CM Parkash Singh Badal inaugurates the Vikas Bhawan in Sector 62, Mohali on Sunday.To generate revenue and to make village panchayats self-sustaining and financially viable,Punjab government is exploring the option of renting out shops on panchayat land where commercial activity is viable.

CM Parkash Singh Badal said this on Sunday while addressing at the inauguration ceremony of Vikas Bhawan in Sector 62, Mohali.

Pointing out that the newly-constructed complex would house all offices of the department located at various places in Chandigarh and Mohali, Badal said this would help officers increase efficiency in day-to-day functioning, and save people time, energy and money.

He also called upon farmers, especially small and marginal ones, to cut wasteful expenditure on buying costly agricultural machinery and tractors by taking loans at high rate of interest which is unproductive and unviable.

Instead of taking loans, he advised farmers to make optimum use of agro-centres scheme aimed at providing all agricultural implements and equipment, including laser levellers and zero-tilling machines, at nominal rent. He urged the cooperative societies to come forward to run these centres as government was giving 30% subsidy on the purchase of equipment and machinery besides raising 70% amount through loans on easy interest.

Speaking on the occasion, rural development and panchayats minister Ranjit Singh Brahmpura said that Vikas Bhawan and State Institute of Rural Development would prove to be a milestone for the overall progress of the rural sector in Punjab.

MOGA: Indian-born Canadian citizen Jagdev Singh,surrendered before a local court here on Wednesday.He has been facing the charges of murdering former MLA Nachattar Singh Gill, the father of Paramdip Singh Gill, DGP of the state.

He was released from the jail on September 3 after Amarjot Kaur Bhatti, Additional District and Sessions Judge had granted him supplementary bail in the case of fraud registered against him on August 4.

In another case of corruption registered against him under Sections 7, 13(2), 88 of the Prevention of Corruption Act-1988, SK Aggarwal, Additional Sessions Judge, had declined to grant him anticipatory bail.

Meanwhile, his mother Pritam Kaur died in the DMC Hospital, Ludhiana, and he filed a petition before the Punjab and Haryana High Court to get anticipatory bail. The court, while dismissing his plea, granted him just two-day arrest stay for September 7 and 8 for the cremation of her mother. It had directed him to appear before the local court on September 9.

Ramesh Grover, counsel of the NRI, said CJM Karunesh Kumar Kakkar had sent him to one-day judicial custody and asked the SHO (city-1) to file a reply if they wanted to arrest him or not by tomorrow.

n a bid to revamp the health care system in the state, the Punjab Government would prepare an integrated district health plan in a time bound manner to provide efficient health care services to the masses. 

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister  Parkash Singh Badal to review the functioning of Health & Family Welfare department here Friday morning.  Badal categorically said that the state would ensure 24 hour health services in all the Community Health Centers (CHCs).  He directed the health department to prepare a detailed inventory  of unutilized/obsolete equipment lying in these CHCs to replace it with new one to enhance the quality of health services provided to the public round the clock. 

Taking a serious view of the trend of absenteeism among the doctors and other para-medical staff in the various district hospitals, community health centers, primary health centers and dispensaries, Mr. Badal directed the health department to conduct regular inspections, minimum twice a week, by the senior most officers of the health directorate to inculcate a sense of discipline, commitment and responsibility amongst them.   He also asked the health department to chalk out a comprehensive plan to start a massive drive against the drug abuse in the state. 

To avail assistance from the Indian Council of Medical Research for the treatment of cancer, the Chairman of Punjab Planning Board Mr.JS Bajaj advised to launch a Cancer Registry at district level, in the absence of which the cancer control programmes could not be implemented in true spirit.    The cases of cancer patients might be much higher than the available data because most of such patients were being treated in other states outside Punjab, added Mr. Bajaj.    He suggested that hospitals in the state should update their secondary data regarding cancer patients in a proper manner and asked the department to prepare a primary data by conducting door to door survey so that requisite treatment could be given to cancer patients.  He also emphasized the need for special efforts for obtaining adequate funds from the Centre to fight the menace of cancer. 

On this occasion, Health Minister Mrs.Laxmi Kanta Chawla suggested to form district wise cadres for the doctors to ensure their cent percent presence at their stations of posting. The Health Minister suggested the enactment of a regulatory act in the state to bring about 3500 nursing homes and drug de-addiction centers with in the ambit of specific rules and regulations to ensure their proper functioning in a result-oriented manner. 

The Secretary Health & Family Welfare  Satish Chandera presented a detailed presentation on the achievements, policies, programmes and future projections of the department.

Taking a serious view of the outrageous assault on tehsildar Maj GS Benipal, Punjab Governor SF Rodrigues has sought a report on the incident from the state government. In turn the district administration has been told to prepare the report and submit it to the home secretary immediately so that it can be sent to the governor as soon as possible.Sources close to the government told The Tribune that the state had now got down to draw up the report in a jiffy and senior administrative officials in the city are at it

Only yesterday the Punjab State Human Rights Commission too had sought a report on the assault on the tehsildar from the government after being informed about of the incident, which had invited criticism from all quarters.Meanwhile, the police has set up a special investigation team that would investigate the entire matter. The team will comprise Jalandhar SP-D PS Parmar, Phillaur DSP Sandeep Sharma and DSP (rural) Parampal Singh. Ludhiana Range DIG Sharad Satya Chauhan, who will supervise the investigations, said the team had already begun probing the case, adding no one would be spared and all the suspects named in the FIR would be arrested.Meanwhile Vigilance ADGP Sumedh Singh Saini today visited the tehsildar who is recuperating at DMC Hospital here. He also noted down several important clues furnished by Benipal about the fake stamp paper racket.

Benipal told The Tribune he had narrated the entire incident to Saini starting from his catching hold of fake stamp papers to the assault perpetrated on him. ‘‘I told him I had written to the DC six times about a possible threat to my life. No action however was taken. It’s shocking nobody paid any attention to my letters”, he added.