Punjab on Thursday launched a slew of welfare projects, including Dheeiyan Di Lohri, free sanitary pads for high school and college girl students in the state.
Dheeyian Di Lohri
The CM dedicated January to the girl child as ‘Dheeiyan Di Lohri’ and in a symbolic gesture, he blessed five girl children, along with their mothers, with a shagun of ₹5,100 and baby kits for each. Under the special scheme ‘Dheeiyan Di Lohri ‘, a series of events will be held every day across districts, beginning with Mohali district, through the month to mark Lohri, which will see congratulatory letters penned and signed by the CM being handed over to the parents of more than 1.5 lakh girls celebrating their first Lohri this year.
He also announced free sanitary pads to all girl students of high schools and colleges besides those residing in rural areas, especially the slums across the state.
Basera for slum dwellers
With the launch of the BASERA programme, 2,816 slum dwellers in ten slums of Patiala, Bathinda, Fazilka and Moga districts will get proprietary rights in the first phase. Those living in three slums of Moga will be granted their rights by shifting them to a separate land in Municipal Corporation at Moga Jeet Singh.
He asked the local government department to ensure basic civic amenities including potable drinking water, street lighting and roads to the slum dwellers for a comfortable life.
Smart Power Meters
Launching the ₹75.64 crore 3-phase Smart Metering project, the CM said the consumer-friendly scheme will help reduce human error in manual reading through automatic uploading of data. From January 2021 to December 2021, a total of 96,000 meters will be installed across the state by PSPCL under the project, which will also help to curb the malpractice of reading concealment/theft of electricity and improve the reading/billing efficiency and quality. These meters will enable consumers to view instantaneous/live data as well as the last bill data via PSPCL Consumer App, besides maintaining and regulating power consumption. They will have the option to change meter to prepaid or post-paid. Rebate in tariff is admissible to the consumer under prepaid option and the same meter can be used as a Bidirectional meter for Solar Net metering, said Captain. Consumers will not need to visit DISCOM offices to register complaint of wrong meter readings now.
E-Daakhil for consumers
Singh said that the new e-Daakhil portal would help consumers safeguard their rights. It will provide them with an effective mechanism to protect them from exploitation at the hands of traders, and will facilitate them in approaching consumer courts with ease. Created to enable e-filling of consumer complaints in accordance with the new Consumer Protection Act 2019, which envisages filling of consumer dispute electronically to Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, the portal will facilitate online filling of complaints by citizens/advocates.
Cricket kits for youth Launching the scheme for distribution of 2,500 sports/cricket kits, through community participation, especially of the Ludhiana industry, the CM said it would help promote health awareness and sports culture. He hoped the initiative of Punjab Youth Development Board Chairman Sukhwinder Singh Bindra will help inculcate sportsmanship spirit amongst youth.
