हरियाणा के राज्यपाल प्रो. असीम कुमार घोष और उनकी धर्मपत्नी श्रीमती मित्रा घोष का हरियाणा लोक भवन चंडीगढ़ में मुख्यमंत्री श्री नायब सिंह सैनी और उनकी धर्मपत्नी श्रीमती सुमन सैनी पुष्पगुच्छ भेंट कर अभिवादन करते हुए।

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National Round Table Conference of ECI and State Election Commissioners to be held on Tuesday

Chandigarh, February 23 – The Election Commission of India (ECI) will organise the National Round Table Conference of ECI and State Election Commissioners (SECs) on Tuesday, i.e., February 24, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The Round Table Conference is being convened after a gap of 27 years. The last such Conference was held in the year 1999.

An ECI spokesperson said the Round Table Conference will be chaired by the Chief Election Commissioner, Sh. Gyanesh Kumar, in the presence of Election Commissioners, Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi.

State Election Commissioners of all States and Union Territories will participate along with their legal and technical experts. Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all 36 States and Union Territories will also attend the Conference.

The primary objective of the Round Table Conference is to foster synergies in the functioning of ECI and SECs with respect to electoral processes and logistics within their respective legal frameworks. The deliberations are expected to provide a platform for constructive exchange of ideas and reinforce the spirit of cooperative federalism in electoral management.

During the day-long conference, discussions will focus around sharing of technology, EVMs and Electoral Rolls, besides strengthening of electoral processes.

Senior officials of the Commission will make presentations on key technological and operational initiatives including the recently launched ECINET digital platform and its transformative potential in streamlining electoral services.

Presentations will also highlight robustness, transparency and safeguards of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Comparative presentation on States/UT-wise eligibility of electors with reference to the Representation of the People Act, 1950 will also be made to facilitate informed deliberations on legal frameworks governing Electoral Roll preparation across jurisdictions.

State Election Commissions are created by law of the respective States under the empowering provisions of 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments. SECs are vested with the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of all elections to the Panchayats and Municipal Bodies under Articles 243K and 243ZA respectively.

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Government Making Continuous Efforts to Reduce Incidence and Mortality Rate of Cervical Cancer: Arti Singh Rao

Over 2.27 million women screened so far

Chandigarh, February 23 — Haryana Health Minister Arti Singh Rao said that the state government is making continuous efforts to improve women’s health and to reduce the incidence and mortality rate of cervical cancer. Several concrete steps have been taken to strengthen awareness, timely screening, and better treatment facilities, she added.

The Health Minister said that every year, on the occasion of World Cancer Day and National Cancer Awareness Day, special awareness campaigns are conducted to educate women about the risk factors, symptoms, early detection, and prevention of cervical cancer. In addition, medical officers, staff nurses, Community Health Officers (CHOs), and frontline health workers are regularly trained to improve the quality of screening, timely identification, counseling, and follow-up care.

Arti Singh Rao explained that cervical cancer begins in the lower part of the uterus (cervix) and is mainly caused by long-term infection with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). In particular, HPV-16 and HPV-18 are considered more dangerous. Risk factors include smoking, early sexual activity, multiple sexual partners, unsafe sexual practices, early marriage and pregnancy, repeated childbirth, and a weakened immune system.

Common symptoms of cervical cancer include bleeding between periods, excessive or prolonged menstruation, bleeding after menopause, bleeding after sexual intercourse, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, lower abdominal pain, sudden weight loss, and pain during urination. She emphasized that if detected at an early stage, the disease is largely treatable.

She further informed that the Health Department, Haryana, has taken several significant initiatives in this direction. Under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NPCDCS), screening of women aged 30 years and above is being conducted in all 22 districts of the state. This screening includes tests for hypertension, diabetes, and common cancers such as oral, breast, and cervical cancer.

For screening, a simple test called Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) is being used. This facility is available at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), Sub-Divisional Hospitals, and District Civil Hospitals.

Suspected cases are referred to higher centers for further examination. Colposcopy facilities are available at District Civil Hospitals in Ambala, Gurugram, Hisar, Jhajjar, Sirsa, and Sonipat. Additionally, facilities such as Pap smear, FNAC, biopsy, CT scan, and MRI are available at various district hospitals. Advanced treatment for serious cases is provided at Government Medical Colleges and Regional Cancer Centres.

According to data from the National NCD Portal, a total of 2,274,802 women have been screened for cervical cancer so far. Among them, cervical cancer has been confirmed in 1,153 women, and their treatment is ongoing.

The Health Minister said that the state government’s goal is to ensure that every woman receives timely screening and appropriate treatment so that cervical cancer can be eradicated at its roots.

