Chandigarh [India], August 13 (ANI/PRNewswire): Strengthening Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ongoing 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign and taking it to the international level to mark the 75th Independence Day of India, the NID Foundation and Chandigarh University on Saturday created the Guinness World Record for the formation of 'World's Largest Human Image of a Waving National Flag' when as many as 5885 students from Chandigarh University and other schools and colleges along with the volunteers of the NID Foundation of the UT and other dignitaries gathered for the flag formation at Chandigarh Cricket Stadium and created the history in the heart of the City Beautiful.

New Delhi Mar 30 PTI Employees of Chandigarh Union Territory administration will get same pay and other benefits as those working under the central government following an approval by the Ministry of Home AffairsThe home ministry issued rules in this effect last night two days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the service conditions of employees of the Chandigarh administration will be aligned to that of the central civil services and this will benefit them in a big wayAccording to the Union territory of Chandigarh Employees Conditions of Service Rules 2022 which will come into effect from April 1 the conditions of service of persons appointed to services and posts in Group A Group B and Group C in Chandigarh administration will be the same as the conditions of service of the persons appointed to corresponding services and posts in central civil services of the government of IndiaGroup D posts of the union territory of Chandigarh shall be the same as the conditions of the service of the persons appointed to the corresponding Group C posts in central civil services of the government of India and shall be governed by the same rules and orders as are applicable to the latter category of personsThe rules say that for those employees under the administrative control of the union territory of Chandigarh who were earlier drawing scales of pay on par with their counterparts in Punjab it shall be competent for the administrator of the union territory to revise their scales of pay from time to time so as to bring them on par with the scales of pay which may be sanctioned by the government of India from time to time to the corresponding categories of its employeesIn case of a teaching faculty of a technical university or institution which is governed by the All India Council for Technical Education or Council of Architecture and a higher educational university or institutions which is governed by the University Grants Commission through regulations as made by such councils or commission as the case may be under any law for the time being in force as applicable shall be such as specified in the said regulationsBesides the rules say that a person appointed to the services and posts under the administrative control of the administrator of the UT Chandigarh shall be subject to transfer from one department to another department so long as such transfer does not adversely affect the pay and allowances seniority or promotion and all other financial benefits as applicable to such persons PTI ACB ZMN

Chandigarh Mar 28 PTI A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the central service rules will apply to the employees of the Union Territory of Chandigarh Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday slammed the Centres decision claiming that it goes against the Punjab Reorganisation ActShahs announcement evoked sharp reactions from AAP Congress and SAD leaders with many of them saying this was another big blow to the rights of Punjab after changes in the Bhakra Beas Management Board BBMB RulesHowever Punjab Lok Congress president and former chief minister Amarinder Singh lashed out at AAP leaders including Mann and asked what is wrong if the Centre has accepted the employees long-pending demandIn a tweet Mann said Punjab will fight for its rightful claim over ChandigarhCentral Govt has been stepwise imposing officers and personnel from other states and services in the Chandigarh administration This goes against the letter and spirit of Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966 Punjab will fight strongly for its rightful claim over Chandigarh he saidThe state government said the AAP will oppose the Centres decision and fight from streets to ParliamentFinance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema alleged that the BJP-led Centre has been taking anti-Punjab decisions as he also referred to the BBMB issue and said it is now trying to usurp the states rights over ChandigarhThe central government is deliberately taking steps to take away Punjabs claims over Chandigarh he told reporters hereEver since the Aam Aadmi Party has formed the government in Punjab the BJP-led government at the Centre is feeling scared due to the several pro-people decisions being taken by the Mann dispensation and has intensified its attacks on the rights of Punjab he claimedCheema also alleged that the previous governments of Punjab didnt protect the rights and share of the state The Centre has now taken a unilateral decision regarding the union territory employees without consulting Punjab and this goes against the letter and spirit of Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966 he saidWe oppose this decision we will protect Punjabs interests and we will force the Centre to roll it back he saidThe Chandigarh administrations employees are not going to benefit with this decision he said adding rather there will be a cut in their salaries The union territory employees are currently