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70% panchayats show zero
spending on rural schemes
Hajipur thermal plant project |
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Attacked Gujarat Sikh farmers seek fresh FIR
Security cover: List of VIPs finalised
Govt looks to pvt sector for drug rehab centres
Cong: Farmers resorting to distress paddy sale
Rajoana to field candidate from Patiala
Govt has failed to provide jobs: Youth Cong
Block-level Cong leaders join BJP
Big marriage palaces to be taxed Rs 2.35 lakh
High-altitude fireworks at Golden Temple this Diwali too
Pak delegation favours MFN status to India
DSGMC president’s attack on Sarna motivated: SAD (Delhi)
Maluka to take up teachers’ demands with Chief Minister
Patiala police to take
on underage driving
MNREGA fails to attract workers in Sangrur
IIT Ropar’s new campus gets approval
High Court allows revised pay scale benefits to former judicial officer
One hurt in clash at GND regional campus
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70% panchayats show zero
spending on rural schemes
Abohar, October 13 The number of such panchayats during the same period last year was 7,479. While releasing the performance review report, LC Goyal, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, has told state Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh to list out such non-performing panchayats, analyse reasons and take appropriate measures to generate demand wherever possible. The report says the average person days per household in the current financial year in Punjab are 18 as compared to the national average of 29 days. The actual person days generated so far are 0.27 crore against .67 crore labour budget projection. Nine districts have generated person days which are less than 30 per cent of labour budget projections. The work completion rate of the state stands at 4.4 per cent. There is a tremendous scope for improvement on this score, the Secretary says. Certain districts have, however, fared better. The district-wise break-up reveals that Fazilka utilised Rs 531.75 lakh out of the available funds of Rs 716.18 lakh; Ferozepur Rs 111.59 out of Rs 165.54 lakh; Muktsar Rs 743.45 lakh out of Rs 916.54 lakh: and Bathinda Rs 374.96 lakh out of Rs 574.76 lakh. Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala districts have spent more than the available funds. Congress Legislative Party Leader Sunil Jakhar said the percentage of SC/ST population with job cards vis-ŕ-vis their participation in MGNREGA had also been low in the state. Even as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal claimed that people in the state were not interested to work under MGNREGA, the data available with the Central Government indicated that number of job card holders in Punjab had gone up from 97,000 to 9.5 lakh during the past six years. Instead of blaming the UPA, the Chief Minister should ensure 100 per cent utilisation of funds by providing jobs to more and more workers, Jakhar said. Lagging behind
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Hajipur thermal plant project
Hoshiarpur, October 13 Farmers of as many as 28 villages of Hajipur block are already up in the arms against the proposed project. The government now has to give a second thought to initiate the project. In the wake of passing of the Land Acquisition Bill, 2013, the cash-strapped Punjab Government will have to rethink an increased compensation for land it wants to acquire for the purpose. The government has identified about 1,000 acres in 28 villages of Hajipur in Mukerian sub-division. The proposed thermal plant would be set up on 904 acres. The government has constituted the Punjab Thermal Generation Limited for the execution of the project. However, after a stiff opposition from the farmers, the work on the project has been slowed down. Santosh Chaudhary said she had written to Union Power Minister Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia on "how the SAD-BJP government was befooling the UPA on the thermal power plant issue". "I have requested the minister to visit the areas where the Punjab Government has proposed to set up the plant. A major chunk of land which the Badal government has identified for the purpose is agricultural land. Poor farmers will be forced to sell their land at throwaway prices," she said. The farmers have constituted Kissan Welfare Society demanding shifting of the plant to some other part of the state. Local residents have resented the recent visit of officials of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Railways, Punjab Pollution Control Board, Central Water Commission, Irrigation and Forest and the Punjab State Power Corporation to the area. The society, led by Sukhwinder Singh Rana, rued that the move would render hundreds of farmers landless as majority of them were having small landholdings. Sulkhan Singh Jaggi, president, Akhil Bharatiya Kashatriya Mahansabha, Punjab, said the thermal plant would lead to environment degradation, besides causing health hazards.
