Election Commission streamlining Index Card and Statistical Reports for faster sharing: Sibin C
Chandigarh, June 6:Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C informed that the Election Commission under the Chairmanship of the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi has streamlined, technology-driven system to generate Index Cards and various statistical reports after the conduct of the elections. This upgraded mechanism replaces the traditional manual methods, which were often time-consuming and prone to delays. By leveraging automation and data integration, the new system ensures faster reporting.
The Index Card is a non-statutory, post-election Statistical Reporting Format developed as a suo moto initiative by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to promote accessibility of election-related data at the constituency level for all stakeholders, including researchers, academia, policymakers, journalists, and the general public. Designed to disseminate data across multiple dimensions-such as candidates, electors, votes polled, votes counted, party-wise and candidate-wise vote share, gender-based voting patterns, regional variations, and performance of political parties-the Index Card forms the foundation for generating about 35 Statistical Reports for Lok Sabha elections and 14 for State Assembly elections. These reports cover variables like State/PC/AC-wise elector details, number of polling stations, state and constituency-wise voter turnout, participation of women electors, performance of national/state parties and Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs), winning candidates' analysis, detailed constituency-wise results, and summary data reports. This rich, data-driven resource enhances the capacity for deep electoral research contributing to a stronger democratic discourse. However, these statistical reports are meant solely for academic and research purposes and are based on secondary data from Index Cards, while the primary and final data remains in the statutory forms maintained by the concerned Returning Officers.
Earlier, this information was manually filled at the Constituency level using various statutory formats in Physical Index Cards. These physical Index Cards were subsequently used for data entry into the online system to facilitate the generation of statistical reports. This manual, multi-layered process was time-consuming and frequently led to delays in data availability and dissemination.
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ECI organised One-Day Orientation Programme for Media Officers
- PRO Narinder Pal Singh Jagdeo and SVEEP Consultant Manpreet Aneja represented Punjab
- Apprised Punjab CEO office’s innovative voter awareness initiatives
Chandigarh, June 6:The Election Commission of India organized a one-day orientation programme on Thursday for Media Nodal Officers and Social Media Nodal Officers from across the country. The session was held at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi.
The programme aimed to strengthen coordination between election officials and media representatives, promote effective use of social media, and raise awareness about the Commission’s initiatives to ensure voter participation and transparency in the electoral process.
Media officers from 28 states and 8 Union Territories attended the session. Punjab was represented by Information and Public Relations Officer Narinder Pal Singh Jagdeo and SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) Consultant Manpreet Aneja. Addressing the participants, Chief Election Commissioner of India, Gyanesh Kumar, emphasized the need for media officers to be more proactive and tech-savvy in the rapidly evolving communication landscape.
During the session, Punjab’s innovative initiatives in voter awareness were highlighted. The participants were informed about several steps taken by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, during the Lok Sabha elections 2024. These included Facebook Live sessions by CEO Sibin C, real-time responses to voter queries, and a dedicated podcast series. Daily briefings, updates, and voter education messages disseminated through various media channels were also shared as best practices.
The programme served as a valuable platform for knowledge sharing, fostering collaboration, and reinforcing the role of media in strengthening democratic processes.
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HARBHAJAN SINGH ETO'S EFFORTS BEAR FRUIT: TWO ADDITIONAL 800 MW POWER GENERATION UNITS TO BE SET UP IN ROPAR
INSTALLATION OF NEW 800 MW POWER PLANT UNIT IN PUNJAB APPROVED
DEMAND FOR FULFILLING PUNJAB GOVT'S REQUEST FOR 1000 MW POWER DURING PADDY SEASON
POWER MINISTER VIGOROUSLY RAISES RDSS SCHEME ISSUE
Chandigarh, June 6:Punjab Power Minister S. Harbhajan Singh ETO's relentless efforts have borne fruit as the Union Power Minister has approved the setting up of three additional 800 MW power generation units in the state. During a conference of North Indian Power Ministers organized by the Government of India's Power Department today, S. Harbhajan Singh ETO raised this matter, while representing the state of Punjab.
