Page 7 - Punjab Government

Channi's views don't reflect Congress' position, says Jairam Ramesh

The Congress on Thursday distanced itself from Lok Sabha member Charanjit Singh Channi's remark on controversial MP Amritpal Singh

Punjab BJP to hold rural outreach, leaders to speak with stakeholders

The BJP will hold a rural outreach under which its leaders and workers will go to villages in Punjab and hold dialogue with various stakeholders, including farmers on various issues. Punjab is a sensitive border state with typical problems and needs to be addressed with the same spirit, state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on Friday said. Stressing that dialogue is the way forward for effective resolution of all issues being faced by Punjab, Jakhar said the farmers, agricultural scientists and economists must be taken on board to evolve a consensual resolution. Jakhar was speaking to the media this evening after presiding over a day-long meeting of state BJP's extended executive committee meeting here. He said it was felt during the meeting that a false narrative has been built, a myth has been created to project the BJP against farmers. To break that myth, that lies and that perception, which has been built, dialogue at all levels is needed, said Jakhar. The BJP has been working for all

Punjab limits retailers to 1,000 cases of IMFL monthly, manufacturers panic

Punjab's Indian Made Foreign Liquor market typically moves around one million cases, retailers can now only purchase 1,000 cases per month

Punjab CM Mann reviews flood protection work along Ghaggar river in Sangrur

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday visited flood-prone areas along the Ghaggar river to take stock of the preparations for dealing with floods at the ground level ahead of the monsoon. The chief minister, accompanied by top government officials, visited the areas along with the river to check the arrangements being made to avert the floods, a release said. It was a deviation from the earlier times when the head of the state visited the areas once they were flooded, he said in the release. Earlier, leaders used these opportunities shamelessly for photo ops, hardly giving any relief to the people, Mann said. In sharp contrast to that practice, Mann said he visited the areas to assess the ongoing work to avert the floods. This will ensure that the flood-protection work is done effectively and there is no loss of life and property, he added. Interacting with the people, Mann said in order to avert floods in the state, the Punjab government has taken an initiative to desig

Musical chairs, gen-next politicians look to shake up Punjab's poll fray

The churn in Punjab politics has been the biggest among the states ahead of the Lok Sabha polls

Channi's remark on Poonch terror attack in violates MCC, says Punjab CEO

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C on Tuesday said that Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi terming the Poonch terror attack, in which an IAF soldier was killed, a "poll stunt" violated the model code of conduct. The Punjab chief electoral officer (CEO) has written to the Election Commission of India for further action on the matter. "According to a report of the Jalandhar District Election Officer, it (Channi's remark) is the violation of MCC (model code of conduct)," Punjab CEO Sibin C told PTI on Tuesday. One soldier was killed and four were injured as terrorists ambushed an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on May 4. Replying to reporters' questions on the attack on the IAF convoy, Channi had said, "These are all stunts, not attacks ('Yeh stuntbaazi ho rahi hai, hamle nahi ho rahe' ). Whenever elections are near, such stunts are performed to make the BJP win. There is no truth in it." "The BJP knows how to play with people's lives and

Delhi CM Kejriwal, his wife Sunita offer prayers at Delhi's Hanuman temple

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with his wife Sunita and Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann offered prayers at the Hanuman temple in central Delhi's Connaught Place. A day after getting released from Tihar jail on interim bail, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Kejriwal reached the historic temple to pay his obeisance. Kejriwal was accompanied by AAP leaders including Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj. On Friday, the chief minister thanked Lord Hanuman as he stepped out of Tihar Jail on interim bail and sought people's support in his "fight against dictatorship". Kejriwal will address a press conference at AAP office at 1 pm and will hold two roadshows in south Delhi and east Delhi parliamentary constituencies.

