*— HISTORIC MILESTONE ACHIEVED AFTER SUCCESSFUL LIVER TRANSPLANTS AT PILBS MOHALI*

*— PATIENT AND DONOR WIFE RECOVERING WELL AFTER SURGERY PERFORMED ON SEPTEMBER 10: HEALTH MINISTER DR BALBIR SINGH*

*— LIFE-SAVING TRANSPLANT CONDUCTED COMPLETELY FREE OF COST UNDER MUKH MANTRI SEHAT YOJANA*

CHANDIGARH, September 15:Marking another landmark leap in tertiary healthcare, the Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government has scripted history as Government Medical College (GMC), Patiala, has successfully performed its first-ever kidney transplant, making it the first state-run medical college in Punjab to achieve this distinction.

This milestone comes after the state recorded successful liver transplants at the Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (PILBS), Mohali.

Punjab Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education and Research Minister Dr Balbir Singh, while addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan here on Tuesday, said that the complex surgical procedure was successfully performed on September 10, 2026.

Dr Balbir Singh highlighted that the entire treatment and procedure were delivered completely free of cost under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana (MMSY), ensuring zero out-of-pocket expenditure for the family. He pointed out that the same procedure costs between ₹8 lakh and ₹12 lakh in private healthcare facilities.

“This marks a transformative chapter in Punjab’s public medical history, bringing advanced, life-saving organ transplant care directly within the reach of the common man,” he said.

Sharing clinical details, the Health Minister stated that the recipient, a 37-year-old resident of Romana Patti, Namol in Sangrur district, had been suffering from kidney failure due to Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis (MPGN) and had been on maintenance haemodialysis thrice weekly since December 2025.

Following thorough evaluations, his 29-year-old wife voluntarily came forward to donate a kidney, he said, while adding that both the donor and the recipient are clinically stable, doing well, and recuperating under close postoperative observation in the dedicated Transplant ICU.

During the press conference, Dr Balbir Singh also talked with the patient and his donor wife via video call to know the well being of both, while, he also congratulated the surgical team led by Prof. Sarbpreet Singh, comprising Prof. HBS Sandhu and Dr Supran Sharma, along with the nephrology team headed by Dr Thakurveer Kohli, and the anaesthesia team led by Dr Tanveer Kundra, Director Principal and HOD Medicine Dr RPS Sibia for achieving this milestone.

The Health Minister also expressed deep gratitude to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, especially Director Prof. Vivek Lal, and Prof. Ashish Sharma, Head of Renal Transplant Surgery and ROTTO-North, as well as the Department of Immunopathology at PGI Chandigarh, for their mentorship, hands-on training, technical guidance, and active on-site surgical supervision in establishing the renal transplant programme at GMC Patiala.

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*Punjab Revolutionises Anganwadi Nutrition System*

*1.1 Lakh Children Aged 3 to 6 Years Across 27,000 Anganwadis Now Get Healthy, Hot Cooked Meals Instead of “Ready to Cook” Meals*

*Bhagwant Mann Govt Cuts Take Home Ration Cycle From 45 Days to 15 Days for Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers & Children Aged 6 Months to 3 Years*

*Punjab Shifts From Centralised to Decentralised Take Home Ration Delivery; Production Plants to Be Set Up in Every District, Community Oversight Made Mandatory*

*Bathinda District Tendering Process Completed Today; Process in Remaining Districts to Be Completed Within Coming Week*

*Bhagwant Mann Govt Committed to Ensuring Nutritious, Safe & Community-Trusted Food for Every Child, Pregnant Woman and Lactating Mother Through Anganwadi Network: Dr. Baljit Kaur*

CHANDIGARH; 15th September 2026:In a landmark reform aimed at improving the health and nutrition outcomes of children, pregnant and lactating women, the Department of Social Security and Women & Child Development (WCD), Government of Punjab, has undertaken a complete overhaul of the supplementary nutrition being served through 27,000 Anganwadi Centres.

*REFORM 1:*

1.1 lakh children aged 3 to 6 years across 27,000 Anganwadis are now getting healthy and hot cooked meals instead of “ready to cook” meals served.

