Punjab News

Chandigarh/Amritsar, July 18, 2025: The Punjab Horticulture Department organized a two-day State-Level Pear Show and Seminar at Maharaja Farm, District Amritsar. The event was formally inaugurated by Shri Mohinder Bhagat, Minister for Defence Services Welfare, Freedom Fighters, and Horticulture, Punjab, who attended as the Chief Guest. While addressing the gathering, Shri Mohinder Bhagat emphasized that the Punjab Government is making concrete and consistent efforts to develop the horticulture sector and enhance farmers’ income. He said that events like the pear competition are an important part of these initiatives. Such shows, exhibitions and seminars not only boost farmers’ knowledge but also help build market linkages that contribute directly to their economic upliftment. The ...

Chandigarh, July 18 The Patiala GST division has recorded an impressive 40 percent growth rate in GST collection during the first quarter of fiscal year 2025-26, outpacing all other divisions in Punjab. This was disclosed during the quarterly review meeting of the Excise and Taxation department, chaired by Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema. Following Patiala division in growth were Ropar division with 34.97 percent and Amritsar division with 30.26 percent. The department has also successfully met its excise revenue targets, bolstered by intensified enforcement efforts that have effectively curbed the illicit liquor trade. While Patiala division led in growth rate, Ludhiana division registered the highest gross GST collection across the state...

CHANDIGARH, July 17:           With the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state completed 138 days, Punjab Police on Thursday arrested 113 drug smugglers and recovered 1.5 kg heroin, 5 kg opium and 31,237 intoxicant pills from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 22,377 in just 138 days.           The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 Police districts of the state.           Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has aske...

CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR, July 17:           Amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar has busted a cross-border illegal arms smuggling module with links to Pakistan and arrested one of its operative after recovering 10 .30 bore sophisticated pistols along with magazines from his possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Thursday.           The arrested person has been identified as Harjinder Singh, a resident of village Dall in Tarn Taran. The latter is a notorious narcotics smuggler with two cases pertaining to NDPS act has been registered against...

CHANDIGARH, July 16:           With the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state completed 137 days, Punjab Police on Wednesday arrested 116 drug smugglers and recovered 532 grams heroin, 51 kg poppy husk and Rs 39,570 drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 22,226 in just 137 days.           The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 Police districts of the state.           Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann h...

Sultanpur Lodhi (Kapurthala), July 16: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday called upon the people to take a pledge to curb the depletion of groundwater and control environmental pollution. Addressing a gathering during an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the cleaning of the holy Kali Bein, the Chief Minister said that although Punjab is known as the land of rivers, the state is currently facing a severe water crisis, making water conservation a major challenge. He highlighted that since assuming office, his government has revived 15,947 water channels across the state, enabling water to reach even the remotest villages. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that at the time he took charge, only 21% of canal water was being utilized for irrigation in Punjab. However, the...

Chandigarh, July 15: Punjab Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond today launched a scathing attack on previous governments during a special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, accusing them of promoting drug abuse and protecting drug traffickers in the state. Participating in a discussion on the issue of drugs, Sond alleged that both the Akali-BJP alliance and the Congress governments had actively supported drug peddlers, resulting in widespread addiction among the state's youth. He read out excerpts from media reports highlighting the busting of an illicit liquor factory in Khanna and the arrest of a notorious drug dealer, Gurdeep Rano, from the Payal constituency, presenting them as concrete evidence of past governments’ complicity. “Before 2007, synthe...

Chandigarh, July 15: Punjab Local Government Minister Dr. Ravjot Singh on Tuesday announced in the Vidhan Sabha that the state government will bring together various departments and experts on to formulate a comprehensive strategy to address the stray animal menace in Punjab.  The Minister informed the House that the Local Government Department will lead the coordination efforts among all concerned departments and stakeholders to devise an effective action plan. He reiterated the government’s commitment to resolving the issue, recalling that the Chief Minister had already assured prompt action during the debate on the Amendment Bill of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Dr. Ravjot Singh highlighted that the department has already implemented “The Punjab Compensation to...

Chandigarh, July 14 The Punjab Legislative Assembly today unanimously passed the Punjab State Development Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Punjab Appropriation Acts (Repeal) Bill, 2025, presented by the Punjab Finance Minister, Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema. This Punjab State Development Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, aims to streamline and enhance the efficiency of the Punjab State Development Tax Act, 2018, which mandates a monthly payment of Rs 200 from every income taxpayer, contributing to annual revenue of Rs 190.36 crore during the financial year 2024-25. The Finance Minister highlighted that representatives of various institutions and organisations had approached him regarding certain practical difficulties in the existing Act passed by the previous Congress government. He ...

Chandigarh, July 12: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Punjab president Mr. Aman Arora today called upon the party National Convener Sh. Arvind Kejriwal at New Delhi to extend him an invitation to join the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government to pay glowing tributes to Shaheed Udham Singh on his martyrdom day on July 31. A delegation led by Mr. Aman Arora, met the National Convener Sh. Arvind Kejriwal, and highlighted the significance of Shaheed Udham Singh's martyrdom day for Punjab and the country. The delegation included MLAs Devinder Singh Laddi Dhos, Fauja Singh Sarari, Rajnish Dahiya, Gurlal Ghanaur, Jagdeep Goldy Kamboj, Mohammad Jamil Ur Rahman, Rajinderpal Kaur Chhina, Neena Mittal, Naresh Kataria, Narinder Kaur Bharaj & Chetan Singh Jaurmajra, and Punjab BC ...