Chandigarh, October 18:

Punjab Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur informed that the Punjab Government has released an amount of ₹84.26 lakh to facilitate the free and concessional travel of visually impaired and differently-abled persons in government buses. This amount forms part of the budget earmarked for providing transport facilities to persons with disabilities.

Providing further details, Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur stated that visually impaired persons are entitled to 100% concession in bus fares on all government buses, while other categories of differently-abled persons are eligible for a 50% fare concession. This facility is available to individuals with 40% or more disability, as per the prescribed norms.

The Minister added that for the year 2025–26, a total budget provision of ₹3.50 crore has been made under this scheme. Out of this, ₹2.61 crore has already been utilized, and now an additional ₹84.26 lakh has been released to ensure the continuous benefit of this facility to eligible beneficiaries.

Dr. Baljit Kaur emphasized that under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is fully committed to making the lives of persons with disabilities more comfortable, secure, and self-reliant. The government’s aim is to provide equal opportunities to every citizen, ensuring that no one is left behind socially or economically.

She further mentioned that besides transport facilities, continuous efforts are being made by the department to promote education, employment, and social empowerment of persons with disabilities so that they can confidently integrate with the mainstream of society.

Chandigarh, October 18

In a major push to promote transparency and citizen participation in tax compliance, Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Saturday announced significant enhancements to the popular ‘Bill Liyao Inaam Pao’ scheme. The scheme will now include a quarterly bumper draw, offering substantial cash prizes to incentivize public engagement.

Revealing this in a press communique issued here, the Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that, each quarter, participants will stand a chance to win a First Prize of Rs 1,00,000, a Second Prize of Rs. 50,000, and a Third Prize of Rs. 25,000. He said that the Taxation department will also introduce a dedicated upload option and prize distribution mechanism for bills related to the service sector, such as restaurants, salons, and boutiques, via the “Mera Bill” App to further streamline participation.

“In addition, a real-time Chatbot will be launched to assist users with queries, and the app will now support Punjabi alongside Hindi and English, ensuring broader accessibility for the general public”, said Cheema.

Highlighting the scheme’s success, Finance Minister Cheema shared that from April to August 2025, a total of 30,769 bills were uploaded, resulting in 1,263 winners who collectively received Rs 78,13,715 in prize money. He emphasized that all uploaded bills are rigorously verified by the Taxation Department, which has so far imposed penalties amounting to Rs 9.07 crore since the inception of the scheme, and recovered Rs 7.31 crore from discrepancies found in the submitted bills.

Launched in September 2023 by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the ‘Bill Liyao Inaam Pao’ scheme and the accompanying Mera Bill app aimed to foster a culture of responsible consumerism and tax compliance. The scheme excludes bills related to petroleum products including crude oil, petrol, diesel, aviation turbine fuel, and natural gas, liquor, out-of-state purchases, and B2B transactions. Only bills from purchases made in the preceding month are eligible for the draw, ensuring fairness and operational integrity.

Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema reiterated the state government’s commitment to empowering citizens through innovative, transparent, and inclusive governance tools, and encouraged all residents to actively participate in the scheme to help build a more accountable Punjab.

Chandigarh 18 October 2025:

Aiming to provide pragmatic knowledge pertaining to the functioning of Legislative Assembly to the students of the state, Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker S Kultar Singh Sandhwan had urged the students of Punjab to visit Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

Sandhwan said that  1237 students visited to observe the actual proceedings of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha during the session and 1171 students visited during non session days from 1 Jan 2025 to till date. 

Speaker met the students personally and felt extreme happiness to interact with them in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Secretariat.

Sandhwan highlighted that interest in the field of politics have been developed among the students while observing the constitutional proceedings of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha which is very important for strengthening the democracy of the country. Speaker  told the students that their visit will prove to be immensely beneficial for their future life.  Students felt amazed to see the design and architecture of Punjab Vidhan Sabha building.

 Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan today met AAP party convenor Sh. Arvind Kejriwal and wished him Happy Diwali and best wishes for Bandi Chhor Diwas

Speaker Sandhwan has also discussed important issues for taking the country’s politics forward in a constructive and people-friendly manner.

Chandigarh, October 18:

 14 nomination papers were filed on Saturday for the 21-Tarn Taran Assembly constituency bye-election in Punjab.

A spokesperson of the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, informed that BJP candidate Harjit Singh Sandhu filed two additional nomination papers today. Earlier, he had also submitted his nomination papers on October 17. Sucha Singh has filed his nomination as a covering candidate for Harjit Singh Sandhu. Similarly, Leena Sandhu has filed her nomination as a covering candidate for Indian National Congress nominee Karanbir Singh.

Apart from these, Arun Kumar Khurmi also filed his nomination and Naib Singh from Nationalists Justice Party have also submitted their nominations.