Punjab has traditionally served packaged ready-to-cook meals as “hot cooked meals” in its Anganwadi Centres for children. The Department has fully decentralised meal preparation, replacing centrally supplied packaged meals with fresh, daily hot cooked meals prepared on-site.

To make this possible, the Government is facilitating and supporting Anganwadi Workers with the resources, funds, and flexibility needed to procure fresh, local produce every day and prepare meals suited to what children in their area actually eat. This support enables frontline workers to serve food that is fresher, healthier, and better received by children, while ensuring improved nutritional quality and hygiene.

Nutritionally, freshly prepared food offers clear advantages over packaged alternatives; it retains more natural nutrients, allows ingredients to be tailored to what children actually eat, and avoids the preservatives, extended shelf life, and quality inconsistencies inherent to mass-produced packaged food.

Given the importance of nutrition in this age group especially with respect to brain development and physical development, the Punjab Government took the proactive decision to reform the system at its root.

*REFORM 2*:

The system meant for pregnant women, lactating mothers and 6 months to 3 years old children also overhauled: Local Production Plants in every district, historic community oversight, and the Take Home Ration cycle cut from 45 days to 15 days.

Cycle Cut Short from 45 to 15 days: Take Home Ration, earlier distributed once every 45 days, has similarly been moved away from a centralised system. With this step, Take Home Ration will now be distributed every 15 days instead of 45, giving pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children far more frequent touchpoints with Anganwadi Workers, who can guide them on correct consumption, address queries, and provide nutrition counselling along the way.

Local Production & Decentralised Model: The Department has gone a step further than any state before it: Manufacturing Units are being established in every district.

Community Oversight: For the first time in the country, it will be mandatory for direct beneficiaries, along with Anganwadi Workers and mothers of children enrolled at Anganwadi Centres, to be part of the Management Committees of these Units.

This unprecedented step hands communities direct oversight of what is being manufactured and supplied to their own children, while also creating local employment in every district.

*Rigorous Testing Before Rollout*

True to its commitment to quality, the Government has ensured that every recipe, along with ingredients submitted by bidders for the Take Home Ration tender, has been tested in laboratories and, for the first time ever, subjected to real taste-testing sessions with children at Anganwadi Centres, so that only recipes children actually enjoy make it to final approval.

*Addressing Transition Challenges*

As with any large-scale systemic reform, the transition has not been without its teething issues. The scale of recipe testing, given the sheer number of submissions from bidders, took longer than initially anticipated, leading to a short delay in finalising the tender. The Government has completed the tendering process for Bathinda district today, and will be completing it for all the districts within the coming week.

On this, Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur states MD, “With these reforms, Punjab has positioned itself as a national leader in Anganwadi nutrition reform, prioritising freshness, accountability, and community participation over convenience. Bhagwant Mann Government remains committed to ensuring that every child, pregnant and lactating mother reached through the Anganwadi network receives food that is not just adequate, but genuinely nutritious, safe, and trusted by the very communities it serves.”

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*REVENUE MINISTER HARDEEP SINGH MUNDIAN HANDS OVER APPOINTMENT LETTERS TO THREE NEWLY RECRUITED CLERKS*

*MANN GOVT'S RECRUITMENT AN EFFORT TO REALISE CHIEF MINISTER’S VISION OF ‘RANGALA PUNJAB’ AND INFUSE FRESH ENERGY INTO DEPARTMENTS: HARDEEP SINGH MUNDIAN*

*Chandigarh, September 15:*Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister S. Hardeep Singh Mundian today handed over appointment letters to three newly recruited candidates as part of the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government’s commitment to provide maximum employment opportunities to the youth of the state and further strengthen the government machinery.

After handing over the appointment letters in his office at Punjab Civil Secretariat-1, S. Hardeep Singh Mundian congratulated the newly appointed employees and urged them to serve the people with utmost honesty, dedication and sincerity. He said that the Punjab Government is working round the clock to provide employment opportunities to the state’s youth in accordance with their merit and capabilities. The entire recruitment process is being conducted in a completely fair and transparent manner so as to further strengthen the faith of hardworking youth in the government system, he added.

