Latest news with #SukhdevSingh
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘AAP failed Bhagat Singh, his ideals': Vets protest for pay parity in Khatkar Kalan
Veterinary doctors from Punjab's Animal Husbandry Department staged a protest demanding restoration of pay parity with medical officers and implementation of the Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) scheme at the ancestral village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, Khatkar Kalan, on Monday. Under the banner of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Vets for Pay Parity, protest leaders said veterinarians and medical officers had received equal pay for 42 years — from 1978 to 2020. However, in January 2021 the then-Congress government slashed the starting salary of vets from ₹56,100 to ₹47,600 — contradicting court rulings. The ruling was made by Punjab and Haryana High Court in a civil writ petition filed by Dr Sukhdev Singh and others against the state of Punjab. JAC convener Dr Gurcharan Singh said this pay cut was a betrayal. The AAP government failed to reverse an unjust decision taken over four years ago by former Finance minister Manpreet Badal, he said. 'Will they follow Badal's ideology or Bhagat Singh's?' On DACP, Dr Singh said that under the scheme the assured career progression takes place after four, nine and 14 years of service. JAC media advisor Dr Gurinder Singh Walia noted that while pay commissions normally maintain or raise pay scales for comparable categories, 'this is the first time in history that a category's salary has been reduced by a mere finance department letter without any rationale'. He urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to address the issue on priority to undo the injustice. The co-conveners, Dr Puneet Malhotra and Dr Abdul Majid said: 'Punjab is the only state where this disparity has existed since 2021.' According to them veterinarians and medical officers receive the same pay and benefits in Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha and Haryana, and across the Central government, the Indian Army, and the BSF. The convenors alleged that the government has issued no notification to restore parity despite multiple meetings and assurances. Committee coordinator Dr Tejinder Singh stressed that veterinarians do more than just desk work to strengthen the rural economy. They travel to remote villages to treat and vaccinate animals, control diseases, and improve milk production, he said. He warned that continued inaction would escalate the protest and that the government would be responsible for any negative impact on animal health and farmers' incomes. A joint memorandum was also sent to the Punjab government. The protest ended with JAC leaders paying floral tributes to Bhagat Singh's statue. Anti-government were raised as banners and placards condemned the policies of the previous and current regimes. Retired veterinary doctors also joined the march in solidarity.
News18
06-08-2025
- Sport
- News18
Punjab, Jharkhand enter final of sub junior hockey nationals
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Chennai, Aug 6 (PTI) Punjab and Jharkhand registered victories in their respective matches on Wednesday to set up a summit clash against each other in the 15th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship here. In the first semi-final of the day, Punjab defeated Uttar Pradesh 4-3. Sukhdev Singh (51st, 52nd) shone with a late brace, after Mandeep Singh (19th) and Varinder Singh (28th) scored in the first half. Harsh Pratap Singh (9th), Ali Shahrukh (21st) and captain Ketan Kushwaha (28th) were the scorers for Uttar Pradesh. In the other semi-final, Jharkhand defeated Madhya Pradesh 3-1. Though Love (21st) gave Madhya Pradesh the lead, Jharkhand bounced back with goals from Soreng Sumray (29th), Ashish Tani Purti (44th) and Jaysan Kandulna (56th) to move into the final. view comments First Published: August 06, 2025, 18:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
06-08-2025
- Indian Express
Punjab Vigilance Bureau busts fake heavy vehicle driving licence racket, arrests 4
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has unearthed a major corruption racket involving the issuance of fake heavy vehicle driving licences, and arrested a motor vehicle inspector (MVI) among four accused. This case has exposed a nexus between officials of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Gurdaspur, the State Institute of Automobile and Driving Skills Centre (SIADS) Mahuana in Sri Muktsar Sahib district, and private document agents operating in Gurdaspur district, officers said on Tuesday. The four key accused arrested so far are Sukhdev Singh (MVI, LMV and GI driving in-charge at SIADS Mahuana), Amit Kumar alias Shelly (Shelly Documents Centre), Jagpreet Singh (Punjab Documents), and Rakesh Kumar (former RTA data entry operator, currently posted at SDM Office Batala). Based on a complaint filed by a resident of Pathankot, an FIR was registered on Monday against seven accused under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Information Technology Act, and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the VB police station (Amritsar range). The Bureau then launched an investigation against Pratibha Sharma, a data entry operator at RTA Gurdaspur, a spokesperson said in a statement. It was revealed during investigation that 23 out of 51 driving training certificates purportedly issued by SIADS Mahuana were found to be fake, as only 27 legitimate certificate numbers were on record. Crucially, system-generated fields like the unique certificate number, QR code, and embedded cellphone number on the receipt could only be altered by institute officials, making these vital markers of authenticity. 'Any mismatch among these parameters confirmed fraudulent creation,' the Bureau spokesperson said, adding the investigation pointed to the role of private agents including Kulbir Documents, Shelly Documents and GMD Documents, and Punjab Documents centres — in sourcing applicants, and facilitating forged documentation in exchange for bribes. Financial trails showed direct payments from these agents into the bank accounts of Pratibha and Rakesh. Sukhdev misused his access to the system to generate fake certificates, causing direct financial loss to the state exchequer by illegally claiming Rs 430 (government fee) per certificate. Raids are being conducted, and the remaining three accused — including Pratibha — will be arrested soon, officers said, adding further investigation is underway.
