Punjab

Centre extends provisions of five Punjab, Haryana laws to Chandigarh

The Centre has extended the provisions of five state legislations, three of Punjab and two of Haryana, to the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The move is part of a set of governance and regulatory reforms which are aimed at modernising legal frameworks, enhancing transparency and improving ease of living and ease of doing business. The extensions have been made through notifications under Section 87 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, in accordance with the established practice of extending suitable state laws to Chandigarh, which does not have its own legislature, officials said. These measures, taken together, represent a comprehensive effort to address gaps in existing legal frameworks, bring greater clarity and uniformity in regulation, strengthen citizen protection, and support efficient governance in Chandigarh UT. The notifications were issued by the Centre on May 6. The reforms comprise extension of three laws of the state of Punjab. The Indian Stamp (Punjab Amendment)

Punjab twin explosions: Visuals from Amritsar and Jalandhar blast sites

Two back-to back explosions near security establishments shook Punjab on Tuesday night, triggering panic and drawing condemnation from opposition parties which called them efforts to "destabilise" the

'Amritsar blast part of Pak ISI's designs on Op Sindoor anniversary'

Hours after a blast in Jalandhar, another explosion occurred in Punjab, this time in Amritsar near the Army cantonment area in Khasa late Tuesday night. No one was hurt in the incident, police said. Amritsar (Rural) SSP Suhail Mir Qasim said, "We received information around 11 pm that a loud sound was heard on a road in Khasa. Thereafter, our teams reached there immediately." He said preliminary inspection and analysis showed that someone had come and thrown something towards the boundary wall, leading to an explosion. Following the explosion, a team of forensic and bomb disposal squad visited the site to collect samples. Superintendent of Police, Aditya S Warrier, who also visited the site, said that further investigation into the matter was underway. Police said a team of army officials also visited the site. It was the second explosion incident hours after a blast occurred outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar district around 8 p

Scooter catches fire outside BSF HQ in Jalandhar; triggers panic, probe on

A scooter parked near BSF Chowk in Punjab's Jalandhar district caught fire on Tuesday evening causing panic in the area, police said, even as locals claimed they heard a blast-like sound from the vehicle. The incident took place at around 8 pm outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier, which is located along a road that connects the main city with the Amritsar-Delhi highway. Nobody was hurt, said police who have cordoned off the area. It is yet to be ascertained how the scooter caught fire, they said, even as opposition parties launched an attack on the AAP government over an "explosion" in Jalandhar. "Prima facie, the facts are that an Activa (scooter) parked here (Jalandhar) caught fire. We are still verifying the facts on the ground," Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur said. A police patrol team was present in the area at the time. Replying to a question, Kaur said it is too early to say that a blast has taken place, adding that they are

Punjab CM heads to Delhi to meet President Murmu over AAP MPs' defection

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accompanied by party MLAs, departed for Delhi on Tuesday morning to meet President Droupadi Murmu regarding the recent defection of seven Rajya Sabha MPs to the BJP. On April 24, the Aam Aadmi Party suffered a jolt when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs -- Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal -- quit and merged with the BJP, alleging that the party had strayed from its principles, values and core morals. Six of the seven MPs who left AAP were from Punjab. Mann is scheduled to meet the President at 12 noon at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. While departing for Delhi, Mann affirmed that all AAP MLAs stand united with the party. "Only I have been given time for the meeting," Mann said while speaking to reporters here. "The President is the guardian of the Constitution. She is the constitutional head of the country," he added. The MLAs and ministers gathered at the chief .

Blast at Patiala rail track an attempted detonation; suspect killed: Police

A blast that took place at a railway track near the Shambhu area in Punjab's Patiala was an attempted detonation, a senior police officer said on Tuesday. The person who was trying to carry out the detonation on Monday has died, Patiala SSP Varun Sharma said. The blast took place near the Shambhu-Ambala rail track. Police earlier said that an unidentified body, which was blown into pieces, was recovered from the spot. Initially, it was considered a low-intensity blast. However, investigation has revealed that it was an attempted detonation. The explosion occurred at around 10 pm at the rail track dedicated for freight trains, police said. The explosion also caused some damage to the track. "Late night, we had received information about a low intensity explosion at a railway track near Shambhu-Haryana border. Immediately, I, along with the deputy inspector general of police and other senior officials, rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. "We found that it was not a

Centre relaxes wheat procurement norms for Punjab for 2026-27 season

As per the new parameters, FCI will now accept wheat with 70 per cent lustre loss and 15 per cent shrivelled grains in Punjab, as against the existing quality standard of 6 per cent shrivelled grains

ED conducts raids at premises linked to Punjab Minister Sanjeev Arora

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted searches at premises linked to Punjab industries minister Sanjeev Arora and some others as part of an investigation, officials said. Locations in Ludhiana and some others places are being covered by the agency officials, they said. Arora, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, was raided by the ED in 2024 too. It has then said in a statement that companies linked to Arora and some other entities caused "loss" to the state government and generated "huge" proceeds of crime by alleged misuse of industrial land for residential projects. A few days back, the federal probe agency conducted FEMA searches at the premises of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal and his educational institutions in Punjab and Haryana.

