Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday said that like the national freedom struggle state will lead the country in making it free from scourge of drugs.

Addressing the gathering while participating in the pad Yatra against drugs, the Chief Minister said that Punjab had played a key role in emancipating the country from the clutches of foreign imperialism. He said that nationalists like Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha and others had steered the country to path of freedom. Bhagwant Singh Mann taking inspiration from them Punjab is today prepared towards making the country free from scourge of drugs.

The Birthday of Lt. Col. H.S. Sarao was celebrated on his completing 100 years by Brother Hood Welfare Society (Regt.) Sector18 Chandigarh and other Associations in the Community Centre Sec.18 Chandigarh. After entertainment the cake was cut. He was facilitated by giving momento and other gifts.

Mr. B.S. Dhaliwal IP President told his History. Dhaliwal said Col. was born on 24-4-1925.He grew up under the care of his grandmother’s cousin sister who happened to be the Maharani of Faridkot. He stayed with the Royal Family in the Manimajra Fort and the Royal Palace at Faridkot till 1932. He joined Mahindra College Patiala in 1940, then Govt. College Ludhiana in 1941, Sikh National College Lahore in 1942 and St. Stephens College in 1943 before joining OTS Pune.

In order to strengthen the second line of defence over more than 500 kilometre border in the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday gave nod for recruiting 5500 jawans in the border wing of Punjab Home Guards.

A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister here at his official residence today.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chandigarh held a major protest today under the leadership of state president Jitender Pal Malhotra against Pakistan. Thousands of people raised slogans of “Pakistan Murdabad” and strongly opposed Pakistan’s terrorist activities. After the protest, an effigy of Pakistan was also burned, symbolizing the party’s anger against Pakistan.

State president Jitender Pal Malhotra stated on this occasion, “India will not tolerate any attacks on its sovereignty and security. Pakistan must stop its terrorist activities. This protest is a symbol of our commitment to national security.”

Rambeer Bhatti said, “The security of our country comes first. We will not tolerate Pakistan’s terrorist actions at any cost. Through this protest, we want to send a clear message that any attack on India’s unity and integrity will not be tolerated.”

The first meeting of the Art, Culture & Sports Committee of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh was held today under the chairpersonship of Mrs. Anju Katyal, which was attended by other Committee members namely Mrs. Sarbjit Kaur, Mr. Saurabh Joshi, Mr. Sachin Galav, Mrs. Mohinder Kaur and concerns officers actively participated in the discussions.

The highlight of the meeting was the committee’s strong focus on planning zero-budget, zero-waste cultural and sports events aimed at community engagement without incurring public expenditure.

Members discussed innovative approaches to celebrate local festivals and host activities by leveraging existing resources, volunteer participation, and civic engagement.

Condemning the unfortunate incident of terrorist attack in Pahalgam (Jammu and Kashmir), the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday said that state is on high vigil and is according top priority to maintain law and order in Punjab.

Interacting with the media persons after a high level meeting with officers of Civil and Police administration, the Chief Minister said that this terrorist attack on innocent tourists is a barbaric and inhuman act. He said that this incident has once again proved that the terrorists do not have any religion and their sole aim was to spread terror amongst the masses. Meanwhile, reiterating the firm commitment of the state government to maintain peace and communal harmony in the state, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that they were fully ready to meet any sort of challenge and no one will be allowed to disturb hard earned peace in the state.

On Saturday, a one-day training program was organized in Chandigarh for hundreds of active social media warriors of Aam Aadmi Party from Punjab. The Punjab social media team invited Aam Aadmi Party's Punjab In-Charge Manish Sisodia and National Media In-Charge Anurag Dhanda to this program. During the program, discussions were held about strengthening the social media team down to the booth level. During this interaction, volunteers were given special training on digital strategies, spreading the government’s policies to the masses, and effective techniques for online campaigning. Members of Punjab’s social media team, including Akashnoor Gadri, Harjeet Khosa, Gursewak Singh Kang, and several others were present in this meeting.

Addressing the gathering Manish Sisodia said, “In today’s politics, social media has become a powerful medium. To take our government’s work, honest politics, education revolution, anti-drug campaign, and public welfare issues to every household, it is essential that we stay organized and active on the digital front.”

In a strongly-worded press conference, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab President Aman Arora sharply criticized Congress Leader of Opposition (LOP) Partap Bajwa for making reckless statements that threaten Punjab's peace and align with the agenda of the state's adversaries. He further called out the Congress party and the BJP for their failure to clarify their positions on these provocative remarks, particularly those endorsed by controversial figures like Gurpatwant Pannun.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in an interim order, on Wednesday asked the Punjab government not to take "coercive" action against Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa till April 22.

The high court also sought the government’s response on Congress legislator Bajwa’s plea to quash the first information report (FIR) against him for spreading misleading information that endangers the country's sovereignty and unity.

A vacation bench of Justice Deepak Gupta, while issuing a notice returnable by April 22, said "no coercive" action shall be taken against the petitioner until the next date of hearing.

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa is under fire for failing to appear at the police station despite being summoned.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Malvinder Kang questioned Bajwa, asking why he is hesitant to share information about the 50 grenades he mentioned earlier with the Punjab Police, if he indeed possesses any such information.

Kang noted that while Bajwa finds time for hours-long television interviews, he fails to make time to cooperate with the police. He questioned what personal matters could possibly outweigh the security of the state and the nation. Kang further added that the police are merely seeking Bajwa’s cooperation to substantiate his statements and take appropriate action, yet he is deliberately avoiding engagement with the authorities.