*CM Announces Legislation to Ensure Harsher Punishment for Sacrilege of Holy Granths*
*Says State Government Will Consult All Stakeholders Before Enacting the Law*
Chandigarh, June 28 :Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday announced that the state government will introduce legislation to ensure harsher punishment for acts of sacrilege against holy granths.
Chairing a meeting with officers and representatives of the Sarb Dharam Beadbi Rokko Kanoon Morcha at his official residence, the Chief Minister said that Punjab is a sacred land of great Gurus, saints, and seers who have shown the path of mutual love and tolerance. He emphasized that it is a matter of immense pride that Punjab stands as a unique blend of socialism and secularism, as well as an epitome of communal harmony, peace, and brotherhood. Bhagwant Singh Mann reiterated that the state government is firmly committed to ensuring exemplary punishment for the perpetrators of sacrilege incidents.
The Chief Minister stated that the government would consult leading legal experts to ensure that a robust state legislation is enacted—one that prevents offenders from evading strict consequences, including the possibility of capital punishment for such heinous crimes. He expressed concern over existing legal loopholes that allow individuals guilty of such unpardonable acts to walk free, calling it completely unwarranted and unacceptable.
Reaffirming his government’s commitment to justice, Bhagwant Singh Mann stated that every person involved in these sacrilegious acts, either directly or indirectly, will face exemplary punishment.
The Chief Minister said that It is the bounden duty of state government to ensure that these dreaded criminals are held accountable for their actions. He said that the state government would consult all stakeholders, including religious organizations, in drafting the legislation. Their views, Bhagwant Singh Mann said, would be duly incorporated into the law.
The Chief Minister highlighted that while the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provides clear provisions regarding religious places, it remains silent on holy granths. However, he said that as the subject falls under the Concurrent List, the state has the authority to enact such legislation, and legal opinions will be sought accordingly. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this process will be completed shortly to assuage the sentiments of the general public and very soon a Cabinet meeting will be convened on the issue.
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Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker administers oath to newly elected MLA Sanjeev Arora
Chandigarh 28 June 2025:Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker S. Kultar Singh Sandhwan administered oath to newly elected MLA Sanjeev Arora today at Punjab Vidhan Sabha Secretariat in the presence of Manish Sisodia former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Cabinet Minister Aman Arora, Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and MLA Budh Ram. Speaker presented literature of Punjab Vidhan Sabha and i-pad to Sanjeev Arora.
Sanjeev Arora took the pledge that he will bear true faith and allegiance to the constitution of India as established by law. He will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India and faithfully discharge the duties entrusted to him. Sanjeev Arora said that he will take guidance from senior leadership of Aam Aadmi Party and leave no stone unturned for the welfare of his constituency.
The Speaker highlighted that our Government has started live telecast of all the proceedings of the House so that transparency can be maintained in the House. But previous Governments kept the proceedings secret so that people could not become aware about their work. Speaker extended his best wishes to MLA Sanjeev Arora and expressed the gratitude for all persons who came to the oath taking ceremony.
Speaker and his family members planted saplings in the background of Punjab Vidhan Sabha before the oath taking ceremony of newly elected MLA Sanjeev Arora.
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Punjab Government Making Major Efforts to Bring Scheduled Caste Students into the Mainstream: Dr. Baljit Kaur
Budget Provision of ₹245 Crore for the Scheme in Financial Year 2025-26; Target to Cover 2.70 Lakh Students Under Post-Matric Scholarship
Dr. Ambedkar Scholarship Portal to Open Soon for Online Applications
Chandigarh, June 28:The Punjab Government, under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, is tirelessly working for the welfare and upliftment of every section of society. In particular, dedicated initiatives are being undertaken to bring students from Scheduled Castes into the mainstream by providing them better educational opportunities.
Giving further details, Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur informed that a budget provision of ₹245 crore has been made under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Caste students in the financial year 2025-26. The government has set a target to cover 2.70 lakh Scheduled Caste students under this scheme during the year.
She said this initiative would significantly help in improving the socio-economic standard of these students and enable them to lead self-reliant lives through education.
Dr. Baljit Kaur further added that in the previous financial year, the Punjab Government had covered 2,36,575 students under the scheme, disbursing ₹266.57 crore as the state’s share.
To facilitate applications, the Dr. Ambedkar Scholarship Portal will be opened shortly for online submissions, she informed. Besides this, awareness camps will also be organized at the district level to ensure that eligible students are well-informed about the scheme and avail its benefits without difficulty.
The Cabinet Minister emphasized that the Punjab Government is committed to supporting every eligible Scheduled Caste student through this scholarship so that no talented student is deprived of education due to financial constraints. She said, “It is our sincere effort to ensure that children belonging to communities historically subjected to discrimination get fair and equal opportunities to pursue higher education.”
Dr. Baljit Kaur also highlighted that over the years, thousands of SC students have successfully completed their higher education under this scheme and today hold prestigious positions in government services, private jobs, and have even started their own businesses.
She directed the concerned officials to ensure that the benefits of the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme reach every deserving student and stressed that the scheme should be implemented with complete transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness.
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Lal Chand Kataruchak congratulates Jasvir Singh Sekhon on being appointed as Member, Punjab State Food Commission
Expresses gratitude to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led State Government
Chandigarh, June 28:The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak today congratulated Mr. Jasvir Singh Sekhon on being appointed as the Member of the Punjab State Food Commission by the State Government.
