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‘Ghost’ villagers reaping benefits of old-age pension in Faridkot village
No secret meetings with Centre, Capt lying: CM
Capt raking up old issues: Badal
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Election panel shifts ‘biased’ Patiala DC
2 killed, 27 hurt as bus overturns
Acid attack on Khanna girl, 3 booked
Jaitley a guest from New Delhi: Amarinder
Captain woos ex-colleagues back into party
SAD wooing CPI leaders: Manpreet
Angry voters will punish Khanna for his indifference: PPCC chief
Eying bigger role, Laal Singh not keen on ‘interim reward’
Sidhu’s wife campaigns for Jaitley in Amritsar
SAD, BJP both fooling voters, says Congress
Cong mother of all ills, says Sukhbir
Govt teachers protest non-payment of salaries
Not paid wages, teachers resume agitation in Bathinda
Poll coverage on TV channel under lens
Set the reminder for April 30: Nawanshahr admn to voters
Anandpur Sahib has 2 lakh new voters
Standing up for justice runs in her family
Cancel case against Chadha, demand lawyers
More forces to be deployed
on inter-state border posts
‘Intimidation’ of girls: Panel starts inquiry
Hoshiarpur ayurved university VC awarded Padma Shri
Punjabi politician in UK under fire over rifle pic
Extension in service to Chief Pharmacists
HC confident govt will decide on libraries Bill
Tarn Taran Valmiki leader booked for extortion, fraud
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‘Ghost’ villagers reaping benefits of old-age pension in Faridkot village
Faridkot, April 1 The sarpanch and his team, who replaced an Akali Dal panchayat in the village in the recent rural body elections, alleged that many names on the pension payroll were those of villagers who had died long ago. "Though we have detected several such cases by procuring the death certificates of these 'ghost pensioners', there is need for a detailed investigation into the scam," said sarpanch Ranjha Singh and panch Darshan Singh, besides other panches. The panchayat has lodged a complaint with the Faridkot Deputy Commissioner. It has been alleged that to extract political benefits, the Akali leaders in the village not only paid pension to non-existent beneficiaries but also included in the list names of people from well-to-families, some of whom were in their forties. Zora Singh, Panchayat Secretary in Duareana, claimed, "These are minor technical mistakes. The issue is being blown out of proportion for political reasons." A similar scandal was earlier reported in Bishnandi village of Faridkot where many Old Age and Widow Pension beneficiaries were found to be non-existing persons. This scam was exposed after information procured through the RTI Act revealed that many beneficiaries had died several years ago while several others had shifted out of the village. But their pension reportedly continued to be distributed among fake beneficiaries. In March last, after huge swindling of pension funds was reported in Kot Sukhia village of Faridkot, the Punjab Legal Service Authority Chairman had directed all District and Sessions Judges in Punjab to hold awareness camps-cum-public hearings in villages to detect such illegal practices. The orders came days after swindling of funds in Kot Sukhia village came to the fore during a public hearing conducted by the Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-District Legal Service Authority, Faridkot. Several villagers had complained that they were not receiving benefits of various schemes like Old Age, MGNREGA and other social welfare projects of the Central and state governments. Fifty-two of the aggrieved persons got their pension and other benefits following the intervention of the Chief Judicial Magistrate. Many illegal pension cases were also cancelled on the spot. It was also found that even some youths were availing benefits of the Old Age Pension. Not the first case
Slugging it out Ranjha Singh,
Sarpanch of Duareana village
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No secret meetings with Centre, Capt lying: CM
Chandigarh, April 1 In a statement issued here today, the Chief Minister accused Amarinder of lying shamelessly on the issue. “He is quoting the White Paper prepared by the Indira Gandhi Government which everyone knows was meant to justify her foolish and tragic actions and to vilify the Sikh community and its leaders,” he said. Calling Amarinder a “habitual conspirator” who had always been up to devious games, the Chief Minister recalled an incident when Amarinder had tried to dupe him into meeting his bosses in the Union Government at that time. “He came to me and asked me to accompany him in his car to discuss something important. After we had travelled some distance, I realised that he was heading towards the RAW office. “When I questioned him, he said he was taking me for a very crucial meeting with a central leader. I shouted at him in anger and told him to either turn the car back or drop me then and there. “He stopped the car and I walked back from there,” the Chief Minister said. Badal said after operation Bluesatar, the Government of India sent a “top man” to the Pachmarhi jail to strike a deal with him, offering him the Chief Minister’s post. “When I learnt about this, I bolted the door of my prison cell from inside. When they knocked at the door, I told them I would not meet anyone and they went back,”, said Badal. He said that this incident was mentioned in a book written by this “top man”. Explaining his stand on the contentious Rajiv-Longowal Accord, Badal said he was opposed to it because he wanted the demands of the Punjabis to be accepted first. “I was bypassed and Amarinder Singh worked through other leaders and got the accord signed. He got a senior Cabinet post
in the Punjab Government for his role,” the Chief Minister added.
