Chandigarh, July 5: Member of Parliament from Chandigarh and former Union Minister Shri Manish Tewari inaugurated newly installed CCTV cameras in the Mauli Jagran area, funded through a ₹5 lakh grant from his MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund.

He was accompanied by Chandigarh Congress President H.S. Lucky and several senior leaders.

In his address, MP Tewari emphasized that these CCTV cameras will play a crucial role in curbing criminal activities in the area. He reiterated his firm commitment to ensuring public safety and stated that no effort would be spared in addressing the needs of the people of Chandigarh. He also listened to other concerns raised by local residents during the visit.

Shri Tewari extended his gratitude to the administration, especially Executive Engineer Kuldeep Singh and SDO Rajdeep Surya, for their significant contributions in executing this public welfare project.

Speaking on the occasion, H.S. Lucky also assured that every possible step would be taken to ensure the safety of residents. He lauded MP Tewari’s continued efforts to resolve the issues faced by the people of the Lok Sabha constituency and remarked that only the Congress Party truly understands and works for the needs of the public.

Among those present were, included Thakur Kartar Singh, Former Mayor Surinder Singh, Thakur Surinder Singh alias Kaka, Block President Harbhajan Singh, Mukesh Rai, Vinay Mishra, Lekhpal, Rajdeep Sidhu, Mohammad Imran, and Wasim Mir.

SAS Nagar, July 5:

Going by the instructions of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Judge, Justice Deepak Sibal, Executive Chairman, Punjab State Legal Services Authority, District Legal Services Authority, SAS Nagar led by District and Sessions Judge, Sh. Atul Kasana, Chairperson, District Legal Services Authority, about 500 saplings were planted by the Judicial officers and court staff under ‘Mission One Judge One Tree’ in the premises of District Court complex, Mohali and Sub-Divisions Kharar and Dera Bassi.
On this occasion, Sh. Atul Kasana, District & Sessions Judge encouraged the Judicial officers to contribute to save the environment and maintain the saplings planted by them.
Ms. Surabhi Prashar, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, SAS Nagar revealed that under the Tree Plantation Drive “Each One Plant One”, there is a target of planting total 5 lakh saplings by the District Legal Services Authorities throughout the State of Punjab. The main objective of the campaign is to cultivate awareness about the importance of trees and encourage community participation, she added.

In a major enforcement action, the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh has seized a massive quantity of banned plastic material from Peekay Plastic, a shop located in Sector 20 and confiscated 520 kgs of non-compostable plastic and immediately transported to the dry waste processing plant for weighing and shredding.

This action was part of the MCC’s intensified drive to eliminate the supply and use of banned plastic across the city. The MCC team of Sanitary Inspectors has been conducting continuous raids to identify and dismantle the nexus between illegal plastic item suppliers and local retailers.

The operation was carried out by a dedicated team comprising Sanitary Inspectors Himmat Singh, Lokesh Meena, Ashish Malik, and Sanitary Supervisor Amar Rana.

Municipal Commissioner Sh. Amit Kumar, IAS, has issued a strict warning to all violators, reaffirming that any sale or distribution of prohibited plastic will attract heavy penalties and legal consequences. He reiterated MCC’s commitment to enforcing the plastic ban strictly.

Amritsar, July 5:

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday gave a humble bonanza worth around Rs 350 crore to the people by dedicating and laying foundation stone of ambitious projects.

Bowing his head at  the sacred land, the Chief Minister said that projects worth ₹346.57 crore are being dedicated to the residents of Amritsar. He said that ₹56.36 crore has been spent on construction of new roads,₹287.01 crore has been spent on upgrading road infrastructure and ₹3.20 crore has been spent on construction of Six new libraries. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that in Amritsar district, the Punjab Mandi Board and Public Works Department have inaugurated new surfaced roads at a cost of ₹56.36 crore, and upgraded roads at ₹287.01 crore.

The Chief Minister said that Punjab government is repairing and upgrading rural link roads across the state. He said that There are a total of 64,878 km of link roads in Punjab, and until now they have been repaired every six years. Now, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that another historic decision has been made to include ongoing maintenance for the next five years along with the repairs to these link roads.

Likewise, the Chief Minister said that Six libraries are being inaugurated across various Assembly constituencies of Amritsar. He said that these libraries have been built by the Municipal Corporation at a cost of ₹3.20 crore. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that in the Amritsar West Assembly constituency, two existing libraries viz. Chehrata Library and Old DC office library have been renovated at a cost of ₹32.58 lakh and ₹31.41 lakh respectively.

The Chief Minister said that Additionally, one library each has been established in the North, Central, East, and South constituencies of Amritsar, with each costing ₹64 lakh. He said that These modern infrastructure libraries are equipped with computers, internet access, quality literature, and study materials for competitive exams. Bhagwant Singh Mann envisioned that these libraries will instil fresh hopes in students to realize their dreams as now students can access world-class knowledge through books adding that these libraries will play a crucial role in raising the intellectual level of students and achieving their cherished goals.

