Page 4 - Punjab

Punjab govt extends closure of schools, colleges till Sept 7 due to floods

The Punjab government on Wednesday extended the closure of all schools, colleges and universities till September 7 due to the prevailing flood situation in the state. An announcement in this regard was made by Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains. "As directed by Hon'ble CM Punjab Shree Bhagwant Singh Mann Ji, in view of the flood situation, all govt/aided/recognised & private schools, colleges, universities & Polytechnics across Punjab will remain closed till 7th Sept 2025. "Everyone is requested to strictly follow the local administration's guidelines," said Bains on X. Earlier, the government had declared holidays in all schools and colleges till September 3. Punjab is facing massive floods, caused by the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets following heavy rains in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Rains in Punjab have also worsened the flood situation in the state. Entire Punjab has been impacted by nature's ...

AAP dispatches trucks with relief supplies from Delhi to flood-hit Punjab

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday dispatched trucks carrying relief materials from Delhi to flood-hit Punjab, with the party's state president Saurabh Bharadwaj leading the first consignment. Kejriwal, in a post on X, said, "AAP's Delhi state president Saurabh Bhardwaj is reaching Punjab with flood relief materials. From Delhi, every day, our leaders, MLAs, MPs, and common people will also go to Punjab with trucks carrying flood relief materials and provide their services there." "Many RWAs and businessmen are also contributing at their levels. People from across the country are extending their support to Punjab. The entire country stands with Punjab," he said. AAP's Punjab chief Manish Sisodia said party leaders and workers were coming forward "with open hearts" to help the flood-affected. "Today, Delhi state president Saurabh Bharadwaj is reaching Punjab with relief materials," he posted on X. In a separate post, the party said, "The Punjab that has always helped everyone,

PM Modi speaks to Punjab CM Mann over heavy rains and flood crisis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann immediately after returning to Delhi from China to enquire about the flood situation in the state and assured him of every support needed. "Immediately after landing in Delhi, Prime Minister Modi called up Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to discuss the situation due to heavy rains and flooding in Punjab. He has assured him of all help and support to the state." The devastating floods in Punjab have so far claimed 29 lives, the maximum in Pathankot district, besides impacting the lives of more than 2.56 lakh people, state officials said on Monday. Twelve of the 23 districts in the state have been hit in a one-month period starting August 1, in what the state government has described as one of the worst flood disasters to hit Punjab in decades, an official bulletin said.

Amazon India expands infra in Punjab to meet festive season demand

Amazon India on Monday said it is gearing up to meet rising customer demand across high-growth categories, such as home, electronics, fashion and grocery, among others, ahead of Amazon Great Indian Festival (AGIF). The company has also expanded its operations network with a new fulfilment centre in Rajpura, Punjab, creating new job opportunities in the region, it said. According to the company, Punjab has over 46,000 sellers across categories, such as sports, apparel, beauty, and kitchen, selling their products on the online marketplace. This festive season, customers in Chandigarh are showing a marked preference for premium products across all categories. The home, kitchen and outdoors categories have emerged as a key growth driver for Amazon across Chandigarh and Punjab, the company said. These categories witnessed a double-digit growth in both regions, along with a 20 per cent rise in new customers across the state. Chandigarh saw a demand growth for dehumidifiers (105 per cent

Govt forms teams to assess flood damage in HP, J&K, Punjab and Uttarakhand

The government has constituted Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir to assess the damage caused by heavy rainfall, floods, flash floods, cloudbursts and landslides, officials said. The IMCTs would make on-the-spot assessment of the situation and relief works being carried out by the state governments. The Ministry of Home Affairs constituted the IMCTs on the direction of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, an official statement said. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Central government stands shoulder to shoulder with the states affected by natural calamities in mitigating the hardships faced by the people, it said. Early next week, the Central teams will visit the flood/landslide-affected districts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, which have been severely affected by heavy to extremely heavy rainfall and incidents of flash flood, cloudburst and landslide during the current monsoon ..

