Punjab

Calgary PGWP Row Puts Spotlight on Jalandhar Immigration Firm’s Alleged Role

Calgary PGWP Row Puts Spotlight on Jalandhar Immigration Firm’s Alleged Role

Jalandhar (Gurpreet Singh/Rajeev Sharma): The protest by more than 1,000 Punjabi students in Calgary over the rejection of their Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) applications has taken a new turn, with an alleged connection to a Jalandhar-based immigration consultancy coming under scrutiny. The students have been demonstrating in Calgary for nearly 10 days, seeking relief after their applications for work permits were rejected by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The refusals have reportedly left students who had completed diploma programmes facing uncertainty over their ability to remain in Canada. At the centre of the controversy is the Canadian Institute of…
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Punjab Outperforms Kerala to Secure Top Rank in NITI Aayog School Education Index, Says Minister Harjot Bains

Punjab Outperforms Kerala to Secure Top Rank in NITI Aayog School Education Index, Says Minister Harjot Bains

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Claiming a historic turnaround, Punjab Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains on Thursday said the state has overtaken Kerala to rank No. 1 in the NITI Aayog School Education Quality Index 2026. While 8,000 schools had no boundary walls and 4 lakh children sat on the floor in 2022, today Punjab has 882 NEET qualifiers from government schools and has become the first state in the country to introduce Artificial Intelligence as a core subject from Classes I to XII. This is the revolution AAP led government promised. Participating in a discussion on an education-related resolution moved…
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Arvind Kejriwal Alleges Meta Restricted His Instagram Account Under Central Government Pressure

Arvind Kejriwal Alleges Meta Restricted His Instagram Account Under Central Government Pressure

New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal shared that Meta has restricted his Instagram account in India, and is also not providing any explanation even after continuous enquiries. Emphasising that the action reflects pressure from the Modi Government, he said Meta is suppressing voices raising issues such as the examination leaks and forceful imposition of E20-Blended Petrol, and that many others critical of the government have faced similar restrictions. The AAP Chief and former Delhi CM appealed to people whose accounts have also been restricted to contact him through direct messages or comments so that…
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Assam Floods Claim More Lives; Death Toll Reaches 95 as Over 1.6 Lakh Residents Remain Affected

Assam Floods Claim More Lives; Death Toll Reaches 95 as Over 1.6 Lakh Residents Remain Affected

Guwahati (Rajeev Sharma): Assam's flood emergency has intensified, with six additional deaths reported in the last 24 hours, pushing this season's flood-related death toll to 95. The rising waters have also expanded the scale of the disaster, affecting more than 1.60 lakh people spread across 14 districts, according to the latest update from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). Officials said two people each died in Sivasagar and Biswanath, while one fatality each was reported from Golaghat and Morigaon after floodwaters swept through the affected areas. More Districts Grapple With Flooding The number of people impacted has increased sharply…
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Punjab Sees Fresh Spell of Rain; IMD Issues Alert for Seven Districts, Power Demand Rises

Punjab Sees Fresh Spell of Rain; IMD Issues Alert for Seven Districts, Power Demand Rises

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): A fresh round of monsoon showers swept across parts of Punjab on Thursday, with Jalandhar witnessing heavy rainfall while the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of intense showers at isolated locations in seven districts. The advisory remains in place for Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr), Fatehgarh Sahib, Rupnagar, Patiala, and SAS Nagar (Mohali). The weather office has predicted partly cloudy conditions over Chandigarh, with intermittent light rain and thunderstorms likely during the day. Temperatures Rise Despite Rain Although rainfall has been reported from several areas, the state's daytime temperature has increased by 2.1 degrees Celsius,…
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Over 2.91 Lakh Patients Receive Cashless Healthcare Treatment Worth Rs 1,044 Crore Under Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana

Over 2.91 Lakh Patients Receive Cashless Healthcare Treatment Worth Rs 1,044 Crore Under Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): The real measure of a healthcare scheme is not just the amount spent or the number of cases processed, it is whether people are able to get treatment when they need it most. Bhagwant Mann Government's Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana (MMSY) has now reached a significant milestone, with 2,91,417 beneficiaries receiving treatment support since 8 January 2026. As per recent data from the State Health Agency (SHA), Punjab, Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana has provided healthcare services worth around ₹1,044 crore through cashless treatment facilities. Behind these numbers are families who were able to focus on recovery instead…
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Punjab Cabinet Approves Fee Control Bill, Digital Universities, and Service Regularization Policy

Punjab Cabinet Approves Fee Control Bill, Digital Universities, and Service Regularization Policy

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday took a series of landmark decisions aimed at strengthening education, improving governance and public service delivery, and promoting inclusive development across the state. The Cabinet passed the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Un-aided Educational Institutions (Amendment) Bill, 2026 to regulate unnecessary and unreasonable fee hikes by private un-aided educational institutions, besides approving the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel Transition to Contractual Engagement Bill, 2026, establishment of three new Digital Open Universities and several other key policy initiatives. A decision to this effect was taken…
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Malvinder Singh Kang Urges Nitin Gadkari to Declare Banga–Naina Devi Route as National Highway

Malvinder Singh Kang Urges Nitin Gadkari to Declare Banga–Naina Devi Route as National Highway

New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament from Sri Anandpur Sahib, Malvinder Singh Kang, on Wednesday met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and strongly reiterated the long-pending demand to declare the Banga–Garhshankar–Sri Anandpur Sahib–Naina Devi Road as a National Highway. During the meeting, Kang discussed the strategic, religious and economic importance of the road and urged the Union Government to expedite the project. Kang said that the proposed National Highway is not merely a road infrastructure project but a lifeline for lakhs of people across the region. He pointed out that the…
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Mann Government Delivered Over 68,000 Public Jobs and Massive Private Investment, Says Minister Aman Arora

Mann Government Delivered Over 68,000 Public Jobs and Massive Private Investment, Says Minister Aman Arora

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Putting the opposition on the back foot in the state legislative assembly, Punjab Employment Generation, Skill Development & Training and Industries & Commerce Minister Mr. Aman Arora said that the state has provided over 68000 Government Jobs and attracted investments worth ₹1,83,837 crore and generated 6,36,636 private sector jobs over the last four-and-a-half years. Winding up the discussion on a resolution on employment opportunities moved by MLA S. Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal in the House, on Wednesday, Mr. Aman Arora told the House that the investment inflows had directly and indirectly created over 6.36 lakh jobs in the…
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Punjab Police Attribute Morinda Firing to Road Rage, Reject Link to Amritpal Singh Case

Punjab Police Attribute Morinda Firing to Road Rage, Reject Link to Amritpal Singh Case

Morinda, Punjab (Gurpreet Singh): Punjab Police have ruled out any immediate connection between a firing incident involving a witness in a case against Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh and the legal proceedings against the jailed leader, stating that preliminary findings indicate the episode was triggered by a road rage dispute. The incident occurred around 2 a.m. when Varinder Singh Mavi, a resident of Salempur village and a witness in the Ajnala case linked to Amritpal Singh, alerted police after alleging that an individual had fired at him. Responding swiftly, police teams reached the spot and began an investigation. Officials said…
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