Who doesn’t like to buy or bargain at dirt cheap prices, especially if it means saving an extra penny for an extra dress, an additional pair of shoes, an extra set of earrings. When you reach home with your bounty at the end of the day, the number of things you end up buying matters for you .

Delhi might have its Sarojini Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Janpath, INA market, but we have our own Shastri market, sector 19 market, sector 15 rehri market in Chandigarh, Sector 6 market in Panchkula and phase 1 market in Mohali.  Let us track them one by one

Sector 22 Shastri market

It is open 6 days a week (closed on Monday) from 10 AM to 10 PM

The rehris in the open are no longer allowed as all vendors have been allotted permanent enclosures.

Particular shops of Jaipuri suits , export cotton, Kolhapuri chappals, handloom bags are very famous . “Chinese products stopped after Covid, so most of the products are India –made and are slightly costly than earlier,’ says one of the shop-keepers.

Sector 19 market

College goers love it, you ll get matching imitation jewellery, phulkari,footwear cosmetics,  accessories.

The market is open 7 days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The sector 19 market has two parts – palika bazar which is a little more refined than the sadar market.

Palika bazaar—

Favourite hangout of school girls

Readymade sarees and blouses

Readymade clothes

Woolens

Wedding clothes, jewellery etc on rent

Some brands like jockey  always sell at 15-20 pc discounts

Bedsheets

Sadar bazaar – bigger than Palika bazaar

Famous for kitchenware

Repair work, like zip repair, travel bags repair

Toys

Clothes

Second hand stuff

Sector 15 market

Since it is close to the Panjab University, Chandigarh, it is a haven for all college goers, hostellers and university students –handcrafted bags, jackets, home décor, decorative upholstery, etc.

Students easily buy dresses for farewell, college functions; latest trends in fashion clothing, all kind of denims, crop tops, tube tops, tank tops, jtceans, long coats, accessories, etc.

Sector-15 market usually opens around 11 AM and closes at 10 PM. If you are hungry after a day’s shopping, you get good Chinese food, spring rolls, ice-cream, vada pav, etc at pocket-friendly prices.

“Because it is in the open, it is less congested than sector 22 rehri market,” said one shopper. “My school DAV Sector 15 is just adjacent to the open rehri market, so its very easy for us to come to the market and buy the latest, seasonal  clothes,” says Payal, a school-goer.

The Education Department, Haryana, has been going the whole hog to improve the quality of education in the state. It has launched a host of schemes for the students of government schools in the state.

Popular Punjabi songs, tappe aur boliyan… Punjabi songs touch the hearts of students and the young generation tempting them to dance to the beats of drums. This is the typical identity of Resham Singh Anmol.
His new song Yaari was released with much fanfare at the Press Club of Chandigarh. This new song by Resham Anmol Singh, Yaari the craze of Punjabi youth, has created a buzz in the market.

Resham Singh Anmol, who is keely associated with his roots in village, is always ready to serve the society from the beginning, whether it is participating in the farmer’s movement or village fairs or fulfilling the financial need of needy farmers, he is always ready to serve a social cause.

Raman Kumar, MD, Hot Shot Film Music at Chandigarh Press Club said that with the release of the song Yaari, we are providing a platform to budding artistes in the times to come. “My aim is to take Punjabi songs to the world,” he says. Raman said that there is no dearth of talent in Punjab but the youth have to struggle to get the right platform, that’s why he has decided to give opportunity to all the talented budding artists under the banner of Hotshot Music.

Chandigarh is known for its open spaces which are the hallmark of City Beautiful. The ‘lungs’ of Chandigarh are its parks, stadium, Sukhna Lake, Leisure valley and umpteen and gardens dotting the entire Tricity.

There is one place which is a good amalgamation of greenery and open concrete and walking-cum-sitting space for community leisure in the heart of the city. Tricity denizens also make the optimum use of this facility—this is the underpass at Sector 17 which connects the heart of Chandigarh, Sector 17, to the Sector 16 Rose Garden with the Reserve Bank of India building near it being a major landmark.

