Health

CHANDIGARH, July 23:           With the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state completed 144 days, Punjab Police on Wednesday arrested 130 drug smugglers and recovered 2 kg heroin, 500 grams opium and Rs 62,580 drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 23,168 in just 144 days.           The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 Police districts of the state.           Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has ask...

Chandigarh, July 23: The Punjab Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is committed to the welfare of ex-servicemen and is actively ensuring their economic stability and dignified resettlement. Defence Services Welfare Minister Mr Mohinder Bhagat has instructed officers to take concrete measures to further strengthen the Punjab Ex-Servicemen Corporation (PESCO) and expand employment avenues for ex-servicemen and their families. While presiding over a review meeting at the Punjab Civil Secretariat, Mr Bhagat comprehensively assessed PESCO’s progress, financial status, and staff welfare initiatives. The meeting remained focused on enhancing the role of PESCO in generating sustainable job opportunities for ex-servicemen. During the meeting, Managing D...

Chandigarh, July 23: In a significant advancement of Punjab Government's efforts to conserve groundwater through sustainable agricultural practices, the Punjab has seen 11.86% increase in area dedicated to Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) as compared to the previous year, revealed S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Punjab. Divulging details, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian informed that paddy has been sown using water-conserving DSR technique at over 2.83 lakh acres so far this year, up from 2.53 lakh acres in last year. He expressed hope that the area under DSR will rise further as paddy sowing is still going on. The Agriculture Minister said that the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government has been offering Rs. 1,500 per acre to farme...

Chandigarh, July 22: In a major decision under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Punjab Cabinet on Tuesday approved several farmer-friendly amendments to the Land Pooling Policy-2025. The most significant highlight of these amendments is that farmers will now receive an annual livelihood allowance of ₹1 lakh until their land is developed — a fivefold increase compared to the ₹20,000 given by previous governments. The government has also assured long-term support by announcing a 10% annual increment in this ₹1 lakh amount. To ensure faster and more transparent processes, the government will now issue a Letter of Intent (LOI) to farmers within 21 days. For the convenience of farmers, the LOI can be sold or used to obtain loans. Furthermore, until dev...

Chandigarh, July 22: The Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is making determined efforts to expand horticulture across the state and enhance the income of farmers. In this regard, Horticulture Minister Mr. Mohinder Bhagat today held a meeting with senior officials of the Horticulture Department at the Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh. During the meeting, the Minister reviewed ongoing departmental activities and directed the officers to accelerate the recruitment process for 111 Horticulture Development Officers (HDOs). Sharing further details, the Minister said that the recruitment of these officers is aimed at providing better technical guidance to farmers, encouraging crop diversification, and promoting sustainable farming practices. Earlier, Di...

Chandigarh, July 22: Punjab Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, on Tuesday, handed over appointment letters to five Veterinary Inspectors, two stenographer-cum-typist and one Enumerator here at his office, taking the total number of recruitments in the department to 942 since March 2022. Notably, 326 Veterinary Officers, 545 Veterinary Inspectors and 63 group C posts have been filled since the Aam Aadmi Party led Punjab Government came into power in the state. Congratulating the newly appointed officials, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian implored them to serve the people of Punjab with diligence and full dedication reiterating, honesty and seamless service delivery, as the top priority of the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab...

Chandigarh, July 21: Every pro-people decision taken by the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government is being implemented with public consultation. As part of this approach, Housing and Urban Development Minister S. Hardeep Singh Mundian held deliberations with residents of 164 villages covered under the Land Pooling Scheme, here at Municipal Bhawan, to gather their feedback and address concerns related to the scheme. Later, during the press conference at Punjab Bhawan, S. Hardeep Singh Mundian provided details of the discussions with villagers and informed  that queries raised by people were addressed on the spot, which left the villagers completely satisfied. Explaining the policy features in response to people's questions, the Cabinet Minister said that from the d...

Chandigarh, July 21: Under the able leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, concrete and ground-level action is being taken across Punjab to eradicate the menace of child begging from its roots. As part of this initiative, the Department of Social Security, Women and Child Development today conducted a special state-wide campaign and successfully rescued 47 children who were being forced into begging. This information was shared by Cabinet Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur. Providing further details, the Minister stated that District Child Protection Units carried out 31 raids under the ongoing Project JEEVANJYOT campaign. During these operations, the following district-wise rescue data was reported: Amritsar – 1 child Barnala – 2 children Bathinda – 4 children Feroze...

Chandigarh, July 21 The Cabinet Sub-Committee, constituted to address the concerns of state government employees, held productive meetings today with employee unions of Municipal Corporations, engaging in comprehensive discussions regarding their demands and issues. The Sub-Committee directed the Local Government Department to expedite the submission of viable solutions to resolve the legitimate demands of the employees at the earliest. The meeting was chaired by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who also serves as the Chairman of the Cabinet Sub-Committee. He was joined by Local Government Minister Dr. Ravjot Singh, former Minister and Hoshiarpur MLA Brahm Shankar Jimpa, Former Minister and Kartarpur MLA Balkar Singh. Also in attendance were Additional Chief Secretary Local Gove...