Page 3 - Punjab Government

LS elections 2024: Two Punjab Cong leaders including national secy join BJP

Two Punjab Congress leaders, including its national secretary Tajinder Pal Singh Bittu, joined the BJP here on Saturday as the ruling party at the Centre bolsters its ranks in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha polls there. Bittu announced his resignation from the Congress hours before joining the BJP. He and Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary, the wife of late Congress veteran Santokh Singh Chaudhary, joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and its national general secretary Vinod Tawde. Chaudhary had last year unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha bypoll in Jalandhar following the death of her husband, who was the sitting MP. At a press conference, Tawde said their induction into the BJP will boost the party, especially in Punjab where the polls are scheduled for June 1. Bittu told reporters that he had been feeling "suffocated" in the Congress after being with the party for over 35 years. "Three-four power centres work in the Congress and all of them seek to func

Baisakhi celebration: Devotees in Punjab Haryana offer prayers in Gurdwaras

Devotees across Punjab and Haryana offered prayers at gurdwaras on the occasion of the Baisakhi festival on Saturday. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann greeted people on the occasion of 'Sajna Divas' of the 'Khalsa Panth' and 'Baisakhi'. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini also greeted people on the occasion of Baisakhi. Devotees thronged the gurdwaras, including Amritsar's Sri Harmandir Sahib also known as the Golden Temple, Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib, Damdama Sahib in Bathinda and Nada Sahib in Haryana's Panchkula and paid obeisance. Baisakhi festival marks the foundation day of the 'Khalsa Panth' (Sikh order) by the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh. On this auspicious day in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh created the 'Order of Khalsa' at the holy city of Sri Anandpur Sahib by baptising 'Panj Pyare' (beloved ones) belonging to different castes. Baisakhi also marks the onset of harvest season.

Jallianwala Bagh martyrs will always inspire future generations: Prez Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu expressed heartfelt tributes on Saturday to the people who sacrificed their lives for the country in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and said the spirit of patriotism of those martyrs will keep inspiring the coming generations. Hundreds of people protesting peacefully against the Rowlatt Act, which granted repressive powers to the colonial administration, were gunned down by British forces without any provocation on this day in 1919 at Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab's Amritsar. "My heartfelt tribute to all the freedom fighters who sacrificed everything for the motherland in Jallianwala Bagh! The countrymen will always be indebted to all those great souls who sacrificed their lives for swaraj. I am sure that the spirit of patriotism of those martyrs will always inspire the coming generations," the president said in a post in Hindi on X.

NGT asks Punjab to explain how it will handle 19 mn tonnes of paddy stubble

Green Tribunal seeks information from the state on stubble management in 2023 and 2024

CM Mann, AAP leaders in Punjab to fast on Sunday against Kejriwal's arrest

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann along with AAP MLAs and volunteers will sit on a fast on Sunday to protest against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a party leader said. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had given the call for a nationwide collective fast on April 7 against the arrest of the Delhi chief minister. Kejriwal, who is also the AAP national convener, was arrested last month by the Enforcement Directorate in an excise policy-linked money laundering case. He had been sent to judicial custody till April 15. Addressing the media here on Saturday, AAP MLA Dinesh Chadha said the Punjab chief minister and the ruling party's legislators will sit on a fast at Khatkar Kalan in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district on April 7 in the fight to save democracy. He also appealed to the people of Punjab to take part in the fast. Alleging that the BJP-led Centre was behind the arrest of Kejriwal's arrest, the Rupnagar legislator claimed that the saffron party considers the AA

Jolt for AAP in Punjab: MP Sushil Rinku, MLA Sheetal Angural switch to BJP

Sushil Kumar Rinku was AAP's sole Lok Sabha member and was already announced as the party's candidate from Jalandhar

ED raids multiple Punjab locations in guava orchards compensation 'scam'

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple locations in Punjab in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged guava orchards compensation "scam", official sources said. The ED case was registered after the federal agency took cognisance of a Punjab Vigilance Bureau FIR pertaining to alleged embezzlement of nearly Rs 137 crore released as compensation for guava orchards on land acquired by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA). The premises of some senior government officials and some private persons are being covered, the sources said. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested a number of people, including some horticulture department officials, in this case, they said.

LS polls: BJP to go solo in Punjab, says state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar

The BJP will contest the Lok Sabha polls on its own in Punjab, the party's state unit chief Sunil Jakhar said on Tuesday. The announcement came amid a buzz over talks between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP for re-stitching their alliance for the parliamentary polls. Polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held on June 1, the last phase of the seven-phase elections. "The BJP is going to contest the Lok Sabha elections alone in Punjab," Jakhar said on X. He said this decision was taken by the BJP following feedback from people and party workers. "The works done by the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are not hidden from anyone," Jakhar said. The BJP leader also added that in the last 10 years, produce of farmers was procured at minimum support price.

