Page 49 - Punjab

Cold weather prevails as minimum temperatures drop in Punjab, Haryana

Cold weather conditions prevailed in most places of Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday as minimum temperatures dropped by a few notches. Parts of south Punjab, south, south-western and north Haryana were enveloped in fog. Ferozepur in Punjab recorded a minimum temperature of 4.4 degrees Celsius, Amritsar 5.3 degrees Celsius and Pathankot 6.4 degrees Celsius according to the meteorological department. Piercing chill prevailed in Gurdaspur, Faridkot and Patiala, which recorded minimum temperatures of 5.5 degrees Celsius, 5.4 degrees Celsius and 7.8 degrees Celsius respectively. Ludhiana's minimum temperature settled at 9 degrees Celsius. In Haryana, Sirsa reeled under severe chill, recording a low of 5.4 degrees Celsius. Karnal recorded a minimum temperature of 7.2 degrees Celsius while Hisar registered a low of 7.9 degrees Celsius. Bhiwani's minimum temperature settled at 8.7 degrees Celsius while in Ambala it was 9.4 degrees Celsius. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states

R-Day: Punjab Regiment best marching contingent; Uttarakhand's tableau best

Punjab Regiment was adjudged as the best marching contingent, and Uttarakhand bagged the top prize for best tableau

26,074 govt jobs given in just 10 months: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said his government has given 26,074 jobs to the youth since coming to power 10 months ago. Addressing a gathering here at the local Municipal Bhawan during a function to hand over appointment letters to 188 Junior Engineers, the chief minister said that "the state is witnessing a new revolution where the youth are being empowered with government jobs." As many as 26,074 jobs have been given in the last 10 months based on merit with a completely transparent recruitment process, he said, adding this is just the beginning as more jobs will be given in coming days, he said. Mann said that while the other parties made promises to the people in the run-up of the polls in the state last year, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had guaranteed to deliver those promises. "One by one all these guarantees are being fulfilled," he said. AAP came to power in the state in March last year. He further said that the state government also fulfilled the guarantee of

Groundwater charges set to be levied on non-exempted users in Punjab

Charges for extracting ground water in Punjab will be levied on all non-exempted users, including the industry, starting next month, with the state water regulation and development authority notifying directions in this regard. The new directions, however, do not cover groundwater use for agriculture, drinking and domestic purposes, said an official statement here, adding that the Punjab Water Regulation and Development Authority (PWRDA) has notified Punjab Groundwater Extraction and Conservation Directions, 2023. The directions also exempt government water supply schemes, military and central paramilitary establishments, urban local bodies, panchayati raj institutions, cantonment boards, improvement trusts, area development authorities and places of worship, it further said. The exemption has also been provided to all users who extract groundwater less than 300 cubic metres per month, it added. All non-exempted users shall have to submit an application to the authority for seeking

Myopic mindset: Punjab CM Mann slams centre for excluding state's tableau

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday slammed the BJP-led Union government for deliberately excluding his state's tableau from the Republic Day parade, saying it reflects the myopic mindset of those in power at the Centre. This discrimination with Punjab is totally unwarranted and undesirable, Mann said while addressing a gathering here after unfurling the national flag during a function to mark 74th Republic Day at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sports stadium. He further said the celebration of any national day without showcasing the contribution of Punjab is unimaginable. Today at the national parade which is taking place in Delhi, Punjab's tableau is not there. Why Punjab's tableau was not there, he asked. It is the result of bad intention, he said while targeting the BJP. It reflects the myopic mindset of those in power at the Centre, he alleged. Earlier, on Wednesday Mann had hit out at the BJP-led Centre for not including the State's tableau for the Republic Day parade

Aam Aadmi clinics in Punjab are political gimmickry: BJP's Tarun Chugh

Chugh claimed that the entire state "knows that the health dispensaries and mini hospitals are being converted into Aam Aadmi clinics for political reasons"

Imran slams EC, says will challenge Punjab caretaker CM's appointment in SC

Pakistan's ex-premier Imran Khan has said he will challenge in the Supreme Court the appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab, describing him an "enemy" of his party and slamming the election commission for reducing the country to a "Banana Republic". Naqvi was sworn in as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab on Sunday night, hours after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) unanimously decided to appoint him to the post. His appointment came after the ruling party and the opposition in the province failed to reach consensus on a name for the post. Naqvi, who was one of the two candidates suggested by ex-Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz, is the owner of a media house and said to be very close to PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari.

Cold weather prevails in Punjab, Haryana with min temp of 5.3 degrees C

Cold weather conditions prevailed in many parts of Punjab and Haryana on Monday, with Rupnagar reeling at a low of 5.3 degrees Celsius. While Rupnagar was the coldest place in Punjab, among other places in the state, Patiala also experienced a cold night at 6.8 deg C. Ludhiana's minimum temperature was at 8.2 deg C, according to the Meteorological Department's weather report. Amritsar recorded a low of 7.6 deg C, Pathankot's minimum temperature was recorded at 7.3 deg C while Bathinda also experienced a cold night at 6.6 deg C. In Haryana, biting cold prevailed in Jhajjar, which recorded a low of 5.3 deg C. Ambala registered a low of 7.6 deg C while Kurukshetra recorded a low of 7.7 deg C. Karnal recorded a low of 7 deg C. Bhiwani and Sirsa recorded respective minimum temperatures of 8.7 deg C and 9 deg C, respectively. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a low of 6.7 deg C.

Punjab's cotton, maize yield to dip by 11-13% by 2050 due to climate change

Climate change is predicted to reduce maize and cotton yield in Punjab by 13 per cent and 11 per cent by 2050, according to a new study conducted by agriculture economists and scientists at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). Punjab accounts for around 12 per cent of the total cereals produced in the country. The study published in the Mausam journal of the India Meteorological Department earlier this month used rainfall and temperature data collected between 1986 and 2020 to project the impact of climate change on five major crops -- rice, maize, cotton, wheat, and potato -- in the agrarian state. The researchers collected climate data from five weather observatories of Punjab Agricultural University, ie Ludhiana, Patiala, Faridkot, Bathinda, and SBS Nagar. The researchers -- agricultural economist Sunny Kumar, scientist Baljinder Kaur Sidana and PhD scholar Smily Thakur -- said that long-term changes in climatic variables show that the rise in temperature is driving most of the

Punjab police deepens crackdown on buying, selling synthetic kite strings

The Punjab Police is cracking down on the sale of banned 'Chinese manjha' following a spate of unfortunate incidents during kite flying competitions in the state that left people especially children grievously injured. A few days back, a four-year-old boy received more than 100 stitches on his face after 'China dor', as it is popularly known in Punjab, got entangled around his neck and caused deep cuts near Samrala, in Ludhiana district. It happened as the kid rolled down the window pane of the car he was travelling in and stuck his head out to see kites being flown. He had to be hospitalised in Ludhiana. An Amritsar-based activist, Kirpal Singh Pali, who is among the prominent voices against "China dor" or "Chinese manjha", claimed it is supplied to the state from Noida and then distributed from Ludhiana and Jalandhar. In Amritsar, a 28-year-old man suffered a deep cut around his neck four days ago because of Chinese string and had to get 20 stitches. The kite string got entangled

Punjab's ex-FM Manpreet Singh Badal joins BJP soon after quitting Congress

Earlier in his resignation letter to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Badal said he was "disillusioned" by the party

After protest, Punjab CM Mann orders closure of liquor factory in Ferozepur

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday ordered the immediate closure of a distillery and ethanol plant in Ferozepur after a months-long agitation against the unit by local villagers

