25032026-ATR-01.qxd 3/25/2026 12:16 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 29°C | MIN 17°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 16°C ASHA WORKERS CONTINUE PROTEST ON 9TH DAY RAPPER BADSHAH & PUNJABI ACTOR ISHA RIKHI TIE THE KNOT ONE-STOP DESTINATION FOR WEDDING ITEMS AT NOVOTEL ASHA workers protested outside the Civil Surgeon’s Office, seeking better pay, working conditions. P2 The news surfaced after Isha’s mother, Poonam Rikhi, shared glimpses from the intimate ceremony on social media. P4 Over 50 designers and 10 jewellers will showcase bridal fashion at Novotel Hotel, Chandigarh, on March 28 and 29. P4 » » » SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.45 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6.26 AM WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2026 | AMRITSAR Expensive school books burn hole in parents’ pockets again Dr Bajwa bridges Punjab’s past with present through research NEWSMAKER OF THE WEEK another parent whose child studies at a popular private school on Batala Road. Prefixed MRPs, internal assessment booklets and printed worksheet modules are being used as loopholes to extract additional money from parents. Meanwhile, a District Fee Regulatory Committee has been set up to monitor and take action against private schools. The committee is chaired by the Deputy Com- missioner and includes members such as the District Education Officer, retired educationists, parents and representatives from civil society. While it has the authority to act against violations and regulate private schools, it often remains inactive, waiting for formal complaints from parents. “The DC or the DEO has the power to act against violations and reprimand schools. So far, we have not received any complaints regarding the sale of books or uniforms. If parents are facing difficulties, they should come forward,” said DEO Rajesh Sharma. However, many parents remain hesitant, fearing their children could be targeted. One parent, Anita Khanna from Kabir Park, said the manipulation in the sale of books is an open secret. “Some private school managements ensure that a known person gets a licence to open a bookshop months before admissions begin. These shops stock customised bundles, often overpriced, and sometimes books are school-branded or slightly modified, making them difficult to find elsewhere. Parents are left with no choice,” she said. DBA protest continues for second day in District Courts Punjab Police clear KMM protest site in early morning crackdown Our Correspondent Charanjit Singh Teja Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 24 As the new academic session begins, the purchase of books has once again become an expensive affair despite regulations meant to control such costs. Education has become a non-negotiable expense. Despite government norms, the purchase of books and uniforms continues to drain parents’ finances. With the new academic session approaching, schools are finding loopholes and indirect ways to bypass CBSE and state government guidelines. While the CBSE has promoted NCERT books and recommends them for Classes I to VIII, most private schools include several books from private publishers in their prescribed lists. An average set of NCERT books (covering four to five main subjects) for primary classes costs around Rs 800-1,000, and for Classes VI to IX, it ranges between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000. However, most parents of students from Classes IV to VIII are purchasing books costing between Rs 7,000 and Rs 9,000, depending Parents buy books from a book depot in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR on the school. “I bought two sets of books (a total of 30 books) for my two children — one in Class VI and the other in Class VIII — for Rs 15,000. One standard set is priced at Rs 7,500. How is this regulated in any sense?” asked a parent, requesting anonymity, in Amritsar. A recce of bookshops in the Pultighar and Hall Gate areas revealed that books for Classes V to VIII are the most expensive, with schools quietly adding numerous worksheets and workbooks from private publishers in addition to core subject books. “A standard set of three computer science books for my child in Class VI costs Rs 1,500. Also, NCERT books or worksheets are sold with custom school logos and altered layouts at inflated prices, making last year’s books unusable,” said Rail services hit as farmers block trains over arrests Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, March 24 Farmers and labourers blocked rail traffic on the Amritsar-Khemkaran rail section by staging a protest on the tracks near Gohalwar village here on Tuesday. The protest was organised by the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) against the arrest of its leaders and workers in Amritsar. The organisation has made arrangements for langar, water and accommodation at the site to continue the protest even during the night. Farmers and labourers participating in the rail blockade were led by KMSC district president Satnam Singh Manochahal and state leader Harjinder Singh Shakri. Other leaders, including Fateh Singh Piddi, Jarnail Singh Noordi, Dyal Singh Mianwind, Resham Singh Ghurakwind and Harbinderjit Singh Kang, also addressed Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 24 Dr Kulwinder Singh Bajwa is among the few historians who work extensively with original sources of Punjab’s history, particularly Sikh history. A former head of the Department of Punjab Historical Studies at Punjabi University, Patiala, he has also been associated with the Sikh History Research Department at Khalsa College, Amritsar. Over the years, he has made significant contributions to historical research and documentation. He is widely known for editing the 18th-century text Mehima Prakash (Vartak), considered an important source for understanding Sikh history. In addition, his research covers travelogues written by foreign visitors who came to Punjab during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, as well as archival work related to the Partition of India in 1947. Speaking about the relevance of the upcoming second edition of Mehima Prakash, Dr Bajwa said the text contains numerous narratives that help unravel complex aspects of Sikh history, offering clearer Kulwinder Singh Bajwa, former head of the Department of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala, at a book library in Amritsar on Tuesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR insights into historical events and contexts. He noted that original manuscripts and copies of the work are preserved across institutions such as the reference library of Khalsa College, the Language Department and the Dr Balbir Singh Sahitya Kendra in Dehradun, all of which he consulted during his research. Describing the work as foundational, he said that Mehima Prakash (Vartak) remains a primary and significant source for understanding Sikh history of the Guru period, including its philosophy, institutions, and traditions. Dr Bajwa’s doctoral research focused on foreign travellers who visited Punjab in the early 19th century. According to him, many European travellers of that period were either diplomats or independent visitors, and a close examination of their accounts reveals their perspectives on Punjab. He added that during the early years of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s rule, these observers had already concluded that Sikh power would act as a barrier to British expansion and that the East India Company would not be able to establish control over Punjab during the Maharaja’s lifetime. Currently, Dr Bajwa is engaged in editing personal diaries written during the continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Farmers and labourers sit on the railway tracks near Gohalwar village in Tarn Taran. