Page 20 - Punjab

Naxal recruitment case: NIA conducts raids in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana & UP

NIA investigations have revealed that several frontal organisations and student wings have been tasked with motivating and recruiting cadres

Govt will give special grants to villages with drug-free status: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Wednesday said his government will give special grants to the villages that attain the drug-free status, as he inaugurated a new office for the state's apex anti-drug unit. Speaking after inaugurating the new office of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) in Mohali, the chief minister said his government is committed to make Punjab a drug-free state. "The state government will give special grants to the drug-free villages across Punjab," he said. These grants will be used for the promotion of sports and sporting infrastructure in villages, helping channelise the unbounded energy of the youth in a positive direction, he said. Already players from Punjab have brought laurels for the country in events like the Olympics, he said, adding youths from the state will bag more medals. On the occasion, he also launched anti-drug Helpline and WhatsApp Chatbot (9779100200), according to an official statement. Speaking after inspecting the newly constructed

12 industrial parks worth Rs 25,000 crore await Union Cabinet nod

To attract Rs 1.5 trn investment in boost to manufacturing

BSF seeks more manpower to keep check on drone-affected Punjab border

The BSF has sought the deployment of an additional battalion to check the onslaught of cross-border drones carrying drugs and ammunition and curb infiltration along the Punjab front of the India-Pakistan border. The force currently has about 20 battalions to guard the more than 500-kilometre-long front, out of which 18 are "actively deployed" at the border while the rest are mobilised in view of the requirements at the Attari integrated check post in Amritsar and the Kartarpur corridor at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district. The drone menace that started around 2019-20 along this front is dominant in the border districts of Amritsar and Tarn Taran. One more Border Security Force (BSF) battalion has been sought to better secure the Punjab border, a senior officer told PTI. The request is under "active consideration" of the Union home ministry, he said. Atul Fulzele, inspector general for the BSF's Punjab Frontier, had recently said that all the drugs from across the Pakistan borde

37 people killed, several injured in two bus accidents in Pakistan

At least 11 people were killed and 35 injured when a bus veered off the highway in Pakistan's Balochistan province and fell into a ravine on Sunday, according to media reports. The bus carrying 70 people was bringing pilgrims back from Iran to Punjab province when the accident occurred in Hub, the Dawn newspaper reported. The accident occurred on the Makran coastal highway, a 653 km national highway which extends along Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast from Karachi in Sindh province to Gwadar in Balochistan province. Most of the passengers were from Lahore or Gujranwala, according to police sources. According to District Commissioner (DC) Lasbela Humaira Baloch, a rescue operation is being conducted. According to Edhi rescue sources, 23 others were injured in the incident and were swiftly transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the Lasbela incident and extended her condolences to the grie

Watch: Women tie rakhis to soldiers at the Attari-Wagah border

On the festival of Rakshabandhan, women tie rakhi and offer sweets to soldiers at the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab's Amritsar.

North India's dams hold only 51% of capacity amid below-normal rainfall

Reservoirs in Punjab, Himachal, and Rajasthan are dangerously low on water levels, threatening irrigation and power generation as the monsoon season ends

Punjab sees 12.58% growth in basmati cultivation area during kharif season

The Punjab government's crop diversification drive has helped the state increase basmati cultivation area by 12.58 per cent during this kharif season, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said on Sunday. The cultivation of long-grain rice has expanded to 6.71 lakh hectares currently, a significant increase from 5.96 lakh hectares during the previous kharif season, the minister said. Giving district-wise statistics of basmati cultivation, Khudian said that Amritsar led the way with 1.46 lakh hectares dedicated to this aromatic rice. Following Amritsar were Muktsar with 1.10 lakh hectares, Fazilka with 84.9 thousand hectares, Tarn Taran with 72.5 thousand hectares, and Sangrur with 49.8 thousand hectares, showcasing maximum basmati cultivation in these districts. The state agriculture minister also highlighted a substantial 46.5 per cent growth in the area under Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) compared to the previous year. The area cultivated using the ...

Kolkata woman rape-murder: Punjab doctors suspend OPD services in protest

The Punjab Civil Medical Services Association on Friday suspended outpatient department (OPD) services at public health-care centres in the state to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a woman doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. We are demanding expeditious justice for the victim, central protection act for healthcare professionals and adequate security arrangements at public healthcare facilities, said Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) president Dr Akhil Sarin. The emergency and medico-legal services remained functional during Friday's protest, he added. Dr Sarin said the OPD services remained suspended in the health centres, including Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres, civil hospitals and health centres at sub-divisional level. Meanwhile, the medical professionals in the state held sit-ins at the health centres demanding expeditious justice for the victim.

