News Analysis India

Tag: Punjab government

  • Press Council of India notice to Punjab govt over arrest of journalist

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Press Council of India has issued notices to the Punjab government seeking a report on the arrest of a reporter and “preventing her from doing her journalistic duty”.

    TV journalist Bhawana Kishore and two others were arrested by Punjab Police on May 5 when their vehicle allegedly hit a woman, injuring her hand. She was released from jail in Ludhiana on May 7, a day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted her interim bail.

    In the notices to the chief secretary, home secretary and Director General of Police of Punjab and other senior officers, Press Council of India chairperson Ranjana Prakash Desai sought the report within two weeks.

    The matter pertained to the curtailment of press freedom, which the Press Council of India has been mandated by law to preserve.

    The PCI chairperson has expressed concern over the actions of the Punjab Police and has taken suo-motu cognisance of the matter as per the relevant provisions of the law, it said.

    Kishore along with video journalist Mrityunjay Kumar and car driver Parminder Singh faced charges under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly making casteist remarks towards the woman.

    NEW DELHI: The Press Council of India has issued notices to the Punjab government seeking a report on the arrest of a reporter and “preventing her from doing her journalistic duty”.

    TV journalist Bhawana Kishore and two others were arrested by Punjab Police on May 5 when their vehicle allegedly hit a woman, injuring her hand. She was released from jail in Ludhiana on May 7, a day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted her interim bail.

    In the notices to the chief secretary, home secretary and Director General of Police of Punjab and other senior officers, Press Council of India chairperson Ranjana Prakash Desai sought the report within two weeks.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The matter pertained to the curtailment of press freedom, which the Press Council of India has been mandated by law to preserve.

    The PCI chairperson has expressed concern over the actions of the Punjab Police and has taken suo-motu cognisance of the matter as per the relevant provisions of the law, it said.

    Kishore along with video journalist Mrityunjay Kumar and car driver Parminder Singh faced charges under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly making casteist remarks towards the woman.

  • Punjab sees nearly 1,900 farm fires on Saturday

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Despite the Punjab government carrying out a massive awareness programme to dissuade farmers from setting crop residue on fire, the state recorded 1,898 stubble burning incidents on Saturday.

    With this, the cumulative number of farm fire incidents between September 15 and October 29 now stands at 12,112, according to Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data.

    During the corresponding in 2020 and 2021, the state had reported 23,187 and 8,856 stubble burning incidents respectively.

    Out of total 1,898 farm fire incidents on Saturday, Sangrur recorded the highest number of 286 cases, followed by 268 in Patiala, 192 in Tarn Taran, 109 in Barnala, 108 in Bathinda, 105 in Ludhiana and 104 in Ferozepur, as per the data.

    The state had reported 1,541 and 1,353 active fire incidents on October 29 in 2020 and 2021 respectively, according to the data. After Diwali, the state has seen a jump in the number of stubble burning incidents.

    The state’s total number of farm fires has more than doubled to 12,112 in comparison to 5,617 incidents on October 24, as per the data. Major farm fire incidents are now being witnessed in the state’s Malwa region.

    During the period from September 15 to October 29, Tarn Taran reported 2,188 farm fires, followed by 1,327 in Patiala, 1,296 in Amritsar and 1,046 in Sangrur.

    In neighbouring Haryana, many places reported air quality indices in ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ categories on Saturday evening.

    Faridabad reported its air quality index at 397, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

    Among other areas in the state, Manesar reported an AQI at 381, Gurugram 375, Fatehabad 373, Bahadurgarh 363, Charkhi Dadri 353, Bhiwani 327, Sonipat 332, Rohtak 309, Kurukshetra 273 and Ambala 254.

    In Punjab, Amritsar, Khanna, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Mandi Gobindgarh and Patiala reported their respective AQIs at 215, 186, 177, 220, 160 and 208, as per the data. The Union Territory of Chandigarh reported an AQI of 192.

    An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.

    Meanwhile, Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal) general secretary Harinder Singh Lakhowal on Saturday asked the government to pay Rs 100 per quintal or Rs 5,000 per acre to a farmer for stubble management.

    “We also do not want it to burn it as its smoke reaches our villages first. Therefore, we request the government to support us, otherwise farmers will be forced to burn crop residue,” Lakhowal told reporters in Jalandhar.

