The bench of Justice Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia passed directives to stop stubble burning, saying that residents of Delhi are suffering because they can't find a solution. This has been going on for the past five years. The matter requires immediate action and court monitoring.
The bench passed several directions to the states bordering Delhi-NCR including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana to stop stubble burning and take immediate steps to curtail the air pollution. The court said that local SHO should be made responsible for looking into stubble burning under the supervision of the Chief Secretary.
The court, while hearing the parties involved, said that this can't be a political battle. The court also asked why paddy was being grown in Punjab when the water tables were already so low.
"What are you doing? Look at your water table. Why are you allowing paddy in Punjab? You want to turn Punjab into a land of no crops from the green land," the bench remarked.
Attorney General Gurminder Singh appearing for Punjab along with making several suggestions said that there is an MSP on paddy crops in Punjab. This makes the marginal farmers opt for the crop. If the MSP goes, they will automatically switch to less water-intensive crops.
The SC in its order took note of this suggestion that a serious look is required whether this kind of paddy that leaves stubble as a byproduct should be grown in the time period in which it is grown.
The AG said that 15 years ago this problem did not arise because such cropping did not take place. The farmers are burning stubble on account of the economic situation. The alternatives given are not being adhered to. Since farmers are unwilling to bear the cost of machines purchased, it is suggested that Punjab is ready to bear 25 per cent cost of machines for tackling stubble waste, the Delhi government can bear 25 per cent cost and the Centre may bear 50 per cent.
The SC took note of this and said that if the Centre can spend so much on subsidies, they can also bear this court. The bench also noted that since the Centre is already working to switch to millets, then this paddy must be switched with some other native and less water-intensive crop.
The court further directed the stakeholders to act promptly in respect of the aforesaid aspects and asked the Cabinet Secretary to call for a meeting on Wednesday with all stakeholders on this issue.
It was further observed by the apex court in its order that adherence to the Food Security Act by Punjab is creating problems and the government should look into it.
The top court also said that the smog tower installed in Delhi as per earlier order is not working, and called the same 'ludicrous' and asked for it to be repaired.
Calling schemes like 'odd-even' to tackle such an issue mere 'optics', the bench further directed the state governments to control the entry of orange-tagged vehicles, saying that a large number of taxis in Delhi have registrations in different states that carry only one passenger. Asks these to be monitored so that only Delhi taxis ply during the current period.
The matter is again listed on Friday.
Abhishek went on to score 112 runs in just 51 balls as Punjab posted a mammoth total of 275 for 6 in their 20 overs, beating the previous record of 263 set by IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against Pune Warriors India in 2013.
This is the highest total in Indian T20 cricket (SMAT or IPL) and fourth highest overall in T20 cricket history. Punjab went past Mumbai's record, who smashed 258 runs against Sikkim in the 2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy edition.
The explosive Punjab batting also broke the previous record (RCB, 21 sixes) of most sixes by a team in a T20 match.
With the help of 9 sixes each by Abhishek and Anmolpreet, 2 of Naman Dhir, and 1 of Prabhsimran, Punjab hit as many as 22 sixes in the match.
Andhra Pradesh lost the match by 15 runs as they managed to score 170/7 in their 20 overs in reply to Punjab's historic total.
A decision to this effect was taken by the Council of Ministers at a meeting here.
A spokesperson for the Chief Minister’s Office said the Cabinet has approved a revised mechanism for distribution of packaged atta and wheat.
The distribution would be allowed in lose quantities, duly weighed, across the counter in ration depots or in special sealed packets delivered at doorstep or the nearest motorable point by the ration depot holder.
It will be a more dignified way of receiving the packaged atta and wheat as the beneficiary shall not be required to stand in long queues, especially braving inclement weather.
All mandatory requirements of biometric verification, handing over of printed weight slip to the beneficiaries and others will be ensured while the delivery.
The home delivery service will introduce the concept of model fair price shops which will be run by the Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd, being the apex cooperative and preference provided under the NFS Act to cooperatives.
In order to provide sand and gravel at affordable rates to the consumers, besides ensuring its adequate supply in the state, the Cabinet also gave go ahead to Punjab Crusher Policy 2023.
As per the policy, there will be two main classes of crusher units -- Commercial Crusher Units and Public Crusher Units. The screening-cum-washing plants will also fall under the category of crushers units.
A public crusher unit shall be a registered crusher unit selected through a transparent tendering process prescribed under the Punjab Transparency in Public Procurement Act and based on the lowest mineral price quoted by such a crusher unit.
The Cabinet also approved amendments in Punjab Minor Minerals Rules 2013 to curb the menace of illegal mining and to increase the supply of minor minerals in the state.
The Cabinet also gave consent to a policy for providing relief to the farm labourers due loss of crops in case of natural calamity.
The Cabinet gave nod to revive 39 posts of teaching faculty, including five professors, 10 associate professors and 24 assistant professors of direct recruitment in nine departments of Government Dental College and Hospital, Amritsar and Patiala besides taking them out of the purview of Punjab Public Service Commission, Patiala, to fill these posts through the departmental selection committee.
This is the second time this year that the prices have been increased.
The cost of one litre of petrol in the state will now be Rs 98.65 while diesel prices will be Rs 88.95 per litre.
With the hike in price, the state aims to generate Rs 600 crore per annum as revenue, said officials.
They said despite the increase in prices, diesel in Punjab would be cheaper than neighbouring Haryana, and both diesel and petrol cheaper than Rajasthan.
The accused have been identified as Mehfooz alias Vishal Khan and Manjeet Singh - both from Dera Bassi - Ankit and Goldy, both of Panchkula in Haryana. Six pistols and 26 cartridges were recovered from their possession.
Yadav said following inputs, a team of AGTF under the supervision of ADGP Promod Ban and led by AIG AGTF Sandeep Goel arrested the four shooters, who were tasked by Lawrence Bishnoi to harm and attack their rival gang members.
He said all accused are history-sheeters and have been facing criminal cases of heinous crimes, including attempt to murder, car-jacking, extortion, Arms Act, etc, in Punjab and Haryana.
Divulging more details, ADGP Ban said the accused Mehfooz was wanted in a case pertaining to recovery of six pistols, wherein his aide Nitish Rana was arrested while he managed to escape from the spot.
