women power: AAP MLAs Baljinder Kaur (left) and Sarabjit Kaur on their first day in the House.

Red salute: Congress MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra greets a supporter as he make his way to the Assembly.

oppn force: Lok Insaaf Party MLA from Ludhiana Balwinder Singh Bains outside the Assembly.

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 24

The maiden session of the 15th Vidhan Sabha saw the monochrome days getting over! It was all spring colours, visible in the turbans, jackets and silk kerchiefs that were on full display on the treasury benches where Congress MLAs were seated and first three rows of the Opposition benches where the Aam Aadmi Party MLAs were seated.The monochrome deep blue turbans (of the Akali Dal) were decimated to just three rows of the Opposition benches. While Congress MLAs were seen revelling under the leadership of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and AAP MLAs under Leader of Opposition HS Phoolka, the Akali MLAs were left to brave the 77 Congressmen, 20 AAP MLAs and two Lok Insaf Party MLAs — the formidable Bains brothers — by themselves.Akali Dal president and leader of party in the House Sukhbir Singh Badal and the party’s chief patron Parkash Singh Badal were conspicuous by their absence on the day when all other MLAs took oath. Bikram Singh Majithia and deputy leader of the party Ajit Singh Kohar led the party’s team.The day also saw the “ambitious” Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu quickly jump and sit on the Chief Minister’s seat after Capt Amarinder Singh left the session for the day, only to be prodded by his own party’s MLAs and later the Vidhan Sabha staff to vacate the seat.But Sidhu, who got a seat next to the CM’s, did make it a point to assume Amarinder’s role of meeting and greeting all party MLAs who went to take oath, after the CM left the House after one-and-a-half-hour as he had to attend important official meetings.Sidhu also got warm hugs from his once allies Bains brothers, who will now sit across him.The House, which saw some bitter battles in the last Vidhan Sabha and comprises MLAs who fought one of the most acerbic political battles the state ever witnessed, saw some bonhomie today. Almost all Akali MLAs greeted Amarinder and other Congress and AAP leaders. The Congress leaders, too, paid their respects to all senior leaders of their as well as opposition parties.Among AAP MLAs, only Sukhpal Singh Khaira wished leaders of the ruling Congress, Akali Dal and the BJP. Others just took oath and went back to the seat. The young and first-time MLAs were all seen taking blessings from their seniorsThe first person to take oath was the Chief Minister, followed by his Cabinet colleagues in order of seniority, the Leader of Opposition and then MLAs from constituencies selected in alphabetical order.Most of the MLAs took oath in Punjabi, although a few like Minister Aruna Chaudhary took oath in English.AAP MLA from Kotkapura Kultar Singh Sandhwan first touched the ground before taking oath, while Congress MLA Amarinder Singh Raja Warring took off his shoes before he climbed on to the Speakers pedestal to take oath.

Lively first-timers bring freshness

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 24

Several first-time MLAs brought a whiff of fresh air on the first day of the Assembly session today.The youngest among them, Davinder Singh Ghubaya, said: “For all young legislators like me, it is a great experience to be among senior politicians such as Capt Amarinder Singh.”Ghubaya, a student of Economics at Panjab University, and other newcomers didn’t miss the opportunity to shake hands with Navjot Singh Sidhu. Some even hugged him or touched his feet. Manpreet Badal was another senior leader who got the attention of the junior MLAs.The new entrants included Angad Singh, Amit Vij, Dalvir Singh Goldy Barindermeet Singh Pahra, Sukhwinder Singh Danny and Sukhpal Singh Bhullar (all from the Congress), Rupinder Kaur Ruby, Gurmeet Singh Hayer and Pirmal Singh (AAP) and Harinder Pal Singh Chandumajra (SAD).

No discussion on Guv’s address nowIn the first Business Advisory Committee meeting chaired by pro tem Speaker Rana KP Singh, it was decided that no discussion would be held on the Governor’s address on March 28. The discussion will take place during the Budget session likely in June.

The election to the posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be on March 27. The committee includes Brahm Mohindra, Manpreet Badal and HS Phoolka.

