Punjab News

Chandigarh, June 28 : Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday announced that the state government will introduce legislation to ensure harsher punishment for acts of sacrilege against holy granths. Chairing a meeting with officers and representatives of the Sarb Dharam Beadbi Rokko Kanoon Morcha at his official residence, the Chief Minister said that Punjab is a sacred land of great Gurus, saints, and seers who have shown the path of mutual love and tolerance. He emphasized that it is a matter of immense pride that Punjab stands as a unique blend of socialism and secularism, as well as an epitome of communal harmony, peace, and brotherhood. Bhagwant Singh Mann reiterated that the state government is firmly committed to ensuring exemplary punishment for the perpetrators ...

Chandigarh, June 28: The Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has issued an order to suspend 26 officers and employees of Jail Department for dereliction of duty. Punjab Jail Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar informed that 26 officers and employees of Jail Department have been suspended with immediate effect under Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1970 for dereliction of duty/negligence. Giving a clear message to the officers and employees on duty in the jails of Punjab, the Minister said that illegal activities, misbehavior, indiscipline, absence from duty and activities like involvement with prisoners will not be tolerated at all. The Minister said that Iqbal Singh Brar Superintendent District Jail Mansa, Maninder Pal Cheema Deputy Superi...

Chandigarh, June 28: The Punjab Government, under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, is tirelessly working for the welfare and upliftment of every section of society. In particular, dedicated initiatives are being undertaken to bring students from Scheduled Castes into the mainstream by providing them better educational opportunities. Giving further details, Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur informed that a budget provision of ₹245 crore has been made under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Caste students in the financial year 2025-26. The government has set a target to cover 2.70 lakh Scheduled Caste students under this scheme during the year. She said this initiative would significantly help in improv...

Chandigarh, June 27: Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan expressed grief over the demise of Dr. Kashmir Singh Sohal, M.L.A from Tarn Taran constituency. He was a very hard working, dedicated and helpful person. He produced yeoman services for Aam Aadmi Party and his constituency.  Speaker Sandhwan said that I am deeply saddened to hear the news of his passing away and I pray to God to grant  a place of abode at His feet to the departed soul. Almighty may give strength to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss in this hour of distress.

Chandigarh, June 26: On the directions of the Cabinet Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare department has issued Show Cause Notices (SCNs) to seven Chief Agriculture Officers (CAO) for failing to meet quality control drive targets. The development came a day after Agriculture Minister ordered departmental action against districts lagging behind in the quality control drive to ensure accountability and improvement. Dr. Basant Garg, the Administrative Secretary Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, has initiated the action against the defaulting district agriculture chiefs posted in Kapurthala, Barnala, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Tarn Taran, Sangrur and Hoshiarpur districts, while directing them to respond within seven days or face further strict ac...

Chandigarh, June 26: Punjab Horticulture Minister Mr. Mohinder Bhagat today held a review meeting of the Horticulture Department at the Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh, to assess the progress of ongoing projects and various schemes of the department. During the meeting, Secretary Horticulture Mr. Mohammad Tayyab apprised the Minister of the progress made under various schemes and projects of the department. Mr. Tayyab also highlighted key achievements and shared updates on field-level implementation. Mr. Bhagat stressed the need for transparent and timely disbursal of subsidies to farmers so that they can avail maximum benefit from government schemes without delay. He also directed to ensure the swift completion of all horticulture-related initiatives and to engage proactivel...

Chandigarh, June 26 : The Election Commission of India (ECI), under the Chairmanship of Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, has started proceedings for the delisting of 345 Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs) which have failed to fulfil the essential condition of contesting even a single election for the last six years since 2019 and the offices of these parties could not be physically located anywhere. These 345 RUPPs are from different States and UTs across the country. It has come to the notice of the Commission that of the over 2,800 RUPPS, currently registered with ECI, many RUPPs have failed to fulfil the essential conditions which are required to continue as an RUPP. Thus, a na...

Chandigarh, June 25: In a major boost to dairy farming sector in the state, the Punjab Dairy Development department has achieved a significant milestone by insuring 30,598 milch cattle across the state in just one year to provide crucial financial security to dairy farmers and safeguarding their livelihoods, informed S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries, Punjab. While reviewing the ongoing projects of the department here at his office, on Wednesday, S. Khudian further shared that the National Livestock Mission’s Risk Management and Livestock Insurance Scheme offers premium rates of Rs 1,120 for general farmers and Rs 672 for SC/ST farmers annually, with a maximum claim limit of Rs 70,000 per cattle. To date, Rs 7.39 crore has been di...

CHANDIGARH, June 24:           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 115 days, Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested 140 drug smugglers and recovered 3 kg heroin and Rs 60500 drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 19,007 in just 115 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 asked the Commissioners...

Ludhiana, 23 June 2025:Today, the Honorable Health and Family Welfare Minister of Punjab, Dr. Balbir Singh, paid a formal visit to Civil Hospital Ludhiana to inspect the facilities and assess the quality of healthcare services being provided to patients. During the inspection, the Minister took serious note of recent incidents of theft, including the stolen cover of water tanks, allegedly removed with malicious intent. Expressing strong disapproval, the Minister immediately directed police officials to take swift action and ensure the culprits are arrested at the earliest. He emphasized a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of malpractice or negligence in public health institutions. The Health Minister toured various wards during his visit, interacting with patients and their fami...