Ensure resumption of flights at Adampur airport by March end: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday asked officials to ensure the resumption of domestic flights at Adampur (Jalandhar) airport by March end. Chairing a review meeting of the Civil Aviation Department here, he said the state government is committed to restart flights at the airport by March end to facilitate the people, according to an official release. Mann said besides saving time, money and energy of the people especially the NRIs, the airport will also give a further boost to the economic development of the region in general and Jalandhar city in particular. It will also boost medical tourism and industrial development, he added. The chief minister also directed the officers to complete the ongoing work of construction of the civil air terminal at Halwara in Ludhiana within three months. He said the government has already released Rs 50 crore for the early completion of work at the civil air terminal. Mann said the timely completion of the project is the need of t

Congress MP Santokh Chaudhary dies during Bharat Jodo Yatra, march halted

Congress' Jalandhar MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary died on Saturday after suffering a cardiac arrest during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, following which the march was halted. He was 76. The two-time MP was taking part in the Rahul Gandhi-led march in Phillaur in Jalandhar where he fainted, said senior party leader Partap Singh Bajwa, who was also marching in the yatra. He said Chaudhary was rushed to a hospital in Phagwara in an ambulance. The yatra was halted following Chaudhary's death and it is learnt that Gandhi has gone to the hospital. Earlier in the morning, the yatra resumed from Ladhowal in Ludhiana as part of its Punjab leg. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann expressed grief over the death of the Congress MP. "I am deeply saddened at the untimely death of Congress Member of Parliament from Jalandhar, Santokh Singh Chaudhary," he said in a tweet in Punjabi. Former Congress leader Amarinder Singh also condoled Chaudhary's death. "Extremely saddened to hear about the sudden demi

Delhi cold wave: IMD predicts fresh spell of very dense fog in Delhi

The India Metrological Department (IMD) has predicted a fresh spell of dense to very dense fog during the night and morning hours in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and UP from Jan 14 to 17

Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra resumes from Punjab's Doraha

The Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed Thursday morning from Doraha here as part of its Punjab leg, with scores of locals joining it. The Punjab leg of the foot march began on Wednesday from Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib. During the yatra, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, MPs Amar Singh, Gurjit Singh Aujla, former MLA Gurkirat Kotli, Punjab Youth Congress chief Brinder Singh Dhillon and several other party leaders accompanied Gandhi. Many party workers were seen carrying the national flag during the foot march. On Wednesday before the start of the Punjab leg of the yatra, Gandhi had paid obeisance at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib. The Congress MP on Wednesday had also interacted with senior ex-servicemen and a panel of Punjabi historians, economists, sociologists and agricultural experts. According to the schedule of the Punjab leg of the yatra, the march will pass through Ludhiana, Goraya, Phagwara, Jalandhar, Dasyu

FCI 'corruption': CBI conducts searches across 50 locations; DGM arrested

The CBI on Wednesday launched a crackdown on alleged corruption in the Food Corporation of India, conducting searches at 50 locations in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi after arresting a DGM-ranked officer, officials said. The role of officials from technical assistants to executive directors in the FCI are under the agency's scanner, they said. The searches were started after the arrest of a deputy general manager (DGM) in the FCI while taking a bribe of Rs 50,000, they said. They said the operation is spread across multiple cities in Punjab, Haryana and two locations in Delhi. The sources said the agency has started the operation against an "unholy nexus of corruption" in the FCI involving a chain of officers, rice mill owners, grain merchants etc., engaged in the procurement, storage and distribution of food grains, they said. The CBI was developing intelligence for the last six months following many complaints received by it, they said. The role of state government employees will a

Manish Tewari joins Rahul's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Punjab's Anandpur Sahib

Almost all the G-23 leaders have joined the Yatra and the party is very enthusiastic in Punjab

Rahul visits Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib as Bharat Jodo Yatra enters Punjab

The yatra will cover several parts of Punjab over eight days before reaching Jammu and Kashmir, its final stop, on January 19

India is about brotherhood, unity, that's why BJY is successful: Rahul

"The BJP and RSS people are dividing the country, putting one religion against the other, one caste against the other," Rahul Gandhi added