Notably, the recruitment process for these clerks was completed through the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board in a transparent manner. The candidates who received the appointment letters included Arpit, Rajwinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh. Happiness was clearly visible on the faces of the families of the newly appointed candidates. The newly appointed employees expressed gratitude towards the Punjab Government and assured that they would live up to the expectations of the department and make their due contribution towards the progress of the state.

Prominent amongst others who were present included Secretary Revenue Mr. T. Benith and other senior officials.

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No paddy from outside Punjab should be allowed to enter State's mandis: Lal Chand Kataruchak to DFSCs

Border districts need to be extra vigilant

Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister directs DFSCs to coordinate with Mandi Board officers for successful paddy season 2026-27

Chandigarh, September 15:Lauding the District Food Supply Controllers (DFSCs) for ensuring the stupendous success of previous 9 procurement seasons, the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak today exhorted the DFSCs to pull up their socks and ensure the success of upcoming paddy season (2026-27) too.

No paddy from outside Punjab should be allowed to enter the mandis of State under any circumstances, said Mr. Kataruchak adding that the DFSCs of especially the border states need to make sure that no bogus entries are done and they need to be extra vigilant in this regard.

The DFSCs most coordinate with the officers of the Mandi Board for a successful procurement season and take care to ensure that interests of all the stakeholders specially the farmers are well looked after.

As regards the storage space issue, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is taking up the same with the Union Government at regular basis, added the Minister.

With regard to the faster movement of food grains from the State to create more storage space for the fast approaching paddy season, it was brought to the notice of Minister that the General Manager, Food Corporation of India (FCI) would be approached for accelerating the pace of movement of food grains from Punjab on priority basis.

The Minister was also apprised that the target for the Paddy procurement season 2026-27 has been fixed at 180 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) and area under cultivation stands at 26.22 Lakh Hectare Area. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) has been fixed at Rs. 2441 Per Quintal. As regarding the Bales, 4.20 Lakh bales are already available against the need of 5.09 lakh which makes the availability come to 82 percent. Also, 3600 mills are ready for the allotment of paddy.

Among others present on the occasion included the Principal Secretary Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Rahul Tiwari, Additional Secretary Kamal Kumar Garg, Additional Directors Dr. Anjuman Bhaskar and Ajayveer Singh Sarao.

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*Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema Directs Health Department to Form Joint Committee to Resolve NHM Employees’ Issues*

*Bhagwant Mann Govt committed to resolving employees’ genuine concerns & strengthening trust with its workforce: Harpal Singh Cheema*

*Harpal Singh Cheema orders Education Department to resolve teachers’ salary & transfer issues within fixed timeline*

CHANDIGARH; 15th September 2026:To leave no stone unturned in addressing employees’ grievances, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who also chairs the Cabinet Sub-Committee formed to resolve employees’ issues, on Tuesday directed the Health and Family Welfare Department to constitute a Joint Committee comprising officers from the Health, Finance, and Social Welfare Departments, a special invitee from the Education Department, and two members from the NHM Employees Union to iron out the issues faced by National Health Mission (NHM) employees. Meanwhile, the Finance Minister has set the wheels in motion for the Education Department to resolve the pressing salary and transfer concerns of various teachers' unions in a strictly time-bound manner.

During deliberations held in the presence of Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema directed the Health Department to prepare a comprehensive agenda after consulting other unions under the National Health Mission (NHM), so that the newly formed committee could find an amicable solution to their issues.

The Finance Minister emphasised, “The joint committee must take the bull by the horns by discussing the financial liabilities and legal obligations linked to the unions’ demands.” He directed the Health Department to present the final proposal before the Cabinet Sub-Committee for further discussion and implementation.

Meanwhile, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema also listened to the concerns of teachers’ unions, including the 4161 Master Cadre Adhiyapak Union, 3704 Adhiyapak Union, Computer Teachers Union and the 180 ETT TET Pass Adhiyapak Association (Jai Singh Wala). Most of their issues revolved around transfers and salaries. He instructed the Education Department to resolve their legitimate demands in a time-bound manner, providing much-needed relief to the educators shaping the state’s future.

