CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR, June 22:

          In a major counter-espionage operation amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Amritsar Rural Police has arrested an Indian Army personnel and his aide suspected of espionage activities linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Sunday.

          The arrested accused have been identified as Gurpreet Singh alias Gopy Foji, a resident of Dhariwal in Amritsar— presently, serving in the Indian Army and posted in Jammu; and his associate Sahil Masih alias Shali, a resident of Dhariwal in Amritsar.

          DGP Gaurav Yadav stated that preliminary investigation revealed that Gurpreet Singh was in direct contact with operatives of the Pakistan ISI and is suspected of sharing sensitive and confidential information via pen drives. The key ISI handler involved in the case has been identified as Rana Javed, he added.

          The DGP said that two mobile phones containing virtual numbers, reportedly used to communicate with ISI operatives, have been recovered from the possession of both the arrested accused persons. Further investigations are underway to dismantle the broader espionage-terror network and identify all collaborators in this case, he said.

          Sharing more details, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amritsar Rural Maninder Singh said that accused Gurpreet Singh alias Gopy Foji was recruited into the Army in 2016 and systematically exploited his official position to collect, store, and transmit classified military information via pen drives and discs.

          The espionage network was reportedly facilitated by an acquaintance identified as Arjan, a Dubai-based drug trafficker from Dhariwal, who introduced Gurpreet to ISI operatives five months ago, he said, while adding that since then, Gurpreet has actively engaged in the unauthorised collection and relay of sensitive military data to the ISI using pre-decided drop locations.

          The SSP said that in lieu of this espionage activity, accused Gurpreet was receiving monetary compensation through a complex financial network involving intermediary bank accounts of friends, relatives, and foreign associates to evade detection. In an intelligence-led operation, police teams have arrested, Gurpreet and his associate Sahil Masih, while they were attempting another handover of sensitive data, he said.

          He said that further investigations are in progress to unravel the wider nexus and identify additional conspirators, both domestic and foreign-based.

          A case FIR No. 140 dated 21.06.2025 has been registered under sections 3, 5, and 9 of the Official Secrets Act and section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station Lopoke in Amritsar Rural.

CHANDIGARH, June 22: Punjab Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring today criticized the Punjab government’s decision to replace the Chief Minister with the Chief Secretary to head various development boards in the state.

Reacting to the decision Warring remarked, “the Aaam Aadmi Party has been blatantly trying to weaken the institution of the Chief Minister by replacing him with an in-service bureaucrat to head various development boards, which will make them completely unaccountable to the public”.

The PCC president asserted that no excuse can justify replacing the Chief Minister with the Chief Secretary. “Where all will this stop?” he asked, while referring to undermining and eroding the authority of the constitutional position of the Chief Minister who is the constitutional head of the government and is always accountable and answerable to the legislature and people unlike a bureaucrat.

“Being in opposition we do have numerous differences with the Chief Minister on various issues, but we do not approve undermining and taking away his authority”, the PCC president noted, while pointing out, “after all, he is the elected head of the government, chosen by people of Punjab, while the Chief Secretary is only “an appointed official” by the Chief Minister.

Chandigarh, June 19:

Polling for the 64-Ludhiana West Assembly Constituency bye election was held today. Polling began at 07:00 AM and progressed in an orderly and smooth manner.

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C informed that the approximate Voter Turnout as per data uploaded till 07:00 PM is 51.33%.  As part of a new initiative, the polling data has been uploaded by the Presiding officers at the polling station on the ECINET App. It may be noted that voting percentage trends are approximate. Under Rule 49S of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, Presiding Officers have furnished Form 17C, detailing the actual account of votes recorded, to polling agents of candidates, who were present at the polling station at the close of poll.

A mock poll was carried out on EVM at every polling station before commencement of poll in the presence of 578 number of polling agents appointed by all the candidates.

For the bye elections, the Election Commission had directed the Special Summary Revision of the Electoral Roll with 01-04-2025 as the qualifying date. The draft publication of the electoral rolls was done on 09-04-2025 and a copy of the same was shared with all recognised political parties. 192 BLOs at the polling station level worked to ensure that the rolls are correct and updated. 384 BLAs appointed by recognised political parties scrutinised the process and 4279 claims and objections were filed. The final publication of electoral rolls was done on 05-05-2025 and a copy of the final electoral rolls was shared with all the recognised political parties. No appeals were filed with the District Magistrate under section 24(a) of RP Act 1950 and No appeals were filed with the Chief Electoral Officer under section 24(b).

The electoral roll was finalised on the last date of making nominations i.e. 02-06- 2025 and a copy of the same was shared with all contesting candidates on 06-06-2025. A total of 175469 electors were registered in the electoral roll. A total of 14 candidates contested the election including 1 women candidate.

