Latest news with #Sodhi
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Relief for cantonment residents: Rs 5,000 registry fees to be scrapped
In a long-awaited move that promises major relief for thousands of residents living in cantonment areas across India, the Ministry of Defence has approved the removal of the Rs 5,000 condition for land registry—a provision that has been in place since the British era. BJP national executive member Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi made this announcement during a press conference organised at Ferozepur Tuesday, declaring it a 'historic decision' that will end decades of bureaucratic and financial hardship faced by cantonment dwellers. 'I had personally met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh just last month to raise this concern. I'm glad to share that the ministry has now given a green signal,' said Sodhi. The Rs 5,000 registry condition, known to be rooted in the General Government Order (GGO) 1836, dates back to colonial times when land in cantonments was retained under military control. While the land remains legally owned by the President of India, residents typically own only the structure built on it. As a result, only the 'debris' of the building was registered, not the land itself, rendering residents ineligible for bank loans, property transfers, and even minor renovations without prior permission from the Cantonment Board. Sodhi said a committee is now being formed to draft implementation guidelines for the new policy. 'Soon, residents will be able to register their properties without paying the outdated Rs 5,000 fee. This will give them long-denied security and dignity,' he added. He also recalled the persistent efforts of the late advocate Yogesh Gupta, a nominated member of the Ferozepur Cantonment Board, who long championed the cause of registry rights for residents. 'This is a promise I made during the 2022 Assembly elections and reiterated during the Lok Sabha campaign. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for making this possible,' said Sodhi, assuring residents that 'the people of Ferozepur Cantonment are like family to me, and I will ensure they face no further hardship'. The decision has been welcomed by residents and local associations who view it as a step toward true ownership, modernisation of governance, and freedom from colonial-era rules that no longer reflect the realities of present-day civilian life in cantonment towns. The residents are eagerly waiting for its implementation in letter and spirit. Sodhi had unsuccessfully contested from Ferozepur city constituency on a BJP ticket and seeking true ownership rights of land in cantonment area is s long pending demand of the cantonment residents of Ferozepur. ——
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Time of India
13 kg heroin recovered within a week in Jalandhar, 2 arrested
Jalandhar: The questioning of a drug peddler, who was arrested by the Jalandhar Commissionerate police with 5 kg of heroin on May 20, has led to the recovery of additional 8 kg heroin and the arrest of another peddler. Dhanpreet Kaur, commissioner of police, said on May 20, the CIA team arrested accused Shivam Sodhi, who lives near Lamma Pind Chowk, Simran Enclave, and recovered 5 kg of heroin and Rs 22,000 drug money from him. Sodhi was arrested from near Focal Point, Jalandhar. "Continuous interrogation during police remand led to the further recovery of 7 kg of heroin and two vehicles. Shivam also revealed the involvement of an accomplice, which led to the arrest of Amar Nagar resident Barinder Singh alias Babbu. Barinder was arrested on May 22. The police recovered 1 kg of heroin, two illegal .32 bore weapons, six live cartridges, and three magazines from his possession," she said. The police commissioner also confirmed that Sodhi had three previous cases registered against him, while there were four FIRs against Barinder Singh. "Investigation into the background and links of the accused are ongoing, and those associated with them will not be spared," she added. TNN Jalandhar: The questioning of a drug peddler, who was arrested by the Jalandhar Commissionerate police with 5 kg of heroin on May 20, has led to the recovery of additional 8 kg heroin and the arrest of another peddler. Dhanpreet Kaur, commissioner of police, said on May 20, the CIA team arrested accused Shivam Sodhi, who lives near Lamma Pind Chowk, Simran Enclave, and recovered 5 kg of heroin and Rs 22,000 drug money from him. Sodhi was arrested from near Focal Point, Jalandhar. "Continuous interrogation during police remand led to the further recovery of 7 kg of heroin and two vehicles. Shivam also revealed the involvement of an accomplice, which led to the arrest of Amar Nagar resident Barinder Singh alias Babbu. Barinder was arrested on May 22. The police recovered 1 kg of heroin, two illegal .32 bore weapons, six live cartridges, and three magazines from his possession," she said. The police commissioner also confirmed that Sodhi had three previous cases registered against him, while there were four FIRs against Barinder Singh. "Investigation into the background and links of the accused are ongoing, and those associated with them will not be spared," she added. TNN
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Indian Express
School principal's ‘misbehaviour' in Singapore: Punjab education secy, director issue ‘contradictory' orders