Accused Mehfooz was also involved in a firing incident at the premises of a pub and restaurant, Brew Bros, in Mohali in March 2022, he said, adding he had opened fire on the directions of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to extort money.
Even though, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav's spectacular show helped Mumbai Indians chase down a mammoth target of 215 in an encounter with Punjab Kings in Mohali on Wednesday, MI skipper Rohit Sharma continued with his bad form who was sent back to the pavilion without scoring a run.
Soon after Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck, Punjab Kings took to Twitter to troll the aggressive batter and wrote “R0”.
However, the tweet tuned a boomerang when the fans of Rohit Sharma trolled Punjab Kings brutally after they lost to Mumbai Indians by six wickets. Even MI also came up with a befitting reply to Punjab Kings tweet.
In its reply, MI pointed out that while Rohit has six IPL champion titles under his belt, the Kings XI Punjab and Punjab Kings have a duck.
Rohit Sharma 🏆 x 6️⃣
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 3, 2023
KXIP 🏆 x 0️⃣
PBKS 🏆 x 0️⃣#Respect
Later, Punjab Kings deleted its tweet after losing to MI.
Ishan Kishan slammed a terrific 75 while Suryakumar Yadav brought out his wide array of shots in a whirlwind 66 as the duo shared a 116-run partnership for the third wicket to help Mumbai Indians chase down 215 and beat Punjab Kings by six wickets at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium.
Brief Scores: Punjab Kings 214/3 in 20 overs (Liam Livingstone 82 not out, Jitesh Sharma 49 not out; Piyush Chawla 2/29, Arshad Khan 1/48) lost to Mumbai Indians 216/4 in 18.5 overs (Ishan Kishan 75, Suryakumar Yadav 66; Nathan Ellis 2/34, Rishi Dhawan 1/20) by six wickets
The Waris Punjab De (WPD) chief has been kept in a separate cell. As per jail sources, he was not allowed to meet other members of the outfit, including his close aide Papalpreet Singh.
Nine associates of Amritpal were lodged at Dibrugarh Central Jail before he was brought there on Sunday.
A source in Dibrugarh jail revealed that IB officers went inside the prison this morning and that the interrogation of Waris Punjab De chief is underway.
Assam police is tight-lipped on the development.
Prasant Kumar Bhuyan, the Inspector General (Law and Order) of the Assam Police, told IANS, "All central investigation agencies, including IB and RAW, have officers posted in the state. Hence, it is not necessary that somebody from the national capital has to come to interrogate an inmate."
He, however, refused to comment on Amritpal's questioning.
He was flown from Punjab's Bathinda air base to Dibrugarh's Mohanbari airport under tight security.
A team of Punjab Police and National Security Agency (NSA) officials arrived in Dibrugarh with the Waris Punjab De chief. A huge team of Assam Police personnel was present at the Mohanbari airport.
The Assam Police have however, refused to issue any official statement on Amritpal's arrival in Dibrugarh.
Meanwhile, the security cover outside the central jail was beefed up.
Already, a multi-tier security arrangement was in place, but more security personnel were deployed on Sunday.
The general public were not allowed to go near the jail.
Nine other aides of Amritpal Singh, including his close aide Papalpreet and uncle Harjit Singh, have been lodged in the Dibrugarh central jail since last month.
The 30-year-old Waris Punjab De chief who had been on the run since March 18, was arrested on Sunday morning from Rode in Moga district -- the native village of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed in the Indian Army's Operation Blue Star in 1984.
Amritpal shot to prominence in February after an armed mob led by him clashed with police and laid siege to a police station near Amritsar, demanding the release of one of their colleagues who had been taken into custody in an alleged kidnapping case.
Six policemen were injured in the bloody clash.
In the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, the over rate has proved to be a huge issue with a lot of matches running for almost four hours.
"As it was his team's first offence of the season under the IPL's Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Mr. Pandya was fined Rs. 12 lakh," said a statement from the tournament.
Previously, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis and Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson were fined the same amount for maintaining a slow over rate in their respective matches against Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings respectively.
Coming to the match, opener Shubman Gill notched up his second half-century of IPL 2023 through a serene 49-ball 67 while fast bowler Mohit Sharma marked his comeback in the tournament with a stellar spell of 2/18 as Gujarat beat Punjab by six wickets.
Thursday's victory is also Gujarat's third win of the ongoing season and takes them to third place on the points table, while Punjab were given their second loss of the tournament. Gujarat will next face Rajasthan Royals at home on Sunday, while Punjab will face off against Lucknow on Saturday.
It said quick reaction teams were activated following the firing incident at 4:35 am.
"A firing incident reported in the early hours of the morning around 04:35 hours inside Bathinda Military Station. Quick Reaction Teams were activated and the area was cordoned off and sealed," the Army said in a statement.
It said search operations are in progress
"Four fatal casualties reported. Further details being ascertained," it said.
The details of the incident are not immediately known.
Apart from Chattopadhyaya who has since retired, the disciplinary proceedings for major penalty will be initiated against Inderbir Singh, the then deputy inspector general (DIG) of police of Ferozepur range, and Harmandeep Singh Hans, the then senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Ferozepur.
Official sources said these officers would be asked to submit their responses.
According to the Home Affairs department's communication to the Personnel department issued on Monday, Mann also decided that explanations be sought from Naresh Arora, the then ADGP (Law and Order), G Nageshwara Rao, the then ADGP Cyber Crime, Mukhvinder Singh Chhina, the then IGP Patiala Range, Rakesh Agrawal, the then IG Counter Intelligence and Nodal Officer, Surjeet Singh, the then DIG Faridkot, and Charanjit Singh, the then SSP Moga, as to why disciplinary proceedings should not be initiated against them as recommended in the Supreme Court-constituted inquiry committee report.
The move came after the Supreme Court-appointed committee, which probed the security breach during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Punjab in January 2022, had indicted several state officers for lapses.
On January 5, 2022, Modi's convoy was stranded on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur after which he returned from Punjab without attending any event, including a rally.