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Attacked Gujarat Sikh farmers seek fresh FIR
Chandigarh, October 13 The delegation complained that the FIR was based on half truth and not the statements by victims. Important facts about the attack and the assailants had not been mentioned in the FIR, the delegation alleged. Speaking to The Tribune on the phone, a member of the delegation said a written submission had been made by Jaswinder Singh, who was gravely injured in the attack, seeking a fresh FIR based on facts. In his representation to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Bhuj, Jaswinder Singh has said that 40 persons led by Partap Singh Jadeja, who came in three cars, three tractors and two motor cycles, attacked him and three others, Amandeep Singh, Harpreet Singh and Angrez Singh, on October 8. These Sikh farmers originally belong to Bathinda and Kotkapura. They have been tilling land in Gujarat since the sixties. Jaswinder Singh said they were sowing their fields when they were attacked with sharp-edged weapons and rods. He claimed the FIR in the case was not based on what the victims had told the police. Jaswinder Singh also said that Hathubha Jadeja, a BJP leader, brother of Pratap Singh Jadeja, had threatened his nephew Amandeep Singh on October 3. A complaint regarding the threat was submitted to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Bhuj, on October 4. Four days later, they were brutally attacked. No protection was provided to them despite the threat, he alleged. Meanwhile, a Supreme Court advocate, Himmat Singh Shergill, who met the aggrieved Sikh farmers said: “The Sikh community, which is in minority in Gujarat, is apprehensive that such a brutal incident may recur. It wants justice and assurance from the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat Government that such incidents will not be allowed
in future.”
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Security cover: List of VIPs finalised
Patiala, October 13 The government had earlier withdrawn the security cover from over 1,500 individuals not entitled to it. The Punjab Police has decided not to review or extend the list further and ensure that only "threat-based security" would be reviewed periodically. It has submitted the complete list to the Home Department. Sources in the Police Department said all the names in the list of VIPs were discussed individually, adding that a committee comprising senior police officials and the Deputy Chief Minister finalised it. Officials said following a case in the Supreme Court pertaining to states extending security cover to the "self-styled VIPs", Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had issued directions to prune security cover given to VIPs. "The Punjab Government has further decided not to extend security to even categorised protectees outside the state without permission. The VIPs in Punjab will now have to intimate the security wing each time they travel outside the state to continue with the cover and that too for a maximum of 72 hours," an official said. Sources in the security wing said all district commissioners, SSPs and battalions had been sent a communiqué that it would be the responsibility of the security official guarding the protectee to ensure that if the protected went out of the state, he would intimate the security wing about it. At present, Punjab has over 4,500 police personnel on security duty. The police has also decided to penalise the in-charge in case
any unauthorised security cover is given to someone without following the proper norms. Additional DGP (Security) Dinkar Gupta said, "Only those who need security will get it now. The list of only those who have a threat perception would be discussed." "Security personnel would also be prohibited from displaying guns and weapons at public places even if they are on security duty with the protectee. A strict action would be taken against anyone defying the orders," Gupta added.
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Govt looks to pvt sector for drug rehab centres
Chandigarh, October 13 Department teams that have visited rehabilitation centres in Bangalore and Pune will now be going to Thailand and Scotland to gather the quintessential of rehabilitation practices for the benefit of hundreds of addicts undergoing treatment in the state. The Director, Health and Family Welfare, Dr Ashok Nayyar, said Punjab had approximately 35 de- addiction centres run by NGOs. At least 10 de-addiction centres were run by the state government. Besides, 22 more were under construction. Dr Nayyar said the Chief Minister had underlined the need for an effective rehabilitation programme for addicts “which is sadly missing in a majority of the state’s de-addiction centres.” Talking to The Tribune, he said he had visited a rehabilitation centre run by a non-government organisation (NGO), Sankalp, about 50 km from Pune. “After de-addiction treatment at its Mumbai centre, the inmates are sent here where they choose their accommodation as per their pocket.” It also offered five-star facilities. Dr Nayyar said the NGO offered both accommodation and food for Rs 2,000 per month. The NGO trained the inmates in different trades to make them employable. The NGO had had several success stories, Dr Nayyar claimed. Sources said that treatment procedure adopted by several de-addiction centres run by NGOs in Punjab had been found far from satisfactory. Last year, Rahul Gandhi, then AICC general secretary, during his visit to Punjab, had said that 70 per cent Punjabi youths were addicted to drugs. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had countered the same, blaming the Central Government for failure to properly guard the India-Pakistan border in Punjab, thus, making the state one of the main transit routes used by drug peddlers. Badal had tried to downplay the gravity of drug abuse in the state while accusing the Congress of misleading the public. But the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the country’s apex agency that checks drug menace, had expressed disagreement with the Punjab Government over
the matter. Towards improving services
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Cong: Farmers resorting to distress paddy sale
Chandigarh, October 13 Khaira said: "The government had asked the farmers to sow PUSA 44 and 122 varieties. Now due to bad weather, these crops got infested and the grain discoloured, besides leading to higher moisture content in it". All agencies such as the FCI, Markfed and Punsup had stopped procuring paddy owing to bad weather, he alleged. "Whatever little procurement has been done, it has not been lifted from the mandis. In case of more rains, commission agents and farmers will have to bear the brunt," he said. Khaira urged the government to make swift procurement at fair prices, failing which the Congress would launch statewide protests.