The Punjab School Education Department has issued two 'contradictory' orders against a Fazilka school principal 'for misbehaving with a woman tour guide during an official teacher training tour in Singapore'. The order issued by Punjab Education Secretary Anindita Mitra says 'Gautam Khurana, the principal of Government Senior Secondary School in Fazilka, has been suspended', while the one by Director (School Education) Gurinder Singh Sodhi notes 'the complaint has been put under 'daakhil daftar' after issuing a stern warning to the principal'. Officially, 'daakhil daftar' or filing means a complaint has been disposed of, and no further action will be taken on it. However, the matter has been stored/ archived in government records. Mitra's order further says the alleged incident took place in the presence of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) director, who had accompanied the teachers' group during the training held in Singapore. During the suspension, the 'principal will be posted at the headquarters of the Education Department, Chandigarh', the order reads, adding Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains 'approved' it. Notably, Mitra's order mentions two dates — May 8 and May 19. Meanwhile, Sodhi's order — with the issuance date on May 9 — observes that 'after a reply was received from the principal and related comments were given by the SCERT director, the show cause notice to the principal was 'filed' (disposed of), with a stern warning to the principal to remain careful in future'. When contacted, both Mitra and Sodhi confirmed issuing their respective orders, but avoided commenting on each other's letters. About the Director's order, Mitra said: 'Not in my knowledge.' 'I issued the order to file (close) the matter after the SCERT director informed 'the principal had apologised for his behaviour'. I was not aware of the suspension order(s) issued by Secretary madam. Since she is higher in rank, her orders will be implemented,' Sodhi said. Divya Goyal is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Punjab. Her interest lies in exploring both news and feature stories, with an effort to reflect human interest at the heart of each piece. She writes on gender issues, education, politics, Sikh diaspora, heritage, the Partition among other subjects. She has also extensively covered issues of minority communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She also explores the legacy of India's partition and distinct stories from both West and East Punjab. She is a gold medalist from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, the most revered government institute for media studies in India, from where she pursued English Journalism (Print). Her research work on 'Role of micro-blogging platform Twitter in content generation in newspapers' had won accolades at IIMC. She had started her career in print journalism with Hindustan Times before switching to The Indian Express in 2012. Her investigative report in 2019 on gender disparity while treating women drug addicts in Punjab won her the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity in 2020. She won another Laadli for her ground report on the struggle of two girls who ride a boat to reach their school in the border village of Punjab. ... Read More
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Takht Patna Sahib panel: Satkar committee members from Punjab harassing people on pretext of ‘maryada'
Jalandhar: The management committee of Takht Patna Sahib has alleged that members of a Guru Granth Sahib satkar committee from Punjab were harassing local devotees in the Rajauli area of Bihar in the name of " maryada " (code of religious conduct) and were defaming the Patna Sahib committee too. The management committee also claimed that after they questioned satkar committee members, they apologised for their "mistakes" and assured to not repeat their acts in future. In a statement issued on Monday, management committee president Jagjot Singh Sodhi said were receiving complaints about the activities of satkar committee members for harassing people in Rajauli and defaming the takht committee. "I asked dharam parchar (religious propagation) committee chairman Mohinderpal Singh Dhillon and member Harpal Singh Johl to visit the area and get first-hand information. During their visit to Rajauli, they found that members of the satkar committee were harassing people in the name of maryada and were also issuing statements against the Takht Patna Sahib management committee. All this was vitiating the atmosphere in Rajauli, and chances of some scuffle also increased," Sodhi said. "The management of gurdwaras in eastern India comes under the jurisdiction of the Takht Patna Sahib committee. In case, there were any issues about the violation of maryada, these should be brought to their notice. However, satkar committee members were working in Rajauli without informing the takht committee. They were called and questioned, and they admitted to their mistakes and apologised, promising they would not repeat these again," said Sodhi. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Breaks His Silence: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Sodhi said the satkar committee members wanted to forcibly remove very old birs of Guru Granth Sahib from traditional maths of the Udasi order on the pretext that maryada was not being maintained. "Those preserving these very old birs were strongly opposing any such move, and this could have lead to confrontation. Such elements are pushing people away from Guru Granth Sahib, instead of bringing people close to Sikhism," he said.
