Page 56 - Punjab

BJP slams AAP govt over stubble burning in Punjab, tweets pictures

BJP on Friday attacked the Aam Aadmi Party tweeting pictures of what it alleged was stubble burning in Punjab and accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of doing little to tackle the issue. The AAP dispensation has in the past accused neighbouring states, including then-Congress ruled Punjab, of being responsible for the high levels of winter pollution in Delhi with unchecked burning of stubble taking place in these states. With reins of Punjab now in AAP's hands, BJP has taken to attacking the Kejriwal-led party. North East Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari accused Kejriwal of having a "casual approach" towards the issue of air pollution. "What is this @ArvindKejriwal? Delhi is suffering because of you and your casual approach towards governance! Every year it is the same story & same excuses, now you have a full fledge (sic) punjab govt under you but still delhi (sic) continues to suffer When will you start working for delhi (sic)?" Tiwari said in a tweet, sharing pictures of ...

Punjab CM Mann bats for collaboration in academics, tourism with Tajikistan

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday batted for collaboration with Tajikistan in the fields of academics, tourism, and trade and commerce. Interacting with a delegation from Tajikistan that called on him here, the CM said with the world emerging as a global village, there is a need for acquainting students about the emerging trends in the education sector. He said in such a scenario, an academic collaboration between the universities of different countries could do wonders in spreading the light of knowledge in every nook and cranny of the world, besides helping in the overall development of students, according to an official release. Emphasising on the need for frequent student and faculty exchange programmes between Punjab and Tajikistan, Mann said it would be very beneficial for the students. Mann said such initiatives could play a pivotal role in updating the knowledge of students and upskilling teachers. He said Punjab and Tajikistan can initiate measures for star

Will take 4-5 years to resolve stubble burning issue: Punjab pollution body

Crop diversification is not a long-term solution to the problem of stubble burning and it will take four to five years to properly resolve the issue, a senior official of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has said. Crop diversification and using short duration varieties of paddy are among several initiatives proposed by the Centre and experts to resolve the stubble burning issue in Punjab and Haryana. At a workshop organised by the Delhi-based Climate Trends in Chandigarh on Monday, PPCB Member Secretary Krunesh Garg said counting the number of farm fires is an inaccurate measure of ascertaining the scale of stubble burning and that the acreage of land being put on fire is the parameter to be measured. It's not that the problem is not being addressed, we are mapping it down to the block and village level, but it will take four-five years for proper resolution," Garg said. The area under paddy cultivation in Punjab has increased from 29.61 lakh hectares in last year to 31.13

BSF opens fire at Pakistani drone spotted in Punjab's Gurdaspur sector

BSF troops opened fire at a drone from Pakistan along the International Border in Punjab's Gurdaspur sector on Tuesday, officials said. Border Security Force (BSF) troops heard a buzzing sound of the flying object in the early hours and opened fire, officials said. Search operations have been launched in the area to check if any packages were dropped by the drone in Indian territory, they said.

Punjab: Bhagwant Mann govt wins confidence motion; Cong, BJP abstain

The Punjab Assembly on Monday "unanimously" passed the confidence motion moved by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on September 27, even as Congress members staged a walkout. The BJP members have already announced to boycott the assembly session. After a lengthy discussion on the confidence motion, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan put it to vote. He asked MLAs to raise hands who were in support, and then asked those who were against the motion of confidence. Announcing the results, Sandhwan said 91 AAP MLAs supported the motion. He also said one of the three SAD MLAs who was present in the House and a lone BSP MLA did not oppose the motion. No Congress, BJP or lone Independent MLA was present in the House at the time of voting. AAP has 92 MLAs, including the Speaker, in the House. "So, 93 MLAs have supported the motion and none is against it. Thus, the motion is unanimously passed," the Speaker said. In the 117-member Punjab Assembly, the AAP has 92 members, Congress 18, SAD 3, BJP 2,

Punjab CM Mann announces hike in sugarcane price to Rs 380 per quintal

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday announced increasing the price of sugarcane to Rs 380 per quintal from the existing Rs 360 per quintal. He announced a hike in SAP (state agreed price) of sugarcane on the floor of the Punjab Assembly on the concluding day of its brief session. In August 2021, the then Congress government had announced a Rs 50 per quintal hike in SAP of sugarcane to Rs 360 per quintal. Mann said farmers will get an additional Rs 20 per quintal under SAP of sugarcane as compared to last year. With this decision, the state government will spend an additional Rs 200 crore annually to benefit the farmers. Mann said the farmers of the state eagerly want to adopt sugarcane crop under crop diversification, but they are hesitant for it due to lack of adequate price and timely payment of the crop. At present, sugarcane is cultivated on just 1.25 lakh hectares of land in Punjab, while the total crushing capacity of sugar mills was around 2.50 lakh hectares. Thi

