04062026-CT-01.qxd 6/4/2026 1:03 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune CADETS FROM MOHALI DEFENCE INSTITUTE BAG TOP RANKS UT COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF LAND FOR BALTANA UNDERPASS RITA MEHER HAS WORN MANY HATS…PRODUCER, DIRECTOR Two cadets of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute shine in IAF admission test. P2 Administration has acquired 0.75 acres for the Raipur Kalan-Harmilap Nagar railway underpass. P3 This year, Tasveer has hosted the only official South Asian panel on the main stage at Marché du Film. P4 » » CHANDIGARH 73 PANCHKULA 72 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD WHAT’S ON APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 34, 56 and Ram Darbar Mohali: Sec 88 and Phase 8 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 9 am to 11am: Parts of Sarangpur, Dhanas marble market 10.30 am to 11.30 am: Iron market in Sector 29 INBRIEF JUVENILE HELD FOR SEC 20 FIRING Chandigarh: The police have detained a juvenile who was involved in Monday night firing at Sector 20. A case under Sections 25-27-54-59 of the Arms Act, and 125, 324(2), 3(5) of the BNS was registered at the Sector 19 police station. Accused Jai Kishan was arrested from the spot soon after the incident. TNS 11% jump in underweight kids in UT, reveals national survey Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 3 Children in Chandigarh are better protected against killer diseases than ever before, as their mothers are educated and health insurance coverage has shot up sharply. Yet, the Union Territory’s youngest residents are quietly sliding into a nutrition crisis that demands urgent policy attention. The underweight burden — children too light for their age — has jumped from 20.6 per cent to 31.6 per cent. That is the headline takeaway from the National Family Health Survey 2023-24 (NFHS-6), the sixth in a landmark series that benchmarks India’s health and demographic progress. Chandigarh, as the capital of Punjab and Haryana and one of India’s most planned and prosperous urban centres, has historically set the pace for northern India on key health indicators. The new data — gathered between May 2023 and December 2024 — underscores both the city’s gains and its growing vulnerabilities. Speaking to The Tribune, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda said, “The NFHS-6 data from Chandigarh is both encouraging and a call for action. While health insurance coverage and vaccination numbers reflect the gains of our flagship programmes, the sharp rise in child underweight and wasting Family health survey flags alarming child nutrition reversal even as the city scores on health insurance, schooling, disease control DIABETES & HYPERTENSION Blood sugar data shows 17.8% of males and 17.1% of females aged 15 and above have high or very high blood glucose levels, or are already on medication. Elevated blood pressure in the mild-tomoderate range is recorded in 15.4% women. These numbers flag a non-communicable disease burden that public health planning must address more aggressively. HEALTH NUMBERS 1 in 3 children under five in Chandigarh is now underweight Nearly 43% households now have health insurance cover 1 IN 5 IS ACUTELY WASTED — DOUBLING FROM THE LAST SURVEY Early breastfeeding has collapsed by 22 percentage points 7 IN 10 FEMALES AGED 15-49 HAVE 10 OR MORE YEARS OF SCHOOLING (SOURCE: NFHS-6) figures demand immediate course correction. No city, however planned, can afford to ignore its youngest citizens.” THE NUTRITION ALARM The starkest story in NFHS-6 for Chandigarh is child nutrition, and it runs in two directions simultaneously. On the positive side, the proportion of children aged under five, who are stunted (too short for their age, a sign of chronic malnutrition), has fallen significantly from 25.3 per cent in NFHS-5 (2019-21) to 19 per cent in NFHS-6. That is a six-percentage-point improvement over just four years and reflects better sustained feeding and care. But the underweight burden — children too light for their age — has jumped sharply, from 20.6 per cent to 31.6 per cent. That is a near 11 percentage-point deterioration and is the single most alarming number in the entire Chandigarh dataset. Similarly, wasting — children too thin for their height, indicating acute, recent starvation — has more than doubled, from 8.4 per cent to 19.5 per cent. Overweight among children has also risen marginally, from 1.8 per cent to 4.1 per cent, pointing to dietary imbalance. Green ride MAN LOSES ~98K IN CYBER FRAUD Chandigarh: A resident of Sarangpur reported that gold and silver jewellery along with Rs 4,000 were stolen from her residence. A case has been registered. TNS MAN INJURED IN ACCIDENT