If you are mistaking it as just as underpass, you are wrong. It’s an open platform to show your skill, create a synergy with your talent and the audience, a creative space for artists where they get the right ambience to bring out their creative skills. If nothing, you can just sit there, think, read, write …. be creative.

Most importantly, painting and photography exhibitions are held at the underpass by the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademy. “When the underpass was made , we demanded that it be used for displaying public art . It directly connects public with art and art with public,” says Bheem Malhotra, Chairman, Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi. There is a lot of open space with the underpass being 70 mt-long and 12 mt-wide where painters get an appropriate forum to display their work. Thuosands of people cross the underpass everyday, there can be no better place than this to reach out to people.

There is a special provision for an open karaoke where you can go and sing your heart out, perform an act or show your talent in whatever form – dancing, acting, monoacting, one-act play, theatre play, social message play, standup comedy. And you also get an audience.  A music system has been provided by the Chandigarh Administration with mike and a music system operator as well.

Skaters and cyclists use this place for their daily practice and hone their techniques. The utility of the underpass is so much that people soak in the sun in winters, take a break from office work at the neat and clean surroundings with sculpture artefacts and layered staircase.

Saturdays and Sundays witness more spectators and events. Maintained by the Chandigarh Adminstration, there is always a guard on duty.

The under pass has been functional since January 2020. Built at a cost of Rs 9 crore, it has an amphi theatre, cycle and golf cart ramps and a dedicated wall for art works and painting . It is also called the heritage gateway as it opens to two museums in Sector 10 and the capitol complex near the underpass. A sculpture in black marble, designed by sculptor Hirday Kaushal from Haryana art and the Cultural Affairs Department, has been displayed at the underpass entrances depicting the  growth of Chandigarh.

Extensive lighting has been done in and around the underpass with beautiful landscaping to let people enjoy during evening and night hours.

The underpass became a necessity because of the traffic on the Jan Marg with a lot of VIP movement which made it difficult for people to cross easily from Sector 17 to the Rose Garden on the other side of the road. With more than 43,000 vehicles crossing the Jan Marg from both directions of the stretch every day, the underpass allows visitors to go directly to Rose Garden without crossing Jan Marg, one of the busiest roads in the city.

The underpass is part of the rejuvenation plan of Sector 17. The plan has been prepared with an aim to develop Sector 17 as a hub of activities and a city centre where residents of the city, nearby areas and tourists can come and enjoy recreational activities.

Are you heading to Chandigarh, your dream destination, on a must-visit wish list? Or are you a city resident who hasn’t yet been on this amazing double decker Hop on Hop off bus ride which gives you the eclectic feel of living in one the best planned cities in India. Undoubtedly, the hop-on-hop-off bus service has emerged as the ultimate choice of smart travellers on a shoestring budget.

The fully air-conditioned double-decker HoHo bus, as it is conveniently called, offers a unique travel experience of a kind by making the best of your single day excursion. What you need to ensure before embarking on a pleasure trip is which HoHo bus to board, when and where, keeping both your convenience and time-at-hand in mind.

Tourists are free to board or alight from HoHo bus at any designated spot.

 Ticket price

 Round trip (day-long) Rs 75

Full bus booking (Half day) Rs 5,900

Full bus booking (Full day) Rs 18,000

Weekday Timings

Summer timings:
9 am to 9:45 am, 10:30 am to 11:15 am, 3.30 pm to 4:15 pm, 5:00 pm to 5:45 pm
Winter timings:
9 am to 9:45 am, 10:30 am to 11:15 am, 12.00 noon to 12:45 pm, 2:00 pm to 2.45 pm, 3.30 pm to 4:15 pm.

Weekend Timings

There are four regular slots for weekends:

11 am, 12 noon, 2 pm and 3 pm.

Where to board? 

Shivalik View Hotel, Sector 17, Chandigarh

Where will it take you?

