Briefly Region: 15-yr-old gangrape victim kills self; 2 accused arrested

Poll officers need GPS enabled vehicle: SEC

For effective management of the election process,Harayana Election Commissioner Dharam Vir on Monday stressed on the need to equip vehicles of officers managing elections with the Global Positioning System (GPS). He said the GPS-installed vehicles will enable the administration control any situation in the shortest possible time during elections. He was addressing a workshop.

Punjab’s I-day function in Ludhiana

The Punjab government has decided to organise its state-level Independence Day function at Ludhiana this year; Chief Minister Punjab Parkash Singh Badal will unfurl the National Flag. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal,on the other hand,will be the chief guest at the Independence Day function at Ajitgarh (Mohali).

BDPOs to administer oath to sarpanches

Block development and panchayat officers (BDPOs) will administer oath to sarpanches and panches who have not undergone the process so far,Punjab Rural development and Panchayat Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra announced here on Monday. He also called on the newly elected panchayats to play a proactive role for the overall development of villages.

Pre-job training for Defence services

To ensure that more youth from Punjab make it to the defence services,the state government has decided to conduct a pre-recruitment training programme for the wards of ex-servicemen and others for entry into technical/non-technical trades of defence /para-military forces in various districts across the state. Chief Parliamentary Secretary Virsa Singh Valtoha on Monday said the government will spend Rs 4 crore for the workshops,particularly for youth in rural areas.

Power panel wants royalty withdrawn

Himalayan Power Producers Association — involved in the execution of small hydro power projects in the state — on Monday asked Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to withdraw six per cent royalty on the use of water in the first 12 years of the project. They termed the clause as unfair in view of the delays and negative cash flow during the initial years of a project.

Rs 2,767 cr-loss due to rain in Himachal

Himachal Pradesh has suffered total cumulative losses of Rs 2,767.48 crore due to excessive rain this monsoon,the state government said on Monday.