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Rajoana to field candidate from Patiala
Patiala, October 13 In a letter written from the central jail here, which was released by his sister to the media, Rajoana said he would field a candidate either from Patiala or Anandpur Sahib. Rajoana alleged that the Patiala seat, represented by the erstwhile royal family of Patiala, was working against the Sikhs and the Khalsa Panth. The Patiala seat is represented by Union Minister Preneet Kaur, wife of former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh while Ravneet Singh Bittu, grandson of Beant Singh, represents the Anandpur Sahib seat. — PTI
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Govt has failed to provide jobs: Youth Cong
Patiala, October 13 Speaking at rallies in Patiala on the 12th day of the ‘Adhikar Yatra’, Chaudhary was welcomed by Patiala (Rural) MLA Brahm Mohindra and Member of Parliament (MP) Preneet Kaur. The leaders later greeted the people at a Dasehra function in the city. Chaudhary said, “This is the day when good triumphs over evil. But, let us ponder over how the state government has mismanaged state’s resources.” Chaudhary has been walking 30 km to 40 km everyday and addressing rallies during the yatra that was launched in Amritsar on October 2. It will conclude on October 31.
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Block-level Cong leaders join BJP
Phagwara, October 13 Punjab unit chief Kamal Sharma welcomed the leaders to the party fold at a function that was also attended by local BJP legislator Som Parkash Kainth and Punjab Chief Minister’s political adviser Tikshan Sud. Among those to have shifted their allegiance to the BJP were Block Congress Committee (Rural) president Inderjit Singh Khalyan, local Youth Congress president Gagandeep Soni, block secretary Chandan Ghai, Bhaghana village sarpanch Sukhchain Singh and former sarpanch Surjit Singh. Addressing the gathering, Khalyan said they were disillusioned with the Congress owing to factionalism. District Congress committee president Harjit Singh Parmar had claimed two days ago that Khalyan had been expelled from the primary membership of the Congress for six years for “anti-party” activities. At a press conference later, Sharma said the BJP was likely to swap some seats with its ally, SAD, for the coming Lok Sabha elections. He did not specify which seats. On the possibility of an increase in BJP’s seat share, Sharma said since the stakes were very high this time, the matter was not under consideration. He said: “Our alliance with the SAD is based on trust and maturity. We want to win all 13 seats in Punjab.” On Narendra Modi, Sharma said the BJP and SAD cadres were much enthused with the projection of the Gujarat CM as prime ministerial candidate. “We have already gone into the election mode. We have appointed coordinators for all 13 seats,” he said. — PTI
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Big marriage palaces to be taxed Rs 2.35 lakh
Ludhiana, October 13 Officials have been directed to identify the big marriage places. These palaces across the state will have to deposit a lump sum of Rs 2.35 lakh that includes Rs 1 lakh as Luxury Tax, Rs 1.25 lakh as VAT and Rs 10,000 for liquor
licence. However, the palaces are likely to forward these charges to the customer. “Marriage places have been evading tax and not depositing proper VAT and Luxury Tax to the department. Surprise checks by the department have found that marriage palace owners have been under-billing. To crack down on such defaulters, the department has separated the big marriage palaces from the small. Nearly 7-8 resorts and marriage palaces in Ludhiana have been included on the list,” said Bhupinder Gupta, Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner
(AETC), Ludhiana. He further said if marriage palace owners did not agree to pay the tax, the department would make a video of the functions being held at the palaces to prove the amount of money spent
there. Gulshan Kumar, former president of Punjab Marriage Palace and Resorts Association, said there was no criterion for differentiating between big and small marriage palaces. “If the government implements this policy, the industry will be ruined,” he added.