Mann in Delhi to support Kejriwal while people die in Punjab, says BJP

The BJP on Saturday hit out at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and said it is "very sad" that he is here to protest the arrest of his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal at a time when the death toll in a hooch tragedy in his state has climbed to 20. The party also targeted AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha over his London visit and asked why he had a meeting with British Labour Party MP Preet K Gill, "who openly advocates 'K' separatism". The death toll due to the suspected consumption of spurious liquor in Punjab's Sangrur district has climbed to 20, with six more people succumbing during treatment, officials said on Saturday. Police have made eight arrests so far in connection with the case, they said. Reacting to the climb in the death toll, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "It is very sad. The BJP is very sensitive towards the plight of the family members of those who died in the incident." "It is also very sad that at a time when Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant M

'Alcohol with methanol used for making spurious liquor in Sangrur tragedy'

Alcohol containing methanol content was used for making spurious liquor which left 20 people dead in Punjab's Sangrur district, police said on Saturday. Police have arrested eight out of the 10 identified accused in connection with the Sangrur hooch tragedy, they said. The death toll due to the suspected consumption of spurious liquor in Sangrur district has climbed to 20, with six more people succumbing during treatment, officials on Saturday said. Eleven people are undergoing treatment at Patiala's Rajindra Hospital and six at the Civil Hospital in Sangrur. The officials said the casualties have been reported from Gujran, Tibbi Ravidaspura and Dhandoli Khurd villages in Dirba and Sunam blocks. A four-member special investigation team (SIT), led by Additional Director General of Police Gurinder Singh Dhillon, was set up on Saturday in connection with the incident. Addressing the media here, ADGP Dhillon said three FIRs have been lodged so far in connection with this incident. O

Punjab BJP urges EC to order investigation into state's excise policy

A delegation of the Punjab BJP on Saturday urged the Election Commission of India to order an ED probe into the state excise policy, which it claimed was tailored along the lines of the one for Delhi. The delegation led by Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar comprised Union Minister Som Parkash, former union minister Vijay Sampla, former state unit chiefs Ashwani Sharma and Manoranjan Kalia, MLA Jangi Lal Mahajan, national executive member Harjit Singh and state general secretary Parminder Brar. The delegation handed over a memorandum to Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C, seeking a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the state excise policy. This came after Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case on Thursday. Speaking to reporters here, Jakhar said Punjab's excise policy was framed on the lines of the Delhi excise policy because of which ...

Kejriwal will be released, start revolution in country: Punjab CM Mann

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in ED custody in connection with an excise policy-linked money-laundering case, will be released and bring a revolution in the country, his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann said on Saturday. The 55-year-old AAP national convenor was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday from his official residence. He was on Friday produced in court, which sent him to ED custody till March 28. Mann, Delhi ministers Atishi and Kailash Gahlot, and Mayor Shelly Oberoi visited Shaheedi Park on Saturday to commemorate the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. "The BJP wants to bring dictatorship in the country. Sending opposition leaders to jail is not freedom. Let us unite or the country will be ruined. Kejriwal will come out, bringing a big revolution," Mann said. The Delhi government will run according to the law, he said. "No law says that a chief minister sent to jail under a political vendetta needs to resign. He is in

Death toll in Sangrur spurious liquor case rises to 20; SIT formed

The death toll due to the suspected consumption of spurious liquor in Punjab's Sangrur district has climbed to twenty, with six more persons succumbing, officials on Saturday said. Meanwhile, a four-member special investigation team (SIT), led by an additional director general of police (ADGP) rank officer, has been set up in connection with the incident. Eleven people are undergoing treatment at Patiala's Rajindra Hospital and six at the Civil Hospital in Sangrur. Sangrur Civil Surgeon Kirpal Singh on Saturday said that 20 people have died so far in the incident. The officials said that the casualties have been reported from Gujran, Tibbi Ravidaspura and Dhandoli Khurd villages in Dirba and Sunam blocks. The police have made six arrests in the case so far, they said. The AAP government has been under fire from the opposition parties Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) over the Sangrur hooch tragedy. A case has already been registered under Section 302 (murder) of the Ind

Punjab CM Mann slams arrest of Kejriwal, says AAP will stand behind him

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday flayed the arrest of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, saying the Centre can arrest the Delhi chief minister but cannot imprison his thinking. Mann said the AAP will stand like a rock behind Kejriwal. "You may arrest Arvind Kejriwal but how will you imprison his thinking...Arvind Kejriwal is not an individual but an idea and we stand with our leader like a rock...Inquilab Zindabad," Mann posted in Hindi on X. Mann left for Delhi on Friday where he will meet senior AAP leaders, sources said. He is also likely to meet Kejriwal's family in the national capital. Earlier on Thursday, AAP leaders in Punjab and Haryana had slammed the BJP government for the arrest of Kejriwal, alleging the "dictatorial regime was making a mockery of constitutional norms." Congress leaders from the two states also slammed the Centre for Kejriwal's arrest. Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday night in an excise policy-linked money .

