New Delhi July 25, 2008
In a land mark development the Government of India gave its "in
principle" clearance to the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash
Sing Badal's proposal for setting up a helipad close to the holy
and historic Gurdwara Sri Hemkunt Sahib.
It may be recalled that the Hemkunt Sahib in Garhwal Himalayas
is one of the holiest Sikh Shrines, and is visited by lacs of
pilgrims every year.The 10th Master of Sikhs Sri Guru Gobind Singh
Ji worshiped here for a long time.
The path of about 19 kms from Gobind Ghat to Hemkunt Sahib mainly
passes through Reserve /Proctcted forests. Only a small portion
of about 3.5 kms passes through non-forest areas. The area around
the holy shrine of Hemkunt Sahib is legally a Reserved Forest.
Divulging the details of the meeting, Chief Minister's Media
Advisor Mr Harcharan Bains said that Mr.Badal had a detailed interaction
with the, the Union Minister of State for Forest and Wild Life
Mr.S.Regupathy who asked the Punjab Government route the case
through the Government of Uttrakhand, the Centre's clearance is
needed in view of the fact that the command area falls in a forest
zone.
Mr Badal also sought the Center's permission for setting up an
expansive and well equipped concrete edifice to accommodate and
house thousands of devotees who visit the shrine every year the
means of commuting at this moment are limited as know mechanical
conveyance can reach the shrine because of excessively steep climb
up to the snow- peaked terrain. Present make shift, rickety and
unstable structure at Gurudwara Sri Hemkunt Sahib needed to be
replaced with the concrete structure capable of with standing
the tough whether conditions prevailing there to provide safe
and comfortable shelter to the visiting pilgrims who have to experience
unspeakable hardships there. At least the devotees walking brave
all these challenges yet it is the sacred duty of the State Government
to minimize their hardships.
Mr.Badal demanded that the development of infrastructure and
facilities for pilgrims around the Shrine in a radius of about
200 metres would require diversion of about 12 hectares forest
land for non-forestry purposes and permission from Ministry of
Environment and Forest , GoI was required under Forest Conservation
Act,1980. He emphasized the need to improve the path from Gobind
Ghat to Gobind dham and up to Hemkunt Sahib Gurudwara and provision
of facilities like lights, toilets, shelters etc also required
permission under Forest Conservation Act,1980 at some places,
whereas at other places, such facilities could be developed in
non forest areas.
The Forest Minister assured Mr.Badal that he would soon get
the entire proposal examined from the Minsitry of Environment
and Forest under the forest laws for the development of infrastructreu
and facilities for pilgrims around the holy shrine of Shri Hemkunt
Sahib.
The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Media Advisor,Mr.Harcharan
Bains and Principal Secretary Mr D.S.Guru, besides Principal Secretary
Forest Mr.R.C.Nayyar, Principal Chief Forest Conservator,Mr.B.C.Bala.and
Principal Resident Commissioner Punjab Bhawan Mrs Anjuly Chib
Duggal,Mr.Vijay Sharma,Secretary Forests and Wild Life GoI also
attended the meeting.
Punjab Govt. provide skill
and job work to the jail inmates
Chandigarh July 25, 2008
As desired by Chief Minister Punjab a high powered committee
led by Sh B.C.Gupta,Principal Secretary Home,Sh S.S.Channy, Principal
Secretary Industry& Commerce & Sh Ijhar Alam DGP jails
visited Ludhiana today. The Committee had a detailed discussion
with leading Industrial houses including Sh S.P.Oswal from Vardhman
and Sh.Deepak Doomra from Greatway to take care of providing skill
and job work to the jail inmates both for men & women.
There was good response from Industrial houses and they informed
the committee that there is a scope for providing job work in
the fields of tailoring, hand flat knitting and embroidery work
to the jail inmates provided they are suitably trained for the
same. They are even willing to donate Machinery for required training.
The entire team visited central jail, women jail and Boston
jail and found that good no. of jail inmates are willing to take
up the job work as per the requirement of Industry. The committee
inspected the work produced by women jail inmates and appreciated
the same. It was also decided that jail authorities shall prepare
the profile of jail inmates willing to take job works and similarly
Industrial houses shall inform their requirement of manpower for
a particular activity.
A sub committee was also formed under the chairman ship of ADC
(D) and members as Jail Supdtt, GM DIC, Principal ITI, Principal
ATI, and Industrial houses to look into the minute details of
starting skill development programme as well set setting up of
job work facilities in the jail as per the requirement of industry.
