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Chandigarh, June 19: The Punjab Government is committed to ensuring a bright future for destitute and orphaned children across the state by making the adoption process fully legal, secure and transparent. Addressing a one-day state-level training programme on ‘Adoption Regulation-2022’ organised today at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, Chandigarh, Punjab’s Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister, Dr. Baljit Kaur, stressed the need to make the legal adoption process more efficient and sensitive. She stated that this training programme was organised to sensitize and equip officials of the concerned departments to ensure that there are no legal hurdles in the adoption process, thereby guaranteeing a secure future for such children. The progr...

Chandigarh, June 18: The Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (MRSAFPI) in SAS Nagar celebrated the achievements of its distinguished alumni by honouring those who have been commissioned into the Defence Forces and graduates from the National Defence Academy (NDA) and other services training academies with prestigious Achiever Awards. The ceremony was presided over by Major General BS Grewal, VSM (Retd), Founder Director and Governing Body Member of the Institute. The Achiever Award ceremony saw 24 distinguished ex-AFPIans, with eight of them being recently commissioned into the Indian Armed Forces in May/June 2025. Major General BS Grewal extended his congratulations to the successful cadets, noting that their training at MRSAFPI would provide a solid launchpa...

Chandigarh, June 18:           With an aim to realise the vision of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to develop a healthy society and make the state a ‘Rangla Punjab’ again, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Wednesday, highlighted the importance of returning to natural farming practices, stating that in earlier times, agricultural fields thrived without chemical pesticides and fertilizers, relying instead on earthworms and frogs as natural fertilizers to produce nutritious food.           The Health Minister was addressing the event organised by Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Punjab to mark the ‘World Food Safety Day-2025’ in line with the global theme for the y...

Chandigarh, June 18: To ensure faster delivery of Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) to the electors, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) enabling the delivery of EPICs within 15 days of an update in the electoral rolls, including new enrolment of an elector or change in any particulars of an existing elector. The initiative is in line with the various measures being undertaken by the ECI for the convenience of electors as envisaged by the Chief Election Commissioner,  Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi. The new system will ensure real-time tracking of each stage right from the EPIC generation by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) till the delivery of EPI...

Chandigarh, June 17: In a significant effort to safeguard the state's livestock, the Punjab Animal Husbandry Department has successfully vaccinated over 57.84 lakh animals against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)— a highly contagious viral disease, under the 6th round of its FMD vaccination drive, which commenced on April 15, 2025. Sharing the details about the vaccination drive, Punjab Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian informed that over 57.84 lakh animals have been vaccinated, achieving an impressive coverage of 99.56% of the state's cattle and buffalo population. Notably, the vaccination was provided free of cost at the livestock farmers' doorstep to ensure widespread accessibility. Around 900 veterinary teams were pressed into service...

Chandigarh, June 17: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) under the leadership of CEC  Gyanesh Kumar recently introduced the mobile phone deposit facility at all polling stations to be implemented from the upcoming Bye elections including that of Bye elections to be held for Assembly Constituency 64-Ludhiana West on 19th June. This new facility, based on instructions issued by the Election Commission of India on 23rd May 2025, aims to enhance the voter experience while at the same time upholding the secrecy of voting as mandated under Rule 49M of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961. Voters arriving at polling stations with mobile phones will now be able to securely deposit their devices at designated counters just outside the po...

Chandigarh, June 16 The Cabinet Sub-Committee, led by Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema, on Monday held extensive discussions with approximately a dozen employee organizations, addressing their demands and concerns. The committee directed concerned departments to expedite necessary actions to resolve legitimate issues in a time-bound manner. The four-hour-long meetings, held at the Finance Minister's office in the Punjab Civil Secretariat, witnessed Cabinet Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, and Dr. Ravjot Singh engaging in productive brainstorming sessions with representatives from various unions. The employee organizations that participated in the meeting included the Computer Adhyapak Sangharsh Committee, Centre of Trade Union, Sarv Shiksh...

Chandigarh, June 16: Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C held a video conference meeting on Monday to review the arrangements for the by-election to the 64-Ludhiana West Assembly Constituency. The meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Himanshu Jain, Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma, and Returning Officer Rupinder Pal Singh. During the meeting, the CEO instructed the district officials to exercise heightened vigilance in the final phase of the election process. He emphasized strict surveillance during the last 72, 48, and 24 hours before polling, and until the election process concludes. Sibin C directed that all outsiders, including  political leaders, must vacate the constituency area after the election campaign ends at 6 PM o...

Chandigarh, June 15: In a remarkable achievement, Punjab's government school students have once again showcased their academic prowess, with 474 students qualifying the highly competitive National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), announced S. Harjot Singh Bains, Minister of School Education, Punjab. Extending heartiest congratulations to the NEET qualifiers, S. Harjot Singh Bains wished them all the very best for their future in medical field. While highlighting the remarkable achievements of Punjab's government school students, the Education Minister noted, “265 students from Government Schools qualified for JEE (Mains) and 44 cleared JEE (Advanced) this year. The impressive performance of our students in competitive exams is a shining example of our government's focus on qu...

CHANDIGARH/LUDHIANA, June 15: With the Punjab Government has adopted zero-tolerance policy against drug trafficking and ill-gotten wealth amidst the ongoing anti-drugs campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, properties of two notorious drug smugglers have been demolished in Ludhiana on Sunday. The operation was carried out by the authorities of Municipal Corporation Ludhiana with the support of Ludhiana Commissionerate Police.           Special Director General of Police (Special DGP) Law and Order Arpit Shukla said that the operations were part of the Punjab Government’s intensified crackdown on narcotics networks, ensuring that criminals not only face arrest but also lose their unl...