3 publishers · first seen Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:23 UTC · updated Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:59 UTC
The Punjab Government has begun assessing the financial impact of releasing pending dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) arrears, estimated at Rs 14,191 crore, after the Finance Department sought details from department heads on the budgetary implications. This follows judicial scrutiny and a contempt notice issued to Chief Secretary KAP Sinha over misleading statements about the state's legal position, with the court directing him to appear in person on November 3 and file a personal affidavit by October 30 under Rs 1 lakh costs.
Separately, the PRANA programme by The Nature Conservancy is promoting no-burn agriculture in Punjab through a pay-for-results model, offering farmers incentives of Rs 300 per acre for verified stubble management and direct-seeded rice (DSR). In 2025-26, over 32,000 acres were under regenerative practices, 36,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions were avoided, and 6.5 billion litres of water saved, with around 200 farmers participating as service providers.
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