Pb & Hry under grip of severe cold conditions

Chandigarh: Several places in Punjab and Haryana reeled under severe cold conditions on Thursday, with the common capital of the two states, Chandigarh, recording a low of 7.3 degrees Celsius, MeT officials said. Pathankot and Faridkot in Punjab recorded identical minimum temperatures of 4 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department here. Among other places in Punjab, Amritsar experienced a cold night at 5.7 degrees Celsius, while Gurdaspur recorded a low of 6 degrees Celsius. Ferozepur and Rupnagar also endured intense chill, recording respective minimums of 5.7 and 5.9 degrees, while Ludhiana and Patiala registered identical minimums of 7.4 degrees Celsius. In Haryana, Narnaul shivered at a minimum temperature of 4.5 degrees Celsius, while Sirsa recorded a low of 5 degrees Celsius. Karnal also reeled under intense cold, registering a minimum of 5.5 degrees Celsius. Ambala recorded a low of 7.6 degrees, while Hisar registered a low of 6.9 degrees. Gurugram’s minimum settled at 8.8 degrees Celsius.

2 lakh posts lying vacant in Govt Deptts in Hry: Bhupinder Hooda

Chandigarh: Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday said that unemployment is at its peak in the State and more than two lakh posts are lying vacant in government departments. “BJP has come to power by promising to give two lakh permanent jobs, but there is no trace of recruitment in the new government. Even the few recruitment that are taking place, are falling victim to scams. It is clear that this government is playing with the future of Haryana youth,” he added. Hooda alleged that a new scam has been seen in the recruitment of PGT English, as the government declared its result, despite 33 questions being wrong in the PGT English recruitment paper and has clearly refused to take the paper again. For this, a notice has now been sent to HPSC by the High Court. Earlier, when the scam in HSSC and HPSC was exposed, the High Court reprimanded and fined them many times, he stated.

2 killed, 1 injured in firing incident in Yamunanagar

Yamunanagar: Two men died and another got injured when some unidentified armed miscreants opened indiscriminate fire on them in a village Lakha Singh Khedi in Yamunanagar on Thursday. According to Yamunanagar Police, as soon as the three men came out of a gym and were about to sit in their vehicle, four-five masked armed assailants arrived there on motorcycle and opened several rounds of fire at them, they said. While two men died, the condition of the other person is critical and he has been hospitalised. The police said the incident was also captured by a CCTV camera. The miscreants escaped after the incident. An investigation into the matter has been launched. The motive behind the killings was not yet clear, they said, adding that the two deceased were in their mid-30s, Police said.

Hry Govt announces public holidays and special days for 2025

Chandigarh: The Haryana Government on Thursday announced the public holidays for 2025, which apply to all public offices under the State Government. According to the notification, the State Government has notified certain dates in the 2025 calendar as Special Days. However, these will not be designated as public holidays. The notification states that all Saturdays and Sundays will be observed as holidays throughout the year. The list of Public Holidays include Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti on January 6, Guru Ravidas Jayanti on February 12, Maha Shivratri on February 26, Holi on March 14, Eid-ul-Fitr on March 31, Mahavir Jayanti on April 10, Dr BR Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14, Parshuram Jayanti on April 29, Akshya Tritya on April 30, Maharana Pratap Jayanti on May 29, Sant Kabir Jayanti on June 11, Shaheed Udham Singh Martyrdom Day on July 31, Independence Day on August 15, Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti on September 22, Shaheedi Divas/Haryana War Heroes’ Martyrdom Day on  September 23, Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti/Dussehra on October 2, Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti/Maharaja Ajmidh Jayanti on October 7, Diwali on October 20, Vishvakarma Day on October 22, Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti on November 5 and Christmas on December 25.