    Earlier in the day in Mohali, Punjab Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan exhorted farmers not to burn stubble so as to keep the environment clean and pollution-free.

    Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is one of the reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital in October and November.

    As the window for Rabi crop wheat is very short after paddy harvest, farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue.

    Punjab generates around 180 lakh tonne of paddy straw annually. Punjab recorded 71,304 such fire incidents in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019, 50,590 in 2018, 45,384 in 2017 and 81,042 in 2016.

    CHANDIGARH: Despite the Punjab government carrying out a massive awareness programme to dissuade farmers from setting crop residue on fire, the state recorded 1,898 stubble burning incidents on Saturday.

    With this, the cumulative number of farm fire incidents between September 15 and October 29 now stands at 12,112, according to Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data.

    During the corresponding in 2020 and 2021, the state had reported 23,187 and 8,856 stubble burning incidents respectively.

    Out of total 1,898 farm fire incidents on Saturday, Sangrur recorded the highest number of 286 cases, followed by 268 in Patiala, 192 in Tarn Taran, 109 in Barnala, 108 in Bathinda, 105 in Ludhiana and 104 in Ferozepur, as per the data.

    The state had reported 1,541 and 1,353 active fire incidents on October 29 in 2020 and 2021 respectively, according to the data. After Diwali, the state has seen a jump in the number of stubble burning incidents.

    The state’s total number of farm fires has more than doubled to 12,112 in comparison to 5,617 incidents on October 24, as per the data. Major farm fire incidents are now being witnessed in the state’s Malwa region.

    During the period from September 15 to October 29, Tarn Taran reported 2,188 farm fires, followed by 1,327 in Patiala, 1,296 in Amritsar and 1,046 in Sangrur.

    In neighbouring Haryana, many places reported air quality indices in ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ categories on Saturday evening.

    Faridabad reported its air quality index at 397, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

    Among other areas in the state, Manesar reported an AQI at 381, Gurugram 375, Fatehabad 373, Bahadurgarh 363, Charkhi Dadri 353, Bhiwani 327, Sonipat 332, Rohtak 309, Kurukshetra 273 and Ambala 254.

    In Punjab, Amritsar, Khanna, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Mandi Gobindgarh and Patiala reported their respective AQIs at 215, 186, 177, 220, 160 and 208, as per the data. The Union Territory of Chandigarh reported an AQI of 192.

    An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.

    Meanwhile, Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal) general secretary Harinder Singh Lakhowal on Saturday asked the government to pay Rs 100 per quintal or Rs 5,000 per acre to a farmer for stubble management.

    “We also do not want it to burn it as its smoke reaches our villages first. Therefore, we request the government to support us, otherwise farmers will be forced to burn crop residue,” Lakhowal told reporters in Jalandhar.

    Earlier in the day in Mohali, Punjab Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan exhorted farmers not to burn stubble so as to keep the environment clean and pollution-free.

    Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is one of the reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital in October and November.

    As the window for Rabi crop wheat is very short after paddy harvest, farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue.

    Punjab generates around 180 lakh tonne of paddy straw annually. Punjab recorded 71,304 such fire incidents in 2021, 76,590 in 2020, 55,210 in 2019, 50,590 in 2018, 45,384 in 2017 and 81,042 in 2016.

  • Punjab not cooperating in resolving SYL canal dispute, Centre tells SC

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court the Punjab government is “not cooperating” in resolving the decades-old Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute between the state and Haryana.

    The apex court, which observed that water is a natural resource and living beings must learn to share it, said the parties have to have a “broader outlook” and realise the ramifications and necessity of a negotiated settlement, more so in view of security concerns, apparently referring to the occasional violence over the project.

    The counsel for Punjab told a bench headed by Justice S K Kaul that the state government is very keen to resolve the issue amicably.

    At the outset, Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that the apex court had in 2017 said that matter should be amicably settled and the Union of India, through the Water Resources Ministry, has been trying to bring together states of Haryana and Punjab for the purpose of an amicable settlement.

    “Unfortunately, Punjab has not been cooperating,” the top law officer said, adding that letters were sent in 2020 and 2021 to the then Punjab chief minister who did not respond at all.

    Though official-level talks have been going on between the two states on the SYL issue, the Centre has been insisting on meetings between the two chief ministers.

    He said a letter was sent in April this year when the new chief minister took over in Punjab but he has not responded till date.

