The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has approved its annual budget of approximately Rs 1,386 crore for the year. Out of this amount, Rs 110 crore has been allocated tp promote religion. During the budget session, Nihang organizations, led by Damdami Taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa, staged a protest outside the SGPC headquarters. They were demanding the reinstatement of the Jathedars. Baba Harnam Singh Dhumma issued a statement criticizing the SGPC's approach to the appointment and removal of Jathedars, stating that it goes against Sikh traditions and etiquette. He urged t

The Shiromani Committee’s budget session is scheduled for tomorrow, posing a potentially challenging situation for President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami. During the session, the issue of the removal of Jathedars is expected to be raised. Meanwhile, Damdami Taksal, in collaboration with Sikh organizations, is planning a peaceful protest near the Shiromani Committee office, demanding the restoration of Jathedars. Damdami Taksal head Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa announced the protest program during a meeting of Sikh organizations in Anandpur Sahib, emphasizing its peaceful nature. Anticipating

Punjab Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira from Bholath has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of burdening Punjab with significant debt in the last three years. Khaira claimed that while Punjab accumulated approximately ₹3 lakh crore in debt over 30 years, the AAP government alone has added ₹1 lakh crore to this figure in just three years. He further alleged that no significant development has taken place during this period, stating that no new infrastructure, hospitals, or roads have been built, and not even a single brick has been laid in the villages of Punjab. Additionally, t

Punjab Police today presented Varinder Singh Fauji, an associate of Lok Sabha member Amritpal Singh from Khadoor Sahib, in the Ajnala local court. Fauji, who was brought from Dibrugarh Jail, has been sent to five-day police remand until April 1. He is implicated in the case related to the attack on the Ajnala police station. On February 23, 2023, associates of Amritpal Singh, led by the head of the Waris Punjab organization, forcibly broke through police barricades and entered the Ajnala police station. Following the incident, the police registered a case. Eight other associates of Amritpal S

The Punjab government is reportedly planning to incur new debt amounting to Rs 49,900 crore, according to recent media reports. Out of the Rs 1.02 lakh crore budget presented by the Bhagwant Mann government for 2025-26, a substantial portion will be allocated to salaries, pensions, electricity subsidies, and loan interest payments. This leaves only Rs 9,067 crore for developmental projects and other expenses. The budget, unveiled yesterday, includes Rs 450 crore for the free bus travel scheme for women, the same allocation as the current financial year. However, the scheme’s actual expendit

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal has criticized the budget presented by the Bhagwant Mann government, calling it a betrayal of the people of Punjab. Badal described the budget as hollow and directionless, similar to those presented by the AAP government in its first three years, claiming it will only worsen the state's debt burden. He warned that Punjab’s debt is set to reach Rs 4.17 lakh crore, with an increase of Rs 1.54 lakh crore during the tenure of the Aam Aadmi Party. Additionally, Badal pointed out that the state government ha

The Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government has once again failed to fulfill its promise of providing Rs 1,100 per month to women in the state, even in this year’s budget. The guarantee was made by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal during the 2022 assembly elections upon the formation of the government in Punjab. In the budget presentation, themed "My Punjab, Changing Punjab," the state government focused on several initiatives, including a Rs 150 crore drug census to count the number of people using drugs in Punjab. Additionally, the government announced a scheme offering free treatment up to Rs 10

Senior Punjab Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Partap Singh Bajwa, criticized the state government for its recently announced budget. He alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government has neglected all sections of society in its financial plan. Bajwa pointed out that while the government has proposed conducting a drug census in the state, it should begin from within the Punjab Vidhan Sabha itself. He suggested that the Chief Minister, cabinet ministers, and other MLAs undergo dope tests, with the results made public before the initiative extends to the general public

Rajya Sabha member from Punjab, Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, raised the issue of the severe economic crisis in Punjab during today’s session. He stated that the state is burdened with a debt of Rs 3.74 lakh crore, and it has become increasingly difficult to pay the interest installments on this debt. Seechewal emphasized that Punjab is facing several serious challenges that require urgent attention, such as the significant decline in the groundwater level. The issues of debt and the water crisis in Punjab were raised at the center just ahead of the state’s budget presentation tomorrow, wh