Page 32 - Punjab

Punjab Vigilance Bureau raids residence of Amarinder Singh's close aide

A team of officials from the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday raided the Patiala residence of Bharat Inder Singh Chahal, the former advisor to ex-chief minister Amarinder Singh, in a disproportionate assets case, official sources said. The raid was conducted to nab Chahal, they added. Chahal, a close aide of Singh, was booked in August under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The bureau has found out that the income of Chahal and his family members from March 2017 to September 2021 was Rs 7.85 crore against the expenditure of Rs 31.71 crore -- almost 305 per cent more than his known sources of income. Chahal had made properties in his own as well as his family members' names, including the Dashmesh Luxury Wedding Resort (Alcazar) situated at the Sirhind road and a five-storey commercial building on the Mini Secretariat road in Patiala. Chahal was the advisor to the former chief minister from 2017 till September 2021 and his media advisor from 2002 till

Govt places its chips on public-private partnership for new fab in Mohali

The govt has been pushing for a local semiconductor ecosystem to reduce dependency on other countries for semiconductors

Omaxe Group acquires over 5 acres of 'prime' land in Ludhiana for Rs 220 cr

Realty firm Omaxe Group on Tuesday said it has acquired over 5 acres of land in Ludhiana, Punjab for Rs 220 crore. In a statement, Omaxe said it has "secured more than 5 acres of prime land... through a competitive bidding process conducted by the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA)." The acquisition was finalised at a bidding amount of Rs 220 crore, it added. Omaxe will develop both residential and commercial projects on this land parcel. "This acquisition aligns perfectly with our strategy to strengthen our presence in key markets and contribute to the growth of Ludhiana's real estate sector," Jatin Goel, Executive Director, Omaxe Group, said. Omaxe has delivered over 132 million square feet of realty space. It has delivered 21 group housing real estate projects, 10 integrated townships, and 14 commercial projects ( malls/office spaces/hotels/SCOs). The group has another 22 million sq ft of space under construction. This includes seven ongoing integrated townships, five gro

Punjab Vigilance Bureau issues lookout circular against Manpreet Badal

A lookout circular (LOC) has been issued against former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who has been booked in connection with alleged irregularities in the purchase of a property in Bathinda, a top official of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau said on Tuesday. The LOC was issued on Monday after teams of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau conducted raids at the residence of Badal, who joined the BJP after quitting the Congress in January, in Muktsar to nab him. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has registered a case against Badal and five others in connection with alleged irregularities in the purchase of a property in Bathinda. Besides Badal, former Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) chief administrator Bikramjit Shergill, Rajiv Kumar, Amandeep Singh, Vikas Arora and Pankaj have been booked in the matter. Rajiv Kumar, Amandeep Singh and Vikas Arora have already been arrested. The vigilance bureau had launched an investigation into the matter based on former MLA Sarup Chand Singla's

Rs 27k cr from Rs 47k cr raised paid as interest on previous loans: Punjab

With the opposition targeting the AAP government in Punjab over the state's debt, its finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday said that Rs 27,000 crore from around Rs 47,000 raised in the last 18 months has been paid as interest on the borrowings under previous governments. He accused the Congress, BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal of spreading false propaganda against the AAP government after the opposition parties accused the Bhagwant Mann dispensation of pushing the state to the brink of financial calamity with an addition of Rs 50,000 crore more debt since it came to power last year. The opposition parties had latched onto the issue to target the Mann government after Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit in his letter to the CM said that he had learnt that the debt of Punjab rose by about Rs 50,000 crore during your regime. On Monday, state Finance Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Cheema also appealed to the Punjab governor to help the state government in getting ..

AAP came to end mafia in Punjab, now manager-in-chief: Congress' Sidhu

The Governor also not only indicated that he would not intervene but also flagged the issue to the CM seeking details of Rs 50,000 crore added to the debt of the state in Bhagwant Mann's tenure

Punjab vigilance bureau books Manpreet Badal, 5 others in land buying case

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has registered a case against former state finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal and five others in connection with alleged irregularities in the purchase of a property in Bathinda, a top official said on Monday. Apart from Badal, who is now a BJP leader, and former Bathinda municipal corporation commissioner Bikramjit Shergill, the other four booked in the case on Sunday night have been identified as Rajiv Kumar, Amandeep Singh, Vikas Arora and Pankaj, the official said. Rajiv Kumar and Amandeep Singh have been arrested, the officer added. The bureau had launched an investigation into the matter based on former MLA Sarup Chand Singla's 2021 complaint alleging irregularities in the purchase of the property at a prime location in Bathinda. BJP leader Singla, who was earlier with the Shiromani Akali Dal, had alleged that Badal, as a minister in the previous Congress dispensation, had abused his position to convert commercial plots into a residential plot f

