Regional Journal: Kushwaha gets his ‘due’

Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) leader and former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha was nominated as NDA candidate from Bihar for the Rajya Sabha on July 2, despite having lost the Lok Sabha poll from the Karakat seat. The decision to nominate Kushwaha is said to have been taken keeping in mind the Kushwaha community.

No to central deputation

Faced with a shortage of IAS officers, Himachal Pradesh has put on hold the grant of no-objection certificates (NOCs) to Amandeep Garg (1999 batch) and Shainamol (2007 batch) to proceed on central deputation. With many bureaucrats reluctant to return from central postings and many others proceeding on child care and long leaves, the government is facing a shortage of officers. Many officers like Garg are already having additional charge of various departments.

No ‘reels’ on police duty

Watching social media reels during duty hours in Punjab will now invite disciplinary action against policemen. Newly appointed Police Commissioner Ranjit Singh Dhillon has reportedly issued an order that watching social media reels or chatting will amount to dereliction of duty and invite strict disciplinary action. He has also pointed out that mobile phones should only be used for making or answering urgent calls.

Jalandhar real estate up

With around 250 leaders, workers and volunteers of various parties campaigning in Jalandhar for the bypoll, property dealers and real estate agents are happy about a spurt in rental business and even sales. Congress’ former CM Charanjit Singh Channi rented a house in Jalandhar during the recent Lok Sabha poll, while CM Bhagwant Mann has rented a house at Royal Estate, Jalandhar Cantt, for the Jalandhar West bypoll. Both AAP and BJP have booked “marriage palaces” where langar is served for workers.

Contributed by Aksheev Thakur, Pratibha Chauhan, Pramod Jaiswar, Aparna Banerji