On the World Environment Day, Desh Bhagat Radio, 107.8 FM (Aap Ki Awaz) Chandigarh in collaboration with State Bank of India (SBI) organised a Cyclothon ``End Plastic pollution”. Regarding the event, station head RJ Sangmitra, Desh Bhagat Radio shared the information that the World Environment Day acts as a reminder to people to be more considerate and aware of the Earth’s existing condition, in terms of the environment. We all should try to create awareness among people to maintain a plastic free Environment. She also said that this cyclothon is an initiative taken every year by DB Radio 107.8 FM. The cyclothon started from SBI local head office (LHO) sector 17 to sukhna lake via Matka chowk at 6:30 am and more than 400 people had registered for it.

The Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has approved a major amendment to the Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1958, aimed at reducing compliance burdens on 95% small businesses and enhancing the ease of doing business in the state.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Council of Ministers held today at the Chief Minister’s official residence.

A spokesperson from the Chief Minister’s Office disclosed that, under this progressive amendment, all establishments employing up to 20 workers will be exempted from all provisions of the Act. This move is expected to directly benefit lakhs of shopkeepers across Punjab. However, such establishments will still be required to submit relevant information to the Labour Department within six months of the Act coming into force or the commencement of their business.

An important meeting of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) social media volunteers from the Malwa East Zone was organized in Punjab’s Patiala district. In this meeting, a comprehensive strategy was formulated to spread the party's ideology to the people through social media and to counter the false propaganda of the opposition.

The social media meeting held in Patiala saw the participation of zone volunteers, district volunteers, and constituency-level volunteers from the Malwa East Zone. During this crucial meeting, detailed training was provided on modern tools and platforms of social media, including training on two specific mobile applications related to video editing and graphic design.

The state leadership issued clear instructions to the volunteers to propagate Aam Aadmi Party's ideology and the Punjab government's public welfare initiatives on every social media platform. They were also instructed to counter the opposition's false propaganda effectively, using facts as their foundation.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday mourned the sad demise of veteran Akali leader and former Union Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, who passed away at a private hospital in Mohali this evening. He was 89 and is survived by his wife, son, and two daughters.

The BJP is facing significant backlash after its Patiala councillor, Anuj Khosla, was revealed to have secured a bail bond for an accused drug smuggler. AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang launched a sharp critique of the BJP, alleging that the party serves as the chief protector of Punjab’s drug smugglers. He accused BJP leaders of persistently shielding traffickers and extending political patronage to them.

Kang showed the media a photograph of Anuj Khosla with BJP leader and former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and BJP National Secretary Tarun Chugh, clearly indicating that Khosla is a close associate of Captain Amarinder and Chugh.

Courtrooms of the Punjab and Haryana High Court were evacuated on Thursday after the Chandigarh Police received a bomb threat.

The police's quick response team (QRT), comprising the bomb squad, arrived at the High Court building and got the courtrooms evacuated before starting the search for the bomb.

Advocates and litigants also moved out of the building.

As the information about the bomb scare came, the Bar Association issued an alert regarding the bomb threat.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday congratulated the newly appointed Vice Chancellor of Punjabi University, Dr. Jagdeep Singh.

In a message, the Chief Minister expressed confidence that under the able, decisive, and visionary leadership of Dr. Jagdeep Singh, the University will set new benchmarks in the field of academics. He said that Punjabi University is the pride of Punjab in general and the Malwa region in particular, and expressed hope that Dr. Jagdeep Singh will restore the institution’s pristine glory. Bhagwant Singh Mann stated that the appointment of the new Vice Chancellor marks the beginning of a new era of unprecedented development and growth for the University.

Reiterating that the AAP government in Punjab has been completely hijacked and taken over by the party’s Delhi-based leaders, and that has led to a constitutional crisis, Punjab BJP President Sunil Jakhar on Monday demanded a CBI probe into the hooch tragedy in Amritsar that claimed 27 lives.

Interacting with the media after meeting Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Jakhar said they sought a CBI probe into the hooch tragedy and the government’s liquor mafia links. Led by Jakhar, the delegation submitted a detailed memorandum to the Governor, seeking a probe into links of AAP's Punjab leadership with the liquor mafia running amok in Punjab. The delegation demanded that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) be asked to undertake a probe to expose this nexus.

The delegation included former minister Manoranjan Kalia, MLA Jangi Lal Mahajan, party state General Parminder Brar, among others. Terming it as an avoidable tragedy, the delegation said the quotas distributed under the liquor policy introduced by AAP in Punjab in 2022 were on the lines of Delhi’s excise policy, and this must also be probed to ascertain who got the illegal benefits and to what extent.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader and Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia raised several serious questions about the Pahalgam attack and the sudden ceasefire announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He demanded clarification from the Prime Minister on the doubts and questions arising from the ceasefire decision.

Addressing a press conference at the party office in Chandigarh on Tuesday, Manish Sisodia said that after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, there was widespread anger among the people of the country. Subsequently, on May 7, the Indian Army successfully conducted Operation Sindoor, destroying terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. This gave the people of the country hope for justice and a sense of relief.