The service offers the visiting guests a day-long trip to the City’s major tourists’ destinations, historical monuments and museums, and other architectural marvels. Scenic sites and spots in Chandigarh are nestled in each others’ close proximity, making it easy for visitors to cover them in a single day, which is rendered more easy with the hop-on-hop-off-bus service, an initiative of the UT Tourism Department.

Bus route

The HoHo buses follows a chartered route stopping by at the designated halting points. The tour route is as follows:

Hotel Shivalik View- Zakir Hussain Rose Garden-Govt. Museum and Art Gallery-War Memorial-Bougainville Garden-Capitol Complex-Rock Garden-Sukhna Lake

Sukhna Lake

The jewel of the City, nestled at the foothills of the Shivalik range, was created in 1958. Commanding a picturesque view against the backdrop of the distant lush-green hills, the serene lake offers opportunities for boating and sport activity. You may savour the paradisiacal ambience sitting on the shores of the lake.

Rock Garden

The Rock Garden, which was conceptualised and created by Nek Chand in 1957, displays a range of sculptures made from urban, industrial wastes and discarded material. A visit to the City is considered incomplete and lacklustre without a visit to this one-man created wonderland.

Zakir Hussain Rose Garden

Named after India’s third President Dr Zakir Hussain, the beautiful Rose Garden in Sector 16, came into being in 1967. Home to endless exotic varieties of roses, the garden is believed to be the largest in Asia in terms of having countless varieties of roses. You simply enjoy being there, be it any season of the year.

Govt Museum and Art Gallery

Thrown open to the public in 1968, the Govt Museum and Art Gallery in Sector 10, is one among the top-rung museums of North India, housing the Gandharav sculptures from the ancient and medieval times,pahari and Rajasthani miniature paintings. The museum will offer an insight into the rich art and cultural heritage of our own city.

War Memorial

The War Memorial is the largest post-Independence war memorial of the country in Sector 3, which was inaugurated by late President of India Dr A P J Abdul Kalam in 2006. It takes you on a snappy trip to the days of the country’s freedom struggle and the brave hearts who shed their blood to free our motherland from the alien hegemony.

Bougainvillea Garden

The exotic Bougainvillea Garden in Sector 3 which came into being in 1976, offers a virtual visual treat to the visiting guests. The dazzling garden is indeed a place to be in communion with Nature and be a part of its myriad manifestations.

The Capitol Complex

Designed by Le Corbusier in 1958, the Capitol Complex which is a UNESCO world heritage site, is one among the 17 buildings designed by him.

 Who runs HoHo bus service?

The Department of Tourism, UT, has tasked the CITCO to handle the hop-on-hop-off tourist bus service, being managed by the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU).

The very purpose of introducing this bus was to throw up more facilities and give a push to the tourism potential of the city. The idea behind introducing the hop-on-hop-off bus service, was aimed at offering exciting travel facilities to the visiting enthusiasts to cover the prominent spots in a single day. Visiting these places of tourists’ interest in regular public transport and private vehicles, is a tad taxing and tiresome, to say the least.

“The double-decker HoHo bus, which was first introduced in Chandigarh in 2001, got a humongous response from the public, lost its charm with the passage of time. With a view to revamp the ambitious project, new red-coloured double-decker bus with open roof-top were introduced to cater to the growing demand, ” said a senior CITCO official. It carries the images of all prominent tourist spots of Chandigarh with a customised public address system installed in it to inform tourists on board about the places of interest.

The doyen of Indian architecture and a great proponent of built forms in contemporary style, Balkrishna V Doshi, passed away in Ahmedabad on January 24, 2023.

BV Doshi with Chandigarh planner and architect Le Corbusier

Having worked under the urban planner and architect of Chandigarh Le Corbusier, Balkrishna V Doshi had contributed to the planning of Chandigarh.  He worked for four years with Le Corbusier as Senior Designer (1951-54) in Paris and four more years in India.

He also worked with Louis Kahn as an associate during the building of IIM-Ahmedabad. and his architectural work as well as his zeal and enthusiasm will always be remembered.

