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.
After the historic victory of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said the oath-taking of the state's new cabinet would be held in martyr Bhagat Singh's ancestral village.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for its clean sweep in the Punjab Assembly elections, and assured the party of all possible help from the Centre.
While the bookies are betting on the basis of per seat in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, in Goa and Uttarakhand, they are betting on forming the government. In Punjab, they are giving the AAP 40 paise against a rupee, predicting a possible AAP government in the state.
The Commission also said elaborate and full proof arrangements have been made at all the counting centres. All strong rooms, where polled EVMs are kept, are under three-layered security with inner cordon manned by central armed police forces and the candidates concerned have been watching the strong room arrangements through CCTV coverage of 24x7.
The police recovered 1.1 kg of gold, 1.9 kg of silver articles and a bike from the accused persons. The arrested persons are identified as Karate Seena a.k.a Srinivas, Kokkare Satish and Tejas, all residents of north Bengaluru.
In February, last year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had informed the Supreme Court that the Tamil Nadu Governor has recorded that the President of India is the competent authority to deal with pardon plea of A.G. Perarivalan, one of the convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
