Chandigarh, Nov 10 (IANS) In a bid to provide financial relief to cotton farm labourers, the Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday approved the policy formulated for extending relief to the families of cotton-picking farm labourers affected by the damage caused to the crop by the pink bollworm disease.
With this decision, 10 per cent of total compensation to be given to the farmers on this count would be provided to the families of cotton picking farm labourers affected by the pest attack on cotton crop.
On the issue of Post-Matric SC Scholarship Scheme, the Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Charanjit Channi, deliberated up on the hardships faced by students who are beneficiaries of the scheme.
It was highlighted that this scheme was shared between the Centre and the state government in the ratio of 60:40. However, the Centre stopped giving its share from 2016 onwards under this scheme.
Resultantly, the Cabinet decided the state government would bear its liability of 40 per cent amounting to Rs 433.96 crore since 2017-18, to be released in two installments during 2021-22 and 2022-23.
The Cabinet also gave approval to scrap the fee capping, thereby keeping the fee of students belonging to the Scheduled Caste on par with the general category students.
The government's current approach to vaccination -- focusing on younger age groups -- "is causing huge numbers of avertable deaths and is deeply inequitable, both between age groups and within them", argue doctors and researchers in a commentary published in British medical journal fro BMJ on Wednesday.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday termed the ‘meagre MSP hike for paddy as not only grossly inadequate, but also an insult to the farmers who have been fighting for their rightful dues through their anti-farm law agitation for the past six months.
India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi says people from China, including the Chinese nationals, have been able to travel to India despite the absence of direct air connectivity.
Personnel of Kolkata Police's Special Task Force ( STF) on Wednesday gunned down two Punjab gangsters believed to be involved in gun running and responsible for killing two policemen. The deceased duo has been identified as Jaspreet Jassi and Jaipal Bhullar.
In the early hours, Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad were clobbered with heavy rain, inundating several low-lying areas, barely a fortnight after the city survived the Cyclone Tauktae devastation.
Anto Alphonse, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), North Delhi, said that the police have arrested Kadir Ansari, 27, and Mohammad Arif, 37, both members of an inter-state drug smuggling racket active in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh with 32.5 Kg of cannabis.
