Page 12 - Punjab

60% of stubble burning cases in Punjab from Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Gurdaspur

Punjab recorded nearly 3,700 stubble burning incidents between September 15 and October 22 and about 60 per cent of these were in three districts of Majha region -- Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Gurdaspur. According to data from the Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, Tarn Taran reported 1,034 stubble burning incidents, maximum in the state, followed by Amritsar 895 and Gurdaspur 324. The state overall witnessed 3,696 cases of stubble burning during the period. Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is one of the reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital region in October and November. And, the situation is often aggravated by bursting of firecrackers around Diwali. Paddy harvest is complete in 35 per cent of the total cultivated area in Punjab and it will pick up in a day or two, said an official of the state agriculture department. Crop harvesting got delayed by at least 10 days because of untimely rain in September. Punjab has aroun

Stubble burning has risen over the years in Punjab, dropped in Haryana

Cumulatively, between September 15 and October 22, cases of paddy burning have dipped by 32% in Punjab, by almost 41 per cent in Haryana, and by 64% in UP

World's largest diya in Punjab's Mohali symbolises flame of global peace

To send out a message of global peace, world's largest oil lamp was lit in Punjab's Mohali, the organisers of the event claimed. Over 10,000 citizens contributed oil for the event that concluded with a world record, they said. Manufactured with around 1,000 kilogram steel, the world's largest diya measuring 3.37 metres in diameter was lit here on Saturday evening by chief guest of the event Lt Gen K J Singh (retd), former general officer commanding-in-chief of Army's Western Command, to spread the message of world peace, unity, secularism, and humanism. Over 10,000 citizens including 4,000 residents of 'Hero Homes', representing the diverse fabric and diversity of Indian society, pooled in 3,129 litres of organic and diya-appropriate oils to create this unique symbol of peace. Hero Homes, which had organised the event at its premises, is a residential unit of Hero Realty Private Limited, the real estate arm of Hero Enterprise. Themed around the festival of peace, the huge diya was

Andhra, Telangana, Punjab frequently use RBI's short-term liquidity windows

: Andhra, Telangana, Rajasthan and Punjab along with three north-eastern states are repeatedly using the Reserve Bank's special short-term liquidity windows instead of market borrowings, indicating their serious cash imbalances, says a report. The north-eastern states which are over and again using these facilities are Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland. The central bank offers three short-term liquidity windows -- special drawing facility (SDF; for 5 working days), ways and means advances (WMA, for 5 working days) and over draft (OD, for 14 working days) facilities to states to tide over their liquidity needs. One of the main reasons for the states to use these windows is the cheaper pricing than market borrowings. Till August, states have availed SDF facility at an average rate of 3.2-4.2 per cent, while state bonds are priced at 7.8 per cent or more. A recent RBI study has identified 10 "vulnerable states" in terms fiscal management -- Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand, Keral

Tussle between Punjab Governor, AAP govt over Ludhiana VC turns murkier

The latest in a series of confrontations is Governor Purohit's directive to CM Bhagwant Mann to remove Satbir Singh Gosal from the post of Ludhiana-based Punjab Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor

Upcoming G-20 summit will promote Punjab for business, says CM Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said the G-20 summit, scheduled to be held in the holy city of Amritsar in March 2023, will promote the state as a preferred destination

'Old pension scheme to be restored in Punjab, will do same in Gujarat, HP'

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday congratulated government employees in Punjab after the state cabinet gave its nod to the restoration of the old pension scheme and promised that the AAP would do so in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, if it is voted to power in the upcoming polls. The old pension scheme should be restored and implemented all over the country, he said, terming the new pension scheme unfair. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor's promise to the state government employees of the poll-bound Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh came after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced his government's decision to restore old pension scheme. "We had promised that we would implement the old pension scheme in Punjab. Today Bhagwant Mann fulfilled the promise. Congratulations to all the employees of Punjab, Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi. The old pension scheme should be restored and implemented all over the country, he said. "If the people of Himachal Pradesh a

Punjab govt decides to restore old pension scheme for its employees

The Punjab government on Friday took an in-principle decision to restore the old pension scheme for its employees. Giving a Diwali gift, the government has decided to implement the old pension scheme, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced after a meeting of the state cabinet here. "We have taken in-principle decision to this effect in the cabinet meeting. This will benefit lakhs of employees...We are bringing Punjab under the old pension scheme," he said. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that employees will be given the option to join the old pension scheme. Mann, a month ago, had said that his government is considering restoring the scheme for government employees. Restoration of the old pension scheme, which was discontinued in 2004, has been one of the major demands of state government employees. In August last year, Cheema, a senior Aam Aadmi Party leader, had promised to restore the old pension system if the party was voted to power in Punjab.