    “It is essential that so far as Punjab is concerned, it has to cooperate. It cannot refrain from coming to the discussion table,” Venugopal told the bench, also comprising Justices A S Oka and Vikram Nath.

    He said the bench may direct the Punjab counsel to ensure the chief minister participated in the discussions on the issue with his Haryana counterpart.

    Responding to the suggestion, the bench said sometimes the final solution lies a little beyond the courts.

    “But then either the court proceeds to take a hard stand or the parties cooperate. So, I am hoping that the concerned stakeholders realise that abstention from the discussion is not the way forward,” Justice Kaul said.

    When the counsel representing Punjab said they are very keen to resolve the issue amicably, the bench quipped, “That keenness must reflect (in action).”

    “Attorney General rightly points out that chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana were and are required to meet and it is agreed before us by the counsel present that such a meeting will be held within this month itself,” the bench said.

    The counsel appearing for Rajasthan told the bench that they want to participate in the process but are not allowed despite the orders of the apex court.

    Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Haryana, said Rajasthan was not a party to the decree passed by the apex court in the matter.

    The water dispute started in 1966, when the Punjab Reorganisation Act divided erstwhile Punjab into Punjab and Haryana and the need arose to share river water between the two states.

    Punjab, however, opposed sharing the water of Ravi and Beas rivers with Haryana, citing the Riparian Principle, which states that the owner of land adjacent to a waterbody has the right to use the water. It also argued it had no water to spare.

    Venugopal suggested the court may give the states four months and, during this period, at the end of the first month, the two chief ministers will meet.

    The bench noted in its order that a letter dated September 5, 2022, addressed by the secretary of the Ministry of Jal Shakti to the Attorney General, has been placed before the court.

    It noted that Venugopal has informed the court that despite various endeavours, Punjab did not join the negotiating table.

    “The endeavour of this court has been to arrive at a mediated settlement. That should not be taken as a licence for an infinite period of time to elapse,” the bench observed.

    The apex court said it expects the Ministry of Jal Shakti as well as the states of Punjab and Haryana and also the state of Rajasthan to lend full cooperation in resolving the issue. The bench granted four months to the Centre to submit a progress report.

    “Water is a natural resource and living beings must learn to share it, whether it be individuals, states or countries,” it observed and posted the matter for hearing on January 19 next year.

    The bench said it understands these are sensitive issues for the states but some call has to be taken to resolve them.

    In 2017, the apex court had said that decrees passed in the SYL canal dispute between Punjab and Haryana cannot be flouted. The controversial 1981 water-sharing agreement came into being after Haryana was carved out of Punjab in 1966. For effective allocation of water, SYL canal link was conceptualised.

    A stretch of 214 km SYL was set to be built, of which 122 km were to be in Punjab and 92 km in Haryana.

    In 2004, the then Congress government of the state came out with the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act with an intention to terminate the 1981 agreement and all other pacts relating to sharing of waters of rivers Ravi and Beas.

    The apex court had first decreed the suit of Haryana in 2002 asking Punjab to honour its commitments with regard to water sharing in the case.

    Punjab challenged the verdict by filing a suit which was rejected in 2004 by the Supreme Court.

    NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court the Punjab government is “not cooperating” in resolving the decades-old Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute between the state and Haryana.

    The apex court, which observed that water is a natural resource and living beings must learn to share it, said the parties have to have a “broader outlook” and realise the ramifications and necessity of a negotiated settlement, more so in view of security concerns, apparently referring to the occasional violence over the project.

    The counsel for Punjab told a bench headed by Justice S K Kaul that the state government is very keen to resolve the issue amicably.

    At the outset, Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that the apex court had in 2017 said that matter should be amicably settled and the Union of India, through the Water Resources Ministry, has been trying to bring together states of Haryana and Punjab for the purpose of an amicable settlement.

    “Unfortunately, Punjab has not been cooperating,” the top law officer said, adding that letters were sent in 2020 and 2021 to the then Punjab chief minister who did not respond at all.

    Though official-level talks have been going on between the two states on the SYL issue, the Centre has been insisting on meetings between the two chief ministers.

    He said a letter was sent in April this year when the new chief minister took over in Punjab but he has not responded till date.

    “It is essential that so far as Punjab is concerned, it has to cooperate. It cannot refrain from coming to the discussion table,” Venugopal told the bench, also comprising Justices A S Oka and Vikram Nath.