Extending his Congratulations to Jasvir Singh Sekhon, the Minister expressed gratitude to the Punjab Government led by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. He further expressed confidence that Mr. Sekhon would fully justify the faith reposed in his abilities and ensure that the schemes initiated by the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department are percolated to all sections of the society especially those linked with the farming sector as it is the core part of the procurement operations.
Notably, Mr. Sekhon has Sekhon appointed as Member of the commission under Section 16 of the National Food Security Act (Central Act 20 of 2013), 2013.
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Drive against corruption ; DEO Clerk nabbed red-handed accepting Rs 20000 bribe from teacher
Accused previously taken Rs 10000 as illegal gratification
Chandigarh, June 28, 2025:The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), continuing its relentless drive against corruption, today apprehended Vikas Jindal, Clerk posted at the office of District Education Officer (Elementary), Malerkotla, red handed while he was accepting a bribe of Rs. 20,000 from a teacher.
According to an official spokesperson of the VB, the accused clerk had demanded Rs. 30,000 from a complainant of village Bagrian, district Malerkotla in lieu of for processing his pending allowances in the DEO office. The complainant has alleged to the VB that said clerk had already taken Rs. 10,000 from him and demanding the remaining amount.
He further informed that after a preliminary verification of this complaint a VB team from Patiala range laid a trap during which the accused clerk was nabbed while he was taking Rs 20000 as a second instalment of bribe from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses and the tainted bribe money has been recovered on the spot.
In this regard a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered at VB Police Station Patiala Range. The accused would be produced in the competent court tomorrow and further investigation is underway, he said.
With a view to weed out the corrupt practices in the public offices, the VB has appealed to the public to report any instances of corruption through its helpline numbers or official channels and assured complete confidentiality would be maintained in such matters.
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DAY 119 OF YUDH NASHIAN VIRUDH: 137 RAILWAY STATIONS CHECKED ACROSS STATE; 101 DRUG SMUGGLERS HELD WITH 3.5KG HEROIN, 4KG OPIUM, ₹1.8L DRUG MONEY
— AS PART OF ‘DE-ADDICTION’, PUNJAB POLICE CONVINCE 69 PERSONS TO UNDERGO DE-ADDICTION TREATMENT
CHANDIGARH, June 28:Continuing the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state consecutively for the 119th day, Punjab Police on Saturday conducted a cordon and search operation (CASO) at 137 Railway Stations across the state.
The operation was carried out in all the 28 Police districts on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav.
Special Director General of Police (Special DGP) Law and Order Arpit Shukla, who was personally monitoring this state-level operation, said that all the CPs/SSPs were asked to ensure heavy deployment of police force under the supervision of gazetted rank officers to make this operation successful.
He said that around 1447 people were checked during the operation conducted at around 137 railway stations in the state. 10 suspicious persons were also rounded up for questioning during the operation, he added.
Apart from this, Police teams have continued its drive against drugs with 101 drug smugglers arrested on Saturday and recovered 3.5 kg heroin, 4.1 kg opium and Rs 1.83 lakh drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 19,585 in just 119 days.
Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has asked the Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendent of Police to make Punjab drug free state.
Special DGP Arpit Shukla informed that over 200 Police teams, comprising over 1400 police personnel, under the supervision of 90 gazetted officers have conducted raids at as many as 443 locations across the state leading to the registration of 78 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 462 suspicious persons during the day-long operation, he added.
The Special DGP said that with the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)— to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police as part of ‘De-addiction’ has convinced 69 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.
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Punjab Government suspends 26 officers and employees of Jail Department for dereliction of duty
Callousness in duty will not be tolerated: Laljit Singh Bhullar
Chandigarh, June 28:The Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has issued an order to suspend 26 officers and employees of Jail Department for dereliction of duty.
Punjab Jail Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar informed that 26 officers and employees of Jail Department have been suspended with immediate effect under Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1970 for dereliction of duty/negligence.
Giving a clear message to the officers and employees on duty in the jails of Punjab, the Minister said that illegal activities, misbehavior, indiscipline, absence from duty and activities like involvement with prisoners will not be tolerated at all.
The Minister said that Iqbal Singh Brar Superintendent District Jail Mansa, Maninder Pal Cheema Deputy Superintendent Central Jail Ludhiana, Anil Bhandari Deputy Superintendent Borstal Jail Ludhiana, Sandeep Brar Deputy Superintendent Central Jail Ludhiana, Yadvinder Singh ASJ Central jail Ferozepur Apart from Warders Harbhupinder Singh and Sikander Singh Goindwal Sahib, Bikramjit Singh and Vijay Pal Singh Amritsar, Jatinder Singh, Ravi, Deepak Rai, Kiranjit Singh, Prithipal Singh and Satnam Singh Kapurthala, Satnam Singh and Mandeep Singh Hoshiarpur, Maninder Pal Singh Ludhiana, Anu Malik, Randhir Singh, Arvind Dev Singh, Balvir Singh and Sukhpreet Singh Mansa, Satnam Singh Nabha, Gagandeep Singh Bathinda and Anmol Verma Pathankot etc. have been suspended.
The Jail Minister said that the Punjab government led by Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann is committed to providing good administration to the state and negligence in the duty of any officer or employee will not be tolerated. He warned all the officers and employees of the department and said that they should ensure that their duties are done honestly, diligently and according to the rules.