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VIDHAN SABHA

Chandigarh, February 23– Haryana Social Justice and Empowerment Minister, Sh. Krishan Kumar Bedi said that hospitals in cities which have been allotted land by the government at concessional rates are required to provide free services to 20 percent of their total outdoor (OPD) patients on a “first come, first served” basis.

The Minister was responding to a question raised by a member of the house during the Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha today.

Sh. Bedi said that hospital sites were allotted at concessional rates under the guidelines of the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) policy to ensure free treatment for poor patients. As per the policy, except for super-speciality hospitals allotted in HSVP sectors of any urban estate in Haryana, all other hospitals must provide free services to 20 percent of their total OPD patients on a “first come, first serve” basis. For indoor (IPD) patients, such hospitals are required to reserve 10 percent of their total beds for free treatment of economically weaker sections of society.

He further informed that to ensure strict compliance with the rules and conditions regarding free treatment for poor patients, amendments were made to the policy on December 8, 2022, which includes a portal.

At present, land has been allotted at concessional rates to four hospitals in Gurugram district and seven hospitals in Faridabad district. According to data available on the HSVP, so far, 8,086 patients have received treatment under this policy.

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Chandigarh, February 23 – Haryana Social Justice, Empowerment Minister, Sh. Krishan Kumar Bedi said that the government is closely monitoring the situation of drug abuse in the state and is taking all necessary measures to curb such activities.

The Minister was responding to a question raised by a member during the Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha here today.

Sh. Krishan Kumar Bedi apprised the House that in the Kalayat Assembly constituency, the number of cases registered under the NDPS Act during the years 2023, 2024 and 2025 were 15, 14 and 16, respectively. He further shared that a total of 85 arrests have been made in connection with drug trafficking.

He said that in the Kalayat Assembly constituency, the HSNBC and the local police are taking all possible steps to dismantle the drug supply chain at every level. This includes strict action against offenders, measures against habitual criminals, and the organization of awareness programmes. Alongside enforcement, efforts are also being made to rehabilitate drug addicts.

The Minister said that in every case, attempts are made to identify the original suppliers and distributors, who are also being arrested as conspirators. The government is freezing their bank accounts and attaching their properties. Trained narcotics sniffer dog squads are also being deployed to track offenders.

The Minister said that since drug trafficking is also an inter-state and border-related crime, checkpoints have been set up on inter-state routes to inspect suspicious persons and vehicles. To tackle the issue more effectively, a dedicated Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) has been established in Kaithal district. Across the state, HSNBC teams are regularly monitoring and working to disrupt drug supply networks.

He also informed that additional drug de-addiction centres are being opened in Kaithal, and their bed capacity is being increased. Out of the 85 individuals arrested, convictions have also been secured.

The Minister assured the House that the strictest possible action will continue to be taken against drug traffickers, suppliers and peddlers.

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Chandigarh, February 23 – Haryana Health Minister, Arti Singh Rao said that digital X-ray, Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance, and MRI scan services will soon be made available at the District Civil Hospital in Sonipat. A proposal to establish a Cardiac Catheterization Lab (Cath Lab) in Sonipat district is also under consideration.

The Health Minister was replying to a question raised by a member of the house during the Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha.

She said that at present, a 200-bedded District Civil Hospital is functioning in Sonipat near National Highway-44 (NH-44). The hospital is built on approximately 15.5 acres of land, out of which around 6 acres are covered by the institutional building. Besides this, a 100-bedded Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block is under construction at a cost of Rs.138 crore. Once completed, the bed capacity of the hospital will increase from 200 to 300 beds. An amount of Rs.5.33 crore has also been approved for special repairs of the existing hospital building.

The District Civil Hospital, Sonipat, is currently providing specialist services in Medicine, Chest Diseases, General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, ENT, Paediatrics, Pathology, Dermatology, Anaesthesia and other disciplines. CT scan and dialysis services are being provided under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

She further informed that last year, advanced medical equipment such as an ultrasound machine, C-arm machine, electric cautery, anaesthesia machine and ICU beds were installed in the hospital.

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Chandigarh, February 23 – Haryana Urban Local Bodies Minister, Sh. Vipul Goel said that buildings located in 22 colonies of Municipal Council Jagadhri have been regularised under Section 203-A of the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973.

The Minister was responding to a question during the Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha today.

He said that on the GIS portal, buildings were shown in place of colonies. Despite this, the government approved 858 colonies and ensured that all basic facilities were provided. However, in most municipalities, final layout plans related to these notifications, including total area, relevant khasra numbers, and clearly defined boundaries, were not available. In some notifications, only the regularisation of buildings was mentioned, which left the legal status of vacant plots within those layouts unclear.