Hindustan Times
06-08-2025
- Hindustan Times
Punjab VB busts fake licence racket in Gurdaspur, MVI among 4 held
Continuing its crackdown on corruption in the Punjab transport department, the Vigilance Bureau (VB) has unearthed a fake heavy vehicle driving licence racket in Gurdaspur, four months after uncovering a similar racket, spread across 10 districts, in April. Apart from the motor vehicle inspector (MVI), the other arrested accused include private agents who sourced applicants and facilitated document forgery. (HT) Exposing a nexus between officials of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Gurdaspur, the State Institute of Automobile and Driving Skills Centre (SIADS), Mahuana, Muktsar Sahib, and private document agents operating in Gurdaspur district, the VB has registered a corruption case against seven accused, arresting four of them, including a motor vehicle inspector (MVI). Raids are underway to nab the remaining three. Disclosing this on Tuesday, an official VB spokesperson said an in-depth probe was launched against Pratibha Sharma, a data entry operator at RTA Gurdaspur, following a complaint by a Pathankot resident. Verification revealed that 23 out of 51 driving training certificates, purportedly issued by SIADS centre, Mahuana, were fake. The forged certificates featured manipulated system-generated fields like the unique certificate number, QR code and mobile number-embedded receipt number, which could only be altered by institute officials. The mismatch of these authenticity parameters confirmed fraudulent creation. Sukhdev Singh, a light motor vehicle (LMV) instructor and GI Driving In-charge at SIADS centre, Mahuana, allegedly misused his access to generate the fake certificates, each carrying a government fee of ₹430, causing direct financial loss to the state exchequer, the probe revealed. The spokesperson informed that the investigation pointed to the role of private agents as well, sourcing applicants and facilitating forged documentation in exchange for bribes. These include Kulbir Documents Centre, Shelly Documents Centre, GMD Documents Centre and Punjab Documents. Financial trails traced direct payments from these centres into the bank accounts of Pratibha Sharma and Rakesh Kumar, a former RTA data entry operator, now posted at SDM office, Batala. Following probe, VB arrested Rakesh and three other key accused: MVI Sukhdev Singh, who is a resident of Maidowal Kalan village in Gurdaspur; Amit Kumar of Shelly Documents Centre and Jagpreet Singh of Punjab Documents. Three other accused, Pratibha Sharma, Kulbir Singh of Kulbir Documents Centre and Rakesh Kumar of GMD Documents Centre are absconding. The arrested accused will be presented before a court on Wednesday. A case under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Indian Penal Code and IT Act has been registered at the VB police station in Amritsar. Further investigation into the case is underway. In April, in a widespread bribery network, where licences were being issued without proper driving tests, as many as 16 FIRs were registered and 24 people were arrested, including three district transport officers (DTOs), government staff and private agents. The agents and officials were arrested from Mohali, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar, Sangrur, Tarn Taran, Bathinda and Gurdaspur. Investigations revealed that agents were bypassing the automated driving test system in multiple ways. Punjab has 32 automated tracks where driving tests are recorded on video and scored digitally. Agents, in collusion with RTO officials, were copy-pasting old video footage of candidates who had passed and uploaded it under the names of new applicants who never actually took the test. In many cases, the same vehicle was used multiple times, raising suspicion. Proxy drivers were also used to take tests on behalf of others, using vehicles arranged by agents.
Time of India
28-07-2025
- Time of India
1 held, narcotic pills recovered in Jind
Jind: In a crackdown on drug traffickers, the crime investigation agency (CIA) of Narwana town in Jind district apprehended a drug peddler along with a large quantity of sedative pills. The arrested accused has been identified as Keshav Gandhi, a resident of Pada Mohalla in Rohtak district. Based on secret information, a team led by sub-inspector Sukhdev Singh, in-charge, CIA staff, Narwana, arrested Keshav Gandhi and recovered a large quantity of alprazolam tablets from his possession, said the police. To curb drug trafficking , a team of CIA was stationed under the over-bridge in Jai Jai Vanti village in Julana town. The team received a tip-off that accused Keshav Gandhi, involved in selling narcotic tablets, was present near Sonia International School with a large consignment of drugs, said Sukhdev Singh. The CIA team immediately conducted a raid near the school, apprehending the accused along with a scooter, he said, adding that in presence of gazetted officer Subrata Sharma, ETO, Jind, the team searched the accused and recovered 6,000 alprazolam tablets packed in 10 cardboard boxes from his possession. A case was registered against the accused under Sections 22C/61/85 of the NDPS Act at police station Julana and further legal proceedings are underway, he added. MSID:: 122955080 413 |