In addition, the following individuals have filed nominations as independent candidates: Harpal Singh, Harbrinder Kaur, Komalpreet Singh, Neetu, Vijay Kumar, Mandeep Singh, Nirmal Kaur, and Jaswant Singh.

It is noteworthy that the last date for filing nominations is October 21, 2025, while the scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on October 22, 2025. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 24, 2025.

CHANDIGARH, October 18:

          Continuing the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state consecutively for the 231st day, Punjab Police conducted raids at 322 locations on Saturday leading to the arrest of 59 drug smugglers after registration of 43 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 33,405 in 231 days.

          The raids have resulted in recovery of 717 grams heroin, 557 grams opium, 320 intoxicant tablets/capsules and Rs 44,680 drug money from the possession of arrested drug smugglers.

          Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has asked the Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendent of Police to make Punjab drug free state. The Punjab government has also constituted a 5-member Cabinet Sub Committee led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema to monitor the war against drugs.

          Over 120 Police teams, comprising over 1000 police personnel, under the supervision of 55 gazetted officers have conducted 322 raids across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 323 suspicious persons during the day-long operation.

          The state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)— to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police as part of ‘De-addiction’ has convinced 26 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.

Chandigarh, 18 October 2025:

The Governor of Punjab in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by virtue of Sub Clause (a) of Clause (2) of the Article 174 of the Constitution of India, hereby prorogue the 16th Punjab Legislative Assembly, which was summond for its ninth (Special) session, 2025 and was adjourned sine-die at the conclusion of its sitting held on the 29th September, 2025.

Chandigarh , October 17
Former President of the District Congress Committee (Urban) and senior Congress leader Pawan Dewan has launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over its reported plan to sell off nearly two dozen government-owned properties in Ludhiana.
In a strongly worded statement issued today, Dewan accused the cash-strapped AAP administration of recklessly liquidating public assets in a desperate move to plug financial gaps. “The government is reportedly selling 10 prime properties belonging to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), along with a significant portion of land owned by Punjab Agricultural University,” he said.

Dewan said that this is an ill-conceived move, while adding, “Media reports suggest that properties from several other departments are also on the chopping block. This is short-sighted approach and a complete betrayal of public trust.” He reaffirmed the Congress party’s firm opposition to the plan. “We strongly oppose this irresponsible decision tooth and nail. The AAP Government has miserably failed and state’s economy is bleeding. Selling off Public assets is no solution to the financial mess created by the AAP government”, he pointed out.

Dewan said that his warnings about Punjab’s deteriorating fiscal health under the AAP regime have now been vindicated. Citing alarming statistics, he revealed that Punjab’s debt stood at Rs 2,81,773 crore at the close of the 2021–22 financial year and is expected to rise to Rs 4,17,136 crore by the end of 2025–26. “These figures speak for themselves. The financial situation under the AAP government is not just troubling—it’s disastrous,” he said. Dewan added that the people of Punjab had high hopes but the AAP government has miserably failed to bail out the state from the burgeoning debt and revive the dwindling economy.

Dewan accused the government of resorting to desperate measures to cover routine expenses. “Instead of fixing the root causes of this fiscal mess, the AAP government is selling off prime government properties, assets that belong to the people of Punjab,” he said. Dewan reiterated the Congress party’s firm opposition to the move, calling it a reckless dismantling of public wealth to mask financial mismanagement.

Chandigarh, October 17:- City Mayor Smt. Harpreet Kaur Babla today starts the commencement of a major city-wide road recarpeting works, following the opening of 11 successful tenders totaling ₹40 crores. The comprehensive infrastructure initiative aims to swiftly repair and upgrade critical transport links across Chandigarh.

While speaking on the occassion, the Mayor said that the project is moving forward with an organized approach, based on a rigorous assessment that classified roads into three distinct categories of degradation: Very Very Poor, Very Poor, and Poor. The initial contracts, totaling ₹40 crores, prioritize the most urgent repairs. Works for the Very Very Poor category, covering V4, V5, and V6 category roads, have already been allotted to contractors.

Mayor Babla officially kicked off the project today by inaugurating the recarpeting of V6 roads in Sector 29. She acknowledged the need to balance speedy execution with citizen convenience.

“We understand the importance of smooth, high-quality roads for the daily lives of our residents,” stated Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla. “To avoid causing significant traffic disruption during the ongoing festive season, particularly leading up to Diwali, the work will be contained to limited areas for now. However, I assure the public that immediately after Diwali, the work will pick up in full throttle, utilizing all the allotted resources.”

The Mayor confirmed an aggressive completion timeline, promising that all awarded road recarpeting will be successfully finished within one month of the post-Diwali ramp-up. This rapid execution underscores the Municipal Corporation’s commitment to providing robust and durable infrastructure for the city.