SPL DGP ARPIT SHUKLA REITERATES RESOLVE OF PUNJAB POLICE TO ERADICATE GANGSTERS, ANTI-SOCIAL ELEMENTS AND DRUG SMUGGLERS FROM STATE

LUDHIANA ENCOUNTER: SIT CONSTITUTED TO INVESTIGATE BACKWARD AND FORWARD LINKAGES OF GANGSTERS NEUTRALISED DURING ENCOUNTER

— LUDHIANA COMMISSIONERATE POLICE ALSO RECOVERED SNATCHED KIA SELTOS OF FACTORY OWNER, SAYS ARPIT SHUKLA

— PUNJAB POLICE COMMITTED TO MAKE PUNJAB A SAFE AND SECURE STATE AS PER VISION OF CM BHAGWANT MANN

— BOTH THE NEUTRALISED GANGSTERS ARE HISTORY-SHEETERS, SAYS CP LUDHIANA

CHANDIGARH, November 30:A day after two gangsters were neutralised in a police encounter in Ludhiana, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rural) Jaskiranjit Singh Teja has been constituted to investigate backward and forward linkages of both the deceased gangsters, said Special Director General of Police (Spl DGP) Law and Order Arpit Shukla here on Thursday. The SIT also comprises ADCP Investigation Rupinder Kaur Sran, ADCP-2 Sohail Mir and SHO Dehlon as its members.

The Spl DGP accompanied by the Commissioner of Police (CP) Ludhiana Kuldeep Singh Chahal was addressing a Press Conference at Punjab Police Headquarters (PPHQ) here.

As per the information, two gangsters identified as Sanjeev Kumar alias Sanju Bahman (26) and Subham alias Gopi (26), who were wanted in connection with the shooting on a Ludhiana-based industrialist to extort money, were neutralised during an encounter with the Police, which took place near Tibba Pul at Doraha in Ludhiana on Wednesday evening. Five of their associates were already arrested by the Ludhiana Police on November 26.

During the encounter, one police personnel ASI Sukhdeep Singh has also sustained a gunshot injury during the cross-fire. The police have registered an FIR No 285 under sections 307, 332, 353 and 186 of the IPC, and section 25 and 27 Arms Act based on the statement of Inspector Kulwant Singh at Police Station Sahnewal.

Spl DGP Arpit Shukla said that both the deceased gangsters were history-sheeters and wanted by the Punjab Police with multiple criminal cases pertaining to Arms Act, Robbery/Dacoity and NDPS act registered against them. Ludhiana Police have also recovered the Kia Seltos car, which was snatched from the factory owner from the arrested persons, he said.

Reiterating the commitment of the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to make Punjab a safe and secure state, the Spl DGP said that Punjab Police has been making sincere efforts to eradicate gangsters, anti-social elements and drug smugglers from the state and no one will be allowed to disturb the hard earned peace and harmony of the state.

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PUNJAB GOVERNMENT TO HOLD DEPARTMENTAL EXAMINATION FOR VARIOUS POSTS FROM DECEMBER 11

Chandigarh, November 30-The next Departmental Examination of Assistant Commissioners, Extra Assistant Commissioner/Tehsildars and officials of other departments are to be held from December 11, 2023 to December 15, 2023.

Disclosing this here today, the official spokesperson of the Punjab Government said that those officers who intend to appear in the examination should send their applications to the Secretary to Government Punjab, Department of Personnel, and Secretary, Departmental Examination Committee (PCS Branch), Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh, through their Departments by December 01, 2023.

No direct application will be entertained under any circumstances. Incomplete applications will be rejected and no Roll Number will be issued for which the onus will fall upon the applicant concerned, he added.

He further said that the candidate who does not get his/her Roll Number by December 07, 2023 for examinations should contact the PCS Branch via e-mail (supdt.pcs@punjab.gov.in) or telephone 0172-2740553 (PBX -4648).

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I&PR DEPARTMENT BIDS WARM FAREWELL TO PHOTO CINEMA OFFICER TARUN RAJPUT AND ARTICLE WRITER ATEEQ-UR-REHMAN ON THEIR SUPERANNUATION

Chandigarh, November 30:Punjab Information and Public Relations Department today gave a warm farewell to the Photo Cinema Officer Mr. Tarun Rajput and Article Writer Mr. Ateeq-ur-Rehman on their retirement. Both the officials served the department for nearly 35 years.

During a farewell function, Joint Directors Mr. Randeep Singh Ahluwalia and Mr. Preet Kanwal Singh, Deputy Directors Mr. Ishwinder Singh Grewal, Mr. Manvinder Singh and Mr. Gurmeet Singh Khaira along with other officers lauded the marvelous services rendered by both the officials in the department, adding that the exemplary hard work, dedication and perseverance exhibited by Mr. Rajput and Mr. Ateeq will ever inspire their colleagues and other staff members to discharge their duties with determination and positive attitude.