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High-altitude fireworks at Golden Temple this Diwali too
Amritsar, October 13 Talking to The Tribune, Darbar Sahib manager Partap Singh said: “If we are able to find a better option, we will go for it since we are making all efforts to curtail pollution around Harmandar Sahib”. He said they had been looking for smokeless firecrackers for the past couple of years. He said they had also tried a laser show at Anandpur Sahib once, but it didn’t meet the expectations of the Sikh sangat. Partap Singh said they would burst fireworks at the maximum possible height and would ensure that the duration of the fireworks was between 12 and 15 minutes only. In the Guru Ram Dass birth anniversary celebrations on October 9 too, the SGPC had used high-altitude fireworks. The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) had in 2011 advised the SGPC to ban firecrackers at the Golden Temple complex. However, the SGPC had said it was the traditional way to celebrate the occasion and the devotees sentiments were attached to it. The SGPC had, however, curtailed the duration of fireworks to 15 minutes on Diwali which was half as compared to the previous years. As per the recent study on air pollution around the shrine conducted by the IIT, Delhi, the particulate matter (PM10) concentration breached the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), which was attributed by the study to high background concentrations of PM10 (55.00 µg/m3) within the city. The study found re-suspension of road dust (47 per cent), followed by industries (31 per cent) as main source of PM10. The study said diesel generators (59 per cent), vehicular exhaust (26 per cent), and free kitchen (12 per cent) were contributing to NO2 emission. Similarly, kitchen (46 per cent) and industries (41 per cent) were main sources of SO2 emission around the shrine. Similarly, as per the PPCB study from January to December 2011, the RSPM level around the Golden Temple had come out to be a maximum of 227 and a minimum of 124, though it should not be more than 100 microgram/cubic metre around heritage sites. However, the level of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrous oxide (NO2) was within prescribed limits. The high level of pollution is causing harm to miniature paintings and gold plating at the shrine, besides leading to corrosion and blackening of white marble. Its adverse effect can be seen on the gold plating on the outer walls of the Akal
Takht. The concern
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Pak delegation favours MFN status to India
Amritsar, October 13 Pakistan forum's co-chairman Syed Yawar Ali, who led a delegation at a meeting in New Delhi, said this during a transit visit to the city. The forum, which has 15 members each, is headed by co-chairman in both the countries. In response to the dilly-dallying attitude of the Pakistan government in granting the MFN status to India, Ali said forwarding the status required elaborate work and considering concerns of each trade category. Ali said the agriculture lobby in Pakistan had stonewalled its earlier decision to grant MFN status to India in November 2011, as the Indian Government extended heavy subsidy to the farm sector. Gilani had stated that his country had not granted the MFN status to India and the Cabinet had only directed the Commerce Ministry, which was engaged in trade talks with India, to negotiate on trade-related issues, he said. Ali said to address those concerns, remove trade barriers and suggest measures to explore more bilateral trade opportunities, 10 task forces had been constituted. He said each task force had five to seven members from both sides. These would also look into sectors like textile, automobile, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, trade infrastructure and others, he added.
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DSGMC president’s attack on Sarna
New Delhi, October 13 The DSGMC president Manjit Singh (GK) had alleged that Sarna had instigated one of his aides to file a criminal petition in the Delhi High Court, challenging the authority of Akal Takht. “It is strange that the case has been filed by Jatinder Singh Saili, yet the DSGMC Manit Singh (GK) has brought Sarna into the picture,” Harvinder said. This was SAD’s tactic to ensure ticket for its candidates from constituencies where the Sikhs were in substantial numbers, Harvinder said. He said earlier the SAD had alleged that Sarna had purchased a farmhouse after stealing money from the Guru's golak. “Let us all write to the government to hold an inquiry into the accounts of Paramjit Singh Sarna, Manjit Singh (GK), Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. If anybody is found guilty for taking money from the golak, he should be punished,” said Harvinder.