LS polls: Former Punjab MLA from Congress Dalvir Singh Goldy joins AAP

A day after quitting the Congress, former MLA Dalvir Singh Goldy on Wednesday joined the AAP in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here. Goldy resigned from the Congress days after he expressed his "displeasure" over denial of party ticket from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat. While welcoming Goldy into the party fold, Mann described him as a a hardworking youth. "We welcome him along with his supporters," he said. In his resignation letter to the Congress' Punjab chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Goldy had said that he was "upset" by the state leadership and resigning from the party's primary membership. Former MLA from the Dhuri assembly seat, Goldy was a ticket aspirant from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat for the coming Lok Sabha elections. However, the Congress named three-time MLA Sukhpal Khaira from the Sangrur parliamentary seat. On April 16, Goldy had expressed his "displeasure" over denial of party ticket from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat and had urged the party

LS elections 2024: Two Punjab Cong leaders including national secy join BJP

Two Punjab Congress leaders, including its national secretary Tajinder Pal Singh Bittu, joined the BJP here on Saturday as the ruling party at the Centre bolsters its ranks in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha polls there. Bittu announced his resignation from the Congress hours before joining the BJP. He and Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary, the wife of late Congress veteran Santokh Singh Chaudhary, joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and its national general secretary Vinod Tawde. Chaudhary had last year unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha bypoll in Jalandhar following the death of her husband, who was the sitting MP. At a press conference, Tawde said their induction into the BJP will boost the party, especially in Punjab where the polls are scheduled for June 1. Bittu told reporters that he had been feeling "suffocated" in the Congress after being with the party for over 35 years. "Three-four power centres work in the Congress and all of them seek to func

Baisakhi celebration: Devotees in Punjab Haryana offer prayers in Gurdwaras

Devotees across Punjab and Haryana offered prayers at gurdwaras on the occasion of the Baisakhi festival on Saturday. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann greeted people on the occasion of 'Sajna Divas' of the 'Khalsa Panth' and 'Baisakhi'. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini also greeted people on the occasion of Baisakhi. Devotees thronged the gurdwaras, including Amritsar's Sri Harmandir Sahib also known as the Golden Temple, Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib, Damdama Sahib in Bathinda and Nada Sahib in Haryana's Panchkula and paid obeisance. Baisakhi festival marks the foundation day of the 'Khalsa Panth' (Sikh order) by the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh. On this auspicious day in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh created the 'Order of Khalsa' at the holy city of Sri Anandpur Sahib by baptising 'Panj Pyare' (beloved ones) belonging to different castes. Baisakhi also marks the onset of harvest season.

Jallianwala Bagh martyrs will always inspire future generations: Prez Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu expressed heartfelt tributes on Saturday to the people who sacrificed their lives for the country in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and said the spirit of patriotism of those martyrs will keep inspiring the coming generations. Hundreds of people protesting peacefully against the Rowlatt Act, which granted repressive powers to the colonial administration, were gunned down by British forces without any provocation on this day in 1919 at Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab's Amritsar. "My heartfelt tribute to all the freedom fighters who sacrificed everything for the motherland in Jallianwala Bagh! The countrymen will always be indebted to all those great souls who sacrificed their lives for swaraj. I am sure that the spirit of patriotism of those martyrs will always inspire the coming generations," the president said in a post in Hindi on X.

NGT asks Punjab to explain how it will handle 19 mn tonnes of paddy stubble

Green Tribunal seeks information from the state on stubble management in 2023 and 2024

CM Mann, AAP leaders in Punjab to fast on Sunday against Kejriwal's arrest

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann along with AAP MLAs and volunteers will sit on a fast on Sunday to protest against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a party leader said. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had given the call for a nationwide collective fast on April 7 against the arrest of the Delhi chief minister. Kejriwal, who is also the AAP national convener, was arrested last month by the Enforcement Directorate in an excise policy-linked money laundering case. He had been sent to judicial custody till April 15. Addressing the media here on Saturday, AAP MLA Dinesh Chadha said the Punjab chief minister and the ruling party's legislators will sit on a fast at Khatkar Kalan in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district on April 7 in the fight to save democracy. He also appealed to the people of Punjab to take part in the fast. Alleging that the BJP-led Centre was behind the arrest of Kejriwal's arrest, the Rupnagar legislator claimed that the saffron party considers the AA

Jolt for AAP in Punjab: MP Sushil Rinku, MLA Sheetal Angural switch to BJP

Sushil Kumar Rinku was AAP's sole Lok Sabha member and was already announced as the party's candidate from Jalandhar

ED raids multiple Punjab locations in guava orchards compensation 'scam'

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple locations in Punjab in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged guava orchards compensation "scam", official sources said. The ED case was registered after the federal agency took cognisance of a Punjab Vigilance Bureau FIR pertaining to alleged embezzlement of nearly Rs 137 crore released as compensation for guava orchards on land acquired by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA). The premises of some senior government officials and some private persons are being covered, the sources said. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested a number of people, including some horticulture department officials, in this case, they said.