The Minister further said that during 2021-22, the Urban Local Bodies Department implemented an online NDC portal based on a Geographical Information System (GIS) for property records. On this digital portal, it is mandatory to have geo-referenced boundaries to include any approved area. Due to the absence of authentic and clear layout plans and khasra numbers, the actual boundaries of colonies regularised before 2014 could not be digitally mapped on the geo-spatial portal.

He said that to resolve this technical issue, the matter is under consideration of the State Government. After proper ground-level demarcation by municipalities, the relevant data will be uploaded on the NDC portal. This will simplify property transactions, and the issue will be resolved soon.

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Chandigarh, February 23 — Haryana Public Works (Buildings & Roads) Minister Sh. Ranbir Gangwa said that the construction of a new PWD Rest House in Karnal is under consideration by the government. An estimated cost of ₹6,485.54 lakh has been prepared for the project. The construction of this Rest House is expected to be completed within the next 36 months.

The Haryana Public Works (Buildings & Roads) Minister was replying to a question raised by Karnal MLA Sh. Jagmohan Anand during the Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha today.

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Chandigarh, February 23 – Haryana Public Works (Buildings and Roads) Minister, Sh. Ranbir Gangwa said that the government is committed to the maintenance of all major roads in the state. Repair and strengthening work is continuously underway across all 23 districts.

The Minister was responding to a question raised by Smt. Geeta Bhukkal regarding roads in the Jhajjar Assembly constituency during the Question Hour of the ongoing Budget Session of Haryana Vidhan Sabha.

He informed the House that out of 10 roads, special repair work is in progress on three roads — Raslawala Chowk to Bhadana Bhadani via village Kheri Asra, Marot to Surajgarh road, and the approach road of villages Tamas Pura–Fortpura. These works are likely to be completed by 2026.

Similarly, two roads from Matanhail to Khaparwas are under special repair. One road from Matanhail to JLN belongs to the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board(HSAMB), and the stretch from JLN to Khapadwas comes under the Public Works (B&R) Department. The repair work is in progress and is expected to be completed by March 2026.

He further said that the road along the drain from Sampla Road to Jupiter Hotel falls under the National Highways Authority of India and is part of NH-334B. The road from village Khorda to Makrani is 4,180 kilometres long, of which 600 metres of land is being acquired through the e-Bhoomi portal. Special repair work on this road has been proposed for the financial year 2026-27.

He added that the tender process for the repair of Jamalpur to Bhurawas and Jamalpur to Jhanswa roads has been completed and work will begin by March 2026. The condition of the Koyalpur to Khatiwas village road is satisfactory.

Sh. Gangwa informed the House that Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini had announced in the previous budget that 6,500 kilometres of roads would be repaired in the year 2025-26. Out of this, repair work on 6,150 kilometres has already been completed, and the target of 6,500 kilometres will be achieved by March 31.

Besides this, 3,500 kilometres of 12-foot-wide roads will be widened to 18 feet. By 2027, no road under the Public Works Department will remain less than 18 feet in width.

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Chandigarh, February 23 — Haryana Education Minister Sh. Mahipal Dhanda said that the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) located in Janauli village of Prithla Assembly Constituency in Palwal district has been functional since 2015.

At present, 11 staff members are working at DIET Janauli, District Palwal. Regular in-service training programmes for teachers are conducted at DIET Janauli. During the year 2025–26, approximately 1,505 teachers were trained here.

The Minister was replying to a question raised by a member of the House during the Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha today.

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Government disbursing cash rewards to Olympic, Paralympic and National Games Medal Winners without delay – Sports Minister of state for sports Gaurav Gautam

Chandigarh, February 23 – Haryana Minister of State for Sports, Sh. Gaurav Gautam, said that all pending cash rewards up to December 31, 2022, for eligible Haryana athletes who participated in national and international competitions have been fully disbursed. Cash rewards for medal winners of the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games and National Games for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025 has also been distributed without any delay. The remaining cash rewards for 2023, 2024 and 2025 will be released to eligible athletes shortly.

Regarding coaches’ awards, the Minister said that a total of 52 applications were received, out of which 31 eligible coaches have been granted awards amounting to Rs.3.56 crore in total.

The Minister was responding to a question raised by a member of the house during the Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha today.

He further said that eligible student-athletes in Haryana are awarded scholarships upon completion of their respective academic session. Scholarships have been released up to the 2023–24 session, and the scrutiny for the 2024–25 session is in its final stage and will be completed soon.

From 2019 to 2023–24, a total of 14,306 players have been given scholarships amounting to Rs. 44.74 crore.

