a new initiative called 'Haryanvi Mahotsav'. This announcement was made by Heritage and Tourism Minister Arvind Sharma during the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Conference, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bhubaneswar in Odisha on Thursday. He said, “The 'Haryanvi Mahotsav' is aimed to celebrate and harness the potential of Haryanvi expatriates, contributing to the state's vibrant economic and cultural landscape.” Sharma represented Haryana at the conference, held a dialogue session with over 50 countries' expatriates. He discussed opportunities in education, sports, business, youth, and women's entrepreneurship, inviting the diaspora to engage with Haryana's development. "The 'Haryanvi Sabha' at this conference is a platform to gather ideas and suggestions from the global Haryanvi community. Outstanding Haryanvis will be honored, fostering a sense of pride and belonging," stated Dr. Sharma. He conveyed Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini's invitation for non-resident Haryanvis to contribute to Haryana's cultural and economic growth.
Chandigarh Polo Club to Host Polo Exhibition Matches During Maghi Mela
Chandigarh: As part of the Maghi Mela celebrations, the Chandigarh Polo Club (CPC) has been invited to organize polo exhibition matches under the aegis of the Punjab Horse Show on January 11-12 at Muktsar. The event is aimed to promote polo and equestrian sports in the region, rekindling interest in this regal game. The two-day event will feature three teams—Chandigarh Polo Club, Punjab Polo Team, and Team Servicemen—competing in three thrilling exhibition matches. Notably, several servicemen will be participating, bringing their discipline and sportsmanship to the matches. Their inclusion adds a unique dimension to the event, emphasizing camaraderie and unity through sport. Chandigarh Polo Club hosted the Maharaja Ranjit Singh National Polo Tournament in the first week of December 2024 under the aegis of the Indian Polo Association.
Cold weather conditions persist in Punjab Haryana
Chandigarh: Cold weather conditions continued to persist in Punjab and Haryana on Thursday with Moga being the coldest place as it recorded the minimum temperature of 2.3 degrees Celsius. Fog was observed in some parts of the states early in the morning. In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a low of 4.8 degrees Celsius, according to a meteorological department report.
Patiala recorded a low of 4.2 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal, while Ludhiana, Pathankot, Bathinda, Faridkot and Gurdaspur districts experienced cold weather conditions at 6.2, 3.3, 5, 2.6 and 5 degrees Celsius respectively. In Haryana, Sonipat recorded a low of 3.1 degrees Celsius. Among other places, Ambala's minimum was 7.6 degrees Celsius. Hisar, Karnal, Narnaul, Rohtak, Bhiwani and Sirsa recorded their respective minimum temperatures of 3.5, 3.5, 4, 5.7, 4.9 and 5 degrees Celsius. Chandigarh recorded a low of 6.1 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal.
Himachal Guv returns Bill barring pension to disqualified MLAs to state govt
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla has returned to the state government a Bill that bars legislators disqualified under the anti-defection law from drawing pensions and sought clarifications on several counts. The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Allowances and Pension of Members (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was passed on September 4 last year. It prevents the members of the House disqualified under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution -- anti-defection law -- from drawing pensions. The Bill affects six former Congress MLAs, who were disqualified by the Speaker for defying the whip and abstaining from the House during discussions on cut motions and passing of the Budget in February last year. Shukla has sent back the bill to the state government with some objections on which clarifications have been sought, an official said. According to sources, there are apprehensions that the bill cannot be implemented with retrospective effect. The six former MLAs who will be impacted due to the Bill are Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Rajinder Rana, Devinder Kumar Bhutto, Chetanya Sharma and Ravi Thakur. All of them had voted in favour of BJP nominee Harsh Mahajan during the Rajya Sabha elections held in February. All six had contested the bypolls on BJP tickets earlier this year. While Sudhir Sharma and Lakhanpal got re-elected, the other four lost.
Must study legislative process in depth to resolve issues: Hry Speaker
Chandigarh: Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Harvinder Kalyan on Thursday said that expanding one’s capabilities and knowledge is a continuous process in life and training helps to improve our skills and develops knowledge. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the two-day capacity building programme organized for officers/employees of Haryana Vidhan Sabha at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, Sector 26, Chandigarh, Kalyan said the programme was organized to further improve the working style of the Assembly. Institutions progress only due to the hard work of those working in them. We all should keep acquiring as much knowledge as possible and keep sharing it with others. The officers and employees do the work of giving feedback to the Assembly members, which is very important.
BJP Govt in Hry could not establish any big institution: Hooda
Sonipat: Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday alleged that BJP led Haryana Government did nothing except increasing the debt on the state. “During the Congress tenure, Haryana was number one on every scale of per capita income, per capita investment and development. But despite being in power for 10 years, the BJP could not establish any big institution or project in the state, and it has no achievements to show,” he added. After inaugurating the new chambers of lawyers built for the Kharkhoda Bar Association, Hooda said that the BJP government has proved to be a failure on every front, from law and order to development.
