After spurt in cases of contraband smuggling from across the International Border (IB), the government has constituted security committees in 62 villages situated near the Indo-Pak boundary in Fazilka district.
Notably, Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit had also urged the border area residents to support security agencies working against any effort to destabilise the country.
The state government will reimburse around Rs 4.58 crore which was spent on the vaccination of registered construction workers and their family members to the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.
It has been learnt the Labour Department has already asked the Finance Department to take steps in this regard in the recent 28th meeting of the board. The meeting was chaired by the Chief Minister himself, wherein the Labour Department asked officials to reimburse the money citing the free supply of vaccination to the entire population by the central government.
The Tribune had been highlighting the paid vaccination of construction workers while others were being jabbed for free. The Labour Department had to transfer around Rs 7.04 crore to the Health Department for the vaccination of registered construction workers and their family members. Ironically, other beneficiaries of the state were being jabbed free of cost.
The commission recommended a people-friendly face for the UT police, besides imparting soft skills to police personnel during training at the time of recruitment. The commission pointed out that as most of the complainants who visit police stations are not aware of who they have to meet or where they have to lodge their complaints, a reception area should be set up in each police station. The commission also recommended a separate cyber police station to deal with cyber crimes effectively and setting up of two more sub-divisions along with five more police stations in the city. At present, the city has 17 police stations.
Notably, the State Cabinet had earlier given the nod to amend the guidelines of PNP for efficacious utilisation of funds.
PNP funds would be utilized to ensure local area development in the State according to the felt needs of people, thus ensuring seamless implementation of various programmes through Government Bodies, PRIs or ULBs, or as may be deemed by the Deputy Commissioner in line with guidelines of the respective departments.
The state government has decided to come up with its own crop insurance policy, rather than implementing the Centres Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
The main reason being cited for the state governments resistance to joining the PMFBY was that the scheme was optional and farmers not willing to opt for crop insurance would have to be paid compensation for crop loss by the state government through disaster relief funds. However, it is also a fact that the announcement comes in wake of the widening political gap between the states ruling party Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP at the Centre.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Chatbot helpline service to facilitate the detection of missing children.
The helpline service is integrated with a WhatsApp number, where people can raise complaints about missing children.
After sending the text to the said WhatsApp number, some AI-based questions will be asked. After they are answered, the information will be sent to the District Control Room, so that the concerned police stations can be informed. 24 hours after the start of the investigation, the ‘181’ helpline number will stay in contact with the complainant.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesdaysaid that the total credit potential for the priority sector for 2023-24 is projected at Rs 2.73 lakh crore which represents an overall growth of 5 percent over the projections for 2022-23.
Addressing the NABARD State Credit Seminar 2023-24, Cheema said that out of the aggregate credit plan, the share of Crop Loan is pegged at Rs 1.03 lakh crore (38%), Agriculture Term Loan at Rs 0.52 lakh crore (19%) and MSME at Rs 0.71 lakh crore (26%) and Other Priority Sector (OPS) at Rs 0.47 lakh crore (17%).
Releasing the State Focus Paper (SFP) 2023-24 and Unit Cost Booklet on this occasion, the Finance Minister said that NABARD has undertaken the exercise of assessing the potential for credit under the priority sector for each district in consultation and coordination with banks, Line departments of the State Government, farmers, NGOs and other stakeholders. These plans have been aggregated at the state level and SFP has been prepared which reflects the aggregate potential available under various subsectors of Priority Sector of the States economy. This is quite an elaborate exercise which will provide inputs and pointers to various stakeholders, he added.
Cheema added that it is a matter of satisfaction that the SFP emphasises on development of the cooperative sector, crop diversification, promotion of organic farming, development of the Farmers Producers Organization (FPOs), promotion of digital technological innovations in agriculture and Fintech, which will provide necessary fillip to inclusive growth and sustainable development in the State. He said that it is the need of the hour that these producer organizations are supported further within the agri-value chain system.
The importers of Afghanistan dry fruit, who were worried that their consignments would be dumped at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari for want of fumigation, were relieved after the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare extended a temporary relaxation in the norms.
Dry fruit, an agricultural product imported from Afghanistan, was earlier required to undergo fumigation with methyl bromide, only as stipulated by the Plant Quarantine wing (Regulation of Import into India), before clearance through the Attari-Wagah land route. Since this chemical was not available with Afghanistan, the dry fruit received here was being treated with aluminium phosphide at the checkpost. As the process did not comply with the stipulated norms, it was not acceptable, resulting in dumping of large consignments worth crores, hampering the import.
Aluminium phosphide, a toxic substance, is not meant for human consumption. However, in more than 100 countries, it is used as an approved fumigant to protect certain substances from rodents and insects. Its ethical use help in the storage of food items for a longer period.
ThePunjabgovernment has ordered to rename all government schools that have been named on the basis of caste and fraternity.
The orders were issued by Punjab school education ministerHarjot Singh Bains, who stated that several cases came to his notice regarding the names of schools being associated with a caste, which makes them feel uncivilised in the present era. He said all the students, irrespective of religion and caste, were being given equal education in the government schools.
The minister said Punjab is the land of gurus, saints, and great prophets, who have taught humanity to stay away from casteism and all kinds of discrimination.
As per the latest All-India Debt and Investment Survey (AIDIS), the rural household indebtedness inPunjabhas increased from 33.1% in the year 2012 to 35.1% in 2018, Union finance minister for state Pankaj Chaudhary informed Lok Sabha on Monday. Similarly, the urban household indebtedness in Punjab has also witnessed nearly 2% increase from 18.3% to 20.6% during the same period.
The average national rural household indebtedness was recorded at 35% and the average national urban household indebtedness at 22.4% in 2018. Chaudhary was responding to a question put by Congress MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu.
Similarly, in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, the rural household indebtedness witnessed an escalation from 26% to 27.3% and the urban household indebtedness an increase from 21.9% to 23.9% between 2012 and 2018.