Punjab: Protest in 14 districts against ‘privatisation' in power sector
During the Amritsar protest, state leaders Satnam Singh Pannu and Sarwan Singh Pandher said the state government was aligning with the central government and 'misleading' people. Leaders Jasbir Singh Piddi and Savinder Singh Chutala said the Punjab government is buying expensive electricity from private thermal power plants. They stated that the Aam Aadmi Party, before forming the government, had promised to cancel these power purchase agreements. 'Instead of cancelling them, the government has been implementing laws since 2020 that aim to completely privatise the electricity board, acting on the directions of the central government,' they said.
They added that the Electricity Amendment Bill of 2023 is now being reintroduced in the monsoon session of Parliament. 'This bill seeks to hand over the rights to determine electricity rates and supply to private companies. Prepaid meters are being installed under this policy. Union power minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Punjab's power minister Harbhajan Singh, in a press conference, declared that prepaid meters would be installed in all government offices and employee residences by August 31, and thereafter in general households as well,' said Pandher.
Resolutions were passed against the land pooling policy and the tax-free trade agreements between India and the US. They said a large-scale movement would be launched against the land pooling policy. Regarding the tax-free trade agreements between India and the US, they said it would destroy local businesses. They said the government should withdraw it or face large-scale agitation.
The third resolution mentioned that the drug de-addiction programme of the Punjab government had 'failed'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
Punjab CM Mann lists govt's 3-year achievements at state-level Independence Day celebrations, avoids political attacks
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday addressed the state-level Independence Day function in Faridkot, focusing on the achievements of his three-year-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government while largely steering clear of political attacks. Speaking at the 79th Independence Day celebrations, Mann paid homage to the sacrifices of freedom fighters, among whom Punjabis 'took the number one slot'. 'Everyone should have a paint and brush in their hands to colour Punjab into a 'Rangla Punjab' again so that the state becomes number one in the country. And when Punjab is number one, the country will also be number one,' he said. Quoting Punjabi poet Professor Mohan Singh, Mann stated, 'Bharat hai vang mundri vich hai nag Punjab da' (India is like a ring with Punjab as the shining stone), urging people to keep that 'stone' shining. The function witnessed a display of women power as 2023-batch IPS officer Gazalpreet Kaur commanded the parade with Deputy Commissioner Poonamdeep Kaur and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Pragya Jain present on stage. Mann lauded the academic achievements of girls, pointing out that the Class 8 and Class 10 toppers — Navjot Kaur and Akshnoor Kaur — of 2025 hailed from Faridkot. He said that for the past few years, the top three positions in classes 8,10 and 12 board examinations are being grabbed by girls only. On the state's anti-drug campaign, CM Mann highlighted the 'Yuddh Nasheyan Virudhh' initiative, which has made significant progress. 'We have demolished houses built with drug money, jailed smugglers, and curbed open sale. While drugs have not been eradicated totally, the free-for-all days are over and the rest will also be curbed soon as our police are working hard to root it out completely,' he said. The chief minister stated that from March 1, 2026, police personnel recovering 1 kg of heroin will get a ₹1.2 lakh reward, and head constables will be authorised to conduct inquiries in masters related to narcotics cases. The chief minister said that the main source of drugs reaching India is it's neighbour Pakistan. 'But Punjab is the first state in the country to have its own anti-drone technology which will destroy any drone coming from the other side of the border which supply drugs or other things,' CM Mann said. On the education front, the CM said Punjab topped the National Achievement Survey 2025 in all subjects for the first time since 2017. 'The government school students are clearing JEE and NEET, and Punjab-origin players currently captain the national football, basketball, women's cricket, and men's hockey teams,' he said. In healthcare, Mann highlighted the upcoming 'Sehat Bima Yojna', under which every Punjab resident, irrespective of their income, can avail themselves of cashless treatment of up to ₹10 lakh per year in government hospitals and over 500 empanelled private hospitals by showing their Aadhaar card. He said that the state's 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics have been witnessing a daily footfall of 70,000 patients and mentioned that over 200 more clinics will soon be added. Mann also said 1,600 police personnel will be promoted, and recruitments will be done to fill the resulting vacancies. He reiterated his claim that 55,000 government jobs have been provided since AAP came to power. While the speech repeated several figures Mann has cited in the past, he refrained from targeting Opposition parties directly, except for a passing reference to political links of rival parties in the drug trade. He said that many police employees and influential people involved in the drug trade were not spared. The CM was accompanied by Gaurav Yadav, Director General of Police, Punjab, Chief Secretary K A P Sinha, and former Faridkot MP and folk singer Muhammad Sadique. Notably, sitting Faridkot MP Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa was absent.
