SARBJIT’S COUNSEL AWAIS SHEIKH CALLS ON PUNJAB CM
Makes impassioned appeal for his early release
Chandigarh August 19, 2009
Awais Sheikh, a peace ambassador and counsel for Sarabjit Singh,
who is facing death sentence in Pakistan today called on the Punjab
Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal and handed over a copy
of his mercy petition to be given to the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan
Singh to enable him to take up this issue with the President of
Pakistan Mr. Asif Ali Zardari for seeking clemency for Sarbjit.
Mr. Shiekh accompanied by Sarbjit’s sister Mrs. Dalbir Kaur
and daughter Miss Swapandeep Kaur here at Chief Minister’s
residence this evening and made an impassioned appeal to Mr. Badal
to pursue the case for his early release by making use of all
diplomatic channels. He mentioned that he had also visited the
native village of Sarbjit Singh and interacted with the people
there. He said he would return to Pakistan with the copy of appeal
for Sarbjit’s release signed by his over one lac well wishers.
The Chief Minister informed Mr. Sheikh that he had already taken
up the matter with the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Ministry
of External Affairs to secure the release of Mr. Sarbjit Singh.
He also thanked Mr. Sheikh for sincerely defending his case in
Pakistan.
Mr. Sheikh presented Hindi version of his book titled “Samjhota
Express” on the Indo-Pak relations to the Chief Minister.
On this occasion, Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary
Mr. D.S Guru and Additional Principal Secretary Mr. Gaggandeep
Singh Brar were also present.
GVK REDDY ASSURES CM OF TIMELY COMPLETION OF GOINDWAL THERMAL
POWER PROJECT
CHANDIGARH AUGUST 19:
Chairman-cum-Managing Director of GVK Group Mr. G.V.K. Reddy today
called on Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal to apprise
him of the latest status of the upcoming 540 MW Goindwal Thermal
Power Project. He assured the Chief Minister that the project
would be made fully operational by January 2012.
An assurance to this effect was given by Mr. Reddy to the Chief
Minister during a meeting with him here this morning at Punjab
Bhawan. Mr. Reddy urged the Chief Minister to seek Prime Minister
Dr. Manmohan Singh’s personal intervention to direct the
Ministry of Coal to immediately allow a coal linkage to the Goindwal
Thermal Plant.
The Chief Minister informed Mr. Reddy that he had already personally
taken up the issue to immediately allot coal block/ long term
linkage for upcoming 540 MW Goindwal Thermal Power Plant both
with the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Union Minister
of Coal Mr.Sriprakash Jaiswal so that the project was not unduly
delayed.
Meanwhile, Mr. Reddy said that the work on the project was going
on war footing as the GVK Group had already placed an order with
Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd. (BHEL) for installation of machinery
and equipment there besides M/S Punj Lloyd had also been engaged
for the completion of this prestigious power project. He reiterated
his firm commitment that the entire project would be commissioned
well ahead of the stipulated time frame.
Showing keen interest in the proposal of GVK Emergency Management
and Research Institute in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode
put forth by Mr. Reddy, the Chief Minister appreciated the initiative
of the group to provide free emergency response service for medical,
Police and Fire Emergencies across Indian by 2011. Mr. Badal hoped
that with the implementation of this project, the people especially
the poor would be immensely benefited in the state. He assured
Mr. Reddy he would get this project examined at the level of state
government before taking a final decision.
Mr. Reddy was accompanied by Krishna Ram Bhupal, Mr.S.Mandusudan,
Mr. Murali Varadarajan (all Directors) and Deputy General Manager
Oliver Tyagi.
CM ANNOUNCES RS.10 CRORE ADDITIONAL CORPUS FUND
FOR FIVE CITRUS ESTATES
CHANDIGARH AUGUST 19, 2009
To boost the production and marketing of Kinnow in the state,
the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today announced
a slew incentives including Rs.10 crore additional corpus fund
for the five Citrus Estates to make them self sustaining and Rs.2.5
crore for launching vigorous publicity campaign to establish Kinnow
as a popular brand in the national as well as international markets.
