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Farm Loans
State urges FM to roll back interest rate hike
Chandigarh, July 12
Reacting strongly to the increase effected in the rate of interest on agricultural loans advanced by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development ( NABARD), the Punjab government today urged the union finance minister to immediately roll back the increase.

Baba of Riches
He made crores in name of kar seva
Patiala, July 12
Some people renounce worldly pleasures in the name of God and for serving religion. However, such service has become a route to riches. The police interrogation report of Baba Amrik Singh, who carried out kar seva at the Golden temple and many other gurdwaras in India and Pakistan, has revealed that he amassed assets worth crores of rupees in the name of religious service.

Avtar Singh, KAC chief trade charges
Amritsar, July 12
SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar and Khalsa Action Committee (KAC) chief Bhai Mohkam Singh have crossed swords over seeking extension of the term of SGPC chief from the present one year to two-and-a-half years.

‘Nandgarh has not resigned’
Amritsar, July 12
Dispelling speculations that Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh has resigned as Jathedar of Takht Nandgarh, SGPC chief Avtar Singh has said such rumours are being spread by some mischievous persons with a motive to create confusion in the Sikh Panth.

 

POLITICS

Malerkotla MC Election
1 post, two elected
Malerkotla, July 12
Against one post of the vice-president, two groups in the Malerkotla municipal council, one led by Congress MLA Razia Sultana and other by Chaudhary Abdul Gaffar, halka in charge of the SAD, elected two vice-presidents today.

COMMUNITY

Another dera row
Hindu bodies hold protest, block road
Hoshiarpur, July 12
There was tension in the city today following a protest by various Hindu organisations against the district administration for not registering a case against those persons who allegedly tried to forcibly take possession of Dera Baba Fattu Shah Bibi Sahiba temple of Sri Ramshevar Mahadev at the local Rahimpur locality, last night. 

ON THE OLIVE GREEN PATH

An Army recruitment rally, which began on July 2 at Rayya Army Camp and would culminate on July 29, is receiving tremendous response from the youths of Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts. It is being conducted by Headquarters, Recruiting Zone (Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir), assisted by Headquarters 55 Mechanised Brigade and the district administration. — PTI

Dimpa writes to CJ, Governor
Amritsar, July 12
Fearing torture by the Beas police Jasbir Singh Dimpa former Congress MLA from Beas and 11others lodged in the Amritsar central jail here today have urged Chief Justice Punjab and Haryana High Court to take steps to prevent the police from torturing them in the guise of investigations.

SAD (A) memo to Takht
Amritsar, July 12
Demanding strict action against the police officials who entered into a gurdwara in Talwara village, Fatehgarh Sahib, and took away books and photographs of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala, Bhai Beant Singh, Bhai Satwant Singh, Kehar Singh, Sukhdev Singh Sukha and others, the SAD (A) today presented a memorandum to Akal Takht here today.

Farmers stage dharna
Sangrur, July 12
Farmers, led by state president of the BKU (Ugrahan) today held a dharna against the police in front of the Sadar police station at Sunam, 13 km from here. Earlier they held a rally at the Sunam grain market and marched in procession through the bazars of Sunam.

Rs 45.36 cr for aided schools
Chandigarh, July 12
The Punjab government today released Rs 45.26 crore to pay salaries and arrears on account of merged dearness allowance to the employees of Punjab state aided schools.

Gunman hospitalised
Amritsar, July 12
Gunmen of former Congress MLA Jasbir Singh Dimpa Pawan Kumar was sent to the Amritsar Central Jail here late in the evening, but the Jail authorities refused to accept him as the medical officer there did not find him fit to be lodged in the jail.

PSEB slaps fine on Chahal
Patiala, July 12
The Punjab State Electricity board imposed a fine of Rs 43,000 on former media adviser to Capt Amarinder Singh B.I.S. Chahal recently.

Train Incident
My ex-wife, says Cheema
Chandigarh, July 12
Two days after a woman was allegedly molested on a train in Bihar, Punjab cadre IPS officer Gautam Cheema today said the woman in question, Sujata Preyasi, was his former wife and not his wife at present, as was being reported in the press.

Singing contest for juniors
Chandigarh, July 12
The Yaadgar-e-Rafi Society, Chandigarh, is holding the first round of its singing competition for the best singer award in male and female categories for participants below 18 years of age on July 15, 2007 at Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, Chandigarh, at 8.00 am.

COURTS

SC order on NRI seats
HC slaps show-cause notice on Punjab
Chandigarh, July 12
Even though the Supreme Court clearly states that NRI seats in educational institutes across the country can be filled up either by their children or their wards, the Punjab Government has issued a notification for giving preference to the Indian candidates sponsored by them, or candidates willing to pay the equivalent amount in Indian currency.

AGRICULTURE

 

Pilot projects to recharge rainwater No more going down the drain Chandigarh, July 12 To popularise rainwater harvesting, the Department of Agriculture has set up rainwater harvesting wells in the administrative blocks of Jalandhar and Fatehgarh Sahib.

Recharge well

Mission to launch water literacy yatra
Chandigarh, July 12
An NGO, the kheti virasat mission, is undertaking a “Punjab water literacy yatra” in areas of the state that are facing a water crisis.

ADMINISTRATION

Punjab announces slew of benefits for armed forces
Chandigarh, July 12
Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal today agreed to treat military personnel killed or injured during operations launched in aid to civil authorities as battle casualties. This implies that such soldiers would be entitled to benefits extended by the state government to soldiers killed or injured in regular military or counter insurgency operations.

Forest Dept accused of misusing project funds
Hoshiarpur, July 12
Coming down heavily on the Forest Department for allegedly misusing Rs 45 crore released by the Japan Bank for International Corporation (JBIC) project for the district during the Congress regime, chief parliamentary secretaries Desh Raj Dhugga and Sukhpal Singh Nannu from Gardhiwal and Ferozepur, respectively, have demanded a vigilance inquiry into the ‘scam’.

Khanna calls meeting on scrapping PLPA
Chandigarh, July 12
BJP MP from Hoshiarpur and former president of the Punjab unit of the party Avinash Rai Khanna has convened a meeting of certain chief parliamentary secretaries, MLAs, ex-ministers, panches, sarpanches and prominent social activists of the kandi belt to discuss the crucial issue of repealing of the Punjab land preservation act (PLPA), 1900.

SPOs on the warpath
Jalandhar, July 12
The state’s Special Police Officers (SPOs) are on the warpath. More than 2,000 of these officers, who were inducted in the Punjab Police in and after 1989, have threatened to come out on the streets if they are not absorbed as constables in the Punjab Police and if the Punjab CM does not respond positively to their demands.

CRIME

Doc assaulted
Amritsar, July 12
A postgraduate student at the SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Science and Research was allegedly assaulted here late last evening by relatives of a patient, who died during treatment about 10 days ago.

Vigilance quizzes MC officer
Abohar, July 12
A team, led by chief vigilance officer Ashwani Kumar and vigilance officer Rajesh Singla, today initiated a probe into allegations against the Congress-led municipal council here.

• MLA booked

PSEB engineer attacked by farmer  Banur, July 12 A junior engineer working with the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) was seriously injured when he was attacked by a farmer, here this evening.JE Madan Singh had gone to one Rajinder Singh’s farm in village Patton to remove a kundi connection, when the latter hit him with an axe on his chest and head, said Banur PSEB SDO Narinder Singh.     Madan Singh in the Civil Hospital, Mohali, on Thursday.— A Tribune photograph