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Capt raking up old issues: Badal
Tohra (Patiala), April 1 On the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claiming to have written to the Centre over commuting Devinderpal Bhullar’s death sentence, Badal said no party could claim to have influenced the apex court’s decision to commute Bhullar’s death sentence. “It is a technical issue and the Supreme Court stuck to the law,” said Badal. Tohra’s bhog ceremony is annually held as a state level function, but the usual high profile visitors were missing this time due to the election code. Among others present were Congress candidate from Fatehgarh Sahib, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar and
Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra. The Chief Minister further said the SAD welcomed all disgruntled leaders of other parties into the party fold. “We welcome one and all with open arms,” he said. Badal further said, “Capt Amarinder Singh had a habit of raking up old issues. Now he has taken up the issue of Gujarat farmers. I have met the Sikh farmers in Gujarat, who hail from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Barring a few, most of the farmers there are not facing
any problems.” Ruling out a triangular fight in the elections, he said the Congress and the AAP had not even announced their prime ministerial candidates. “The Congress has done nothing for the country, while the AAP has not yet announced many of its candidates,” he said. Despite staying overnight at the residence of Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra in Patiala, the Chief Minister did not campaign for Patiala SAD-BJP candidate Deepinder Dhillon. Instead, he held a closed-door meeting with the SAD senior leaders and told them to campaign for the party candidate. On Gujarat farmers I have met the Sikh farmers in Gujarat, who hail from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Barring a few, most of the farmers there are not facing any problems. On the performance of other parties in poll They will not do well. The Congress has done nothing for the country, while the AAP has not yet announced many of its
candidates. Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister
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Bajwa reaches out to dissidents, projects himself as next CM
Gurdaspur, April 1 Besides, he is projecting himself as the next Chief Minister by claiming that the “growth of an area depends on the fact that the CM should be from that region”. To rein in dissidence, the sitting Gurdaspur MP has already smothered the ruffled feathers of former Pathankot legislator Ashok Sharma. The move is being as a master stroke. During the 2012 assembly elections, Sharma had polled 23,600 votes as an Independent, the second highest votes after BJP’s Ashwani Sharma. The Congress candidate, Raman Bhalla, came third. Bajwa has ensured that Sharma gets due importance and this is the reason he is making him re-join the Congress in the presence of party general secretary and Punjab affairs in-charge Shakeel Ahmed at a meeting in Pathankot tomorrow. His loyalists are trying to woo another dissident Naresh Puri, son of former Cabinet Minister Raghunath Sahai Puri. He was in the Congress before parting ways. In the last assembly elections, Puri had contested as an Independent from Sujanpur and garnered the second highest votes after the BJP’s nominee. The Congress candidate, Vinay Mahajan, was relegated to the third spot. The possible stumbling block in his campaign can be the two Congress legislators from the area, who are not on good terms with the MP. They are among the five party MLAs from the nine assembly segments that form part of the constituency. Sources say that it will be imperative for the five Congress legislators to give Bajwa a lead from their respective seats if they have to retain their political stature among the masses. To counter Aam Aadmi Party’s nominee Sucha Singh Chhottepur, who is camping in Qadian to ensure that Bajwa doesn’t gain a lead from the assembly segment, the Congress leader has appointed his younger brother Fatehjung Bajwa the in-charge of the assembly seat, represented by his wife Charanjit Bajwa. The AAP candidate holds sway in the area as he had bagged 16,000 votes in the last assembly elections. He is trying to garner a major chunk of the 80,000-strong Army and ex-servicemen votes by insisting at rallies that his repeated meetings with Defence Minister AK Antony ensured that government announced the one-rank, one-pension scheme. Making strides
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Election panel shifts ‘biased’ Patiala DC
Patiala, April 1 Singh had given the SAD a clean chit in the liquor distribution controversy at Ghanaur rally. Sources said, “The district administration had failed to establish if any liquor was distributed at the rally even when Punjab Electoral Officer VK Singh had asked the DC to re-investigate the issue. The DC had given the SAD a clean chit in the first inquiry report.” Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh said, “We had apprised the Election Commission after the State Electoral Officer failed to take any action against the Patiala DC.” The EC has posted IAS officer Priyank Bharti as the district electoral officer. All efforts to contact Gopal Krishan Singh turned futile. On March 25, Amarinder Singh had alleged that Patiala Deputy Commissioner Gopal Krishan Singh had turned a blind eye to the poll code violations committed by the SAD workers. A few days ago, AAP candidate Dr Dharamvir Gandhi had filed a complaint against the DC due to his alleged partisan attitude. “Even though we have pictures of SAD workers distributing liquor at the rally, the district authorities have given them a clean chit,” Dr Gandhi had said.
Move hailed
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2 killed, 27 hurt as bus overturns
Nangal, April 1 Most of the victims were from Chhotewal village, said the police. Eyewitnesses said the victims were travelling to Jhiria village near Anandpur Sahib to attend a wedding, when the driver lost control of the mini-bus near Baba Udhu Shah dera. The police reached the spot and shifted the injured to Bhakra Beas Management Board Hospital, where Muskan and Krishna were declared brought dead. Those seriously hurt were referred to PGI, Chandigarh.