Additionally, from July 1, 2024, the government has launched an online portal to ensure the timely and smooth disbursement of cash rewards to eligible athletes.

The Minister said that cash rewards are provided on an annual basis, not monthly. Since 2019, a total of 8,234 players have been awarded cash rewards amounting to Rs. 491.22 crore.

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Chandigarh, February 23– Haryana Public Works (Buildings and Roads) Minister, Sh. Ranbir Gangwa informed the House during the Budget Session that the Public Works Department has a total road length of 30,603 kilometres, out of this, 16,484 kilometres of roads are currently under the DLP.

He said that patchwork and repair work on roads under DLP is carried out by the concerned contractor or agency responsible for the project.

The Minister further said that the Kaithal–Tatiana, Cheeka–Diwana, and Guhla–Kharkara roads, are under the DLP period until July 2026. Approval of approximately Rs.130 crore has already been granted under the CRIF scheme for widening these roads into four lanes.

Sh.Gangwa was responding to a question raised by a member of the house during the Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha.

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Chandigarh, February 23 – Haryana Cooperation Minister, Dr Arvind Sharma, said that at present there are 803 Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies in the state. As of March 31, 2025, there were 794 Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies, of which 33 were operating at a profit.

The Cooperation Minister was replying to a question raised by a member of the House during the Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha here today.

He also informed the House that, in accordance with the new cooperation policy introduced by the Union Cooperation Minister, Sh. Amit Shah, and under the leadership of the Chief Minister, Sh. Nayab Saini, efforts will be made to bring more and more Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies into profit.

He further shared that around 25 new activities will be initiated in these Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies, such as CSC Centres, Micro ATMs, Solar Pump installations, Jan Aushadhi Kendras, Gas Stations, Petrol Pumps, Kisan Samriddhi Kendras, Fair Price Shops, etc.

The Minister said that in the coming time, Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies will become more profitable.

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IDFC First Bank Irregularities: High-Level Committee to Be Formed; ‘Every Rupee Safe, None Will Be Spared,’ CM

Chandigarh, February 23- Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, while addressing the issue concerning IDFC First Bank, stated that the matter came to light due to the alertness of the state government departments, following which the government immediately de-empanelled the bank. The statements provided by the bank did not match the records maintained by the concerned departments. The case has been handed over to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), and directions have also been issued to constitute a high-level committee to conduct a detailed probe.

The Chief Minister informed the House during the Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha on Monday, and also shared the same with the mediapersons later, that IDFC First Bank had written to SEBI acknowledging irregularities committed by certain bank employees. The bank has also initiated action against the employees concerned. An FIR has been registered in connection with the irregularities detected in the bank’s transactions.

He said that the bank wrote a letter in this regard on February 21. However, even before, the government had taken cognisance of the matter and, on February 18, de-panelled the bank and directed that the entire amount, along with interest, be transferred to a nationalised bank. The money is completely safe. Every single rupee will be recovered, he said, adding that the investigation will determine whether the irregularity was committed by a bank employee or involved any other individual.

The Chief Minister said that the government acted proactively in detecting the issue, as it monitors every matter with utmost seriousness. He further said that a significant portion of the Haryana Government’s funds deposited with IDFC First Bank had been invested in fixed deposits (FDs).

He said that the practice of departments keeping funds in banks is not new. This has been happening earlier as well. Even during the Congress tenure, departmental funds were kept in banks. Banks are empanelled from time to time, and new banks continue to be added, he said. He reiterated that the matter would be thoroughly investigated and that no one found guilty would be spared.

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Chief Minister Calls for Decorum and Constructive Debate in the House

The government is ready to discuss every issue, provided the opposition participates in the proceedings and is present in the House

Chandigarh, February 23- Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said that the Vidhan Sabha is the supreme democratic forum, and every elected representative must be accorded due respect. He emphasized that the sanctity and dignity of the House must be preserved at all times.

The Chief Minister said this while interacting with the mediapersons after the Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, here today.

Responding to a question regarding conduct in the Assembly, the Chief Minister urged legislators to maintain decorum in the House. While criticism and political remarks are part of democratic functioning, he said, they should not hurt anyone’s sentiments. All are elected representatives and deserve respect, he said.

In response to another question, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said the Congress has been issuing misleading statements as it has no substantive issues. The government is ready for a discussion on jobs, he said, but the Opposition must also remain present in the House and listen, he said.

He further remarked that even during the Congress regime, the name of the MGNREGA had been changed multiple times. Under the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G), there is a guarantee of 125 days of employment, he said, adding that the scope of work has been expanded and workers across the country have welcomed the government’s decision.