All in a Day: From surprise to bonhomie

Relative support

The Governor’s gallery was brimming with relatives of MLAs. Prominent among those present were former MLAs Tej Prakash, Charanjit Kaur Bajwa, Malkit Singh Dakha, Mohammad Sadique and Guriqbal Kaur Babli. Many of them were there to witness the oath-taking ceremony.

Surprise element

Outside the Assembly, just before the session began, MLAs talked of power shift. An Akali MLA from Doaba was heard talking of the police not listening to him, while a Congress MLA from Ludhiana was revelling in the new-found adulation and admiration the police and civil administration had for him! “Yakeen hi nahi ho reha (I can’t believe it),” the Congress MLA said.

‘Amarinder chachaji’

SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia first shook hands with “chachaji” Capt Amarinder Singh after taking oath, and later accepted the greetings from his party colleagues.

Power dressing

Male legislators outdid their female counterparts in dressing. While six women MLAs looked rather dull and demure (in contrast to the fashionistas of the last Assembly), the men flashed the latest styles in kurtas and bright colours in turbans.

Education Minister again fails to take oath in Punjabi

Aruna Chaudhary

Amaninder Pal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 24

Aruna Chaudhary, who had taken oath in Hindi during her swearing-in as the Minister of State for Education last week, did it in English today while being sworn in as an MLA.Her husband Ashok Chaudhary, a retired bureaucrat, said the minister was not “comfortable” with the Punjabi language due to “her educational background”.Aruna is heading the school and higher education departments, besides the Languages Department, which is involved in the promotion of Punjabi — the state’s official language.Ashok Chaudhary told The Tribune, “My wife completed her studies in Jammu and Kashmir, where Punjabi was not part of the school or college curriculum. So, she is more comfortable with Hindi and English rather than Punjabi.”In her nomination papers for the Assembly elections, Aruna had declared her “highest qualification” as Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education from Kashmir University. “What promotion of the language can we expect from an Education Minister who is not well versed in Punjabi?” asked Sukhdev Singh Sirsa, president of the Punjab Sahitya Akademi.The minister could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

 

Sachets of Chinese ethylene powder in a mango box to ripen the fruit at the Sector 26 market in Chandigarh on Sunday. S Chandan

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 21

With the Health Department tightening the noose around traders to curb the use of calcium carbide for artificial ripening of fruits at the fruit  and vegetable  market in Sector 26, the traders have replaced it with the Chinese ethylene powder.The market is full of sachets of the Chinese ethylene powder, lying scattered all over the place after being thrown out of cartons used to transport mangoes.These sachets expose visitors to emissions of the hazardous chemical.Experts say exposure  to the chemical can cause the same ill-effects as caused by calcium  carbide. The packets are also dangerous to cows and other animals at the market that survive on vegetable  waste. While the traders claim the use of the Chinese ethylene powder is allowed, officers of the Health Department are waiting for a report of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India on it. The Department of Food  Safety has served notices on all 111 fruit traders warning  them of stern action, including termination of the licence, in case they are found using the banned calcium carbide for ripening of fruits.Sukhvinder Singh, designated officer, Food and Safety Department, said samples of ethylene powder collected  from mango cartons had been sent to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to check for artificial ripening chemicals beyond the permissible limit. “This ethylene is in the form of a starchy powder, which slowly releases ethylene gas that causes mangoes and other fruits to ripen. Sources said besides the Chinese sachets, the use of calcium carbide had not stopped completely in the  market despite thes crackdown.While checks are being carried out at the mandi, there  is no check in apni mandis  where “masala’ is mainly used for ripening of mangoes, bananas and papaya, and sometimes also for cheeku and tomatoes.” They said while the actual process required five to six days for repining of fruits, “with the use of calcium carbide, it takes a few hours to ripen these”.

Papaya gets costlier

Raids conducted by the department has increased the rates of papaya by two times. Papaya was available for Rs 40 a kg on Sunday, the highest this season. A trader said the supply of papaya had decreased by over 50 per cent  after the  raids, which had led to the increase in its prices.Over 3 tonnes of fruits  destroyed so farThe Department of Food Safety has destroyed over three tonnes of mangoes and papaya ripened by using calcium carbide in five raids  conducted in the past one  month.How to identify  artificially ripened mangoesExperts say an artificially ripened mango will have green patches. These patches are clearly distinguishable from the yellow and unlike a naturally ripened mango, it will not have a uniform blend of yellow and green. Artificially ripened mango  will also have an unnaturally bright yellow colour when compared to a naturally ripened mango. The artificially ripened mango causes slight burning in the mouth.

