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Jaitley reiterates stand on foreign-origin issue Jalandhar, April 6
The BJP today reiterated its stand to enact a law to ban a person of foreign origin from holding the high constitutional post of Prime Minister. Addressing a press conference here today, senior BJP leader and Union Law Minister Arun Jaitley in an apparent attack on the Congress president, Ms Sonia Gandhi, revealed that the BJP was committed to enact a law to ensure that a person of foreign origin should be debarred from holding the post of Prime Minister.	BJP leader Arun Jaitley inaugurates the central election office of the party in Jalandhar on Tuesday. — PTI photo

Channi quits Congress, joins BSP
Chandigarh, April 6
Mr Charanjit Singh Channi, one of the top leaders of the Saini community in Punjab, quit the Congress today and announced his decision to contest the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat as a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate. 

• Rana Gurmit bows to high command decision
• SAD condemns disfiguring incident
• Mann wants to end Badal, Brar dominance in Faridkot
• Hanspal convenes party meeting
• Amarinder supporters condemn Balbir Singh
• City lacks basic amenities, says Chiranji Lal
• 3,520 polling stations ‘sensitive’

After the completion of kar seva, the sarovar of the Golden Temple is filled with filtered water on an experimental basis on Tuesday. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

Colour code for procured grains
Chandigarh, April 6
Foodgrains procured for the central pool will now be identified by their colour code. The Ministry of Food Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, for example, has chosen black as the coding colour for the wheat stocks to be procured this year.

Division in Panth won’t be allowed, says Calcutta
Amritsar, April 6
The SGPC Secretary, Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, today alleged that certain forces having vested interests were trying to create division in the Sikh Panth after the demise of Gurcharn Singh Tohra. 

Tohra was austere, Badungar, Bibi not
Amritsar, April 6
Gurcharan Singh Tohra had not claimed any car/petrol or telephone bills from the SGPC during his present stint as its president from July 27, 2003, till his death as part of austerity measures.

District Credit Plan launched
Patiala, April 6
The District Credit Plan prepared by the lead bank office of State Bank of Patiala with the active participation of all banks, NABARD and government agencies was launched today by Deputy Commissioner Tejveer Singh.

Jail inmate escapes
Jalandhar, April 6
An inmate of the local Central Jail managed to escape from the police custody after appearing in a local court today.

COMMUNITY

UN intervention sought on turban issue
Amritsar, April 6
While demonstrating in front of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) complex, the Sikh Nation Organisation today sought the intervention of the United Nations (UN) on the turban issue in France.

Activists of the Sikh Nation Organisation hold a demonstration in front of the SGPC office in Amritsar on Tuesday to seek UN intervention on the turban issue in France. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

Sikh jatha leaves for Pak
Attari (Amritsar), April 6
The largest Sikh jatha, comprising about 2800 pilgrims today left in two special trains from the international railway station here to Pakistan to celebrate Baisakhi.

Common land data to be computerised
Ropar, April 6
The entire data regarding the village common lands in the district will be computerised by April 15.

Residents seek better facilities from PSEB
Bathinda, April 6
A section of residents of the city have alleged that the state electricity board authorities were not providing adequate facilities for them at the cash counter where the electricity bills were deposited.

Tension in temple area
Amritsar, April 6
Tension prevailed in the Ram Tirath temple area here today after the mysterious death of fish in the holy tank of the ancient temple yesterday. Over 50 per cent of the fish mysteriously died in the holy tank.

Rs 50,000 for information in murder case
Sangrur, April 6
The local police today announced a cash award of Rs 50,000 for providing information, leading to the solving of the case of blind murder of two persons, including an employees of the octroi contractor, with sharp-edged weapons at an octroi post on the Tunga-Kularan road, near here, on the night of March 4.

COURTS

High Court
PUNSUP case
Chandigarh, April 6
Taking up a public interest petition filed by Mr Bhushan Lal Singla of Barnala, in which he has prayed for registration of a case against top officials of the state-owned PUNSUP and inquiry for supplying grossly underweight wheat in bags to the public as well as supplying poor quality wheat, the High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the state government, Punjab DGP and PUNSUP.

ADMINISTRATION

14 found absent from duty
Ropar, April 6
In a surprise check of the government offices, ordered by the Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, Ms Seema Jain, 14 employees of the Horticulture, Dairy Development and Panchayati Raj Departments were found absent from duty.

CRIME

3 arrested on rape charge
Kapurthala, April 6
The Sultanpur Lodhi police has arrested Harvinder Singh of Talwandi Bhai village, Dalbir Singh of the local Ajit Nagar Mohalla and Manjit Singh of Manga Rode village under Sections 376 and 306, IPC, on the charge of gang raping a student of Sarai Jattan village.

Man held for preparing fake certificates
Phagwara, April 6
The police has arrested Gurmail Singh of Manak village on charges of fraud, forgery and making false documents, according to a press note issued here today by local DSP Jaspal Singh.

• Four persons injured in two accidents

EDUCATION

Ex-VC for equal educational opportunities
Faridkot, April 6
Dr Joginder Singh Puar, former Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala, has laid stress for establishing one schooling system to provide equal educational opportunities, irrespective of caste and creed, to all children in the country.

BUSINESS

Brick-kiln owners threaten to close their units
Fatehgarh Sahib, April 6
The District Brick-Kiln Owners Association, at a meeting held here today, decided to go on an indefinite strike from April 30 as per a decision of the Punjab Brick-Kiln Owners Association in protest against policies and indifferent attitude of the government.”