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Maluka to take up teachers’ demands with Chief Minister
Ropar, October 13 Spokesman of Aided School Teachers and Other Employees’ Union, Hardeep Singh Dhindsa said Maluka in a meeting with union leaders held in Mohali yesterday assured them of taking up the matter with the CM. Teachers and other staff members from 484 aided schools of Punjab have been pressing the state government over the issue for the last two years. They claimed since no fresh recruitments had taken place since 2003, several of these schools were in a deplorable condition. They demanded that teachers of aided schools be absorbed in government schools as had been done in Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. These schools had only 4,000 employees against the sanctioned strength of 10,000, said Dhindsa. The other demands of the protesting employees include the disbursal of medical allowance and house rent on the basis of the Fifth Pay Commission; a raise in the retirement age to 60 years; and reimbursement of medical bills. Maluka had also directed the Education Secretary and DPI, Senior Secondary, to look into the demands of the employees, said
Dhindsa. Their pleas
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Patiala police to take
on underage driving
Patiala, October 13 “The master plan worked well and we prevented any traffic jams due to the festival rush,” said Hardeep Singh Badoongar, Traffic in-charge, Patiala. The traffic wing had opened the Mall Road and the Baradari Road for the devotees and deputed a team of traffic constables who worked round the clock. Even the city residents have lauded the traffic management in and around the Kali Mata Temple, where the flow of traffic has been smooth during Navratras. On the new drive against underage driving, Badoongar said, “Our prime focus is not to challan underage drivers but persuade
their parents to stop them from driving.” The traffic wing officers will approach schools and verify the vehicles driven by students. They will then summon parents and school authorities to address the issue. “Starting Monday we will send officers to each school and find out which students drive two wheelers to schools. We are planning to raise awareness on underage driving,” said Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police HS Mann.
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Adverse weather, pest attack to hit cotton yield
Faridkot, October 13 Dr Joginder Singh, former head of Entomology Department, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), said cotton growers were bound to be concerned as weather conditions from mid-September to mid-October were vital in determining the quality and quantity of cotton produce. The mean temperature this month that had been at 4°C - 5 °C above the normal level would adversely affect the crop in northern India cotton belt, said Dr Singh. During the fruiting phase of cotton, the ideal weather conditions for the crop are 27°C to 32°C in the day and cool temperatures at night. The high temperatures resulted in cotton plants using more energy to combat high evaporation. This caused formation of small bolls that burst at an early stage, said experts. “Moreover, the crop was severely attacked by cold-blooded pest white fly due to congenial atmosphere,” said Dr Singh. The cotton produce had also been hit by waterlogging in Muktsar, Malout and Fazilka area, said IJ Dhuria, Director, Vardhman Group of Textile Industry. Rajesh Singla, Vice President, SEL, a Ludhiana-based exporter, said the industry would monitor the situation in the coming days.
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MNREGA fails to attract workers in Sangrur
Sangrur, October 13 Interestingly, women under the scheme have worked for more person days in the said period. Of the 28,221 days of work in the district, women worked for 15,861 person days. Sources in the Rural Development Department said fewer people worked under MNREGA as majority of the rural labourers preferred to work in nearby urban areas. He said this was the case as wages were higher in urban areas and the delay in payment under MNREGA proved as a disincentive. In the year 2012-13, only 29 families in Sangrur district completed 100 days of work that was provided to 11,278 families under the scheme. In five of the total 10 blocks in the district, no family had completed 100 days of work in the year 2012-13. These blocks are Sherpur, Malerkotla, Ahmedgarh, Andana and Dirba. MNREGA was launched in February 2006 to provide 100 days of work to adult members of rural households in a financial year.
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IIT Ropar’s new campus gets approval
Ropar, October 13 The management has already finalised the consultant and the construction company for building the four-storey building that will have a provision for vertical expansion. IIT, Ropar, the first in the region, was set up by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development in 2008. The classes for academic session 2008-2009 were held at IIT, Delhi before it started functioning at its temporary campus in August 2009, earlier occupied by Women's Polytechnic, Ropar. While the master plan is supposed to accommodate 10,000 students, the academic block will be set up for 2,500 students in the first phase. A total of 2,15,739 square metre area of the campus comprising academic and administration blocks with accommodation for staff and faculty along with sports and hostel facilities will be developed. While three 450-bed hostels for boys will be constructed in the first phase, a 250-bed hostel for girls will also be built. Similarly, 350 flats measuring between 600 and 1,800 square yards will be built for faculty and other staff members. The institute offers degrees in Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.