Chairing a high level meeting here today with the executive
members of the five citrus estates of Tahliwala Jattan (Ferozepur),
Abohar (Ferozepur), Badal (Muktsar), Bhunga (Hoshiarpur), Bajwara
(Hoshiarpur) to solicit their views and suggestions for chalking
out an action plan to boost the sale of Kinnow through domestic
distant marketing and export, Mr. Badal constituted an advisory
committee comprising two members each from these citrus estates
besides two official members one each from Punjab Agro Export
Corporation (PAGREXCO) and state horticulture department.
The Chief Minister further announced to set up a sub-centre
at Mour Mandi in Bathinda district under the Citrus Estate Badal
to enable the Kinnow growers of the area to have an easy excess
to the various facilities being extended by the estate in the
form of agriculture equipment and technical know-how.
The Chief Minister also assured the members that he would soon
take up the matter with the GoI for the revival of a scheme of
subsidy on solar panels for drip irrigation as the proposal sent
by the state government was already under its active consideration.
He also asked the growers to encourage them to construct their
own community water tanks in the orchards to ensure regular and
un-interrupted water supply for drip irrigation especially in
the border belt of Abohar, Fazilka and Kandi area of Hoshiarpur
district, for which the department of Horticulture department
was already providing 100% subsidy to the tune of Rs.10 lac under
National Horticulture Mission. He directed the Deputy Directors
of Horticulture department who were also the Chief Executive Officers
of these estates to regularly hold a meeting of the members on
every first working day of the month.
The Chief Minister also approved Rs.1.5 crore for placing an
order of imported machinery for extraction of peel oil from Kinnow.
He directed the M.D. PAGREXCO to procure the machinery before
the on set of Kinnow marketing season. He also announced to enhance
the subsidy on packaging material for domestic marketing from
15% to 25%. Mr. Badal also asked the PAGREXCO to run all the existing
waxing and grading plants efficiently to the advantage of these
growers and said more such plants would be opened soon on the
recommendations of the advisory committee to promote the marketing
of Kinnow in big way.
Outlining the need to bring awareness about the medicinal value
of Kinnow, Mr. Badal said that a vigorous media-mix publicity
campaign should be undertaken by the Punjab Agro through the involvement
of the renowned physicians and nutrition experts, who could advise
people about its properties to fight the deadly diseases of cancer,
diabetes and angina due to the presence of anti-cholesterol agent
in it.
The Chief Minister also stressed the need to give a special
thrust on the export of Kinnow to Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Uzbekistan
and some Central Asian countries and constituted a 7-member panel
with one member each from citrus estates and one each from horticulture
department and PAGREXCO to explore the export potential as Punjab
had been exporting Kinnow to U.K., Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Netherlands,
Dubai in 90s and no such export had taken place in the last decade.
He also emphasized the need to launch distant domestic marketing
of Kinnow in the country to ensure assured market to Kinnow growers
thereby tapping key markets of Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata,
Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. He also directed both
the advisory and export committees to work in tandem to strengthen
the functioning of these estates.
The Chief Minister also asked the Financial Commissioner Development
to send a delegation consisting of one executive member of each
citrus council along with two to three officials to study the
prospects of export of Kinnow in the international market and
facilities existing their to capture a sizeable chunk of citrus
market. He also opined that PAGREXCO should also participate regularly
in the national festivals and fairs to promote the marketing of
Kinnow across the country.
Taking part in the deliberations, MD PAGREXCO assured the Chief
Minister that both the de-bittering juicing Kinnow plants at Abohar
and Hoshiarpur would be made operational well before the start
of Kinnow marketing season to ensure assured market to the Kinnow
growers.
The meeting was also attended by Agriculture Minister Mr. Sucha
Singh Langha, Financial Commissioner Development Mr. NS Kang,
Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr.DS Guru, Managing Director
Punjab Agro Industries Corporation and PAGREXCO Mr. SK Sandhu,
Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandeep
Singh Brar, Additional M.D. PAIC Mr. Vikas Pratap and G.M. PAGREXCO
Mr. Pardeep Sharma besides the Chief Executive Officers Citrus
Councils Mr. V.S. Chimni
LAUNCH CONCERTED DRIVE AGAINST DRUG ABUSE- SUKHBIR ASKS DGP
Chandigarh, August 19, 2009
Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Punjab has asked
Director General of Police Mr. P.S. Gill to work out a coordinated
strategy to strike at the root of narcotic trade as well as its
supply chain in the state as nobody can be allowed to play with
the lives of young Punjabis.
