R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Barnala
Accused rearrested in ex-MLA murder case:Jaspreet Singh alias Jassa, who had fled from police custody on November 15, 2013, was arrested from Kundli village in Haryana on Thursday. He was allegedly involved in the murder case of his uncle, former Barnala MLA Malkeet Singh Keetu. Barnala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Upinderjit Ghumman said the Barnala police nabbed Jassa after receiving a tip-off on Wednesday.

Chandigarh
Polish envoy meets Badal:Polish Ambassador Piotr Kodkovsky called on Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here on Wednesday. He evinced a keen interest in initiating agro-sector activities of bilateral benefits with the state. The Ambassador was accompanied by his official team and senior officers of the CII. He offered to work with the government in horticulture and food processing sectors.

Five officers transferred:The state government on Thursday transferred one IAS and four IPS officers with immediate effect. Surinder Kumar Kalia has been posted as AIG/PAP, Jalandhar; Gursharan Singh as AIG/Personnel-1, CPO, Punjab, Chandigarh; Babu Lal Meena as Commandant-cum-Deputy Director (Indoor), MRS PPA, Phillaur; Kanwar Bahadur Singh as AIG/Transport, Punjab, Chandigarh, and in addition AIG/Provisioning, Punjab, Chandigarh; and Shammi as Commandant-cum-Deputy Director (Admn), MRS PPA, Phillaur.

Moga
Man ends life: Upset after his wife refused to live with him, a man allegedly committed suicide by consuming a poisonous substance at Dhalleke village in the district yesterday. The victim, Sukhwinder Singh (28), was married to Raj Kumari of Lakha Singh Hithar village in Ferozepur district for two months.

Patiala
Bhola now in ED custody:The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday got one day remand of druglord Jagdish Singh Bhola in a money laundering case. It had sought Bhola's remand for seven days, but his counsel argued that Bhola had already been interrogated by the police for over a month and that he had nothing more to reveal.

CHANDIGARH

Chandigarh
Mobile application launched:The organisers of the 12th Auto Expo, "The Motor Show 2014", have launched their first-ever multi-platform mobile application. The expo is scheduled to be held from February 7 to February 11 at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida. The joint committee of the expo has introduced this facility for the first time in order to provide convenience to its visitors. This initiative will help in minimising the efforts by providing updated information about the motor show at fingertips. It enables the users to reach to their favorite area/stall at the venue while browsing through the site maps, list of participants, exhibits on display, entertainment shows and much more.

Bank gets ISO 14001:2004 certification:Yes Bank has become the first bank in India to qualify for the ISO 14001:2004 Certification, world’s leading environment management system, for its 12 locations, which include major branches and corporate offices. This certification would enable the bank to rigorously measure, manage and report its carbon footprint.

Mega Cabs flagged off:Tata Motors has flagged off a fleet of 15 Tata Manza cars for Mega Cabs in Mohali. Arvind Kumar, regional manager, Mega Cabs, said: “We are proud to be associated with a company like Tata Motors for providing us with the state-of-the-art luxury vehicles like Manza, which will further go a long way in making Mega Cabs the best-in-class radio taxi operators in the tricity”. Speaking on the occasion, Avinash Kulkarni shared the healthy growth path of Tata Motors.

Central and Nordic Europe woos industry:Showcasing Central Europe (CE) & Nordic Europe as a launching pad for Indian companies from this region at a round-table on “Economic Engagement between India and Central/Nordic European countries” here on Thursday, Professor Piotr Klodkowski, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Poland, shared that Central Europe is an ideal gateway for Indian companies keen to tap into the growing United European market due to its strategic location advantage and immense connectivity. After joining the Schengen area in 2007, Central Europe is borderless and there is free movement of capital, goods, people and services within the 27 EU member states. The round-table was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), along with the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.

Mohali
Traffic awareness at Saupin's: A special traffic awareness programme was held at Saupin’s School here. Posters and charts displaying the rules were put up. PowerPoint presentations were made and videos shown. Students spoke on the importance of inculcating road safety among young children. On the occasion, a quiz was also held.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

bilaspur
‘Increase crop yield’: All district officials should ensure that government programmes are completed within the prescribed limit so that targeted sections get direct benefits. This was stated by Deputy Commissioner Ajay Sharma while presiding over a day-long seminar on “Control of yellow rust in wheat crop” on Monday. The seminar was organised by the District Agriculture Department, Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) and Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Barthin. Sharma said more stress would be given on the use of local compost fertiliser and increasing crop production for the benefit of farmers.

‘Anti-farmer policies’ flayed: The BJP state Kisan Morcha will win all four seats in the ensuing Parliamentary elections. This resolve was taken in the state executive meeting of the morcha held under the chairmanship of state president Baldev Bhandari on Tuesday. Morcha state spokesperson Roshan Thakur said the morcha criticised both the state and Central governments which had been following anti-farmer policies. They also criticised the state government for its persistent hounding of BJP leaders for the past one year.

shimla
Awards for SJVN: Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam’s flagship 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydropower station has been selected for the Silver Shield Award for 2012-13. The SJVN has also been given two other awards, including bronze shield for 2011-12, and the gold shield for its performance in 2010-11. The awards have been announced by the Union Ministry of Power. These will be presented by Union Minister of State for Power Jyotiraditya Scindia in New Delhi on February 4.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

Srinagar
Mir says his support is for Congress: Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir today said his support to the coalition government was for the Congress. “I am in the Cabinet from the Congress side so my support is for the party,” said Mir, who heads the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Party Nationalist. The minister said any report which suggested otherwise was wrong.