PUNJAB

Professor and head, department of mechanical engineering,PunjabAgricultural University (PAU), V PSethihas for the second consecutive time featured among the worlds top 2% scientists in the world list released by world-renowned Stanford University, USA.
The university released the data after conducting a subject-wise analysis. Sethi ranked 1,62,227 in the world while only 2,273 Indian scientists made it to the list.

In the last list released in 2019, Sethi was ranked 1,51,141. At that time, only 1,492 Indian scientists had made it to this elite list.
The list was created by the Stanford experts based on the research impact and productivity based on standard citation indicators like h-index, co-authorship, a composite indicator, and the research performance over the last three decades (1993-2022).

PAU vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal congratulated Sethi for achieving this rare feat and bringing laurels to the university through his consistent efforts.

Director of research A S Dhatt and College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (COAET) dean H S Sidhu also congratulated Sethi for the rare distinction at the international level.

Though the Government of India had, on December 31, 2020, amended the guidelines for the Scholarship to introduce a revised sharing pattern between the Centre and the States (60:40), the same had been made effective only from April 1, 2020.

Therefore, non-release of scholarship funds under the PMS-SCs would adversely affect the Education of SC students, who are unable to pay the fee from their own pocket.

A Punjab Cabinet sub-committee assured employee unions that a majority of contractual employees in the state will be regularised soon, according to an official statement.

The Cabinet sub-committee comprising Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, EMPLOYMENT Generation Minister Aman Arora, Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, and Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh met with representatives of various employee unions and associations, it said.

The cabinet sub-committee also assured the unions that the has already started working on framing a policy for outsourced employees to ensure that they can also get benefits such as yearly increments in salary and leaves.

The enforcement wing of Punjab State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) department has imposed penalty of Rs 10.44 crore on tax evaders during the month of April.

Ludhiana’s mobile wing topped the list with penalties to the tune of Rs 3.35 crore.

Despite the fact that the number of Covid-19 cases witnessed a surge in April and from last year the number of mobile wings are reduced to 7 from 13, the enforcement wing ofState GSTdepartment got success in setting up a new benchmark.

Notably, the commodity-wise analysis reveals that Rs 4.59 crore penalty was imposed on vehicles carrying iron scrap, Rs 2.60 crore on Vehicles carrying finished goods of iron and steel, Rs 1.04 crore on vehicles carrying parchoon and mixed goods, Rs 1.03 crore on miscellaneous goods, Rs 80.67 lakh on vehicles carrying copper scrap, Rs 17.47 lakh penalty on vehicles carrying mustard seeds or oil.

For creating a mass movement to carve out a healthy and prosperous Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday announced the launch of CM di Yogshala campaign in the state on the lines of Dilli ki Yogshala programme started by the AAP-led Delhi Government in the national capital in December 2021, but was discontinued the last year.

As a pilot project, these Yogshalas will be introduced in the cities of Amritsar, Phagwara, Patiala, and Ludhiana, where trained instructors will impart free training to the people in open parks and other public places.

Making the announcement through a video message, the Chief Minister said that in consonance with the glorious ancient tradition of India, these yogshalas will help in making the Punjabis healthy both physically and mentally.

Punjab FM presents tax-free budget of Rs 1,96,462 crore; Focus on Health and Education

The first complete state budget worth Rs 1,96,462 crore 26 percent more than the previous years budget size presented by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in Punjab on Friday turned out to be more taxing for the State than its people. Despite the challenge of resource mobilization for implementing its pre-polls promises, including a monthly stipend of Rs 1,000 to every 18-plus woman in the State, the Governments estimated subsidy bill rose to over Rs 20,500 crore. Punjabs debt is also expected to rise to Rs 3.47 lakh crore by the end of 2023-24 financial year.

Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, at the same time, did not impose new taxes on the people for the second year in a row. The focus primarily remained on Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture, education, and health sectors on expected lines, along with development. It also proposed 2.50 lakh jobs.