The Finance Minister reiterated, “The Bhagwant Singh Mann Government remains committed to going the extra mile to resolve employees’ genuine concerns, thereby strengthening trust between the state government and its workforce.”

The meetings saw active participation from representatives including Dr. Wahid Mohammed, Dr. Amandeep Kaur, Dr. Jatinder Sandhu, and Ranjeet Kaur from the NHM Employees Union; Sandeep Singh, Balkar Singh, and Kuldeep Singh from the 4161 Master Cadre Adhiyapak Union; Jagjeevanjot Singh, Rajeshwar Rai, Rakesh Kumar, and Sumeetpal Singh from the 3704 Adhiyapak Union; Gurwinder Singh, Suneet Sarin, Gagandeep Singh, and Seetal Singh from the Computer Teachers Union; and Kamal Thakur, Sohan Singh, Gurmukh Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Gaurav Kant, and Parshotam from the 180 ETT TET Pass Adhiyapak Association (Jai Singh Wala).

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*Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema Hands Over Appointment Letters to 12 New Clerks*

*New clerks will help take Bhagwant Singh Mann Govt's welfare policies from paper to reality across state: Harpal Singh Cheema*

*12 new clerks will make Treasury operations more efficient and help deliver public services faster: Harpal Singh Cheema*

CHANDIGARH; 15th September 2026:In a steadfast effort to beef up the state’s financial administration, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday handed over appointment letters to 12 newly recruited Clerks, who are slated to join various Treasury Offices across the state.

Welcoming the fresh talent into the state government fold, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema warmly congratulated the newly recruited employees as they embarked on a new chapter in their professional lives. Handing over their appointment letters, he wished them a bright, fulfilling and successful career ahead.

Addressing the newly appointed employees, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated, “Stepping into government service is not merely about securing a livelihood; it brings with it a heavy mantle of responsibility. I urge you to discharge your duties with unflinching honesty, unwavering dedication and a profound sense of public duty.”

Highlighting the importance of Treasury Offices, the minister emphasised, “The Treasury Offices are the very backbone of our government's financial management system. Strengthening efficiency and ensuring our financial operations remain crystal clear and above board is a key priority for the Punjab Government. We expect you to leave no stone unturned in upholding these values.”

Highlighting the immediate impact of these recruitments, Harpal Singh Cheema stated, “This infusion of fresh blood will significantly grease the wheels of the state’s Treasury Offices. By bolstering the workforce, the government aims to ensure that treasury operations run like a well-oiled machine, ultimately helping deliver essential public services to the common man in a far more timely and efficient manner.”

Calling upon the newly appointed clerks to work with absolute commitment, the finance minister emphasised that their day-to-day efforts would be instrumental in translating the Punjab Government's progressive policies and public welfare initiatives from paper to reality, ensuring that the benefits reach every corner of the state.

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*Despite 2 Units Of Ropar Power Plant Being Down, Punjab Faced No Power Shortage: Tarunpreet Singh Sond*

*Punjab Met Highest-Ever Power Demand Of 17,281 MW Without Shortage-Related Cuts: Tarunpreet Singh Sond*

CHANDIGARH; 15th September 2026:Punjab Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond on Tuesday said that despite two units of the Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant, Ropar, with a combined capacity of 150 MW, being non-functional, “there was no power shortage in Punjab and no shortage-related power cuts were imposed anywhere.”

In a statement, Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said, “Two units of the Ropar power plant, with a combined capacity of 150 MW, are presently down. One of these units will be operational by tomorrow morning, while the other will be operational within a few days. Despite this, there has been no power shortage in Punjab and the people have not faced any shortage-related disruption in electricity supply.”

Highlighting the state’s ability to meet the unprecedented demand, the Power Minister said, “Punjab met a demand of 16,268 MW on September 12 at 2:15 PM, 16,455 MW on September 13 at 11:45 AM and 17,281 MW on September 14 at 3 PM. The demand of 17,281 MW met on September 14 is the highest demand ever met by Punjab. Despite two units being down, there was no power shortage in the state.”