Will seek votes on basis of works done by our govt: Punjab CM Mann

Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said his party will seek votes on the basis of works undertaken by his government in the state in the last two years. Mann-led dispensation completed two years in office on Friday. After the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stormed to power by winning 92 out of 117 seats in the state during the state assembly polls, Mann had taken oath as the chief minister at Khatkar Kalan on March 16, 2022. Khatkar Kalan in SBS Nagar is legendary martyr Bhagat Singh's ancestral place. Mann along with his wife on Saturday offered prayers at Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Mohali on the completion of two years of his government. "I prayed for the progress of Punjab," said Mann after offering prayers at the historic gurdwara. Asked about the AAP's preparation for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Mann said his party will seek votes on the basis of works undertaken in the past two years. "We do politics of work," he said. About his government's works, he poin

Senior Punjab Congress leader Raj Kumar Chabbewal quits party, joins AAP

In a setback to the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, senior party leader from Punjab and MLA Raj Kumar Chabbewal on Friday quit the party and joined the ruling Aam Aadmi Party. The 54-year-old Chabbewal quit as a legislator from the Chabbewal assembly constituency in the Hoshiarpur district. He was also the Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly. The prominent Dalit leader joined the AAP here and was welcomed into the party fold by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Chabbewal is the second Congress leader from Punjab to join the AAP within a week. Gurpreet Singh GP, a former Congress MLA from Bassi Pathana, had recently joined the AAP. The AAP, which named its candidates for eight of the 13 Lok Sabha seats on Thursday, is likely to field him from the Hoshiarpur reserved parliamentary constituency. Speaking to reporters here in the presence of Punjab ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Chabbewal said he is impressed with the pro-people policies

No tie-up with BJP but 'like-minded parties' welcome: SAD chief Badal

Claiming that such speculations were only confined to social media platforms, Badal said his party was keen to continue its tie-up with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the state

'Guarantee' of giving Rs 1,000 to women will be fulfilled: Punjab minister

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday informed the Assembly that the state government will fulfil the "guarantee" of giving Rs 1,000 to women. His statement came after the opposition parties accused the Bhagwant Mann government of not fulfilling the pre-poll promise of giving Rs 1,000 each month to women in the state. Responding to issues raised by the MLAs during a debate on the state budget, Cheema said the state government has fulfilled four out of five "guarantees", including free electricity and the opening of 'aam aadmi clinics'. "We implemented four guarantees out of five within two years. One guarantee related to women is pending. I am saying this with full responsibility in the House that this guarantee will also be fulfilled," the state finance minister told the House. Taking on the opposition Congress MLAs, Cheema said they were not aware of the fulfilment of these four "guarantees" as they are related to the common people of the state. Because most o

Punjab govt presents state Budget for FY25 with over Rs 2 trn outlay

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday presented the state's budget for the financial year 2024-25 with an allocation of over Rs 2 lakh crore, and said health and education are the focus areas of the government. The Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) government has provided over 40,000 jobs in two years, he said while presenting the budget in the state assembly. Of the total annual outlay of over Rs 2 lakh crore, Cheema said, Rs 13,784 crore has been earmarked for the agriculture sector and Rs 16,987 crore for the education sector.

Punjab has secured Rs 70,000 cr investment so far: CM Bhagwant Mann

Punjab has secured investments worth Rs 70,000 crore so far and many big companies are keen to set up units in the state, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Saturday. He was addressing a gathering at 'Sarkaar Vpaar Milni' event organised to address issues faced by the trading community in the state. The initiative aims to secure the well-being of the trading community, marking a significant step towards restoring the pristine glory of the state and boosting its economic development, said Mann. Industry and trade serve as the backbone of every state's economy and should therefore be given a significant impetus, he added. Underlining the importance of revenue and employment generation in driving state development, Mann said he has visited major cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, to invite industrialists to establish ventures in Punjab. So far, investments worth Rs 70,000 crore have already been firmed up, with prominent companies expressing interest to invest in the state, Mann said.