‘Have ordered regular checks’

“I have already issued directions to officers of the Department of Food Safety to carry out regular checks to curb the use of calcium  carbide  for ripening of fruits. The use of calcium carbide is dangerous for human beings.”Dr  Rakesh  Kashyap, Director,  Health Services Traders want an alternative    “The Administration has stopped the  use of calcium  carbide without  providing the traders any alternative. The Chinese sachets for   ripening of fruits are also not available in the  city,  causing a huge  loss to the  traders.”  Brij  Mohan, VP, Fruit & Vegetable Market Assn

• The views expressed are his personal)

As water is becoming an existential issue for Pakistan, it has emerged as a cause of major concern between India and Pakistan. Unable to manage and utilise its water resources efficiently, Islamabad misses no opportunity to attribute its water woes to Indian action in developing its water potential of the western rivers.

Pakistan is facing a grim situation regarding its fast depleting fresh water resources. The per capita water availability in Pakistan has decreased by over 406% from 5,260 cubic metres in 1951 to 1,038 cubic metres in 2010, just marginally above the 1,000 cubic metres per person threshold value under the global criteria. By 2020, the water availability in Pakistan would plummet to 877 cubic meters per annum. In such a scenario, its food security is in danger.

INDIA NOT TO BLAME FOR PAK WATER SCARCITY

 Pakistan has been blaming India’s hydropower projects on the western rivers for water scarcity. But, that doesn’t hold water. Broadly, the problems may be attributed to Pakistan having drawn limited benefit of India’s generosity, even as it has been receiving more than its authorised share in the past 56 years. A case in point is the limited dam storage of just 15.9 million acre feet (MAF) developed by Pakistan so far at Tarbela, Mangala and Chasma. This gets further reduced (by about 25%) on account of excessive sedimentation. Pakistan thus has water storage capacity just for 30 days against the minimum requirement of 120 days.

Post-September 2016, Pakistan has been raising the issue of water security at international forums and calling it “a corollary to the unresolved issue of Kashmir”. But Pakistan’s case before the World Bank, a facilitator of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), against the construction of Kishanganga and Ratle hydropower plants is a mere rhetoric. While the construction of Kishanganga project stands approved by the International Court of Arbitration, Ratle is a run-of-the river project permitted under the parameters of the IWT.

The key question: Why is Pakistan approaching various world forums? Is it an issue that has an impact on Pakistan, or is it its covert plan to act on behalf of China and in turn draw benefit?

INDIA NEEDS MORE POWER FOR GROWTH

The big picture indicates that Chinese are behind the present defiant stance of Pakistan. India is a power deficient nation. To draw benefit of various economic programmes, including ‘Make in India’, we need additional power. Our aim thus is to draw benefit of hydropower through projects on the western rivers as India is exploiting only one-sixth of its potential.

One of India’s economic growth indicators is that it has become number one destination for FDI surpassing China. The neighbouring country (China) apparently plans to deny us the availability of additional power for setting up industrial base. So, China has brought Pakistan at the forefront to raise objections to hydropower projects on western rivers. China thus plans to return this favour by providing water security to Pakistan.

ROW OVER DIAMER-BHASHA DAM

Pakistan has requested China to undertake construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam on the Indus in Gilgit-Baltistan. The proposed 4,500MW hydropower plant would eliminate about half of Pakistan’s power shortfall and irrigate millions of acres of parched farmland. The presence of Chinese elements in Pakistan occupied Kashmir will provide additional security to Pakistan. Incidentally, due to opposition by India, both the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have in the past refused to lend money. To formalise this understanding, a decision was taken during the meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to include water security to Pakistan as part of CPEC projects.