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Acid attack on Khanna girl, 3 booked
Khanna, April 1 Her brother immediately rushed her to the Civil Hospital from where she was taken to Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, in a critical condition. Manohar Lal, Senior Medical Officer, Khanna, said the victim’s condition was serious. Meanwhile, the Khanna police has registered a case against Pappu, Raju and Dharminder under Sections 307 and 326-A of the IPC. When contacted, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harcharan Singh Bhullar said the girl had suffered 15 per cent burn injuries. He said police teams were searching for the culprits. He said he had directed police officials to check the sale record of pharmacy shops in the city and nearby areas.
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Denied ticket, Libra may join SAD
Khanna, April 1 Libra is said to be annoyed with the party leadership ever since he was denied the ticket and he has reportedly taken the decision to change loyalty after consulting his supporters. In the last Lok Sabha elections, Libra had defeated Akali Dal's Charanjit Singh Atwal by 37,000 votes. He enjoys considerable influence in all nine assembly segments of his Fatehgarh Sahib parliamentary constituency, including Amloh, Bassi Pathana, Samrala, Khanna, Sahnewal, Payal, Raikot and Amargarh. The SAD has this time fielded Kulwant Singh. Sources said he was to join the Akali Dal tomorrow but the SAD leadership told him to defer the move by a day. He would reportedly be going to Delhi tomorrow to tender his resignation to the Congress leadership. Sources in the Akali Dal said his press conference for inclusion could be held at Jalandhar or Chandigarh in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal or Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. He reportedly met the Deputy Chief Minister yesterday along with Chief Parliamentary Secretary NK Sharma where the decks were cleared for Libra's induction into the SAD. NK Sharma, when contacted, said talks were on and the final decision was expected anytime soon. The Congress has fielded Nabha MLA Sadhu Singh Dharamsot from Fatehgarh Sahib. Switching loyalty
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Jaitley a guest from New Delhi: Amarinder
Amritsar, April 1 Taking a dig at BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s thumping his “56-inch chest”, describing it as “chauvinistic pride and shameless arrogance”, he said: “This election season has thrown up many xenophobes, fascists and pseudo-nationalists camouflaging as ultra-nationalists beating their ‘56 inch’ chest with chauvinistic pride and shameless arrogance.” Attacking Jaitley, he said: “Not surprisingly, our esteemed guest from New Delhi subscribes to no different views.” Referring to Jaitley rejecting the suggestion that Modi must apologise for the 2002 riots, he said: “This betrays an intoxicated arrogance that seems to have taken the better of him.” Amarinder targeted Jaitley for choosing not to answer his questions on the issue of Punjabi farmers in Gujarat being evicted from their land. In his second Facebook post, he wrote: “Usually our esteemed guest from New Delhi is prompt in answering all my queries in his campaign diary. However, today he has conveniently chosen to ignore the all-important question about Punjabi farmers in Gujarat who are being thrown out of the state that he has represented in the Rajya Sabha for the past 14 years. “I don’t mind giving him the benefit of doubt for his ignorance. For, he seems too busy with too big issues beyond Amritsar and beyond Punjab, which don’t seem to figure anywhere on his priority list,” he said. Meanwhile, Congress legislators and leaders from Amritsar today blamed Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia for “betraying and sabotaging” development in Amritsar “only to satisfy his bloated ego and to not let local Member of Parliament Navjot Singh Sidhu succeed.” In a joint statement, legislators OP Soni, Sukh Sarkaria and Raj Kumar Verka said after Majithia became an MLA in 2007, he started a battle of one-upmanship. “This hit development works in the Amritsar constituency,” they claimed. The Congress leaders said it was now time for the people of Amritsar to “put Majithia in the dock for sabotaging development in the holy city”.
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Captain woos ex-colleagues back into party
Amritsar, April 1 He said: “I understand the reasons, circumstances and pressures that forced you to leave the party. But now the situation and the circumstances have changed. Let us make a new beginning.” The former Chief Minister said he was in touch with several former colleagues who had told him they wanted to return to the Congress. “I know that none of them is feeling comfortable in their new parties,” he said. He claimed that most of them had been deceived into leaving the Congress with false promises. Amarinder said these leaders would be given due respect in their parent party. He said the Congress had a distinct culture and no Congress leader could be comfortable in another party. “Feeling alienated and suffocated in other parties, these leaders are now keen to return to the Congress and are waiting for the right opportunity,” he said, hoping that most of them would be “back home soon.” When contacted, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa said Amarinder was free to express his viewpoint and refused to comment any further.
SAD files complaint
Chandigarh: The SAD has lodged a complaint with the Chief Election Commission and the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer against Amarinder Singh for “derogatory and threatening” statements against Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia. In a statement, the SAD said Amarinder's “Majtihia obsession” was similar to his “Sukhbir phobia" in 2007. It demanded criminal proceedings against Amarinder in the complaint filed by party secretary DS Cheema. — TNS
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SAD wooing CPI leaders: Manpreet
Bhatinda, April 1 In a statement, Manpreet alleged Sukhbir was nervous and feared the defeat of his wife and Akali candidate Harsmirat Kaur Badal from the constituency. He advised him “not to worry about other parties putting up their candidates from the seat as it was none of his business”. Reacting to an allegation against him levelled by Harsimrat that he had “ditched” the Chief Minister, Manpreet said his politics was “dictated by the welfare of Punjab and not influenced by any personal greed”. He alleged that it was Badal who was known for “stabbing almost all his colleagues in the back to establish his hegemony over the party”.
