Page 14 - Punjab Government

Another explosion near Amritsar's Golden Temple, no injury reported

An explosion took place on a heritage street near the Golden Temple here on Monday morning close to the spot where a blast was reported on May 6, police said. No one was injured or any damage reported in Monday's blast. The cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained, they said. The explosion occurred near the same spot on the heritage street leading to the Golden Temple where the one on Saturday took place, the police said. According to an eyewitness, the explosion was reported around 6:30 am. Police and forensic teams reached the spot soon after and started collecting samples for investigation. Locals called for a thorough probe into the two explosions. Jasbir Singh Patti, a daily visitor to the Golden Temple for the last 20 years, said the explosions have created panic among the devotees and the police should thoroughly investigate these incidents. One person was injured and glass facades of some buildings were damaged in Saturday's blast.

Punjab scaling new heights of development under AAP govt: Kejriwal

Punjab was scaling new "heights of development" under the Bhagwant Mann government, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday as he sought votes for his party's candidate for the May 10 Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll. Addressing a roadshow along with Chief Minister Mann on the second day of his visit to Punjab, Kejriwal also referred to the 300 units of free electricity being provided to people in the state. The Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll was necessitated by the death of sitting Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary in January. AAP has fielded former MLA Sushil Rinku for the contest. Campaigning in Shahkot, Kejriwal told people that they have voted for the Congress for 60 years and asked them to give AAP a chance now, saying if they do not like his party's work, then "do not vote for us in the 2024 general elections". Praising the AAP dispensation for the work done in Punjab in the last year, Kejriwal claimed several people have told him that they have not seen such a governme

Sukhbir Badal sees 'conspiracy' behind 'provocative incidents' in Punjab

Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal demanded a high-level, independent probe, preferably by a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court

Top headlines: Amritpal arrested, Reliance withdraws RNEL merger proposal

Business Standard brings you top headlines at this hour

Rodewal Gurudwara cleric unfolds Amritpal Singh's whereabouts before arrest

Hours before his arrest, 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh addressed the devotees this morning in Rodewal Gurudwara in Punjab's Moga

Fugitive preacher Amritpal Singh arrested in Moga, says Punjab Police

Amritpal Singh was on the run since March 18 after the Punjab police launched a crackdown following storming of the Ajnala police station by his supporters to secure release of an arrested associate

Public money won't be used to pay lawyers for Mukhtar Ansari: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that his government has returned the file of the expenses of the lawyers representing gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's case

Congress releases list of 40-star campaigners for Jalandhar LS bypoll

The Congress party on Wednesday announced the list of its 40-star campaigners for the by-elections in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat

Kejriwal questioning: AAP alleges Punjab MLAs stopped from entering Delhi

Several AAP leaders, including Punjab ministers and MLAs, Sunday alleged they were stopped from entering Delhi, as the party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal appeared before the CBI for questioning in the excise policy case. The party's leaders from Punjab were headed for Delhi in a show support to Chief Minister Kejriwal, who was summoned by the federal agency to its office in the national capital in connection with irregularities in formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped excise policy. The ruling party in Punjab claimed that ministers Bram Shanker Jimpa, Dr Balbir Singh and Harjot Singh Bains, and MLAs Dinesh Chadha and Kuljit Randhawa were among those stopped at the Singhu border and not allowed to enter Delhi. "We cannot even enter our capital? @DelhiPolice not allowing my car to enter Delhi," Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains said in a tweet. Balbir Singh, the health minister of Punjab, charged democracy was being "murdered" in the country. "The Constituti

Punjab transfers Rs 502.93 crore into bank accounts of wheat growers

The Punjab govt transferred Rs 502.93 cr directly into bank accounts of 19,642 farmers in a single day as the amount of minimum support price at the rate of Rs 2,125 per quintal for procuring wheat

Security increased in Bhatinda amid Amritpal's rumoured meeting on Baisakhi

Security arrangements in Bathinda have been stepped up security ahead of Baisakhi celebrations in the state

Punjab Govt changes office timings, to function from 7.30 am to 2 pm

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday announced new office timings for all the state government offices ahead of the summer season

Punjab to miss fiscal targets by a wide margin due to freebies: Ind Ra

The AAP government's freebies push in Punjab will have the state, which already is one of the most fiscally stressed states, missing the fiscal targets by a wide margin yet again this fiscal, shows an analysis. According to an India Ratings' analysis of the Punjab budget for FY24, the Bhagwant Mann government will likely close the year with a fiscal deficit of Rs 33,216 crore which is a whopping 5.3 per cent of GSDP or gross state domestic product from the budgeted Rs 23,835 crore or 3.8 per cent in FY24. This comes on top of the state closing the previous year with a 5 per cent fiscal deficit. The Centre allows a state to borrow annually only 3 per cent of its GSDP and an additional 50 bps more on meeting certain reforms in the power distribution and public transport sectors. Punjab's fiscal stress will continue even in the medium-term and will remain one of the fiscally most stressed states, says Sunil Kumar Sinha, the senior director at the agency. This is because the state's .