Punjab floods: CM Mann writes to PM Modi, seeks release of ₹60,000 cr

Highlighting Punjab's plight due to one of the worst flood disasters in decades, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to release Rs 60,000 crore of the "state's funds", which he claimed are "stuck" with the Centre. Mann also sought revision in the norms for funds available in the State Disaster Response Fund(SDRF), saying that his government wanted to pay at least Rs 50,000 per acre to affected farmers. Punjab is under the grip of massive floods, caused by the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets due to heavy rain in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. In the letter to PM Modi, Mann stated that Punjab was currently grappling with one of the worst flood disasters in decades, impacting about 1,000 villages and lakhs of people. "Heavy monsoon rains, coupled with the release of waters from dams, have caused extensive flooding in seven districts, namely Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Amritsa

IAF rescues 46, air-drops 750 kg relief in Punjab's flood-hit areas

Superintendents of Police (SSPs) are actively engaged in coordinating rescue and relief efforts, according to official

Flood-hit Punjab: Rescue efforts intensify, boats evacuate stranded people

Rescue efforts by NDRF, Army, and other agencies are being intensified in Punjab, which is under the grip of massive floods following days of heavy rains. On Wednesday, Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police Maninder Singh said boats have been deployed to rescue people stuck in flooded areas of the Ajnala area. Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney visited the area to take stock of the flood-like situation because of the rising water level in the Ravi river. A swollen Ravi has inundated many villages near the India-Pakistan border in Pathankot. Several teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were deployed in Sujanpur, Atepur and Baheri areas to evacuate people from flooded areas on Wednesday, officials said. Pathankot Deputy Commissioner Aditya Uppal urged people not to panic and asked them to call up a control room number for any support. He said the NDRF, the Army have been engaged in providing all support in the affected areas. Two relief camps ha

Espionage case: Court extends YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra's custody till Sep 3

A Hisar court on Monday extended till September 3, the judicial custody of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested in May on suspicion of espionage. Melhotra appeared before judicial magistrate (first class) Sunil Kumar, who remanded her to judicial custody till September 3, her lawyer Kumar Mukesh said. Malhotra, who hails from Hisar and ran a YouTube channel "Travel with JO", was arrested by Hisar Police on May 16. She was arrested at the New Aggarsain Extension and booked under provisions of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). On June 9, a court rejected her regular bail plea. Police had then opposed the bail, arguing that the investigation in this case was still underway. Hisar Police previously said no evidence emerged to indicate Malhotra had access to any military or defence-related information, but claimed she was in contact with some people and was aware that they were Pakistani intelligence operatives. Police sources had previously said sh

Centre 'conspiring' to stop free ration of 5.5 mn people in Punjab: CM Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday charged the BJP-led Centre with "hatching a conspiracy" to stop free ration to 55 lakh people in the state, and asserted that he would not let people's rights be "snatched". In a written message addressed to the people of Punjab, he alleged that the Central government has issued an order that the free ration to 55 lakh people in the state will be stopped. This is the second time within a week that Mann accused the Centre of stopping the ration of people under the National Food Security Act. However, Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has already rejected Mann's allegations, accusing the Punjab government of trying to "spread lies". On Monday, Mann alleged the BJP government at the Centre has decided to stop free ration for 55 lakh people. "Your name is also on that list. Till now, 1.53 crore people were getting ration in Punjab, but the BJP government has decided to end this facility for 55 lakh people," Mann ...

2 killed, several injured as LPG tanker catches fire in Punjab's Hoshiarpur

Two people died and several others were injured when an LPG tanker caught fire late Friday night on the Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar road, officials said. The blaze spread rapidly and engulfed nearly 15 shops and four to five residential houses in the vicinity of the Mandiala Adda area, said police. The incident took place around 10 pm, they said. Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain and Senior Superintendent of Police Sandeep Kumar Malik rushed to the spot and supervised rescue operations. Jain said preliminary inquiry suggested that the tanker caught fire after colliding with another vehicle. She said fire tenders and ambulances were immediately mobilised to the spot. "The fire has largely been brought under control. A detailed assessment of the cause of the accident and the extent of damage will be made once the situation is fully stabilised," she added. Civil Surgeon Pawan Kumar said two persons were brought dead to the Hoshiarpur Civil Hospital while 18 to 20 injured were admitted. "Fi

