Results for: Punjab

Indian Army personnel successfully engaged a suspicious Pakistani drone infiltrating the airspace near the Line of Control in Rajouri district. Despite a thorough search, no suspicious items were discovered on the ground. Another flying object was observed near Poonch, but no findings were made. Meanwhile, the Border Security Forces recovered a China-made DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone in Amritsar, following a tip from intelligence. This discovery follows another drone-related incident in Amritsar, where a drone was used to transport suspected heroin.

Punjab politicians, including Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Charanjit Singh Channi, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Ravneet Singh Bittu, and Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, submitted their nomination papers for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on June 1. Notably, radical preacher Amritpal Singh, currently detained in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act, had his nomination papers filed by his representative from the Khadoor Sahib seat as an Independent. Additionally, Aam Aadmi Party’s Raj Kumar Chabbewal and Congress’ Yamini Gomar filed their nominations from Hoshiarpur, while SAD’s Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Congress’ Charanjit Singh Channi, and BJP’s Sushil Rinku filed theirs from the Jalandhar constituency.

A 19-year-old man named Bakshish Singh was killed in an attack following an alleged sacrilege incident at a gurdwara in Ferozepur, Punjab. According to police, Bakshish allegedly tore pages of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs, and tried to flee. He was caught by villagers, who thrashed him, leading to his death. The police have filed an FIR against Bakshish for sacrilege, while his father has requested the police to also register a case against those responsible for his son’s death. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh has condemned the incident and called for a social and religious boycott of the accused’s family.

Several former Congress leaders have returned to the party after quitting following the resignation of former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. The leaders rejoined in the presence of Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa. The returning leaders expressed optimism that their presence would strengthen the party. Additionally, former Punjab Police Additional Director General Gurinder Singh Dhillon also joined the Congress in Delhi, stating that he served as a police officer for two decades and now wishes to contribute to the party under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.

**Top National News Headlines:**

– Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a poll rally in Telangana today.
– Supreme Court to hear Patanjali misleading ads case on April 30.
– Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to meet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar jail.

**Other Important News:**
– Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar to attend MVA public meeting at Warje on April 30.
– Manipur: Fresh voting at six polling stations in Outer Manipur on April 30.
– Delhi excise scam: Delhi court reserves order on bail pleas of Manish Sisodia till April 30.
– Racks & Rollers IPO to open on April 30; price band at Rs. 73-78 per share.
– Kashmir: Schools closed due to incessant rainfall on April 30.
– Maratha quota: Shinde committee gets extension till April 30.

The Child Protection Welfare Bureau (CPWB) has proposed a landmark Child Marriage Restraint Bill, aiming to raise the minimum marriage age for girls in Punjab to 18 years. The bill aims to combat the alarmingly high prevalence of child marriage in the province, with 18% of women aged 20-24 wed before turning 18. The modernized bill replaces the outdated Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929, prioritizing the health, safety, and well-being of young girls.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tendered an apology for the allegedly casteist remarks made by Aam Aadmi Party candidate Laljit Singh Bhullar who is contesting from the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency. Bhullar had sparked controversy with certain comments against Congress leader Harminder Singh Gill at an election rally. Despite issuing a video apology, Bhullar had failed to apologize to Gill. Mann, while addressing a campaign rally for Bhullar, emphasized that the AAP does not support such behavior and does not engage in caste-based or religious politics. He revealed that he had immediately instructed Bhullar to apologize unconditionally and that Bhullar had sought forgiveness at the Harmandir Sahib. Mann expressed his respect for all communities and made it clear that such conduct would not be tolerated in the future.

Authorities in Patiala are investigating allegations that laborers received payments under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme without performing any work in a village in the Nabha sub-division. The complaint was filed by Raj Kumar Kansuha, president of the Democratic MGNREGA Front Punjab, who accused the block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) and additional program officer (APO) of buying votes for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) by paying wages to numerous laborers in Malkon village in April despite no work being done. Kansuha provided details of the total number of laborers who were paid during the imposition of the poll code, claiming that the online attendance of laborers, which should include their onsite pictures, did not comply with the guidelines. He further alleged that some Rural Employment Guarantee Act projects were already completed or nonexistent.

As Punjab’s mandis witness an influx of wheat, the Meteorological Department has issued a ‘yellow alert’ in various areas due to an active western disturbance. The adverse weather, including rain, strong winds, and thunderstorms, could result in crop losses for farmers. The weather is expected to remain cloudy with intermittent rain and a marginal increase in temperatures over the next three days.

The Congress party has announced its candidates for the Faridkot and Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. Amarjit Kaur Sahoke will contest from Faridkot, replacing incumbent MP Mohammad Sadiq. Yamini Gomar will contest from Hoshiarpur. With this announcement, the Congress has now declared candidates for eight of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab.