Punjab Diary: Sleepless night

Gurdaspur: ‘Jalwa’ has become the bone of contention between sitting Congress legislator Barindermeet Singh Pahra and AAP halqa incharge Raman Bahl. The latter is claiming the restaurant has illegally come up on forest land. The owners of ‘Jalwa’ are Pahra loyalists. On Friday, fearing it may be demolished in the dead of the night, Pahra slept overnight at the site. However, the bulldozer never came and the MLA returned home. Is there anybody who will tell him the government machinery is at the beck and call of Bahl in his capacity as halqa incharge? Senior officers say the entity can be demolished anytime.

Everybody is awaiting the MLA’s next step.

Empowering women

Sangrur: To promote women empowerment and develop capacity building, the district administration has taken the lead by launching ‘Mera Maan’ Coding Boot Camp Project, the first-of-its-kind initiative in Punjab. Under the programme, girls from economically weaker sections will be imparted basic training in computer coding as part of a six-month course, says Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal. A company engaged will provide a stipend of Rs 5,000 and after the girls acquire coding skills within three to four months, they will be paid a monthly salary of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000.