Chandigarh March 5

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its drive against corruption in the state, has arrested a Panchayat Secretary, Avneet Singh Bajwa, posted in block Kurda, in SAS Nagar for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 20000. In this bribery case Block Development and Panchayats Officer (BDPO) SAS Nagar Dhanwant Singh has been booked as co-accused.

          Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the state VB said the aforementioned accused has been booked based on a complaint filed by a Sarpanch against both the officials.

          He further informed that the complainant has informed in his complaint to the VB that the BDPO and Panchayat Secretary had demanded a bribe of Rs 20000 for issuing utilisation certificates (UC) of grants used for the development works executed in the gram panchayat from the year 2018-2023.

          The spokesperson further added that after preliminary verification of this complaint, the VB team laid a trap during which the said accused has been arrested red handed while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 20000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.

          In this regard a case under section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act and under section 61(2) of BNS has been registered against both the above said accused at VB police station, flying squad-1, Punjab at SAS Nagar. Further investigation into this case was under progress, he said.

Chandigarh, March 5

Continuing its drive against corruption in the state, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested Vipan Kumar, a Patwari posted at Revenue Halqa Nawanshahr-1, who had been absconding for three weeks in a bribery case. His accomplice, Rampal, was earlier caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 3,000 on his behalf.

          A VB spokesperson stated that the case was registered based on a complaint from a resident of New Abadi, Nawanshahr in SBS Nagar district. The complainant alleged to the VB that Patwari Vipan Kumar had demanded a Rs 5,000 bribe to process the mutation of his ancestral house. Acting on the Patwari’s instructions, he had already paid Rs 2,000 in advance to Rampal, a middleman of Patwari. When further pressured for the remaining amount, the complainant approached the VB for help.

          The spokesperson added that following a preliminary verification of the complaint, the VB laid a trap on February 14, 2025, and apprehended Rampal red-handed while accepting Rs 3,000 bribe from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. Meanwhile, Patwari Vipan Kumar managed to flee the scene, evading arrest. Since then, the VB had been conducting raids at his residence and other locations, leading to his eventual arrest.

          In this regard a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against both accused at the VB Police Station, Jalandhar Range. The court has allowed one day police remand of the accused and further investigations into this case was under progress, he added.

Chandigarh, March 5

The Yudh Nashian Virudh Cabinet Sub-Committee Chairman Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday said that Punjab’s crusade against the drug menace is yielding significant results, with the Yudh Nashian Virudh Campaign launched by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann gaining massive traction across the state. He said that the drug smugglers are either fleeing Punjab or being apprehended by the police, paving the way for a drug-free Punjab.

Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, during his tour of the three districts of Tarn Taran, Pathankot, and Gurdaspur, held meetings with civil and police administration alongside local leadership. He emphasized the importance of public participation, enhancing drug de-addiction efforts, intensifying police crackdowns on drug traders, and promoting activities such as educational competitions, sports, and cultural events to engage the youth in adopting healthier lifestyles.

At the Tarntaran meeting, Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar emphasized the need to create a public movement against drugs, citing initiatives from his constituency, Patti. Adding to this, MLA Khadoor Sahib Manjinder Singh Lalpura mentioned that 80 villages in his constituency have passed resolutions to prevent the sale of drugs in their areas. He also stated that 87 villages will be provided with volleyball kits to divert the youth’s attention from drugs to sports. During the meeting, MLA Tarn Taran Dr. Kashmir Singh Sohal and MLA Khemkaran Sarwan Singh Dhun also shared their views.

Apprising the Finance Minister about police action taken against drug traffickers, SSP Tarn Taran Abhimanyu Rana said  that property worth Rs. 26 crore was attached last year, over Rs. 2 crore this year, and action is underway to attach property in six additional cases. He also reported that 80 individuals have been taken into custody under NDPS act in the district, and 13 kg of heroin has been seized as part of this campaign.