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Angry voters will punish Khanna for his indifference: PPCC chief
Chandigarh, April 1 Welcoming Bir Devinder back into the party fold, Bajwa said Khanna had only delivered scripted dialogues (referring to his acting career) in his life.” He accused his BJP rival of ignoring his constituency during his two terms as Member of Parliament. “The people will not be fooled this time. They will ask him about the rampant loot in the state, especially the illegal mining in the area. They will also ask him what he has done for his constituency,” he said. Former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said: “Bir Devinder’s unmatched wit will be a perfect cure to the SAD’s ‘foot and mouth’ disease.” On the possibility of the party giving the PPCC chief post to vice-president Lal Singh for the duration of the elections, Bajwa said: “He is a senior leader and if the leadership decides so, I will be more than happy to work in his team”. On the party’s campaign strategy, Bajwa said: “I cannot comment on Capt Amarinder Singh’s plans. However, I will definitely campaign for him.” Bir Devinder Singh said: “I fear Narendra Modi becoming the next Prime Minister. The secular
polity of the country is under threat.”
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Eying bigger role, Laal Singh not keen on ‘interim reward’
Chandigarh, April 1 A six-time MLA, who has been the state’s Finance Minister, has earlier been acting president of the party. He is now eying a much bigger role in the state Congress. Laal Singh could be considered for the post of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leader if the party MLA from Abohar and CLP Leader Sunil Jakhar, contesting the Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat, wins. Interestingly, though his name as acting president of the PPCC was opposed by the Partap Singh Bajwa camp, his bid for the CLP Leader’s post will be supported by all. Laal Singh had served as acting president in 2009 when Mohinder Singh Kaypee, then PPCC president, contested the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat. Talking to The Tribune, Laal Singh said he did not want to be an acting president “for a month”. He declined to say whether he was hoping to be appointed CLP Leader. Capt Amarinder Singh, who is trying to fortify the Patiala seat for his wife and three-time Member of Parliament (MP) Preneet Kaur, had tried to win over Laal Singh by suggesting that he be made acting chief of the PPCC. Preneet is locked in a tough fight with her former confidant Deepinder Singh Dhillon who is contesting on the SAD ticket. Sources say at least two of the Congress MLAs are not actively campaigning for her. Hence, Amarinder had floated the idea of an acting PPCC president and named Laal Singh for the post. “Laal Singh is one of the seniormost leaders and knows every leader in the party. He should be considered for the post of PPCC president or CLP Leader when Jakhar wins the Ferozepur parliamentary seat,” Amarinder said.
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AAP, Cong in league says Sukhbir
Chandigarh, April 1 In a statement, the SAD president alleged that AAP and the Congress were acting as one in Bathinda. Manpreet Singh Badal, PPP chief, is contesting the seat on the Congress symbol. Sukhbir said it was strange that while AAP claimed it had no alliance with the Congress at the Centre, it appeared to be hand in glove with the Congress in Punjab. He said AAP had carefully selected candidates who it thought had the ability to cut into the Akali vote bank and thereby benefit the Congress.
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Sidhu’s wife campaigns for Jaitley in Amritsar
Amritsar, April 1 Sonali sought votes for her father at Katra Baghian. Sporting saffron caps, Dr Sidhu and Sonali went around the residential colony, meeting people and urging them to vote for Jaitley. Jaitley’s wife took part in a public meeting along with Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi at Hindustan Basti this evening. Addressing the gathering, she said they had often visited Amritsar. She said she had fond childhood memories of the city. Joshi exhorted the people to support the BJP to ensure overall development of Amritsar as well as Punjab. Sonali was also to attend the public meeting but could not make it, said sources.
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SAD, BJP both fooling voters, says Congress
Chandigarh, April 1 Khaira said the recent utterances of the two leaders on vital state issues had exposed that the SAD-BJP alliance was “a power hungry and unethical tie-up”. He dared these parties to clear their stand on Operation Bluestar Memorial. Khaira said while the Anandpur Sahib resolution was a sacred document for the SAD, the BJP had termed it a “charter of disintegration”.
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Cong mother of all ills, says Sukhbir
Kartarpur, April 1 Speaking at Kartarpur Grain Market, Sukhbir alleged that most of the young leaders from the Congress had either run away from the battlefield or left their constituencies. He said the Punjab Congress leaders “should tell a single instance when they reacted against the anti-Punjab policies of their high command during past one decade”. Describing the Congress as “mother of inflation, corruption, unemployment and economic mess”, Sukhbir said during the 10-year Congress-led UPA’s rule, the prices of LPG went up by six times, petrol by three times and diesel twice.