The speakers, while wishing a better and healthier post-retirement life to both the officials, categorically mentioned that now they will be able to spend more valuable time with their family besides fulfilling their social responsibility.

Photo Cinema Officer Mr. Tarun Rajput and Article Writer Mr. Ateeq-ur-Rehman were also honoured with a memento by the staff members of the department. Apart from the family members of the retirees, IPROs, APROs and other officials of the department were also present.

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SEVEN CADETS OF MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH AFPI PASS-OUT FROM NDA

• SUCCESS PERCENTAGE OF MRSAFPI FURTHER SURGED TO 54.89%, MAKING IT ONE OF THE HIGHEST IN COUNTRY

Chandigarh, November 30:Seven cadets of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute, (MRSAFPI), SAS Nagar (Mohali) on Thursday passed out from the National Defence Academy (NDA) Pune, in a parade reviewed by the President of India and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Smt. Draupadi Murmu.

After undergoing three years of rigorous training, these seven cadets Pratham Parmar, Shiv Kumar, Kritin Gupta, Sahildeep Singh, Sahilpreet Singh, Uttam Malik and Bharat Sharma will now join the various service training Academies to become commissioned officers after a year from now.

Meanwhile, on December 9, 2023, four cadets of MRSAFPI from the 7th Course will be commissioned as officers in the Indian Army upon their graduation at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun. With these cadets passing out of IMA, the MRSAFPI would have trained 145 commissioned officers. The success percentage of the Institute has further enhanced to 54.89%, making it one of the highest in the country as on date.

Punjab Employment Generation, Skill Development & Training Minister Mr. Aman Arora lauded the cadets for their achievements and encouraged them to work hard to bring pride to the state and the country. He expressed his satisfaction with the results shown by Maharaja Ranjit Singh AFPI.

Maj Gen Ajay H. Chauhan, (VSM), the Director of Maharaja Ranjit Singh AFPI, said that as of now, 12 cadets of MRSAFPI are awaiting their call-up letters for various service training academies. Additionally, 37 cadets will soon be proceeding for their Services Selection Board (SSBs) Interviews. The new course of the institute is set to commence in April 2024, and the advertisement has been published across Punjab.

Notably, Maharaja Ranjit Singh AFPI is a Government of Punjab initiative to enhance the number of youth from Punjab in the defence services as commissioned officers. The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has significantly supported providing opportunities for the state's youth to join the Defence Forces. Recently, the Government of Punjab announced the upcoming opening of the Sardar Bahadur Amin Chand Soni AFPI at Bajwara in Hoshiarpur.

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DR. BALJIT KAUR HOLD MEETING WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF KAMBOJ COMMUNITY

Minister assured MLA Goldy Kamboj that demands would be considered sympathetically

Chandigarh, 30 November-Under the effective leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab government is continuously working for the welfare of every section of the state. Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur held a meeting with Jalalabad MLA Jagdeep Kamboj Goldy and the representatives of the Kamboj community today at her office in the Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh.

During the meeting, Jalalabad MLA Goldy Kamboj told the minister that the Kamboj community in Punjab has been included in the list of backward classes since 1959. He demanded that the survey being conducted for the Kamboj community alone in Punjab should be stopped immediately and the Kamboj caste should be retained in the list of backward classes as before. Apart from this, a policy should be made to conduct a caste-wise census in the state so that every caste in Punjab can get proper representation in every region in terms of population.

Cabinet Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur listened seriously to the demands of the Kamboj community and assured that the demands of the Kamboj community would be considered sympathetically. Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities Department Director-cum-Joint Secretary Raj Bahadur Singh, was specially present during the meeting.

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PUNJAB POLICE AVERT TARGET KILLINGS PLANNED BY SONU KHATRI GANG; GANGSTER JASSA HAPPOWAL HELD WITH TWO PISTOLS

— PUNJAB POLICE COMMITTED TO MAKE PUNJAB A SAFE AND SECURE STATE AS PER VISION OF CM BHAGWANT MANN

— JASSA HAPPOWAL WAS WANTED IN SIX MURDER CASES INCLUDING SENSATIONAL DOUBLE-MURDER OF MOTHER AND DAUGHTER, SAYS DGP GAURAV YADAV

— FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS ARE ON: AIG CI NAVJOT SINGH MAHAL

CHANDIGARH/JALANDHAR, November 30:Amidst the ongoing campaign to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per the vision of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Police have got major breakthrough with the arrest of notorious Gangster Karanjit Singh alias Jassa Happowal— an operative of a foreign-based Gangster Rajesh Kumar alias Sonu Khatri and Jaspreet Singh alias Jassa Mohanwalia, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Thursday.