All officers of the Department of Urban Planning, Chandigarh, on behalf of architects and public of Chandigarh, paid their last respects to the departed soul and held a two minute silence as a mark of respect.

Condoling his demise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Dr BV Doshi Ji was a brilliant architect and a remarkable institution builder. The coming generations will get glimpses of his greatness by admiring his rich work across India. His passing away is saddening.”

He was known worldwide for his contribution to modern architecture through his designs for many famous buildings and campuses in India, the most noteworthy among them being IIM Bangalore , Vidyadhar Nagar, Jaipur and NIFT Delhi.

A pioneer of modern and brutalist architecture in India, he was a highly decorated figure having received the Padma Shri (1976), Padma Bhushan (2020) and many other awards. Born into a family in the furniture business for two generations, he brought pride to the architectural fraternity of India by becoming the first Indian architect to be awarded the internationally-acclaimed prestigious Pritzker Prize in 2018.

Apart from architecture, he also worked on urbanism, academics, urban design as well as arts, the Hussain-Doshi Gufa in Ahmedabad being a famous example of the culmination of art with architecture.

Despite the old guard like Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and then the likes of Mayank Agarwal in the Tests,  our Mohali lad 23-yr-old Shubman Gill has been doing consistently well beyond one would have imagined.

Of late, Gill has become synonymous with centuries and double centuries —he has become the youngest player to score a double century in ODI, which was also his third century in the ODI internationals. He has become the fifth player after Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan to score double tons for India in ODIs; fastest Indian to complete 1,000 runs in ODIs; youngest player to score 200 runs in an ODI match.

Belonging to Fazilka in Punjab, Shubman’s father left full-time farming in his 70-acres of farmland to shift to Mohali when Shubman was just eight-yr-old to give him the right exposure and atmosphere in cricket. While speaking with CityWoofer in a free-wheeling chat, this is what Shubman’s father and coach Lakhwinder Singh, in all humility, told us about the ace cricketer – the son, the friend, the human being:

Did you ever think such a degree of great play would come so early?

100 per cent. He has been working hard since he was a child, he has always stuck to his daily schedule and routine of practicing every day. I never had any doubt that he would not be able to make it.

What was in your mind when you shifted from Fazilka to Mohali to train him better in cricket?

I had two choices for him – cricket or farming. So, I thought, if he does not do well in cricket, farming is always an option for him. But I wanted to give him a chance looking at his passion for cricket. I could sense it early that he was extraordinary.

You had a passion for cricket yourself which you wanted to realise through your son?

I was very fond of cricket, but in Fazilka, there were no means of playing cricket, so we played kabaddi, kho kho, wrestling, etc. I was a great fan of Sachin Tendulkar, watched and listened to the commentary on the radio whenever there was a match. In case of a test match, I would work through out the night in the fields on my tractor and watch the match in the day. If it was a day-night match, I would take one person along with me to the fields who would keep telling me the commentary and I would also keep running the tractor.

What made you realise that the child can do well in cricket?

He always used to watch cricket with me on TV. When he was 2-3 years old, he would always ask for a bat to play with as a gift. He would try to copy the players as he would see them on TV. He would sleep with the bat next to his pillow. I used to make him practice in the open fields with labourers bowling to him, I would give them an incentive of Rs 100 if anybody would be able to bowl him out.

He would never get tired. Whether it was hot or cold, we would make him practice in night by putting on the table fan.

What are the kind of sacrifices you have made to help Shubman build his career?

The biggest sacrifice was I had to leave my parents back home in Fazilka 300 km away to be with him. Since he was small, I had to leave and pick him from net practice, provide him with the essentials, take him for tournaments, etc and in between also go to Fazilka.

What kind of a person is Shubman?

He is very serious, reserved and shy. He likes to spend time with his family and is very happy in the company of his close circle of friends. He has no ego and is always loving and caring towards everybody. He always tries to help young  children who play cricket at the nets with his expert advice or with batting kits, monetary help, etc.

 He has a lovely name….who kept it?