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poll pot
Jalandhar: Following widespread opposition from the party cadre over his candidature, Aam Admi Party candidate from Jalandhar (Reserved) constituency Rajesh Padam on Tuesday withdrew from the race. He said he was withdrawing due to “personal reasons”. Padam’s resignation finally ended speculations that the party might itself change the candidate. Hailing from the Valmiki community,
Padam, a former Congressman, had been mired in controversy ever since his name was announced. Several AAP leaders were unhappy that a person with Congress affiliation was given the party ticket. Padam was the vice-chairman of the Congress SC/ST cell.
Politicos shun
smartphones Muktsar: Apprehending phone-tapping, especially on smartphones, during election period, government officers as well as politicians in this politically significant district have been switching to basic phones. A senior official said many of them were now using basic phones that did not have internet facility. “Smartphones carry the risk of being hacked. If someone sends a malware and you click it OK, the person on the other side gets access to your phone. The information shared by you on free messaging and social networking sites and e-mails may also be shared," said the officer, who is part of an election-conducting team. A politician looking after a constituency for his party said, "In the last few days, I quite often observed disturbance on my
smartphone. I changed to another smartphone but the disturbance still continued. Now I am using a basic phone." An IT engineer said basic phones were less prone to hacking.
People’s Party of Punjab to back
Dharamsot
Amloh: The People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) has decided to back Congress candidate Sadhu Singh Dharamsot in Fatehgarh Sahib (reserved). Party district president Jagmeet Singh
Sahota, at a meeting here on Tuesday, said his party would spearhead Dharamsot’s campaign. It would make the masses aware of the “anti-people” policies of the
SAD-BJP Government. Dharamsot said his main agenda would be development of the nine assembly segments in the constituency. Local leaders Ranjit Singh
Ghola, Dr Harvinder Singh Mann, Paramjit Singh Rupal, Dr Parminder Singh
Bhambri, Subedar Malkit Singh, Beant Singh Shahpur, Mony Pandit and Gurpreet Singh Turra were among the PPP workers who attended the meeting.
Hanspal inaugurates election office
Ropar: Senior Congress leader and former PPCC chief HS Hanspal inaugurated the party’s election office at Zail Singh Nagar here on Tuesday. Hanspal said the fielding of Capt Amarinder Singh from Amritsar and Ambika Soni from Anandpur Sahib had come as a morale booster for the party cadre. He claimed the Congress would win 10 seats.
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Govt teachers protest non-payment of salaries
Faridkot, April 1 They said non-disbursal of salaries had impacted their tax liabilities adversely . “It is for the first time in Punjab’s history that the government employees were not paid salaries even on the last day of the financial year,” said Prem Chawla, one of the employees’ leaders. On the DTO authorities’ assurance to pay one month’s salary to some of the teachers, the dharna was lifted in the wee hours of Tuesday. “The salaries should be paid by April 4, failing which we will lay siege to the local bus stand,” said Santosh Bhunder, another leader. Chawla said, “Government employees in other parts of the country are paid in time because of strict salary payment regulations. Sadly, this is not the case in Punjab, a developing state as per the ruling alliance.” Threatening to queer the pitch for SAD’s Bathinda candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the employees said they would march to Bathinda in the coming days if they were not paid salaries and other emoluments.
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Not paid wages, teachers resume agitation in Bathinda
Bathinda, April 1 The teachers met Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kamal Kishore Yadav and submitted a memorandum of demands. The teachers had announced yesterday that they would boycott election work, if their salaries were not released soon. The teachers questioned the state government’s attitude towards its employees. They said of the sanctioned Rs 26 crore, only Rs 8 crore had been released as wages. The teachers said the government did not seem serious to resolve the matter. Meanwhile, the office of the District Education Officer has issued a letter declaring that the budget for the financial year 2013-14 has lapsed and bills that have not been cleared will be sent back. The teachers have been asked to submit fresh bills for their salaries within two days after which a fresh budget will be allocated and the bills cleared as soon as possible. Harkanwaljeet Kaur, DEO (Secondary Education) said: “The outstanding salaries will be released shortly. We don’t want the teachers to boycott election duty.” Members of the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) also met the DC and submitted a memorandum of demands. “As declared earlier, we plan to hold a protest rally in Bathinda on April 5,” said an adamant DTF president Resham Singh.
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Poll coverage on TV channel under lens
Chandigarh, April 1 Confirming the development, CEO VK Singh said, "The committee will look into the allegations of the channel being used to promote a certain party. The channel might be a private entity, however, blatant misuse of airspace to influence voters will not be allowed." Khaira, in a representation to the CEO, yesterday had sought that a monitoring committee be set up to scrutinise and screen the politically motivated programmes being aired by PTC Group of Channels, which are owned by the family of the Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal. Pointing out to the party "exploiting the situation of a compete monopoly in the electronic media", the complaint read that "the PTC News channel has been playing a major role in influencing the voters of Punjab in favour of the SAD-BJP ruling alliance though tailored contents". Independents at loss
Independent candidates in the Lok Sabha elections are a disadvantaged lot in terms of counting their expenditure within the limits of Rs 70 lakh per candidate. They are disadvantaged in the context that while the expenditure of party candidates will be calculated tomorrow onwards after they have filed their nominations, the CEO is already adding up the expenditure till date to the individual account of the independents. At the same time, the expenditure of the party candidates, till date, will be shown in the party expenditure and not of the candidates. Nominations begin today
Candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections can file their nomination papers from tomorrow till April 9, an official press release said here today. The scrutiny of papers will be done on April 10, followed by withdrawal of candidature on April 11 and 12.
