
Gurpreet Singh Nibber
Gurpreet Singh Nibber is a special correspondent with the Punjab bureau. He covers agriculture, power sector, Sikh religious affairs and the Punjabi diaspora.
Articles by Gurpreet Singh Nibber

Breather for millers on supply of fortified rice as state, FCI to draw up timeline
PUBLISHED ON MAR 08, 2021 01:29 AM IST
Millers had been worried after a communiqué from the FCI on February 16, asking the millers to deliver fortified rice and start delivery from March 1

Oppn lambasts Capt govt on poll promises, treasury benches count ‘achievements’
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
PUBLISHED ON MAR 04, 2021 01:32 AM IST
During the debate on the governor’s address on the third day of the budget session, Akali MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu said the Congress government is charging ₹11 per unit of electricity against its promise of cheaper power at ₹5 per unit.

Punjab budget session begins on note of protest
UPDATED ON MAR 01, 2021 12:15 PM IST
SAD MLAs tear copies of governor’s address against the ruling Congress’s failure to keep its 2017 poll promises, while AAP members headed to the Vidhan Sabha on cycles to protest fuel price hike

Wheat procurement: Centre has allowed us to pay farmers directly or through arhtiyas, says Punjab minister
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON FEB 20, 2021 01:31 AM IST
State’s food and civil supplies department has already implemented public finance management system two years ago and have made payments of two each rabi and kharif crops through the system

Amid farm stir, Congress wins key local body polls in Punjab
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Hindustan Times, Chandigarh
PUBLISHED ON FEB 18, 2021 02:35 AM IST
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh termed the results as a validation of his government’s policies and the rejection of anti-people and anti-farmer parties.

71% turnout in Punjab municipal polls amid stray violence
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON FEB 15, 2021 01:15 AM IST
Barring few incidents of scuffle between workers of political parties and isolated cases of police resorting to cane-charging to disperse unruly crowds, polling for 117 civic bodies in Punjab remained peaceful on Sunday

Agriculture sector gets little in Union budget: Experts
PUBLISHED ON FEB 01, 2021 08:06 PM IST
Chandigarh The farmers’ community seems to have been ignored in the Union budget for financial year 2020-21 which was tabled in Parliament on Monday, feel experts

‘Repeal of laws must to resolve impasse’: SAD president Sukbir Singh Badal
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON JAN 31, 2021 07:02 AM IST
SAD chief Badal asked the Centre to revoke three farm laws that have prompted widespread protests.

‘Debt waiver can restore farmer faith in the govt’
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
PUBLISHED ON JAN 25, 2021 01:39 AM IST
The Centre allocated ₹1,38,564 crore for the agriculture ministry in the 2020-21 budget, five percent of the outlay. The increase was primarily because of allocation of ₹75,000 crore for the PM Kisan Nidhi Yojana, the federal income support scheme for farmers.

Two Punjab ministers to meet Piyush Goyal today to push for release of rural devp fund
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber | Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON DEC 24, 2020 12:28 AM IST
The RDF from the sale of kharif crop (paddy) for the central pool runs into Rs. 1,250 crore, a major revenue source for the state on which development of rural Punjab depends.

Farmers’ ongoing agitation hits BJP’s prospects of spreading its tentacles in Punjab
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON DEC 13, 2020 01:31 AM IST

Eyeing new political front, SAD starts touching base with regional parties
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber | Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON DEC 08, 2020 12:48 AM IST
A three-member committee of the party comprising Rajya Sabha MP Balwinder Singh Bhundar, former Lok Sabha MP Prem Singh Chandumajra and former minister Sikandar Singh Maluka would be meeting leaders of all the parties to discuss the ongoing deadlock between farmers and the Centre over the three farm laws passed in the Parliament in September..

Godowns full to the brims, Punjab to build 11 lakh tonne covered plinth storage as stop-gap measure
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON DEC 07, 2020 12:58 AM IST

Shipping of grains out of Punjab godowns starts today
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON NOV 24, 2020 02:21 AM IST

Famers plan protest in Delhi from Nov 26
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber | Chandigarh
PUBLISHED ON NOV 20, 2020 06:57 AM IST
At a meeting of the United Farmers Morcha, an umbrella body of at least 500 farmers’ unions formed to lead the protest, in Chandigarh, it was decided that the members would stage protests outside the Parliament till their demands are met.