Chandigarh: A car driver has been injured in a hitand-run accident in the city. Sunil, a resident of Mani Majra, reported that a bus driver sped away after hitting his car near the Sector 33-45 light point on June 1. He sustained injuries and was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32. A case has been registered. TNS Tribune News Service Chandigarh records nearuniversal coverage on several critical child health parameters. The birth dose of the Hepatitis-B vaccine reached 99 per cent of children aged 12-23 months, up from 87.3 per cent. The second dose of the measles-containing vaccine climbed steeply — from 75.5 per cent to 91.8 per cent. Pentavalent vaccine coverage reached 93.6 per cent against 87.9 per cent earlier. The BCG coverage is at 100 per cent. Full vaccination coverage — based on vaccination cards — stood at 85.9 per cent, up from 82.8 per cent. Over 92 per cent of vaccinations were administered through public health facilities, affirming the continued backbone role of government health infrastructure. Zirakpur, June 3 Five unidentified youths barged into a house at Anand Vihar in Baltana and robbed two women and children of jewellery and cash at gunpoint on Tuesday afternoon. The victims claimed that five armed youths looted cash and jewellery after threatening them at gunpoint. Pushpa and her daughterin-law Raveena said the incident took place around 3:10 pm. At that time, no male member of the family was present in the house. They said two youths entered the house with a pistol while their three accomplices waited outside. The youths demanded Rs 10,000 as soon as they entered the house. When Raveena resisted, one of the youths beat her up. The youths allegedly removed her gold earrings. When she tried to raise the alarm, one of the them hit her on the head with the butt of a pistol. The family claimed the youths fled with Rs 7,000 and jewellery. The footage of a CCTV camera installed in the area shows three suspicious youths running away. On May 27, two groups attacked each other with swords near Ramlila Ground. On May 29, a youth, Ashu, was seriously injured in a clash over an old enmity. He has been undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh. Meanwhile, the Baltana police post in-charge, SI Harjinder Singh, said based on the preliminary investigation, the case appeared to be related to an old enmity. The investigation has not confirmed the allegations of robbery. Every aspect of the case is being thoroughly investigated and appropriate legal action will be taken, he said. INSURANCE & EDUCATION: SIGNIFICANT LEAPS Households with at least one member covered under a health insurance or financing scheme rose sharply — from 32.2 per cent in NFHS-5 to 42.8 per cent in NFHS-6. This near11-percentage-point jump is among the most consequential social protection improvements recorded for the UT. Female literacy also improved. Women aged 15-49 with 10 or more years of schooling climbed from 59.6 per cent to 70.1 per cent. Internet usage continued on page 2 Youth run over by train Mohali, June 3 A 16-year-old youth was run over by a train on the Ambala-Kalka railway line on Tuesday. The body was identified by his family today. The deceased has been identified as 16-year-old Kunal Ranjan Jha, who was living in Shakti Nagar, near Longowal Group of Colleges. The incident took place near Dera Bassi around 8:15 am. The railway police kept the body in the morgue of the Dera Bassi hospital for identification. The mother of the deceased, Divya Kumari, arrived here from Bengaluru and identified the body. The deceased was a native of Nalanda, Bihar, and was living in Dera Bassi. — TNS Tribune News Service Chandigarh: Prashant Kumar, a resident of Sector 25, was arrested from Sector 10 with a countrymade pistol and two cartridges. A case under Sections 25-54-59 of the Arms Act has been registered at the Sector 3 police station. JEWELLERY STOLEN FROM HOUSE Family robbed of cash, jewellery at gunpoint in Baltana 3 held for robbing delivery boy YOUTH ARRESTED WITH PISTOL Chandigarh: A Sector 22 resident has been duped of Rs 98,900 by cyber criminals. The complainant lost money when he opened a link sent by the fraudsters. A case under Sections 318(4), 319(2), & 61(2) of the BNS has been registered at the Sector 17 cybercrime police station. TNS FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE COVERAGE & VACCINES: BRIGHT SPOTS Nitin Jain MAX 38°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 38.1°C | MIN 24.6°C SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:21 AM /THETRIBUNECHD ISTOCK PHOTO FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY AIR QUALITY INDEX PARTLY CLOUDY SUNSET THURSDAY 7:21 PM » THURSDAY | 4 JUNE 