Akali Dal exposes Rs 200-crore liquor scam in Punjab, demands CBI probe

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday exposed a Rs 200-crore liquor scam in the Excise Department in Punjab and demanded a CBI probe into the fraud

Don't create panic ahead of Baisakhi: Akal Takht Jathedar to Punjab govt

Concerned by the deployment of heavy security here, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh Friday asked the Punjab government to not try to create panic ahead of Baisakhi. The Jathedar called a special gathering at Takht Damdama Sahib on Friday to discuss the role of Sikh and Punjabi journalism, Sikh media contribution, and challenges the state is facing at present. The gathering comes at a time when concerns about the rise of secessionist forces in the border state are being expressed, especially in the wake of a major law and order breach in Ajnala Police Station attack led by radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who has been declared a fugitive by police. Addressing the gathering, the Jathedar of Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, said because of the security strictness, only a fraction of the usual number of devotees has come here this time ahead of Baisakhi. "Every year, we see a big gathering which starts from April 5 (for Baisakhi). But (at present), the number of

Punjab paid back entire Rs 20,200 cr electricity subsidy for FY23: CM Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Friday said the state has cleared its entire electricity subsidy bill of Rs 20,200 crore for the last financial year and has witnessed a jump in excise and GST revenue. Mann, addressing the media here, said the state has registered a revenue of Rs 8,841 crore for the financial year 2022-23, up by 41.41 per cent when compared to 2021-22. He claimed that Punjab's financial position was on the right track. Mann spelled out various initiatives taken by his over-a-year-old government in various spheres including health, education and power. "What we have achieved in one year, other governments were not able to do so in 15 years," he said. He also said his government has fulfilled several poll promises in the first year itself, "which other governments are not able to do even in the fifth year". He said his government has set a target of 10,000 crore in excise revenue for the current fiscal, as he criticised the previous governments for allowing "liq

Amritpal had cosmetic surgery done to resemble Bhindranwale, says report

Amritpal Singh has been on the run since March 18. The police so far have arrested eight of his close aides

No leaves for Punjab police till Apr 14 as Amritpal calls for Sarbat Khalsa

In the wake of this, the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav has sent out a message to the officers canceling all previously sanctioned leaves

'Don't spread rumours': Punjab Police denies news of Amritpal's surrender

The Punjab Police on Friday urged people not to believe rumours and fake news of the surrender of radical preacher and pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh.Responding to a media report on Friday, Punjab Police, in a tweet, said, "This is a fake news and factually incorrect. Please fact-check news before sharing. Don't spread rumours and fake news."Waris Punjab De chief, Amritpal, has been on the run since March 18, the day Punjab Police launched a massive manhunt for him.Amid speculations that the radical preacher is likely to surrender at Amritsar's Golden Temple, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, Parminder Singh Bhandal said last Saturday that if the fugitive Khalistani leader wants to surrender, they will facilitate the same in accordance with the law."We are continuously working to ensure the safety and security of people in Amritsar. Right now, we are more focused on managing traffic as Baisakhi is around the corner. If Amritpal wants to surrender, we are ready to ...

Pb govt introduces millets in menu of State Institute of Sports centres

The Punjab government has introduced millets in the menu for players at all centres of Punjab State Institute of Sports to provide them with a balanced and nutritious diet. "Millets will be provided thrice a week in the form of Ragi porridge (Dalia), mixed millet chapatis and Bajra-Dal Khichdi. Trainees will be made aware of the benefits of the consumption of millet through online and offline classes periodically," Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said on Wednesday. He said this initiative is part of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's motto of a healthy and prosperous Punjab. Principal Secretary, Sports Department, Rakhee Gupta Bhandari said the department has made full preparations to implement this new initiative. The year 2023 has been declared as International Year of Millets by the United Nations. Trainees are being made aware of the benefits of coarse grains, including millets, in their diet, she said.