CHANDIGARH, JANUARY 3, 2019: Strenuous efforts of Invest Punjab to woo foreign investments on Thursday fructified as the Punjab Agro has received an export order of 200 MT fresh kinnow from Punjab to United Arab Emirates.
Disclosing this here today Managing Director Punjab Agro Sibin C informed that UAE based Lulu Group-largest retail chains in Asia had finalized the export order with Punjab Agro, which would be dispatched shortly. He said that recently a high level delegation of Lulu Group visited Punjab and held detailed discussions with the officers of Punjab Agro regarding its products. He said that the agency had secured this order as the delegation during its visit had sought samples of fresh fruits.
Mr. Siban said that the Punjab Agro Juices Limited (PAJL) had also fixed the target to process the 200 MT Kinnows fruit during the current kinnow season.
MD Punjab Agro said that PAJL has already exported more than 26 containers of concentrate pepper mash cayenne (chilli paste) of valued of Rs. 2.52 crore to Saudi Arabia and Dubai. The business enquiries related to chilli paste have also been received from other countries like Iran, Mauritius, Dubai, etc. For making the chilli paste for export, the raw material would be procured from Punjab in the forthcoming season. Punjab Agro has also presently been processing Organic Amla at its Hoshiarpur Plant.
Notably, Punjab Agro has been processing a wide variety of fruits & vegetables at its two multi fruit & vegetables processing units at Abohar and Hoshiarpur (Punjab) for sale to all major companies/MNC’s besides fruit drinks/food products in the retail market and also directly marketing fresh fruit & vegetables including export both in the domestic market through NeML and also by facilitating export, thus providing remunerative prices to the farmers of the State. The plants are designed to process Kinnows & de-bitter the juice and have the capacity to process other fruits & vegetables such as tomato, carrots, pomegranate, papaya, guava, pears, pumpkins, melons, chilli, jamun, mangoes, strawberry, litchis, amla, aloe vera etc.
Punjab Agro is also providing marketing intervention by providing organic wheat, paddy, etc. and marketing the same in retail market.
Schools timings changed in Punjab due to foggy weather
Chandigarh: Considering foggy conditions in the State, The Punjab Education Department has issued an order to change the timings of all the Govt, private, aided and recognised Primary, Middle, High and Senior Secondary Schools in the state.
Disclosing this, Punjab Education Minister Mr. O.P. Soni said that to ensure that our children are kept safe from intense fog and harsh weather conditions, we have decided to change the school timings with immediate effect. The new timings would be from 10 am to 4 pm for all the Primary schools and 10 am to 4:15 pm for all the Middle, High and Senior Secondary Schools. The changed timings will be immediately effective till further orders.
STATE LEVEL REPUBLIC DAY TO BE HELD IN HOSHIARPUR
CHANDIGARH: In a partial modification to the earlier issued schedule of National Flag Hoisting on the occasion of Republic Day, the Punjab Governor V.P. Singh Badnore will now unfurl the National flag at Hoshiarpur at the state level function on the occasion of Republic Day on January 26.
Giving information about this, an official spokesman said that the Punjab Government vide its letter issued today by General Administration Department, the duties relating to hoisting the National Flag, now Punjab Governor Mr. V.P. Badnore would hoist the National Flag at Hoshiarpur in place of S.A.S. Nagar whereas Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha Mr. Rana K.P. Singh would hoist the flag at S.A.S. Nagar in the place of Hoshiarpur.
GURSHARAN KAUR RANDHAWA ASSUMES CHARGE AS CHAIRPERSON OF PUNJAB STATE SOCIAL WELFARE BOARD
Chandigarh: The newly appointed Chairperson of the Punjab State Social Welfare Board Mrs. Gursharan Kaur Randhawa here today assumed charge amid presence of former Minister of State for External Affairs Mrs. Preneet Kaur, Social Security, Women & Child Development Minister Mrs. Aruna Chaudhary, Welfare Minister Mr. Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development & Labour Minister Mr. Balbir Singh Sidhu.