CHANDIGARH, July 5:

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday announced the formation of a joint committee of villagers and experts to find a permanent solution for setting up a biogas plant in Akhara village of Ludhiana district.

A decision to this effect was taken during a meeting held here today at the Chief Minister’s official residence.

The Chief Minister apprised a delegation led by Gurtej Singh, Representative of the Akhara Sangharsh Committee, that this committee will carefully consider each and every concern raised by the villagers. He said that after thorough examination,  the committee will submit its recommendations, upon which the government will take necessary action. Bhagwant Singh Mann emphasized that the committee will submit its report within the scheduled timeframe.

The Chief Minister assured that the government will not allow any violations, and that no action will be taken without first safeguarding the interests of the villagers. He reiterated the state government’s firm commitment to pollution control in Punjab and affirmed that there will be zero tolerance for any violation of pollution norms. Bhagwant Singh Mann made it clear to the villagers that the plant will be completely pollution-free, and that no one will be permitted to violate the rules.

The Chief Minister further said  that strict action will be taken against any rule-breakers. On the occasion, Bhagwant Singh Mann also cited the case of Ghungarali village biogas plant—which was set up with the consent of villagers—as an example. During the meeting, representatives from Ghungarali village shared their experience of operating the plant.

CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR, July 5:

          Amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar has busted a cross-border narcotics smuggling module with links to Pakistan and arrested four of its operatives after recovering 5 kg heroin from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Saturday.

          Those arrested have been identified as Resham Singh, a resident of Dhanoe Kalan in Amritsar, Gurpinder Singh, a resident of Dhanoe Kalan in Amritsar, Rooppreet Singh, a resident of Sehnewali in Amritsar and Shubhkar Manjit Singh, a resident of Sehnewali in Amritsar. Apart from recovering 5 kg heroin, police teams have also impounded their Mahindra Thar vehicle (PB08-FC-7002) and Hero Splendor motorcycle (PB02-DV-6761) being used for transporting the consignments.

          DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused were acting under the directions of Pakistan-based smuggler identified as Kaka, a resident of Dyal in Pakistan, who has been using drones to drop narcotic consignments from across the border. The arrested accused persons were further delivering the narcotics consignments to other parties in the state, he said.

          Sharing operation details, the DGP said that teams from Counter Intelligence, Amritsar received specific intelligence about retrieval of narcotics consignments by some individuals from near the Indo-Pak border area falling near village Dhanoe Kalan in Amritsar.

          Acting swiftly, police teams have intercepted above four persons from Attari to Pull Kanjari road, Amritsar, when they were going to deliver the consignment on their vehicles and recovered heroin consignment from their possession, he said, while adding that further investigations are underway to uncover the network’s backward and forward linkages in this case. More arrests and recoveries are likely in coming days, he added.

          In this regard, a case FIR No. 36 dated 05-07-2025 has been registered under sections 21, 25 and 29 of the NDPS act at Police Station State Special Operation Cell in Amritsar.

CHANDIGARH, July 5:

          With the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state completed 126 days, Punjab Police on Saturday arrested 139 drug smugglers and recovered 6.9 kg heroin, 6.1 kg opium and Rs 1.19 lakh drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 20,594 in just 126 days.

          The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 Police districts of the state.

          Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has asked the Commissioners 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.

          Divulging details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla informed that over 200 Police teams, comprising over 1400 police personnel, under the supervision of 92 gazetted officers have conducted raids at as many as 451 locations across the state leading to the registration of 91 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 460 suspicious persons during the day-long operation, he added.

          The Special DGP said that with 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 53 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.

          Meanwhile, Police teams have also conducted checking at as many as 195 pharmaceutical shops in six districts including Commissionerate Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Batala, Amritsar Rural and Tarn Taran to ensure that they are not selling intoxicant tablets or any other habit-forming drugs, and are adhering to the prescribed norms and regulations regarding the sale of medicines.

Chandigarh, July 5: The Punjab State Farmers and Agricultural Workers Commission’s Chairman Prof. Dr. Sukhpal Singh held detailed discussions to accelerate export of pesticide-residue-free basmati from Punjab to further give a big push to crop diversification.

Stressing that crop diversification should be implemented a efficaciously in active participation of all stakeholders, the Chairman  Prof. Dr. Sukhpal Singh pointed out that at least 10 lakh hectares of area could be taken out of paddy cycle. The discussions were held to formulate strategic interventions and identify the bottlenecks involved in the export of Basmati from Punjab to the European Union and the United States of America.  It was also highlighted that the excess of pesticide residues was a major hinder in export.

The other participant in the discussions were included Dr. Sandiprao Patil, North India Zonal Manager, Dr. Malvinder Singh Malhi, Global Trainer, Byer Crop Science and Dr. R.S. Bains, Manavpreet Singh R.O. and Gagandeep R.A.

Dr. Rao also raised tge concern before the Chairman that the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare had already banned 11 pesticides which was being implemented from August 1 to September 30 terming it a welcome step.  He said that some pesticides were being used for paddy crop globally with no residue problem for export in the said countries.  He stressed that the Kharif maize crop is a viable alternative of paddy consuming less water than paddy. 

