Page 32 - Punjab

BSF intercepts another drone coming from Pakistan in Punjab's Ferozepur

"As per the laid-down drill, BSF troops immediately reacted to stop the misadventure by smugglers," said BSF

NIA files charge-sheet in cross-border arms smuggling case in Punjab

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge-sheet against a man in a case linked to cross-border smuggling of arms and ammunition by drones in the border areas of Punjab's Gurdaspur district, an official said on Sunday. The charge-sheet against Malkit Singh alias "Pistol" was filed in the NIA special court in Mohali in Punjab, a spokesperson of the federal agency said. The case was initially registered at the Dera Baba Nanak police station in Batala on March 24 following the seizure of firearms and ammunition, including five Austria-made pistols, 10 magazines and 91 live cartridges, by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel from a cremation ground at Bhagtana-Boharwala village. On August 8, the NIA re-registered the case under various sections of the Arms Act, the Aircraft Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the spokesperson said. The official said investigations revealed connections between members of the proscribed terrorist organisation Khalistan ...

Punjab records over 100 farm fires; Haryana's air quality 'moderate'

Punjab on Saturday reported 104 farm fires, taking the total number of stubble-burning incidents to 23,730 while air quality indices in Haryana and the border state were in 'satisfactory' and 'moderate' categories. The fresh figure of farm fires in Punjab was much lower than what the state was witnessing a few days ago. Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is considered one of the reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in Delhi in October and November. Only six cases of stubble burning were reported in Punjab on Friday as rains lashed many parts of the state. Out of 105 stubble-burning incidents reported on Saturday, crop residue burning was seen in only 10 districts in Punjab. Sangrur district topped with 43 cases, followed by 22 in Mansa, 13 in Fazilka, eight in Fatehgarh Sahib, four each in Ludhiana and Muktsar, three each in Malerkotla, Patiala and Bathinda and one in Ferozepur, according to Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data. On the same

Guv can't doubt Assembly session validity, sit indefinitely over bills: SC

"You are playing with fire," the Supreme Court told the Punjab governor on Friday, as it held that being the titular head of the state he cannot cast doubt on the validity of an assembly session or withhold his decision indefinitely on bills passed by the House. It said under Article 200 of the Constitution, when a bill is presented to the governor, he shall declare either that he assents to the bill or that he withholds assent therefrom or that he reserves the bill for the consideration of the President. The top court, which pulled up the Punjab governor for "indefinitely sitting over" bills passed by the assembly saying "You are playing with fire", also questioned the state government for repeatedly adjourning the Budget session sine die instead of proroguing it. It, however, upheld the Speaker's supremacy in conducting the business of the House or adjourning its sessions. "Our country has been running on established traditions and conventions and they need to be followed," a benc

Sikhs in their infinite variety

"The Assamese Sikhs have often been belittled because they cannot speak or read Punjabi and are hence also referred to as spurious Sikhs or kachche Sikh," says Singh

Pakistan's Punjab provincial govt launches online portal for Sikh tourists

For the first time, Pakistan's Punjab government has launched an online hotel bookings and security services portal for Sikhs intending to travel to the province from India and other parts of the world for pilgrimage. Launched on Thursday, the 'Sikh Yatra Booking Portal', was termed as a "groundbreaking religious tourism programme" by Punjab's caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi. "For the first time, we have launched 'Sikh Yatra Booking Portal' -- a groundbreaking religious tourism programme designed to facilitate Sikhs eager to visit their holy places in the country," Naqvi told reporters here on Friday. He asserted that the initiative represents the first of its kind in Pakistan. "As part of this programme, Sikh pilgrims from across the globe can now conveniently make online hotel bookings through the Sikh Yatra Booking Portal," Naqvi said. "Besides, the visiting Sikhs will have the option to hire security services and arrange transportation as well with the added privilege of

'God may have heard prayers, no thanks to govt': SC on Delhi air pollution

The Supreme Court asked the government why speed on curbing air pollution comes only after the court intervenes every year

Delhi pollution: Farm fires in Punjab, other states have to be stopped - SC

The Supreme Court on Friday said that crop residue burning in Punjab and some other states adjacent to Delhi have to be stopped and solution has to found to reduce the pollution level in the national capital region (NCR). While hearing a matter relating to the debilitating air pollution in the Delhi-NCR, a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul observed there were several reports and committees on the pollution issue, but nothing was happening at the ground level. The bench, also comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, said the apex court wanted to see the results. The Supreme Court was informed that every endeavour was being made to bring farm fires under control. The top court is seized of a plea filed in 1985 by environmentalist M C Mehta on air pollution and the issue of crop residue burning had arisen during the hearing of the matter.

Punjab's Bathinda grapples with 'very poor' AQI due to stubble burning

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) for Bathinda on November 9 was 372, which is very poor.

Delhi air pollution: How stubble burning affects humans and soil

In the verdant fields of North India, a pressing environmental issue rises with the smoke of stubble burning, as the Supreme Court recently reprimanded the Punjab government. Watch the video to know.

