Punjab Government celebrated a landmark day for women in defence services as Punjab Employment Generation, Skill Development and Training Minister Mr. Aman Arora, along with Additional Chief Secretary Mr. Vikas Pratap, on Friday, honoured two Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute cadets for remarkable achievements in Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) and National Defence Academy (NDA) merit lists.

Farmer’s daughter Mehakpreet Kaur topped the country to secure All India Rank (AIR) 1 in the Air Force Academy merit list, while Komalpreet Kaur sealed AIR-18 for entry into NDA, Khadakwasla, marking a major milestone for women in defence services.

Addressing the felicitation ceremony held here at Punjab Bhawan, Mr. Aman Arora hailed the indomitable spirit of Punjab’s daughters. “To be ranked first in AFCAT and 18th NDA exams among lakhs aspirants, takes fire in the belly. Our daughters have that fire,” he said.

He said that the success story doesn’t end here. Since 2022, 377 cadets from Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute and Mai Bhago Preparatory Institute have earned commission as officers in Indian armed forces. Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government took a path-breaking step in 2023 by starting an NDA Preparatory Wing for girls at Mai Bhago AFPI. He further highlighted that Punjab remains the only state in the country where the government runs dedicated defence preparatory institute for girls.

While congratulating both the lady cadets and their parents for this notable feat, Mr. Aman Arora stated, “I must say this is a day of immense honour and joy for all of Punjab. Our daughters Mehakpreet and Komalpreet have brought laurels to the state through their relentless hardwork.”

“Punjabis have always led from the front; first to win freedom, then to protect its sovereignty. The Punjab government-run Mai Bhago AFPI is taking that spirit to new heights. Our daughters have once again brought glory to Punjab. I congratulate both cadets, their families and every daughter of Punjab,” Mr. Aman Arora said.

The Cabinet Minister further said the another institute, the Sardar Bahadur Amin Chand Soni Armed Forces Preparatory Institute at Bajwara in Hoshiarpur, will be inaugurated soon to prepare youth for commission as officers in the Armed Forces.

Meanwhile, Mr Aman Arora said the foundation stone for the Sant Baba Attar Singh Ji Armed Forces Preparatory Institute at Cheema Mandi in Sangrur, will be laid soon. The institute is expected to be completed in 18 months. Work is also underway to renovate and modernise 14 CPYTE centres, with two new centres coming up in next few months.

The Bhagwant Mann government’s flagship initiative against drug abuse in Punjab ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ is getting a major boost from a campaign that involves specially designated e-rickshaws at the grassroots level. These e-rickshaws are operating across Punjab’s 86 legislative assemblies as part of a pilot project aimed at mobilising communities against drug abuse.

As part of the campaign, one assembly segment has been selected in each of the 23 districts for the pilot project. In these assembly segments, one e-rickshaw has been assigned to cover 40 villages to spread awareness and collect anonymous tip-offs about drug peddlers and people in need of de-addiction, among other things. Already, the e-rickshaw initiative is covering 3,440 villages across the state, roughly one-third of all the Punjab villages.

The e-rickshaws are driving home the awareness messages to people who are difficult to reach through conventional means. The e-rickshaws carry and go from village to village to spread awareness about the harmful effects of drug abuse and the avenues for rehabilitation.

The initiative is part of the larger scheme of things of the Bhagwant Mann government to involve local communities in its fight against drug abuse. Village Defence Committees (VDCs) set up at the grassroots level are playing a huge role in monitoring the effectiveness of the programme to provide feedback to the government.

According to the feedback received from several districts, VDC members have seen encouraging responses ever since the deployment of the e-rickshaws. Committee members have reported increased public engagement in awareness programmes, greater participation in the meetings at the village levels and improved communication between residents and local authorities regarding drug-related concerns.

Review meetings in June are underway

This feedback is being reviewed during a series of meetings scheduled throughout June and has already begun. As per the review mechanism put in place, assembly-level meetings are being held in the first week of June, which will have a gathering of the MLA concerned, SDM, DSPs, SHOs, VDC conveners and acting presidents. The feedback will be sought from acting presidents and VDC conveners.

This shall be followed by VDC meetings in the second week of June, in which Block Coordinators, VDC conveners, VDC acting presidents, and VDC members would be present. It will review actions taken on the earlier complaints, evaluate new complaints, and conduct an overall review of Yudh Nashean Virudh campaign ‘s progress at the village level.

In the third week of June, a meeting would be held led by ministers, civil and police administration, to review the status of registered complaints and feedback would be sought from assembly and block coordinators. In the last week, Honourable CM Bhagwant Mann would review the progress of Yudh Nashean Virudh campaign, review the status of escalated complaints and also set the roadmap for the future.

This systematic review process reflects the Mann government’s focus on accountability and continuous monitoring of anti-drug initiatives. The meetings are aimed at gathering feedback from VDC conveners, acting presidents, block coordinators and representatives, while also assessing the effectiveness of various interventions undertaken under the campaign.

Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh said, “The e-rickshaw campaign is another feather in Mann government’s cap. In addition to collecting tip-offs from the community in a safe and anonymous manner, the e-rickshaws are also helping in initiating dialogue at the community level about the social and financial consequences of drug addiction and how to get rid of it. Local residents have shown keen interest in the outreach activities conducted through these mobile units, turning the government’s Yudh Nashean Virudh initiative into a people’s movement.”

The Bhagwant Mann government has consistently maintained that the battle against drugs cannot be won through enforcement alone and requires active participation from society.

With awareness, community participation and local accountability forming the core of the programme, the e-rickshaw initiative is increasingly being seen as a valuable addition to Punjab’s ongoing fight against drug abuse.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday reviewed the progress of the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna (MMSY) and said that the flagship healthcare initiative is proving to be a major relief for people across the state, with 3.79 lakh patients already availing cashless treatment worth ₹654 crore under the scheme.

Chairing a review meeting, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the Punjab Government is committed to ensuring quality and affordable healthcare for every family in the state. “The scheme has witnessed an overwhelming response from the public and is emerging as a transformative step towards universal healthcare coverage in Punjab,” he noted.

Highlighting the reach of the programme, the Chief Minister stated, “So far, 47.27 lakh health cards have been issued under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna, covering 23.01 lakh families across Punjab. Of these cardholders, 48.5 per cent are men and 51.5 per cent are women. Around 31 per cent of the cards have been issued in urban areas, while 69 per cent have been issued in rural areas.”

He said that the Punjab Government is continuously improving the scheme to make it more accessible and user-friendly. “Keeping in view the difficulties being faced by people in downloading their health cards, a dedicated WhatsApp-based facility and a website page are being developed to enable beneficiaries to easily download their e-cards. Similarly, work on a new mobile app-based registration system is also underway and will be completed soon,” he said.

Sharing details of the treatment provided under the scheme, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “So far, 3.79 lakh patients have availed free treatment worth ₹654 crore under the scheme in both government and private hospitals.” He further informed that 835 hospitals have been empanelled under the scheme, including 223 government hospitals and 612 private hospitals, ensuring that beneficiaries have access to quality healthcare services across the state.

Emphasising the scale and significance of the initiative, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna has been launched to provide health cards to all 65 lakh families in Punjab. Every family is entitled to cashless treatment up to ₹10 lakh under this ambitious scheme.”

Describing the scheme as a game-changer for healthcare delivery in the state, the Chief Minister said, “This initiative has proved to be a huge blessing for people who otherwise had to spend large amounts from their own pockets on medical treatment. The scheme is ensuring that no family is deprived of quality healthcare due to financial constraints.”

Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh and other senior officials were also present during the meeting.