Gurpreet Singh, Author at National Times

28 Jul

Punjab Government Ends Labour Unrest; PSPCL and Aam Aadmi Clinic Staff Resume Work

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjabAam Aadmi Clinics, Employee welfare, Harpal Singh Cheema, Labour strike, PSPCL, Punjab government

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): In a major breakthrough for public services across Punjab, Finance Minister and Chairman of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Employee Issues and Demands, Harpal Singh Cheema, on Tuesday announced that 16 unions of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and the staff unions of Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs) have officially called off their strikes and returned to work. He said the decision comes after extensive marathon negotiations led by the state government over the past two days successfully addressed core grievances, including accepting key demands of health staff and establishing a dedicated financial committee for power sector…

28 Jul

Punjab Ministers Inaugurate Rs 70.52 Crore Irrigation Projects in Khanna

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjab: Punjab Government, Barinder Kumar Goyal, Canal water, Irrigation projects, Khanna, Tarunpreet Singh Sond

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Punjab Cabinet Ministers Barinder Kumar Goyal and Tarunpreet Singh Sond today jointly inaugurated major irrigation projects worth Rs 70.52 crore at Bhattian village in the Khanna assembly constituency. While speaking on the occasion, Mr Barinder Kumar Goyal informed that around Rs 50.02 crore was spent on concrete lining across 68.32 km of canals, including the Khanna Rajwaha, Beed Kishan, Lalheri, Bardhal, Kotla, and Narayangarh minors. An additional Rs 20.50 crore was spent laying 23.40 km of underground pipelines. He said that canal irrigation has now reached over 37,000 acres across nearly 30 villages. Remaining agricultural land in…

28 Jul

CM Bhagwant Mann Defends Punjab’s Recruitment Record, Accuses Opposition of Smear Campaign

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjabBhagwant Singh Mann, Merit-based Jobs, Paper Leak, Punjab government, Recruitment

New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): Calling out the BJP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal for trying to tarnish the reputation of Punjab and its hardworking youth through false paper leak allegations, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday said his government has provided 69,000 government jobs with no farmaish (recommendations), no paper leaks and no cash, but solely on the basis of merit. Speaking during his visit to Parliament, where he met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav and other MPs, the Chief Minister said the BJP should stop maligning Punjabis for political gains and fight…

28 Jul

Ludhiana Gurdwara Altercation Turns Fatal; Nihang Singh Dies After Alleged Kirpan Attack

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjab, TrendingLudhiana

Ludhiana (Gurpreet Singh): A violent altercation during a religious event at a Gurdwara in Punjab's Ludhiana district claimed the life of a Nihang Singh late Sunday night, prompting police to register a murder case and launch a search for the accused. The incident took place at Baharla Gurdwara Sahib in Paddi village under the Dehlon police station limits, where devotees had gathered to observe Miri-Piri Diwas. The victim, identified as Sonu, allegedly suffered a fatal neck injury after being attacked with a kirpan. The accused, Sohan Singh, is reported to be a resident of Fatehabad, Haryana. According to the complaint…

28 Jul

Punjab Braces for Fresh Spell of Rain as IMD Issues Two-Day Weather Alert

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjab, TrendingPunjab

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): After a brief lull, monsoon activity has intensified across Punjab and Chandigarh, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a two-day alert for heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds. The renewed weather system has already brought heavy showers to parts of Pathankot, while several districts, including Jalandhar, remained under dense cloud cover on Monday. According to the weather department, widespread rainfall is expected on July 28 and 29, with intermittent showers likely to continue through July 30 and 31. Although rainfall is expected to become less intense during the first two days of August, isolated…

27 Jul

Number of High-Income Taxpayers Reporting ₹100 Crore or More Surges Four-Fold Over Five Years

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsBusiness, India

New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): The Parliament was informed on Monday that up to 576 individuals reported a gross total income of ₹100 crore or more in their income tax returns for the 2025-26 assessment year. This figure reflects a four-fold increase over the past five years, up from 142 individuals recorded in AY 2021-22. The details were provided in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary in response to queries regarding the rising number of high-net-worth individuals in the country. In a written response, Chaudhary clarified that neither the Income-tax Act of 2025 nor the erstwhile…

27 Jul

Punjab’s Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana Delivers Cashless Respiratory Care to Over 14,000 Patients

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjabcashless treatment, Dr Balbir Singh, Health Minister, Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, Punjab Healthcare, Respiratory Care

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Breathlessness is often dismissed as mere tiredness. A persistent cough is blamed on changing weather. Wheezing is brushed aside until climbing a flight of stairs becomes a struggle. By then, many patients have already developed serious lung disease that requires prolonged hospitalisation or even major thoracic surgery. Punjab's latest treatment data under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana (MMSY) shows that chronic lung diseases are not affecting only the elderly. A large proportion of patients requiring hospital care belong to the state's working-age population, highlighting the growing health and economic burden of respiratory illnesses. The National Heart, Lung,…

27 Jul

Punjab Emerges as Top State in School Education, Announces CM Bhagwant Singh Mann

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjabBhagwant Mann, Ludhiana, NEET JEE, NITI Aayog, public schools, Punjab education, school reforms, Vardhman Group

Ludhiana (Gurpreet Singh): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday said that his government’s sustained focus on strengthening government schools, modernising educational infrastructure and investing in teacher training has transformed the state into the country’s top performer in school education. Inaugurating the ₹5 crore Vardhman Block at Government Primary School, Lohara, the Chief Minister said that the remarkable success of government school students in competitive examinations such as NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test), JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) and the Punjab State Talent Search Examination (PSTSE) reflects the far-reaching impact of the government’s education reforms and reaffirmed that education…

27 Jul

Punjab Chief Minister Lays Foundation Stone for ₹1,116 Crore Steel Forging Plant in Ludhiana

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjabAichi Steel, Bhagwant Mann, Industrial Policy, Ludhiana Plant, Punjab industry, Steel Forging, Vardhman Steel

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday laid the foundation stone of the country’s first-of-its-kind ₹1,116 crore forging and machining unit being established by Vardhman Special Steels in partnership with Japan’s Aichi Steel, describing it as a major boost to Punjab’s industrial growth and employment generation. The project will provide direct employment to over 500 youth, while the Chief Minister expressed confidence that future expansion by the Vardhman-Aichi venture could create jobs for another 2,000 people. He said the investment, enhanced from the initially proposed ₹500 crore to ₹1,116 crore after the companies witnessed Punjab’s conducive…

27 Jul

Punjab Government Increases Monthly Pay of Contractual Sanitation Workers to ₹20,500

Gurpreet Singh0 CommentsPunjabHarjot Bains, Punjab government, Sanitation Workers, wage hike

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Delivering on its commitment to restore dignity to frontline sanitation workers, the CM Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government on Monday approved a major hike in the monthly remuneration of contractual Safai Sewaks and Sewermen. The decision was announced after Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Local Government Minister Harjot Singh Bains held extensive deliberations throughout the day with Safai Sewak Union representatives led by Chandan Grewal, Chairman, Punjab Raj Safai Karamchari Commission, and Sh. Vijay Danav, Chairman, Punjab Dalit Vikas Board. Following the successful deliberations, the ongoing strike by sanitation staff across the state has been called…