JSW, Vedanta's Rs 10K cr investment in cement plants stuck in red tape

Mega investments of JSW Group and Vedanta in setting up cement plants in Punjab are awaiting approval from the state government, sources aware of the matter said. The Vedanta Group company, Talwandi Sabo Power Plant (TSPL) plans to set up cement manufacturing plants in Punjab, with an overall investment of around Rs 10,000 crore. TSPL has plans to set up multiple cement plants adjacent to its existing power plant in the Mansa district of Punjab, and one of these plants will be set up by the JSW Group. The Fly ash from the TSPL's power plant will be used to manufacture cement. However, the cement project, which has the potential to generate over 2,000 jobs for the Punjab, is awaiting approvals from various state government departments, they said. According to the sources, TSPL's proposal has been awaiting approval from the Punjab Government's office of the Chief Town Planner and Director of Factories for the last 18 months. This is despite assurance at the highest level at the Inve

'Don't know how, but it must stop': SC pulls up Punjab over stubble burning

The Supreme Court directed Rajasthan and other states to follow its earlier order on the issue relating to firecrackers during the festive season

From the hub: Shades of distress colour Punjab's weaves and drapes

The second of a three-part series on export slowdown looks at the textile hub in Ludhiana, often referred to as India's Manchester, to understand the setbacks and challenges there

Stubble burning in Haryana causes spike in Delhi's air pollution: Gopal Rai

The minister said that as per the Centre's data, cases of stubble burning in Punjab have been reduced

Nearly 560 cases of stubble burning reported in Ludhiana so far this year

The Chief Agriculture Officer further said that on November 3 last year, 119 cases of stubble burning were reported, which has been reduced to 59 cases this year

Haryana minister slams Punjab govt over stubble burning; AAP hits back

Haryana Agriculture Minister Jai Prakash Dalal on Saturday slammed the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab over the stubble-burning incidents in the state, prompting a sharp reaction from the Aam Aadmi Party. In his post on X, Dalal shared statistics of farm fires in Punjab and Haryana over the last three days. "We have demanded water from (Arvind) Kejriwal ji and Bhagwant Mann ji, not smoke of paddy stubble, Dalal wrote in Hindi. According to the data shared by the Haryana agriculture and farmers' welfare minister, Punjab witnessed 1,921, 1,668 and 1,551 farm fire incidents on November 1, 2 and 3 while stubble burning incidents in Haryana were 99, 48 and 28 on the three days. Reacting to Dalal's statement, the AAP accused him of "spreading lies". "Twenty out of the 52 most polluted districts in the country are in Haryana and even then the Khattar government is playing politics and blaming Punjab," Punjab AAP unit spokesperson Neel Garg said. The Mann government in Punjab provided

Stubble burning: Punjab sees 1,068 farm fires, highest in a day this season

Punjab reported 1,068 farm fires on Sunday, the highest in a single day in the current harvesting season as paddy growers continue to burn crop residue. Out of 1,068 stubble burning incidents witnessed on Sunday, among the districts Sangrur reported a maximum 181, followed by 155 in Ferozepur, 133 in Tarn Taran, 83 in Patiala and 66 in Mansa, according to the data of the Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre. On the same day in 2021 and 2022, the state had seen 1,353 and 1,898 farm fires, respectively. From September 15 till October 29, the state witnessed a total of 5,254 farm fire incidents as against 12,112 such cases in corresponding period last year, showing 57 per cent decline in number of farm fire incidents. The state had reported 8,856 farm fires during the same period in 2021. Out of the total 5,254 farm fires reported so far, Amritsar constituted the bulk of crop residue burning cases at 1,060, followed by 646 in Tarn Taran, 590 in Patiala, 540 in Sangrur and 505

Stubble burning: Centre should provide compensation, says Sukhbir Badal

Haryana Government on Friday released images that they claim are from NASA which shows that there are more than double stubbing burning incidents in Punjab as compared to Haryana on October 25 and 26

With AQI below 50, Shimla attracts tourists from Haryana, Punjab, Delhi

While the AQI stood above 300 in at least 13 pollution hotspots in Delhi on Tuesday, Manali recorded the lowest AQI (6), followed by Kullu (7) and Dharamshala (15) on Wednesday

Punjab govt to constitute industrial advisory commissions for 26 sectors

The Punjab government has recently issued a notification for constituting industrial advisory commissions for 26 sectors aimed at promoting holistic business development in the state. According to the notification, each advisory commission will be headed by a renowned person from the relevant industrial sector who will hold a rank equivalent to that of a cabinet minister. The commission will have industry representatives who will be nominated by the government, it said. The advisory commission is meant for several sectors, including textile, machine tools, sports goods, agri and food processing, rice milling and processing, bicycle and bicycle components, agriculture machinery and equipment, pharmaceuticals, alloys and steel, auto and auto components, and electronics. Information technology, paper and paper-based packaging units, plywood and wood products, hotels and hospitality, plastics and chemical products, logistics, construction materials, retail and service industries, ...