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST People head home after work on bicycles as the UT celebrates World Bicycle Day on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: PARDEEP TEWARI IMA seeks steps to improve working conditions for docs Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 3 The city unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has raised concerns over the death of junior doctor Yogesh at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh. “While the circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated, the unfortunate event has once again drawn attention to the immense physical, mental and emotional pressure faced by doctors, particularly resident and junior doctors working in tertiary care institutions,” said Dr Anil Kumar, president, IMA, Chandigarh. Doctors in public healthcare institutions routinely work under highly stressful conditions, often managing excessive patient loads, prolonged duty hours, sleep deprivation and manpower shortages. The cumulative impact of these factors can affect the mental well-being of healthcare professionals and calls for urgent attention from policy makers and hospital administrators, he added. He urged the Administration and healthcare institutions to undertake a comprehensive review of the working environment at continued on page 2 Chandigarh, June 3 The police today arrested three criminals who had robbed a parcel delivery worker at knifepoint near Hallo Majra, cracking the case within 24 hours of its registration. The accused have been identified as Vishal, alias Ajay (28), of Ram Darbar Phase I; Vinit, alias Binni (28), of Sector 25; and Abhi, alias Lala (25), of Indra Awas Colony, Ram Darbar. The victim, Jitender Singh, a resident of Vikas Nagar, Mauli Jagran, was delivering parcels on his bicycle near Guru Ravidass Gurdwara Sahib, Hallo Majra, around 4.15 pm on June 1 when three men arrived there on a scooter. Two of them accosted him. One of them threatened Jitender with a The accused in custody of the Chandigarh Police. kitchen knife and snatched his purse. It contained Rs 3,200. The accused sped away on their scooter before the victim could raise the alarm. The police recovered the scooter used in the crime, the kitchen knife, the victim’s purse and residual cash (Rs 200) from two of the accused. Habitual criminals Police records reveal that Vinit already faces five FIRs, including a case registered in 2019 under Section 307 IPC (attempt to murder). Vishal had been booked in two cases, including one of the Arms Act. Abhi was booked for snatching and theft in 2017. Indian players sweat it out in nets Mohali courts hit by fresh bomb threat Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 3 Ahead of their Test against Afghanistan scheduled for June 6, the Indian team today practised at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA International Stadium in Mullanpur today. Indian captain Shubman Gill honed his strokes along with wicketkeeper and batter Rishabh Pant. Pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna bowled for almost 30 minutes each. Siraj was rumoured to be rested for the match. Punjab lad Gurkeerat Brar, who got his maiden Test call, along with net bowler Aquib Nabi, also attended the net session. The PCA secretary, Gurmeet c m y b Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Indian Test captain Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant after attending a net session in Mullanpur on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VICKY Singh Meet Hayer, said arrangements for the Test had been made. Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir and support staff paid obeisance at Nada Sahib Gurdwara in Panchkula. Mohali, June 3 Entry to the Mohali, Dera Bassi and Kharar courts has been restricted for accused, litigants and staff from June 3 to 5 in the wake of a bomb threat email received on June 1. Entry was completely stopped at the Mohali court in the morning and official work resumed after 12 noon. An anti-sabotage team of the police sanitised the court complex in the morning but found nothing suspicious. Though court vacations are ongoing, criminal and fresh cases are being heard. The judicial officers have been Entry to courts in dist restricted till June 5 directed to ask their PSOs and Naib Courts to be extra vigilant in case they find anything suspicious. It is the third bomb threat received by courts in Mohali this year. Earlier, an FIR was registered against unidentified persons. On January 8, an email warning of bomb blasts was sent to the sessions judge, prompting suspension of court operations and an emergency evacuation of the complex. On April 6, the courts were shut down for the same reason.