    He said the bench may direct the Punjab counsel to ensure the chief minister participated in the discussions on the issue with his Haryana counterpart.

    Responding to the suggestion, the bench said sometimes the final solution lies a little beyond the courts.

    “But then either the court proceeds to take a hard stand or the parties cooperate. So, I am hoping that the concerned stakeholders realise that abstention from the discussion is not the way forward,” Justice Kaul said.

    When the counsel representing Punjab said they are very keen to resolve the issue amicably, the bench quipped, “That keenness must reflect (in action).”

    “Attorney General rightly points out that chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana were and are required to meet and it is agreed before us by the counsel present that such a meeting will be held within this month itself,” the bench said.

    The counsel appearing for Rajasthan told the bench that they want to participate in the process but are not allowed despite the orders of the apex court.

    Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Haryana, said Rajasthan was not a party to the decree passed by the apex court in the matter.

    The water dispute started in 1966, when the Punjab Reorganisation Act divided erstwhile Punjab into Punjab and Haryana and the need arose to share river water between the two states.

    Punjab, however, opposed sharing the water of Ravi and Beas rivers with Haryana, citing the Riparian Principle, which states that the owner of land adjacent to a waterbody has the right to use the water. It also argued it had no water to spare.

    Venugopal suggested the court may give the states four months and, during this period, at the end of the first month, the two chief ministers will meet.

    The bench noted in its order that a letter dated September 5, 2022, addressed by the secretary of the Ministry of Jal Shakti to the Attorney General, has been placed before the court.

    It noted that Venugopal has informed the court that despite various endeavours, Punjab did not join the negotiating table.

    “The endeavour of this court has been to arrive at a mediated settlement. That should not be taken as a licence for an infinite period of time to elapse,” the bench observed.

    The apex court said it expects the Ministry of Jal Shakti as well as the states of Punjab and Haryana and also the state of Rajasthan to lend full cooperation in resolving the issue. The bench granted four months to the Centre to submit a progress report.

    “Water is a natural resource and living beings must learn to share it, whether it be individuals, states or countries,” it observed and posted the matter for hearing on January 19 next year.

    The bench said it understands these are sensitive issues for the states but some call has to be taken to resolve them.

    In 2017, the apex court had said that decrees passed in the SYL canal dispute between Punjab and Haryana cannot be flouted. The controversial 1981 water-sharing agreement came into being after Haryana was carved out of Punjab in 1966. For effective allocation of water, SYL canal link was conceptualised.

    A stretch of 214 km SYL was set to be built, of which 122 km were to be in Punjab and 92 km in Haryana.

    In 2004, the then Congress government of the state came out with the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act with an intention to terminate the 1981 agreement and all other pacts relating to sharing of waters of rivers Ravi and Beas.

    The apex court had first decreed the suit of Haryana in 2002 asking Punjab to honour its commitments with regard to water sharing in the case.

    Punjab challenged the verdict by filing a suit which was rejected in 2004 by the Supreme Court.

  • ‘Punjab is in deep debt trap due to previous regimes’, says state government’s White Paper

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH: The Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab on Saturday admitted the state is being pushed deeper into a debt trap in a White Paper tabled in the Assembly, but sought to blame the previous governments for the economic morass.

    The economies of quite a few state governments are under similar stress, but it is only Punjab that has accepted it upfront. Just last week, the RBI had warned that the economies of Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Bihar are in deep trouble. But Kerala sought to rebut it.

    Punjab’s debt has spiraled to 2.63 lakh crore and the state has Rs 24,351.29 crore worth liabilities to service in the immediate term, the document said, warning of an impending crisis. “The current debt indicators of the state are probably the worst in the country, pushing it deeper into a debt trap,” it claimed. The White Paper was tabled by state finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema on the second day of ongoing budget session.

    It quantified the current debt as a whopping 45.88 per cent of the state GDP. Debt ballooned 44.23 per cent in the last five years at a compounded annual growth rate of 7.6 per cent, it added. Pointing fingers at the previous Congress government, it said they left an immediate and medium-term liability of Rs 24,351.29 crore. Of that amount, Rs 13,759 crore will go towards non-payment of arrears of the sixth pay commission and Rs 7,117.86 crore for power subsidy arrears.