working under the Punjab service rulesAccording to Shah the move will benefit them in a big way as their retirement age will increase from 58 to 60 years and women employees will get childcare leave of two years instead of the current one yearThe Shiromani Akali Dal urged the chief minister to call an all-party meeting with the objective of unitedly approaching the central government to stop its efforts to make Chandigarh a permanent union territory in violation of the Punjab Reorganisation ActIt is incumbent on the AAP government to make the Centre understand that Chandigarh is a union territory as per an ad-hoc arrangement onlyWe have nothing against the employees of Chandigarh whose interests can be protected by the Punjab government also But we strongly protest against this latest move to pitch the employees against civil society and use them to snatch Punjabs rights over Chandigarh the SAD said in a statementOpposing the Centres announcement SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal said the government wants to usurp the rights of Punjab over ChandigarhSenior party leaders including Prem Singh Chandumajra said The Centres decision on extending central civil service rules to Chandigarh employees was not only a violation of the Punjab Reorganisation Act but also of the Rajiv Gandhi-Sant Harcharan Singh Longowal Accord and several subsequent commissions all of which have held that Punjab has a majority share in Chandigarh administration and that the status of the union territory was ad-hoc pending transfer to PunjabChandumajra also said that a party delegation would meet the President soon to apprise him of the development and demand the withdrawal of the Centres decisionSenior Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa also slammed the Centre for its decisions on BBMB and Chandigarh UT employees saying they are against the countrys federal structure and urged Mann to take an all-party delegation to meet Prime Minister Narendra ModiMultiple decisions taken by the Union government are against the federal structure of the Indian Constitution and require strong action by the Punjab government to defend the self-respect and interests of the state Bajwa said in a statementFurthermore accepting these decisions by the Centre will end Punjabs claim over Chandigarh he claimedAmarinder Singh whose Punjab Lok Congress is an ally of the BJP defended the move saying this was a long-pending demand of employees many of whom are drawn from Punjab and they should get all service benefits at a par with their central government counterpartsNow that the central government has agreed to their demand what is wrong about it and where does Punjabs claim over Chandigarh get diluted with this he askedHe hit out at AAP leaders and Mann for distorting and misinterpreting a routine administrative decision of the central government providing central benefits to the employees working with the Union Territory administrationDenying the AAP governments allegations senior BJP leader and former Chandigarh MP Satya Pal Jain said that thousands of UT employees will benefit from the Centres decision and most of them come from PunjabThose who are opposing this decision are in fact hampering the interests of these employees from Punjab he saidEarlier the change in rules for appointment of top officers to the BBMB had raked up a storm with many political parties in Punjab and Haryana criticising the Centre PTI SUN VSD DIV DIV

Chandigarh Mar 28 PTI A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the central service rules will apply to the employees of the Union Territory of Chandigarh Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday slammed the Centres decision claiming that it went against the Punjab Reorganisation Act Shahs announcement has evoked sharp reactions from AAP Congress and SAD leaders with many of them saying this was another big blow to the rights of Punjab after changes in the Bhakra Beas Management Board BBMB rules Central Govt has been stepwise imposing officers and personnel from other states and services in the Chandigarh administration This goes against the letter and spirit of Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966 Punjab will fight strongly for its rightful claim over Chandigarh Mann said in a tweet The Aam Aadmi Party-led government in Punjab said that the party will oppose the Centres decision and fight the issue from streets to Parliament Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday alleged that the BJP-led Centre has been taking anti-Punjab decisions as he also referred to the BBMB issue and said it was now trying to usurp Punjabs rights over Chandigarh The central government is deliberately taking steps to take away Punjabs claims over Chandigarh he told reporters here Meanwhile the Shiromani Akali Dal urged the chief minister to call an all-party meeting with the objective of unitedly approaching the central government to stop its efforts to make Chandigarh a permanent Union territory in violation of the Punjab Reorganisation Act It is incumbent on the AAP government to make the Centre understand that Chandigarh is a Union territory as per an ad-hoc arrangement only We have nothing against the employees of Chandigarh whose interests can be protected by the Punjab government also But we strongly protest against this latest move to pitch the employees against civil society and use them to snatch Punjabs rights over Chandigarh the SAD said in a statement on Monday State finance minister Cheema said ever since the AAP formed the government in Punjab the BJP-led government at the Centre is feeling scared due to several pro-people decisions being taken by the Mann government