Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema Flags Off Three Ambulances for Flood-Affected Areas in Dirba Constituency

Says, Medical Teams Will Provide Free Check-Ups And Medicines For The Next 15 Days

In Serious Cases, Patients Will Be Referred To Nearby Health Centers

Reiterates Punjab Government's Commitment to Providing Better Compensation To Flood Victims

Chandigarh/Sangrur, September 20-Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Saturday flagged off three ambulances from the rest house, Sangrur, to provide medical services to residents of the flood-affected areas in the Dirba constituency.

The Finance Minister said that the ambulances, staffed with doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, will address post-flood health challenges and protect residents of flood hit areas from waterborne and other diseases. He said that the medical teams will provide free check-ups and medicines for the next 15 days, and in serious cases, patients will be referred to nearby health centers for further treatment.

Speaking on the occasion, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is committed to providing better compensation to flood victims. He added that the necessary amendments to the Disaster Management Act, Mining Act, and other related laws will be placed in the upcoming legislative session after approval from the State Cabinet. Cheema emphasized that the entire government and the Aam Aadmi Party are dedicated to the welfare of flood-affected families, and the upcoming session will reflect this commitment.

Calling the "Rangla Punjab Chardi Kala Fund" campaign a success, Finance Minister Cheema said that the significant contributions from Punjabis worldwide have strengthened the efforts to restore normalcy. He thanked the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) for their support during these difficult times, stating that the fund will boost the morale of families who have suffered heavy losses due to the natural disaster.

The Finance Minister assured that the Punjab government will take every possible step to assist the flood-affected population, with the goal of building a stronger and more prosperous Punjab.

On this occasion, Finance Minister's OSD, Advocate Tapinder Singh Sohi, Health Department teams, and numerous dignitaries were also present.

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Punjab Boosts Rural Libraries for Youth’s Socio-Economic Progress: Tarunpreet Singh Sond

- 278 Libraries Functional, 58 More to Open Soon

Chandigarh, September 20:Punjab has achieved a new milestone under the visionary Rural Library Scheme launched by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to promote a culture of reading among youth and actively engage them in the State’s socio-economic growth. With this initiative, the number of modern, fully functional libraries in the rural areas of Punjab has reached 275, while work is in progress on 58 more libraries equipped with advanced facilities.

Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond informed that the scheme was inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on August 15, 2024, at village Isru (Khanna), where he inaugurated the State’s first rural library and interacted with school children. The Minister highlighted that the Chief Minister’s vision is to see these rural libraries become “centres of knowledge, development, and prosperity” for Punjab. The State Government aims to foster the reading habit among rural youth and inspire them to become future officers, scientists, doctors, and technical experts.

Providing district-wise details, Sond stated that Amritsar has 4 functional libraries, Bathinda 29, Barnala 9 with 2 under construction, Fatehgarh Sahib 11 with 2 in progress, Faridkot 10 with 2 in progress, Fazilka 21, Ferozepur 15 with 9 in progress, and Hoshiarpur 6 with 9 more coming up.

Similarly, Ludhiana has 30 functional and 11 in progress, Mansa 17 functional and 1 in progress, Malerkotla 11 functional, Sri Muktsar Sahib 6 in progress, Moga 14, Patiala 28 with 2 in progress, Rupnagar 12, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar 6, and Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar has 12 in progress.

The Minister further shared that Sangrur leads with the highest number of 31 functional libraries, with 2 more under construction. Tarn Taran has 11 and Jalandhar has 2 operational libraries.

Highlighting the facilities, Sond said these libraries are well-equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity, solar power, digital and analogue resources, and high-quality infrastructure. They house literary works, subject-specific reference books, and globally recognized academic publications, providing students and readers with a conducive learning environment.

He added that the Rural Library Scheme is a transformative step towards empowering the rural youth and ensuring they have equal access to knowledge and resources at par with global standards.

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PROACTIVE HEALTH STRATEGY PREVENTS DISEASE OUTBREAKS IN FLOOD-AFFECTED VILLAGES

— Over 1,100 Health Camps Treat 20,668 Patients; ASHA Workers Distribute 20,276 Health Kits in 1,471 Villages in Single Day

CHANDIGARH, September 20: The multi-pronged ‘Special Health Campaign’ launched by the Chief Minister Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government to combat flood-borne diseases in 2303 affected villages has successfully contained potential disease outbreaks, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Balbir Singh here on Saturday.

Reviewing the reports from the field, the Minister expressed satisfaction that the massive mobilisation of the state’s medical fraternity—including government doctors, private volunteers, Ayurveda medical officers, and MBBS interns—has successfully provided a robust health shield to the citizens in the flood-ravaged areas.

Dr Balbir Singh stated that the campaign's three-core component strategy is functioning as planned, with Health Camps providing critical curative care, Door-to-Door visits ensuring preventive care reaches every household, and the rigorous fumigation protecting the community from outbreaks.

Sharing data of preventive measures undertaken on Saturday, the Health Minister said that medical teams have covered 1,118 villages, conducting 20,668 OPD consultations in camps treating 2,324 fever cases, 505 diarrhoea cases, 2,606 skin infections, and 1,133 eye infections.

Concurrently, the army of over 20,000 ASHA workers has been instrumental in door-to-door visits, covering 1,471 villages and 62,021 households, he said, while adding that they have distributed 20,276 essential health kits and proactively screened residents, identifying 1,105 fever cases and zero malaria case has been diagnosed.

Similarly, intensive vector-control drives have covered 1,554 villages with teams checking 63,233 households for mosquito breeding, finding and destroying breeding sites in 969 houses. As a critical preventive measure, preemptive larvicide was sprayed at 19,303 houses, and extensive fumigation was carried out in 955 villages to break the disease transmission cycle.

"This data demonstrates that our preventive strategy is working. While treating the sick is crucial, our primary objective has been to stop diseases before they start," said Dr Balbir Singh.

The Minister credited the success to the campaign's design that emphasises prevention over reaction. "Under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann's guidance, we built this campaign anticipating health challenges rather than waiting for them to emerge,” he said.

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ONLY 229 PEOPLE LEFT IN RELIEF CAMPS: HARDEEP SINGH MUNDIAN

Chandigarh, September 20:Only 229 people are left in relief camps as families continue to return home, informed Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister S. Hardeep Singh Mundian on Saturday. He said that the number of active relief camps has dropped sharply within the last 24 hours from 35 to just 16.

The Cabinet Minister said that 665 more affected people returned to their homes today, while the total number of inmates stood at 894 yesterday.

He said that the number of villages affected has gone up slightly from 2,539 to 2,555, mainly due to fresh reports from Hoshiarpur and Ludhiana.

Sharing further details, S. Mundian said that Hoshiarpur saw 11 more villages affected, taking the total to 350, while 5 affected villages added in district Ludhiana, taking the count to 131. Similarly, the overall population affected increased only marginally from 3,89,387 to 3,89,445 due to 58 new cases reported in Hoshiarpur.

Highlighting the progress on rehabilitation, the Minister said that relief camps witnessed a steep decline. Moga, Pathankot and Jalandhar closed all their remaining camps while Fazilka saw a major drop in inmates from 620 to 219. Inmates in Jalandhar camps, which stood at 103 a day earlier, have all returned home.

The Revenue Minister also informed that the total crop area affected has risen from 1,99,766 hectares to 1,99,926 hectares due to fresh inputs mainly from Mansa and Hoshiarpur, adding 121 hectares and 39 hectares respectively. He underlined that the overall impact remains stable with no major change across other districts.

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