Monthly Archives: August 2018

Photo for representation only. – File photo

Anandpur Sahib, March 28

Samyukt Kisan Morcha leaders will give a new programme to farmers of the country on March 30 to take on the Centre so that the three laws are repealed and MSP of a majority of crops fixed by the government. This was stated by BKU general secretary Harinder Singh Lakhowal here today.

Lakhowal, who was here along with farmer leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal, Gurnam Singh Chadhuni, Ruldu Singh, Manjit Rai, Kuldeep Singh Bajidpur and Yograj, addressed a gathering at a Kisan Conference and said the NDA government was testing the patience of farmers. The conference was organised on the second day of Hola Mohalla by Bhartiya Kisan Mazdoor Union. — TNS

Photo for representation only. – File photo

Mansa, March 28

Scores of farmers under the banner of the BKU (Dakaunda) faction participated in a protest rally organised against the three agricultural laws at Burj Rathi village in Mansa district on Sunday. The protesters vowed to “fight the battle till its logical conclusion” and continue to support and contribute to the agitation in whatever way they can.

Makhan Singh, a union leader, said, “Apart from boycotting the BJP in villages of the Malwa region, we will not support any other political party. We have decided that since wheat harvest will start soon, many farmers will be returning from protest venues from Delhi to their native villages. During this time, women will hold the fort there. — TNS

Farmer leaders at the Kirti Kisan Mahapanchayat at the grain market in Ludhiana on Sunday. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan

Ludhiana, March 28

Farmer unions’ leaders today warned against the “divisive policies” of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the ‘Kirti Kisan Mahapanchayat’ held at Dana Mandi near Jalandhar Bypass here.

• Balbir Singh Rajewal, BKU (Rajewal) President
• United fight can ensure justice
• Only a united fight by farmers, farm workers and other working classes will ensure justice from an adamant dispensation working to scuttle the ongoing stir and safeguarding the interests of big corporates.

“The danger of exploitation looms large not only on the farmers of the country with the three farm laws and the electricity Act, but also on the workers at large,” warned the speakers at the event.

The mahapanchayat, organised by a non-political organisation floated by former bureaucrats SR Ladhar and Jagtar Singh, was attended by cadres of several farmers’ groups, trade unions and the OBC Welfare Front.

BKU (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal said protesting farmers’ unions would forever remain indebted to the people, especially the working classes of Punjab and other states, for making the agitation as a peoples’ struggle.

He said the three laws enacted by the Modi government without any debate or consultation with the farmers would not only destroy the basic structure of mandis and marketing of food grain, but would also make the common people suffer due to profit-oriented policies of corporates.

Ladhar and other speakers at the rally castigated the government for letting loose the reign of terror and oppression on farmers and workers. He said while the farmers would be left at the mercy of big corporates under the new laws, the labour would also face oppression and exploitation at the hands of employers under the labour laws which would become operative from April 1, 2021.

He said the government had made a nefarious attempt to snatch the basic rights of the workers like fixed working hours, right to form unions, right to strike work and reasonably good working conditions in the name of so-called labour reforms. “The farmers and workers would have to fight a united battle to secure their democratic and constitutional rights,” he said. — OC

DSGMC chief Manjinder Singh Sirsa with farmers released on bail.

New Delhi, March 28

The legal team set up by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has managed to secure bail for more than 100 farmers who were arrested during a clash between farmers and the police on January 26.

The farmers whose bails had been secured were honoured at Red Fort. A legal team of the DSGMC had been set up to get the detained protesters released. DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa had set up the team that worked from Rakabganj gurdwara.

After the clash on January 26, several families from Punjab had reported that their family members were missing. Protesting farmers had deviated from a pre-approved route of the tractor rally on Republic Day and clashed with the police when they were stopped from entering parts of Central and New Delhi. — TNS

Rs 5l relief for deceased tikri protester

Fazilka: Fazilka Congress MLA Davinder Singh Ghubaya handed over a cheque for Rs3 lakh to Sumitra Bai, the wife of late farmer Bhajan Singh who had died at the Tikri border while participating in dharna against the three farm laws. Bhajan Singh had died due to cardiac arrest on March 18 and his last rites were performed in a local gurdwara on Saturday. A cheque for Rs2 lakh was also given to the kin of the farmer at the time of his cremation.

• India and the US on Sunday kicked off a two-day naval exercise in the eastern Indian Ocean Region, reflecting the growing congruence in their defence and military partnership.
• The exercise came a week after US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin came to India. A spokesperson said the exercise was aimed at consolidating the synergy achieved during the Malabar exercise. PTI

SSG presents  High ankle Combat DMS boots made of leather and waterproof material.
Comfortable and is durable. This pair of leather DMS boot specially made for the defence forces has a PU sole with a leather collar having soft foam cushioning, its Toe (Front side) and Counter (Back-side) have  been fabric walled. Sizes 6 to 11, cost Rs. 1000/- incl courier. Please spread the word in all your groups(Regtl, Course, Sqn School or place types)…….Contact Col Gaurav Khanna a veteran – 9953999607 or gk_sangeeta@yahoo.com.