The conference was chaired by Union Power Minister Mr. Manohar Lal Khattar, with participation from Power Ministers and officials from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Delhi.
S. Harbhajan Singh ETO demanded an increase in the existing power generation capacity of Ropar Thermal Plant, stating that while Punjab has its own coal mines, the Union Government's condition of not transporting coal beyond 1000 kilometers is creating difficulties in expanding the capacity of these thermal plants. Accepting the demand, the Union Power Minister instructed officials to extend the coal transportation limit to more than 1500 kilometers and approved the establishment of two additional 800 MW power generation plants in Ropar. Besides this, approval was also granted for setting up a new 800 MW unit in Punjab. With this approval from the Union Power Minister, the path has been cleared for setting up 2400 MW thermal plants in Punjab.
Regarding the Union Government's target of 7000 MW solar power generation in the state, the Cabinet Minister said that due to high land costs in Punjab, achieving targets in this direction faces challenges. However, the Punjab Government is making efforts to establish these solar projects in neighbouring states from where power supply to Punjab would be convenient.
While strongly advocating Punjab's position on power-related matters, Power Minister S. Harbhajan Singh ETO demanded prompt fulfillment of the 1000 MW power requested by the Punjab Government from the Union Government in view of the paddy season. He stressed that Punjab has always contributed significantly to securing the nation's food reserves; therefore, keeping the paddy season in mind, Punjab's demand should be fulfilled at the earliest so that farmers can receive timely power supply and irrigate their paddy crops. Currently, Punjab state is receiving 275 MW power from the central pool.
S. Harbhajan Singh ETO informed that all necessary approvals have been obtained for upgrading the capacity of two existing 100 MVA transformers at BBMB Jalandhar to 160 MVA and the expenditure for this work is to be borne by the Punjab Government. However, this matter is still not progressing, causing difficulties. Thus, the pending action should be expedited so that the BBMB Jalandhar unit can be operated properly.
The Power Minister also raised the issue of the Union Government's RDSS scheme, stating that under this scheme, the Union Government was supposed to provide a 60% share of a Rs.3600 crore project in a 60-40 ratio to strengthen Punjab's power supply infrastructure. However, due to increased project costs and fixed central grants, the grant percentage has decreased from 60% to 40%, resulting in approximately Rs.300 crore loss to Punjab state. He demanded that the Union Government should approve this project at new rates considering this situation.
The Cabinet Minister reiterated that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led government is committed to providing the best power supply to the people of the state.
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DAY 97 OF ‘YUDH NASHIAN VIRUDH’: 134 DRUG SMUGGLERS HELD WITH 1KG HEROIN, ₹4.9L DRUG MONEY
— AS PART OF ‘DE-ADDICTION’, PUNJAB POLICE CONVINCE 110 PERSONS TO UNDERGO DE-ADDICTION TREATMENT
CHANDIGARH, June 6:With the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state entered 97th day, Punjab Police on Thursday arrested 134 drug smugglers and recovered 1.08 kg heroin and Rs 4.97 lakhs drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 16,079 in just 97 days.
The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 Police districts of the state.
Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has asked the Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendent of Police to make Punjab drug free state. The Punjab government has also constituted a 5-member Cabinet Sub Committee led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema to monitor the war against drugs.
Divulging details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla informed that over 200 Police teams, comprising over 1500 police personnel, under the supervision of 94 gazetted officers have conducted raids at as many as 537 locations across the state leading to the registration of 96 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 572 suspicious persons during the day-long operation, he added.
The Special DGP said that with the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)— to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police as part of ‘De-addiction’ has convinced 110 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.
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CROSS-BORDER ARMS SMUGGLING NETWORK BUSTED IN AMRITSAR; TWO HELD WITH EIGHT PISTOLS
— ARRESTED ACCUSED WERE WORKING UNDER DIRECTIONS OF PAKISTAN-BASED SMUGGLER NOOR: DGP GAURAV YADAV
— RECOVERED WEAPONS WERE TO BE SUPPLIED TO GANGSTERS IN PUNJAB, SAYS DGP PUNJAB
CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR, June 6:Amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar has busted a cross-border illegal arms smuggling module with links to Pakistan and arrested two of its operatives, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Friday.
