Punjab to hike taxes to bolster economy
‘Abiana’ to be revived, 10% cess on VAT likely
Chandigarh, July 1
The cash-strapped Punjab government is set to increase various taxes and cesses to meet its overambitious plan targets for this fiscal. Giving a sneak peek into what is most likely going to unfold soon, sources close to the finance department said the state will revive ‘abiana’ (user charges for irrigation water from canals) to be collected from farmers, introduce an additional cess on VAT and hike the electricity duty imposed on consumers.

Babri demolition was pre-planned:
Liberhan panel
Chandigarh, July 1
The Liberhan Commission has said that the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992, was pre-planned. However, it stops short of calling it a conspiracy. The commission has found hard documentary evidence against police and officials of the Kalyan Singh government for conniving to bring down the mosque.

Joshi ducks Liberhan issue

Liberhan report to rock Budget session
New Delhi, July 1
The Liberhan Commission report on Babri Masjid demolition, persisting naxalite violence across the country and price rise issue are expected to rock the Budget session of Parliament starting here tomorrow, with the Left parties planning to seek suspension of question hour on the hike in petrol price.

Petrol dearer by Rs 4, diesel Rs 2
New Delhi, July 1
Making a departure from the past precedence, the government today bypassed the Cabinet to raise petrol prices by Rs 4 per litre and diesel rates by Rs 2 a litre with effect from midnight tonight.

Sukhbir resigns as Dy CM
Chandigarh, July 1
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has resigned. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has forwarded his resignation to the Punjab Governor for acceptance. His resignation was necessitated because no by-election could take place in the state within six months of his taking over as second-in-command in his father’s cabinet.

Kandhamal riots: Jail for tribal leader
Phulbani (Orissa), July 1
In the first conviction ten months after riots rocked the Kandhamal district, a tribal leader has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by a local court here on charge of setting ablaze a house of a man belonging to a minority community.

It’s official, monsoon is here Chandigarh, July 1 The Meteorological Department officials today stated that the showers witnessed in the region in the past 48 hours are indeed the southwest monsoon and it is now advancing actively into Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The Director of Meteorological Department, Chandigarh, Chatar Singh, said the northern limit of the monsoon had widened since yesterday to include parts of Rajasthan and the entire Punjab and Haryana.