Reviewing the law and order situation in the State, Mr. Badal
said that cross-border activities like counterfeit currency and
circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), espionage and
drug smuggling have remained areas of concern in Punjab. He said
that in the recent years, Punjab has emerged as a major international
transit point for high quality drugs like heroin from the Afghanistan-Pakistan
belt. Mr. Badal was referring to the record haul of 25 Kg heroin
worth Rs. 125 crore on the Pak Border in Amritsar sector yesterday.
The DGP outlining the steps taken by the Punjab Police in curbing
flow of drugs informed that due to the intensive efforts of Punjab
Police, the heroin recoveries of the state police have been quite
high-111 Kgs in 2007, 269 Kgs in 2008 and 92.471 Kgs in 2009 (upto
July 31, 2009). He said that this increased recovery also confirmed
the factor that couriers were increasingly useing of Punjab as
a transit route for international trafficking of drugs.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that increasing drug addiction
amongst the future generation of Punjab was a matter of great
concern for all of us. He said that drug addiction was spreading
fast in the state as household survey indicated the extent of
drug addiction in the state to be 70%-at least one drug addict
in 65% of families in Majha and Doaba and 64% families in Malwa.
He said that the Punjab being on the transit route of drugs, the
Cancer of drug addiction was spreading in State very fast. He
said that Punjab Police would have to rope in NGOs and social
organizations for organizing de-addiction camps, Counseling the
drug addicts and their respectable rehabilitation in the society
so that they do not fall back in same circle after getting de-addicted.
Assuring a time bound plan to tackle the menace of drug addiction
in the state, DGP Mr. Gill informed the Deputy Chief Minister
that an IG rank officer designated as IG/Anti-Narcotics Task Force
has already been posted in the state for coordinating all drug-related
matters. Although major drug recoveries have been made and drug
trafficking has been made a high-priority by the state police,
it still remained an area of concern. He informed that similarly,
the recoveries of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) were a record
Rs.1.5 Crores in 2008. While the recovery of FICN has shown an
upward trend, the large quantities of high-quality mint-manufactured
counterfeit currency also pointed towards cross-border support.
KAIRON DEMANDS INCREASE OF MSP OF PADDY
BY 400/- RUPEES ABOVE THE LAST YEAR
Chandigarh August 19:-
S. Adaish Partap Singh Kairon Food Minister Punjab justifying
the cause of farmers of the State strongly demanded an increase
of MSP of paddy by 400/- rupees above the last year at a Conference
of Food Minister’s of the States held here at New Delhi
chaired by Union Agriculture, Food and Public Distribution Minister
Sh. Sharad Pawar.
Mr. Kairon emphasized that in spite of weak and deficient monsoons
in Punjab, the farmers of the State had to use diesel, electricity
and other means of irrigation for sowing paddy. Even at certain
places the farmers had sown the paddy twice. As a result of which
the cost of production of paddy has increased manifolds. While
demanding increase in the MSP he requested Government of India
(GOI) that the farmers of the State be compensated for the extra
cost incurred by them.
Food Minister, Punjab strongly demanded increase in the percentage
of Pin damage in rice specifications and increase in the moisture
content of the paddy justifying that in Punjab the harvesting
is mechanical and there is late sowing of paddy to protect the
ground water level. So there is hardly any time for paddy to dry
up in the agriculture fields. While highlighting the warehousing
problem of the State, he solicited an early decision from Govt.
of India for creation of storage capacity.
Drawing attention of the Chairman that about 10 Lac M.T. of Rice
of 2008-09 is still lying with the State Government and FCI on
one pretext or the other is not accepting it he requested that
the Govt. of India should allow the State Government to sell this
paddy in the open market.
He pointed out that the movement of wheat especially from the
stocks lying in open is very slow and inadequate. He requested
for immediate movement of these stocks.
The Minister pointed out that the levy sugar is not being provided
by the sugar mills in Punjab. The steps be taken at the GOI level
to ensure the availability of levy sugar and to control the rising
prices of sugar in the open market.
