Page 20 - Punjab

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

Prez returns Bill to make Punjab CM chancellor of state universities

A Punjab bill that seeks to replace the state governor with the chief minister as the chancellor of state-run universities has been returned by the President without giving her assent, official sources said on Wednesday. Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and three others bills were passed by the Punjab Assembly in the two-day session in June last year but the governor had called the session "patently illegal." Later in November last year, the Supreme Court held that the June 19-20 session was constitutionally valid and had directed the Punjab governor to decide on the Bills passed by the legislative assembly session. The Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was for replacing the governor with the chief minister as the chancellor of state-run universities. However, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit reserved this bill along with two others -- the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023 -- for the consideration of th

Alphacorp to invest Rs 350 crore in luxury housing project in Gurugram

Realty firm Alphacorp will invest Rs 350 crore to develop a luxury housing project in Gurugram as part of its expansion plan amid strong consumer demand. Without divulging the name of the partner, Alphacorp said it has tied up with an entity that owns two land parcels of nearly 2.4 acre each, located in Sector 15, Part 2, Gurugram. "We will develop a total of 200 apartments on these two land parcels," said Santosh Agarwal, Executive Director and CFO of Alphacorp. On one parcel of 2.38 acre, the company has launched luxury high-rise project 'Alphacorp SKY1' comprising 100 units. The price is Rs 5 crore per unit. The project on the second plot will also be launched in the next 2-3 months. When asked about the project cost, Agarwal said the total investment is estimated at Rs 350 crore excluding land cost. He said the investment will be funded through internal accruals and bank loans, if necessary. "Gurugram, regarded as the Millennium City, exemplifies rapid infrastructure growth a

Rebel Akali leaders launch campaign aimed at strengthening outfit

Rebel Akali leaders on Monday launched a 'Shiromani Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar' aimed to "strengthen and uplift" the 103-year-old outfit while asserting that the party's present situation under the current leadership indicates that its "existence was in danger". A section of the senior party leaders last month had revolted against SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, demanding that he should step down as the party chief following its debacle in the recently held Lok Sabha elections in Punjab. Among the prominent leaders who raised a banner of revolt included former MP Chandumajra, former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, former MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala, former ministers Sikandar Singh Maluka, Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Sarwan Singh Phillaur and Surjit Singh Rakhra, and party leader Sucha Singh Chhotepur. The rebel Akali leaders on Monday appointed former MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala as the platform's convener. "We are going to start 'Shiromani Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar'. We request all Punjabis and ...

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

Radical preacher Amritpal's brother held by Jalandhar police in drug case

Radical Sikh preacher and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh's brother Harpreet Singh has been apprehended by Jalandhar police in a drug case, a senior police official said on Friday. Harpreet Singh was nabbed along with another accomplice, identified as Lovepreet Singh alias Luv, by Jalandhar Rural police on Thursday evening, the official said. Four grams of ICE (methamphetamine) drug was recovered from him during checking of the car in which the duo was travelling, he said. The official said that Harpreet Singh is aged between 30-35 and "was into some dispatching work in transport". Both Harpreet Singh and Lovepreet Singh hail from Amritsar, he added. Amritpal Singh is currently lodged in a prison in Assam's Dibrugarh district for offences under the National Security Act (NSA). Recently, he was flown to Delhi on a four-day custody parole for taking oath as a Lok Sabha member. Having fought the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent, Amritpal Singh won from the Khadoor Sahib se

BSF intercepts 125 drones from Pakistan in 2024, seizes drugs and weapons

The Border Security Force has intercepted 125 drones this year along Punjab's border with Pakistan, marking a notable rise from 22 drones intercepted in 2022 and 107 in 2023

'Dreaming of Khalsa Raj not crime': Amritpal disowns mother's statement

Radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh has distanced himself from his mother's statement in which she had said that her son was not a Khalistani supporter, according to a statement issued by the Khadoor Sahib MP. "When I came to know about the statement made by 'Mata ji' (mother) yesterday, I felt hurt. Though I believe that 'Mata ji' made this statement unknowingly, even then such a statement should never come from my family or anyone who supports me," read the statement issued by Singh through his team on Saturday night. "Dreaming of 'Khalsa Raj' is not a crime but a matter of pride. Lakhs of Sikhs sacrificed their lives to fulfil this dream and we cannot think of stepping aside from this path. "I have said many times from stages that if ever I had to choose between 'Panth' and family then I will always choose the 'Panth'," said the statement issued under the title 'official statement by Bhai Amritpal Singh'. Singh's mother Balwinder Kaur on Friday, when he took oath as a member of

Punjab & Sind Bank plans to open 100 branches, as many ATMs this fiscal

State-owned Punjab & Sind Bank plans to open 100 branches across the country in the current financial year as part of the strategy to expand its reach. During the year, the bank also plans to add 100 new ATMs to its network. "With the addition of 100 branches, the total number of branches would reach 1,665 by the end of 2024-25, and similarly, the number of ATMs would touch 1,135," Punjab & Sind Bank Managing Director Swarup Kumar Saha told PTI. The bank will continue to focus on branch expansion, and new branches would come up in areas other than the northern region, he said. Besides, he said, the bank also proposes to expand its reach through the Banking Correspondent (BC) channel. The bank plans to more than double its BC network during the current fiscal, he said, adding, that the bank is trying to expand this network to 4,000 by the end of the current financial year against 1,700 at present. The bank is working on customising more products and processes to improve ...

People widely supported Amritpal Singh, govt must release him: SGPC chief

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami on Saturday batted for the release of jailed Waris Punjab De activist and Lok Sabha MP Amritpal Singh, "considering the huge support people have given to him". The Khalistani sympathiser, who won the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat in Punjab as an Independent while being lodged in a jail in Assam's Dibrugarh district under the National Security Act, was sworn in as MP on Friday. Asked about Amritpal Singh after the SGPC chief inaugurated a laboratory at Miri-Piri hospital in Haryana's Kurukshetra, Dhami said, "People have given huge support to him. The governments should consider this, respect it and he (Amritpal) should be released." The apex Sikh body chief pointed out that Singh won from the Khadoor Sahib constituency by a margin of around two lakh votes. Singh, who styled himself after slain Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was arrested in Punjab's Moga last year after he and his supporters barged i

Not Khalistani supporter, should be released immediately: Amritpal's mother

The mother of jailed radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh, who took oath as a member of Parliament on Friday, said her son is not a Khalistani supporter and demanded that he be released immediately so that he can work on the issues on which he fought the elections. Meanwhile, celebrations broke out in Singh's native village Jallupur Khera in Amritsar and the Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency where people distributed sweets after he was administered oath. Singh and Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid, who were granted parole to take oath as members of the Lok Sabha, were sworn in as MPs amid heavy security in and around the Parliament complex. They took oath in the chamber of the Lok Sabha speaker after completing formalities. They were brought to the Parliament complex by security personnel this morning. Singh is lodged in a prison in Assam's Dibrugarh district for offences under the National Security Act. He was flown from Assam to Delhi on a four-day custody parole, for ..