Chandigarh, July 27 (IANS) Following the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Mandi Board will install solar power plants in all the mandis to provide affordable electricity across the state.
This has been stated by Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, while chairing a meeting with senior officials of the department here on Wednesday.
Dhaliwal ordered the officials to start the work of installing solar power plants in all grain and vegetable markets at once in the state.
Officials said under a pilot project net metering roof top solar power plant in four mandis are being installed and such solar power plants will be installed in 23 mandis.
The minister said a project report should be prepared for all grain and vegetable markets for setting up net monitoring solar power plants so that the people can be provided with affordable electricity. He directed to install sheds on which solar panels could be installed easily.
The minister also issued instructions to take action to strengthen the link roads and make them 18 feet wide under the Mandi Board.
Along with this, he said that the damaged link roads should be repaired immediately.
Making an announcement in a video message, he said the Aam Aadmi Party government's scheme is aimed at providing good quality ration 'atta' (wheat flour) and 'daal' (pulses) to the people packed in clean gunny bags.
About 105.14 lakh farmers have been benefited with an MSP value of Rs 1,45,358.13 crore, government data showed. Apart from Punjab (1,87,28,335 MT) and Chhattisgarh (92,01,000 MT), the other top paddy procurement states included Telangana (70,22,000 MT), Uttar Pradesh (65,53,029 MT) Odisha (57,16,134), Haryana (55,30,596), Madhya Pradesh (45,82,610), and Bihar (44,90,319 MT).
The bank employees organised demonstrations, sit-in protests, processions and rallies near their workplaces in different cities and towns protesting against the privatisation of banks undertaken by the Centre.
While complimenting the enforcement officers, he said their hands-on approach has led to large number of seizures in the state of fake and smuggled goods. He was speaking at an interactive session by FICCI CASCADE on the 'Strategies' to combat smuggling and counterfeiting, here.
Cheema was responding the Centre's decision on new rules governing the Chandigarh Administration employees, who are currently working under the Punjab service rules but will now come under the Central Civil Services Rules.
Reacting strongly to the announcement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to bring Chandigarh union territory employees under Central civil services rules, the SAD said, "It is incumbent on the AAP government to make the Centre understand that Chandigarh is a union territory as per an ad-hoc arrangement only.