When he was born, the whole family, everybody said acche man wala bachcha so we named him Shubman.

IPLVs ODI Vs Test Match , which format is his favourite?

It is every cricketer’s dream to play as many Test Matches as possible, and to participate in the World Cup.

Tell us about his friends?

He has maintained freindships with his old friends back home in Jalalabad, Fazilka.   His friend Subeer is his manager, Varkirat Mann who is also a cricketer, and Khushpreet who used to bowl him for practise. In Team India, he is friends with everybody, Ishan Kishan is his best friend. Hardik Pandya, Rishab Pant are also friends. He addresses Virat Kohli,  Rohit Sharma as bhaiya and they also love him very much.

He’s a good spin bowler as well, what made him choose batting?

He’s good at both. I suggested him to focus on batting first, there was consistency in his runs, so we continued with that.

What is your advice for young cricketers who are waiting to play for India?

Hard work is the  key. Believe in yourself, believe in God. Keep playing wherever you get a chance – Ranji, IPL, domestic cricket, BCCI pays well to budding cricketers for playing matches.

Shubman’s Likes and Dislikes

What does he like to eat when he comes home?

He likes to eat home cooked food – his normal dal-sabzi, just that it should be cooked by his mother.

He follows his strict diet with no sugar and sweets. In the morning , he has his normal dry fruits, fresh fruits, 4 eggs and then lunch.

What does he like to do in his free time?

He likes to be with his old friends and play video games.

What are his favourite things?

He likes watches, he takes very care of all his things like cars, watches, everything he has, he maintains them nicely.

Education : Manav Mangal School, Mohali

Mother: Kirat Gill

Sister: Shahneel Gill, studying interior designing in Delhi

Shubman’s feats

At 14 yrs of age, made 587 runs in an opening partnership in U-16 in inter-dist competition which was a world record

U-16 debut century in the vijay merchant trophy

2013-2014 BCCI adjudged him best junior cricketer  for two successive years — 2013-14 and 2014-15.

2017 started playing Ranji

2018 played in U-19 world cup, made 418 runs with an average of 104. 50 made 418 runs

Was bought by Shahrukh Khan’s IPL team KKR for Rs 1.8 cr

Part Of team India: 2019 ODI, 2020 Test match, 2023 T20 debut

With most of the essential services these days having gone digital, cyber crime is a word we have commonly heard of and we all definitely want to save ourselves from walking unknowingly into traps of cheaters and fraudsters who can swindle away our hard–earned money within seconds or arm-twist us through blackmail.

It is in our hands not to let anybody cheat us by being vigilant whenever we are corresponding on the mobile phone through various apps, on social media, while net banking, etc. You will not even get to know how, when, where you made a mistake while the harm would have been done. So if the mobile has brought all kind of facility in your hands, you need to use it responsibly while handling it.

“The cyber criminals play on the psychology of greed and fear of unsuspecting people. They exploit the loopholes in the system to get easy access to lumpsome amounts. On an average, we get about 20-25 complaints per day in Chandigarh alone,” says Ketan Bansal, SP, Operations and Cyber, Chandigarh. Awareness among masses is the key to stopping cyber crime, he warns.

Major frauds in Tricity

1. Electricity bill fraud

Well-educated sections of the society, like doctors, teachers, retired defence personnel, etc got messages or calls on their mobile  regarding non-payment of the bills, stressing further that if the amount is not paid, their power connection would be disconnected.

Arrests: Total 13 Accused

Modus operandi: Cheaters mentioned their mobile numbers as customer helpline number on fake websites of PSPCL (Punjab State Power Corporation Limited). People visited their website assuming to real website of PSPCL to pay bills, new connection etc. Further they contacted customer care helpline number of PSPCL and got allured by fraud caller to install Remote Access Apps (Any Desk, Quick Support). In this way, they got access to their bank account and made fraudulent transactions from their accounts.

Total Cheated Amount: Rs 3,26,000/- .

2. Sextortion

A video call from an unknown number is given, the moment you pick up the call or talk further, they make your video by screen recording, morph it and use it to extort money from victim.

