Punjab

Who was Hardeep Nijjar - man at the centre of India-Canada diplomatic storm

India-Canada relations hit a new low on Monday as India recalled top diplomats following Canada's allegations linking them to Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder

Shiromani Akali Dal asks Punjab to ensure paddy procurement or face protest

The Shiromani Akali Dal on Sunday threatened to launch an agitation if the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab failed to ensure procurement and lifting of paddy from mandis within 72 hours. The decision was taken at a meeting of the party's core committee which was presided over by SAD working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar. The committee said that farmers were "suffering" due to the "utter failure" of the government in coordinating with the Centre in either procuring paddy arriving in the 'mandis' or getting it lifted. It said that such a state of affairs was unprecedented in the history of the state and asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann to wake up from his "slumber" and ensure farmers did not suffer or else resign from his chair. Punjab farmers on Sunday held state-wide protests against the alleged tardy procurement of paddy in the state. Akali leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the core committee also expressed concern at the manner in which the AAP government's conduct in

NGT issues notice over construction works endangering Punjab ecosystem

The National Green Tribunal has sought a reply from authorities, including the regional office of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in Punjab, in a matter regarding the alleged extensive construction activities in Chandigarh's periphery which was threatening the local ecosystem. The green body was hearing a matter where it had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a newspaper report regarding the Punjab forest department raising alarm over the activities. In an order dated October 1, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said, "As per the article, the Punjab forest department has flagged several sites in Mirzapur, Jayanti Majri, Karoran, Bharonjian, Siswan and Nada villages, where construction is taking place on lands recently de listed from forest status. It is alleged that developers are reportedly building farmhouses and plots in these areas, violating the Supreme Court guidelines on de listed forest lands and these lands,

MSP conflict with govt pushes Punjab farmers into stubble burning

Minimum support price has been a bone of contention between the farmers in Punjab and the state and Centre

BJP focus in Haryana shifts from Modi, returns to upper castes and Punjabis

The fight now can be defined as between the BJP's anti-Jat coalition and the Congress playing down the Jat domination that urban castes fear

Got over Rs 2 crore? You can become a Sarpanch in this Punjab village

Three contenders - Atma Singh (BJP), Jaswinder Singh Bedi, and Nirbhair Singh - competed for the 'Sarpanch' post in Punjab's Gurdaspur village, with Atma Singh's Rs 2 crore bid being the highest

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann chairs meeting to review paddy procurement

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann chaired a meeting on paddy procurement on Sunday."Chairing a meeting to review the ensuing procurement of paddy, the Chief Minister said that the state government is expected to procure 185 LMT paddy to be brought into mandis by farmers during the procurement Season commencing October 1," as per an official release.Chief Minister Mann said that the state government is fully ready for the upcoming Khareef Marketing Season (KMS). He said that 32 lakh hectares of area was currently under paddy cultivation in the state, adding that Punjab is targeting procurement of 185 lakh metric tonnes of paddy. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that CCL to the tune of Rs. 41,378 crore for KMS 2024-25 has already been released by the RBI, as per the release."The Chief Minister said that the Government of India has fixed Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 2320 per quintal for grade 'A' paddy this season. He said that the State procurement agencies, viz Pungrain, Markfed, ...

Punjab: Bajwa hits out at AAP over nomination filing for Panchayat polls

Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa hit out at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) reagrding the complications being faced by candidates in filing nominations for Panchayat election in the state scheduled to take place on October 15.He accused government officials of being negligent, leading to uncerainity among candidates about reservations and other things related to nominations in different panchayat segments.Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Punjab LoP & Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said, "On the floor of the house, the Chief Minister of Punjab had assured that the Panchayat elections will be conducted in a free and fair manner. We informed the state election commissioner that for the past two days, no panchayat secretary, BDPO, Tehsildar have been sitting in their respective offices."Partap Singh Bajwa, along with other Congress leaders on Saturday, approached the Punjab state election commission to address the complications being faced by ...

'Baseless': BJP denies rumours of Punjab Chief Sunil Jakhar's resignation

Sunil Jakhar, chief of Punjab's BJP unit, is rumoured to have resigned ahead of the October 15 panchayat elections. Jakhar quit Congress to join the BJP in 2022

Punjab BJP rejects reports of Sunil Jakhar quitting as state unit chief

The Punjab BJP on Friday asserted that Sunil Jakhar was leading the party in the state, dismissing as "totally baseless" speculation that he had resigned from his post. Though the 70-year-old Jakhar himself was not responding to calls, his close aide Sanjeev Trikha told PTI that there was nothing like this. A media report had claimed that Jakhar has quit as the Punjab unit chief. Punjab BJP general secretary Anil Sarin dismissed it as "totally baseless and false". He said Jakhar is leading the party's state unit. On Jakhar staying away from Thursday's meeting of the party's membership drive, Sarin said it was not important for the state unit chief to be present in every meeting. Referring to reports of his resignation as the Punjab BJP chief, Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said on X, "Mr @sunilkjakhar, All the best, where next ?" Jakhar was appointed as the Punjab BJP chief in July 2023, succeeding BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma. He had joined the BJP

This 'red entry' in Punjab has farmers fuming. Here is what it means

Farmers are opposing Punjab's plan to introduce "red entries" in land records for those caught burning paddy stubble-a major contributor to air pollution during winter