LS polls: BJP to go solo in Punjab, says state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar

The BJP will contest the Lok Sabha polls on its own in Punjab, the party's state unit chief Sunil Jakhar said on Tuesday. The announcement came amid a buzz over talks between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP for re-stitching their alliance for the parliamentary polls. Polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held on June 1, the last phase of the seven-phase elections. "The BJP is going to contest the Lok Sabha elections alone in Punjab," Jakhar said on X. He said this decision was taken by the BJP following feedback from people and party workers. "The works done by the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are not hidden from anyone," Jakhar said. The BJP leader also added that in the last 10 years, produce of farmers was procured at minimum support price.

Mann in Delhi to support Kejriwal while people die in Punjab, says BJP

The BJP on Saturday hit out at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and said it is "very sad" that he is here to protest the arrest of his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal at a time when the death toll in a hooch tragedy in his state has climbed to 20. The party also targeted AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha over his London visit and asked why he had a meeting with British Labour Party MP Preet K Gill, "who openly advocates 'K' separatism". The death toll due to the suspected consumption of spurious liquor in Punjab's Sangrur district has climbed to 20, with six more people succumbing during treatment, officials said on Saturday. Police have made eight arrests so far in connection with the case, they said. Reacting to the climb in the death toll, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "It is very sad. The BJP is very sensitive towards the plight of the family members of those who died in the incident." "It is also very sad that at a time when Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant M

'Alcohol with methanol used for making spurious liquor in Sangrur tragedy'

Alcohol containing methanol content was used for making spurious liquor which left 20 people dead in Punjab's Sangrur district, police said on Saturday. Police have arrested eight out of the 10 identified accused in connection with the Sangrur hooch tragedy, they said. The death toll due to the suspected consumption of spurious liquor in Sangrur district has climbed to 20, with six more people succumbing during treatment, officials on Saturday said. Eleven people are undergoing treatment at Patiala's Rajindra Hospital and six at the Civil Hospital in Sangrur. The officials said the casualties have been reported from Gujran, Tibbi Ravidaspura and Dhandoli Khurd villages in Dirba and Sunam blocks. A four-member special investigation team (SIT), led by Additional Director General of Police Gurinder Singh Dhillon, was set up on Saturday in connection with the incident. Addressing the media here, ADGP Dhillon said three FIRs have been lodged so far in connection with this incident. O

Punjab BJP urges EC to order investigation into state's excise policy

A delegation of the Punjab BJP on Saturday urged the Election Commission of India to order an ED probe into the state excise policy, which it claimed was tailored along the lines of the one for Delhi. The delegation led by Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar comprised Union Minister Som Parkash, former union minister Vijay Sampla, former state unit chiefs Ashwani Sharma and Manoranjan Kalia, MLA Jangi Lal Mahajan, national executive member Harjit Singh and state general secretary Parminder Brar. The delegation handed over a memorandum to Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C, seeking a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the state excise policy. This came after Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case on Thursday. Speaking to reporters here, Jakhar said Punjab's excise policy was framed on the lines of the Delhi excise policy because of which ...

Kejriwal will be released, start revolution in country: Punjab CM Mann

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in ED custody in connection with an excise policy-linked money-laundering case, will be released and bring a revolution in the country, his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann said on Saturday. The 55-year-old AAP national convenor was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday from his official residence. He was on Friday produced in court, which sent him to ED custody till March 28. Mann, Delhi ministers Atishi and Kailash Gahlot, and Mayor Shelly Oberoi visited Shaheedi Park on Saturday to commemorate the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. "The BJP wants to bring dictatorship in the country. Sending opposition leaders to jail is not freedom. Let us unite or the country will be ruined. Kejriwal will come out, bringing a big revolution," Mann said. The Delhi government will run according to the law, he said. "No law says that a chief minister sent to jail under a political vendetta needs to resign. He is in