Latest news with #HarjotBains
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Punjab school mentorship programme: 80 IAS and IPS officers to visit adopted schools from today
The Punjab government's 'School Mentorship Programme' will begin on Tuesday with the final list of 80 IAS/IPS/PCS/PPS officers, who have adopted as many government schools, regularly interacting with students and providing them career guidance. For instance, Khanna SSP Jyoti Yadav, the wife of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains, has adopted School of Eminence, Nangal, in Roopnagar district, their home district. Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain has adopted School of Eminence, Dholewal, Ludhiana, while Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney has adopted School of Eminence, Khanna. Moga SSP Ajay Gandhi has adopted School of Eminence at Landeke in Moga district, while former education secretary Kamal Kishor Yadav has adopted School of Eminence in Nakodar. Punjab Education Secretary Anindita Mitra said, 'The department has allotted schools to the officers. The programme will begin on Tuesday, with the officers visiting their respective schools.' Mitra has issued letters to all 80 officers on the list. According to the letters, 'Your presence and guidance will offer much-needed motivation to school staff and students and can significantly contribute to strengthening the culture of aspiration, dreams and highest performance in our government schools…. The School Mentorship Programme is conceived as a long-term engagement, with officers encouraged to continue mentoring the same school for a minimum of five years. The nature of engagement is flexible and may be shaped as per mutual convenience. However, officers are expected to maintain continuity of interaction and aim for at least one in-person visit per month, supplemented by remote follow-ups as feasible.' 'The role of the mentor officer is non-administrative and facilitative. Officers are not expected to intervene in routine operations or school-level administration. Rather, they are expected to offer encouragement, constructive feedback, and strategic support to the school leadership…. All engagement under this programme shall be treated as part of official duties,' the letter adds. The Punjab government has introduced a unique 'School Mentorship Programme', in which bureaucrats are being roped in to inspire and guide young minds to aim high in life. The initiative aims to bridge aspirations and opportunities for government school students by connecting them with civil servants. Divya Goyal is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Punjab. Her interest lies in exploring both news and feature stories, with an effort to reflect human interest at the heart of each piece. She writes on gender issues, education, politics, Sikh diaspora, heritage, the Partition among other subjects. She has also extensively covered issues of minority communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She also explores the legacy of India's partition and distinct stories from both West and East Punjab. She is a gold medalist from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, the most revered government institute for media studies in India, from where she pursued English Journalism (Print). Her research work on 'Role of micro-blogging platform Twitter in content generation in newspapers' had won accolades at IIMC. She had started her career in print journalism with Hindustan Times before switching to The Indian Express in 2012. Her investigative report in 2019 on gender disparity while treating women drug addicts in Punjab won her the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity in 2020. She won another Laadli for her ground report on the struggle of two girls who ride a boat to reach their school in the border village of Punjab. ... Read More
The Hindu
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Normalcy returns with cautious optimism to Punjab's border districts
Calm returned to Punjab, especially in districts sharing the International Border with Pakistan, on Sunday (May 11, 2025), after four days of intense military conflict between India and Pakistan. While tension prevailed on the intervening night of May 10 and 11 as Pakistan violated the ceasefire agreement, with blackouts enforced in multiple districts, including including Pathankot, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Fazilka, and Gurdaspur, the authorities on Sunday (May 11, 2025) morning asked people to resume normal activities and remain calm. Security forces continue to maintain constant vigil. Also read: India-Pakistan ceasefire updates on May 11, 2025 Educational institutions across the State will reopen on Monday (May 12, 2025). 'Regular classes and examinations will proceed as per the academic schedule,' Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains said. The Ferozepur district administration on Sunday (May 11, 2025) morning said the situation was peaceful in the area and 'work may be resumed as normal'. A statement from the Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner's office, however, urged people to refrain from bursting crackers and flying drones. Similar missives were dispatched by other district administrations, including Amritsar and Jalandhar. 'All is well here in Jalandhar. As per authentic information received, there is nothing to worry here and work may resume here as normal. Forces are on constant vigil,' Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal said. Cautious optimism was evident along with some anxiety as people returned to normal activities, and shops and commercial establishments opened. 'Anxiety is bound to be there during the combat, but no one here gets scared. We in the border villages and towns are used to such situations. Though it's good that both countries have agreed to a ceasefire, it's difficult to trust Pakistan. Today (Sunday), there has been a calm in the atmosphere, and most people are back to their routine,' Vijay Kakkar, (71), a resident of Ferozepur city, said. Sunil Dutt, a social worker and agriculturist in Dinanagar, close to the International Border in Gurdaspur district, said life returned to normal on Saturday (May 10, 2025). 'Most shops were open across the town and people in surrounding villages were seen in their fields as well. During the past three-four days, there were tense moments, but I always had immense faith in our defence forces,' Mr. Dutt said. Two held Meanwhile, Punjab police apprehended two individuals for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to a Pakistani official posted at thee Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. 'Acting on credible intelligence, one suspect was arrested by Malerkotla police for leaking sensitive information regarding Indian Army movements to a Pakistan-based handler. Based on disclosures made during interrogation, a second conduit was also identified and taken into custody,' Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said. 'Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused had been receiving payments through online transactions in exchange for classified information. They were in frequent contact with the handler and were involved in channelling funds to other local operatives as per his instructions,' the DGP said.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Air sirens sounded in Chandigarh; residents advised to remain indoors amid escalating tension
Air raid sirens were sounded in the Union Territory – Chandigarh on Friday (May 9, 2025) morning (around 9:30 am), following an air warning received from the Air Force station surrounding a possible aerial attack. Follow the Operation Sindoor LIVE The sirens were sounded across the city as a precautionary measure, and all were advised to remain indoors and away from balconies, according to a message issued by the Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh. A blackout was observed in Chandigarh on Thursday (May 8, 2025) night and several districts of Punjab, including Pathankot, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Rupnagar, Fazilka, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur and Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, according to officials. Also Read | Choice of de-escalation is with Pakistan: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri The move came amid escalating tension between India and Pakistan. In Jalandhar, some drones were spotted that neutralised at around 11.20 p.m. by security forces, as per official sources. The States of Punjab and Haryana and Union Territory, Chandigarh, continued to be on alert mode in the wake of India's action against terror emanating from Pakistan. On Thursday (May 8, 2025), leaves of government personnel in government departments including police and health were cancelled and personnel were asked to be geared up round-the-clock. Punjab government has ordered that all Schools, Colleges, and Universities — Government, Private, and aided — across the entire Punjab shall remain completely closed for the next three days. The decision has been taken in view of the evolving situation, said Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains on Thursday (May 8, 2025) night.
