Page 48 - Punjab

CM Mann woos investors, promises to give clearances within 15 days

The previous Punjab Investment Summit attracted investment to the tune of 8,200 crore, according to the commitment listed on the Summit's website

Paper leak leads to cancellation of Punjab Board Class 12 English exam

The Punjab School Education Board's Class 12 English examination slated to be held on Friday was cancelled following reports of question paper leak. According to a state government statement, on the directive of Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, the examination has been cancelled. The statement quoting Bains said that taking immediate measure after receiving reports of the leak of the question paper, he had instructed the authorities to cancel the exam. The minister also ordered a high-level probe into the matter and said no person involved in the matter will be spared and exemplary action will be ensured against the erring. New date for the exam will be announced later.

Capt Amarinder expresses concern over collapse of law and order in Punjab

Former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh expressed grave concern over the Ajnala incident where the supporters of Sikh preacher Amritpal laid siege on the police station

AAP govt in Punjab cheating people in the name of health, says Tarun Chugh

BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Thursday said that the health system in Punjab has completely collapsed ever since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has come to power

Ajnala incident can have grave ramifications: Capt Amarinder Singh

Former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh Thursday said the Ajnala incident, in which supporters of radical preacher Amritpal Singh laid a siege on a police station, was more than a law and order collapse. "This is not only a complete collapse of the law and order situation in Punjab, it is more serious than that," he said. Amritpal's supporters, some of them brandishing swords and guns, broke through barricades and stormed into a police station complex here on Thursday, camping there till they were "assured" that an arrested man would be released. Three policemen were hurt during the clash, officials said. The BJP MP pointed out that the incident has serious security implications for the state and the country and warned there was a particular pattern in these incidents, which does not bode well for national security. "Particularly when Pakistan is there to encourage and exploit such a situation," he said, as he questioned the competence of the state government in dealing

Punjab CM asks industrialists to become partners of socio-economic growth

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday gave a clarion call to industrialists to become partners of socio-economic growth in the state as the two-day Progressive Punjab Investors Summit began here. Addressing business leaders during the inaugural session here, Mann said Punjab is the most favourable investment destination across the country and no stone will be left unturned to facilitate investors. He envisioned a strong association between the state government and industrialists to make Punjab an industrial hub in the country, according to an official statement. In order to facilitate investors for making investments in the state, the state government will soon abolish the Change of Land Use (CLU) and no-objection certificate (NOC) that had haunted the industries in earlier times. Welcoming industrialists, Mann said merely within one year of assuming responsibility as a chief minister, his first and foremost task has been to get first-hand knowledge of the problems of the

Punjab bets on digital approvals, incentives to attract investors at summit

The main focus at the two-day event will be on MSMEs, apart from agriculture and food processing, healthcare, manufacturing and light engineering, plastics and petrochemical, among others

CBI searches 30 locations in Punjab in corruption probe against FCI

The CBI on Tuesday launched searches at 30 locations in Punjab as part of its probe into allegations of corruption against Food Corporation of India (FCI) officials who procured inferior grains to benefit merchants and rice millers, officials said. The CBI teams started coordinated raids at the premises of grain merchants, rice mill owners, and serving and retired officials of the FCI in multiple districts of Punjab, including Sirhind, Fatehpur Sahib and Monga, as part of 'Operation Kanak 2', they said. This is second round of searches in the FIR pertaining to an organised syndicate of officers at the FCI, who allegedly charged bribes of Rs 1000-4000 per truck unloaded at the FCI godowns from private millers per crop season for covering up lower quality grains supplied by them and other favours. The bribes were allegedly circulated to officers at every level reaching up to headquarters in a well defined percentage of cuts at each level, it alleged. The FIR gave details of such brib

Punjab Budget session from March 3; Budget to be presented on March 10

CM Bhagwant Mann's government will present its Budget for financial year 2023-24 on March 10 as the Budget session of the 16th Punjab Assembly will be held from March 3 to March 24

Wheat crop reaches vegetative phase in MP, parts of Punjab, Haryana

Wheat crop has reached the maximum vegetative stage in Madhya Pradesh, parts of Punjab and Haryana, according to the Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC). Whereas in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, wheat crop is yet to reach the maximum vegetative phase due to delay in sowing, it said in its latest report. The life cycle of a wheat plant is divided into three main development phases, namely the vegetative phase, in which leafs and tillers are developed; the reproductive phase, and the grain fill stage. The wheat crop normally enters the grain fill stage in March and any unusual rise in temperature could cause yield damage. Wheat is the main rabi crop, the harvesting of which will begin from end of next month. The government has projected a record wheat output of 112.18 million tonnes in the 2022-23 crop year (July-June). The government has set up a committee to monitor impact of rise in temperature on the wheat crop in order to avoid the repeat of last year when the

NIA raids 70 locations linked to Bishnoi, Bawana, other gangsters

The raids were conducted in Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh

Higher day temperature may impact crops in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan: IMD

The IMD also predicted that there may be an impact of higher day temperatures on agriculture over Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan

Punjab Intelligence HQ attack: NIA declares Rs 15 lakh reward for terrorist

Canada-based terrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa is the prime accused in connection with the rocket launcher attack on Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali

Punjab's law and order situation improved under AAP's Mann: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that Punjab's law and order situation has seen a huge improvement under the leadership of Bhagwant Mann. Tagging a media report on how the law and order situation has improved under Mann, Kejriwal tweeted that earlier gangsters had political protection but now that scenario has changed. "When we came to power in Punjab, the law and order situation was in a bad shape. Gangsters and criminals openly had political protection. Together with the people of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann ji has improved the law and order situation. Now no gangster or criminal has political protection," the AAP national convener said in a tweet in Hindi. The Aam Aadmi Party is currently in power in both Delhi and Punjab.

Punjab to reduce paddy straw burning cases by 50%,says Chief Secy

Punjab Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua on Tuesday assured the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) that the state will reduce the fire instances by 50 per cent in comparison with 2022

Lift 15-20% coal need via rail-ship-rail mode: PowerMin to Punjab utility

The power ministry has asked the Punjab power utility PSPCL to start lifting 15-20 of its domestic coal requirement through rail-ship-rail mode, while highlighting that the transport of dry fuel would be cheaper than the import of coal. The ministry in a letter to Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) stated that the transport of fossil fuel using the rail-ship-rail (RSR) mode is though costlier than all rail route, it is cheaper than importing coal. "The matter was further discussed in the meeting....chaired by secretary power with states/gencos in which PSPCL (Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd) also participated...It was decided to operationalise the RSR plan from January, 2023 onward by NTPC and all the state Gencos having TPPs in Northern and Western part of the country," the power ministry said in a letter to PSPCL. Central and state gencos were also advised to plan to cover 15-20 per cent of their total domestic coal requirements using RSR mode. The ministry asked PSPCL

AAP has pushed back Punjab into age of darkness: Sukhbir Singh Badal

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday accused the AAP government in Punjab of pushing the state back into the "age of darkness by bankrupting" its power utility and refusing to give incentives to the industrial sector. Addressing a press conference here, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government had not generated a single unit of power during its tenure. "It is simultaneously not paying subsidy due to PSPCL (Punjab State Power Corporation Limited) which is bankrupting the power utility," he said. Noting that part of the power needs of the state were being served by two thermal plants in Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo, he said, "These thermal plants supply power to the state at Rs 2.80 per unit. The shortfall in demand is being filled by purchasing power at Rs 8 to 10 per unit." "The situation would get worse in the summer. This will threaten paddy crop besides dealing a crippling blow to the industrial sector," Badal said. The SAD leader clai

Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab cabinet nod to scheme to train teachers abroad

The Punjab Cabinet on Friday gave its nod to the implementation of a scheme for training of teachers abroad. Under this scheme, the Department of School Education will send a batch of 36 principals to the Principals Academy in Singapore and 30 principals to the National Institute of Education, an autonomous institute of the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, in FY 2022-23, according to an official statement. "The training will expose them to state-of-the-art teaching practices, leadership skills, creation of teaching-learning materials and audio-visual technology," it said. "It will be helpful to obtain objectives of education in the post-pandemic world, essentials of strategic management, shaping school culture, building teachers' professional capital, curriculum leadership, mentoring, and lesson observation skills, innovation in teaching and learning and effective communication," the statement added. The Cabinet met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhagwant

BSF troops shoot down Pak UAV along Punjab border, contraband recovered

A Pakistani drone entering into India from along the International Border in Punjab has been shot down by the Border Security Force (BSF) troops on Friday, a senior officer said. The unmanned aerial vehicle was downed around 2:30 am near border post Rear Kakkar in the Amritsar sector of the state. The drone has been recovered this morning between the border fence and zero line. A packet containing suspected contraband has also been recovered with it, a BSF spokesperson said. Further search for possible drone droppings is underway in the area, he said.

Punjab govt giving major push to food processing sector: CM Bhagwant Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has said that the state government is giving a major push to the food processing sector, which will create job opportunities for youth on one hand and immensely benefit farmers as well. "The state government is giving a major push to the food processing sector in Punjab ..," Mann said. The Chief Minister also said that the state government will soon set up 20 dedicated Rural Industrial Hubs across the state. He said that these hubs will be equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure to facilitate industrialists in setting up their units. These hubs will boost industrial development. Mann assured fulsome support and cooperation to the industrialists opting for setting up their units in these hubs adding that the state government is fully committed to accelerate industrial development in Punjab. Punjab is organising the 5th 'Progressive Punjab Investors Summit' on February 23 and 24 in Mohali. As a run up to the Summit, a mini-conclave was org