Over 1.66 lakh students applied under Post-Matric Scholarship: Dr. Baljit Kaur

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Scholarship Portal open for 2025-26 — Fully online and transparent process

Chandigarh, October 5:Under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is committed to providing equal opportunities in higher education to students from Scheduled Castes. Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur said that 1,66,958 SC students have applied through the Post-Matric Scholarship scheme on the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Scholarship Portal.

She added that the scheme aims to provide financial support to deserving but economically weaker students so that no student faces obstacles in continuing their education due to lack of funds.

Providing further details, Dr. Baljit Kaur said that out of the applications received, 20,773 have been verified so far. During the current financial year, ₹14.95 lakh has been disbursed to 627 students, while ₹4.62 crore will soon be released to 19,244 students.

The Minister said that during the financial year 2024-25, the state government released ₹267.54 crore for 2,37,456 students, demonstrating its commitment to student welfare.

She said that the entire process through the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Scholarship Portal is fully digital and transparent, providing relief to students from any bureaucratic delays.

Dr. Baljit Kaur appealed to students to ensure that as many eligible students as possible apply through their respective colleges to avail the benefits of this scheme and continue their education. She added that under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government remains committed to ensuring scholarship benefits reach every eligible student and providing equal opportunities in education.

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AFTER GAINING INCENTIVE OF RS 450 CRORE IN FY 24-25, PUNJAB AIMS FOR RS 350 CRORE UNDER SASCI 2025-26: HARPAL SINGH CHEEMA

PUNJAB DIGITIZES FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, ENHANCES ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY WITH MAJOR TREASURY REFORMS: FINANCE MINISTER

SAYS, TECHNOLOGIES LIKE SNA-SPARSH, PSP AND AMS DELIVER SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS, INCREASE ACCOUNTABILITY, AND IMPROVE SERVICE DELIVERY

Chandigarh, October 5-The Directorate of Treasury and Accounts (DTA), Punjab, has unveiled a suite of major digital transformation initiatives aimed at modernising financial administration, boosting transparency, and enhancing efficiency across all government departments. These reforms, spanning accounting, audit, fund management, and citizen services, mark a significant step towards fully digital governance in Punjab.

Stating this in a press communiqué issued here, Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Directorate has successfully developed the SNA-SPARSH, a new fund flow mechanism for centrally sponsored schemes, and has availed an incentive of Rs. 450 Crore in FY 24-25. He said that this integrated framework connects the Public Financial Management System (PFMS), state IFMS, and RBI's E-kuber system, aiming to increase cash liquidity in the treasury and reduce unutilized funds parked in bank accounts.

“A separate SNA SPARSH treasury has been created to facilitate this mechanism, and the state is now aiming for an incentive of Rs. 350 Crore under Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment for the fiscal year 2025-26 (SASCI 2025-26)”, he added.

Highlighting another key initiative, the Finance Minister said that the Pensioner Sewa Portal (PSP) has been developed in consultation with Punjab Development Commission (PDC) to create a centralised database of all pensioners and facilitate online pension case processing between banks and the treasury. He said that this portal enables activities like sending e-PPO from treasury to banks and provides pensioners with real-time tracking of pension updates, grievance handling, life certificate integrations, and the ability to submit updation requests.

Discussing the new Audit Management System (AMS), the Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that AMS grants all stakeholders real-time access to audit reports and facilitates enhanced oversight, with regular review meetings at the Administrative Secretary level for timely resolution of audit paras. “The DTA also plans to include the Accountant General's audit reports in its future roadmap”, said Cheema.

“The new initiatives also include the Non-Treasury Module, a non-treasury accounting system developed in coordination with the Accountant General (AG) office to streamline the accounting for deposit works by the Forest and Works departments. This system automates the submission of monthly accounts by all divisions in these departments”, said the Finance Minister.

Adding further, the Finance Minister said that the Punjab Government has also commenced the use of e-vouchers for all bills across Punjab, a measure expected to significantly reduce costs related to stationery, travelling, and the handling of physical vouchers submitted to the AG Punjab. He said that the necessary hardware for storing these e-vouchers has been procured and installed at the AG premises.

Hailing the new systems, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that, from automating departmental accounts and ensuring efficient central fund flow through SNA-SPARSH to digitising the entire audit and pension processes, these initiatives will deliver significant savings, increase accountability, and, most importantly, improve service delivery to our employees and citizens.

“With the introduction of these comprehensive digital systems, we are not just upgrading software; we are fundamentally reforming our financial architecture to ensure every rupee is accounted for and utilised effectively", he added.

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First of Four Key Bridges on Sidhwan Canal Inaugurated, Now Open to Traffic

Chandigarh/Ludhiana, October 5:Fulfilling the long pending demand of area residents, Power, Industry & Commerce, Investment Promotion, and NRI Affairs Minister Sanjeev Arora, today inaugurated one Sidhwan Canal bridge today. It is part of the four bridges that are being constructed on the Sidhwan Canal towards South City side.