As a Major General he had commanded the 54 Infantry Division during the war that had moved from its peace time location in Secunderabad to Punjab

Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo Pinto

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 27

Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo Pinto, who had played a key role in the Indian victory in the Battle of Basantar, one of the most crucial operations in the Punjab-Jammu Sector during the 1971 war, passed away at the age of 97.

As a Major General he had commanded the 54 Infantry Division during the war that had moved from its peace time location in Secunderabad to Punjab. Tasked for offensive operations in the Shakargarh bulge, the Division crossed the border on December 6 and captured key areas. Troops from the division were conferred as many as 196 gallantry medals including two Param Vir Chakra and nine Maha Vir Chakra, while Maj Gen Pinto was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.

The Indian Army won a hard-fought battle on the banks of the Basantar river from December 4 to 16 that secured this area. It was a strategically vital area for both sides as it comprised road links to Jammu from Punjab, which could be cut off by the enemy. Pakistan Army generally regards this as their most humbling defeat despite numerical superiority, next only to the Battle of Laungewala in Rajasthan.

Born in 1924 at Poona (now Pune), he was commissioned into the 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1943. The unit moved to Burma during the Second World War, where then Second Lieutenant Pinto commanded a Medium Machine Gun Platoon.

Post Independence, he assigned to the 2nd battalion of Assam Regiment and when the Brigade of Guards was raised, he was transferred to 3 Guards. Later he commanded 4 Guards, which moved to Sikkim during the Chinese aggression. As a Brigadier, he commanded 66 Mountain Brigade in Binnaguri.

After the 1971 war, he became the Colonel of the Rajput Regiment. He also served as Director, Military Training where he also headed the Joint Training Committee, Services Sports Control Board, Army Mountaineering Federation and Army Rifle Association. He was also vice president of Indian Hockey Federation and Indian Olympic Association.

On promotion to Lieutenant General, he took over as General Officer Commanding 33 Corps in Sukhna and then moved as the Commandant, National Defence College. In July 1980, he was elevated as Army Commander and took over the Central Command in Lucknow from where he retired after a two year tenure. After hanging up his boots, he had settled in Pune.

Maj Gen Pinto’s father, Alexander Pinto, worked in the military accounts department. His elder brother Sydney Alexander was a Major General in the Corps of Engineers, while his elder sister, Phyllis Mary, served in the Women’s Auxiliary Corps in India and later in Burma. He was an alumnus of Robertson College in Jabalpur.

Exam to be held on March 28 postponed to April 25

Ludhiana (Punjab), March 27

The Army on Saturday postponed to April 25 the common entrance examination for recruiting general duty personnel in view of the surge in coronavirus cases in Punjab.

The examination to be held on March 28 has been postponed to April 25 on the advice of the district administration due to hike in coronavirus cases, officials said.

The officials at Army recruiting office Ludhiana said the candidates, who have successfully completed the physical and medical examination, were to appear for the common entrance examination.

These candidates are from Ludhiana, Moga, Rupnagar and SAS Nagar (Mohali).

The Army recruiting office Ludhiana had conducted a recruitment rally from December 7 to 27, 2020. PTI

Anandpur Sahib, March 27

The second phase of the Hola Mohalla started with an ‘ardas’ by Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh here today.

The international-level festival will conclude on March 29 with a procession by Nihang Sikhs in the town.

While political parties have decided not to hold any conference due to Covid, the local unit of the Bhartiya Kisan Mazdoor Union will organise a farmer conference over the agricultural laws today. Convener Shamsher Singh Shera said senior leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha were expected to take part in the conference.https://00e0af1dbb3379c89d3e35940486cd1c.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

The devotees reaching here to pay obeisance at various gurdwaras have thrown norms to the wind. Deputy Commissioner Sonali Giri said one lakh face masks were being distributed by the administration to people reaching Anandpur Sahib. Ropar SSP Akhil Chaudhary said the police were ensuring that a majority of force deployed got vaccinated against Covid. — TNS

Wheat purchase to go on till May 1

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 27

The Centre has approved Punjab Government’s request to reschedule wheat procurement in the wake of a Covid-19 surge in the state and resultant challenges and restrictions.

“The request made by Government of Punjab for rescheduling wheat procurement period during rabi marketing season (RMS) 2021-22 due to late maturity of crop and a surge in Covid-19 cases in the state has been considered and approved by Government of India,” a government statement said today. The wheat procurement period in Punjab has now been rescheduled to April 10 to May 31, 2021, in place of April 1 to May 25, 2021. Meanwhile, the SAD has condemned the Congress government for delaying procurement by 10 days, saying it must begin from April 1. Senior leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra and Daljit Singh Cheema accused the government of playing a fixed match with the Centre to teach a lesson to protesting farmers by not protesting in time against deliberate tightening of specifications for procurement of foodgrain by the FCI.