The top court on January 12 last year had appointed the committee to probe the breach, saying these questions cannot be left to "one -sided inquiries" as they needed "judicially trained independent minds" to investigate.
The Union Home Secretary had last month written to the Punjab chief secretary to submit an action taken report in the matter.
A few days ago, Punjab Chief Secretary V K Janjua had said that the state government would send an action taken report to the Centre.
The chief secretary had then said that penalties to the erring officials can include stopping increments, demotion and in worse case dismissal of those still in service.
The security breach ahead of the Punjab assembly elections led to a major political controversy.
In a major development, the National Security Act (NSA) has been imposed on four aides of Amritpal Singh. Amritpal Singh's uncle Harjit Singh, who was arrested on early Monday, is also likely to be booked under the stringent law.
While the four aides of Amritpal Singh -- Daljeet Singh Kalsi, Bhagwant Singh, Gurmeet Singh, and Pradhanmantri Bajeka -- have been kept in Assam's Dibrugarh jail, his uncle is also being taken there.
Addressing the media, Gill clarified that Amritpal Singh continued to be absconding and a manhunt was on to arrest him at the earliest.
He, however, did not rule out imposing the NSA on Amritpal Singh, against whom the police slapped six cases. A total of 10 weapons and four vehicles, including the radical leader's Mercedes, had been seized.
Punjab Police suspect the involvement of the ISI and foreign funding for the 'Waris Punjab De', which is being investigated.
"We have strong suspicion of involvement of Pakistan's ISI besides foreign funding. The accused were using hawala channels also. We have evidence that the accused were forming 'Anandpur Khalsa Fauj' (AKF) of close associates of Amritpal," the IG said.
The six FIRs lodged against Amritpal Singh and his associates include causing disharmony and obstruction in police working and attack on police, besides possessing illegal weapons.
The police have also found a walkie-talkie set from one of the vehicles used by Amritpal Singh, the IG said.
Besides, bulletproof jackets and rifles that have been recovered. The gate of the house of Amritpal Singh had AKF inscribed on them.
Gill clarified that there was total normalcy in Punjab and the cordon and search operation is underway.
The Punjab Police continued its crackdown on "fugitive" Amritpal Singh on the third day on Monday.
The police have seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition from Amritpal's aides. A fresh FIR was registered against him and his associates in an illegal weapons case.
The police made preventive arrests of persons attempting to disturb peace and law and order in the state.
Daljeet Singh Kalsi, who handled the Khalistani ideologue's finance, was arrested from Gurugram.
Seven of Amritpal's associates, who were arrested for taking siege of a police station in Amritsar's Ajnala area last month, have been sent to police custody till March 23 by a court in Beas.
Four aides of the absconding radical leader were taken to Dibrugarh in Assam for security reasons.
An official spokesperson for the Punjab Police said Amritpal Singh remains a fugitive and efforts are on to arrest him.
Flag marches have been conducted by district police and paramilitary forces led by Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) and Commissioners of Police (CPs) all over the state, he said, adding that peace committee meetings have also been held in all the districts and there is complete peace and harmony in the state at present.
During the ongoing operations against the 'Waris Punjab De' elements and persons attempting to disturb peace and harmony in the state, another 34 arrests were made from across Punjab on Sunday, taking the total number of people arrested in this connection since Saturday to 112.
The spokesperson said that during the ongoing search operations, an abandoned ISUZU vehicle has been recovered from Salina village in Jalandhar district.
The vehicle was used by Amritpal while the police were chasing him on Saturday. A .315 bore rifle along with 57 cartridges, a sword and a wireless set have been recovered from the abandoned vehicle, he said, adding that the vehicle is owned by Manpreet Singh from Anokharwal village in SBS Nagar, who has been arrested.
The spokesperson added that strict action as per the law will be taken if anyone is found spreading fake news, rumours or hate speech.
All citizens, mediapersons and social media platform intermediaries are requested to act in a responsible manner and to fact-check the authenticity of the content being shared by them on various social media, electronic media and print media platforms, he added.
All mischievous elements attempting to disrupt peace and harmony in the state shall be dealt with strictly, the spokesperson added.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Sunday issued notice to the Punjab government on a habeas corpus petition seeking issuance of directions to the Jalandhar Commissioner of Police and other officials to present alleged "detainee" Amritpal Singh "in the interest of justice".
Justice N.S. Shekhawat fixed the case for further hearing on Tuesday.
Petitioner Imaan Singh Khara alleged that 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh had been illegally and forcibly detained by the police commissioner and other officials without any authority of law.
Directions were also sought for the appointment of a warrant officer to visit the "spot".
"There are possibilities that we might take over the matter. There is a terror link connected to Pakistan's ISI and therefore the Home Ministry can decide to transfer the case to the NIA," the source said.
As of now, Punjab Police are looking into the matter. Amritpal is currently on the run and there are speculations that he might have fled abroad.
Punjab Police are planning to book Amritpal under the provisions of National Security Act (NSA), sources privy to the development told IANS.
In the interest of public safety, the Punjab government has extended the suspension of SMS and mobile internet services, except voice call, till Monday noon.
Amritsar Deputy Commissioner of Police, Parminder Singh Bhandal, told the media that the police have set up 100 checkpoints in Amritsar and its outskirts to physically check vehicles. CRPF jawans are accompanying the policemen at the checkpoints.
Anticipating disturbance of peace, a large contingent of paramilitary force has been deployed outside Amritpal Singh's native village, Jallupur Khaira in Amritsar district.
A special team of police, comprising personnel from seven districts, had followed the separatist leader's convoy while he was on his way to Jalandhar's Shahkot tehsil on Saturday.
"Amritpal's vehicle was chased for 20-25 km. His vehicle was at the front. However, he managed to escape by changing his vehicle," Police Commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal said.
Section 144 has been imposed in many districts of the state. The police have also increased security across Punjab. In addition, all vehicles are being checked on the Punjab-Haryana border.
Meanwhile, Amritpal's father, Tarsem Singh, has told the media that the police should have arrested him before he left the house.
"We don't have any information about his whereabouts. They carried out a search at our residence for 3-4 hours, but did not find anything illegal," he said.
He also termed the police action as "unjustified", claiming that his son was weaning the youth off drugs.