Ahead of farmers' protest, FCI Punjab backs easing wheat procurement norms

Punjab farmers are planning to stage the rail blockade, precisely demanding the same, which is easing of wheat procurement standards in line with neighbouring Haryana and Rajasthan

Wheat procurement falls 69% over quality concerns in Punjab and Haryana

Punjab farmers to block rail tracks tomorrow to demand norm relaxations; Haryana eases quality norms

8 killed, several injured after bus overturns in Punjab's Fatehgarh Sahib

A bus carrying devotees overturned in Punjab's Fatehgarh Sahib's while returning from Anandpur Sahib, killing six and injuring 21 others, police said on Wednesday. The incident occurred near Himmatpura on Morinda-Chunni road area in Bassi Pathana at around 10 pm on Tuesday when the devotees -- all residents of Main Majri in Fatehgarh Sahib -- were returning from Anandpur Sahib in Rupnagar district after paying obeisance on the occasion of Baisakhi. The bus overturned on the road after some malfunction, a police official said. Six people, including a woman, died in the incident while 21 sustained injuries, Fategarh Sahib Deputy Superintendent of Police Raj Kumar said. The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals, the police said.

BJP's 'preparation' for Punjab polls has begun: Kejriwal as ED raids AAP MP

As the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids against AAP leader Ashok Kumar Mittal, the party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the BJP has started its "preparations" for the upcoming poll in Punjab by using central agencies. The ED on Wednesday conducted raids at the business and residential premises of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal in Punjab and Haryana as part of a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), officials said. In a post on X in Hindi, Kejriwal said, "Modi ji has started preparations for the elections in Punjab. But, the people of Punjab will not tolerate this... they would give a befitting reply to the BJP." About 10 locations in Jalandhar and Gurugram are being covered under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). This includes the premises of the Phagwara-based Lovely Professional University (LPU) and two linked educational institutions named Tetr College of Business and Masters Union College of Business located in .

ED raids at business entities linked to AAP MP Ashok Mittal in Punjab

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted raids at business entities linked to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal in Punjab as part of a FEMA probe, offiicials said. Mittal, a 61-year-old businessman and educationist who heads the Lovely Group including an university by this name, was recently made the deputy leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Rajya Sabha, replacing Raghav Chadha. Officials said the searches are being conducted at multiple business entities linked to Mittal in Jalandhar and Phagwara apart from some other locations. The action is being undertaken under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), they said.

Punjab Board Class 5, 8 Result 2026: When will PSEB release marksheet?

The PSEB will soon announce the Punjab Board Class 5 and 8 Results 2026. Students who appeared for the exams can check their results on the official website, pseb.ac.in

Punjab arthiyas to continue strike till fixed commission demand is met

The arthiyas are demanding a fixed 2.5 per cent commission on their purchases, as was the practice till 2020, when it was changed to up to 2.5 per cent

West Asia conflict: Fear arrives early in fields of Haryana and Punjab

In third part of series on West Asia impact, wholesalers warn of thin stocks as hoarding fears drive early fertiliser buying

Explosion outside Punjab BJP's office in Chandigarh, no casualties

An explosion outside the office of the Punjab BJP office here on Wednesday evening led to panic and police cordoning the area. There were no reports of any casualties. Sounds of the explosion were heard around 5 pm, said head of the state BJP's media cell Vineet Joshi. A scooter parked outside the building in Sector 37 was damaged. Senior police officers, including Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardip Kaur, as well as a team of the Central Forensic Laboratory rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. "We heard the sound of the explosion. How did it take place? We could see some signs on the boundary wall. Only police can provide details," Joshi told reporters. "It is a matter of concern if a blast took place outside the party office," he added. There was little clarity on what had happened. Further details are awaited.

Punjab board class 5 result 2026 date expected soon, check latest updates

Punjab School Education Board will announce the PSEB Class 5th Result 2026 soon. Students who have appeared for the exams can view the results on the official website of PSEB at pseb.ac.in

Punjab stares at shortage of gunny bags ahead of wheat procurement season

Despite expectations of a bumper wheat crop, a shortage of around 50 million gunny bags could disrupt procurement operations and strain mandi infrastructure in Punjab.

Punjab Minister Laljit Bhullar resigns after manager's suicide in Amritsar

Punjab Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar tendered his resignation on Saturday, following directions from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, sources said. The MLA from Patti in Tarn Taran was asked to resign in connection with the alleged suicide of a Warehouse Corporation district manager in Amritsar. Mann has directed the chief secretary to conduct a probe into the matter. Negligence of any kind will not be tolerated, he said. Recently, a video surfaced on social media in which Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, the manager, was heard saying that he had consumed some poisonous substance and named Laljit Singh Bhullar, the transport minister. Earlier, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that Randhawa died by suicide after consuming Celphos. Majithia also alleged that Randhawa named Bhullar before his death.