12042026-JTR-01.qxd 11-04-2026 23:09 Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune MALERKOTLA NURSERIES DRAW FARMERS’ ATTENTION AT AGRI FAIR ADOPT MECHANISED RESIDUE MANAGEMENT: HOSHIARPUR DC VETERAN LYRICIST SAMEER LAUNCHES AUMORA Strategically positioned at the entry point of the venue, Akhtar’s stall quickly became the first stop for most visitors. P2 Farmers will receive a subsidy of ~17,500 per hectare for maize cultivation and ~1,500 for direct seeding of paddy.P3 Sameer Anjaan launched Aumora Music in Mumbai as an artiste-first label focused on meaningful, lasting music. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 31°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 29°C | MIN 17°C SUNSET SUNDAY 6.54 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 6:02 AM SUNDAY | 12 APRIL 2026 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF ONE KILLED IN ACCIDENT Hoshiarpur: A road accident claimed the life of one person. The police have registered a case and named the accused. According to Aman Deep Singh, a resident of village Ralhan, he was taking his father Malla Singh home on a motorcycle after his duty when a car passing near Bhagotipur hit them. The accident resulted in the death of his father. The accused car driver, Sukhveer Singh of Tanda, has been named in the police report. oc NINE BOOKED FOR ASSAULT Phagwara: The Mehatpur police have booked nine villagers on the charge of assaulting a co-villager. The accused have been identified as Gurmail, alias Gela, a resident of Mallwal village, his two sons, Shiv and Veeru, and their six accomplices. Shiv Nindar Singh, a resident of the village, complained to the police that the accused barged into his house, attacked him on March 23 with weapons and threatened him with dire consequences. OC THREE ARRESTED UNDER NDPS ACT Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested two 'drug peddlers' for selling intoxicating tablets. As many as 27 tablets were recovered from the possession of the accused Kuldeep Singh, alias Raja, and Ajay Kumar, alias Walaitia, residents of Pati Takhar Shankar village. A case has been registered against the accused. The Bilga police arrested Baljindar Singh, alias Bittu, of Burj Hassan village. OC 'DRUG ADDICT' ARRESTED Phagwara: The Nakodar police have arrested a person on the charge of consuming heroin. The accused has been identified as Harmanpreet of Sharakpur. A lighter, silver paper and plastic pipe used for consuming contraband were recovered from his possession. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused. OC Just five govt school students among dist’s 12 state toppers Pass percentage 96.67 in Class VIII Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, April 11 Despite the state government’s aggressive push to project quality education under its flagship ‘Sikhya Kranti’, the PSEB Class VIII results announced on Friday tell a different story in Jalandhar. According to official figures, of the 12 students, who made it to the state merit list, only five are from government schools while seven are from private institutions. Among the five from the government side, three students are from Schools of Eminence and government senior secondary schools while two are from government-aided schools. The skewed representation again highlights the growing gap between government and private institutions in producing meritorious students in the district. On the performance front, Jalandhar recorded a strong overall result. As many as 19,555 students appeared for the examination, out of which PSEB Class VIII Jalandhar topper Ritika (1st from left) along with her family; and (R) Diksha secured second position with 98.3% score. 18,904 cleared it, taking the district’s pass percentage to 96.67 per cent. This is marginally higher than the state average of 96.51 per cent. At the district level, Ritika from Shri Ilamchand Sarab Hitkari Vidya Mandir High School, Chhokran, emerged as the topper with an impressive score of 592 out of 600 (98.67 per cent). She was closely followed by Diksha from Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Nakodar, who secured the second position with 590 marks (98.33 per cent). Yukta Bassi from Shiv Devi Girls High School clinched the third spot, scoring 589 out of 600 (98.17 per cent). Girls outperform boys Maintaining the trend seen in previous years, girls continued to outperform boys in this year’s results as well. Of the 12 students from Jalandhar, who made it to the state merit list, eight are girls, again highlighting their NRI again keen to contest polls Padda contested on AAP ticket from Kapurthala in 2017 Tribune News Service Kapurthala, April 11 After almost 10 years, Germany-based NRI Sukhwant Singh Padda has again expressed desire to contest elections on AAP ticket from either Kapurthala or Sultanpur Lodhi Assembly segment. Padda’s interest became a point of discussion in the holy town of Sultanpur Lodhi as he recently put up hoardings about the four-year achievements of the AAP-led government. A hotelier in Germany, his business abroad is now being managed by his son while he has been spending more time back home. “I reside at Model Town in Kapurthala and own about 60 acres at Khiranwali village of Sultanpur Lodhi. So, I am comfortable contesting from any of the two seats. I was the candidate for AAP in 2017 from Kapurthala”, said Padda, adding that he had given up his German citizenship in 2016. Padda had in 2017 come third to Congress’ Rana Gurjeet Singh and SAD’s Paramjit Pamma, securing 18,076 votes. He says that he could not recontest in the 2022 elections. “In 2019, I had met with an accident in Germany and remained under treatment for long. I could not return to India owing to Covid after that. I came back by the end of 2021 but by then all tickets had already been distributed”, he said. The NRI said he had remained the president of the Overseas Congress in 2007-08 but later shifted to AAP “I feel . that I have more chances from Sultanpur Lodhi this time even though the AAP higherups will take the final call”, he said. Locals feel that Padda could be prodded by AAP since he is a money bag. c m y b strong academic edge and steady performance across the district. While the overall results paint a positive picture in terms of pass percentage, the dominance of private schools in the merit list points to a disparity, even as the state continues its efforts to improve education standards in government schools. Yukta emerges third by securing 98.1% in Jalandhar. >> Youth Cong takes out march Garhshankar, April 11 A few days after the alleged desecration of a statue of BR Ambedkar at Nurpur Jattan, Youth Congress workers on Saturday took out an ‘Ambedkar Samman Yatra’ from Garhshankar to the village in protest. The march was led by leader Pranav Kirpal and witnessed participation of a large number of party workers. Carrying placards bearing the image of Baba Saheb and party flags, they raised slogans against the desecration incident. The incident had triggered resentment among local residents and political groups. Upon reaching Nurpur Jattan, the Youth Congress workers were warmly received by villagers. Addressing a gathering, Kirpal alleged that separatist elements were attempting to disturb the peace and communal harmony in Punjab. — OC