Chandigarh, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking Bharat Ratna - the highest civilian award of the country - for ailing triple Olympic hockey gold medallist Balbir Singh Senior.

"Wrote to PM Narendra Modiji, requesting to award Bharat Ratna to Shri Balbir Singh (Sr) for his outstanding performance in hockey," Amarinder Singh tweeted on Thursday.

He also tagged the letter which he wrote to the Prime Minister on Wednesday.

Jalandhar, Reviewing the ground situation in flood-hit villages, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday announced his government would canalise all the rivers with technical support from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Going around Sarupwal in Kapurthala district's Sultanpur Lodhi sub-tehsil, where the overflowing the Sutlej river led to a breach in the Dhusi embankment, affecting 62 villages, he also promised due compensation to the affected farmers as soon as the water recedes and special 'girdwari' (loss assessment) is completed.

Chandigarh, Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday said that food processing companies responded generously to provide dry rations for flood-hit Punjab.

In a statement here, the minister asked the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) workers as well as volunteers at large to assist her in distribution of the relief material.

She also urged people to help her in identifying the worst affected places so that relief work could be prioritized accordingly.

Chandigarh, The Punjab government on Wednesday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

It was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal by UNDP Resident Representative Shoko Noda and state government Principal Secretary Jaspal Singh.

Under the agreement, a Sustainable Development Goals Coordination Centre (SDGCC) would be set up in the Planning Department with the UNDP's support.

Chandigarh, Punjab Local Bodies Minister Brahm Mohindra on Wednesday directed official to ensure measures to prevent any disease outbreak in state, especially in the low lying areas, in view of heavy rains over the past few days.

Chairing a high-level meeting here to review the overall preparedness of the department, Mohindra also instructed the authorities to ensure plugging of open sewage holes to prevent its mixing with the potable water pipes.

Mohali, In a tribute to late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 75th birth anniversary, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday launched his government's flagship universal health insurance scheme, benefiting nearly 46 lakh families -- 76 per cent of the total population.

E-cards were handed over to the first 11 beneficiaries from Mohali district to kick-off the 'Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana' which would entitle beneficiaries to avail annual cashless treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year, including pre-existing diseases.

Chandigarh, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday announced Rs 100 crore for emergency relief and rehabilitation measures in the flood-hit regions of the state.

The Chief Minister said a special 'girdawari' would be conducted as the water level recedes to ensure adequate compensation for the affected farmers.

Chandigarh, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday trashed Sukhbir Singh Badal's remarks on Rajiv Gandhi as a conspiracy to incite and divide the Sikh community by defaming the late former Prime Minister.

Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal had tweeted on Sunday: "Shame on @capt_amarinder, who calls himself CM of Punjab but is little more than @INCIndia stooge. How can he celebrate b'day of #RajivGandhi whose hands are stained with the blood thousands of innocent Sikhs? He needs to stop this cowardice if being a Sikh means anything to him."

Chandigarh, The Punjab government on Sunday announced to bring over 4,500 journalists into the ambit of its universal health insurance scheme, Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana.

All journalists accredited to the state or holding yellow cards will be eligible to be covered under the scheme, an official spokesperson told 

Chandigarh Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has approved the names of five eminent sportspersons to be members of the Governing Council of Punjab Institute of Sports (PIS). The sportspersons, to be part of the Governing Council, are from different disciplines of sports, according to an official spokesperson.