India Today
14 hours ago
- India Today
Faced with farmers' backlash, Punjab scraps controversial Land Pooling Policy
Under sustained pressure from farmers, the Punjab Government has formally scrapped its controversial Land Pooling Policy. The decision to de-notify the policy was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on move comes just days after the government had rolled back the policy, introduced earlier this year to pool over 65,000 acres of farmland for development policy proposed to acquire thousands of acres of fertile agricultural land across Punjab for development purposes, without conducting any Social Impact Assessment (SIA) or Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies, triggering widespread concern and resistance. Farmer unions, however, strongly opposed the policy, calling it detrimental to their erupted across the state, with rallies, tractor and motorcycle marches, and public questioning of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders. The policy was also challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which stayed its with mounting agitation, the government first announced a withdrawal and has now de-notified the policy, fulfilling a key demand of farmer groups."We brought this policy but after that the feedback of the farmers was taken into account and the government decided to roll it back as the government is committed to the sentiments of the farmers," Finance Minister Harpal Cheema leaders welcomed the move but noted it came only after intense demonstrations. They accused the government of pushing through the policy without adequate consultation and warned against any future attempts to implement similar Land Pooling Policy was intended to facilitate planned development by consolidating fragmented landholdings and returning developed plots to had argued it would benefit farmers by increasing the value of their land. However, opposition parties and unions argued it risked dispossessing farmers of fertile agricultural land without ensuring fair returns or long-term the de-notification, the state government has signalled it is stepping back from the proposal entirely. The development is being seen as a political retreat for the Mann-led AAP government, which had faced escalating unrest in rural areas in recent weeks.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Punjab
The Hindu
18 hours ago
- The Hindu
Health dept. to investigate death of road accident victim, AAP blames death on BJP for scrapping Farishtey Scheme
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were at odds on Thursday over the death of a 26-year-old man recently in a road accident. Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said that the BJP government has 'more comprehensive schemes', after AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged scrapping of the 'Farishte Dilli ke' scheme led to the death of the man after four hospitals refused treatment. The scheme provided free medical treatment to road accident victims in private hospitals. Mr. Bharadwaj said, 'He [the victim] was first taken to the nearby Spinal Injury Centre, where he was not treated. He was then taken to Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, where he received no further treatment. After that, he was taken to Prima Super Speciality Hospital, but he still did not receive treatment. Finally, he was taken to the government-run Safdarjung Hospital, where he died.' Following AAP's allegations, Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh told The Hindu, 'We have much more comprehensive health schemes to ensure the well-being of Delhi's citizens. However, we are investigating the incident, and if the hospitals are at fault, we will take action against them.' In April, the Supreme Court said that States must work on swift response protocols for road accident victims. Following this, the Centre notified a cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims nationwide. Mr. Bharadwaj, however, attributed the death to the BJP government scrapping the Farishtey Scheme. He said, 'Under this [Farishtey] scheme, if anyone met with an accident on Delhi's roads, they were admitted to the nearest private hospital and treated, with the entire cost covered by the Delhi government. This scheme saved hundreds of lives. But it is a matter of great shame that the BJP government currently in power in Delhi has shut down this life-saving scheme.'
