Chandigarh, Sukhpal Singh Khaira Bholath MLA and President of Punjab Ekta Party(PEP) today alleged that Central Bureau Investigation(CBI) has filed closure report in the Mohali CBI court in two cases of sacrilege registered against dera sacha sauda followers under pressure from BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD).

In a statement issued here Khaira said that BJP was hell bent to appease dera leaders with an eye on dera support during assembly elections in Haryana later this year. He said that SIT of Punjab Police led by DIG Ranjit Singh Khatra had established role of dera followers in the sacrilege cases but the then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had shifted the two cases from Punjab police to CBI in an apparent bid to save the accused. Badal knew that his party would not return to power and took the decision when assembly elections were close.

Chandigarh, The rift between Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his Cabinet colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu deepened on Sunday, when the latter resigned as Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy Sources.

"I hereby resign as Minister from the Punjab Cabinet," the former-cricketer-turned politician wrote in his resignation letter. Posting the letter on Twitter, Sidhu tweeted: "My letter to the Congress President Shri. Rahul Gandhi Ji, submitted on 10 June, 2019."

Chandigarh, Patiala MP and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's wife, Preneet Kaur, fainted at a plastic cleanup campaign in her constituency on Saturday, officials said.

Kaur, 75, collapsed as she arrived at the event to flag off the Swachhta Shramdan drive to clean up plastic.

She got her blood pressure checked and that was fine, a doctor told IANS.

Chandigarh, In a bid to boost ease of doing business in Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday issued directives empowering all the Deputy Commissioners to independently clear investment projects up to Rs 10 crore.

He was chairing a high-level meeting with the Deputy Commissioners to review programmes and projects, and draw out a roadmap to plug gaps in execution to make the systems more people-friendly and more secure.

Chandigarh, Union food processing industries minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today said Punjab was plagued by a MNREGA mafia which was pocketing central funds meant for poor farmers and labourers and urged Rural Development minister Narendra Tomar to initiate strict action against Congress functionaries and officials responsible for this.

Chandigarh

A state-level function was organized in observance of World Population Day, at the state institute of Health and family welfare, phase 6, here on Thursday. Speaking at the event, Punjab Health and Family Welfare and Labour Minister Mr. Balbir Singh Sidhu said that Punjab is better placed in terms of population control and for this, the credit goes to health workers especially ASHAs and ANMs who are working at the grassroots level to persuade people to adopt different family planning methods. The minister said the target is not yet achieved and if we make united efforts in more sustained way, the state can be role model for other states in the near future.

Chandigarh,  A day after India declared US-based pro-Khalistan group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) an unlawful association for supporting militancy and secessionism in Punjab, a state Minister on Thursday demanded the extradition of its legal adviser Gurpatwant Singh Pannun from the US.

Pannun is wanted in several first information reports (FIRs) registered in the state and he must be extradited to India to face the law, state Jail Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said in a statement.

Chandigarh, As his Cabinet colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu is yet to take charge of his new Power portfolio, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday took crucial decisions relating to electricity shortage that was mainly affecting sowing of paddy in the state.

Chandigarh, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday hailed the Central government's decision to declare the foreign-based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) as an unlawful association, describing it as the first step towards protecting the nation from secessionists.

Though the outfit deserved to be treated as a terrorist organisation, the Centre had at least taken a long-overdue stand against the SFJ, which had unleashed a wave of terror in Punjab in recent years, he said in a statement here.

Chandigarh

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said he would recommend the name of Hockey legend and 3-time Olympics gold champion Balbir Singh Senior for Bharat Ratna.

The Chief Minister met the ailing former player at PGI to present to him the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award, after felicitating around 100 other players, including veterans, with the award at an event here. The award has been reinstituted after nearly a decade’s gap and Captain Amarinder said it would be institutionalized as annual event.