Punjab police avert possible target killings; 3 members of BKI-backed terror module held

Amritsar: In a major blow to organized crime, Punjab Police have averted a possible target killing in the State with the arrest of three members of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI)-backed terror module. “The module is being operated by Harpreet Singh alias Happy — a close aide of designated terrorist Harwinder Singh alias Rinda, along with his two associates identified as Harbeer Singh and Navroop Singh from the USA, said the state Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Wednesday.  Yadav identified the arrested persons as Jaswinder Singh, Lovepreet Singh, and Gurpartap Singh — all residents of Ramdas village in Amritsar. Police teams have also recovered two .32 bore pistols along with three magazines and 11 live cartridges, one Maruti Swift car (PB46AD6236), and one Splendor motorcycle from their possession, he added. The DGP said that following reliable inputs, Police teams from Amritsar Rural, Commissionerate Amritsar, and State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) Amritsar, laid a special naka in the area of Ajnala and arrested the trio. The DGP said that the probe revealed that the arrested accused persons were tasked to carry out target killings in the State to create panic in society.

 Bajwa expresses concerns over ‘short-notice’ Assembly sessions
 
Chandigarh:  In a strongly-worded letter addressed to Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, the Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa on Wednesday expressed deep concerns about the frequent convening of Vidhan Sabha sessions on short notice under the current AAP regime. Bajwa, in his letter, highlighted a disconcerting erosion of parliamentary traditions and democratic values.
The Congress leader’s concerns revolve around the notice issued on October 10, 2023, re-convening a session that was adjourned sine-die on June 20, 2023. “The notice effectively erases the significance of traditionally-held sessions like the 'Monsoon Session' and 'Winter Session,' raising questions about transparency and the preservation of established legislative norms,” he said. Furthermore, Bajwa expressed distress over a growing trend that circumvents the privileges of elected representatives by abruptly convening sessions with limited notice, primarily focused on the government's agenda. This practice, he argues, jeopardizes the fundamental democratic process by stifling opportunities for public issues to be addressed during essential parliamentary functions.

Haryana to strengthen MSME ecosystem   

Chandigarh: In a step towards strengthening the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) ecosystem in Haryana, the Industries and Commerce Department exchanged Memorandum of Agreements (MoAs) with three Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved TReDS (Trade Receivables e Discounting System) entities. The MoAs were exchanged in the presence of Chief Minister Manohar Lal and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala in Chandigarh. The MoAs were exchanged with Receivable Exchange of India Limited (RXIL), Mynd Solution Private Limited (M1xchange), and A.TReDS Limited (Invoicemart). Speaking at the occasion, Khattar said that Haryana primarily relies on agriculture, but the scope of this sector is limited due to decreasing land holdings. Consequently, there is a pressing need to diversify into industries and other sectors. The government is actively pursuing various schemes to promote and nurture the growth of MSMEs. He also emphasized the current need to boost the MSMEs ecosystem through active participation of Suppliers, Buyers, Bankers and NBFCs over the TReDS platform, promotion of digital lending and offtake among MSMEs. He also emphasized that the Government of Haryana gradually directing and onboarding their Departments and PSUs over the TReDS platform thus ensuring timely and transparent payments to the MSME suppliers.