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State to gain Rs 400 cr yearly as Centre decides to cut interest
Chandigarh, December 13
There will be a net annual gain of about Rs 400 crore to Punjab as the Union Government has lowered the rate of interest on the loan taken from the small savings account by the state government.

CM ends yatra in NRIs’ domain
Khatkar Kalan (Nawanshahr), December 13
Minutes after paying homage to Bhagat Singh at his native village here, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today said the freedom fighter had laid down his life for the freedom of the country and not for “corrupt” politicians like Parkash Singh Badal to rule people.

The Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, and Mr Joginder Singh Mann, MLA of Phagwara, being welcomed at Phagwara on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

Capt cooks atta-dal plan to counter Badal move
Chandigarh, December 13
The Congress-led government in Punjab yesterday drew up a strategy to counter the promise of the Shiromani Akali Dal of providing highly subsidised atta and dal to Dalits and poor persons in the state. Large quantities of wheat and pulses will be made available immediately at subsidised rates to people through the public distribution system.

Congress govt ignored Gurdaspur: Sukhbir

Kalanaur (Gurdaspur), December 13 The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today organised a rally in the Kalanaur area represented by former minister and district president of the party, Sucha Singh Langah. The SAD and BJP leaders including Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal and Mr Navjot Singh Sidhu criticised the Congress for ignoring the border district. From left: SAD general secretary Sukhbir Singh Badal and BJP leader Navjot Singh Sidhu at a rally at Kalanaur in Gurdaspur district on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

Farmers block rail traffic, oppose land acquisition
Bathinda, December 13 Activists of several farmer bodies today blocked railway traffic on the Bathinda-Barnala section and road traffic on the GT road in Rampura Phul for a couple of hours in the afternoon in support of their demands. Activists of various farmers’ organisations block rail traffic at Amritsar Railway station on Wednesday. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma Farmers stage dharna, block traffic

PCL bungling: SC notice awakens a sleeping VB
Chandigarh, December 13
Almost 10 years after it began investigating corruption charges against Mr A.S. Gill, the then Managing Director of Punjab Communications Ltd, Mr R.S. Chawla, a senior official in the financial branch of the company, and some other officials, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau has now been forced to wake up and try to get its act together.

Petition under RTI pending for 8 months
Controversial use of forest funds
Chandigarh, December 13
Some information is truly precious and really hard to get. Just as the one which former honorary Wildlife Warden of Hoshiarpur, Mr Gunraj Singh, has been seeking under the Right to Information Act for eight months, and not getting.

COMMUNITY

Original layers of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s time found
Amritsar, December 13
Conservation architects have found original layers of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s time at Ram Bagh here, housing the summer palace of the Sikh ruler. They have also found an earthen sanitation system during the intensive digging operation, prevalent in those days.

Martyr’s bust missing from Rambagh

Amritsar, December 13 In what could be regarded as disrespect to a great martyr,local hero and winner of Vir Chakra (posthumous) Capt Lalit Mohan Bhatia’s bust was found missing from the pedestal located at the historic Rambagh. Mr Brij Bedi points towards the missing bust of Capt Lalit Mohan Bhatia, who died fighting in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, from the historic Rambagh in Amritsar. — Tribune photo by Rajiv Sharma

Kathunangal to be shifted to ICU
Amritsar, December 13
The medical board, constituted by the Senior Medical Officer, has recommended shifting of Sawinder Singh Kathunangal, a ruling party MLA, from the local Civil Hospital to the intensive care unit of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.

Chief Secy’s grade for 5
Chandigarh, December 13
The Punjab Government has given the pay scale of Chief Secretary to five IAS officers of the 1974 batch of the Punjab cadre. A couple of weeks ago the government had promoted IPS officers till the 1974 batch as DGPs.

Meter inspectors, readers say no to strike
Patiala, December 13
An emergency meeting of the meter inspectors and meter readers of the Punjab State Electricity Board was held here today under the presidentship of Thakur Kamal Raj Singh, president of the union.

COURTS

Cancel Bhattal’s bail, complainant to HC
Chandigarh, December 13
Even as the Punjab Government has moved an application for withdrawal of the case of alleged corruption against Deputy Chief Minister, Punjab, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, the complainant in the matter, Mr Balwant Singh Dhillon, has now approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking cancellation of bail granted to her in view of threats being held out to him against pursuing the matter.

EPF, pension money awarded to 2 labourers
Sangrur, December 13
In two different complaints, filed by Sogarath Paswan and Sabar Ali, both residents of Malerkotla, the Sangrur District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, Bathinda; Chairman, Board of Trustees, Employees Fund Organisation, New Delhi; and Punjab National Bank, Malerkotla (all opposite parties); to pay them  their respective amounts of employees’ provident fund and pension scheme.

CRIME

Akali councillor shot at
Moga, December 13
Mr Joginder Singh, a sitting Akali councillor of the Moga civic body, was shot at by a local resident here. He was admitted to the Civil Hospital. His condition was stated to be critical. According to the police, Mr Joginder Singh was allegedly shot at by Tara Singh, a resident of Bahana Road.

Patwari held taking bribe
Patiala, December 13
The Patiala Vigilance Bureau has arrested a patwari while accepting bribe at Sirhind yesterday. A team led by DSP Jaspal Singh Hans nabbed Gurinder Kumar when he was about to pocket a bribe amount of Rs 1,000 from the complainant Iqbal Singh, a resident of Sirhind.

Body exhumed Banur, December 13 The body of 28-year-old Darshan Singh, who was reported missing on December 7, was exhumed from a dried-up pond on the outskirts, here, today. Darshan Singh, a resident of Ward No 8, was allegedly hacked to death with a "spade", by his friend Avtar Singh. A police party exhumes the body of Darshan Singh, a resident of Banur who was murdered and buried in a dried-up pond, on Wednesday. — Photo by JS Virdi

Rs 5 lakh looted from SBI branch
Ferozepore, December 13
Three unidentified youths allegedly entered the State Bank of India’s branch at Jhoke More village under Mamdot block and forcibly locked all employees and customers inside a room before decamping with Rs 5,16,707.

Lend us an ear
Jailed teachers raise slogans against minister
Chandigarh, December 13
Angered over the failure of talks between state government representatives and their union leaders, government-aided schoolteachers and other employees lodged in the Burail Jail raised slogans against the state Finance Minister Surinder Singla today for his alleged rigid attitude.