18122025-TTC-01.qxd 12/18/2025 12:47 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 9 NO. 348 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 US PUTS TRAVEL CURBS ON 20 MORE COUNTRIES WORLD /thetribunechd SPECIAL MILITARY TRAIN FERRIES TANKS TO VALLEY J&K SILVER PRICE CROSSES RECORD ~2 LAKH PER KG BUSINESS IN ETHIOPIA, PM PITCHES FOR SHARED GLOBAL SOUTH VISION BACK PAGE thursday | 18 december 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com AAP sweeps rural body polls, falters on leaders’ home turfs Congress at second spot | SAD gains ground in panchayat samitis Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 17 In a bittersweet victory, Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections held on Sunday even as some of its top leaders failed to secure wins for party candidates on their home turf. Prominent AAP leaders who could not get party candidates elected to either the zila parishad or panchayat samiti from their villages include Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan (Sandhwan village), Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian (Khudian), MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal (Manjhi), MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer (Kurar), AAP chief spokesperson Kuldeep Dhaliwal (Jagdev Kalan), MLAs Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana (Maiserkhana), Master Jagsir Singh (Chak Fatehsinghwala), Kulwant Singh Pandori (Pandori) and AAP chief whip with cabinet rank Baljinder Kaur (Jaga Ram Tirath). Except for Manjhi and Pan- Ferozepur-Delhi Vande Bharat to halt at Barnala AAP minister Hardeep Singh Mundian with a winning party candidate in Ludhiana. PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN dori, where the Congress won, AAP candidates were defeated by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) nominees in the remaining above-mentioned villages. In Loham village (Ferozepur), AAP secured just one vote, while in Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s native Satauj village, the BJP managed only one vote. AAP state president Aman Arora, while congratulating his party for its overall performance, claimed these were “the most unbiased and free elections in the state’s history”. “People have given their mandate on the basis of the good work done by the AAP government,” he said, claiming that the party had won 88 per cent of zila parishad seats and 68 per cent of pan- Power ride chayat samiti seats. While AAP performed exceptionally well in zila parishads, Opposition candidates dented its dominance by winning over 30 per cent of panchayat samiti seats. In the Majha region, AAP enjoyed a clear edge, while in Malwa, it faced stiff competition from both the Congress and SAD. continued on page 8 Sparks fly in LS over G RAM G Bill; aim Viksit Bharat, says govt Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 17 The Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed a fierce debate after the government moved the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, seeking to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), with the Opposition warning that the proposed law “attacks the soul” of rural employment security and weakens federalism. Introducing the Bill for discussion, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the legislation was aimed at building “selfreliant, poverty-free and prosperous villages”, in line with Mahatma Gandhi’s vision. He asserted that the government was enhancing the statutory employment guarantee from 100 to 125 days per rural household and shifting the focus from mere wage employment to the creation of durable rural assets. “This Bill is for Viksit Bharat and developed villages. We will not only give employment, but also create selfreliant villages, which was Mahatma Gandhi’s dream,” Chouhan said, moving the Bill continued on page 8 Members of the treasury benches in Parliament on Wednesday. PTI Bill to allow pvt players in nuclear sector passed Animesh Singh Oppn stages walkout Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 17 The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, which seeks to open the tightly-controlled civil nuclear sector for private participation, by voice vote amid a walkout by the Congress-led Opposition. The Opposition had demanded the legislation be referred to a joint parliamentary panel. Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh termed the Bill as a “milestone legislation”, while the Opposition objected to its intent. Tearing into the draft law, Congress MP Manish Tewari said the ruling BJP was undermining India’s energy independence and clean energy goals by breaking a 2010 consensus on nuclear liability regime. He said the Bill also did not provide clarity on the role of the atomic energy regulator. The minister while replying to continued on page 8 Amritpal case adjourned, plea to be heard today CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana HC could not take up LS MP Amritpal Singh’s plea seeking parole to attend the winter session, owing to the Bar’s continued abstention from work. The case has been adjourned to December 18, leaving a razorthin window before the session ends on December 19. INSIDE Non-bailable warrant issued against Sukhbir CHANDIGARH: A local court on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant against former Punjab Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal after he failed to appear before it in a defamation case. The case came up for hearing in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate. INSIDE Kabaddi player’s murder: Accused shot in encounter MOHALI: Harpinder Singh, alias Middhi, a resident of Naushehra Pannuan in Tarn Taran and a key accused in the kabaddi promoter’s murder case, was killed in a retaliatory fire during an encounter near Lalru on Wednesday. Two cops were also injured. — TNS India summons Bangla envoy, SC tightens curbs on flags threat to Dhaka mission pre-BS IV vehicles in Delhi amid pollution Tribune News Service Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service Congress’ Rahul Gandhi during a visit to BMW Welt in Munich, Germany. He said India’s manufacturing sector was on the decline. PTI BACK PAGE New Delhi, December 17 India on Wednesday summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, and conveyed its strong concerns over the deteriorating security situation in Bangladesh. Hours later, a hardline group staged protests near the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, prompting heightened security measures. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the envoy was apprised of New Delhi’s grave concerns over announcements and actions by extremist elements seeking to create a security situation around the Indian mission. India underlined that such developments were unacceptable and violated Bangladesh’s diplomatic obligations under international law. India also firmly rejected Satya Prakash Tribune News Service REUTERS New Delhi, December 17 In a development expected to have a wide-ranging positive impact on the economy of Punjab’s Barnala, Mansa, Malerkotla and Sangrur districts, the Centre on Wednesday approved a halt of the Ferozepur-Delhi Vande Bharat Express at Barnala. Making the announcement in the Parliament House complex, Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu said the demand for a halt at Barnala had been raised by political leaders across parties. Bittu said AAP MP from Sangrur Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Rajinder Gupta and BJP leader Kewal Singh Dhillon had all sought a stop for the Ferozepur-Delhi Vande Bharat train at Barnala. “My party told me I should not go to Punjab until the Barnala halt for continued on page 8 Members of ‘July Oikya’ march to the Indian High Commission, demanding the extradition of deposed PM Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka on Wednesday. VISA CENTRE IN DHAKA CLOSED The Indian Visa Application Centre at Jamuna Future Park in Dhaka closed its office at 2 pm on Wednesday in view of the security situation. The facility is the main integrated centre for Indian visa services in the Bangladeshi capital. what it described as a “false narrative” being propagated by extremist elements in connection with recent events in Bangladesh. The MEA expressed disappointment that the interim government in Dhaka had neither carried out a thorough investigation nor shared any credible or meaningful evidence with continued on page 8 Haryana factory count shrinks by 1,446 in 5 years; Pb holds steady Pradeep Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 17 Despite the Nayab Singh Saini government’s much-touted ease of doing business initiatives, Haryana’s industrial landscape continues to shrink, with the state recording 10,389 registered factories in 2023-24, a decline of 214 units from the previous year’s 10,603. In contrast, neighbouring Punjab has maintained relative stability with 13,166 registered factories in 2023-24, a marginal decline of 62 units from 13,228 a year earlier, while also registering impressive growth over the past five years. Surprisingly, this marks the fourth year of decline for Haryana’s industrial base since its peak in 2018-19, when the state had 11,835 factories. The downward trend reflects a cumulative loss of 1,446 factories, or 12.2 per cent, over the past five years, raising concerns about the state’s industrial competitiveness, according to data sourced by the Reserve Bank of India from the Annual Survey of Industries released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The data shows that