According to the data released for the year 2023-2024, India has exported goods worth 16 billion U.S. dollars to China and imported goods worth 101 billion U.S. dollars, resulting in a trade deficit of 85 billion U.S. dollars with China. At the same time, discussions regarding Indo-China relations are taking place with great intensity.
As farmers and agricultural labourers in Punjab continue to recover from crop losses caused by hailstorms and fire incidents, Shiromani Akali Dal Chief Sukhbir Singh Badal has launched 'Mission Sewa' and a wheat distribution drive with the support of the Sangat to help affected families. At a time when political parties often promise relief from podiums, this raises a bigger question: Is public service during times of distress the strongest way to rebuild political credibility ? Can initiatives like Mission Sewa help the Akali Dal reconnect with Punjab's villages, or will voters continue to judge Sukhbir Badal primarily by his party's record in power ?
पंजाब में ओलावृष्टि और आग की घटनाओं से फसलें बर्बाद होने के बाद किसान और खेत मज़दूर अभी भी मुश्किलों से उबरने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं। ऐसे समय में शिरोमणि अकाली दल के अध्यक्ष सुखबीर सिंह बादल ने संगत के सहयोग से 'मिशन सेवा' के तहत गेहूं वितरण अभियान शुरू किया है ताकि प्रभावित परिवारों तक राहत पहुँचाई जा सके। ऐसे दौर में, जब राजनीतिक दल अक्सर मंचों से राहत के बड़े-बड़े वादे करते हैं, एक बड़ा सवाल यह है: क्या संकट के समय की गई जनसेवा ही राजनीतिक विश्वसनीयता दोबारा हासिल करने का सबसे प्रभावी माध्यम है ? क्या 'मिशन सेवा' जैसी पहल अकाली दल को फिर से पंजाब के गांवों से जोड़ पाएगी, या फिर जनता सुखबीर बादल का मूल्यांकन मुख्य रूप से उनकी सरकार के पिछले कार्यकाल के आधार पर ही करेगी ?
After facing months of resistance from farmers over its land pooling policy, the Punjab Government has now announced a series of amendments, offering bigger residential and commercial plots, stamp duty exemptions and additional benefits to landowners. Yet the Shiromani Akali Dal calls it nothing more than a cosmetic makeover designed to make the same policy more politically acceptable. This raises a bigger question: Is the AAP Government genuinely listening to farmers and correcting its policy, or simply repackaging the same proposal as the 2027 elections draw closer? Can better incentives erase the trust deficit, or does the real issue remain the fear of losing Punjab's fertile farmland?