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Set the reminder for April 30: Nawanshahr admn to voters
Nawanshahr, April
1 The DC, who is also the District Electoral Officer, urged people to exercise their franchise on April 30, the day of polling in Punjab. “To achieve the target of 85 per cent polling in the district, the administration has taken steps such as launching a Facebook page, holding seminars in educational institutes to mobilise youth, mobilising parents through school students by getting the ‘Pledge Forms’ signed, and displaying voters’ awareness slogans at government offices and public places,” Mitra said. She said that during the last parliamentary elections, 72 per cent polling was recorded in the district, while in the 2012 assembly elections, the polling percentage witnessed an increase of 7 per cent. “The district administration has been making relentless efforts to increase the poling percentage by 6 per cent to achieve the target of 85 per cent,” the DC said. The signature campaign will also be launched at the Suvidha Centres in Banga and
Balachaur. Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Amarjit Paul, Assistant Commissioner Geetika Singh and employees of the DC’s office put their signatures as a mark of pledge to vote.
Admn’s initiatives
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Kidnapped 3-yr-old found in Bareilly
Barnala, April 1 The child was handed over to his parents here today. Deputy Superintendent of Police Harpal Singh said Nikhil’s father Shanker, a resident of Astha Colony here, had lodged a complaint on March 29. Shanker had accused a neighbour, Ishaq Khan, for the crime. A case was registered under Section 363 of the IPC. During investigation, the police reached Bareilly and recovered the boy. Ishaq, however, managed to escape. The police said the child had been handed over to his parents whereas a hunt had been launched to nab the accused.
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Anandpur Sahib has 2 lakh new voters
Ropar, April 1 In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, 13,38,596 voters were registered in the constituency, comprising the nine Assembly segments of Garhshankar, Banga, Nawanshahr, Balachaur, Anandpur Sahib, Ropar, Chamkaur Sahib, Kharar and SAS Nagar. This time, the number is expected to touch 15.5 lakh. The number of total voters on January 1 was 15,26,959 while the enrolment of new voters was in progress. During the last elections, the constituency witnessed 68 per cent polling and the victorious Congress candidate, Ravneet Singh Bittu, polled 44.75 per cent of the total votes. As the majority of new voters comprise the youth, the candidates will have to take up issues related to the new generation. No wonder, the SAD and Congress have been harping on bringing big industrial projects to generate employment in the area. SAD candidate Prem Singh Chandumajra has promised to expand the IT industry in the area while Congress candidate Ambika Soni, on her arrival in Ropar on March 25, had said that she would ensure investment from multinationals in the state.
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Standing up for justice runs in her family
Chandigarh, April 1 The proud father stood beaming as Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul administered Justice Lisa Gill oath as an additional Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Monday morning. Functioning as the Chief Commissioner of Gurdwara Election Commission, Justice Brar had another reason to cheer. Justice Lisa Gill’s appointment also gave the High Court the rare distinction of having seven women judges, perhaps the highest in any High Court across the country. The ceremony was attended by sitting and retired Judges. Among the guests present on the occasion was the former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice SS Sodhi. Prior to her elevation, Justice Lisa Gill was serving as an Additional Standing Counsel for the UT Administration, a post she held for almost a decade. Her husband Gurinder Singh Gill is also a practising advocate in the High Court. Her younger sister Anu Pal was appointed Assistant Advocate-General in Punjab Advocate-General’s office in April 2010.
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Cancel case against Chadha, demand lawyers
Ropar, April 1 In a meeting presided over by senior advocate Amrit Lal Verma at the district bar association, the lawyers said Chadha was framed at the behest of the sand mafia since Chadha was exposing them. In a press release the bar association said if police did not cancel the case against Chadha by tomorrow, they would hold a meeting of lawyers on April 4 to decide on their further course of action.
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More forces to be deployed
on inter-state border posts
Abohar, April 1 This was decided during a meeting of Assistant Returning Officers of the two states here today to check unfair practices during the Lok Sabha elections. Sadulshehar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ashok Meena led the Rajasthan team, while his Abohar counterpart Rajpal Meena led the Punjab team. There will be intensive checking of vehicles to prevent smuggling of liquor and narcotics, besides the transport of unaccounted money. The Abohar SDM said 15 booths in seven villages of the Balluana segment located on the inter-state border and 23 booths in 11 villages of the Abohar segment had been declared highly sensitive.
