Amritsar, Oct 26 (IANS) With the financial assistance of the US-based United Sikh Mission, a 525 KW capacity solar power plant was commissioned in the holiest of Sikh shrines, Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as Golden Temple, in Amritsar on Tuesday.
"Our mission is to ensure clean power supply round the clock at Sri Darbar Sahib, saving 33 per cent of its annual electricity bill," United Sikh Mission President Rashpal Singh Dhindsa told the media here.
He said this was an effort towards sustainability and reducing global warming that would help save 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (C02) emission.
The work was completed in five months.
Expressing gratitude to the United Sikh Mission, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee President Bibi Jagir Kaur said that a 78 KW solar power plant would be installed soon in Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh and 700 KW in Gurdwara Bir Baba Budha Sahib.
Noting that the monthly electricity budget of Darbar Sahib is around Rs 50-60 lakh, she urged the global Sikh community to contribute towards the initiative of empowering Darbar Sahib with renewable energy.
Fulfilling a major poll promise, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday launched the enhanced social security pension of Rs 1,500 per month, a threefold increase from Rs 500 earlier given by the SAD-BJP alliance government.
The National Investigation Agency has so far identified one Munsib, who is active on social media and is actively involved in online recruitment. Further, the Taliban have also released ISIS-K recruiter Aijaz Ahangar from a jail in Afghanistan. Ahangar is listed as a most-wanted terrorist in India.
Purohit took the oath in English. Earlier in the day, he arrived at the Punjab Raj Bhavan and was given a guard of honour by a Punjab Armed Police contingent.
Amarinder Singh when asked said, "I do not know what has been removed, it looks very nice to me." The statement is contrary to Rahul Gandhi who on Tuesday joined the outrage on social media over the renovation.
In a hard-hitting response to his Haryana counterpart's tweets questioning him on farmer welfare, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday ripped into Manohal Lal Khattar's claims, terming them a "pathetic attempt" to cover up the "sustained and persistently shameful treatment meted out" to farmers by his government.
