Briefly Region

‘CM’s proposed NRI cell admission of failure’
Chandigarh: Former NRI and Qila Raipur MLA Jassi Khangura on Wednesday termed the proposed NRI cell announced by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as an admission of the failure of its earlier initiatives. “The NRI have lost assets in the state and been framed in false cases. Minister for NRI Affairs Sewa Singh Sekhwan should resign in view of the CM’s admission regarding such a failure,” he added. “It is an insult to the 50 lakh Punjabis living outside India that nearly 6,000 NRIs have been declared proclaimed offenders — more than all the previous governments taken together,” he added.

Minister takes up protocol issue with Badal
Chandigarh: The incident where officers left a road safety show in Bathinda while Transport Minister Master Mohan Lal was still on the stage has been taken up with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. “I have written to the chief minister that officers should should strictly follow protocol during visits by ministers. This is not done that the minister is sitting,but as soon as Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal leaves,the officers leave as well,” said Mohan Lal.

Two held on charges of murder
Jalandhar: The Jalandhar (Rural) police have arrested two men in a month-old murder case. The police said an old man had been murdered for supporting the family of a boy who had eloped with the sister of the main accused around six to seven months ago. SP (Detective) Pushkar Sandal said Sohan Singh,in his seventies,of Ali Chak village was found murdered on December 7 in Pawar village. During interrogation,Harjinder Singh alias Jdia and Sukhwinder La alias Sukha,both residents of Pawar,said Sukha’s sister had eloped with a boy of the same village and Sohan supported the boy’s family. Sukha was allegedly nursing a grudge against Sohan and the two killed him on December 6 when he returning him in an inebriated condition.

Will will hoist Tricolour in Srinagar: BJP
Chandigarh: “Come what may we will not deter from hoisting the Tricolour in Srinagar on January 26. Kashmir is an integral part of India and no one can stop us from going there,” said Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma while addressing a meeting of district presidents and district general secretaries of the BJP and the BJP Youth Wing at Punjab BJP headquarter in Chandigarh on Wednesday. He said the UPA government at Centre and the National Conference government in Jammu and Kashmir were responsible for the current situation in Kashmir. “Instead of taking strong action against separatists,the UPA government is pursuing a lenient policy,” he said.

Amarinder condoles Cong leader’s death
Patiala: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh has condoled the death of Bibi Satinder Kaur,a senior party leader and former president of the Punjab Mahila Congress. She was also the mother of Nabha MLA Randeep Singh. “While it is a great loss to the party,it is a personal loss to me since our families knew each other for a long time,” said Singh. ENS

Students pledge to protect heritage
Amritsar: Students of Spring Dale Senior School on Wednesday took an oath to respect all monuments that are a part of India’s heritage and abstain from defacing them,besides rendering all possible help to conserve and preserve their heritage. The oath-taking ceremony was held as a part of the Central Board of Secondary Education’s educational campaign to preserve and protect heritage monuments in the country. Principal Rajiv Kumar Sharma said the CBSE had also held several Heritage India quizzes across the country.