A total of 194 polling stations were set up. Due to the recent decision of the ECI for reducing the number of electors in a polling station to 1200, additional 2 auxiliary polling stations were set up for facilitating the voters. Besides provision of Assured Minimum facilities at each polling station, for the first time, a mobile deposit facility was created at 194 polling stations at the entrance in order to facilitate the voters. 1 all women personnel and 1 all PWD personnel polling stations and 10 model polling stations were also setup.

The First level checking of EVMs was done from 03.02.25 to 06.02.25 in the presence of representatives of recognised political parties. The commissioning was done on 10-06- 2025 in the presence of candidates/their authorised representatives. At each stage, mock polls were conducted on the EVMs and the results checked with VVPAT slips. The allocation of EVMs to the polling stations was done through a 2-stage randomisation process in the presence of candidates/their authorised representatives. The list of EVMs to be deployed at the polling stations was shared with the contesting candidates in advance.

The polling personnel were assigned duties through 3-stage randomisation in the presence of General Observers of ECI. During the training programmes, hands on trainings were organised during which each Presiding Officers conducted mock poll drill on the individual EVMs, by randomly casting 100 mock votes themselves and checking the result and matching with VVPAT slips also on their own. At the end of the training, the Presiding officers got full confidence in the fool proof working of the EVMs.

A total of 2 number of meetings were held with the representatives of political parties at the CEO level, 3 at DEO level and 2 at ERO/RO level from summary revision of electoral rolls till polling. 2 meetings were held with the contesting candidates/representatives at the RO level to apprise them about the various ongoing electoral processes.

As per revised instructions of ECI, candidates were allowed to set up their booths at the distance of 100m from the entrance of the polling stations, which was an added convenience for the voters specially those not carrying their Voter Information Slips.

239 number of 85+ and PWD electors who had opted were given the facility of home voting through postal ballots, which was conducted by specially dedicated teams, in the presence of the representatives of candidates as well.

To keep a watch on the electoral processes, ECI had also appointed 1 General Observer, 1 Police Observer and 1 Expenditure Observer. 1512 complaints were received through the c-Vigil app from the citizens out of which 1342 were found correct and resolved within the time period of 100 minutes.

ECI has also updated the process of generating the Index Card. This replaces the traditional manual methods and through automation and data integration, the new system will ensure faster reporting and release of the Index cards post counting.

Chandigarh, June 19:

The Punjab Government is committed to ensuring a bright future for destitute and orphaned children across the state by making the adoption process fully legal, secure and transparent.

Addressing a one-day state-level training programme on ‘Adoption Regulation-2022’ organised today at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, Chandigarh, Punjab’s Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister, Dr. Baljit Kaur, stressed the need to make the legal adoption process more efficient and sensitive. She stated that this training programme was organised to sensitize and equip officials of the concerned departments to ensure that there are no legal hurdles in the adoption process, thereby guaranteeing a secure future for such children.

The programme was organised by the Department of Social Security, Women and Child Development, Punjab, with the support of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) and the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), Mohali.

Expressing concern over the harsh reality of society, Dr. Baljit Kaur said it is unfortunate that incidents of newborns being abandoned or harmed still occur. She appealed to well-off and capable families to come forward and legally adopt such orphaned and destitute children as a humane gesture. This would not only provide parental love to these children but also secure their future.

The Minister emphasized that the objective of this training programme is to ensure that all stakeholders involved in the adoption process are fully aware of its legal framework. This, she added, will help ensure that every adoption in the future is carried out as per prescribed rules, safeguarding the rights of the children.

Dr. Baljit Kaur reiterated that the Punjab Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, is committed to providing love, security, and a bright future to every child. She said that the implementation of ‘Adoption Regulation-2022’ in the state is a significant step toward bringing new hope into the lives of orphaned children by providing them with loving homes.

Chairman of the Punjab State Child Rights Protection Commission, Kanwardeep Singh, lauded the initiative, stating that such state-level programmes would enhance the knowledge and capacity of officials and staff directly involved in the adoption process. He noted that with the implementation of safe and legal adoption systems by the Punjab Government, not only would destitute children find loving homes, but their future would also be secured.

CARA CEO Bhavna Saxena also praised the Punjab Government’s efforts in organising this state-level training under ‘Adoption Regulation-2022’. She remarked that the adoption process is often complex and sensitive, and any loopholes can lead to serious challenges for both children and adoptive families. She emphasized that such regular training programmes are crucial — not only to enhance the knowledge and competence of officials involved but also to raise awareness in society so that more such children can find secure and loving homes.

Prominent participants in the training programme included Dr. Shena Aggarwal, Director, Department of Social Security, Women and Child Development, Special Secretary Keshav Hingonia, Additional Secretary Vimmi Bhullar, alongside officers from District Magistrate offices, Chief Medical Officers, Child Welfare Committees (CWCs), Special Adoption Agencies (SAAs), District Child Protection Units (DCPUs) and other related departments, who participated with enthusiasm.