Facing allegations of deteriorating law and order situation, Cheema also proposed a budgetary outlay of Rs 10,523 crore for the Police an increase of 11 percent than the previous year. No less than Rs 64 crore was proposed for modernization of the police force to tackle crime and maintain law and order.

Finance Minister also announced various new schemes, including a Market Price risk mitigation scheme for the Horticulture sector, solarisation of agriculture pumps, a young entrepreneur scheme, two coaching initiatives for students, Bill Leayao Inaam Pao, among others in his second paperless budget.

Cheema, sharing the State Governments focus areas for the year 2023-24, said that the Government aims to boost the income of farmers by promoting agricultural and allied activities, creating a conducive Environment for industrial promotion, and Infrastructure Development, as well as strengthening the state finances.

The central government has released a total of Rs 14,602 crore during this financial year to debt-ridden Punjab government on account of tax from divisible pool to help accelerate the states . Neighbouring Haryana has got Rs 8,832 crore and Rs 6,707 crore had been disbursed to Himachal Pradesh till February.

Sharing details about support extended to states for capital expenditure in the Lok Sabha during thebudget session of Parliament, Union finance ministerNirmala Sitharamanrevealed that Punjab got a total of Rs 73,500-crore tax devolution from the central government since 2017-18. The central government cleared the entire provisional goods and service tax (GST) compensation dues of states and Union Territories (UTs) for 2020-21 financial year and up to May 31, 2022, the minister added.

However, as per the UnionBudgetestimates for the 2023-24 financial year, Punjab is likely to get Rs 18,457 crore from the central government as its share of 1.8% from the net proceeds of central taxes and duties. This includes Rs 5,968 crore from central GST, Rs 5,907 crore out of collected corporation tax, Rs 5,747 crore out ofIncome tax, Rs 585 crore from customs duty, Rs 245 crore of excise duty, and Rs 3 crore out of collected service tax.

The Punjab government would also receive a total of Rs 8,274 crore during the 2022-23 financial year from the central government in 12 equated monthly instalments of Rs 689 crore as post-devolution Revenue Deficit grant as recommended by the 15th Finance Commission. The grant is released to states as per the recommendations of the successive finance commissions to meet the gap in revenue accounts of the states post devolution. Due to poor fiscal Health, the Punjab government has been dependent on central funds to a large extent.

Punjab Government has initiated a new idea to impart IELTS coaching through Govt Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in synergy with Cambridge University Press India, a subsidiary of the Cambridge University Press UK, which is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge and develops and publishes educational courses and instructional materials.

In a function held here to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University, Punjab Technical Education and Industrial Training Minister Rana Gurjit Singh said that around 6 lakh Punjabi Students have undergone the IELTS preparations every year and this is the need of the moment to explore new educational avenues for our students. He said that the initiative aimed to create an ecosystem in the state where the potential of our students could flourish in a world-class way. He said that India has the largest young Population in the world and needs distinctive education.

The Minister said that the MoU included a teacher training program for trainers through an authorized test center and the University will provide the TEACHING module as well as the material and teaching partners. ”Punjab is a leading Migration state of India with a very widespread diaspora, known for its hard work and . They have established themselves in many countries of the world, where the numbers of those moving to live, work or study is increasing day by day. We want to explore how they can also be better trained in English or other foreign languages before their departure so they may easily be able to get jobs and join the workforce once they arrive,” he added.

He said we have set up Foreign Study and Placement Cell in Punjab to facilitate the migration of youth through legal pathways to foreign countries through a very robust system of District Bureaus of EMPLOYMENT and Enterprise (DBEEs).

This MoU will provide an opportunity to the approximately 40000 young aspirants to get coaching & training of IELTS in the govt. technical institutes in Punjab through well-trained and certified trainers. Cambridge University will conduct an IELTS test for all English teachers in Govt ITIs and Polytechnics and those who will get 8 Bands in the IELTS examination will be nominated for IELTS coaching. This will save the youth from getting duped by private IELTS trainers charged a hefty amount of fees and also their trainers are not qualified and specialized.