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TOP STORIES

Amarinder’s bulging agenda
Chandigarh, April 6
The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt. Amarinder Singh, has indicated yet another expansion of his Council of Ministers. This announcement has come after an additional Rs 8.5 crore burden the MLAs have put on the exchequer by raising their own salaries, allowances and perquisites. This news will follow the World Bank mission team that has just returned to New Delhi.

No move for Akali unity, says Badal
Hoshiarpur, April 6
There was no move to unify various factions of the Shiromani Akali Dal. This was stated by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, former Chief Minister, Punjab, while talking to mediapersons at Dhuga village about 37 km from here today. To a question, Mr Badal said the SAD could make alliance with any of the political parties, including BSP, in the Lok Sabha elections to defeat the Congress.

Bulletproof cases for ‘jalao’ items offered
Amritsar, April 6
The Birmingham-based Guru Nanak Sevak Jatha, which has already undertaken gilding of the interior of the Golden Temple, has now offered to put priceless gifts and rare artefacts of ‘jalao’ (show of splendour) in bulletproof glass cases. This was disclosed by Mr Tarlochan Singh, Chairman, National Commission for Minorities, while talking to TNS here today. He said Baba Mahinder Singh of the Guru Nanak Sevak Jatha had told him that they were ready to bear all the expenses to put the ‘jalao’ items in bulletproof cases within the Golden Temple complex.

Khalsa College students get degrees Amritsar, April 6 Mr Tarlochan Singh, Chairman, National Commission for Minorities, has said the ‘illiterate Sikh leadership’ had not been help to the community as it had failed to rise to the occasion. Mr Tarlochan Singh, Chairman, National Commission for Minorities, and Mr M. S. Dhillon, Principal, Khalsa College, present a degree to a student at the 97th convocation of Khalsa College in Amritsar on Sunday.  — Photo Rajiv Sharma

Vendor’s daughter tops in district Bathinda, April 6 Even as some parents have been trying hard to arrange the best possible educational facilities for their wards, Pooja Rani who has topped the district in the list of primary students of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) is the daughter of a poor local vegetable vendor. Kashi Prasad, father of district topper Pooja Rani, stands beside his rehri outside his house in Bathinda on Sunday.  — Photo Kulbir Beera.

POLITICS

Fight against quota first priority: GSP
Bathinda, April 6
About a year after contesting the local Assembly seat unsuccessfully, the General Samaj Party today announced its election symbol and constitution at a function held here today.

Civic poll rebels to be expelled, says PPCC
Mansa, April 6
Congress men who opposed official candidates in the recently concluded municipal elections, would be expelled from the Congress. This was stated by Mr Ram Pal Dhaipi, General Secretary, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) while talking to mediapersons here today.

COMMUNITY

Bhattal’s remarks on suicides ‘wrong’
Bathinda, April 6
The Ugrahan faction of the Bharati Kisan Union (BKU) has flayed the statement of the Punjab Agriculture Minister, Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, that the farmers had committed suicide in Punjab due to family problems and not because of their harassment by arhtiyas.

DGP visits crash scene
Ludhiana, April 6
The two victims of the MiG-23 crash continued to oscillate between life and death, three days after the accident. Despite suffering 80 per cent of burns, the two women have survived.

Mann: hasten relief to border farmers
Amritsar, April 6
Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, President, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), in a statement demanded adequate compensation for border villagers who faced a difficult time during the troop build-up on the border and mining operation thereafter.

Riot victims to get govt jobs
Amritsar, April 6
The Punjab Government will give jobs to all riots and terrorist victims and their dependants, said Punjab Additional Secretary and Director of the Rehabilitation Department Vinod Kumar Bhalla.

• Badungar writes to PM on riots case

RCF rolls out new high-speed coaches
Kapurthala, April 6
The Rail Coach Factory (RCF) today rolled out India’s first indigenously-built German designed 16 high-speed coaches to be run on the Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani Express track.

G.S. Chahal put under suspension
Chandigarh, April 6
Consequent upon the arrest of Dr G.S. Chahal, Director, Animal Husbandry, the Punjab Government today placed him under suspension, with effect from March 29, the day of his detention in police custody.

• Vet officers condemn Chahal’s arrest

Demonstration by handicapped
Sangrur, April 6
A large number of handicapped persons, who reached here today from different parts of the state to appear in a written test for 12 posts of Patwari (handicapped quota), staged a demonstration in front of the residence of the Deputy Commissioner.

Sewing teachers to observe fast
Gurdaspur, April 6
Unemployed sewing and tailoring teachers will resort to observe fast in front of the residences of the Education Minister, Chief Minister and the Prime Minister and intensify their stir if their demands are not met immediately.

City being beautified for corporation status
Bathinda, April 6
Come April 10 and the city would formally become a Municipal Corporation. The authorities are working day and night to beautify the city, so that the residents should see a noticeable change when its status is raised from council to a corporation.

AGRICULTURE

Farmers’ camp organised
Faridkot, April 6
The Punjab Government plans to bring 22 lakh hectares under paddy cultivation during the coming season. To make the scheme effective, 1.23 quintal of certified seed and 11 lakh tonnes of urea will be provided to farmers at subsidised rates.

ADMINISTRATION

PWD field staff seek promotion
Bathinda, April 6
The PWD Field and Workshop Workers Union, in a press note issued here yesterday said that the state government was denying them the 4-9-14 promotion scale, while the same had been given to the clerical staff of the same department.

Withdraw power Bill: PSEB panel
Patiala, April 6
The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) Engineers Association has moved a resolution asking the government to withdraw the controversial Punjab Electricity Bill-2003, which is based on the Haldea Committee report.

CRIME

In-laws booked in dowry case
Gurdaspur, April 6
The Gurdaspur police has registered a criminal case against Dr Vikas Sharma, now in England, his father Raj Kumar Sharma, mother Santosh Sharma, sister Mamta Prashar and brother-in-law Rajiv Prashar, all residents of Kapurthala, for demanding dowry.

10 arrested under NDPS Act
Bathinda, April 6
Mr Ishwar Singh, SSP, in press note here today, said under the NDPS Act, 10 persons had been arrested and eight cases registered against them. The police had recovered 86.5 kg of poppy husk from their possession.

EDUCATION

Keep city clean, urge students
Bathinda, April 6
Students of various local schools held a procession in the city yesterday to motivate people to keep the city clean and shun drugs. Mr Nilabh Kishore, SP (City), flagged off the march from Arya Girls High School.

PCCTU to boycott exam duty on April 16
Phagwara, April 6
The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union will observe a one-day boycott of the ongoing university examinations, on April 16. They will proceed on casual leave en masse to converge at Matka Chowk in Chandigarh for a rally in protest against failure of the Punjab Government to honour its poll promises

Teachers sans salary for two months
Gurdaspur, April 6
Employees, including teachers of government aided schools in this district, have not been paid their salaries for February and March. The Punjab Government has not released the grant.

College honours toppers
Patiala, April 6
The local Multani Mal Modi College honoured students who have topped their classes at a function held on the college premises here today. Kushgeet Kaur and Dilshad Kaur were felicitated for standing first and second in the plus one and two arts examinations, respectively.