The Chairman pointed out that  the Kharif Maize Hybrid would yield atleast 35 quintals per acre, which is highly beneficial for farmers.  Dr. Rao said that Bayer is working extensively on this to meet the increasing demand in view of the permissions to blend ethanol with petrol and soon the hybrid varieties could be offered for large scale adoption by the farmers of Punjab state which could reduce considerable area from paddy crop.

Dr. Ranjodh Singh Bains, Admin Officer-cum-Secretary, Punjab State Farmers and Agricultural Workers Commission, revealed that choosing less water guzzling crops is need of the hour to sustain our natural resources as well as to secure the farmers’ profits at least equal to the profits from paddy crop.

Chandigarh/Rupnagar, July 5:

Encouraging the students to set up their own start-ups during the schooling, Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Saturday announced that Punjab Government will provide skill education in business & marketing to all students of 11th & 12th class in Govt schools from next session 2026-27 under the Punjab Young Entrepreneurs Scheme.

While addressing the Business Blasters Expo 2025, S. Bains said that in a world where hundreds and thousands of applicants chase a single job, Punjab’s government has flipped the script. Under the Business Blasters Expo 2025, students are being encouraged to become job creators instead of job seekers as Punjab Government would provide all kinds of assistance as well as financial and technical to all progressive minded students.

Referring the Business Blasters Expo 2025, Cabinet Minister said that 10 student-led ventures of students, selected from Government schools across Punjab have demonstrated their business ideas in a shark tank-style showdown before government leaders, industrialists, startup founders, and educationists where all teams were successful to get financial assistance to make their dreams true. The remaining 30 teams have also showcased and sold their products at Expo stalls.

Education Minister informed that an investment of ₹17 lakh has been made to set up innovation labs, where students will now be able to develop their own products, even in collaboration with IITs.

Highlighting the Punjab Young Entrepreneurs Scheme, he said that State Government has started a new era of student entrepreneurship and this began as a pilot project in 30 schools in State, where students were asked to present and pitch their business ideas. One shining example is a girl belonging to the BPL family of Govt. Mullanpur Dakhan School, who created decorative flower pots that sold for 20 times their price in Ludhiana. Similarly a youth from my own constituency now buys T-shirts from Gurugram and resells them via Instagram, earning ₹50,000 a month.

He said that leading 10 teams of students have showcased ideas business such as electrical cycle, natural beauty products, handmade dupattas, driving simulator, artwork framing, natural ingredients masalas, safety sticks, chocolates, herbal soaps,   including many other innovative products,

Speaking on this occasion, Former Deputy CM of Delhi, Mr. Manish Sasodia said that Punjab Young Entrepreneurs Scheme will be a milestone. Going forward, government school students will need to present a business idea to be eligible to pass. Students must gain practical understanding and real-world learning. Those graduating from Class 12 will leave with something they’ve created, sold, and earned money from.” Regardless of their chosen degree or diploma, every student must learn how to earn while studying.

He pointed out that, every year, 1 crore graduates pass out in India, but only 10 lakh get jobs—the rest continue searching for the private sector jobs. Between 2014-15 and 2021-22, according to a Parliament report, 22.05 crore youth applied for jobs, but only 7 lakh got them. This stark gap underscores the urgency of programs like Business Blasters.

He said that under the Business Blasters Expo 2025, it is now mandatory for students to present at least one business idea as a subject-based project. This program ensures that every student will not only gain financial literacy and independence, but also learn the essentials of marketing and entrepreneurship. This is a historic and visionary step, one that will empower and enable every student to stand tall with capability and confidence.

Mr. Vikramjeet Sahni Member Parliament announced Rs. 10 lakh to first 10 teams to establish their ventures and other business persons, industrialist and senior officer from the state government also assured the students that they will provide technical and expertise including financial assistance.

On this occasion Sh. Pramod Basin Founder of Gerpact, Sh. Anuj Kundra Member, Punjab Development Commision, Smt. Anandita Mitra, IAS

Sectary, School Education Punjab Board, First jury team members Dr. Hemant Kanakia, Founder & former CEO of Torrent Networking Technologies, Ms. Sairee Chahal, Founder & CEO, Sheros, Dr. Shray Pathak, Head, Technology Business Incubator Foundation, IIT Ropar, Ms. Somveer Anand, CEO, Punjab Innovation Mission. Second jury team  memrbers Mr. Mekin Maheshwari, CEO, Udhayam Learning Foundation & Co-founder of Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship, Mr. Jitendra Kalra, Director, SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India), Ms. Komal Jaiswal, Founder Greenaffair, Mr. Shailendra Sharma, Former Principal Advisor to Director Education, Government of NCT Delhi. And the third jury team members Mr. Satyam, CEO, Technology Business Incubator Foundation, IIT Ropar, Mr. Harit Mohan, Founder & CEO, Signicent Information Solutions Ltd & Former President, TIE Chandigarh were present.