    Besides, the share of central taxes plus grants from the Centre, which was 24 per cent of total revenue receipts in 2011-12, has doubled to 46 per cent in 2021-22. This comes as the state’s tax revenue as a percentage of total revenue receipts decreased from 72 per cent to 48 per cent during the same period.

    With the GST compensation regime ending in June, the state government would be staring down a big hole in its finances to the tune of Rs 14,000-15,000 crore in 2022-23 itself, the document pointed out.

    Total outstanding debt: Rs 2,63,265 crore

    How it ballooned

    1980-81 – Rs 1,009 crore

    2011-12 – Rs 83,099 crore

    2021-22 – Rs 2,63,265 crore

  • Punjab govt does a U-turn, withdraws ban on ‘Jugad Rehri’

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government has made a U-turn from its earlier stance by withdrawing a circular banning ‘Jugad Rehris’ (carts made up of old motorbikes or scooters) in the state.

    On April 18 a letter was issued by Additional DGP (Traffic) to all Senior Superintendents of Police and Police Commissioners. The letter directed them to launch a special drive against such carts fitted with motors or combined with the old and condemned motorbikes for transportation of goods citing that they could become a cause of accidents. However, nearly a week after issuing the directive, following a backlash from the opposition for banning these `Jugad Rehris,’ the government has decided not to take action against ‘Jugad Rehris’ for the time being.

    A fresh directive by Additional DGP (Traffic) has asked the district police chiefs not to take action against the owners of these innovative vehicles till further order and they have been asked to spread awareness among drivers about their illegality and how they cause accidents on the streets. Thus the police on Saturday evening suspended its drive against the innovative carts.

    Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today took back the order banning ‘Jugad Rehris’ in the state, as he said that his government’s aim is to provide employment to the people and not to snatch it from them.

    The opposition parties had slammed the AAP-led government in the state, saying the ban would render thousands of people jobless. Shiromani Akali Dal had urged the government of the state to withdraw its order banning such carts in the state and said that this decision will render thousands jobless. Senior Vice  President of Akali Dal Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said that decision has come as a shock to thousands of people who have adopted means of self-employment. He said that such persons were selling vegetables, carrying waste in cities and are using such facility, created by themselves, for transporting various things from one place to another. He said that decision of the government will directly hit such persons and several thousand will become jobless.

    He said that before ordering the imposition of such rules the government should have studied reality at the ground level.

    Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said, “Since this government has nothing constructive to do, it has been resorting to destructive action.”

    What are Jugad Rehris?

    ‘Jugad Rehris’  known as gharukka or maruta in Punjab are ‘improvised’ vehicles that do not have any registration certificate. These vehicles are fitted with engines of discarded scooters and motorcycles. They come under the unclassified category and have no vehicle registration plate.

  • People can now carry mobile phones inside Punjab government offices

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Friday said people will now be allowed to carry mobile phones inside government offices unless barred due to security reasons, according to an official statement.

    The development comes after the state government launched an anti-corruption helpline last month, allowing people to send audio or video of officials indulging in corrupt practices.

    “It has also been brought to notice of the government that in some offices, there is a complete ban for the general public to bring their mobile phones, thus causing a lot of harassment to them,” the official statement said.

    “In view of this, now there would not be a complete ban on bringing mobile phones, rather a partial ban could be imposed in this regard due to certain security reasons in those offices where it is mandatory,” it said.

    The state government also issued detailed guidelines to all administrative secretaries, heads of departments, divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners to ensure punctuality of all employees for the convenience of the general public coming from far-flung areas to these offices.

    “Likewise, fixed timings should be prescribed in public dealing offices to meet the general public besides ensuring good behaviour, extending basic courtesies and properly guiding them,” the guidelines stated.

  • Punjab’s AAP government ‘bachha party’: Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Saturday dubbed Punjab’s AAP government a “bachha party”, lacking “complete knowledge of issues”.

    Vij’s remark came a day after the Punjab assembly passed a resolution seeking immediate transfer of Chandigarh to the state.

    Vij also termed Punjab’s Bhagwant Mann government as being at the “infancy stage” whose “milk teeth have not broken yet”.

    Chandigarh is the common capital of Punjab and Haryana.

    “The government which has come in Punjab is a ‘bachha party’. It does not have complete knowledge of issues,” Vij said reacting to the resolution passed by the Punjab assembly.

    Vij also accused the Mann government of raking the issue of Chandigarh while ignoring other related issues.