2 held after Punjab Police busts ISI-backed drone-based KTF terror module

Punjab Police busted Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) backed drone-based Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) terror module and apprehended two of its operatives from Chamkaur Sahib area

Deepak Tinu, accused in Moosewala murder case, escapes from custody

Gangster Deepak Tinu, one of the accused in singer Sidhu Moosewala's murder, escaped from police custody in Mansa district, in a major embarrassment for Punjab Police which sacked the officer incharge and arrested him. Tinu escaped from the custody of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) unit of the Mansa Police on Saturday night when he was brought on a production warrant from Goindwal Sahib jail in Tarn Taran district in another case. The Incharge CIA has been dismissed from service under Article 311 of the constitution, Punjab police said. An FIR under IPC sections 222 (Intentional omission to apprehend on the part of public servant bound to apprehend person under sentence or lawfully committed), 224 (Resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension) 225 A (Omission to apprehend, or sufferance of escape, on part of public servant...) and 120-B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy) has been registered against errant police officials. Punjab Director General of Poli

Another operative of ISI-backed terror module held in Punjab, says police

The Punjab Police on Saturday said it has arrested another operative of the ISI-backed terror module that was jointly handled by Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Singh alias Landa and Pakistan-based gangster Harvinder Singh Rinda. Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Gaurav Yadav said the accused has been identified as Harpreet Singh alias Har Sarpanch of village Jogewal in Ferozepur. The arrest came eight days after the Counter Intelligence team led by Assistant Inspector General (Counter Intelligence) Jalandhar Navjot Singh Mahal had busted the module with the arrest of its two operatives - Baljit Singh Malhi and Gurbaksh Singh, both residents of Ferozepur. The police had also recovered one sophisticated AK-56 assault rifle along with two magazines, 90 live cartridges and two bullet shells from a location pinpointed by Gurbaksh Singh in his village. DGP Yadav on Saturday said following the disclosures of accused Baljit Malhi, the police team managed to apprehend Harpreet Singh

Phagwara sugar mill workers hold protest over non-payment of salaries

Phagwara sugar mill workers on Saturday held a demonstration here denouncing the mill management for not paying their salaries for the last three months. Phagwara sugar mill labour union leader Sukhdev Singh also sought the intervention of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in the matter. "We have families. We find it next to impossible to pay the fees of our school going children. The owner of the mill has run abroad. The local mill officials are giving us false assurances, said one of the protesters. The protesters demanded the management to pay at least a month's salary to the workers considering the ongoing festival season, and threatened to intensify their protests if their demand is not met.

Sikh bodies hold protest march in Phagwara over desecration, demands arrest

Activists of some Sikh bodies held a protest march here on Saturday demanding the arrest of those behind the desecration of Sikh religious book 'Gutka Sahib' in August. They also demanded that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be constituted to probe the case. Pages of 'Gutka Sahib' were found scattered under a tree near the old civil hospital building here on August 31. Police had registered a case under relevant sections, including 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against unidentified people in the matter. The protesters took out a march from the Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Sabzi Mandi to the site near the old civil hospital building where the pages were found. Later, they submitted a memorandum to Phagwara Superintendent of Police (SP) Mukhtiar Rai demanding that an SIT be constituted to probe the case. The memorandum was addressed to the director

Centre concerned over Punjab's preparedness towards air quality management

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Friday expressed concern and dissatisfaction with the Punjab government's preparedness towards air quality management and noted a huge gap in the state's plan for stubble management. At a review meeting, Yadav said the Punjab government has not planned adequately for management of almost 5.75 million tons of stubble in the state which may have an adverse impact on the air quality in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR). He directed the governments of Punjab and NCR states to ensure timely and effective implementation of various components of the detailed plan of actions developed for the management of paddy stubble burning, the ministry said in a statement after the meeting. Yadav held a detailed review meeting on the measures and actions planned towards abatement of air pollution by all stakeholders concerned in the NCR region and adjoining areas in the wake of poor air quality conditions generally prevailing between October and

Amit Shah approves Rs 488 cr to UP, Punjab, Goa for disaster mitigation

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday approved the release of Rs 488 crore to Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa as central share of the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) for 2021-22. Based on the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission, the central government has allocated Rs 32,031 crore for the SDMF and Rs 13,693 crore for the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) for 2021-22 to 2025-26, according to an official release. These mitigation funds are to be used for undertaking mitigation activities, involving local level and community-based interventions, which will reduce the risks from disasters and promote environment-friendly settlements and livelihood practices. The home minister has always emphasised that before the 1990s, the central government had a relief-centric approach and there was no scope for saving lives and property and it was not part of the planning process, the statement said. Now as per the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has .