CHANDIGARH, June 19:

          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 110 days, Punjab Police on Thursday arrested 132 drug smugglers and recovered 1.08 kg heroin and Rs 87,540 drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 18,236 in just 110 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 220 Police teams, comprising over 1500 police personnel, under the supervision of 96 gazetted officers have conducted raids at as many as 544 locations across the state leading to the registration of 100 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 571 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 67 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.

Chandigarh, June 19:

In a major boost to its workforce, the Punjab School Education Department has promoted 126 Clerks to Senior Assistants from field staff, recognising their hard work. This decision will not only enhance administrative efficiency but also motivate employees to deliver better services.

In a press communique issued today, Punjab School Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains shared that these promotions will fill all vacant Senior Assistant posts in District Education Officer (DEO) offices and District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), which would lead to enhanced governance.

Extending heartiest congratulations to the promoted employees, S. Harjot Singh Bains exhorted them to leverage this opportunity to further enhance their performance.

“I’m confident that these promotions will motivate our staff to deliver even better services,” the Education Minister said while adding that by promoting employees and filling key vacancies, the School Education Department showcases its dedication to further streamlining operations and enhancing administrative efficacy.

Chandigarh, May 31:

In a bid to strengthen parents-teachers collaboration and boost students outcomes, the Punjab School Education Department hosted Mega Parent-Teacher Meetings (PTMs) in all the government schools across the state on Saturday, marking a first-ever initiative to engage and inform the parents about their children’s performance before commencement of summer holidays.  said S. Harjot Singh Bains, Minister of School Education, Punjab.

S. Harjot Singh Bains today personally visited visited government schools in several villages of Sri Anandpur Sahib constituency, including Swamipur, Bhabor Sahib, Kalsera, Rampur Sahni, Maujowal, Chhotewal, Surewal, Sukhsal, Kulgran, to engage with parents, teachers and students.

Over 17 lakh parents have attended the Parent-Teacher Meetings (PTMs), showcasing an overwhelming response and enthusiasm to receive updates on their children’s academic progress and overall development, said the Education Minister.

Highlighting the objective of the Mega PTMs, the Education Minister stated that the Mega PTMs aimed to boost student learning outcomes through active parental involvement. He added that school heads informed parents about holiday homework and encouraged them to ensure its completion during summer break.

Additionally, parents have also been informed about the syllabus for the bi-monthly test scheduled for July 15, 2025. Furthermore, parents and students in Classes III-VIII have been apprised of video lectures and practice questions under Mission Samarth, designed to promote continuous learning during the summer holidays.

Underscoring the School Education Department’s commitment to fostering a collaborative learning environment in government schools, S. Harjot Singh Bains said that these interactions will further strengthen the bond between home and school, ultimately benefiting the students.

The Education Minister said that the Government schools also celebrated World Environment Day 2025 with activities promoting environmental conservation and sustainability, aligning with the theme “Ending Plastic Pollution Globally.” Alongside the Mega PTM, over 19,000 government participated in tree plantation drives, cloth bag stitching demonstrations, cloth bag distribution, and School Nutrition Garden creation. This initiative aims to foster eco-friendly practices, reduce plastic usage, and promote sustainable living among students to create a greener future.

S. Bains said that Class 6th to 10th celebrated Bagless Day with hands-on activities, including handicrafts, games and artistic performances, to promote experiential learning. These initiative underscores the School Education department’s commitment to student-centred learning and parental involvement, marking a significant step towards holistic education.

CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR, May 28:

          In a major crackdown on narco-illegal-arms smuggling networks amidst the ongoing anti-drugs campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Border Range Amritsar has arrested three drug traffickers linked to cross-border smuggling and recovered 521 grams of heroin and four sophisticated .30 bore Px5 storm pistols along with seven magazines and 55 live cartridges, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday.

          Those arrested have been identified as Maninderjit Singh (26) of village Badowal in Gurdaspur, Peter (22) and Lovejit Singh alias Raja (21) of Dharamkot Randhawa in Gurdaspur. Apart from recovering heroin and weapons, police teams have also impounded their two motorcycles, which they were using to deliver consignments.

          DGP Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigations have revealed that the arrested accused persons were in touch with Europe and Pakistan-based drug smugglers, and were receiving narco and weapon consignments from across the border via drones.

          He said that ANTF is actively pursuing both forward and backward linkages to dismantle the entire network. More arrests and recoveries are likely in coming days, said the DGP.

          Sharing operation details, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) ANTF Nilabh Kishore said that ANTF Border Range Amritsar team had received credible inputs about the trio’s involvement in retrieving narcotics and weapons from across the border. Acting swiftly on the inputs, police teams led by Superintendent of Police (SP) ANTF Border Range Amritsar Gurpreet Singh launched an intelligence-led operation and apprehended accused persons from near Shankar Dhaba on Attari Road in Amritsar, he said.

          In this regard, a case FIR No 141 dated 27.05.2025 has been registered under sections 21-C, 25 and 29 of the NDPS Act and section 25 of the Arms Act at Police Station ANTF in SAS Nagar.