    “The issue of Chandigarh is there but it is not the only issue. There are other issues which are connected to it. There is SYL water (issue), (the issue of) Hindi speaking areas. They have not spoken on those issues. Whenever there will be a decision, it will be a single one. There cannot be different decisions,” Vij added.

    Replying to another question, Vij called the AAP a “fraud party.”

    “It was born out of deception. There was never an agenda in the Anna Hazare movement that a political party would be formed. But some mischievous elements played with the sentiments of people and formed a political party. A party which is born out of deception will play fraud at every step,” alleged Vij in Panchkula while talking to reporters.

    To another question, Vij asked the AAP what happened to it in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur as he was targeting it over its performance in these states during the recent assembly elections.

    “The situation in Punjab was different. It is not a victory of the AAP, it is a defeat of some people,” said Vij.

    The AAP stormed to power after winning 92 seats of the 117-assembly segments in Punjab.

    On Friday, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said Chandigarh is and will remain the capital of Haryana and Punjab.

    Both the states have several other issues to talk about apart from Chandigarh, a state government statement quoting him had said here.

    Chandigarh is and will remain the capital of Haryana and Punjab, Khattar had said.

  • AAP claims its delegation ‘denied’ permission to visit Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The AAP on Thursday claimed that its delegation was ‘denied’ permission to visit the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan, blaming the Centre and the Punjab government for the same.

    The party had on Wednesday said the Punjab MLAs under the leadership of state unit chief Bhagwant Mann would pay obeisance at Kartarpur Sahib on November 19 on the occasion of Guru Nanak Dev’s ‘Parkash Utsav’.

    AAP leader Raghav Chadha, in a tweet, shared a purported communication by the Centre to the Punjab government regarding the political clearance for the visit of ministers and MLAs to the shrine over three days.

    “AAP delegation has been denied permission to visit Sri Kartarpur Sahib by Modi-Channi duo. It is clear that as per a tactical understanding between PM Modi and CM Channi, only Channi and his men are permitted to visit. The match-fixing between Modi & Channi has surfaced yet again,” he said.

    Chadha, the co-incharge of the party’s political affairs in Punjab, also shared a list of the Punjab government delegation approved by the Centre, on the microblogging site.

    Reacting on the matter, AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said it is wrong to prevent one from bowing down in “Guru Maharaj ji’s darbar on the day of Guru Parv”.

    “Such politics is not good for the country and society. Even an enemy should not be stopped from bowing down and offering prayers in the court of Guru Maharaj ji,” he tweeted.

    Later in a video message, Chadha said the AAP had submitted an application to both the Centre and the Punjab government, requesting for giving political clearance and permission to the party delegation to visit Kartarpur Sahib.

    “But, both the Modi government and Channi-led dispensation in Punjab denied giving permission to the AAP delegation to bow down in the court of Kartarpur Sahib,” he added.

    On the other hand, he claimed, the Punjab Congress delegation “did not face any problem” in getting the permission.

    Channi and some of his Cabinet ministers on Thursday offered prayers at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, travelling there through the visa-free Kartarpur corridor that reopened after a gap of 20 months.

    The Kartarpur Corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district.

  • Punjab CM Channi promises farmers to quash old, stubble burning FIRs against them

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday promised farmers to drop old cases of stubble burning against them but asked them not to set the paddy straw on fire in future.

    The chief minister also promised to cancel all FIRs against farmers, registered in the state during their protests against the Centre’s three farm laws.

    He also announced his government decision to raise the compensation for the loss of the cotton crop to Rs 17,000 per acre from Rs 12,000 per acre.

    Channi made these promises during a meeting with the representatives of Punjab’s 32 farm bodies here.

    Addressing the media after the meeting, Channi, while acceding to farmers’ demands, said his government will cancel all FIRs registered by the Punjab Police against farmers protesting against farm laws in the state.

    “With this, we want that no farmer should set stubble on fire in future and the government will act strictly against the violation,” he said.

    “But if any old FIR related to the stubble burning is there against anyone, we are cancelling it,” he added.

    “But it is my request to farmers that they should not set the straw on fire as it causes pollution,” Channi reiterated.

    Channi’s statement comes amid rising incidents of stubble burning with Punjab recording over 69,000 such incidents this season.

    Stubble burning is banned but many farmers continue to flout it.

    Delhi and Haryana have taken several emergency measures including the closure of schools (in four districts in Haryana) and a ban on construction work to curb air pollution.

