Balbir Singh Sidhu Attends Wrestling Tournament in Village Mataur, Encourages Wrestlers Promoting sports is essential to protect youth from drugs : Balbir Singh Sidhu S.A.S.Nagar 21 October ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : Senior Congress leader and former Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu attended a grand wrestling tournament organised in village Mataur and encouraged the participating wrestlers. On the occasion, he provided financial assistance of ₹1 lakh to promote sports among the youth and encourage the traditional sport of wrestling in Punjab. He said that wrestling is an integral part of Punjab’s rich heritage and traditional sporting culture. It instils strength, discipline, hard work and sportsmanship among young people. Such sporting events play an important role in preserving our heritage and connecting the younger generation with sports while keeping them away from drugs. On the occasion, Balbir Singh Sidhu raised sharp questions about the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab ...
Chandigarh NHM Employees Union Begins Three-Day Protest Over Pending Demands;
Employees Wear Black Ribbons to Register Their Protest
Chandigarh 21 October ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : Under the leadership of the Chandigarh NHM Employees Union, a three-day protest programme was initiated today to highlight the long-pending demands of employees working under the National Health Mission (NHM). The participating employees include Nursing Officers, Pharmacy Officers, LHVs, ANMs, Lab Technicians, DEOs, TB Department employees, Counsellors, DOTS Centre employees, and other healthcare workers. As the first phase of the protest, NHM employees working at various healthcare institutions across Chandigarh performed their regular duties while wearing black ribbons to register their symbolic protest against the continued delay in fulfilling their demands.
Union President Babita Rawat stated that the arrears for the previous financial year 2025–26, along with the increment and arrears for the current financial year 2026–27, have still not been released. This has led to widespread resentment among the employees. She further stated that the Union has held several rounds of discussions with the administration regarding these demands since the previous financial year; however, the employees have received only verbal assurances on every occasion. Trusting the assurances given by the administration, the Union had earlier postponed its proposed protest programmes. However, as no concrete action has been taken to resolve the pending issues, the employees have been compelled to resume their agitation.
Union Chairman Vijay Kumar stated that if the demands of the employees are not fulfilled within the stipulated time, the next phase of the agitation will involve a mass protest outside GMSH-16, Sector 16, Chandigarh, on 23 October 2026. He clarified that the black ribbon protest will continue on 22 October, followed by a mass demonstration on 23 October to draw the administration's attention towards the legitimate demands of NHM employees.
Today's symbolic protest witnessed enthusiastic participation from employees working at GMSH-16, Civil Hospitals in Sectors 22 and 45, Civil Hospital Manimajra, and various other healthcare centres across Chandigarh. Their participation contributed to the successful commencement of the protest programme. The Chandigarh NHM Employees Union has appealed to the administration to take the employees' pending demands seriously and release the outstanding arrears for the financial year 2025–26, along with the increment and arrears for the financial year 2026–27, at the earliest. The Union emphasized that timely resolution of these issues would prevent employees from being compelled to resort to repeated protests.
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