* The Punjab players who won silver and bronze medals in the Seoul Asian Games may not accept cash prizes offered by the Punjab Government as the latter had backed out of its promise and reduced the award from Rs. 75, 000 to Rs. 21,000 only, Their coaches also were not being paid by the government.
* An Akali M.P. asked the Government of India to take the public into confidence about the real reason for the cancellation of the train services as all kinds of rumours were being spread causing misunderstandings in public mind, Akali M.P.s said that the cancellation of the trains had alarmed the people because they feel it is the signal for the movement of military forces into Punjab.
* Mr. Parkash Singh Badal has said that his party would contest the election to the S.G.P.C. Amritsar. He expressed bitterness over the continuing “fake” encounters and illegal detention of parents and sisters of the wanted youths, He was convinced that as long as Director General of Police, J.F. Ribeiro remained in Punjab, his actions would prove counterproductive and encourage individual “terrorism”, He contested’ the Press statement of Ribeiro that there were no “fake” encounters, The “bullet” for “bullet” policy would not yield any results, he maintained, * Sardarni Barnala Kaur Khalsa, widow of Late S, Beant Singh, one of the alleged assassins of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, questioned in the Punjab High Court the Constitutional validity of the new Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act, 1985.
* Punjab industrialists demanded that the state be declared an “industrially backward” area. Sixty six of Punjab’s 118 blocks are without any form of industry. Less than 14 percent of the states revenue is accounted for by industry against the national average of 20 percent. * Ten years ago, cotton was bought by the government at the rate of Rs, 500 per quintal, three years ago it stood at Rs, 680 per quintal and has now been reduced to Rs. 400 per quintal, laments a growers in the Tribune newspaper.
* The size of the annual plan, 1986-87, has been fixed at Rs. 39052 crores. It is expected that domestic resources would finance 80.8 percent of then plan outlay the net inflow from abroad would account for another 9.8 percent.
* The Railway Minister, Mr. Madhavrao Scindie, announced in the Lok Sabha, an increase in freight rates to yield Rs. 320 crores in the current year.
* Britain has announced an increase in visa fee up to 100 percent for visitors from the Indian sub-continent sparking off a political storm, The cost of a single entry visa is to go up from 12 leers to 20 and a multiple entry visa from 24 leers to 40. For a settlement visa or other long term entry clearance, the cost is to be doubled from 25 leers to 50.
* The elections for the Haryana Assembly are likely to be held in March along with the elections for the West Bengal and Kerala Assemblies.
* The Centre issued instructions for providing free indoor and outdoor medical facilities in all the Central Government hospitals to freedom fighters throughout the country.
* The Punjab government has decided to realize cooperative loans in installments from the farmers at such places where the crops had been destroyed by hail storms.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 28, 1986