"Why are the police not acting against criminals and those involved in drugs trade," he asked.
The police have seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition from Amritpal's aides, who were arrested on Saturday.
The police had on Saturday launched a major crackdown against Amritpal and arrested 78 members of Waris Punjab De, including six to seven gunmen of the radical outfit.
Daljeet Singh Kalsi, who handled the Khalistani ideologue's finance, was arrested from Gurugram.
Seven of Amritpal's associates, who were arrested for taking siege of a police station in Amritsar's Ajnala area last month, have been sent to police custody till March 23 by a court in Beas.
Four aides of the absconding radical leader were taken to Dibrugarh in Assam for security reasons.
According to reports, the arrested persons might undergo interrogation by a joint team of Punjab and Assam Police.
"Punjab Police are acting within the law. Amritpal Singh is still absconding. Don't believe in rumours and false news. We request all the citizens to maintain peace and harmony and not to panic," a video statement by IG (Headquarters), Sukhchain Singh Gill, said.
To prevent any untoward incident in case of the arrest of Amritpal, the police along with CRPF personnel on Sunday conducted flag marches across Punjab.
Punjab Police are planning to book Amritpal Singh under the provisions of the National Security Act (NSA), sources privy to the development told IANS.
In the interest of public safety, the government has extended the suspension of SMS and mobile internet services, except voice call, till Monday noon.
Amritsar Deputy Commissioner of Police, Parminder Singh Bhandal, told the media that the police have set up 100 checkpoints in Amritsar and its outskirts to physically check vehicles. CRPF jawans are accompanying the policemen at the checkpoints.
Anticipating disturbance of peace, a large contingent of paramilitary force has been deployed outside Amritpal Singh's native village, Jallupur Khaira in Amritsar district.
A special team of police, comprising personnel from seven districts, had followed the separatist leader's convoy while he was on his way to Jalandhar's Shahkot tehsil on Saturday.
"Amritpal's vehicle was chased for 20-25 km. His vehicle was at the front. However, he managed to escape by changing his vehicle," Police Commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal said.
Section 144 has been imposed in many districts of the state. The police have also increased security across Punjab. In addition, all vehicles are being checked on the Punjab-Haryana border.
Meanwhile, Amritpal's father, Tarsem Singh, has told the media that the police should have arrested him before he left the house.
"We don't have any information about his whereabouts. They carried out a search at our residence for 3-4 hours, but did not find anything illegal," he said.
He also termed the police action as "unjustified", claiming that his son was weaning the youth off drugs.
"Why are the police not acting against criminals and those involved in drugs trade," he asked.
Punjab Police are planning to book Amritpal Singh under the provisions of the National Security Act (NSA), sources privy to the development told IANS.
In the interest of public safety, the government extended the suspension of SMS and mobile Internet services, except the voice call, till Monday noon.
Amritsar Deputy Commissioner of Police Parminder Singh Bhandal told the media that the police have set up 100 checkpoints in Amritsar and city outskirts to physically check vehicles. CRPF jawans were accompanying the policemen at checkpoints.
Officials told IANS the flag marches are being conducted in towns and cities in all districts.
Anticipating a disturbance of peace, a large contingent of the paramilitary force was deployed outside Amritpal Singh's native village, Jallupur Khaira, in Amritsar district.
A special team of the police, comprising personnel from seven districts, had followed the separatist leader's convoy while he was on his way to Jalandhar's Shahkot tehsil on Saturday. They zeroed in on his vehicle two to three times but Amritpal Singh managed to escape.
Section 144 has been imposed in many districts of the state. The police have also increased security in the state. In addition, all vehicles are being checked at the Punjab-Haryana border.
Amritpal's father, Tarsem Singh told the media the police should have arrested him before he left the house. "We don't have any information about his whereabouts. They carried out a search at our residence for 3-4 hours but did not find anything illegal."
He called the police action "unjustified" and said his son was weaning the youth off drugs. "Why were the police not acting against criminals and those involved in drugs," he asked.
Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal said Amritpal's six gunmen were nabbed. "A manhunt for Amritpal Singh is on and we are hopeful that he will be arrested soon. A total of 78 people have been arrested so far and further searches and raids are underway," he added.
"During the statewide operation, nine weapons, including one .315 bore rifle, seven rifles of 12 bore, one revolver and 373 live cartridges of different caliber have been recovered so far," the police said in a statement on Twitter.
Six gunmen of Amritpal Singh, the chief of 'Waris Punjab De', were also arrested. They were taken into undisclosed location.
Internet services in Punjab were suspended after the arrests.
Supporters of Amritpal Singh have been sharing videos of police vehicles chasing Singh's cavalcade in Moga district.
Anticipating disturbance of peace, a large contingent of the paramilitary force was deployed outside his native village, Jallupur Khaira, in Amritsar district.
A special team of the police, comprising personnel from seven districts, had followed the separatist leader's convoy while he was on his way to Jalandhar's Shahkot tehsil. They had closed on his vehicles two to three times but Amritpal Singh managed to escape.
Thirty-year-old Amritpal Singh, a pro-Khalistan fiery propagator and self-styled preacher, has been running 'separatist' propaganda through speeches. Three cases, including two of delivering hate speeches, have been pending against him.
On the radar of Central investigating agencies, he has drawn comparisons to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale owing to his similar looks and donning a navy blue turban, a white chola, and a sword-sized kirpan.
On February 23, an armed mob led by Amritpal Singh clashed with police and laid siege to a police station near Amritsar, demanding the release of one of their colleagues who had been taken into custody in an alleged kidnapping case.
Six policemen were injured in the bloody clash.
Police officials later clarified that they were unable to control the crowd as they were carrying a physical copy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, also called Bir in Punjabi, as a shield.
As the Internet was suspended, Punjab Police urged people to maintain peace and harmony and not to spread panic, fake news or hate speech.
"Punjab Police is working to maintain law and order," the Punjab Police tweeted. "All mobile internet services, all SMS services (except banking & mobile recharge) & all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except voice call, in the territorial jurisdiction of Punjab shall be suspended from 18th March (12:00 hours) to 19th March (12:00 hours) in the interest of public safety".