The other prominent persons who attended the meeting are Sh V.K
Janjua Director Industries & Commerce, S.C. Ralhan Chairman
EEPC, Sh Dinesh Lakra Member Medium Industry Board & Sh Vinod
Thapar President Knitwearr Club.
PUNJAB CM FOR VIGOROUS MEDIA CAMPAIGN FOR GURU-TA-GADDI
CELEBRATIONS.
NEW DELHI JULY 25, 2008
:The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today urged
the Centre to issue a commemorative coin and to launch a vigorous
media campaign to promote the tercentenary celebrations of Guru-Ta-Gaddi
Divas on a global scale and bring awareness amongst the people
about the message of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
These views were expressed by Mr. Badal during the fourth meeting
of the National Committee for commemoration of Ter-Centenary of
Guru-Ta-Gaddi of Sri Guru Granth Sahib held here under the Chairmanship
of Union Home Minister, Mr. Shivraj V.Patil.
Giving the details of the meeting, Chief Minister's Media Advisor
Mr. Harcharan Bains said that the Union Home Minister accepted
Mr. Badal's proposal and promised to issue adequate funds for
the said campaign.
Describing this significant event, as a 'spiritual journey' Mr.
Badal said: "Sri Guru Granth Sahib is an eternal Guru that
preaches the message of one ness and universal brotherhood representing
the very essence of secularism." He said it was not merely
an event but a unique platform to demonstrate the ethos of our
age old character of unity in diversity".
Mr. Patil announced a grant of Rs.1 crore for the translation
of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in English and Hindi to be distributed
in the public libraries and other educational institutions to
spread the message of the great Holy Scripture. He also constituted
a committee of Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal,
Deputy Speaker Lok Sabha Mr. Charanjit Singh Atwal and Union Tourism
and Culture Minister Mrs. Ambika Soni, to finalize the design
and inscription pattern of the commemorative coin to be released
on the occasion which would finally be sent to the Department
of Ministry of Economic Affairs Ministry of Finance Government
of India. Mr. Patil also asked Mrs. Soni to involve the representatives
of Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandak Committee and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara
Management Committee to seek their expert advice on the subject.
The Union Home Minister also agreed to the State Government's
proposal to sanction an additional 5% percent funds over and above
the already sanctioned amount of Rs.179 crore for the over all
development of two important holy towns of Sri Anandpur Sahib
and Talwandi Sabo connected with the life and philosophy of Sri
Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
In a touching tribute to the message of Sri Guru Granth Sahib,
Mr Patil said that the All India Radio, Doordarshan would prefix
all news items with thematic citations from the holy Sri Guru
Granth Sahib. He said prominent private Channels would also be
requested to do the like wise. Mr Patil also mentioned that the
flims, documentaries, T.V serials, opinion pieces in the magazine
and Newspapers, Seminar and Symposiums, would be held to disseminate
the teaching of Sri Guru Gobind Sahib.
The Chief Minister said that at least four millions devotees
would converge in the holy Sach Khand Sri Hazoor Sahib,Nanded
during the Tercentenary programmes and impressed upon the committee
to pay special attention to the issues related to the accommodation,
traveling and security arrangements to enable them to pay obeisance
at one of the most historic occasions of the millennium. To avoid
any unexpected situation like stampede, he cautioned the committee
to take all sort of preventive measures.
In her address Mrs.Ambika Soni sought cooperation from the States
of Maharashtra and Punjab to make these programmes as a memorable
event.
Chief Minister Maharshtra Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh assured both
Mr.Patil and Mrs. Soni that all the on going development works
in an around Nanded would be completed well within the time frame
as he was personally monitoring the day to day progress.
Prominent among others who attended the meeting included:, Deputy
Speaker Lok Sabha Mr. Charanjit Singh Atwal, Union Minister of
State for Rural Development and Parliamentary Affairs Mrs. Suryakanta
Patil, Chairperson Central Social Welfare Board, Mrs. Rajni Patil,
Media Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Harcharan Bains, Leader
of Opposition Punjab Assembly Mrs. Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Ex-Director
General of Police, and Chairman Takhat Shri Hazoor Sahib Sach
Sachkhand Gurudwara Administrative Committee, Nanded, Maharashtra
Mr. P.S.Pasricha, Chief Executive Officer, Prasar Bharti Mr. B.S.Lalli,
Editor in chief Punjab Kesari, and Mr. Vijay Chopra.