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI the gathering. The leaders alleged that workers of the organisation were staging a peaceful protest in Amritsar when the administration resorted to a lathi-charge and arrested several of them. Those named include Sarwan Singh Pandher, Jaswinder Singh Longowal, Ranjit Singh Kler Bala, Jarmanjit Singh Bandala and Dr Kanwar. They said their demands include the rollback of the electricity amendment, compensation for flood losses, compensation for damages at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, repeal of the four labour codes while retaining continued on page 2 Tarn Taran, March 24 Members of the local District Bar Association (DBA) observed a ‘no work day’ for the second consecutive day, protesting against the registration of a case against 25 lawyers here on Tuesday. Parminder Singh Dhillon, president, and Ravinder Singh Khehra, secretary of the DBA, said that the local Sadar police had registered a case against 25 lawyers on what they termed flimsy grounds, alleging an attack on a police party. According to the police, the lawyers allegedly attacked a police team on Saturday when they were stopped from constructing sheds near their chambers without permission from the appropriate authority. Parminder Singh Dhillon said that in protest against the registration of the case against 25 DBA members, lawyers abstained from court work. Amritsar, March 24 In an early morning operation on Tuesday, Punjab Police detained several farmers protesting under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and cleared the dharna site at Ram Tirath Road bypass in Amritsar. According to officials and farmer representatives, the police action was carried out at around 5 am, two days after the protest began on Sunday evening. Among those detained were prominent farmer leaders, including KMM leader Sarwan Singh Pandher. Farmer organisation leader Gurbachan Singh Chabba stated that the police presence near the protest site had been increasing since late night, indicating a possible crackdown. He added that detained farmers were taken to various police stations, Farmers and labourers during a protest early on Tuesday morning in Amritsar. including Chheharta and Mattewal. Videos recorded by protesters at the site, which later went viral on social media, showed police personnel asking farmers to vacate the road to restore traffic movement. In response, Pandher reportedly agreed to clear the road but requested the administration to allot an alternative site for continuing the protest. However, eyewitnesses claimed that the police forcibly removed the protesters, pulling them into buses and transporting them away from the site. Following the operation, the road was cleared and traffic movement was restored. The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had been staging the protest since Sunday to press for their demands. Earlier on Sunday, around 35 farmers were detained following an alleged lathi charge. They continued on page 2 AAP to compensate farmers for flood loss on govt land Staff shortage cripples working of Education Department offices Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 24 The state Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government will compensate farmers cultivating government land across the district, covering nearly 2,800 acres, for crop losses suffered during last year’s floods. State AAP’s chief spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that farmers cultivating land beyond the barbed wire fence along the India-Pakistan International Border in the Ajnala constituency, as well as those farming government land across the district, will soon receive compensation at the rate of Rs 20,000 per acre. Dhaliwal made the announcement on Tuesday while addressing a large gathering of farmers and farm labourers from several villages near the Ravi river and border areas in Ajnala. On the occasion, two large boats worth around Rs 10 lakh were distributed to facilitate farmers cultivating land across the river. He said that proper, transparent and systematic arrangements have been made by the district administration to compensate farmers whose crops were destroyed due to the unprecedented floods during the August-September period last year. He claimed that under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, this is the first government to provide compensation for crops damaged on government land due to floods. Dhaliwal appreciated farmers and labourers living along the 543-km-long border belt for their significant contribution to national food reserves despite difficult conditions. At the same time, he criticised the Central Government for neglecting border areas in terms of development, employment and basic facilities. He stated that after the Border Security Force (BSF), residents of border villages act as the second line of defence, always ready to counter anti-India c m y b activities from across the border. Dhaliwal recalled that due to severe flooding in the Ravi, breaches occurred at 23 locations in the Dhussi embankment. Instructions have been issued to the Irrigation Department to complete strengthening work at these sites by June 30. He added that the department is already working on a war footing and that crores of rupees have been allocated to strengthen vulnerable embankment points to prevent future floods. Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, March 24 The functioning of the Education Department in the district has been severely affected, as most official posts have been lying vacant for a long time. In this regard, Nachhattar Singh, former leader of the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), said on Tuesday that only the post of District Education Officer (Secondary) is currently filled. The posts of District Education Officer and Deputy District Education Officer (both Secondary and Elementary) have remained vacant for the past several months, causing significant delays in administrative work. Nachhattar Singh further stated that the posts of Superintendent are also vacant in both the offices of the District Education Officer (Secondary and Elementary). As a result, the timely completion of official work related to teachers is being hampered. He added that out of 77 sanctioned posts of principals in government senior secondary schools in the district, only 19 are currently filled, while 58 remain vacant. Similarly, 78 government high schools are functioning without headmasters, with only 18 schools having appointed headmasters. Nachhattar Singh said the issue of pending teacher promotions in the department should be resolved immediately.