and has intensified its attacks on the rights of Punjab Cheema also alleged that previous governments of Punjab didnt protect the rights and share of the state The finance minister said that the Centre now took a unilateral decision regarding the Union Territory employees and did not consult the stakeholder PunjabThis goes against the letter and spirit of Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966 We oppose this decision we will protect Punjabs interests and we will force Centre to roll it back he said With this decision the Chandigarh administrations employees are not going to benefit he further said and claimed Rather there will be a cut in their salaries The Union Territory employees are currently working under the Punjab service rules According to Shah the move will benefit them in a big way as their retirement age will increase from 58 to 60 years and women employees will get childcare leave of two years instead of the current one year Meanwhile SAD patriarch and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal also opposed the Centres announcement The Centre wants to usurp the rights of Punjab over Chandigarh Badal said Senior SAD leaders including Prem Singh Chandumajra noted that the chief minister did not take up the issue of dilution of Punjabs stakes in the Bhakra Beas Management Board during his recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi The Centres decision on extending central civil service rules to Chandigarh employees was not only a violation of the Punjab Reorganisation Act but also that of the Rajiv Gandhi-Sant Harcharan Singh Longowal accord and several subsequent commissions all of which have held that Punjab has a majority share in Chandigarh administration and that the status of the Union territory was ad-hoc pending transfer to Punjab Chandumajra said He also said that a party delegation would meet the President soon to apprise him of the development and demand the rollback of the Centres decision Congress leaders including Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring too condemned the decision Denying the AAP governments allegations senior BJP leader and former Chandigarh MP Satya Pal Jain claimed that the Punjab government is not able to accept the recommendations of various pay commissions for its employees whereas the central government in one go has accepted the long-pending demand of the UT employees Jain said that thousands of UT employees will benefit from the Centres decision and most of them come from Punjab Those who are opposing this decision are in fact hampering the interests of these employees from Punjab Earlier the change in rules to appointment of top officers to the BBMB had raked up a storm with many political parties in Punjab and Haryana criticising the Centre PTI SUN VSD KVK SMN

Chandigarh Mar 28 PTI Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shahs announcement to apply the central service rules to the employees of the union territory of Chandigarh claiming that it went against the Punjab Reorganisation Act Shahs announcement has evoked a sharp reaction from some rivals of the BJP with many leaders saying this was another big blow to the rights of Punjab after changes in the Bhakra Beas Management Board BBMB rules Central Govt has been stepwise imposing officers and personnel from other states and services in the Chandigarh administration This goes against the letter and spirit of Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966 Punjab will fight strongly for its rightful claim over Chandigarh Mann said in a tweet Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema on Monday said that the AAP will oppose the Centres decision and fight the issue from streets to Parliament He alleged that the BJP-led Centre has been taking anti-Punjab decisions as he also referred to the BBMB issue and said it was now trying to usurp Punjabs rights over Chandigarh The central government is deliberately taking steps to take away Punjabs claims over Chandigarh he told reporters here Cheema said ever since the AAP formed the government in Punjab the BJP-led government at the Centre is feeling scared due to several pro-people decisions being taken by the Mann-led government The finance minister said that the Centre took a unilateral decision regarding the union territory employees and did not consult the stakeholder PunjabThis goes against the letter and spirit of Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966 We oppose this decision we will protect Punjabs interests and we will force Centre to rollback it back he said With this decision Chandigarh union territory employees are not going to benefit he further claimed and claimed Rather there will be a cut in their salaries After Shahs announcement here on Sunday Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had taken a dig at the BJP saying it is scared of the AAPs rising footprint Taking to Twitter soon after the home ministers statement Sisodia said Shah did not take away Chandigarhs powers when the Congress was ruling Punjab but he did so soon after the AAP formed its government The union territory employees are currently working under the Punjab service rules According to Shah the move will benefit them in a big way their retirement age will increase from 58 to 60 years and women employees will get childcare leave of two years instead of the current one year Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal also opposed the Centres announcement The Centre wants to usurp the rights of Punjab over Chandigarh Badal said Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema had on Saturday tweeted MOHs Ministry of Home Affairs decision to impose central government rules on employees of Chandigarh is in violation of the spirit of the Punjab Reorg Reorganisation Act and must be reconsidered Congress leaders including Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring too condemned the decision Earlier the change in rules to appointment top officers to the BBMB had raked up a storm with many political parties in Punjab and Haryana criticising the Centre The BBMB which is a statutory body under the Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966 and manages the water resources of Sutlej and Beas has a whole-time chairman and two members for irrigation and power Political leaders have claimed that according to the BBMB Rules 1974 the member power in BBMB must be from Punjab and the member irrigation from Haryana but the requirement has been removed in the amended rules PTI SUN VSD CJ CJ