Punjab to effectively implement
tobacco control measures
Chandigarh July 25, 2008
The Punjab Government today constituted a high level State Committee
and also District Committees in all the districts to effectively
implement Tobacco Control Act 2003.
According to an official spokesman State Level Committee would
headed by Principal Secretary Health as Chairman with Managing
Director NHRM as vice Chairman and Directors of Health, Police
Local Body, Tourism, Prosecution & Litigation, Public Relations
and Factories as its members. State level Nodal officer would
be its members Secretary
District Level Committee would be headed by Deputy Commissioner
with Civil Surgeon, District Drug Inspector, District Education
Officer, Senior Superintendent of Police, District Attorney, District
Local Bodies Officer, District Public Relations Officer, District
Labour Officer as its members. The District Committees would have
three youth leaders, three social activists and three members
of religious bodies as its Non Official members.
The committee would ensure implementation of Anti Tobacco Laws
and educate the public about ill effects of tobacco and tobacco
products.
TEAM OF EXPERTS WILL VISIT JAPAN TO STUDY PADDY PLANTATION
MACHINES
Chandigarh July 25, 2008
Naginder Singh
Punjab Agriculture Minister S. Sucha Singh Langah wants to provide
paddy plantation machines to Punjab farmers to avoid labour problems
faced by them this year. Keeping this in view Mr. Langah today
met a four member delegation from Japan headed by Mr. Satoshi
Nishioka, Senior Manager Yanmar Agricultural Equipment Company
Japan, who gave presentation and explained to Minister that they
would provide 8 row paddy plantation machines, which would sow
paddy nursery and also transplant paddy.
Mr. Langah said that a high level team in which tractor manufactures
would also be included would visit to Japan so that from next
year paddy transplant machines would be manufactured in Punjab,
Other members of delegation were Mr. Shinichi Yoshida, Mr. Yash
Wadhwa, and Mr. Takashi Ono from Yanmar Co. and prominent among
other, who attended meeting included Mr. Rajesh Thakur General
Manager International Tractors Sonalika and Mr. Dr. Kataria, joint
Director Agriculture, Engineering wing Punjab.
FREE TEXT BOOKS TO SCHEDULED CASTE GIRL
STUDENTS- RANIKE
Chandigarh July 25, 2008
The Punjab Government has launched a special scheme to provide
text books free of cost to the scheduled caste girls studying
at school/college level in class 10+1 and 10+2 SC girls living
below poverty line.
Disclosing this here today S. Gulzar Singh Ranike, Welfare of
SC/BC Minister Punjab said that this scheme has been started keeping
in view to give relief to the parents guardian of these students
from the financial burden, which they could not afford due to
poverty.
The Minister said that the scheduled caste girl students studying
in government as well as private recognized schools/colleges were
eligible to get text books free of costs during the academic session.
The students would be assisted by providing assistance at the
rate of Rs. 1300 to medical and non-medical and Rs. 800 to Commerce
and Arts per scheduled caste girl students for purchase of books
for class 10+1 and 10+2.
The department of welfare would purchase the books of compulsory
subjects from Punjab School Education Board Mohali and of optional
subjects from Punjab NCERT or private publishers for supplying
to the girl students. An amount of Rs. 80 lac has been provided
for annual plan 2008-2009 to cover 9000 girl students.
13 SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS COMMISSIONED IN VARIOUS TOWNS OF PUNJAB
Chandigarh July 25, 2008
Keeping in view to stop pollution of various rivers in the state
and to provide cleaner environment to the public the government
has commissioned 13sewage treatment plants in various towns of
Punjab which would have capacity to treat 497 (MLD) million Liter
sewage daily.
Giving this information while presiding over high level meeting
of Municipal Commissioners Ludhiana and Amritsar districts, Mr.
Manoranjan Kalia Local Government Minister Punjab said that 17
more sewage treatment plants in various towns of Punjab with a
total treatment capacity of 174.30 mld would be constructed in
near future.
Giving more information Mr. Kalia said that 3 sewage treatment
plants in Amritsar town with a capacity of 200 mld should be set
up under the project (Amritsar Sewage project) being completed
with financial assistance from Japan Bank of International Cooperation
and these plants would be completed by March 2012.
Prominent among other who attend the meeting included Mr. D.S.
Bains Principal Secretary Local Government and Mr. Samir Kumar
Local Government