    Later while speaking on the issue of stubble burning, farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said he told the CM that the decision of the National Green Tribunal should be implemented in which farmers having less than 2.50 acres of land should be given farm machinery for the management of crop residue free of cost.

    Farmers were being fined but no machinery was given to them, he said, adding he also asked the state government why the central funds of Rs 375 crore for giving subsidy on the machinery has not been released.

    He asserted that the number of farm fire incidents were less this season.

    On the relief related to cotton crop loss due to pink bollworm attack, Channi announced a hike in the compensation amount from Rs 12,000 to Rs 17,000 per acre, besides a 10 per cent of the relief to farm labourers engaged for the picking of cotton.

    Channi said giving higher compensation would cost nearly Rs 200 crore more to the state government over the already approved sum of Rs 416.18 crore for it at the rate of Rs 12,000 per acre.

    He also told farmer leaders that he would personally take up the matter with the Punjab governor to withdraw the cases against the farmers who participated in the protest march towards Punjab Raj Bhawan against farm laws.

    Taking a serious note of the supply of “spurious quality” paddy seeds to farmers in Moga, Channi asked the agriculture minister to take stern action against the fraudulent seed company and ordered due compensation to affected farmers.

    On the “meagre compensation” to farmers for their land acquired for the Delhi-Katra-Amritsar expressway, Channi said he would personally convene a meeting of all divisional and deputy commissioners to rationalise the rates of compensation.

    Referring to the demand for waiving the outstanding farm loans, Channi said he would have a separate meeting with them after detailed deliberations with the state’s Finance Department.

    Expressing solidarity with bereaved families of farmers, who lost their breadwinners during farmers’ agitation, the chief minister said the state government has already provided government jobs to 152 victim families, besides giving a financial aid of Rs 5 lakh to each of them.

    Talking to reporters later, farmer leader Rajewal said they also raised the issue of pension for farmers and farm labourers.

    He also said the farm bodies in Punjab were against Haryana farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni who was trying to implement his “political agenda” in the state with his “Mission Punjab”.

    Chaduni had earlier asked farmer outfits in Punjab to contest the upcoming state assembly polls.

    Meanwhile, before the meeting with the chief minister, several farmer leaders held a protest outside the meeting venue, claiming that they were allegedly pushed by the security men when they were trying to enter the Punjab Bhawan.

    They threatened not to attend the meeting till the CM tenders apology for the same.

    Punjab Agriculture minister Randeep Singh Nabha came out to pacify them and later Channi met them to placate them.

    Though a few pacified farmer leaders went inside with Nabha and Channi, some farmer leaders refused to attend the meeting.

    Then Nabha came out again and urged farmer leaders to join the meeting.

  • Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi promises farmers to quash old, stubble burning FIRs against them

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government has decided to withdraw cases registered against farmers in the farmer stir and upped the compensation for damage to cotton crop to Rs 17,000 per acre from Rs 12,000. However, the government is silent on the contentious issue of farm loans worth Rs 1.25 lakh crore. Nor has it decided the pension amount for old farmers.

    Cotton growers are the main recipients of relief declared by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. They suffered huge losses due to a pest attack on crops. Farm labourers, too, have benefited from the government largesse.

    Channi on Wednesday chaired a meeting of representatives of 32 farm unions represented by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and led by Punjab BKU (Rajewal Group) chief Balbir Singh Rajewal. Channi said the enhanced compensation would involve nearly Rs 200 crore in addition to the already approved Rs 416.18 crore.

    Channi also announced cancellation of all cases registered by the state police against farmers who protested against the Central farm laws within the state. The CM assured SKM representatives he would take up the matter with the Governor, who is also the administrator of Chandigarh, to withdraw cases against those who participated in a protest march towards Raj Bhawan. 

    “We reminded the CM that his party is yet to honour its promise to waive farm loans amounting to Rs 90,000 lakh crore due to arhtiyas, cooperative banks, and commercial banks. The CM has assured us he would call a separate meeting within a week,” Rajewal said. 

    Channi referred to the demand for a loan waiver for small, marginal and landless farmers, saying he would meet their representatives after a detailed briefing by the finance department. He said that 5.63 lakh farmers have benefitted from the earlier loan waiver amounting to Rs 4,610.84 crore. Besides, Rs 520 crore have gone to landless farmers and farm workers.