3. Fake Loan App

Arrests : 31 accused (including one Foreign Chinese National) arrested in two cases.

Modus operandi: Persons were working on fake online loan applications like  Hugo Loan, Coin Cash, AA Loan, AK Loan, Win Credit etc. They were using social media applications i.e. Dingtalk, Wechat, GB WhatsApp, SMS Forwarder, AirDroidand for cheating purpose.

Recovery: During investigation, a total amount of Rs 17.31 lakh cheated amount was recovered from the arrested persons. Approx Rs. 60 lakh was held in different bank accounts and 20 bank accounts were freezed. 41 mobile phones, 9 laptops were recovered from the accused.

4. Online Cheating on the pretext of providing Job

Arrests: 04 accused arrested

Modus operandi:  The accused were running a high-tech call centre in Noida, UP, with portable landline phones, wi-fi, desktop in C-59, B- Block, Sector 63, Noida, UP and cheating people all over India through phone calls for providing jobs in banking sectors and other reputed companies.

5. Calling from Canada/Abroad (Impersonation calls) –

Arrests: 07 accused arrested in 02 cases

Modus operandi: In these cases, the fraudsters call/message people especially of Punjab through WhatsApp. You receive a call from a foreign or a virtual number where the caller will impersonate a friend/ known to your family member living in Canada or Australia. The caller reveals the reason of urgency/emergency and request for money. He will tell you that he/she has met with an accident, the caller has taken him to hospital,  will send a forged receipt of medical expenses and ask you to deposit money in his account as soon as possible. Hassled relatives fall prey and transfer the money in given account.

6. QR code scam

You might get a message to scan your QR code and win money or some other freebies. Remember, when you scan a QR code , money will always get deducted, and not transfered into your account by scanning a QR code

7. Fake customer care numbers

Fraudsters upload their mobile numbers on Google to trap innocent people in the name of providing customer care. 99 percent of the fraudsters operate through this mode.

8. Online Cheating through Paypal App using Bugs

Arrests: Total 05 Accused

Cyber criminals had technical knowledge, they hunted bugs in financial applications available on Play store, I-tune etc. They found bugs in PaulpayV2.0 application and used Burpsuite tool to intercept the data of Paulpay website, due to this interception they were able to stop the signals to cash-free payment gateway and bypass it.  The transactions were successfully made at the server even after cancelling the same from their end. They informed and taught each the method to each other and prepared the ID’s of Paulpay application.

Total Cheated Amount: Approx Rs 2 Cr from application PaulpayV2.0.

Place of origin of cyber crime 

Mewat region at the junction of Rajasthan, Haryana & Uttar Pradesh, and Jamtara region are the hotspots of cyber crime.  However, it s a pan-India crime which can be operated from anywhere, even abroad. “In the home loan app case, a Chinese national was the kingpin,” informed Bansal. “One particular case was traced to Jharkhand where the son of a sarpanch was running a racket, using the swindled money to fund his father’s elections,” he says.

How do cyber criminals reach out to you

Apps, advertisement, social media, phone number, exciting offers/ home loans/ free products without any terms and conditions

Criminals buy virtual phone numbers available easily and cheaply on many app stores

In case you become a victim of cyber crime, what to do

Call 1930 helpline

112 Chandigarh helpline

Immediately call the helpline, share the number you got a call from, this needs to be done with utmost urgency, within 5-10 seconds, which will get your money blocked in whatever account it has reached before it gets transferred further in to multiple accounts or converted to crypto currency

How does police track these cases?

The most important clue is the phone number involved.  “Sometimes we find a particular number with further linkages numbering up from 300 to 3000 sometimes (same phone number involved in 300 or 3000 cases). The swindled amount is immediately transferred into different accounts to hoodwink police, most of the times its difficult to retrieve money,” says Bansal.

The cyber criminals mostly use Twitter, Whats App or other social media platforms which are run by foreign servers, so crucial time is lost in getting information.