while Haryana lost 1,446 factories since 2018-19, Punjab added 341 units during the same period. Despite recent setbacks, Haryana has shown substantial long-term growth, rising from 4,339 factories in 2004-05, a 139 per cent increase over two decades. The state saw its most significant expansion RBI data flags steady decline since FY19 HOW OTHER STATES STACK UP ■ Punjab has maintained DATA SAYS IT ALL Year 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 Factories in Hry 11,835 (peak) 11,252 (-583) 11,638 (+386) 11,294 (-344) 10,603 (-691) 10,389 (-214) between 2013-14, when it had 6,117 units, and 2014-15, when the number jumped to 8,243, with 2,126 new factories added in a single year. Last month, Haryana was stability, adding 341 units between FY19 and FY24 ■ National factory count has gone up 2.7% to 2,60,061 in FY24 from 2,53,334 in FY23 ■ Uttar Pradesh has shown highest growth, up 3,039 units in a year ■ Gujarat remained major industrial hub with 33,311 factories in FY24 recognised as a “top achiever” in three reform areas — business entry, land administration and sector specific healthcare — under the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) 2024 for ease of doing business. Punjab’s industrial journey also reflects strong growth, increasing from 7,575 factories in 2004-05 to the current 13,166, a 74 per cent rise over 20 years. Punjab has consistently maintained a larger industrial base than Haryana, with the gap widening in recent years. Vinod Khandelwal, president of the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the declining industrial ecosystem could largely be attributed to the lingering impact of the Covid pandemic, rising land and labour costs, and competitive incentives offered by other states. “The ease of doing business initiatives of the Haryana Government have failed to translate on the Today’s issue is of 16 pages, including four-page Jalandhar Tribune. c m y b ground,” he rued. Meanwhile, other northern states showed mixed results in 2023-24. Uttarakhand recorded 2,897 factories, up 27 from the previous year; Himachal Pradesh had 2,650 factories, up 18; Chandigarh recorded 224 factories, down five; and Delhi had 2,773 factories, a sharp decline of 290 units. At the allIndia level, the total number of factories rose to 2,60,061 in 2023-24 from 2,53,334 in 202223, an increase of 6,727 units. Gujarat continued to dominate as India’s industrial powerhouse with 33,311 factories in 2023-24, up from 31,031 a year earlier, a gain of 2,280 units. Uttar Pradesh followed with 22,141 factories in 202324, recording a remarkable jump of 3,039 units from 19,102 in the previous year. New Delhi, December 17 Amid worsening air quality in the NCR, the Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the Delhi Government to take coercive action against old vehicles that do not meet at least Bharat Stage IV (BS IV) emission standards. A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant modified its August 12 order that had restrained authorities from taking coercive measures against diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. Now, older vehicles complying with emission norms below BS IV, including BS III and earlier models, will face regulatory action. The order came after Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati urged the Bench on behalf of the Delhi Government to allow action against older vehicles up to BS III standards, as these contributed disproportionately to air pollution. “Older vehicles have very poor emission standards and are adding to pollution,” Bhati said. Supporting the ASG’s submissions, senior advocate and amicus curiae Aparajita Singh said BS IV norms were intro- ASKS NHAI TO CONSIDER CLOSING 9 TOLL PLAZAS ■ Older vehicles complying with emission norms below BS-IV, including BS-III and earlier models, to face regulatory action in Delhi now ■ The court refuses to consider pleas against suspension of physical classes up to Class V from December 15 ■ The Bench asks the NHAI and MCD to either temporarily close or relocate the nine toll plazas on Delhi borders to ease traffic congestion LS TO DEBATE AIR POLLUTION IN DELHI-NCR TODAY duced in 2010 and vehicles manufactured prior to that fell under more polluting categories. The Bench, which also included Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi, clarified that while its August 12 order restrained authorities from taking action solely on the basis of vehicle age, the protection would apply only to BS IV-compliant and newer vehicles. The Bench refused to consider applications challenging the Delhi Government’s order to suspend physical classes up to 5th standard from December 15 due to the continued on page 8 The President’s Bodyguard at Vijay Chowk on a smoggy winter morning in New Delhi on Wednesday. PTI