Chandigarh Mar 28 PTI Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shahs announcement to apply the central service rules to the employees of the union territory of Chandigarh claiming that it went against the Punjab Reorganisation Act Central Govt has been stepwise imposing officers and personnel from other states and services in the Chandigarh administration This goes against the letter and spirit of Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966 Punjab will fight strongly for its rightful claim over Chandigarh Mann said in a tweet After Shahs announcement here on Sunday Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had taken a dig at the BJP saying it is scared of the AAPs rising footprint Taking to Twitter soon after the home ministers statement Sisodia said Shah did not take away Chandigarhs powerswhen the Congress was ruling Punjab but he did so soon after the AAP formed its government The union territory employees are currently working under the Punjab service rules According to Shah the move will benefit them in a big way their retirement age will increase from 58 to 60 years and women employees will get childcare leave of two years instead of the current one year However his announcement had evoked a sharp reaction from some rivals of the BJP with many leaders saying this was another big blow to the rights of Punjab after changes in the Bhakra Beas Management Board BBMB rules Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema had on Saturday tweeted MOHs Ministry of Home Affairs decision to impose central government rules on employees of Chandigarh is in violation of the spirit of the Punjab Reorg Reorganisation Act and must be reconsidered Congress leaders including Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring too condemned the decision The change in appointment rules for top officers to the BBMB had raked up a storm with many political parties in Punjab and Haryana criticising the Centre The BBMB which is a statutory body under the Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966 and manages the water resources of Sutlej and Beas has a whole-time chairman and two members for irrigation and power Political leaders have claimed that according to the BBMB Rules 1974 the member power in BBMB must be from Punjab and the member irrigation from Haryana but the requirement has been removed in the amended rulesPTI SUN VSD CJ CJ

Chandigarh Mar 27 PTI Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the service conditions of employees of the Chandigarh Union Territory administration will now be aligned to that of the central civil services and this will benefit them in a big wayHe also said that women employees will now get childcare leave of two years instead of the current one yearI want to give a good news to employees of the Chandigarh administration From today service conditions of employees of the Chandigarh administration will be aligned to that of the central civil services You employees are going to benefit in a big way Shah saidThe Union minister made the major announcement for the union territory employees who are currently working under the Punjab service rules after inaugurating and laying foundation stones of a slew of projects of the Chandigarh Police at Dhanas here including housingEarlier in the day he had inaugurated a slew of projects including a state-of-the-art Integrated Command and Control Centre in the union territoryAll these projects which also included many e-initiatives are worth Rs 125 croreWith this decision the retirement age of employees in the union territory will increase from 58 to 60 years Shah said adding that the decision will also bring benefits to employees working in the education sectorOn the announcement for employees he said This was a long-pending demand of employees of the Chandigarh administration Today the Modi government has made a big decisionTomorrow a notification will be issued and from the upcoming financial year April 1 you will get the benefit Shah saidHowever the ministers announcement evoked a sharp reaction from some rivals of the BJPSenior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema tweeted MOHs Ministry of Home Affairs decision to impose central government rules on employees of Chandigarh is in violation of the spirit of the Punjab Reorg Reorganisation Act and must be reconsidered This means denial of right of Capital to Punjab for ever After changes in the BBMB Bhakra Beas Management Board rules this is another big blow to the rights of Punjab he saidThe Union Territory of Chandigarh is the common capital of Punjab and HaryanaChandigarh is Punjab common capital and adhoc arrangement of UT was made Sixty per cent employees are of Punjab and the rest of Haryana at the time of reorganisation it was agreed that Punjab government rules would be applicable on employees of the