How can offices/ organisations maintain cyber security   

Conduct third party cyber audit regularly

Reconciliation of bank statements on day to day basis

Cyber safety tips

 Don’t take any video call/ whats app/from an unknown or strange number

Don’t download any app which you don’t know about

Don’t fall in for freebies, discounts, free products on social media

Don’t call on any customer care service, Always search for customer care number from the official website of the banks/airlines/food or retail outlets/other e-commerce entity and do not fill form provided by the scammers

Don’t  scan any QR code if somebody tells you, it will transfer money into your account

Avoid friendship with unknown people (especially foreigner) on social media platforms.

While registering on matrimonial website ensure that website is genuine. Don’t trust foreigners on matrimonial website

Never install any screen sharing app or remote desktop app in your phone like any-desk, team viewer, VNC connect, quick support etc.

Do not download e-mail attachments received in e-mails from unknown sources it can hack your devices.

Do not trust Job/Visa/Work from home advertisement on Facebook or other social media platform.

Never pay/receive advance money while purchasing and selling second hand goods from Olx, Quiker etc.

While using ATM Machine, hide the ATM keyboard with your hand. Make sure no any person standing behind you. Do not take help from any unknown person in ATM room.

Don’t install unauthorized Instant Loan Apps, such Apps can access your contact details, Gallery data of your phone & other sensitive information. This could result in blackmailing you.

Don’t trust calls disclosing themselves close to relatives residing abroad, specially of Canada or Australia

Don’t trust calls related to electricity bill payment

Turn on 2-step verification/authentication for all social media accounts and for net banking apps/wallets. Select privacy setting as only me/friends on social media accounts.

Whenever you receive any money demand request by your friend from Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram or other social media account, verify the authenticity of the message by calling him/her or meeting the concerned person.

Always remember that Google does not give verified information on searches

Ensure all devices/accounts are protected by a strong PIN (with combination of letters/numbers/alphabet/symbol) or passcodelike St49@&V2. Never share your PIN or password with anyone.

Be careful while sharing identity-proof documents especially if you cannot verify the authenticity of the company/person with whom you are sharing information.

Protect your systems/devices through security software such as Anti-virus with the latest version.

Always turn zero limit of your Debit/Credit Card and increase only when you need to use it.

Dial 1930 and 112  immediately in case of monetary loss due to cyber financial frauds.

Cyber Swachhta Mission

Cyber Swachhta Mission, launched on November 17, 2021, is the community outreach initiative to spread cyber awareness among citizens/senior citizens in Chandigarh. The participation of youth is considered to be of utmost importance, so students from schools and colleges are trained in cyber security and cyber awareness by cyber experts and police officials as part of Internship Programme under the mission.

A Cyber Internship Programme was launched for 6 months in which the students of various colleges/institutes took part. 300 students from Punjab Engineering College (PEC), MCM DAV College, University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET) & Punjab University enrolled as Cyber Interns.

Infosys provided intensive 4-month training to the cyber interns covering topics such as cyber security, OSINT, coding, dark web, cyber crime investigation, etc.

So far around 120 schools/ colleges have been covered and more than 100 cyber awareness sessions conducted at public places. Around 1 lakh people (including 40000 students) have been directly covered under these cyber awareness sessions.

The UT Health Secretary has asked all government hospitals in UT, including PGI, GMSH-16 and GMCH-32, to recommend generic medicines to patients. These medicines can be obtained from the jan aushadhi centres in all government hospitals. Cheaper and government –approved medicines are available at the jan aushadhi shops. The registration slips of the government hospitals also bear the stamp ‘cheap and government-approved medicines are available at the jan aushadhi shop’. However, the government doctors are still not prescribing generic medicines, but branded ones.

The doctors are of the opinion that it is not always possible to prescribe generic drugs for serious ailments and emergency cases.

The mohalla clinics in Delhi work on the same concept of prescribing generic drugs which are way too cheaper than costly medicines available in private medical shops.