In a glittering ceremony held here at the Social Welfare Bhawan in Sector-35, Mrs. Preneet Kaur in her address wished well to the new Chairperson and said that the new Chairperson is hard working as well as well experienced who has rendered exceptional services as the Chairperson of Zila Parishad Patiala. The former Union Minister further said that the Punjab Government by giving this prestigious post to an honest worker has boosted the morale of all ground level workers besides taking a giant step towards the welfare of women and children.
On the occasion, Mrs. Aruna Chaudhary said that under the leadership of Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh has undertaken significant steps aimed at the welfare of women. Not only this but the state government by granting 50 percent reservation to the women in the Panchayats and the Municipalities, has fulfilled a major demand of this section of the society. The minister expressed strong hope that Mrs. Randhawa would contribute a great deal in the field of social welfare.
On the occasion while thanking and expressing gratitude to the Chief Minister, Mrs. Preneet Kaur and Mrs. Aruna Chaudhary, the new Chairperson Mrs. Gursharan Kaur Randhawa said that she would fulfill to the best of her ability the responsibility assigned to her. Divulging more, Mrs. Randhawa said that her priority would be to get implemented at grassroots level the schemes being run for the women and children so as to ensure that the beneficiaries derive full benefit of these schemes. She also hoped that her appointment would propel the workers to work with renewed zest and vigour.
Among others present on the occasion included MLA Mr. Hardayal Singh Kamboj and Mr. Madan Lal Jalalpur, Secretary of the board Mr. Abhishek, Mr. Narinder Singh, Mr. Jaswinder Singh Randhawa and Mr. Dalbir Singh Randhawa.
SOPHISTICATED EQUIPMENT WORTH RS.10 CR. INSTALLED IN STATE LAB TO CHECK ADULTERATION OF DESI GHEE
Chandigarh: To contain the cunning, unscrupulous adulterated ghee makers, sophisticated equipments worth Rs.10 crore has been installed at State Food Safety Laboratory in Kharar, informed Mr. Kahan Singh Pannu, Commissioner Food Safety Punjab.
He said that officials of Food and Drug Commissionerate have been pouncing upon food adulterators since the launch of Mission Tandrust Punjab in June 2018. They have been conducting a large number of inspections of food items on daily basis. The samples seized therein are analyzed in the State Lab at Kharar and requisite action is taken against the adulterators. However, due to absence of high-tech machinery, the desi ghee adulteration was not being successfully curtailed. The clever adulterators evaded scrutiny by mixing vegetable oil with Reichert Meissel (RM) value enhancing chemical to make cheap quality Desi Ghee.
But now State of the art Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometer (ICPMS) and Gas Chromatograph – Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) have been installed in the Food Safety Laboratory. These equipments will be used to detect any kind of adulteration in food samples especially Desi Ghee. Besides, Liquid Chromatograph – Mass Spectrometer (LCMS) has also been procured and it will detect aflatoxins, mycotoxins etc in food samples.
He said that all the Desi Ghee manufacturers have been asked to get their Ghee samples tested voluntarily from State Food Safety Lab at the earliest and warned strict action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 against the desi ghee manufacturers who don’t desist from adulteration.
Revenue Commission Seeks suggestions on ‘The Land leasing and Tenancy Bill, 2019’
Chandigarh: To make agricultural land leasing secure and simple for both the land owner and the tenant, the Punjab Revenue Commission (PRC) has drafted ‘The Punjab Land Leasing and Tenancy Bill, 2019’.The six-member Commission, headed by Justice (Retd.) S.S. Saron, has uploaded the Bill on Revenue Department and PLRs websites revenue.punjab.gov.in, plrs.org.in and sought the public suggestions on the Bill.
Notably, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh led Punjab Government had constituted the Revenue Commission to bring efficiency in the working of Revenue department to make it further people friendly. The commission has mandated to make new acts and send its recommendations for amendments in the department’s Manuals and Acts.
An official spokesperson said that any person/Union can send their suggestions on ‘The Punjab Land Leasing and Tenancy Bill, 2019’ till 17 January, 2019.
He said that the purpose of this Act was to protect the rights of the cultivators and the land owner, besides enhancing cooperation between them. It would also ensure tenant/farmers to have access to institutional credit without affecting the landowner's title rights.