During the Yudh Nashian Virudh meeting in Pathankot, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema was accompanied by Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, Vice President of Aam Aadmi Party Punjab Swaran Salaria, and other prominent district figures. The Finance Minister emphasized that the Pathankot Police would launch a joint operation with the Himachal Police to curb the drug trade in the Pathankot district, which borders the Himachal region. He expressed confidence that nearly 500 ward-level and village-level committees formed in the Pathankot district would be instrumental in ending the drug trade.

The Gurdaspur meeting was held late in the evening where Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, Dera Baba Nanak MLA Gurdeep Singh Randhawa, and a number of other dignitaries accompanied the Finance Minister. The Finance Minister directed health department officials to conduct special checks at all medical stores in the district to ensure no banned medicines are sold.  He called for stringent action against individuals spreading drugs through illegal medical practices and instructed the Civil Surgeon to submit a report on these activities within 10 days. The status of OOAT centers and drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centers was also reviewed during the meeting.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Gurdaspur Aditya Uppal detailed the efforts of the district administration under the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign, including the launch of the ‘Umeed’ campaign to protect the youth from drugs and the formation of anti-drug committees in hotspot areas. DIG Border Range Satinder Singh, SSP Gurdaspur Aditya, and SSP Batala Sohail Qasim Mir presented reports on police actions against drug smugglers.

Chandigarh 02 March 2025:

An official spokesperson of the Punjab State Election Commission informed that the General Elections to three Municipal Councils of Tarn Taran (District Tarn Taran), Dera Baba Nanak (District Gurdaspur) and Talwara (District Hoshiarpur) were conducted today in a peaceful manner.

The voter turnout for three Municipal Councils of Tarn Taran (District Tarn Taran), Dera Baba Nanak (District Gurdaspur) and Talwara (District Hoshiarpur) are 54.06 %, 73.50 % and 61.31 % respectively, as reported by respective District Election Officers.

He further informed that a re-poll for Ward No.3 of Municipal Council, Tarn Taran has been ordered to be held on 04.03.2025 from 07:00 am to 04:00 pm followed by counting of votes on the same day.  In this regard, Deputy Commissioner-cum-DEO, Tarn Taran has been directed to make all the necessary arrangements.

Chandigarh March 2, 2025 –

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its drive against corruption in the state, on Sunday, apprehended Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Jagga Singh (No. 636/Bnl) and Senior Constable Gurpreet Singh (No. 288/Bnl), both posted at Police Station Mehal Kalan, in Barnala district red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000.

Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the Bureau said the aforementioned police personnel have been arrested based on a complaint lodged by a woman of Barnala city.

He further added that the complainant has approached the VB and informed that a police case had been registered at Mehal Kalan Police Station in which her brother was later nominated and subsequently arrested. She alleged that the said accused ASI and Senior Constable had demanded bribe from her to release a mobile phone, a watch, a gold chain and Rs 10,000 cash belonging to her brother.

The spokesperson informed that after verification of this complaint the VB team laid a trap during which both the accused police officials have been arrested while accepting a bribe of Rs. 50,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. In this regard a case has been registered against both the accused at VB Police Station Patiala Range. Further investigation into this case is under progress, he said.

Chandigarh, March 2:

The Punjab Government led by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is deeply committed to increase the area under the forest cover in the State so as to ensure a cleaner and greener environment.

With a view to achieve the abovesaid objective, the Forests and Wildlife Preservation Department under the guidance of Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, is undertaking great efforts. Under the Punjab State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (PUNCAMPA) scheme, the Annual Plan of Operations (APO) for the year 2025-26 has been submitted to National Authority, New Delhi for final approval after its approval by the Steering Committee of State Authority. The afforestation on 2100 hectares is proposed to be carried out during the year 2025-26. During the period 2024-25, Plantation in 1932 hectare area was done.

It is noteworthy that under the provisions of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Rules, 2018 made by the Union Government, the Annual Plan of Operation of State Authority (CAMPA) each year is prepared and got approved from the Steering Committee and finally approved by the National Authority, New Delhi.  The afforestation in only forest area is carried out as per the approved APO.