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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Arogya Kendras still with AAC branding, CM Mann's picture on prescription slips
While the health department had converted 65 Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs) into Ayushman Arogya Kendras in January, the facilities' interior keep bearing the branding of Aam Aadmi Clinic (AAC) and a picture of chief minister Bhagwant Mann on prescription slips. The change was made to restore central government's funding under the National Health Mission (NHM). CM Mann's picture and AAC brandings on the exterior were removed and replaced with new boards bearing the changed name and logo. District nodal officer, AACs, Dr Seema Chopra, said, 'We were asked by the higher-ups to change the branding only on the exterior of the buildings. We were told nothing about the interiors.' There were a total of 94 AACs in Ludhiana. The ones being jointly run by the state and Union governments were rebranded. The rest (29), which are completely funded by the state government, continue as AACs. The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) criticised the state government's move of retaining AACs branding on the interiors of the Aarogya Kendras. BJP district president Rajnish Dhiman said, 'Earlier, the state was deprived of essential funding under the National Health Mission due to the AAP-led state government's failure to comply with rules set for Aarogya Kendras, turning these health facilities into an avenue for advertisement. Now, if the Union government takes a strong note of this, and the funding is stopped again, the AAP will blame the Centre.' 'If the funding stops, it will be the people who will be at the receiving end,' he added. Since 2023, the state government has opened 842 Aam Aadmi Clinics in the state. While some of these were new facilities built by the state government, others were opened at the already existing primary health centres and health and wellness centres, which were run by the Union and the state governments with contribution in the 60:40 ratio. The Union government had stopped funding (to the tune of over ₹700 crore) to Punjab under the National Health Mission (NHM) in early 2023. After almost two years of tussle, the Union government and the state government had in November 2024 came to an agreement wherein the state agreed removing the AAC branding and Mann's photos from the primary health centres and health and wellness centres to receive funds under the NHM.
India Gazette
15-05-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
To save 15-20% of groundwater, Punjab starts Direct Sowing of Rice
Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], May 15 (ANI): In a step further aimed at saving 15-20 per cent of the state's precious groundwater, the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Thursday started the Direct Sowing of Rice (DSR). This will act as a catalyst for checking the further depletion of groundwater and supplement farmers' incomes in a big way, said a statement from the CMO. In a statement issued here on Thursday, the Chief Minister said that since taking charge of his office, his government has taken several groundbreaking initiatives to safeguard the interests of the farmers. He said that only the state government has encouraged the DSR paddy cultivation technique as part of this endeavour, and sowing under the scheme has started today (Thursday). Bhagwant Mann said that his government has targeted bringing five lakh acres of land using the DSR technique during this Kharif season. Urging the farmers to make maximum use of this scheme, the Chief Minister said that this initiative aims to promote sustainable agriculture and conserve groundwater. CM Mann further said that he is immensely proud and satisfied that the state government is providing financial assistance worth Rs 1,500 per acre to farmers adopting DSR. He said that the state government has also allocated Rs 40 crore for this purpose in the financial year 2025-26, adding that farmers interested in the DSR scheme can register at the online portal from May 10 to June 30, 2025. CM said that this scheme will save 15-20% of the state's groundwater and reduce additional expenses on agriculture. Mann said that the DSR technique is a big boon for the state as it will help check the depletion of groundwater levels and reduce labour costs of approximately Rs 3,500 per acre. He said that the farmers should come forward and adopt this scheme and discharge their duty towards their motherland in a befitting manner. The Chief Minister said that the state government has always been sensitive to steering the farmers out of the prevailing agrarian crisis and saving the state's precious groundwater. He said that the state had played a key role in making the country self-reliant on food, but at the cost of overexploiting the state's only available natural resources, which are soil and water. However, Bhagwant Mann bemoaned that today's agriculture was no longer profitable as the farmers were facing an acute agrarian crisis due to ever-increasing farm inputs and non-remunerative Minimum Support Price (MSP). (ANI)
