Page 39 - Punjab

'Junoon', 'Buniyaad' actor Mangal Dhillon passes away after battling cancer

Actor Mangal Dhillon, who is known for working in shows such as 'Junoon' and 'Buniyaad' has passed away. He was suffering from cancer and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Ludhiana.

In cash-strapped Punjab, CM Mann sits tight on OPS, focuses on freebies

The latest spanner is that the Central government has slashed the state's borrowing limit from Rs 39,000 crore to Rs 21,000 crore

Punjab govt to set up Road Safety Force to avert accident: CM Mann

Expressing concern over the fatalities due to road accidents in the state, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said a Road Safety Force will be formed in the Punjab Police to avert accident. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a Regional Driving Training centre here, the chief minister said that on a daily basis around 14 people die in road accidents in Punjab. Mann said the force will be entrusted with the task of checking rash driving, and streamlining vehicular movement on roads and others to prevent road accidents. This move will reduce the burden on cops deployed in police stations, Mann said in an official statement. He further informed that the Regional Driving Training Centre is equipped with hi-tech technology and it will give major relief to people who want to get heavy vehicle licences, thereby saving their time, money and energy. Mann said the state government is making all-out efforts to remove the blind spots on the roads to avert any casualties. The

Punjab to construct high-security digital jail near Ludhiana: CM Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced the construction of a high-security digital jail over 50 acres of land near Ludhiana

Punjab's excise dept recovers 17,000 kg 'lahan', 320 litres illicit liquor

Punjab government recovered 17,000 kg of 'lahan', used in making illicit liquor, during searches carried out in the last two days in Dasuya area of Hoshiarpur district, an official statement said here on Friday. The excise department also seized 320 litres of illicit liquor and equipment used in the distillation of moonshine, it said. The statement, quoting an official spokesperson of the department, said the teams of excise enforcement, excise officers, and police personnel were deputed to conduct the checking of illicit distillation in Dasuya along the bank of Beas river. A police dog squad, specially trained to detect 'lahan' was also put into service, he said. He said the teams covered an area of about 7 km on foot as well as boats in a well-coordinated operation and Terkiana, Kethana, Badaiyan, Dhanoa, Saidpur, and Bhikhowal villages in Dasuya were extensively mapped and searched. During the searches, it was discovered that the bootleggers had designed a camouflaged modus ...

Record use of Rs 800 cr for rural infra projects by NABARD: Punjab FM

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday said the state has "drastically" improved its performance, registering a record utilisation of Rs 800 crore funds in FY23 for the rural infrastructure development projects assisted by NABARD. He was chairing a meeting to review the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) assisted projects, a state government release said. The minister lauded the role of the finance department and NABARD in smooth implementation enabling high utilisation for the ongoing projects. He also thanked NABARD for sanctioning new projects worth Rs 919 crore, the highest so far for Punjab. The minister urged the NABARD team to enhance the allocation of the state to Rs 1,500 crore for new projects in 2023-24 for improving the rural infrastructure. Cheema also focused on the need to give priority to all the sectors for funding projects this year, including roads and bridges, irrigation, drinking water and sanitation, and renewal energ

Punjab to give legal aid to 700 students facing deportation from Canada

Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal Thursday said the state government will provide free legal assistance to around 700 Indian students who are facing deportation from Canada. The Indian students, mostly from Punjab, are facing deportation after the authorities in Canada found admission offer letters to educational institutions to be fake. The matter came to light in March when these students applied for permanent residency in Canada. In a statement, Dhaliwal said most of these students belong to Punjab and they will be assisted by lawyers who are experts in immigration laws in Canada. Besides, Dhaliwal has also written to all MPs of Punjab origin in Canada to solve the issue of these students so that the future of the children can be secured. On Tuesday, Dhaliwal had sought intervention of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in the matter. Presiding over a meeting with civil and police officers associated with the NRI department here, Dhaliwal issued instruction

Sukhbir appeals to leaders who left SAD to rejoin, says ready to apologise

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal Thursday appealed to all leaders who had left his party in the last few years to rejoin, saying he was ready to apologise if he was at fault. He made the statement after welcoming two Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) members who had supported the candidature of Bibi Jagir Kaur in November last year for the post of president of the apex gurdwara body into the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). He welcomed the two SGPC members Harpal Singh Jalla from Payal and Amrik Singh Janaitpur from Ambala to the party fold, according to a party release here. Badal said another 10 to 15 SGPC members who had supported Bibi Jagir Kaur would rejoin the SAD in the coming days. The SAD chief also appealed to all leaders who had left the party during the last few years to rejoin the mother party. "If I am at fault anywhere I apologise for the same but we must all unite to defeat the forces who want to weaken the 'Panth', " he asserted. Many party leaders, includin