Reacting to Amritpal's arrest, Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu said the man who "used to talk about taking up arms for Khalistan is today running away fearing the police".
"Does a Sikh ever run away? He would have faced the police if he had courage. He is running around in the streets like a jackal. I used to say earlier, too, that he has come to get our children killed. He is a man of (intelligence) agencies," he said.
"Troops deployed at the border heard a buzzing sound of a suspected flying object entering from Pakistan into India near Metla village in the district at around 1 a.m. on Friday in Gurdaspur," a BSF statement said.
"As per the laid down drill, troops endeavoured to intercept the drone by firing. On day break the whole area was cordoned in which police also participated," it said.
During the search, BSF troops found a hexacopter along with the weapon and ammunition.
However, despite multiple awareness drives being conducted to spread road safety awareness, reckless drivers pay no heed and cause a ruckus on the road pushing everyone into trouble.
While the duty of a traffic cop is to take such persons into the task and punish them according to the law, here we bring a video that will tickle your funny bones as well as raise the safety concerns of other commuters.
As seen in the video, a traffic cop tried to interact with a rickshaw driver, but he gave a slip to the cop. As it seems, the driver had violated traffic rules and when the cop was trying to take him to task, he escaped.
Later, the cop started chasing the driver. While chasing, the cop tried to stop the auto but the driver started yelling at him and didn’t stop. The cop continued to chase the auto on several streets and main roads.
Unexpectedly, the driver hit a bike rider in the middle of the road and didn’t stop by. Some other cops also chased him but failed to catch him.
The driver then moved to a narrow street in a residential area, creating chaos on the road. After a while, the driver left his auto and jumped out to escape from the cops.
While his auto turned turtle, the cops followed him. However, the driver gave a slip to the cops and crossed a railway track, and escaped.
The video shared on Twitter by Gagandeep Singh has gone viral and users have compared the chase sequence with that of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City or GTA Vice City, a popular arcade game. Some others have also compared it with the sequence of the Hindi action movie ‘Dhoom’.
GTA Punjab 🤣🤣pic.twitter.com/rijcNz3JWu
— Jahazi (@Oye_Jahazi) January 31, 2023
The victim claimed the women made him unconscious and abducted him when he was showing them the address.
He said he was abducted in a white car after some chemical was sprayed in his eyes.
Later, he was dumped at a secluded spot late in the night.
The man said he has not complained about the crime to the police.
He, in fact, narrated the sequence of the crime with the local media.
However, the authenticity of the victim's video cannot be verified by IANS. Even senior police officials said if he was sexually abused, he should lodge a complaint with the police.
In an interview with a vernacular daily, the victim claimed his wife asked him not to file a complaint.
He alleged that the kidnapping by four car-borne women was done for sexual abuse.
As the car stopped, one of the girls asked about an address written on a slip. As he was reading the address, one of them allegedly sprayed something in his eyes, after which he was blinded.
The women took him to a secluded location where they drugged him, he alleged.
Punjab Police chief Gaurav Yadav said local shopkeeper, Sandeep Singh Sunny, has been arrested for firing at and killing the Shiv Sena leader, while terming the incident as unfortunate.
He said a weapon of offence, a .32 bore pistol has been recovered from the possession of the accused, who runs a garment shop near Gopal Mandir in Amritsar.
Suri was sitting on a protest outside Gopal Mandir in Gopal Nagar at around 3.40 p.m. when he was shot at by an unknown person from the crowd.
He was taken to the Escort Hospital, where he succumbed to the bullet injuries.
DGP Yadav told the media here that a first information report in this connection was registered under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and other relevant sections.
He said further investigation is being conducted and Punjab Police will get to the bottom of the case.
"An in-depth investigation is being conducted and any conspiracy in this matter would be unearthed," he said, adding that the police is committed to maintaining peace and harmony in the state.
The DGP said situation in Amritsar is fully under control and police will keep updating about the developments in this case.
According to Border Security Force (BSF) officials, a BSF's patrolling party heard buzzing sound of a drone on the intervening night of September 24 and 25 following which the troopers fired in the direction of that drone that eventually flew back towards Pakistan.
The BSF carried out a search operation in the fields of Dhanoe Khurd village in the morning and found four packets containing narcotics.
No arrest, however, has been made yet in connection with the incident.
Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said here the arrested accused, Sanjeev Singh, is suspected of blackmailing the accused girl student.
The development came days after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ordered a high-level probe into the matter for which a three-member all-woman Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the overall supervision of ADGP Gurpreet Kaur Deo was constituted.
DGP Yadav apprised that based on forensic and digital evidence, the police team from Mohali was dispatched to Arunachal Pradesh to arrest the accused.
He said the army man was arrested from Sela Pass in Arunachal Pradesh with the support of Arunachal Pradesh Police, Assam Police and Indian Army.
The Mohali Police have obtained a two-day transit remand of the accused from the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Bomdila to produce him before the magistrate in Mohali, he added.
The Mohali Police have already arrested three people, including the girl student and two others from Himachal Pradesh, and some electronic devices were seized from their possession.
Huge protests broke out on the university campus in Mohali district after a girl allegedly leaked private videos of her hostel mates online.
A day after daylong protest, silence returned to the campus as the local administration and the university agreed to investigate the demand of the students over objectionable videos of several girl students were recorded by a hosteller and shared with her friend in Shimla.
Pertinently, Landa is considered to be the close aide of Harvinder Singh, who had joined hands with the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), and they have close ties with the ISI.
Landa had played a key role in conspiring the rocket propelled grenade (RPG) terror attack at the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali and had also planted an IED beneath Sub-Inspector Dilbagh Singh's car in Amritsar.
Those arrested have been identified as Baljit Singh Malhi (25) and Gurbaksh Singh, both from Ferozepur.
DGP Yadav said in an intelligence-led operation by AIG (Counter Intelligence) Jalandhar Navjot Singh Mahal, the police teams managed to arrest both the accused persons.
The police have also recovered one sophisticated AK-56 assault rifle along with two magazines, 90 cartridges and two bullet shells from a location pinpointed by Gurbaksh Singh at his village, he added.
He said the preliminary investigations revealed that Baljit was in touch with Italy-based Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Sanghera, and on the latter's directions, Baljit had picked consignment of weapons from a pinpointed spot in July.