RAISE OBJECTION TO CHINESE PRESENCE

From India’s perspective, inclusion of water security into CPEC is a political choice for Pakistan and China, though the issue does not fall within the mandate of the CPEC. New Delhi needs to understand the nuances of this action by Pakistan and China in PoK and raise objection to the Chinese presence. To counter Pakistan’s rhetoric against Kishanganga and Ratle, we must highlight that run-of-the-river dams such as Baglihar consume nothing as water must flow to run turbines. Such a dam delays a river with no consequential effect on the quantity of water reaching Pakistan.

CHINA PLANS TO DENY INDIA AVAILABILITY OF ADDITIONAL POWER FOR SETTING UP INDUSTRIAL BASE AND THUS HAMPER ITS ECONOMIC GROWTH

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  groverp999@gmail.com (The writer is an expert on the Indus Water Treaty. The views expressed are his personal)

NEW DELHI : The Indian Army breeds some of the finest horses and the equines seem to have cementedtheirreputationasthe force’s favourite gift to countries in the neighbourhood.

HT FILEIn 2008, the then army chief General Deepak Kapoor handed over two stallions and four mares to the Bangladesh army as a token of goodwill and friendship.

Army chief General Bipin Rawat presented seven animals —astallionlightbreed, twobrood mares, twogeldsandtwodonkey stallions — tohisNepalicounterpart General Rajendra Chhetri earlierthisweek, duringhisfourday visit to the Himalayan country. The Indian Army’s horses aremuchsoughtafterandsometimesgivenvoluntarilyasagoodwill gesture or following a request from a neighbouring army.

The Indian Army’s animal transportunitsplayanimportant role in carrying rations and stores to remote posts where vehicles cannot reach.

The President of Nepal conferred the title of Honorary General of the Nepalese Army on GeneralRawatataspecialinvestitureceremonyonMarch29. The tradition is areciprocalarrangement between the two countries that has continued uninterrupted since 1969. General Chettri wasgiventhetitleofHonorary General of the Indian Army during his first official visit to the country in February 2016.

Nepalisnotthefirstcountryto receive Indian Army’s horses.

In 2008, the then army chief General Deepak Kapoor handed overtwostallionsandfourmares to the Bangladesh army as a tokenofgoodwillandfriendship. Kapoor handed over the reins of the horses to his Bangladeshi counterpart General Moeen U Ahmed at a special ceremony. The animals were bred at the army’s Remount Veterinary Corps stud farms at Hisar and Babugarh.

The transfer of horses has not alwaysbeensmooth. Afewyears ago, the Sri Lankan army had soughtsixhorsesfromIndia. The proposal, however, got stuck in redtape. Verypromptly, thePakistani Army stepped in and provided the horses that Sri Lanka had sought.

India did gift six horses to Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA) in Diyatalawa for trainingtwoyearsagobutitwasmuch after Pakistan had met the requirement.

Army officials said Myanmar has also received horses as gifts fromtheIndianArmy. Arounda year ago, the army gifted 26 horses and mules to the neighbouringarmy. Soimpressedwas the Myanmarese army with the well-bred animals that within a few months it bought 15 more horses from the Indian Army.

“Our horses are as sturdy as our men and in high demand,” said a senior officer.

NO COMPLAINTS BY TROOPS ON QUALITY OF RATIONS, SURVEY OF OVER 50,000 FOUND: DEFENCE MINISTRY

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PAK-INDIA TALKS

BAILABLE WARRANTS AGAINST ENGINEER-IN-CHIEF OF MOD

THE CHINESE WAY

INDO-RUSSIA KAMOV COPTER DEAL HITS HURDLE

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CAPT AMARINDER PICKS FIVE AS OSDS

Cable operators lock Fastway offices

STATE PRUNES SECURITY OF 46 LEADERS, AIDES

JAITLEY ASSURES AMARINDER OF CCL FOR WHEAT PROCUREMENT

PARLIAMENTARIANS’ PENSION: SC ISSUES NOTICE TO CENTRE, EC

‘MANTRI PATI’ DOES IT ALL: FROM CHAIRING MEETS TO PERUSING FILES

India had officially applied for membership of the grouping in May last year. File photo

New Delhi, May 21

The next plenary session of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is likely to be held in Swiss capital Bern next month, but the chances of any breakthrough on India’s entry into the elite group still look slim, given China’s persistent opposition to it.

India had officially applied for membership of the grouping, which controls export of nuclear materials, equipment and technology, in May last year.

The matter came up for discussion at the Seoul plenary session of the NSG in June last year, but yielded little result with Beijing scuttling India’s bid on the ground that it was not a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty (NPT).

Ahead of the next NSG plenary session, official sources say, India has renewed its efforts to become a member of the 48-nation group by engaging with all member countries, but resistance from China still remains despite the pro-India push from other key players such as the US, the UK, France and Russia.

China has been pressing for a two-step process which includes setting up criteria — a standard for admission—for the inclusion of countries that are not signatories to the NPT. Beijing also equates India’s case with Pakistan, which, too, has applied for the NSG membership.

The issue of India’s membership is expected to be discussed at the Bern meet, but the “status quo” still remains, a senior official says.

Indicating that there was no change in China’s position towards India’s NSG bid, Chinese Ambassador here Luo Zhaohui at an event last month had said, “On the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) issue, we do not oppose any country’s membership, believing that a standard for admission should be agreed upon first.”

India has repeatedly said that China is the “one country” which has been blocking its bid.

The two sides conducted two rounds of talks between China’s nuclear negotiator Wang Qun and India’s then Secretary for Disarmament Amandeep Singh Gill on September 13 and October 31 last year.

The NSG consultative group’s meeting in November last year also ended like the Seoul plenary session. It remained inconclusive on India’s application as China continued to oppose the entry of non-NPT nations and called for a two-step “non-discriminatory” solution for admission of such countries into the grouping.

Over the last one year, India has tried to get more support for its NSG bid, but not all its efforts have proved to be successful. For instance, Turkey has agreed to support India’s bid to the group, but it also favours Pakistan’s bid.

New Zealand has also not given any concrete assurance on supporting India’s bid.

“Prime Minister (John Phillip) Key stated that New Zealand would continue to contribute constructively to the process currently underway in the NSG to consider India’s membership. New Zealand is committed to working with NSG members to reach a decision as soon as possible,” a joint statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Kiwi counterpart John Key said after the latter’s visit to New Delhi in October last year. PTI

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, March 21

A week after killing SAD (Gurdaspur unit) vice-president and senior leader Gurbachan Singh Khalsa (79), Col Surjit Singh (retd) is yet to be arrested.Residents of Pherochichi village and its adjoining areas fear that the former Army officer may surface anytime to take revenge from villagers who are on his hit list. Khalsa’s bhog is scheduled to be held in the village tomorrow.Bhupinder Singh Virk, SSP, said the investigating teams had some clues pertaining to the whereabouts of the accused. Officers say the accused had switched on his mobile phone for a while following which the police were able to trace his location.The Colonel’s house in the village has been sealed and all his relatives are absconding. The weapon, a semi-automatic 9 mm pistol, is yet to be recovered.Questions are being raised as to how the Colonel was allowed to keep a weapon when the police had asked residents to deposit their arms in view the Assembly elections.

Punjab CM urges people of Delhi to finish off AAP and not trust BJP

CHANDIGARH: For Congress, Captain Amarinder Singh is the new “gladiator”, at least where ever Punjabis are. A day after the first session of 15th Punjab assembly came to an end on Wednesday, the Punjab chief minister reached the national capital to campaign for the party in the municipal corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls.

AJAY AGGARWAL/HTDelhi Congress chief Ajay Maken (left) and Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh at an event in New Delhi on Thursday

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken had invited Amarinder — credited for party’s landslide victory in Punjab elections — to woo voters on the Sikh-dominated seats.

As Amarinder reached Delhi on Thursday evening, party’s Delhi unit hosted a grand reception for him on Subhash Nagar Road with slogans — “Punjab mein baazi maari hai, ab Dilli ki baari hai (We have conquered Punjab, now it is Delhi’s turn)”.

Wiped out of Delhi in state elections of 2015, the Congress is banking on Amarinder to halt the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) juggernaut after its chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal faced poll reverses in Goa and Punjab. The Congress has also to counter an emboldened BJP, which has formed the government in all other four states that went to polls in February, barring Punjab.

“The people of Punjab have defeated Kejriwal’s nefarious designs and it was now the turn of the people of Delhi to finish off whatever is left of the AAP leader in the coming MCD elections,” Amarinder said while addressing a civic reception organised at Subhash Nagar in West Delhi.

The Punjab CM also warned the people of Delhi against trusting the BJP with their votes, pointing out that the BJP was an ally of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab and together they had looted the small state, leaving it with a huge debt of ₹1.82 lakh crore.

The Punjab CM will also call on Congress president Sonia Gandhi who is back after her medical treatment abroad and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Amarinder is l ikely to take up the appointment of new Punjab Congress chief with the Gandhis in the meeting. The post has fallen vacant after Amarinder took over as the CM. He is likely to return to Chandigarh on Sunday after two-day campaign.

AFTER PSPCL, PIDB ON CAPT’S AGENDA

The CM will chair a meeting of Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) on Monday after returning from Delhi MC poll campaign. Though the CM is its chairman, the board had funded the urban and rural missions of former deputy CM Sukhbir Badal and in words of Punjab finance minister Manpreet Badal, even PIDB’s future earnings have been mortgaged. The overhaul of the board is next on agenda of the new government after the state cabinet amended rules to bring a new chairmancum-managing director (CMD) of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) by making the terms of Sukhbir-appointed CMD KD Chaudhri untenable.

Capt Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 20

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today said he would seek the opinion of Advocate-General, Punjab, on his Cabinet colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu appearing on a TV show. The entertainment industry comes under the Tourism and Culture Ministry. Sidhu is Local Bodies, Tourism  and Culture Minister, Punjab. In an interview with a TV channel, Amarinder Singh said he had cordial ties with Sidhu, but his association with the entertainment industry would have to be looked into as Sidhu was a minister now.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Sidhu had told the media earlier he would continue to appear in the entertainment show, but would ensure it did not create any hindrance to his work as minister.

Halqa in-charge system goes

Shift officers ‘favoured’ by Akali govt, say Punjab Cong leaders

Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh holding a meeting with DCs and SSPs in Chandigarh on Monday. PTI

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 20

Dismantling the police structure put in place by the SAD-BJP government, the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government in Punjab today ordered the end of the controversial “halqa in-charge system” that had enabled Akali leaders to influence police functioning in their Assembly constituencies.

Edit: Well begun

At a meeting with senior officers here, Amarinder said the DCs, SSPs, SDMs and area SHOs would be held accountable for any failure to check drugs, corruption and mafia in their jurisdictions. Making clear that he meant business, Amarinder said he was aware of complaints of corruption against field officers holding various ranks, including that of DSP and SHO.These directions come amid growing disquiet among Congress leaders who want police officials who were favoured by the earlier SAD-BJP dispensation to be  shifted. These leaders have reportedly met the CM against the officers posted in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Khanna and Patiala. “An IG-rank official, known as ‘Jathedar IG’, continues to hold an important posting,” pointed out one of them.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Also, officers who had “manhandled” Congress leaders in Ludhiana during a “Chitta Ravana” protest, have been posted back in the district. Two officers, known to be close to the Akalis, are heading the district police as SSP.  Sources said the CM was yet to take a call on the matter, adding that he usually stood by his decisions. Already, the CM has shown faith in the DGP, Suresh Arora, who was appointed to the post by the earlier government, disregarding the fact that the husband of one of his party MLAs was a candidate for the post.

General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Army Staff, interacts with officials of the Chetak Corps in Bathinda on Saturday. A Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 13

General Bipin Rawat, chief of the Army Staff, visited the Chetak Corps here on Saturday. The one-day visit was in continuation of his visit to the Sapta Shakti Command headquarters on May 12.He interacted with Formation Commanders and was briefed by Lt-General Ashwani Kumar, General Officer Commanding, Chetak Corps, on training and operational matters.He was satisfied with the high standards of training and operational readiness of the Corps and complimented the Formation Commanders for maintaining and ensuring all-round professional excellence.