He was also accompanied by Mayor Principal Inderjit Kaur, State Information Commissioner Harpreet Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain, besides area residents namely Mridula Jain, Radhika Jaitwani, Gagan Khanna to name a few.

While inaugurating the Bridge, Sanjeev Arora stated that the first of four Sidhwan Canal bridges, constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), has been inaugurated today, while the second will be inaugurated in next 10 days, and the remaining within next two months.

With a cost of Rs 16 crore, the four bridges on Sidhwan Canal are being constructed approximately 300 meters from the F2 Raceway Bridge and Barewal Bridge, on both the right and left sides.

Arora stated that the completion of these four bridges will significantly ease traffic congestion, particularly in Ludhiana’s South City areas. He said that earlier, area residents had to face traffic congestion as the existing bridges were not enough to handle the increased traffic on this road.

He also congratulated NHAI for not compromising over the quality of construction of these bridges.

He stated that after becoming a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha in 2022, he met with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari. Since then, he has held multiple meetings with the Secretary of MoRTH and the Chairpersons of NHAI, following a series of communications. He has consistently raised concerns related to NHAI and other infrastructure projects with them.

Mayor Principal Inderjit Kaur thanked Cabinet Minister for dedicating one of the four bridges for the residents. She said that it was only because of Sanjeev Arora’s dedication towards social service that these 4 bridges have come up. She said that several localities have come up along the Sidhwan Canal and these 4 bridges would provide a much needed respite from traffic congestion on this road.

State Information Commissioner and area resident Harpreet Sandhu thanked for the opening of this bridge and said that traffic hindrance for area residents would be cleared now.

Another area resident Mridula Jain from Shingora also thanked Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora for opening of this bridge. She said that around 10 years ago, she, along with other like minded people had started “Lets Clean Ludhiana Fountain”, and had worked for cleaning and construction of bridges on Sidhwan Canal. She thanked the Cabinet Minister for providing a permanent solution for traffic issue of the area.

DCP Rupinder also apprised Minister Arora on how the construction of these bridges will help alleviate traffic congestion.

In the end, Sanjeev Arora reaffirmed the Punjab government’s commitment, under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, to delivering world-class infrastructure, leaving no stone unturned to achieve this goal.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included Mayor Inderjit Kaur, State Information Commissioner Harpreet Sandhu, DC Himanshu Jain, DCP Rupinder, PD NHAI Priyanka Meena, Councillor Kapil Kumar Sonu, AAP leaders Bittu Bhullar, Satwinder Singh Jawaddi, Navdeep Navi among others.

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PUNJAB GOVT TO HOLD MONTHLY ‘BLOCK LEVEL MILKING COMPETITIONS’ TO ENHANCE LIVESTOCK PRODUCTIVITY

• Milking competitions to be held on 2nd Monday of every month across all 154 blocks in Punjab, says Gurmeet Singh Khudian

•Initiative aims to identify, reward & propagate best practices in livestock management: Animal Husbandry Minister

Chandigarh, October 5:In a landmark move to incentivise excellence in the dairy sector and enhance livestock productivity, the Punjab Animal Husbandry department is all set to organise "Block Level Milking Competition- 2025-26” across the state, announced S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries, Punjab here on Sunday.

Sharing the details about the ambitious year-long initiative commencing from October 6, 2025 onwards, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that the competitions will be held on 2nd Monday of every month across all 154 blocks in the state, creating a platform for dairy farmers to showcase their best livestock and adopt superior animal husbandry practices.

Outlining the categories and minimum milking criteria to participate in the competition, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that Murrah and Murrah Graded Breed Buffaloes must produce 16KG or above milk, Nili Ravi and Nili Ravi Graded Breed Buffaloes 14KG or above, Sahiwal and other indigenous breed cows 12KG or above, HF and HF cross cows 30KG or above, Jersey and Jersey cross cows 16KG or above, whereas, goats of any breed should produce 2.5KG or above milk.

Urging the livestock farmers to maximum participate in the competition, the Cabinet Minister further stated, “Our farmers are the backbone of Punjab, and our dairy sector holds immense potential to propel the rural economy to new heights. This competition is not just about winning prizes; it is a strategic mission to identify, reward and propagate best practices in livestock management. By encouraging our farmers to rear high-yielding breeds, we are directly contributing to increased income, better genetics and a more robust, sustainable dairy ecosystem in Punjab.”

This initiative is aligned with Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government's broader vision of empowering farmers, promoting allied agricultural activities and ensuring sustainable economic growth. It is expected to foster a spirit of healthy competition, leading to a significant qualitative improvement in the state's livestock, S. Khudian added.

Principal Secretary Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development & Fisheries Mr. Rahul Bhandari said that interested livestock farmers can obtain the necessary forms to participate in the competition from the Veterinary Hospitals. The competition would promote excellence in dairy farming and livestock management, with attractive prizes and recognition for winners in each category. Farmers can participate by submitting their entries as per the specified categories and minimum milking criteria, he added.