Page 45 - Punjab

Ensure farmers receive crop loss compensation before Baisakhi: CM Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday asked officials to expedite the process of special 'girdawari' (revenue survey) to assess crop damage due to inclement weather and ensure that farmers receive compensation before Baisakhi. Baisakhi will be celebrated on April 14. Untimely rains, hailstorm and high-velocity winds have damaged wheat and other crops in many areas of Punjab. The state government has announced a 25 per cent hike in compensation for crop loss due to the vagaries of weather. In a statement issued here, Mann asked all the MLAs to meet the affected farmers. "The MLAs should meet the farmers and listen to their grievances. Likewise, the officers should make sure that the special 'girdawari' is completed soon so that we can disburse compensation before Baisakhi," Mann said in a statement here. Expressing solidarity with the farmers who lost their crops due to rain and hailstorm, Mann said his government is with the food growers in this hour of crisis. He said th

Punjab gives nod to 25% hike in crop loss compensation due to untimely rain

The Punjab Cabinet on Friday gave nod to 25 per cent hike in compensation for crop loss because of vagaries of weather. A decision to this effect was taken by the council of ministers in the Cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Bhagwant Mann, said an official statement. Keeping in view the loss incurred by the farmers recently due to heavy rains, hailstorms and strong winds, the Cabinet has decided to enhance the relief amount from Rs 12,000 per acre to Rs 15,000 per acre for 76 to 100 per cent for loss of crops. This measure will give a healing touch to the affected farmers who will be able to get a reasonable financial relief from the government. The relief rate will be applicable from March 1, it said. Untimely rain accompanied by hail and high-velocity winds in the recent past have caused damage to wheat in several parts of the state. The Cabinet in another decision gave its consent to extend the exemption of 2.25 per cent stamp duty and fees on registration of propertie

Cong leader Navjot Sidhu likely to be released from Patiala jail tomorrow

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu is likely to be released from the Patiala jail on April 1, said his counsel HPS Varma on Friday. The 59-year-old was serving a one-year sentence in a 1988 road rage case. On May 20 last year, Sidhu, the former Punjab Congress chief, was jailed following his surrender before a court in Patiala after he was sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court. The top court had in its order said any sympathy in imposing an inadequate sentence would do more harm to the justice system and undermine the public confidence in the efficacy of law. A 65-year-old man, named Gurnam Singh, had died in the incident. Varma said as per the Punjab Prison rules, a convict with good behaviour is entitled for general remission. "He is most likely to be released on Saturday from the Patiala jail," said Varma.

Not a fugitive, will soon appear before world: Amritpal Singh in new video

A day after daring the Punjab police to arrest him, radical preacher Amritpal Singh surfaced in a fresh video on Thursday, asserting he was not a fugitive and would soon appear before the world. The purported video surfaced hours after his audio clip came out on social media in which he debunked speculation he was negotiating his surrender. Those who feel that I have turned fugitive and I have left my associates, they should not keep this illusion in their mind. I do not fear death, he said in the video in Punjabi. And soon will appear before the world and will also be amongst the 'Sangat', he said. Police have stepped up security in and around Amritsar and Bathinda amid reports that Amritpal Singh may surrender after entering any of the two Sikh shrines - Golden Temple in Amritsar and Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Bathinda. The pro-Khalistan preacher said he was not like those who would flee the country. One has to face a lot during the days of rebellion These days of rebellion are

Prove you are boss: Amritpal tells Akal Takht chief in new audio clip

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Punjab CM directs officers to ensure smooth, hassle-free wheat procurement

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday directed officers to ensure smooth and hassle-free procurement of wheat. He also said that payment to the farmers for their produce must be ensured from the very first day of procurement -- April 1. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cleared a sum of Rs 29,000 crore towards Cash Credit Limit (CCL) for the procurement of wheat in Punjab for the Rabi Marketing Season. Mann expressed satisfaction that the Union government has already released Rs 25,445 crore as CCL for the coming season. According to an official statement, the chief minister said that with this, the bulk of the CCL sought by the state government for the purchase of wheat for this season has been released by the central bank. Expressing gratitude to the Centre for the timely release of CCL, he said that it will go a long way in ensuring seamless procurement of wheat during the current marketing season. The chief minister, while chairing a meeting of the Foo

Fugitive radical preacher Amritpal Singh's video surfaces on social media

A video of fugitive radical preacher Amritpal Singh surfaced on social media on Wednesday in which he slammed the Punjab Police for arresting Sikh youths during a crackdown against him. Wearing a black turban and shawl, the Khalistan sympathizer further said if the state government had the intention of making an arrest, police could have come to his house and he would have given up. "The Almighty saved us from the attempt of 'lakhs of cops' who were sent to make an arrest," he further said. The video appeared amid reports that the radical preacher might surrender. Police has launched a major crackdown against Amritpal Singh and members of his outfit 'Waris Punjab De'. The elusive preacher himself, however, gave the police a slip and escaped their dragnet when his cavalcade was intercepted in Jalandhar district recently.