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‘Intimidation’ of girls: Panel starts inquiry
Abohar, April 1 It has been alleged that a PTI teacher made indecent advances towards some students and “intimidated” them not to disclose the matter. The panel was reportedly told that the incident left a deep impact on one of the girls so much so that she abandoned studies. The teacher refuted the allegation. He reportedly said that he had been assisting the de-facto owner of the institution since she had been busy with work as a teacher in a government school. — OC
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Hoshiarpur ayurved university VC awarded Padma Shri
Hoshiarpur, April 1 He is the only person from Punjab to get the award for this year. Apart from completing doctorate in ayurveda, Upadhyaya has obtained a postgraduate, Vyakaranacharya and Darashanacharya degrees in Sanskrit. Before being appointed as the Vice-Chancellery of the Hoshiarpur university on July 4, 2011, he was serving as the head of the department at the National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur. He has served in the field of ayurvedic medicine and education for 35 years. He has written several books on ayurvedic medicine in English, Hindi and Sanskrit. He has been conferred with many national-level awards for his contribution to ayurveda and Sanskrit.
His achievements
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Punjabi politician in UK under fire over rifle pic
London, April 1 Ajit Atwal apologised for any “offence” the picture might have caused but insists he is the victim of a smear campaign in the run-up to May, when he stands for re-election as a Liberal Democrat councillor for Abbey ward in Derby. “The image has been removed from Atwal’s Twitter feed and Derby City Liberal Democrats have also launched an investigation into the incident,” a Lib Dem spokesperson said. Atwal claims the photograph was taken seven months ago while he was on holiday in India, and posted on his Twitter page. He took it down last week after saying whoever told the press about it being his profile picture had done so “for political reasons”. “I am someone who urges people to go to the gym, keep fit and stay away from crime. I realise that the picture may cause offence to some people and so I have removed it,” he told the ‘Derby Telegraph’. “The gun was not loaded and I asked someone to take a picture of me holding it last September when I was on holiday in India. It has been my profile picture on my Twitter page for seven months and noone complained during that time. But now, in the run-up to an election on May 22, someone has told the press about it.” “I am absolutely convinced that whoever has done this has done so for political reasons,” he added. Derby City Council leader, Labour party’s Paul Bayliss, has demanded his resignation over an “appalling lack of judgement”. “I think Ajit Atwal should stand down from his role as both a city councillor and a magistrate. To be considered for both positions you have to pass a fit and proper person test and I think this photograph brings this into question. He should consider his position,” he said. Atwal had also hit the headlines earlier this year when he and his son, Arjun, chased a would-be burglar from their home after he tried to break in. The police later found the crook under a car.— PTI
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Extension in service to Chief Pharmacists
Chandigarh, April 1 The ruling came on a bunch of 15 petitions filed by Shashi Kant and other petitioners against the State of Punjab and other respondents. They were seeking the quashing of communication whereby their request for extension in service from 58 to 60 years was declined. As the case came up for hearing, counsel for Chief Pharmacists Kapil Kakkar contended that there were 255 posts of Chief Pharmacists and 2,720 posts of Pharmacists, out of which 906 posts were declared as diminishing cadre due to transfer of 1,186 rural dispensaries to zila parishads. Referring to communication dated October 31, 2012, he added it “merely provides that cadre of Pharmacists is diminishing and not that of Chief Pharmacists. Hence, extension of service to Chief Pharmacists cannot be denied”. Taking up the matter, Justice Bindal asserted: “As far as the Pharmacists are concerned, 906 posts have already been declared to be part of the diminishing cadre on account of 1,186 rural dispensaries having been transferred to zila parishads. “At present the actual working strength of Pharmacists being 1,897 against availability of work for 1,532 posts, 365 are surplus. Even if 104 vacant posts of Chief Pharmacists Grade-I and Grade-II are filled up by way of promotion and same number is adjusted from Pharmacists, still 261 Pharmacists are extra, namely, beyond the number required in terms of the hospitals/dispensaries being controlled by the Health Department, hence, the claim of Pharmacists for extension in service is rejected. However, the petitioners, who have continued to work on the basis of interim orders passed by this court, shall not be denied the benefit of service during the said period. Justice Bindal concluded: “The writ petitions filed by Chief Pharmacists are allowed. The action of the Government in denying extension in service to them on the plea that the cadre of Chief Pharmacists is diminishing is declared illegal. They are held entitled to extension in service as per the policy of the State on fulfillment of the conditions laid down therein”. Case file
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HC confident govt will decide on libraries Bill
Chandigarh, April 1 The observations came during the hearing of a PIL filed by Harish Moudgil and Dr Jaswant Singh. They were seeking directions to the state
government to take a decision on the introduction of the Bill. Taking up the matter, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arun
Palli asserted the High Court could not issue such directions to the state
government. Yet, in view of the laudable objectives of the Bill, and keeping in view the fact that the matter was pending consideration before the state government for the last several years, the Bench expressed confidence that the powers that be would act. The Bench observed: “We are sure that after the elections are over, the state government would take a view on the issue of introduction of this Bill”. The petitioners had stated that the state had failed to enact the legislation aimed at providing public libraries in every village and town.