Later, they concealed the consignment at fields owned by Gurbaksh in his village after conducting test fires, the DGP added.
He said it has also been ascertained that Baljit was in direct contact with dreaded gangsters, including Landa and Arsh Dalla.
Further investigations are on and more recoveries of weapons are expected soon, he added.
The DGP said that the war against gangsters waged by the Punjab Police on directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will continue till it emerges as a gangster-free state.
"As per the investigation, the accused made her own video and no video of other students was made. There was no evidence so far. There is so much misinformation and rumours doing rounds. We should respect the modesty of the accused student as we are investigating the matter," he said.
Soni appealed to the public and the students to maintain calm and help police to investigate the matter.
As per reports, the accused hosteller illegally sent the nude images and videos to a male friend in Shimla, resulting in the footage being circulated online.
As the video went viral, a massive ruckus on the campus of Chandigarh University erupted overnight with crowds of hostellers staging a massive protest. Students shouted slogans: 'We want justice'.
During the protest, police had to cane-charge students to disperse them.
AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reacted to the incident and urged the people to act with patience.
"In Chandigarh University, a girl has gone viral by recording objectionable videos of many girl students. This is very serious and shameful. All the culprits involved in this will get the harshest punishment. Victim girls have courage. We are all with you. All act with patience," he said in a tweet.
Requesting the students to keep calm, state Minister of School Education Harjot Singh Bains said, "No one guilty will be spared. It's a very sensitive matter and relates to dignity of our sisters and daughters. We all including media should be very very cautious, it is also test of ours now as a society."
Punjab State Women Commission Chairperson Manisha Gulati, who reached the university, clarified on the rumours around victims of alleged video and MMS scandal attempting suicide.
"The probe is underway and law will take its course," she said, asking the commission to inspect all universities so that such incidents did not reoccur.
"The police are investigating the entire incident and we are assisting them," said Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chancellor, Chandigarh University.
Along with cars and motorcycles, BMW Group's activities in India comprise of financial services for its premium clientele, the statement added.
BMW Group is firmly committed to its Indian operations with its manufacturing plant in Chennai, a parts warehouse in Pune, a training centre in Gurgaon-NCR and a well-developed dealer network across major metropolitans of the country.
The BMW gets some two wheeler models manufactured by two and three wheeler maker TVS Motor Company.
BMW India and BMW India Financial Services are 100 per cent subsidiaries of the BMW Group and are headquartered in Gurgaon (National Capital Region), the BMW Group said.
A video of the incident has now gone viral that shows the swing free-falling after breaking off mid-air. The impact of the fall was so high that many people were thrown out of their chairs.
According to an official, the organisers of the fair had permission to organise the event till September 4. However, a board was put up at the spot which mentioned September 11 as the deadline.
Locals present at the fair claimed no safety measures were taken in the conduct of the fair.
“Their private bouncers came nearly 20 minutes late. There was a lady who was their head. She said that nobody is dead. Who will take responsibility for the incident? How is this business running without the availability of any medical aid? The public is being stopped by the police. Nearly 50 people would be injured. There were no safety measures taken. No senior official reached the spot,” a local said.
10 persons, including children and women, were injured when a high-rise spinning joyride broke down and fell at the Dashera Ground, Phase-8 in Mohali. @ndtv pic.twitter.com/jus2JVc4X9
— Mohammad Ghazali (@ghazalimohammad) September 4, 2022
When contacted, DSP Harsimran Singh Bal said, “What we have come to know so far is that they had the permission to organise the show. However, no one would be spared if there is mistake committed on their part. Strict action will be taken according to law. We have admitted all the injured to the civil hospital.”
Further investigation into the incident is underway.
In the video shot on July 10, the two-time legislator from Talwandi Sabo could be heard arguing with her husband, Sukhraj Singh. Suddenly, Singh gets up and apparently slaps Kaur.
Some people standing near the couple then intervene and push Singh away, the video showed.
Kaur could not be reached for comments.
No complaint has been filed by the AAP legislator.
Meanwhile, Punjab State Women's Commission chairperson Manisha Gulati said she has seen the video and will take suo motu notice of the incident. Kaur got married to Singh, the AAP's youth wing convener for Majha region, in February 2019.
She did her M.Phil from Punjab University, Patiala, in 2009.
Before foraying into politics, she was a professor of English at Mata Gujri College at Fatehgarh Sahib.
Watch the Video Here:
Empowering women is not a deterrent to stop violence against women.Shocking to see @BaljinderKaur_ MLA getting slapped in broad day light.Mindset of men has to change.
— Brinder (@brinderdhillon) September 1, 2022
The problem lies in the perpetrator’s of these acts.Change this male chauvinism attitude more then anything else pic.twitter.com/Qxm6rhrtht
He said a notification has been issued and came into force with immediately.
The minister said Bilaspur and Sanauri Adda villages in Patiala district were notified as the epicentre of the disease.
Bhullar said these areas have been declared "infected zone" (0-1 km area around epicenter of disease) and "surveillance zone" (1-10 km area around epicenter of disease).
Accordingly, no live or dead pig, including feral or wild pigs, unprocessed pig meat, feed or any material or goods from the piggery farm or backyard piggery shall be taken out of or brought into the infected zone and no person shall bring or attempt to bring into market any pig or pig products which is known to be infected with the scheduled disease.
The minister, quoting the notification, said inter-state movement of any pig or products should be strictly banned.
His two aides -- Sandeep Singh and Gurpreet Singh -- were also arrested, They were allegedly involved in cross-border smuggling of narcotics and weapons.
The police have also recovered one hand-grenade, one RDX-IED, two .30 bore pistols, besides magazines and 13 cartridges, 635 gm heroin, 100 gm opium, Rs 36.90 lakh drug money, and one Mitsubishi Lancer car from their possession.
Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said accused Gurwinder Singh, who was wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), had played a key role in the killing of Sandhu by providing weapons to shooters.
A probe revealed that Gurwinder is a close associate of gangsters Sukhpreet Singh and Sukhmeetpal Singh.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the recovered explosives and arms and ammunition were to be used to disrupt peace and harmony and create a sense of terror in the state on or before Independence Day, said the DGP.
