P U N J A B

Top stories | Politics | Community

TOP STORIES

LS polls: SAD chooses Hans for Jalandhar
Jalandhar, November 9
Now it’s official. Renowned Punjabi singer Hans Raj Hans will contest the coming Lok Sabha elections on SAD ticket from the Jalandhar (reserved) seat. Already having his roots in the SAD, he formally joined the party in the presence of its president Sukhbir Badal and its prominent leaders, including Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, at the Circuit House here today.

Punjabi singer Hans Raj Hans with SAD president Sukhbir Badal after joining the party in Jalandhar on Sunday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Saving Rajasansi
Secy to call high-level meeting
Amritsar, November 9
Joint secretary, ministry of civil aviation, K.N. Srivastva today held out a promise to hold a high-powered meeting to discuss the entire gamut of issues, which were forcing international and domestic carriers to shun the local airport.

Khangura’s posers to govt
Chandigarh, November 9
Reacting to the ruling alliance’s criticism of the cancellation of international flights from the Rajasansi international airport in Amritsar, Congress MLA Jassi Khangura has questioned the seriousness of these leaders, saying they prefer to travel abroad from other cities rather than promoting the Amritsar airport.

Shortcomings in Colleges
Medical council gives ultimatum to Punjab
Patiala, November 9
The Medical Council of India (MCI) has served an ultimatum to the Punjab government to submit an action-taken report on the shortcomings pointed by it in the three state-owned medical colleges in Punjab.

Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir
Development pace leaves Sikhs elated
Patiala, November 9
Contrary to the common perception, Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) has witnessed considerable development in almost all spheres of life and it has left a group of Sikhs, who had got displaced from PoK and had to migrate to and settle in India.

Book traces history of Hazur Sahib Deccani Sikhs
Amritsar, November 9
In a comprehensive research, involving rare pictures and documents, UK-based Sikh scholars Nidar Singh Nihang and Paramjit Singh have explored the history of the Deccani Sikhs of Hazur Sahib.

POLITICS

Bhattal blames SAD-BJP for financial crisis
Chandigarh, November 9
Opposition leader in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Bibi Rajinder Kaur Bhattal held the SAD-BJP government responsible for the present financial crisis in the state. In a press note issued here on Friday alleging the Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government failed on every front even during the 20-month rule.

COMMUNITY

Farm sector bails out cash-strapped govt
Jalandhar, November 9
For Punjab, which is facing a financial crunch because of Rs 4,500-crore various subsidies, including free power to the farm sector and limited means of revenue generation, the agriculture sector has emerged as saviour.

DC introduces new paddy equipment Amritsar, November 9 With a view to cutting down on high labour costs and raising paddy yield, a bed-making-cum-seed-driller equipment for direct seeding of paddy has been introduced. A farmer demonstrates a bed-making-cum-direct-paddy seed drilling equipment at a village in Amritsar. A Tribune photograph

Auction of Quarries
Cong seeks CBI probe
Pathankot, November 9
The issue pertaining to the mining of sand and stones from rivers and rivulets flowing through Gurdaspur district snowballed into a major controversy when a senior Congress leader, while alleging large-scale bungling in awarding of contracts of mining, demanded a CBI probe into the same Thursday.

PSEB unbundling not before LS polls
Chandigarh, November 9
Punjab has no intention to unbundle the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) till May 31, 2009, and is in line to seek a record ninth extension from the Union power ministry.

Media needs self-regulation, says Advani Ludhiana, November 9 The Indian media needs to immediately incorporate a self-regulatory mechanism in the wake of gross sensationalisation and trivialisation of issues. This was stated by L.K. Advani, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, while inaugurating the second national convention of the Indian Media Centre here today.
BJP leader L.K. Advani being presented a memento at the second national convention of the Indian Media Centre in Ludhiana on Sunday. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal can also be seen in the picture. Photo: Inderjeet Verma

News Analysis
From dhadis to show-biz star
Jalandhar, November 9
The young leadership of the SAD, led by Sukhbir Singh Badal, today gave a new turn to the party’s politics by announcing the candidature of show-biz star Hans Raj Hans from the local Lok Sabha constituency.

Kapurthala fest: Contemporary vs traditional Kapurthala, November 9 The sensibilities of classical music were enormously altered or at least expanded when Purbayan Chatterji, Sandeep Das and their friends took over the stage on the concluding day of the Kapurthala heritage festival this evening. Folk singer Ustad Shaukat Ali from Pakistan performs at the concluding programme of the Kapurthala heritage festival on Sunday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Victims of violence await Central relief
Chandigarh, November 9
The Punjab government is yet to respond to the Central scheme for assistance to victims of terrorist and communal violence under which the victim’s family is entitled to get Rs 3 lakh as compensation. This amount would be given to the family over and above any ex-gratia that the state government had announced for them.

Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan
Services of 2 NGOs cancelled
Ludhiana, November 9
Project coordinators of the nationwide Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) in the state are in the dark about the fate of hundreds of children enrolled in more than 60 centres in the district.

Assault on journalists condemned
Chandigarh, November 9
Journalists from across the region have condemned the incident involving brutal assault and criminal intimidation of News X TV channel crew, including bureau chief Shamsher Chandel, by staff of Inspector-General (Human Rights) Mohammad Mustafa and Congress MLA from Malerkotla Razia Sultana, at the residence of the latter in Malerkotla yesterday.

Govt to build houses for weaker sections
Chandigarh, November 9
The Punjab Housing and Urban Development Department on Thursday notified its policy for economically weaker sections in the real estate projects in the state. A spokesperson for the department stated that under the mega/super mega housing projects in the state, 5 per cent area had been reserved for housing for financially weaker sections.

‘Govt ignoring panel of safai karamcharis’
Hoshiarpur, November 9
Leave alone not follow the instructions of the National Safai Karamcharis Commission (NSKC) for benefitting safai karamcharis, the Punjab and Rajasthan governments have not even acknowledged the circulars of the commission unlike governments of others states.

Docs for aggressive steps to control TB
Sangrur, November 9
Taking a serious note of the present situation of tuberculosis (TB) in the state, Dr Aslam Parvez, state president, Rural Medical Services Association (RMSA), Punjab, on Wednesday said the RMSA was of the view that aggressive community participation in controlling TB was need of the hour.