Punjab CM holds meeting to review progress in implementation of schemes

Earlier , CM Mann replied to Union Transport Minister Gadkari's letter over alleged attacks on engineers and contractors in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and said that local police have arrested accused

SC directs DGP of Punjab for partial reopening of highway at Shambhu border

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the police chiefs of both Punjab and Haryana to hold a meeting along with the SPs of adjoining Patiala and Ambala districts within one week for partial reopening of the highway at the Shambhu border, where protesting farmers have been camping since February 13. The court asked the Punjab government to persuade protesting farmers at the Shambhu border to remove tractors from the road, saying highways are not parking space. A bench of justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan also appreciated the Punjab and Haryana government for suggesting apolitical names for constituting a committee, which will hold meetings with the protesting farmers. The bench said partial opening of the road at Shambhu order is needed to facilitate movement of ambulances, essential services, senior citizens, women, girl students and the local commuters of adjoining areas. "We will pass a brief order on the terms of the panel to be constituted for talking to protesting farmers at

Heavy rains in north India leave over 28 dead, trigger floods & landslides

Heavy to exceptionally heavy rainfall over north India triggered flash floods, landslides, and house collapses in Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring regions

Centre extends deadline for Ravi, Beas Waters Tribunal report till Aug 2025

The Centre has extended the deadline for the Ravi and Beas Waters Tribunal to submit its report by another year, moving the deadline to August 5, 2025. The extension comes as part of a series of delays in the submission of the tribunal's report, which has been pending since its constitution in April 1986 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. The Ravi and Beas Waters Tribunal was established to address disputes and verify claims related to the Punjab Settlement, according to an official gazette notification. Initially, the tribunal submitted its report on January 30, 1987. However, the central government sought further clarification and guidance on certain aspects of the report, leading to multiple extensions over the years. The most recent extension, as stated in the government's notification, acknowledges the "enormous exercise" undertaken by the tribunal in preparing its report. In consideration of the extensive work required, the government deemed it necessary t

BSF provides IELTS coaching to Punjab youngsters to make them evade drugs

The BSF is providing IELTS coaching to youngsters in Punjab as part of its community effort to wean them off drugs, a senior officer of the force said on Friday. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is one of the most sought after English language proficiency tests for study, migration or work abroad. An estimated 30 lakh people take the test every year and is accepted by thousands of employers, universities, schools and immigration bodies around the globe. The Border Security Force's (BSF) Punjab frontier Inspector General Atul Fulzele said the force utilised funds provided by the Union government for civic action works to hire two "good English speaking" teachers who were providing this training to youngsters at Amarkot in the state's Tarn Taran district. "Some villagers and children of that area came to the officers of our 103rd battalion deployed in that area and said they did not have the required money for IELTS training. They sought our help," Fulzele told ..

Sunkind Energy secures 20 MW solar projects in Punjab, Maharashtra

Clean energy company Sunkind Energy on Monday said it has secured new solar power projects totalling around 20 megawatts (MW). The contracts have been awarded by Nahar Group and Jindal Group, the company said in a statement. For Nahar Group, the company said it will set up a capacity of 7.3 MW in Ludhiana, Punjab, for captive purposes and a 19.6 MW captive solar project for Jindal Group in Nashik, Maharashtra. Both projects will be set up in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode. The company aims to complete these contracts by September 2024, Sunkind Energy founder and CEO Hanish Gupta said. The company did not provide any financial details of the project. As per industry estimates, 1 MW of solar projects involves an investment of around Rs 5-7 crore, including land cost. Gurugram-based Sunkind Energy is a leading EPC solar company in the country, having a total orderbook of 52 MW solar projects under various stages of implementation.

India likely to receive above normal rainfall in second half of 2024: IMD

IMD monsoon forecast: Southern and central regions recorded more than average rainfall while east and north-east India recorded 23.3 per cent less rainfall in July

Former Raj min, BJP veteran Gulab Chand Kataria sworn in as Punjab governor

BJP veteran Gulab Chand Kataria was on Wednesday sworn in as the Governor of Punjab and Administrator Chandigarh. Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu administered the oath of office to Kataria at a ceremony in Raj Bhavan. Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, former Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore and several Punjab ministers, including Harpal Singh Cheema and Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, were also present. The 79-year-old Kataria took the oath in Hindi. Kataria replaces Banwarilal Purohit, who tendered his resignation in February. Before being appointed as the Punjab governor, Kataria was the governor of Assam. Hailing from Udaipur, Kataria had served as Rajasthan home minister twice -- from 2004 to 2008 and 2015 to 2018--and had also served as Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly. The BJP veteran had also served as education, public works panchayati raj, rural development and disaster management minister. Kataria, a

Jailed MP Amritpal Singh's parents thank Channi for his support in Parl

Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh clarified that his statement does not reflect the position of the Indian National Congress in any way

Army Agniveer goes on two months leave, forms robbery gang with brother

Ishmeet Singh was recruited by the Indian Army in November 2022 as an Agniveer and was posted in West Bengal but ditched his job to become a gang robber

Diljit Dosanjh accused of not paying desi dancers during Dil-Luminati tour

Rajat Bhatta, who owns several dance institutes, took to social media to accuse Diljit of not making payment to background dancers during Dil-Luminati international tour