Punjab gov pitches for surgical strikes as he slams Pak for pushing drugs

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Thursday said surgical strikes should be conducted against Pakistan to teach it a lesson as he accused the neighbouring country of pushing drugs into the Indian territory. Purohit also praised the Punjab government over the issue of drug seizure and tackling drones that are being used to send narcotics from across the border. The governor was on a two-day visit to the border districts of the state. He said the next generation must be stopped from becoming addicts at any cost and added that if Pakistan is playing mischief with India, "one or two surgical strikes should be conducted against it". Purohit expressed satisfaction over the coordination among central agencies, such as the Border Security Force (BSF), Army and Intelligence Bureau, and the Punjab Police. Addressing the media here, the governor came down heavily on Pakistan for launching a "hidden war" against India, saying it is doing so as it could not engage in a direct fight against

Health ministry unveils food safety index, Kerala secures top ranking

Among the larger states, Kerala secured the top ranking, followed by Punjab and Tamil Nadu Among the smaller states, Goa emerged as the leader on food safety index

Pro-Khalistan slogans raised on 39th anniversary of Operation Bluestar

Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised on the Golden Temple premises Tuesday by supporters and activists of radical Sikh outfits on the 39th anniversary of Operation Bluestar. The slogans of 'Khalistan Zindabad' were also raised by activists of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) led by MP Simranjit Singh Mann and his associate former MP Dhian Singh Mand at the Akal Takht. Mann was also present on the spot. Radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa's activists were seen holding placards bearing portraits of slain militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhidnrawale and raising pro-Khalistan slogans. Hundreds of Sikh youths, led by the Dal Khalsa, were carrying Khalistani flags and photographs of damaged Akal Takht. The entire marbled periphery of Golden Temple near Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of Sikhs, echoed with pro-Khalistan slogans. Elaborate security arrangements were in place in Amritsar to ensure that the event passed off peacefully. Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Harpreet Singh, in his message t

Punjab CM writes to Centre, seeks allocation of another 1K MW electricity

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has written to the Centre, seeking allocation of additional 1,000 MW of electricity for the upcoming paddy season. In a letter to the Union minister for Power R K Singh, CM Mann pointed out that the state's generation capacity was limited to about 6,500 MW, whereas the peak demand is likely to touch 15,500 MW in the summer season. To meet the peak demand of electricity of 15,500 MW in forthcoming paddy/summer season, Mann requested the assistance of power up to 1,000 MW from June 15 till October 10, that may be allocated to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) from central sector generating stations. In the letter, Mann said the state power utility, PSPCL, is keeping a continuous watch over the power availability on the PUShP (High Price Day Ahead Market and Surplus Power) portal. "As the demand of electricity cannot be reliably met through the collective transaction segment of power exchange, the state is in definite need of firm ...

Hand over Punjab minister's 'sexual misconduct' case to CBI: Congress

In the letter, the Opposition leader also urged the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court to take suo motu cognisance and hand over the case to the CBI

After clearing 9,030 acres from encroachments, Punjab to intensify drive

With 9,030 acres of government land, cleared from encroachments, mainly by influential farmers, the Punjab government on Thursday announced that it would intensify the drive

Punjab CM declines Z plus security, says has confidence in state police

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's security team has declined the Z plus security cover offered to him by the Centre by deploying a Central security force

CM Mann congratulates newly-inducted ministers as they get portfolios

The Rural Development was earlier with Kuldip Singh Dhaliwal. He now has NRI Affairs and Administrative Reforms Departments

Inderbir Nijjar resigns from Punjab cabinet, two new MLAs to be sworn in

"The Chief Minister has proposed the names of Balkar Singh, MLA from Kartarpur, and Gurmeet Singh Khudian, MLA from Lambi, for being inducted as cabinet ministers," said an official

Wrestlers planning to immerse medals in Ganga shameful for country: CM Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Tuesday said it was shameful for the country that the wrestlers planned to immerse their medals in the Ganga as they were fed up with the central government. He said the grapplers were moved to take the decision faced with the central government's unbudging stance on their demand for action against Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused by them of sexually harassing several female player. Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia, all of them country top wrestlers, along with hundreds of their supporters, reached Har ki Pauri in Uttarakhand Tuesday to immerse their medals in the Ganga. A huge crowd gathered in Har ki Pauri as the protesting wrestlers got ready to immerse their world championship and Olympic medals in the river as a mark of protest against outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. In his tweet, Mann said, "After being fed up with the Central government, the international me

Amar Singh Chamkila: All you need to know about 'Elvis Presley of Punjab'

Chamkila, the highest-selling artist of his era, is still regarded as one of the best live-stage performers Punjab has ever produced

Parts of Haryana, Punjab received overnight rains, temperature dips

Parts of Haryana and Punjab received overnight rains, leading to a dip in temperatures, officials said on Tuesday. According to the Met Department, Haryana's Ambala, Karnal, Panchkula, Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar received rains overnight. Punjab's Ludhiana, Patiala, Faridkot, Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Rupnagar and Mohali also received rains, the department said. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, received showers last night. The neighbouring states and their capital city have received intermittent rains over the last 1o days and the temperatures have remained below normal limits.