A generic drug is a medication created to be the same as a marketed brand-name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, quality, performance characteristics, and intended use but it is cheaper than the branded medicines produced by different pharma companies.

While brand name drug refers to the name giving by the producing company, generic drug’s name is based on the active ingredient of the drug.

Token system for registration at Advanced Cardiac Centre, PGI

We all have faced or been witness to the long queues at registration counter across government hospitals in Chandigarh. Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGI) has now installed a vending machine at the Advanced Cardiac Centre through which a token is generated. As soon as the OPD registration counter opens, the vending machine shall become operational.

After getting the token, patients can relax in the waiting area for the token number to flash on the display. Once the number appears on the screen, they can approach the window for registration.

The manual token system will be later integrated with the online software through which patients will be able to get tokens for doctor’s room as well. For now, the token system is available for advanced eye and cardiac centres only.

Soon a mobile app will also be launched by the PGI which will prepare provisional OPD registration, reveal patient queue status and status of investigation reports, and online payment.

Free treatment to heart attack/ stroke, trauma patients at GMSH-16  

Under a pilot project of the the Rogi Kalyan Samiti scheme applicable for a year only, GMSH-16 (Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector-16) Chandigarh, free treatment will be provided to patients of trauma, stroke and heart attack for the first 24 hours in the hospital’s emergency ward, regardless of their financial status. The patient’s attendant will have to makes a request for the same. After 24 hours, poor patients can avail further free treatment after meeting the existing criteria, which includes recommendation from the head of the department concerned and approval of hospital authorities.

Promoting Kerala Tourism in Chandigarh with new projects, Kerala Tourism Minister and his team were in Chandigarh to unleash a raft of new projects and events to turn their state into an all-season destination. It aims to make the stay of new-age domestic and global travellers in Kerala a relaxing, rejuvenating and learning experience by unfolding before them the captivating charm of rural hinterland and lesser-known places.

Commenting on the marketing campaigns, Kerala Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas said, the focus will no longer be confined to beaches, backwaters and hill stations. “We now want to transform the whole of Kerala into an interconnected tourist haven, where visitors get plenty of choices and diverse experiences. All this will make a trip to Kerala, a wholesome experience for visitors looking for diverse experiences – be it a stay in a houseboat or a caravan, ecologically responsible adventure activities or visits to heritage and cultural centres.”

“We will promote Kerala as a global wedding destination and a paradise for honeymooners” he added.

Kerala Tourism Principal Secretary K S Srinivas said, “Kerala’s houseboats, caravan stays, jungle lodges, plantation visits, homestays, Ayurveda-based wellness solutions, countryside walks and adventure activities, including trekking to verdant hills, will be a real feast providing a unique experience to visitors,” he added.

“Our efforts are geared towards facilitating tourists to visit unexplored places that dot our scenic state,” he said.

Kerala Tourism Director Shri P B Nooh said, “We have made elaborate plans to give an effective thrust to showcase Kerala’s new projects like Caravan Tourism – Keravan Kerala”.

“Our new initiatives to promote tourism are in tune with ecological imperatives and sustainability”, he added.

Kerala set an all-time record in domestic tourist footfalls in 2022. The state hosted 1.33 crore tourists in the first three quarters of the year. Significantly, this marked an increase of 1.94 per cent from the pre-pandemic year.

Global Awards in Kerala’s kitty

TIME magazine featured Kerala as one of the ‘50 Extraordinary Destinations to explore in 2022’.

Conde Nast Traveller recognized Kerala’s ‘Aymanam village’ as one among 30 best places to visit in 2022

Chosen by Travel & Leisure magazine for the Global Vision Award.

Voted as the ‘Best Wedding Destination’ by readers of Travel Plus Leisure.

The STREET project, a part of Kerala’s storied Responsible Tourism initiative, bagged the global award at World Travel Market (WTM), London.

India Today ranked Kerala as the topmost performer in tourism in the ‘big states’ category.

The ongoing December 2022-April 2023 Kochi-Muziris Biennale is getting stupendous response from connoisseurs of art as well as tourists from across the world.