Set up helpline for Indian students, NRIs in Canada: Punjab BJP chief

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on Saturday urged External Affairs minister S Jaishankar for setting up a helpline for Indian students and NRIs in Canada amid a diplomatic row between the two countries. In his letter to the Union Minister, Jakhar while highlighting the concerns of citizens residing in Canada, urged him to release a detailed statement listing out the measures being taken by the Centre for the safety of the country's citizens in Canada until the eventual resolution of this issue. "This, I am sure, would go a long way in assuaging the sense of deep anxiety, panic and indecision prevailing amongst our people living in Canada and especially in students waiting to go abroad for studies. An assurance from your office would certainly lay to rest the doubts and insecurity of our students who are rightfully concerned about their study plans," Jakhar wrote in the letter. He suggested issuing a WhatsApp contact number for Indian students planning to go abroad to get in touch wit

What do the Sikhs want?

About 95 per cent of Sikhs are proud to be Indian and there's no such thing as a Khalistan sentiment in Punjab

Punjab's debt rose by Rs 50,000-crore under AAP: Governor seeks details

Noting that Punjab's debt rose by about Rs 50,000 crore under the AAP dispensation, Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Friday sought from the government details of utilisation of "this huge amount". Responding to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's letter requesting him to take up the issue of "pending" rural development fund (RDF) amounting to Rs 5,637 crore with the president and the prime minister, the governor said it would be appropriate to wait for the decision of the Supreme Court on the state government's plea on the matter. In his letter on Thursday, Chief Minister Mann said his government had taken up the matter with the Centre and even at the level of the prime minister, RDF dues of Rs 5,637.40 crore was yet to be released by the Centre. In his response, the governor wrote, "I have received your letter regarding the Rural Development Fund amounting to Rs 5,637 crore and requesting for my intervention to take up the case with the prime minister. At the outset, I would like to conve

Punjab Police to have artificial intelligence-based technology: CM Mann

Artificial intelligence technology will be used to further enhance efficiency of the Punjab police, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Friday. He said the state government will soon introduce the AI technology for enhancing the efficiency of Punjab Police to make it a front ranking force in the country. According to an official statement, Mann was addressing a gathering during the passing out parade of 2,999 constables here. He envisioned that this initiative will go a long way in further improving the policing in the state. He said that the decision aims at making Punjab a frontrunner in the usage of AI. The Chief Minister said that being a border state a number of forces inimical to state have been chalking out nefarious designs to disturb hard earned peace of state but the Punjab Police has always foiled such attempts. He said that to further overcome major challenges faced by the state it is imperative that the police force is updated as per advanced requirements in the fie

PRTC, Pepsu contract employees call off strike after govt assurance

After the meeting, Bhullar said that an agreement was made to implement a 5% salary hike, and orders were issued to reinstate the dismissed employees in 15 days

Punjab to give 24,000 crop residue management machines for coming season

The Punjab Agriculture Department will provide 24,000 crop residue management machines in the coming harvesting season to check stubble burning incidents in the state, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said on Wednesday. Khudian said the department has received as many as 1,58,394 applications from farmers to avail subsidy for Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery. He said the department will provide Super SMS, happy seeder, paddy straw chopper, mulcher, smart seeder, zero till drill, surface seeder, super seeder, crop reaper, shrub master for in-situ management (mixing crop residue in fields) and baler and straw rake for ex-situ management (using stubble as fuel) of the paddy residue. During the last year, the state was able to reduce stubble-burning cases by 30 per cent, he said. The department had prepared a Rs 350 crore action plan for providing CRM on subsidy for the 2023 Kharif season. The applications for availing subsidy were invited via an online portal to ensu

Virat unfollows his 'favourite singer' Shubh for sharing controversial post

India's former cricket captain Virat Kohli unfollowed Shubh on Instagram after the singer shared a controversial map of India on Instagram. The boAT also withdrew his tour sponsorship