SAEL Industries signs 880 MW solar power PPAs in Gujarat, Punjab

SAEL Industries has signed two power purchase agreements for a combined solar power capacity of 880 megawatt in Punjab and Gujarat. Of the total, 400 megawatt (MW) will be set up in Punjab and 480 MW in Gujarat, the company said in a statement. In Gujarat, SAEL, through its subsidiaries SAEL Solar P Sixteen Private Ltd and SAEL Solar P Seventeen Private Ltd, has signed a PPA with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) for a total capacity of 480 MW AC of solar photovoltaic (PV) power projects. This includes 240 MW initially allocated and an additional 240 MW awarded under the greenshoe option. The solar project is expected to achieve scheduled commercial operation within 24 months from the PPA signing. GUVNL will procure the solar power at a tariff of Rs 2.56 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for 25 years. In Punjab, SAEL Solar P15 Private has signed a PPA with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) for a 400 MW AC solar photovoltaic power project. Under the terms of the agreem

ED searches Vuenow Infratech premises in Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra

The search was conducted on Thursday in premises across Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra states in connection with money laundering allegations related to the group, ED said in a X post

Cabinet approves 4 new semiconductor projects with ₹4,600 crore investment

Four semiconductor units in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Punjab, plus Lucknow Metro's Phase-1B, aim to create jobs, expand connectivity, and boost India's manufacturing base

Two killed, 3 injured in blast at oxygen cylinder plant in Punjab's Mohali

Two persons were killed and three injured in a blast in an oxygen cylinder plant in Punjab's Mohali district on Wednesday, officials said. The incident took place at the unit located in the industrial area in phase-9 in Mohali. Senior officials of police and civil administration, including the sub-divisional magistrate, reached the spot to take stock of the situation. An official said there are two casualties and three persons are severely injured. The injured have been rushed to the Civil Hospital in Mohali.

Punjab becomes first to empanel sign language experts under juvenile law

The announcement was made by Dr Baljit Kaur, Minister for Social Security, Women and Child Development. These experts will be deployed district-wise to provide support services to children in need

Punjab Vigilance Bureau raids Ranjit Singh Gill's house after he joins BJP

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Saturday raided the premises of former Akali leader and prominent realtor Ranjit Singh Gill here, a day after he joined the BJP. Several BJP leaders, including Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, condemned the action against Gill, accusing the AAP government of indulging in "political vendetta." Gill was inducted into the BJP by Saini at his official residence here on Friday night. Vigilance bureau sleuths raided Gill's residence in Chandigarh, his office in Mohali's Kharar and another location. The bureau said the searches were conducted in furtherance of investigations into the disproportionate assets case registered against Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia. While the Haryana chief minister accused the AAP government of trying to suppress the voice of people, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said, "Jo karange so bharange" (What you sow, so shall you reap). A spokesperson of the bureau said searches were conducted at three premises linke

Over 1,700 Indians deported by US in 2025; most from Punjab, Haryana

The US government has deported 1,703 Indian nationals, including 141 women, so far in 2025, the government informed Parliament on Friday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, in a written response to another query, also told Lok Sabha that the number of Indian nationals deported from the US in the last five years (2020-2024) stood at 5,541. The number of Indian nationals deported from the UK in the last five years (2020-2024) is 311. In 2025 (till date), the number of Indians deported from the UK is 131, he said. "The actual numbers may vary for two reasons -- those illegal Indian immigrants in possession of valid travel documents are deported directly by the government of the UK. Further, the Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs) issued to illegal Indian immigrants may not be fully utilised as the individuals may appeal against their deportation," the MoS said. DMK MP Kanimozhi, in a query to the Ministry of External Affairs, asked whether the government maintai

Punjab announces public holiday on July 31 on Udham Singh's martyrdom

Holiday on July 31: Punjab has declared a public holiday on July 31 to mark Udham Singh's martyrdom anniversary. The government has issued a notification declaring a shutdown in the state

Farmers to get ₹1 lakh per acre until land developed under pooling scheme

Farmers will initially receive Rs 50,000 per acre along with the letter of intent (LOI) within 21 days of applying for the land-pooling scheme, said Punjab Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian on Monday. He further said the amount of Rs 50,000 will be hiked to Rs 1 lakh per acre when the government takes over the possession of the land. Mundian also said there will be a 10 per cent hike per annum until the land development is complete. The housing and urban development minister held deliberations with the farmers of 164 villages regarding the land-pooling scheme here to get their feedback and address their concerns related to the scheme. Mundian said farmers who opt for the land-pooling scheme can continue farming on the land until the development work on the land starts. The minister said farmers will get the LOI within 21 days of applying for the scheme. The day the government takes possession of the land, the amount of Rs 1 lakh per acre per annum will be given and if the ..