LIVE: PM Modi to inaugurate 36th National Games in Ahmedabad

PM will declare open the 36th National Games at a gala ceremony in the Narendra Modi stadium in Motera area

CM Bhagwant Mann bats for strengthening of ties between Punjab and Canada

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday batted for further strengthening ties between Punjab and Canada, especially with its Saskatchewan province. The chief minister, during a meeting with a delegation of Saskatchewan province which called on him here, advocated strong and cordial ties between Punjab and Canadian province, according to an official release. He said people from Punjab have been playing a vanguard role in the socio-economic progress of Canada. Mann also said it is a matter of great pride and satisfaction that a large number of Punjabis have also carved a niche for themselves in the political arena of Canada. The CM also showcased Punjab as the most preferred industrial destination across the country and invited the delegation from Saskatchewan to encourage the entrepreneurs to invest in the Indian state. Mann said the government has already put the state on a high growth trajectory which will benefit the investors. Calling for further streamlining mechanism to ensur

Punjab stalemate ends: Guv Purohit approves Sep 27 assembly session

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit has approved the state government's request to hold a one-day assembly session on September 27, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said Sunday, indicating the stalemate between the AAP dispensation and the government over the issue has ended. The governor's approval came a day after the AAP government informed him about the issues to be taken up during the session. "Hon. Governor, Punjab, has very kindly acceded to our request and summoned the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to meet for its third session on 27.9.2022 at 11.00 AM at Chandigarh," Speaker said in a tweet. The Bhagwant Mann-led government on Saturday informed the governor that the issues like stubble burning, goods and services tax and power supply will be discussed in the session on September 27. This came after the governor on Friday had asked for details of the legislative business to be taken up in the session, sparking a strong reaction from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who had said "it's too ..

Incessant rainfall in Punjab may damage Kharif crops, say experts

Incessant rain at many places in Punjab may cause damage to Kharif crops, especially paddy and cotton, farm experts said on Saturday. Besides delaying harvesting of crops, the untimely rain will not only affect the yield but also quality of crop, they said. Rain lashed parts of Punjab and Haryana, leading to a dip in the mercury by a few notches. Rain was witnessed in Punjab's Ludhiana, Mohali, Patiala, Mansa, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur, Amritsar and Bathinda and Haryana's Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Ambala and Sonipat, according to the Metrological Department here. According to farm experts, the untimely rain, if it continues for a few more days, will hit both paddy and cotton crops. "Rain at this stage if it continues for two-three days will affect the kharif crops. It will affect yield and quality of paddy crop which is at the harvesting stage," said Punjab Agriculture Department Director Gurwinder Singh. Farm experts fear that rain accompanied by wind can lead to flattening o

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit acting at behest of BJP, alleges AAP

The ruling AAP in Punjab on Saturday sharpened its attacked against Governor Banwarilal Purohit, alleging that he is acting at the behest of the BJP. The fresh attack came a day after the Governor's office sought details of the legislative business to be taken up in the September 27 Assembly session. Purohit had come under fire after he stopped the government from holding a special session of the Assembly on September 22 to bring a "confidence motion". AAP leader and state Cabinet Minister Aman Arora said the Punjab government does not want any confrontation but asserted that it will be unacceptable to the ruling party if anyone tries to deprive them of exercising their constitutional rights. Arora accused Purohit of cancelling the earlier special session scheduled for September 22 at the instance of the BJP-led Centre to make the party's "Operation Lotus" a success. The Governor is acting at the behest of the BJP, he alleged addressing the media here. Arora said it never happened

Punjab set for crop diversification if govt assures remunerative prices: CM

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said that the state is fully ready to adopt crop diversification but the Centre must provide assured mechanism to give remunerative prices for these crops. The Centre must take this step for ensuring that farmers of the state shift from water guzzling crops to less water consuming crops, said the Chief Minister while addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Kisan Mela here at Punjab Agricultural University and Pashu Palan Mela at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. On the occasion, Mann also said that in coming days an important decision will be taken to get rid of the menace of paddy straw burning. The Chief Minister said that instead of paddy, the farmer of the state is ready to sow sunflower, maize and pulses but for that they must get adequate and assured price. He said that this will help in checking the depleting water table in the state on one hand and making agriculture a profitable venture on the ...

NGT slaps over Rs 2,000 crore fine on Punjab for failure to treat waste

The National Green Tribunal has imposed a penalty of over Rs 2,000 crore on the Punjab government for its failure to treat solid and liquid waste, leading to a huge gap in their generation and treatment. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice A K Goel said corrective action cannot wait for an indefinite period and health issues be deferred for long. Responsibility of the State is to have a comprehensive plan to control pollution which is its absolute liability, which is not being understood. If there is deficit in budgetary allocations, it is for the state and the state alone to have suitable planning by reducing cost or augmenting resources, the bench said. It said that the compliance of environmental norms on the subject of waste management has to be high on priority. According to the NGT, the total compensation is rounded off at Rs 2,180 crore. Out of this, Punjab government has already deposited with the tribunal Rs 100 croe for its failure to prevent discharge of untreate