Water cess not applicable in Punjab, clarifies Himachal CM Sukhu

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday flagged the issue of proposed water cess on hydropower plants with his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Sukhvinder Sukhu

Amritpal Singh in Hoshiarpur? Police launch door-to-door operation

A cordon and search operation was launched on Tuesday night in and around the village while check posts and barricades were raised on the roads to nab Amritpal Singh and his aide

BSF shoots down another Pakistani drone in Punjab, seizes contraband

It was recovered on Tuesday morning during a search operation conducted by the border guarding force

Amritpal likely in Nepal, India asks not to let him to flee to 3rd country

Nepal on Monday put fugitive radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who is believed to be hiding in the country, on its surveillance list after India requested it not to allow him to flee to a third country and arrest him if he attempts to escape using an Indian passport or any other fake passport. The Department of Immigration has put Singh on its surveillance list following a request from the Indian Embassy here, officials said. "We have received a written note along with a copy of his passport from the (Indian) embassy suspecting that Amritpal Singh might have entered Nepal," said Kamal Prasad Pandey, the Information Officer at the Department. "The Indian Embassy has sent the note asking the Department to put Singh, a member of a separatist group, on the surveillance list," Pandey said. It was suspected that he had entered Nepal and was hiding somewhere around. There was no immediate confirmation about the letter from the Indian mission here. Earlier, the Kathmandu Post newspaper ..

Unseasonal rains: Punjab, Madhya Pradesh offer succor to affected farmers

FCI stops wheat sale through open market operations as procurement draws near

Unseasonal rains hit wheat crop in Punjab, Haryana; CMs promise relief

With the harvesting of wheat about to start, standing wheat crop was damaged after unseasonal rains accompanying strong winds lashed Punjab and Haryana last week

Brainwashed in Brampton: Khalistanis target new students from Punjab

As Khalistani activists in Canada have grabbed headlines after the Amritpal Singh incident in Punjab, many fear that the pro-Khalistani sentiment is rising in the country

Congress leaders in Haryana, Punjab protest Rahul's LS disqualification

The Punjab and Haryana units of Congress held a day-long 'Sankalp Satyagraha' here on Sunday to protest against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha, with party leaders hitting out at the BJP-led Centre alleging that it was behaving in a dictatorial manner. Both units organised separate events at the state headquarters as part of the protest that saw the participation of many senior leaders. Speaking to reporters, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that the action against Rahul Gandhi was taken because the BJP-led Centre was "scared" of his next speech in Parliament on the Adani issue. In February, Rahul Gandhi led a blistering opposition attack in Lok Sabha over the Hindenburg report, claiming that the meteoric rise in Gautam Adani's fortunes happened after the BJP came to power in 2014 as he rose in the global rich list from the 609th to the second spot eventually. Warring said a "tearing hurry" was shown by the Lok Sabha Secretariat in ...

Patiala woman arrested for harbouring Khalistani sympathiser Amritpal Singh

The Punjab Police has arrested a woman from Patiala for allegedly sheltering fugitive radical preacher Amritpal Singh and his aide, officials said on Sunday. According to a senior police official, Amritpal and his aide Papalpreet Singh had allegedly stayed at the residence of Balbir Kaur in Patiala's Hargobind Nagar on March 19. Kaur allegedly sheltered Amritpal and Papalpreet for five to six hours before they moved to Shahabad in Haryana's Kurukshetra district, the police said. Amritpal has been on the run since March 18 when the police launched a crackdown against him and elements of 'Waris Punjab De', an outfit headed by him. The elusive preacher himself gave the police the slip and escaped their dragnet when his cavalcade was intercepted in Punjab's Jalandhar district. On Saturday, CCTV camera footage purportedly showing Amritpal, dressed in a jacket and trousers and speaking on a mobile phone, emerged in Patiala. In the footage, the 'Waris Punjab De' chief could also be seen

Punjab govt won't hesitate in taking tough decisions: Kejriwal on Amritpal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab will not hesitate in taking tough decisions to maintain law and order as he asserted that those who were trying to spoil the atmosphere in the state are on the run. Kejriwal's remarks come in the wake of Punjab police action against radical preacher Amritpal Singh and elements of an outfit, headed by him, named 'Waris Punjab De.' AAP supremo Kejriwal along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was in Jalandhar, where the crackdown on the Khalistan sympathiser began on Saturday, to lay the foundation stone of Sri Guru Ravidas Bani Adhyan Centre at Dera Sachkhand Ballan here. Addressing the gathering, Kejriwal said whoever tries to disturb peace in Punjab will not be spared. "In the past few days, you saw how some people tried to disturb peace in Punjab, he said. "We do not have to allow the atmosphere to be spoiled at any cost," he said, adding, We have to maintain peace, law and order i

12 people hurt, 30 houses damaged as tornado hits Punjab's Fazilka

At least 12 people were injured and 30 houses damaged after a tornado hit the Bakenwala village in this Punjab district, officials said on Saturday. The tornado also damaged standing crops in the fields and kinnow orchards, they said. Bakenwala resident Gurmukh Singh said, "Villagers saw the tornado around 4 pm on Friday." It caused damage in a 2-2.5-km area, he said. Deputy Commissioner Senu Duggal, who visited the affected village, said the administration shifted those villagers whose houses were damaged to the local government school. "The administration will also begin the process to assess the loss of property and crop that will be compensated by the government," Duggal said. A video of the tornado wreaking havoc was widely circulated on social media. The injured have been admitted to the civil hospital in Fazilka.

Why the Sikhs are hurting

The causes of anger are broadly four: Existential threat, incarceration of Bandi Singhs, those accused of sacrilege not being caught, and a rhetorical one, what's wrong with a Sikh Rashtra?

PSEB Class 10 exam 2023 begins today. Check details, patterns, instructions

The Punjab-A, Punjab History, and Culture-A paper of the PSEB 10th exam begin today, March 24. The exams will end on April 20 as scheduled