UT This decision of the Centre is dictatorial and has been taken without consulting the state of Punjab Cheema later told the mediaTodays decision is a conspiracy to dilute Punjabs claim on Chandigarh We oppose it he said adding the decision is against the spirit of federalismCongress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira also condemned the decisionWe strongly condemn dictatorial decision of BJP to usurp upon the rights of Punjab over control of Chandigarh It belongs to Punjab and this unilateral decision is not only a direct attack on federalism but also attack on Punjabs share of 60 per cent control over UT he tweetedKhaira also said I wish to remind BJP Chandigarh is a disputed territory with Punjabs claim justified by Rajiv-Longowal Accord Its a deceit and cheating by non less than a governmentShah also touched upon the work done by the Centre in the last seven years to strengthen the countrys internal security and said that under the BJP-led government Naxal and terror incidents have come down drasticallyOn the issue of drugs he said it is a major issue from Kashmir to Chandigarh and up to HaryanaHe said over the next two-three years the drive against drugs will be further stepped upNo one will be allowed to destroy the lives of our younger generation by pushing them into drugs he saidHe laid emphasis on the use of technology in investigation and data storage and analysis saying until it is done curbing crime is impossibleIf investigation is not speedy and till the time the prosecution process is not carried out on the basis of scientific evidence crime cannot be curbed he saidHe talked of several IT interventions for increasing efficiency in delivery of criminal justiceBut if all schemes and data will remain lying in North Block which also houses the MHA or NCRB then what is the benefit Data analysis has to be done at state or UT level and on its basis police have to frame their annual strategy as to which crime needs to be given more attention What is modus operandi of a particular crime he saidIn Shahs presence here National Forensic Sciences University and the Chandigarh police signed a memorandum of understanding under which the police will get trained manpowerThe minister said a National Forensic Science University has been established and affiliated colleges will be set up in different parts of the country to ensure the availability of manpowerThen we will be able to make a provision under law that scientific evidence will be compulsory in investigation of crimes carrying a punishment of six years and above Shah saidDuring the Chandigarh polices event here Shah also flagged off a fleet of new vehicles including SUVs and two-wheelers PTI SUN VSD DIV DIV

Chandigarh Mar 27 PTI Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the service conditions of employees of the Chandigarh Union Territory administration will now be aligned to that of the central civil services and this will benefit them in a big wayHe also said that women employees will now get child care leave of two years from the current one yearI want to give a good news to employees of the Chandigarh administration From today service conditions of employees of the Chandigarh administration will now be aligned to that of the central civil services You employees are going to benefit in a big way Shah saidThe Union minister made the announcement after inaugurating and laying foundation stone for a slew of projects of the Chandigarh Police hereWith the decision the retirement age of employees in the Union Territory will increase from 58 to 60 years Shah said adding that the decision will also bring benefits to employees working in the education sectorOn the announcement for employees he said This was a long pending demand of employees of the Chandigarh administration Today the Modi government has made a big decisionTomorrow a notification will be issued and from the upcoming financial year April 1 you will get the benefit Shah saidHowever the ministers announcement evoked sharp reaction from some rivals of the BJP Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema in a tweet saidMOHs Ministry of Home Affairs decision to impose central government rules on employees of Chandigarh is in violation of the spirit of the Punjab Reorg Reorganisation Act and must be reconsidered This means denial of right of Capital to Punjab for ever After changes in the BBMB Bhakra Beas Management Board rules this is another big blow to the rights of Punjab he said The Union Territory of Chandigarh is the common capital of Punjab and Haryana Chandigarh is Punjab common capital and adhoc arrangement of UT Union Territory was made Sixty per cent employees are of Punjab and the rest of Haryana at the time of reorganisation it was agreed that Punjab government rules would be applicable on employees of the UT This decision of the Centre is dictatorial and has been taken without consulting the state of Punjab Cheema later told the mediaTodays decision is a conspiracy to dilute Punjabs claim on Chandigarh We oppose it he said while further adding the decision is against the spirit of federalismCongress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira also condemned the decisionWe strongly condemn dictatorial decision of BJP to usurp upon the rights of Punjab over control of Chandigarh It belongs to Punjab and this unilateral decision is not only a direct attack on federalism but also attack on Punjabs share of 60 per cent control over UT he tweeted Khaira also tweeted that I wish to remind BJP Chandigarh is a disputed territory with Punjabs claim justified by Rajiv-Longowal Accord Its a deceit and cheating by non less than a government PTI SUN VSD ANB ANB