Chandigarh, May 20 (IANS) In a bid to provide the best healthcare services free of cost, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced to launch his government's flagship programne of Mohalla Clinics, with 75 clinics to be dedicated in the first phase on August 15.
Chairing a high-level meeting here, Mann said his government would be fulfilling one of the major poll promises with setting up of these clinics both in urban and rural areas in a phased manner on the pattern of Delhi.
He also gave nod to convert the non-functional Sewa Kendras across the state into Mohalla Clinics, thereby refurbishing such complexes, while directing the Principal Secretary, Public Works, to work out modalities for sprucing-up the interiors of Sewa Kendras so that they could be suitably converted into Mohalla Clinics.
The Chief Minister also suggested forming a cluster of five to six adjoining villages by establishing a Mohalla Clinic at a central location, easily accessible to all.
This would help bringing a majority of people residing in rural areas within the ambit of Mohalla Clinics, he said.
Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, informed the Chief Minister about the already existing network of nearly 3000 sub-centres in rural areas being efficiently manned by the trained paramedic staff headed by Community Health Officers.
He mooted a proposal to convert these sub-centres also into Mohalla Clinics, thus widening its scope and outreach so that the maximum number of people residing in villages could be benefitted from the healthcare initiative.
The Enforcement Directorate has questioned former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi at its Jalandhar office in connection with the illegal sand mining case involving Channi's nephew, Bhupinder Singh Honey, and others.
Extending his best wishes to all Indians living in the country as well as abroad, he said: "These festivals celebrated all across the country reflect our diversity and also emphasise our unity. The festivals are occasions of enjoyment for the farmer community who work tirelessly for the betterment and progress of the nation."
The deceased was identified as Himanshu while his wife Priya (30) and son Krishna (3) are presently admitted to Safdarjung Hospital. The other injured were Harsh Makkar (40), his wife Seema (35), one Ice Cream vendor Ranjeet Sarkar (32) and one pedestrian Varun Kashyap (35).
On the 103rd anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh, the Congress paid tributes to the martyrs and attacked the current government over alleged "authoritarian mentality" and said in new India it's same "tyranny".
A spokesperson for the Chief Minister's Office said the Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies, briefed the Cabinet about the status of the ongoing procurement. It was informed that 14.9 lakh metric tons of wheat had arrived in the mandis out of which more than 12 lakh metric tons had already been purchased.
The deceased, Sarabjit Singh Brar, was a resident of Laburnum Apartments at DLF Phase 1 in Gurugram. At the time of the incident that occured on Wednesday morning, Brar was at his flat along with his wife.
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