Those arrested have been identified as Sukhchain Singh, a resident of Daoke in Amritsar and Jugraj Singh, a resident of village Bhakna Kalan in Amritsar. Police teams have also recovered eight sophisticated pistols— three 9MM Glock, four Px5, and one .30 bore pistol— from their possession, besides, impounding their black Splendor motorcycle (PB02DC1197) being used for transporting the consignments.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused were acting under the directions of Pakistan-based smuggler identified as Noor, a resident of Manihala in Pakistan, who has been using drones to drop weapon consignments from across the border. The arrested accused were further distributing the arms to gangsters across Punjab with intention to fuel criminal activities in the state, he said.
Sharing operation details, the DGP said that CI Amritsar has received specific intelligence about retrieval of weapon consignment from near village Bhaini Rajputtan in the jurisdiction of Gharinda in Amritsar.
Acting swiftly, police teams have intercepted duo on Amritsar-Attari GT Road near Khasa in Amritsar, when they were going to deliver the consignment on their motorcycle, and recovered weapons from their possession, he said, while adding that further investigations are underway to uncover the network’s backward and forward linkages.
A case FIR No. 34 dated 05.06.2025 under sections 25, 25(1)(A) and 25(1)(B) of the Arms Act and section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered at Police Station SSOC, Amritsar.
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MANN GOVERNMENT PROVIDES MAJOR RELIEF TO THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE; ₹16.36 CRORE RELEASED FOR BENEFICIARIES FROM BACKWARD CLASSES AND ECONOMICALLY WEAKER SECTIONS: DR BALJIT KAUR
3,207 Beneficiaries Across 18 Districts to Receive Benefits under Ashirwad Scheme
State Government Provides ₹51,000 Assistance per Beneficiary under the Scheme, Says Dr. Baljit Kaur
Chandigarh, June 06:Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities Minister, Dr. Baljit Kaur, today informed that the Punjab Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has provided significant financial relief to the people of the state by releasing ₹16.36 crore under the Ashirwad Scheme for 3,207 beneficiaries belonging to Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections during the current financial year 2025-26.
Giving further details, the Cabinet Minister stated that applications under the Ashirwad Scheme were received this year through the Ashirwad Portal from 3,207 beneficiaries belonging to Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections across 18 districts, namely Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Sri Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Mansa, Moga, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Patiala, Pathankot, SAS Nagar, Sangrur, Malerkotla and Tarn Taran.
To cover these beneficiaries, the government has sanctioned a total financial assistance of ₹16.36 crore.
The Minister added that, through this released amount, 94 beneficiaries from Barnala, 219 from Bathinda, 80 from Faridkot, 41 from Sri Fatehgarh Sahib, 137 from Fazilka, 135 from Gurdaspur, 602 from Hoshiarpur, 123 from Jalandhar, and 27 from Kapurthala have been provided financial benefits.
Similarly, financial assistance has also been disbursed to 254 beneficiaries in Mansa, 64 in Moga, 43 in Sri Muktsar Sahib, 616 in Patiala, 127 in Pathankot, 200 in SAS Nagar, 288 in Sangrur, 16 in Malerkotla, and 141 in Tarn Taran.
Dr. Baljit Kaur highlighted that under the Ashirwad Scheme, the state government provides financial assistance of ₹51,000 for the marriage of girls belonging to families with low income backgrounds.
She further informed that to avail benefits under the scheme, the applicant must be a permanent resident of Punjab, belong to a family falling below the poverty line, and should belong to a Scheduled Caste, Backward Class, or Economically Weaker Section. The total annual family income should not exceed ₹32,790, and up to two daughters from such a family are eligible for assistance under the scheme.
The Minister stated that the financial aid is disbursed directly into the beneficiaries' bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), ensuring transparency and efficiency.
Dr. Baljit Kaur reaffirmed that the Mann Government is committed not only to the welfare of all sections of society but is also actively working for the upliftment and socio-economic empowerment of Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections across the state.
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