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Tarn Taran Valmiki leader booked for extortion, fraud
Tarn Taran, April 1 Gill had allegedly abducted a shopkeeper, Kala, of Sheron village in the district three days ago. The accused demanded Rs 10 lakh as ransom. According to the police, Gill first called Kala’s family to Chandigarh. When the family was on its way, he called the members of the family to hand over the money in Ludhiana. He again changed the venue to the Jandiala Guru road. The accused later dumped Kala in the village in a serious condition. The Valmiki leader had been threatening Kala to implicate his father and brother in a drug peddling case. The incident came to light when Kisan Sangharsh Committee leaders approached the police. Gill claims to be close to SAD leaders. He enjoyed a security cover reportedly provided by the Punjab Government. Tarn Taran SAD president Alwinderpal Singh Pakhoke said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal once honoured Gill, but he was not the primary member of the party. Station House Officer Lakhwinder Singh said both Gill and his PA were booked under Sections 420 (cheating), 384 (punishment for extortion) and 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the
IPC.
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Heroin worth Rs 135 cr seized
Fazilka, April 1 The contraband is estimated to be worth Rs 135 crore in the international market. A packet containing 500 grams of opium, two pistol magazines, 42 live cartridges and two mobile phones containing Pakistani SIM cards were also recovered. The BSF also spotted two intruders but they reportedly managed to escape to Pakistan. Deputy Inspector General, BSF, AK Sharma, said a patrol party, led by Surinder Kumar, 90 Battalion Commandant, noticed suspicious movement of two intruders across the barbed wire fencing in the Indian territory near Khanpur border outpost around 2.30 am. The patrol party challenged the intruders but as they did not surrender, the BSF opened fired at the duo. The smugglers escaped to Pakistan, leaving behind two long belts of cloth (tied together) containing 28 packets. Twenty-seven packets contained heroin while one packet had 500 grams of opium. “This is the biggest cache of narcotics on the India-Pakistan border in the recent past. Our personnel were already on high alert as inputs had been received regarding possible smuggling attempts ahead of the parliamentary elections,” said the Deputy Inspector General.
The seizures 27 packers of heroin, a packet containing 500 grams of opium, two pistol magazines, 42 live cartridges and two mobile phones containing Pakistani SIM cards
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So that it translates into political benefits for the ruling party, many pension payments in this part of Punjab are reportedly being made to people who no more exist.
Launching a counter-attack on former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on the issue of Operation Bluestar, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today accused the former of “telling lies”, denying any secret meetings between him and senior Congress leaders prior to the Army operation.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today took a dig at former CM Captain Amarinder Singh at the bhog ceremony of former SGPC president late Gurcharan Singh
Tohra.
Nangal, April 1
Congress candidate Capt Amarinder Singh has revived the “outsider” debate by referring his BJP rival Arun Jaitley as “our esteemed guest from New Delhi” in his Facebook post.
“Vinod Khanna, who did not bother to keep in touch with his voters after his electoral wins earlier, should be prepared to face “Punjabian da ghasun (fist)” this time,” warned PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa while addressing a press conference at the party office here today.
Arun Jaitley’s wife Sangeeta Jaitley and daughter Sonali Jaitley campaigned for the BJP candidate in different parts of the city today. They were accompanied by sitting MP Navjot Singh Sidhu’s wife Dr Navjot Kaur, who is Amritsar East
legislator.
Jalandhar:
Following widespread opposition from the party cadre over his candidature, Aam Admi Party candidate from Jalandhar (Reserved) constituency Rajesh Padam on Tuesday withdrew from the race. He said he was withdrawing due to “personal reasons”. Padam’s resignation finally ended speculations that the party might itself change the candidate. Hailing from the Valmiki community,
Padam, a former Congressman, had been mired in controversy ever since his name was announced. Several AAP leaders were unhappy that a person with Congress affiliation was given the party ticket. Padam was the vice-chairman of the Congress SC/ST cell.
Peeved about not being paid salaries for the past three months, hundreds of government school teaches and other staff held a dharna outside the district treasury office
(DTO) yesterday night.
Not paid salaries for months, teachers staged a dharna outside the Treasury office late last night even as officials today claimed that pending wages “till January” had been released.
Nawanshahr Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anandita Mitra launched a signature campaign for voters’ awareness at the Suvidha Centre here today.
When Justice Harphul Singh Brar retired from the Punjab and Haryana High Court in July 1999, little did he realise that in about 15 years he would again be walking down the familiar corridors of justice, this time for the swearing in ceremony of his daughter Lisa Gill.
The lawyers at Ropar and Anandpur sahib today went on a two-day strike, demanding the cancellation of a criminal case registered against local advocate and RTI activist Dinesh
Chadha. The local police had on March 21 booked Chadha and eight others for attempt to murder.
President Pranab Mukherjee has awarded OP Upadhyaya, Vice-Chancellor, Guru Ravidas Ayurved University,
Hoshiarpur, Padma Shri for 2014. He was awarded yesterday for his contribution to
ayurveda.
Akhil Valmiki Dharam Samaj Sangathan chairman Randeeep Singh Gill and his personal secretary (PA) Gurmit Singh have been booked on the charges of extortion and fraud.
Gill had allegedly abducted a shopkeeper, Kala, of Sheron village in the district three days ago. The accused demanded Rs 10 lakh as ransom.
Though we have detected several such cases by procuring the death certificates of these 'ghost pensioners', there is need for a detailed investigation into the scam~