Punjab farmers refuse to end rail blockade
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber | Hindustan Times, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON NOV 19, 2020 07:05 AM IST
After a meeting, the farm bodies said they would consider allowing passenger trains to run in the state if the Centre started running goods trains first.

Paddy yield hits all-time high in Punjab, but raises concerns
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
PUBLISHED ON NOV 16, 2020 11:26 PM IST
Even as higher production means higher income for farmers, experts say it will hit diversification efforts, lead to more stubble burning and pose logistical issues

Probe into sharp rise in paddy arrivals in Punjab mandis
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber | Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, Chandigarh
PUBLISHED ON NOV 06, 2020 04:58 PM IST
State authorities alerted after procurement almost equals volumes recorded in the entire season

Freight train service off track, Punjab exhausts gunny bale stock
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber | Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON NOV 02, 2020 11:01 PM IST
Over 150 lakh tonne paddy has been procured and the state says another 25-30 lakh tonne is still to be procured.

Punjab farmers allow passage of goods trains till November 5
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
PUBLISHED ON OCT 22, 2020 01:10 AM IST

Farmers ease ‘rail roko’ protest in Punjab
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON OCT 22, 2020 07:34 AM IST
“We have decided to allow only goods trains from today (Wednesday) till November 5,” said Jagmohan Singh Patiala of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda) after meeting of 30 farmers’ organisations in Chandigarh.

Farm fires increase in Punjab, Haryana despite assurances
By Chetan Chauhan, Gurpreet Singh Nibber and Neeraj Mohan | Hindustan Times, New Delhi/Karnal/Chandigarh
UPDATED ON OCT 17, 2020 04:46 AM IST
On Thursday, Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh claimed that Delhi’s air pollution problem was because of local factors, but data from the Punjab University’s Remote Sensing Centre, Ludhiana, shows a three-fold spike in stubble burning incidents in Punjab as compared to 2019 (3,996 incidents from September 21 to October 15 as compared 1,266 in same period last year), with just 6 farmers booked for farm fires.

Punjab farmers to continue with rail blockades till October 19 when special assembly session called
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber | Hindustan Times, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON OCT 15, 2020 12:29 PM IST
A day after boycotting Union agriculture ministry’s talks in the absence of minister Narendra Singh Tomar, farmer representatives meet in Chandigarh to decide on course of action.

Punjab farmer leaders walk out of meeting with Union agriculture secretary
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber | Hindustan Times, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON OCT 14, 2020 04:01 PM IST
Say they were expecting to meet ‘competent authority’ such as agriculture minister, announce rail blockade shall continue; to meet in Chandigarh on Thursday to decide on further course

Thaw in sight as Punjab farmers meet to decide on strategy for talks with Centre on farm laws
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber | Hindustan Times, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON OCT 13, 2020 12:03 PM IST
Agriculture ministry sent a second invite to farmers of Punjab for talks on October 14; two major farmer bodies, namely Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) and BKU (Dakounda), have accepted the invite, while Majha-based Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh has decided to skip the meeting

Transportation of grains from Punjab comes to a halt as farmers continue blockade of railway tracks
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON OCT 07, 2020 12:52 AM IST

Fields on fire: 1,200 cases of stubble burning in 2 weeks in Punjab
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber | Hindustan Times, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON OCT 06, 2020 03:19 AM IST
For the first two weeks of paddy harvesting that started from September 21 this year, the number of stubble burning fire cases has been recorded at 1,206.

To mount pressure on Centre, Akali Dal plans to take protests against farm laws to Delhi
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON OCT 03, 2020 04:55 AM IST

Punjab braces for bandh against Centre’s three agriculture bills today
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON SEP 25, 2020 01:46 AM IST
Activists of 31 farmer bodies to stage day-long dharnas; political parties, except BJP, besides social and religious organisations, too extend support for the stir

Paddy to be procured at 4,500 locations in Punjab, 2,650 temporary purchase centres set up
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Chandigarh
UPDATED ON SEP 23, 2020 01:50 AM IST