Bhagwant Mann govt inducts five AAP MLAs as Cabinet ministers in Punjab

The Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government on Monday inducted five MLAs as ministers as it carried out a Cabinet rejig. Governor Gulab Chand Kataria administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers during a swearing-in ceremony at the Raj Bhavan here. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, among other party leaders, was also present. Those sworn in as ministers included Hardeep Singh Mundian, Barinder Kumar Goyal, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, Dr Ravjot Singh and Mohinder Bhagat. They took oath in Punjabi. Among the new inductees, three were from the Malwa region and two from the Doaba region. This was the fourth cabinet reshuffle of the 30-month-old AAP government in the state. Earlier, four ministers -- Chetan Singh Jouramajra (public relations, defence services and horticulture), Anmol Gagan Maan (tourism and investment promotion), Balkar Singh (local government and parliamentary affairs) and Bram Shanker Jimpa (revenue) -- were dropped from the Mann Cabinet. Currently, the stre

Rs 364 crore pending for hospitals under Ayushman Bharat: Punjab minister

Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh on Thursday refuted claims by the private hospitals that the state government owed over Rs 600 crore for various treatments availed under the Ayushman Bharat Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojna. He said the total pending amount for both public and private hospitals is Rs 364 crore. Singh said the breakup of pending payments shows that Rs 166.67 crore are owed to the public hospitals and Rs 197 crore to the private hospitals. The minister's reaction came a day after the private hospitals and nursing association (PHANA) claimed that the state government owed over Rs 600 crore and had also threatened to stop providing medical treatments under the Ayushman Bharat Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana. Notably, the Ayushman Bharat Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana offers cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year in as many as 772 government and private empaneled hospitals across the state. The minister said since April 1, 2024, the government has disbursed

Health schemes face hurdle in Punjab as pvt centres stop cashless treatment

The hospital body PHANA claimed that it took the step due to unresolved payments of approximately Rs 600 crore owed by the state government, pending for the last six months

Auto parts-making plant for BMW to come up in Punjab, CM to lay foundation

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday assured full support to Modern Automotives for its plans to expand its project in the state and manufacture parts for luxury car maker BMW. A delegation of the Modern Automotives Ltd comprising its representatives -- Aditya Goyal, Suhail Goyal and Manish Bagga called on the Chief Minister here. During the meeting, Mann was informed that Modern Automotive has become the first Indian company to receive approval for deliveries of differential pinion shafts to German luxury vehicles manufacturer BMW AG Munich, according to an official statement. They said that an order has been confirmed for 2.50 million units valued at Rs 150 crore, the statement said. Assuring fulsome support to the company for their future endeavours, Mann accepted the invitation of the delegation to lay the foundation stone of the upcoming plant next month at Mandi Gobindgarh. He said it is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction that the parts for BMW will now be

Work on 12 industrial smart cities to kick off this year; 4 to be completed

In August, the Union Cabinet approved the creation of 12 industrial zones, strategically positioned across 10 states and planned along six major corridors

25 travel agents booked for illegally advertising jobs: Punjab police

Twenty-five travel agents in Punjab have been booked for illegally advertising employment opportunities on social media, said police on Wednesday. The action came after the Protector of Emigrants under the Ministry of External Affairs red-flagged the advertising on social media for jobs in foreign countries by such unscrupulous travel agencies. In a statement, Additional Director General of Police (NRI Affairs) Praveen K Sinha said these travel agencies were advertising jobs abroad without possessing the requisite licence and permissions. "We checked the online platforms, verified their credentials covertly and registered FIRs against them," he said, adding that a total of 20 FIRs have been registered under the Emigration Acts at various NRI police stations in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Patiala, Sangrur and SAS Nagar. The ADGP said this operation specifically targeted those illegal travel agents, who were advertising on online platforms, offering promisi

1991 Multani murder case: SC to not quash fresh FIR against ex-Punjab DGP

The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to interfere with a fresh FIR lodged against former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini in the 1991 disappearance and murder of junior engineer Balwant Singh Multani. A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Pankaj Mithal said that in view of the subsequent development of a charge sheet being filed in the case, it would not like to interfere with the FIR. The top court, however, said that observations and findings recorded in the Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict dated September 8, 2020, will not come in the way of proceedings before the trial court. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Saini, sought quashing of the FIR, saying it was lodged in 2020 after decades of the alleged incident due to political reasons. He said that time and again this court had granted relief to Saini, who is a decorated officer, and even protected him from any coercive action in the case. Justice Sundresh said that since the charge sheet has been filed in the case, it

Punjab docs begin 3-day strike, patients suffer as OPD services suspended

Government doctors in Punjab on Monday suspended outpatient department (OPD) services for three hours across the state to press for their demands, including reinstatement of the assured career progression scheme and adequate security measures for healthcare workers. The protest, being held under the banner of Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association, will continue till September 11 in district and sub-divisional hospitals, and community health centres, said the protesting doctors. Many patients visiting these government hospitals were inconvenienced as the OPD services remained suspended from 8 am to 11 am. However, emergency services continued. President of PCMS Association (Patiala unit) Dr Sumeet Singh said the reinstatement of the assured career progression scheme (ACP) is one of the main demands of the protesting doctors. Unlike other departments, doctors do not have many avenues of promotion through the course of their career, which was compensated through the annual

Punjab, Haryana HC dismisses plea of Cong MLA's son against ED arrest

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed a petition seeking quashing of criminal proceedings and arrest of a Haryana Congress MLA's son by the ED, citing 10 judicial pronouncements made by the Supreme Court on these issues. The Court of Judge Mahabir Singh Sindhu in Chandigarh on August 27 held that prima facie, the offence of money laundering was "clearly made out" against the petitioner Sikandar Singh Chokker and that his plea was "nothing but complete misuse of the process of Court as well as law." Sikandar Chokker is the son of Dharam Singh Chokker, sitting Congress MLA from the Samalkha (Panipat district) seat of Haryana. Dharam Singh Chokker has been recently given a ticket by his party for contesting the forthcoming assembly polls in the state from the same seat. Sikandar Chokker was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on April 30 from a hotel in Haridwar, Uttarakhand on the basis of a special PMLA court issued arrest warrant against him in a money laundering