Farmers' protest near Punjab CM's house in Sangrur enters 12th day

A protest by farmers near Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's residence in Sangrur district over various demands, including compensation for crop damage due to rains and pest attack, entered the 12th day on Thursday. The protesters under the banner of Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) threatened to intensify their stir if the AAP government did not accept their demands. Farmers went on an indefinite protest on October 9 near Patiala Road over various demands, including compensation for crop damage due to rains and pest attacks, Rs 200 per quintal for managing paddy stubble, compensation for land acquisition, compensation to dairy farmers whose livestock died due to lumpy skin disease and MSP for crops like maize, moong and basmati. "We have started gheraoing one side of the road leading to the residence of the chief minister," said BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan. If the AAP government continues with its lax attitude" towards these demands, then the

Punjab rapped for failure to control stubble burning surge ahead of Diwali

On Monday and Tuesday, 1,045 events of stubble burning were reported as against 114 events during the same period in 2021

Punjab CM, Union minister inaugurate largest Bio energy project in Sangrur

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann along with Union petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday inaugurated the country's largest bio energy plant constructed at a cost of Rs 230 crore here. Addressing the gathering, the chief minister said this step will go a long way in wiping out the menace of paddy straw burning from the state. Germany-based Verbio Group's Indian subsidiary has set up the plant. This is the largest biofuel (biomethane/bio-CNG) production unit in India with 33 TPD (tonnes per day) capacity of compressed biogas, said Mann. The annual straw consumption in this unit will be 1.30 lakh tonnes, he said, adding that it will help in solving the problem of paddy straw burning. Set up over 20 acres of land, this unit will contribute to an annual reduction of 1.50 lakh metric tonnes of pollutants and 20,000 MT of fly ash currently produced due to paddy straw burning, said an official release quoting Mann. This unit will also give employment to 1,000 youth, he said,

Pakistan drone shot by BSF at Punjab border; third incident in 4 days

A Pakistani drone carrying suspected narcotics has been shot down by the Border Security Force along the International Border in Punjab's Amritsar, an official said on Tuesday. The incident took place on Monday around 8:30 pm in Chhana village of the district, a BSF spokesperson said. This is the third such incident in the past four days at the Punjab front. "Troops of 183rd battalion deployed at border heard buzzing sound of suspected flying object/drone entering from Pakistan into Indian territory in the area falling near Chhana village in Amritsar district," the spokesperson said. "As per drill, the troops tried to intercept the suspected flying object by firing. Bullet hit the drone due to which it fell down on the ground," the spokesperson said. A quad copter carrying about 2.5 kgs of suspected narcotics was later recovered from the incident area, he said. On October 16, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) carrying drugs was similarly neutralised at this front. In the interven

Punjab leaders slam Kejriwal for comparing Sisodia, Jain with Bhagat Singh

Opposition parties in Punjab Monday slammed the ruling AAP's national convener Arvind Kejriwal for comparing party leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain with freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and demanded an unconditional apology from him. Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring lashed out at Kejriwal for his Sunday comments and said it was for the first time in history that someone had invoked the great martyr's name for corruption. He asked why the Delhi chief minister was scared of investigations. While alleging that the BJP-led Centre of "misusing" probe agencies like the CBI, Warring claimed that the way the AAP government was "misusing" the Vigilance Bureau in Punjab, the matter will eventually go to court. "Just because you say Sisodia is like Bhagat Singh does not make him a martyr. Martyrdom is not achieved for corruption," the Punjab Congress chief said. Ridiculing the Aam Aadmi Party's procession as Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia headed towards the CBI ..

Delhi records 635 new dengue infections in first half of October: Report

Of the 1,572 dengue cases recorded this year, as many as 693 were reported in September alone

Bengal farmer earns 3 times less than Punjab counterpart: NABARD report

A recent report titled "Farmers' Welfare: An analysis across states of India," by the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) has pointed out that West Bengal's farming sector is lagging behind other states on two crucial counts.

Punjab, Haryana chief ministers meet over Sutlej Yamuna Link canal issue

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday met with his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar to discuss the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue

Main accused in RPG attack at Mohali's intelligence HQ arrested from Mumbai

Punjab Police's Counter Intelligence, in a joint operation with a central agency and Maharashtra ATS, apprehended Charat Singh, the main accused in Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack case

700 stubble fires in Punjab this year so far: State Agriculture Minister

As many as 700 incidents of stubble burning reported in Punjab so far this year, said the state's Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Wednesday

Kotkapura firing: Punjab Police SIT questions SAD's Parkash Singh Badal

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Punjab Police probing the 2015 Kotkapura police firing case has been questioning former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal at his residence here, sources said on Wednesday. The SIT is led by Additional Director General of Police L K Yadav. Badal was the chief minister of Punjab when the police firing took place in 2015. On September 14, the SIT had had questioned Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal in connection with the case. The incidents relate to the theft of a 'bir' (copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib, handwritten sacrilegious posters, and pages of the holy book being torn at Bargari in Faridkot seven years ago. These incidents had triggered protests during which two people were killed at Behbal Kalan and few injured at Kotkapura in police firing. The Akali Dal had earlier accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of doing politics over the case in order to divert people's attention from its "failures".

Bhupender Yadav holds meeting on air pollution with NCR states, Punjab

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav held a virtual meeting with the Environment Ministers of Delhi, NCR states, and Punjab to manage the issue of air pollution in NCR