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High Court allows revised pay scale benefits to former judicial officer
Chandigarh, October 13 Taking up a petition filed by former District and Sessions Judge Gorakh Nath against the High Court and other respondents, the Division Bench of Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Fateh Deep Singh ruled: "We find that the action of the respondents in fixing petitioner's pay scale in the entry level of District and Sessions Judge is unwarranted and illegal". Gorakh Nath had earlier challenged the order dated June 2, 2004, whereby his pay was fixed in the scale of Rs 16,750-20,500 at Rs 17,550 from January 1. 1996. The petitioner claimed he was granted selection grade from October 1, 1991. As such, his pay at Rs 18,900 was rightly fixed in the revised selection grade of Rs 18,400-500-22,400 as per the original notification dated September 28, 2001. In reply, the respondents admitted that the petitioner was granted selection grade and his pay was fixed at Rs 18,900. But, it is stated that the High Court adopted criteria for grant of the selection grade to the members of Superior Judicial Service in pursuance of a report dated January 8, 2004, submitted by a committee of judges. The report contemplated that the reports in preceding five years would be taken into consideration for grant of selection grade. It is further averred the petitioner was not found eligible for selection grade from January 1996, on the basis of his service record. The Bench asserted: "The criteria finalised by the report of the committee on January 8. 2004, was subsequent to the grant of selection grade to the petitioner. The selection grade has been declined for the reason that the petitioner had got c integrity doubtful for 1994-95 and c below average for 1995-96, subsequent to the grant of selection grade. The subsequent ACRs cannot be taken into consideration for declining revised selection grade... "The criteria shall be applicable to only those officers, who became eligible for the selection grade subsequent to the acceptance of committee report. The officers like the petitioner already given selection grade on the basis of service record cannot be governed by the new criteria. We find that communication dated June 2, 2004, suffers from patent illegality. The same is set aside. The respondents are directed to fix pay of the petitioner in the revised scale of 18,750-22,850 from January 1, 1996, and grant consequential benefits..."
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One hurt in clash at GND regional campus
Amritsar, October 13 Komalpreet Singh, a resident of Sathiala, sustained a bullet injury. He was rushed to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital. The police booked an attempt to murder case against seven persons on his statement. Those booked are Prince, Baljit Singh, Bajinder Singh and Jarnail Singh of Sathiala, Dilsher Singh of Bhalojala village in Tarn Taran, Jagga of Chhapiawali and Kabal Singh. Komalpreet said Baljit was a former college president whereas he was “unanimously elected” president on September 26. Hence Baljit nurtured a grudge against him. Yesterday when he and his friend Bittu were on their way for some work, Baljit and his supporters attacked them. He alleged that Prince, Baljit, Jarnail and Jagga were carrying rifles and Kabal a revolver. The others were armed with sharp-edged weapons. Investigating officer Sukhdev Singh said the warring groups were not college students. Yet they had fought over college “presidentship.” He said the accused had absconded. A case under Sections 307, 326, 427, 148 and 149 of the IPC and Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act had been registered at the Beas police station.
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Abohar, October 13
A delegation of Sikh farmers from Gujarat today met the Bhuj district police authorities to complain against the content of the FIR regarding the attack on certain Sikh farmers in Loria village of Bhuj on October 8.
In the absence of an effective rehabilitation mechanism,
at both private and government centres, for those treated for alcohol and drug addiction, the Health Department is finalising a private, public partnership (PPP) module to provide them accommodation.
Those planning to hold a wedding or any other function at one of the posh palaces or resorts in their city will be taxed Rs 2.35
lakh. The Excise and Taxation Department will henceforth demarcate big marriage palaces from the small and tax the former heavily.
Officials have been directed to identify the big marriage places. These palaces across the state will have to deposit a lump sum of Rs 2.35 lakh that includes Rs 1 lakh as Luxury Tax, Rs 1.25 lakh as VAT and Rs 10,000 for liquor
licence.
After failing to find a better alternative, it seems the SGPC is all set to continue with high-altitude fireworks for celebrating Bandi Chhod Diwas
(Diwali) at the Golden Temple this year to minimise the threat of pollution to the holy shrine.
The Pakistan chapter of the India-Pakistan Joint Business Forum, which was constituted with the backing of the ministries of commerce of the two countries in September last year, has decided to write to its government recommending grant of the Most Favoured Nation
(MFN) status to India.
After the traffic wing successfully navigated over one lakh devotees, who thronged the city to pay obeisance at Kali Mata Temple during
Navratas, without letting a major traffic jam occur, it has now decided to focus on underage driving.
Sukhpal Singh Khaira, spokesperson of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), today flayed the SAD-BJP government for its "lack of preparedness" for procuring paddy. Farmers were being forced to resort to distress sale at prices below the MSP, he alleged.
Balwant Singh Rajoana, death row convict in the Beant Singh assassination case, has said he will field a candidate against members of the erstwhile royal family of Patiala.