One dead, 4 injured in explosion at gelatin factory in Kerala's Kochi

At least one person died and four others were injured in an explosion at a gelatin factory in the Kakkanad area of Kerala's Kochi, the police said on Wednesday

Torrent Gas commences supply of piped cooking gas to Patiala households

Torrent Gas Ltd on Monday said it has commenced the supply of piped cooking gas to households in Patiala in Punjab as the company scales up operations in its licensed areas. Torrent Gas has been authorised by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) to provide compressed natural gas (CNG) and piped natural gas (PNG) in Patiala, SAS Nagar, Sangrur and Malerkotla. In a statement, the firm said Punjab government minister for new and renewable energy Aman Arora announced the start of supplies to 101 piped gas connections at a function in Patiala on Monday. Piped cooking gas will be available in Patiala for Rs 46 per standard cubic meter (including taxes) and a special introductory offer, including EMI schemes will be available to encourage customers to adopt PNG. Customers can register for piped cooking gas at just Rs 590 (including GST) and get connected. The remaining amount, viz refundable security deposit can be paid in 13 instalments of Rs 500, along with a bi-monthly

Pakistan's Ahmadi minority in Punjab faces attacks on their worship places

In a fresh attack on the Ahmadi community in Pakistan, the minarets of three worship places of the minority group in different districts of Punjab province were demolished by radical Islamists who alleged that the minarets signified that of a Muslim mosque. The incident comes more than a week after arches of a worship place of the Ahmadi community were destroyed in defiance of a high court order banning such actions against the places of worship of the minority community built before 1984. Pakistan's Parliament in 1974 declared the Ahmadi community as non-Muslims. They have even been banned from calling themselves Muslims. "Identifying the minarets of Ahmadi worship places with that of Muslim Mosque, the activists of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) stormed into three Ahmadi worship places in Sheikhupura, Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur districts of Punjab and demolished their minarets during the last couple of days," Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan official Amir Mahmood told PTI on ...

Pilot project of residue-free basmati being undertaken: Punjab Minister

The Punjab government has undertaken a pilot project under which residue-free basmati crop has been cultivated in Chogawan block in Amritsar district, state agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said on Sunday. Residue-free practice entails minimal or no usage of chemicals. The initiative is aimed at promoting organic farming in the state as desired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, said the minister. The Chogawan block is popular for growing quality basmati rice. "Basmati rice has a great export potential as most of the grains produced in the region are being exported to the European and Middle-Eastern countries," said Khudian, while adding that presently, basmati rice is exported to more than 60 countries. Amritsar district alone contributed rice exports of around Rs 9,000 crore last year, he added. To increase the export potential of basmati rice from Punjab, Khudian stated that the state agriculture department has also launched an awareness campaign to sensitise far

Punjab CM demands rollback of restrictions on basmati rice exports

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said that the restrictions on exports of basmati rice imposed by the Union government is against the interests of the farmers and demanded its immediate rollback. Addressing a gathering during "Kisan Mela" organised here at the Punjab Agricultural University, the chief minister lamented that "this illogical decision will do considerable damage to the economic situation of the farmers as well as the traders". The Union government has fixed Minimum Export Price of basmati at USD 1,200 per tonne "which adversely hit the domestic price of the crop". Mann, according to an official statement, said that the Union government must remove all these restrictions to safeguard the interests of the farmers from the state. The chief minister said that the hard working and resilient farmers of the state are already at a crossroads due to the ever escalating cost of the farm inputs and "low MSP". He said that the state produces maximum basmati rice in

EC team holds meeting on revision of electoral roll, preparedness in Punjab

A team of the Election Commission led by Deputy Election Commissioner Hirdesh Kumar held a meeting here on Wednesday on special summary revision of the electoral roll and preparedness for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Punjab. The meeting was attended by Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C and all 23 Deputy Commissioners-cum-District Election Officers (DEOs). It focused on the revision of the voters' list, the inclusion of names of new voters and the deletion of names of deceased voters, according to an official statement. Reviewing the electoral roll management at the district level, Kumar assessed existing gaps in rolls in terms of elector-population (EP) ratio, gender ratio and age cohorts, it said. The DEOs were asked to make concerted efforts in ensuring a 100 per cent error-free electoral roll. They were also asked to ensure inclusivity and especially focus on marginalised segments, persons with disabilities (PwDs) and transgenders, the statement said. Kumar instructed the