The National
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
The near-fatal fire that inspired Gaurav Gupta's latest fashion collection
Sometimes work is the greatest healer. Indian couturier Gaurav Gupta believed that giving his life partner Navkirat Sodhi something to look forward to, something that would help her on her journey to recovery, would be the answer. So last autumn he began working on a collection that directly related the harrowing experience of a near fatal accident that happened last June at their home in Delhi. A candle was knocked over and Sodhi was consumed in flames. Gupta's hands were burnt trying to put out the fire. Fifty-five per cent of Sodhi's body was burnt, she underwent several surgeries and was given a 50 per cent chance of survival. Days before he was due to be in Paris to present his autumn 2024 haute couture collection. 'I didn't know what was happening, our lives were completely shaken,' recalls Gupta on a video call from Delhi. 'She was in hospital two and half months and in September started walking again. So I started thinking that I wanted to give her something to look forward to because she was going through so much. I wanted to put a goal in front of us that inspires us to move forward,' he explains. Their life-changing experience evolved into the deeply personal haute couture collection Gupta presented in Paris at the end of January, titled Across the Flame. There were gowns reflecting the flames that engulfed the spirit, through to dresses that portrayed the different stages of her recovery. The metal mask and breastplate was for Gupta a symbol of armour and protection. As Sodhi said at the time: 'In life's fluidity, it is the mettle of the spirit that keeps us together'. There was finely stitched distressed denim that seemingly represented Sodhi's bandages, embellished with ghungroos, or bells, capturing, as Gupta explains, the sounds of the cosmic universe. Another beautiful ball gown was made of brocade they discovered on a trip to Benares in December, covered in a mantra about solace and strength that was repeated across the model's face. The show was a profound part of their healing and opened with Sodhi, who is a poet and performer, walking barefoot with a sheer dress revealing her scars, reciting a poem about her experience to the rhythmic sounds of the tabla. 'It was very important for us personally, and after eight months we felt a sense of release,' says Gupta. 'I told her that if she didn't feel comfortable, even at the last minute, she wouldn't have to open the show. But five minutes before she took off her stockings and pressure garments [that she must wear] and a friend oiled her legs.' An accident like that reminds you of the fragility of life. 'There were multiple emotions, and I know that I went through PTSD because I was the primary caregiver throughout the whole process. I didn't know I had it in me to be a caregiver.' The pair used to call each other 'twin flames', not predicting that would become a dreadful reality – a voluminous draped orange chiffon gown wrapping twins in the show embodied this. 'We've been together since high school, living together for nearly 25 years,' and he admits, 'I wouldn't have survived if something had happened to her.' Their universe completely shifted and Sodhi says they have bonded beyond the physical dimension. She is deeply spiritual, more so, Gupta admits, than himself. 'There were many times when she was not in a state of consciousness and therefore unable to practise her spiritual self, so I brought in a shamanic healer to work with us in the ICU.' 'We are each other's sounding board in life,' says Gupta of their connection. 'Creativity is a part of my life, and she has been an inspiration and my muse. We stand for something together, for life's choices and not being defined in boxes.' So, this show was in gratitude of survival and a celebration of resilience. The haute couture show in Paris was Gupta's fourth, having debuted in January 2023. After studying at Central Saint Martins in London and then working for five years with the avant-garde designer Hussein Chalayan, Gupta returned to India and launched his eponymous label in 2005. As a designer, he is non-conformist, working mostly with structured draping on a mannequin creating clothes of extraordinary sculptural shapes and lightness that in some designs appear to defy gravity. Examples include the memorable blue whirlwind dress worn by Cardi B to the Grammys in 2023 and the lime green twisted and draped sari dress Beyonce wore on the Atlanta leg of her Renaissance tour. Just over two years have passed since that showcasing in Paris, 'but it has made a significant difference to us,' says the designer. His eveningwear and demi-couture are now stocked in between 20 and 25 global stores, including Harrods, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Al Othman in Kuwait and Bloomingdale's in Dubai. He is increasing his base of global couture clients each season from Beverly Hills to Saudi Arabia and has five flagships in India. 'In places like India there are no clear definitions between couture and ready-to-wear because the industry here thrives on wedding wear and that brings out a lot of couture. There is a resonance between Gulf culture and Indian culture, especially for large occasions when being extravagant is part of their lifestyle,' he says. Gupta wants his clothes 'to tickle their clients' imagination; to make them think; to feel celebrated; I would love to share an expansion of minds when I am interacting with people,' he explains. 'I want them to feel spiritual.' In this collection Gupta wanted people to see that 'through the flames of adversity, we found not just survival, but a rebirth that redefines the boundaries of creation and love'.