“Gangster Jassa Happowal was wanted in at least six murder cases including the sensational double-murder of a mother and daughter, which took place in village Bhojowal in Jalandhar Rural last month, and other heinous crimes,” he said. The accused had also put Kerosene oil on the bodies and faces of both deceased women before setting them ablaze.

Police teams have also recovered two pistols— including .30 bore and .32 bore— along with two magazines and 10 live cartridges from their possession, besides, impounding his black-coloured Splendour Motorcycle sans registration number plate.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said that following reliable inputs that Jassa Happowal on directions of his foreign-based handlers hatching a conspiracy to execute 3-4 target killings and is on the way to conduct recce one of his next targets, teams from Counter Intelligence Jalandhar devised a meticulous plan and successfully arrested him after intercepting his motorcycle at outskirts of Jalandhar.

Sharing more details, AIG CI Navjot Singh Mahal said that during questioning, Jassa Happowal confessed to be involved in six murder cases and other criminal cases pertaining to attempt to murder, car-jacking and looting western unions. Further investigations are going-on, he added.

A case FIR No. 52 dated 30.11.2023 has been registered under sections 384, 153, 153-A and120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 25 and 25(7) of the Arms Act at Police Station SSOC Amritsar.

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MAI BHAGO AFPI INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR 2nd BATCH OF NDA PREPARATORY WING

• Interested candidates can apply online till December 25

Chandigarh, November 30:Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (AFPI) for Girls, SAS Nagar (Mohali) has invited applications for the entrance exam to be conducted for the 2nd Batch of National Defence Academy (NDA) Preparatory Wing.

The Director of the Mai Bhago AFPI Major General JS Sandhu (Retd.) informed that interested candidates can register themselves at online portal http://recruitment-portal.in till December 25, 2023. The Path breaking initiative of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government will further empower women of the state by providing an opportunity to fulfill their dreams to join armed forces as commissioned officers.

In order to apply for the NDA preparatory course, the girls with Punjab Domicile, who will be passing their 10th examination in 2024 and the girls studying in class XI can also apply with condition that their date of birth should not be before July 2, 2007. The state government would bear the entire cost of the training of the selected candidates, including boarding and lodging, at the institute, he added.

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Certinently, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Government of India in its communication dated 30.11.2023 has conveyed approval for revision of procurement period of paddy during KMS 2023-24 as 01.10.2023 to 07.12.2023 instead of earlier fixed as 01.10.2023 to 30.11.2023.

PUNJAB AIMS TO INCREASE SHARE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY UP TO 43 PER CENT: AMAN ARORA

• At 2nd edition of Monaco Hydrogen Forum; New & Renewable Energy Minister invites renewable energy firms to invest in Punjab

Chandigarh, November 30:Punjab New and Renewable Energy Sources Minister Mr Aman Arora on Thursday said that the Punjab Government led by Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann has aimed to increase the share of renewable energy up to 43 per cent by 2030.

While addressing the 2nd edition of Monaco Hydrogen Forum at Monaco, Mr. Aman Arora said that Punjab is a power surplus state having installed capacity of 15000 MW, out of which 20% (3000 MW) is being generated by renewable energy projects. He said that Punjab is eager to set up a 5 TPD Pilot Technology Demonstration project for producing green hydrogen from paddy straw. He said that the state is committed to lead the nation in producing green fuel to meet the future challenges, which will not only bring prosperity but will also ensure energy security for the country.

Wooing the investors to invest in the Punjab, Mr Aman Arora said that the state is promoting and facilitating Green Hydrogen projects from Biomass by providing several key incentives to industries like 100% Electricity duty exemption during construction, No Change of land use (CLU) and External Development Charges (EDC), 100% Stamp duty exemption for Land Registration and 100% Stamp duty exemption for Land lease.

Highlighting the initiatives taken by the state government to encourage Paddy Straw based Compressed Biogas (CBG) projects, Mr. Arora said that as many as four projects of total capacity of 85 tonnes per day (TPD) of CBG are in operation, consuming about 0.28 million tons of paddy straw per annum at full capacity. He further added that six more projects are likely to be operational within next 6 months, and 28 other CBG projects are at various stages of execution, which will consume around 1.6 million tonnes of paddy straw annually once commissioned.

Mr Aman Arora said that two leading National level Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) Gas Authority of India (GAIL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation of India (HPCL) have also signed MOUs with Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) to establish 20 CBG plants with a capacity of 10-15 TPD each. “The state has already allotted 11 Biomass based Power Projects of total capacity 100 MW which are in operation and consuming about 1.2-million-ton biomass annually”, he added.

Stating that state is predominantly an agrarian state and it has an immense potential in Biomass based fuels as over 20 million tons of paddy straw is being generated per annum, the Cabinet Minister said that the Punjab Government has devised a strategy for utilization of agri-residue as an input for fuel/energy conversion to kill two birds with one stone.