Page 18 - Punjab

Punjab sees 50% dip in post-harvest farm fires; no effect on Delhi's air

Farm fires in Punjab, often blamed for the rise in Delhi's air pollution, have gone down by 50 per cent since last year in the post-harvest period, with little effect on the air quality in the national capital. From September 15 to October 27, Punjab has seen 1,995 farm fire cases as compared to 4,059 in the corresponding period last year, as per data from the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre. The farm fire incidents in the period have gone down by 75 per cent since 2022. The state recorded 8,147 farm fires in 2022 in this period. After paddy harvesting in October and November, stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and states adjacent to Delhi are said to contribute to pollution in Delhi. Paddy procurement is underway in Punjab. On Sunday, Punjab saw 138 farm fires -- Ferozepur with highest such incidents, followed by Sangrur and Fatehgarh Sahib, according to data. On the same day in 2022 and 2023, the state had seen 1,111 and 766 farm fires, respectively. The drop in farm fire cases, .

'No space crunch in Punjab': Centre dismisses concerns over paddy storage

The Centre on Sunday dismissed reports of storage space shortage affecting paddy procurement in Punjab, terming them "misinformation" created with "vested interests". Union Food Minister Prahlad Joshi on Sunday assured that creating adequate storage space remains the government's responsibility. "Some rumours are being spread. I want to clearly state that creating space is our responsibility. We will take care of that," Joshi said during a media briefing, accompanied by Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra and FCI Chairman Vanita Rattan Sharma. The state currently has 14 lakh tonne storage capacity, which will increase to 16 lakh tonne by November 1. An additional 31 lakh tonne capacity is being developed under the Private Entrepreneur Guarantee (PEG) scheme. The minister highlighted that 3,800 millers have applied for paddy lifting, with 3,250 already allocated stock for rice conversion. The government has cleared payments worth Rs 9,819.88 crore, of which Rs 7,641 crore has reached ...

Punjab BJP meets governor, blames AAP for slow paddy lifting process

A delegation of Punjab BJP leaders on Sunday met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and submitted a memorandum alleging inefficiency on part of the AAP government in the state for "tardy" paddy lifting. The delegation urged the governor to intervene and ensure the complete lifting of paddy from mandis as a "gift" to the farmers of the state so that they can "celebrate Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas with their families". The memorandum said, "Due to inefficiency on the part of the Punjab government, even after 26 days of official commencement of paddy procurement, the Punjab government has failed to lift most of the paddy from the mandis across the state." Paddy procurement for Kharif Marketing Season 2024-25 commenced in Punjab from October 1, according to the BJP delegation that included Avinash Rai Khanna, Preneet Kaur, Harjit Singh Grewal, Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, Vijay Sampla, Vineet Joshi and Fateh Jang Bajwa. "Before the commencement of the season, in the last week of September, Pun

Punjab: Farmers to hold 'chakka jam' in 4 locations over paddy procurement

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Takait said that the protest is being carried out by the farmers in Punjab only

Stubble burning cases reported in Punjab, Haryana despite SC's criticism

Supreme Court on October 23 criticised the Haryana and Punjab governments for failure to take action against stubble burning

NIA chargesheets associate of Khalistani terrorists in Punjab terror case

The chargesheet against Gurpreet Singh, also known as Gopi, from Tarn Taran (Punjab), was submitted to the NIA Special Court in Mohali

Punjab Assembly elections: AAP names candidates for all four seats

The AAP on Sunday released a list of candidates for the November 13 bypolls to four assembly seats in Punjab. The party shared the list on X. The bypolls to the four assembly seats were necessitated after MLAs representing them were elected to the Lok Sabha. The AAP has fielded Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, who joined the party after quitting the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in August, from Gidderbaha. Once considered close to SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, Dhillon (57) had unsuccessfully contested elections from Gidderbaha seat on the party's tickets in 2017 and 2022 and served as chairman of Muktsar district planning board. Gidderbaha seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring was elected to the Lok Sabha from Ludhiana early this year. The AAP has named Ishank Chabbewal, a doctor and the son of AAP Hoshiarpur MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal, as its candidate from Chabbewal (SC) segment. The Chabbewal bypoll was necessitated after Raj Kumar Chabbewal, who was a Congress

262K MT of paddy lifted, 1.63 mn MT procured: Punjab food minister

Around 2.62 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has been lifted out of total procurement of 16.37 lakh MT so far in state mandis, Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak said on Saturday. Amid farmers protesting against "tardy" procurement of the paddy crop, the minister urged the state rice millers to come forward and start their milling operations, asserting that the state government always stands by them. Several farmers' groups have been protesting against the slow procurement of paddy, which led to a glut in mandis. The state rice millers and the commission agents are also supporting the farmers' protest. The state rice millers have complained of space crunch for storing the fresh paddy crop and want the Centre to liquidate the existing wheat and paddy stock to create sufficient space. Rice millers have also expressed concern over the out-turn ratio (post milling yield) of the PR-126 paddy variety, claiming that it will lead to huge losses. They have said that the

Our govts reducing stubble burning, BJP-ruled states doing nothing: AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday alleged that central government data reveals that stubble burning in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are "major contributors" to air pollution in Delhi. The AAP governments in Delhi and Punjab are the only ones that are reducing pollution and providing relief to the people, party leader Jasmine Shah said in a statement on Wednesday. In the period between October 1-14, Shah claimed that in comparison to last year, there was a 27 per cent reduction in incidents of stubble burning in Punjab this year, while such incidents increased in BJP-ruled UP and Haryana. "From October 1 to 14, (according to) the data from the central government agency Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), 1,105 stubble burning incidents were reported in Punjab. This year, the number has reduced to 811, a 27 per cent decrease in stubble burning incidents in the state," he said. In Haryana, during the same period, there were 341 incidents last year, that increase

People in Punjab fear dispute with Canada endangers work, study plans

Indians have made up Canada's largest group of international students in recent years, mainly from Punjab, holding more than 41% of student permits in 2022

Stubble burning: SC raps Punjab, Haryana govts, summons chief secretaries

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rapped the Haryana and Punjab governments over non-prosecution of violators found guilty of stubble burning and summoned the state chief secretaries to appear before it on October 23 and submit. an explanation. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Augustine George Masih directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to take penal action against Haryana and Punjab government officials for failure to take action against the violators. "This is not a political matter. If chief secretary is acting at somebody's behest, we will issue summons against them as well. Next Wednesday we are going to physically call chief secretary and explain everything. Nothing has been done, same is with Punjab government. The attitude is of complete defiance,"the bench said. Slamming the Punjab government, the top court said not even a single prosecution has been carried out in past three years. It said no endeavour has been made by the 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