Inspector General of Police (Ferozepur Range) Jaskaran Singh said following inputs that Gurwinder Baba with his aide Sandeep was on the way to Khadoor Sahib, the Tarn Taran police had intercepted their car and managed to arrest them.
SSP Ranjit Singh Dhillon said the arrests are likely to lead to disclosures of cross-border smuggling modules.
Two motorcycle-borne assailants shot dead Shaurya Chakra awardee Sandhu at his residence in Bhikhiwind in the border district of Tarn Taran in October 2020.
It was a private ceremony without the usual crowds, so much a part of the big, fat Indian wedding. Though few details were available, visuals on television and Twitter showed Mann and his bride dressed in red at the Anand Karaj ceremony.
Aam Aadmi Party colleague Raghav Chadha also shared some images on Twitter showing Mann, in his regular yellow turban and a gold coloured kurta-pyjama, with party chief Arvind Kejriwal and others.
Mann (48), the first chief minister of the state to get married while in office, is tying the knot with Dr Gurpreet Kaur from Pehowa in Kurukshetra in Haryana.
This is Mann's second marriage. He separated from his first wife in 2015 -- they have two children, daughter Seerat Kaur (21) and son Dilshan (17).
Tight security arrangements were in place at the chief minister's home in Sector 2.
Gurpreet Kaur (30) shared a picture of herself on Twitter and wrote, "Din Shagna Da Chadya (the day of marriage has arrived)".
She also thanked AAP leaders for their congratulatory messages.
According to party insiders, the wedding, being solemnised according to Sikh rituals, was attended by Mann's mother and sister and just a few guests, including Kejriwal and his family.
Kejriwal told reporters at the airport, Today is a day of immense happiness that my younger brother and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ji is getting married and is making a new beginning.
"May God bless him with a happy married life and both (the couple) always remain happy.
AAP MP Chadha shared several pictures on his Twitter handle, one post showing Mann and himself on a sofa. He quoted a Punjabi song of celebration, "Saade veer da vyah, Saanu gode gode chah", as the caption.
There were also pictures of the groom at his festooned home, walking under a canopy held up by Chadha among others, and at the ceremony.
Chadha said, A new chapter in CM Bhagwant Mann's life is going to start today. I congratulate Mann saab's family, his mother and sister. It will be a small function. Only family members will attend."
"We all are happy that happiness has returned to Mann saab's family after a long time. It was his mother's dream to see her son getting settled again. Today, that dream is going to come true," he told reporters.
Gurpreet Kaur completed her MBBS from a private university in Haryana in 2018. She has two elder sisters who are settled abroad.
Mann is getting married to Gurpreet Kaur, a doctor by profession.
The 48-year-old Mann is tying knot with 1993-born Kaur, who did her MBBS from Maharishi Markandeshwar University at Haryana's Mullana in 2018.
In his previous marriage to Inderpreet Kaur, which ended in a divorce in 2016, Mann has two children -- son Dilshan and daughter Seerat -- who are currently staying in the US with their mother.
Both children had attended Mann's swearing-in ceremony at Khatkar Kalan on March 16.
Mann's cabinet colleagues -- Aman Arora and Harjot Singh Bains -- have congratulated him on Twitter.
Bishnoi was produced before a court in Mansa district which remanded him to seven-day police custody, sources said.
A Delhi court on Tuesday granted Punjab Police the transit remand of Bishnoi to take him to Punjab in the case related to the singer and Congress leader Moosewala's murder.
The Delhi court had passed the order as Punjab Police produced Bishnoi before it after formally arresting him in the case.
After being brought to Mansa in the early hours from Delhi, he was produced before a court there which remanded him to seven-day custody of the Punjab Police.
He was now being brought to Kharar, near here, by a team of Punjab Police for questioning, the sources said.
As per an official statement issued here on Tuesday evening, Bishnoi has been nominated as an accused and conspirator in the Moosewala's murder case. It had said he would be taken on police remand for further interrogation to unravel the conspiracy and the motive behind the killing.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder case of Moosewala is making steady progress, Additional Director General of Punjab Police Pramod Ban had said on Tuesday.
Moosewala, the singer-politician who had joined the Congress months before the 2022 state assembly polls, was shot dead on May 29 by unidentified assailants in Punjab's Mansa district.
Earlier, Punjab Police had said the killing of Moosewala seemed to be the result of an inter-gang rivalry and that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was involved in it.
Punjab Police has arrested nine people for providing logistic support, conducting recce and harbouring the shooters of Moosewala, Tuesday's statement had said.
A source said that Punjab police team is in Dehradun.
"A joint team of Uttarakhand STF and Punjab police has held one person for interrogation. The arrest in the case is likely," said the source.
In less than 24 hours after his security was curtailed by the government, Moosewala, 29, was shot dead by gangsters close to his ancestral village in Mansa in broad daylight on Sunday.
He was on the wheel in a Mahindra Thar SUV when the assailants, believed to be 10-12, fired more than 20 rounds at point-blank range at the singer and his two friends, who got grievous injuries.
Goldy Brar, a Canada based gangster and Lawrence Bishnoi have taken the responsibility of the murder.
The killing has sparked a huge political controversy and the Punjab Government is at the receiving end.
The Punjab police is not leaving any stone unturned in the matter.
The government will leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice, said Mann.
His statement came after Moosewala's father Balkaur Singh demanded a probe by a sitting judge of the high court into the murder.
In a statement here, Mann also expressed deep shock over the demise of Moosewala.
Punjab Government shall be requesting the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court to get the case inquired into by the sitting judge of the high court, he said.
The state government shall ensure full cooperation in this enquiry commission including that from any central agency like the NIA.
Mann further said he had already ordered an inquiry at the highest level into aspects of security reduction and fix responsibility,
The famous Punjabi singer and Congress leader was shot dead on Sunday by unidentified assailants in Mansa district, a day after the state government curtailed his security cover.
As per the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, the harmonium is an instrument with colonial roots and was introduced in India by the British.
It has urged that the harmoniums be replaced in three years with traditional string instruments during kirtans.
However, Sikh scholars strike differing notes. They say in modern times there is a shortage of traditional string instrument players.
