Gurpreet Singh, Author at National Times

29 Mar

Mid-Air Scare on IndiGo Flight After Passenger Tries to Open Emergency Exit

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsIndiaaviation safety India, Bengaluru to Varanasi flight, CISF, emergency exit mid-air, IndiGo flight incident

Varanasi (Gurpreet Singh): Passengers aboard an IndiGo flight from Bengaluru to Varanasi experienced tense moments after a passenger allegedly attempted to tamper with an emergency exit door mid-air, officials said.The incident occurred on Saturday night on flight 6E-185 while the aircraft was en route to Varanasi. The flight departed Bengaluru at around 8:15 pm. The accused passenger, identified as Mohammad Adnan from Mau district in Uttar Pradesh, reportedly tried to open the emergency exit during the journey.The cabin crew intervened promptly, preventing any escalation. According to sources, the passenger later claimed his actions were unintentional. Following standard safety protocol, the…

29 Mar

Punjab Vigilance Bureau Nabs ASI in Ludhiana for Accepting Rs 15,000 Bribe

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjabASI arrested Punjab, corruption crackdown Punjab, Ludhiana bribery case, Punjab Vigilance Bureau

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): The Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Sunday arrested a police official in Ludhiana for allegedly accepting a bribe during an ongoing anti-corruption drive in the state.The accused, Assistant Sub-Inspector Lakhwinder Singh, posted at Kitchlu Nagar police post under PAU police station, was caught red-handed while accepting ₹15,000 from a complainant, officials said.According to a spokesperson, the arrest followed a complaint filed by a resident of Noorwala Road. The complainant alleged that the ASI had demanded ₹30,000 to avoid implicating his sister and mother in a case under investigation. The complainant had reportedly recorded the conversation as evidence.Refusing to…

29 Mar

Punjab Cabinet Clears Rs 9,300 Crore Women’s Scheme, Expands Welfare and Infrastructure Push

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjabBhagwant Mann, DBT Punjab, Punjab Cabinet decisions, women welfare scheme Punjab, ₹1000 scheme women

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): The Punjab Cabinet led by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday took several key decisions, including paving the way for the launch of the Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna across Punjab, ensuring a monthly financial assistance of ₹1000 to all other women and ₹1500 to women from Scheduled Castes, benefiting more than 97% of women in Punjab. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Council of Ministers chaired by the Chief Minister.Disclosing this, the Chief Minister’s Office said, “Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna (State Scheme) will be launched in the State.…

29 Mar

Punjab Govt Defends ₹10 Lakh Health Scheme, Accuses Opposition of Spreading Misinformation

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjabAyushman Bharat, Dr Balbir Singh, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Punjab health scheme, ₹10 lakh insurance Punjab

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab on Sunday said the Opposition is running a deliberate campaign to mislead people on the ₹10 lakh health insurance scheme, using isolated incidents from non-empanelled hospitals to falsely project failure while ignoring the scheme’s proven impact. Citing that over 1.72 lakh patients have already received treatment worth ₹292 crore, the party asserted that the attempt to distort facts reflects either a lack of basic understanding of how such schemes function or a calculated effort to create confusion among beneficiaries and weaken a major public welfare initiative. Punjab Health Minister Dr. Balbir…

29 Mar

Faridkot shines in Punjab; Crime Falls 37%, Snatching Recovery Rate at 97%

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjab, TrendingFaridkot, Punjab

FARIDKOT (Gurpreet Singh) : Faridkot has emerged as a leading example of the Bhagwant Mann Government’s intensified campaign against drug abuse, with the district recording a sharp 37% decline in overall crime and a 97% recovery rate in snatching cases, reflecting the impact of sustained action under the ongoing ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ (war against drugs) and ‘Operation Prahar’. The transformation in Faridkot is being driven by a combination of strict enforcement, technology-backed surveillance and deep community engagement, which together have broken the local drug networks and strengthened law and order on the ground. The Bhagwant Mann Government’s focused push to…

29 Mar

DGCA Mandates 60% Free Seat Allocation for Domestic Flights Starting April 20

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsIndia60 percent free seats mandate, airline seat selection charges India, April 20 aviation rules, DGCA free seats 2026, Indian airlines PNR seat rule

New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a landmark directive requiring Indian airlines to offer at least 60 per cent of seats on every flight without any additional selection fees. This regulation, detailed in an amended Air Transport Circular dated March 20, 2026, is scheduled to take effect on April 20. The move follows a formal request from the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to ensure fair access for travelers, particularly those who have faced rising costs—ranging from ₹200 to ₹2,100—for selecting seats during the booking process. Under the new guidelines, airlines must maintain a…

29 Mar

Centre to Fast-Track Nationwide PNG Expansion Amid Persistent LPG Shortage

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsIndia50 lakh new gas connections, Hardeep Singh Puri PNG, India PNG expansion 2026, LPG crisis West Asia, MoPNG PNG rollout

New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): In a decisive move to counter the ongoing nationwide LPG crisis triggered by the West Asia conflict, the Government of India has announced a major acceleration of the Piped Natural Gas (PNG) network. During a high-level roundtable review in New Delhi on Sunday, March 29, 2026, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) proposed the addition of 50 lakh new PNG connections to reduce the country’s heavy reliance on imported cooking gas cylinders. Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri, Manohar Lal, and Pralhad Joshi led the deliberations, emphasizing that PNG offers a more stable, affordable, and…

29 Mar

Counter Intelligence Ferozepur Nabs Accused with Heroin and Foreign-Made Pistol

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjabPunjab News

Gurpreet Singh :- In a significant breakthrough, the Counter Intelligence Unit of Ferozepur arrested a suspect and recovered 101 grams of heroin along with a foreign-made .30 bore pistol, a magazine and a mobile phone. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the police carried out a targeted operation leading to the arrest. An FIR has been registered at Sadar Ferozepur police station under relevant sections of the NDPS Act and Arms Act. Police officials revealed that the accused was previously involved in a serious firing incident and had been absconding for a considerable period. The accused has been taken on police…

29 Mar

Ravneet Bittu announces April bookings, flights from Halwara Airport to take off in this month

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjabRavneet Bittu

Gurpreet Singh :- In a major boost to Punjab’s connectivity and infrastructure, flight bookings from Halwara Airport are set to commence in April, with the first commercial flight expected to take off between May 10 and 15. The development marks a significant milestone for the region, long awaiting direct air connectivity. According to senior BJP leader and Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu, initial operations will begin with a 160-seater Airbus A320 economy aircraft. In the first phase, two daily flights will operate between Delhi and Halwara — one in the morning and another in the afternoon — offering…

29 Mar

Earthquake of magnitude 4.3 strikes Tibet

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsIndiaEarthquake

Rajeev Sharma :- An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 struck Tibet on Sunday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 145km. In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 4.3, On: 29/03/2026 10:54:27 IST, Lat: 30.187 N, Long: 84.280 E, Depth: 145 Km, Location: Tibet." Earlier on March 27, another earthquake of magnitude 3.2 occurred in the region at a depth of 40km. In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 3.2, On: 27/03/2026 04:18:47 IST, Lat: 28.842 N, Long: 89.290 E, Depth: 40 Km,…