Punjab to switch from free power to cash transfer of subsidy to farmers

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab cabinet has agreed in-principle to switch from free electricity to cash transfer of subsidy to farmers through the direct benefit transfer (DBT) route from the next financial year of 2021-22 to become eligible for additional borrowing. Chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh chaired the cabinet meeting where this decision was taken on Wednesday.

The introduction of DBT to all farmers in lieu of free electricity given to them is part of the reforms-linked additional borrowing – 5% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), instead of 3% — allowed by the Centre to states for this year to meet their spending needs, amid a drastic fall in revenue due to the coronavirus-induced national lockdown.

SINGAPORE: A Singapore court on Wednesday sentenced an Indianorigin youth to six weeks of imprisonment for breaching a stay-home notice.

Quresh Singh Sandhu, a security guard by profession, returned to Singapore from Batam in Indonesia on March 17 and was served a stay-home notice, which required him to remain in his residence between March 17 and March 31.

However, he kept reporting for duty and shared a room with others, exposing them to the risk of infection by breaching his stayhome notice, the Channel News Asia reported.

Sandhu had signed a slip acknowledging that he understood the notice, which said he could not leave his residence at all times during the period. But after clearing immigration, he went straight to Marina Bay Sands, a casino-hotel resort here, to start his shift as a security guard. He took the train, switching lines to get there, and began a 12-hour shift at 8pm that same day.

The next morning on ending his shift, Sandhu took a train to reach his accommodation, where he shared a room with three other colleagues at his company’s quarters at Snooze Inn on Dunlop Street in the Little India precinct.

He did not tell his colleagues about his stay-home notice, and instead continued heading to work the next three days and returning to the shared lodging after completing his shifts.

On March 21, Sandhu’s supervisor found out that a stay-home notice had been issued to him, and ordered him to go home immediately.

Meanwhile, immigration and checkpoints authority checked on him at his declared place of accommodation and did not find him there. Sandhu has pleaded guilty to the charge.

Sandhu, who was unrepresented, said: “I made a grave mistake which I can’t undo at this point in time. I deeply regret my actions. I never wanted to put public lives in danger.”