Also the 'sangat' or devotees, who used to enjoy hymns on the tunes of harmonium will not enjoy that melody they are used to.
Also it will be almost impossible for the SGPC, considered a mini-parliament of Sikh religious affairs as it has control over Sikh religious affairs, manages gurdwaras in Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, to arrange players of traditional string instruments.
Every day, the 'Gurbani kirtan' in the Golden Temple lasts for over 20 hours. For that there is need of at least 15 hymn singers to sing about 31 ragas. Only five of them have the experience to perform on string instruments.
To overcome the shortage, Gurmat Sangeet departments in SGPC-runs colleges have recently started training in string instruments.
"It was blissful when harmonium was not in use by raagis," says a Punjabi University professor who specialises in Gurmat Sangeet.
However, critics see banishing the harmonium a travesty. They say listen to 'raag kirtan' with string instruments and "you will know the difference".
"While the instrument (harmonium) may not have originated in India, it found a second life in India. Ghazals, qawwalis, Hindustani music and Bollywood music have used the harmonium generously," wrote a critic on Twitter.
Another critic wrote: "Interesting call for how kirtan is performed in Harmandir Sahib. Also very necessary is allowing women to perform as well. That women are being blocked from this is a travesty."
The weight of the heroin was found to be 10 kg with packing material.
In a tweet, the BSF said, "BSF troops foiled another smuggling attempt through Pak drone. Vigilant BSF troops fired at the drone coming from Pak and brought it down. Drone carrying 9 packets suspected to be heroin (10.670 kg) in a bag were also recovered."
09/05/2022#Amritsar @BSF_Punjab Frontier#BSF troops foiled another smuggling attempt through Pak drone. Vigilant BSF troops fired at the drone coming from Pak & brought it down. Drone carrying 9 packets suspected to be #Heroin (10.670Kgs) in a bag were also recovered.#JaiHind pic.twitter.com/MhAsr9omw3
— BSF PUNJAB FRONTIER (@BSF_Punjab) May 9, 2022
The troops sounded an alert.
Punjab shares a 553-km barbed-wire fenced international border with Pakistan which is under the vigil of nearly 135 BSF battalions. The drug network operates along the Afghanistan-Pakistan-India route.
Cloth merchant Ramesh Kumar from Sunam town in Sangrur district, in a police complaint, said he was allegedly duped by horse traders -- Jatinder Pal Singh Sekhon, Lakhwinder Singh, and Lachra Khan -- on the pretext of selling him a Marwari breed stallion.
He said when he gave a bath to the horse, the dye washed away and the real red coat of the horse surfaced.
Kumar invested the money in the black horse to start a stud farm.
Police have registered a case of fraud against the accused.
As per the police, the accused had cheated eight other people by selling fake breed horses.
Charanjit Singh, alias Patialavi, was arrested from Mohali's Dera Bassi by the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of the Punjab Police.
He was an active member of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist module busted by police in 2010 for involvement in the 2007 Ludhiana blast, which had left six dead and over 40 injured.
The terror module was also allegedly involved in 2010 blasts in Ambala and at Kali Mata Mandir in Patiala.
All other associates of Patialavi were arrested in 2010 by the Punjab Police, AGTF Deputy Inspector General Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said in a statement on Sunday.
Patialavi has been evading arrest for the past 12 years by using different identities and hideouts, said police. "Patialavi, disguising himself as a 'granthi' was presently staying in a gurudwara at Kharagpur in West Bengal and was not using any communication device," said Bhullar.
Different identification cards on West Bengal address have been recovered from his possession, Bhullar said.
Bhullar said Patialavi, a resident of Butta Singh Wala village in Patiala, was declared a proclaimed offender in a case registered under the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act at the Machhiwara police station.
He said AGTF teams led by Assistant Inspector General Gurmeet Singh Chauhan and Deputy Superintendent of Police Bikramjit Singh Brar arrested Patialavi from near a gurudwara at Lali village in Dera Bassi.
This was one of the first crucial pre-poll sops announced by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on June 29, 2021.
The state has already been providing free power to the farmers, besides 200 free units to the Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and BPL families.
In front-page newspapers advertisements in almost all major dailies, the government announced to provide free power, besides highlighting its achievements that comprise the launch of anti-corruption helpline, which Mann launched on March 23, the martyrdom day of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru.
Opening the helpline -- 9501-200-200 -- Mann, whose party swept to power winning 92 of the 117 seats, said people should not say 'no' if they are asked to pay bribe. Instead, they should make a video and send it to the given number, through WhatsApp.
The other prominent achievements include announcement to fill 25,000 new government jobs, regularisation of service of 35,000 contractual workers and the rollout of doorstep delivery of ration for the poor, the model the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi had tried to implement but had to stop following objections by the Centre.
A day earlier, the government announced to transfer more than Rs 2,000 crore to the bank accounts of farmers towards minimum support price (MSP) payments.
A government statement said Rs 828 crore had already been transferred to their accounts so far
The timeline for another major pre-poll promise of providing a stipend of Rs 1,000 per month to all women above 18 years of age is yet to be made public by the government. This bonanza is likely to cost over Rs 15,000 crore annually to the government whose financial crisis is set to worsen with a debt likely to cross Rs 3,00,000 crore.
Banking largely on freebies to woo the electorates, the AAP had also promised to suitably compensate financially Anganwadi and ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers.
After staking claim to form the government, Mann promised AAP would provide a good Cabinet and make historic decisions.
However, the ever increasing salary and pension burden and rising debt and interest leave scope for development, admit officials.
As per official figures, the total outstanding debt of Punjab as on March 31 was projected at Rs 2,52,880 crore, which is 42 per cent of the GSDP for 2020-21 and the outstanding debt is likely to be Rs 2,73,703 crore in 2021-22, which is 45 per cent of the GSDP.
Twenty per cent of the annual budget is being spent only to pay the interest on the loans.
As per the latest findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the state's financial crisis is set to worsen with the debt likely to reach Rs 3.73 lakh crore by 2024-25.
The government officials told IANS that the state's debt has increased by Rs 1 lakh crore in the past five years under the previous Congress government, largely owing to populism.