23 October 2026
The session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha began on 22 October 2026 and is scheduled to run to 27 October, a six-day session.
24 and 25 October are weekend days and 26 October is a gazetted holiday, so the House does not sit on those days.
The tentative schedule began with obituary references to people who died since the previous session.
On the first day the House paid tribute to anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota, who was shot dead in Mansa on 13 October, and to eight MGNREGA workers killed in a road accident in Sangrur district, and adjourned after about nine minutes.
The Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha is Kultar Singh Sandhwan.
Session dates:
22 October to 27 October 2026
Speaker:
Kultar Singh Sandhwan
First day sitting:
Adjourned after about nine minutes
Why it matters for exams: Session dates, the Speaker's name and the practice of opening with obituary references are standard state legislature questions.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
Sine die Sine die — Adjournment of a House without fixing a day for its next sitting.
Obituary reference Obituary reference — A formal mention in a legislature of members and public figures who have died.
State Focus
Punjab
Sports
Sports
23 October 2026
Punjab will host the Hero Men's Asian Champions Trophy from 27 October to 5 November 2026.
The Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar hosts the opening ceremony and all league-stage matches from 27 October to 2 November.
The Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali hosts the semi-finals on 4 November and the final on 5 November.
Six teams are listed as participants: India, Pakistan, South Korea, Malaysia, China and Japan, with Oman and Bangladesh as reserve teams.
The Punjab Sports Department is running a state-wide trophy tour from 18 to 26 October ahead of the tournament.
The tour reached Ferozepur, where it was welcomed by Ferozepur Urban MLA Ranbir Singh Bhullar.
Tournament dates:
27 October to 5 November 2026
League venue:
Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium, Jalandhar
Semi-final and final venue:
Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium, Mohali
Teams:
Six
Trophy tour:
18 to 26 October
Why it matters for exams: Host cities, venue names and participating teams of an international tournament held in India are standard sports general knowledge.
UPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Trophy tour Trophy tour — A publicity tour in which a tournament trophy is taken around host towns before the event.
23 October 2026
The Commission for Air Quality Management held a meeting at Chandigarh to review air quality management measures in Punjab and Haryana.
Stubble management and the control of air pollution were reviewed.
The Commission's Member Secretary, Tarun Kumar Pithode, said the Commission aims to manage stubble effectively and to use it as a valuable resource.
Directives on vehicles have been issued for Haryana, with a particular focus on the National Capital Region.
Meeting venue:
Chandigarh
States reviewed:
Punjab and Haryana
Member Secretary:
Tarun Kumar Pithode
Why it matters for exams: The Commission for Air Quality Management's jurisdiction over the National Capital Region and adjoining areas, and who its Member Secretary is, are directly examinable.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
CAQM Commission for Air Quality Management — The statutory body that directs air quality measures in the National Capital Region and adjoining areas.
23 October 2026
The Central Bureau of Investigation has taken over the investigation into the murder of Parvinder Singh Jhota, an anti-drug activist based at Mansa in Punjab.
The agency has registered a new First Information Report in the case.
A CBI team reached Mansa Police Station to take over the records.
The investigating team is led by a senior officer of DIG rank.
Forensic experts and drug controllers were reaching Mansa.
The transfer came within hours of an assurance of a CBI probe by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who met the family during a day-long visit to Punjab.
Agency:
Central Bureau of Investigation
District:
Mansa
Team headed by:
A senior officer of DIG rank
Why it matters for exams: How a state police case passes to the Central Bureau of Investigation, and the rank of the officer heading such a team, are standard questions on investigating agencies.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
CBI Central Bureau of Investigation — The central agency that investigates cases referred to it, including those transferred from state police.
FIR First Information Report — The first written record a police force or agency makes of information about a cognisable offence.
Background
Punjab Agricultural University states that it was established in 1962 to serve the state of erstwhile Punjab.
It is located at Ludhiana in Punjab.
It has six constituent colleges: the College of Agriculture; PAU-College of Agriculture, Ballowal Saunkhri; the College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology; the College of Basic Sciences and Humanities; the College of Community Science; and the College of Horticulture and Forestry.
It also runs PAU Pre-Graduation Institutes of Agriculture at Gurdaspur and at Bathinda.
Established:
1962
Location:
Ludhiana, Punjab
Constituent colleges:
Six
Pre-Graduation Institutes:
Gurdaspur and Bathinda
Why it matters for exams: The founding year and the seat of Punjab Agricultural University are asked verbatim, and the university is the institution behind Punjab's wheat and paddy practice recommendations.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
Constituent college Constituent college — A college that is part of a university rather than merely affiliated to it.
Background
A target of 180 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has been set for procurement from Punjab for the Central pool for the paddy procurement season 2026-27.
Paddy is to be procured at a minimum support price of 2,462 rupees per quintal.
The target, conveyed as the demand of the Government of India, was discussed at a meeting of Punjab's Group of Ministers at Chandigarh, attended by the ministers for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, and for Water Resources.
Foodgrain movement out of Punjab from January to July was 75.67 lakh metric tonnes.
The wheat procurement season referred to is 2027-28.
Procurement target for Punjab:
180 Lakh Metric Ton
Minimum support price for paddy:
2,462 rupees per quintal
Foodgrain movement, January to July:
75.67 Lakh Metric Ton
Meeting venue:
Chandigarh
Why it matters for exams: The Central pool target for Punjab and the paddy minimum support price are the two figures most often asked about Punjab's procurement system.
UPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Central pool Central pool — The national stock of foodgrains the Centre procures and holds for distribution.
MSP Minimum Support Price — The price at which the government undertakes to buy a crop from farmers.
Background
Punjab's total paddy area is about 31 lakh hectares and the stubble expected from it is about 20 million tonnes.
The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas reviewed Punjab's preparedness.
The state has a target of reducing stubble burning incidents by at least 50 per cent compared with the previous year.
Bio Decomposer has been applied on 8,000 acres of paddy area.
Six districts are targeted for eliminating stubble burning altogether: Hoshiarpur, Malerkotla, Pathankot, Roopnagar, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar.
Deputy Commissioners have been asked to map Crop Residue Management machines.
Paddy area:
About 31 lakh hectares
Stubble expected:
About 20 million tonnes
Reduction target:
At least 50 per cent
Bio Decomposer applied:
8,000 acres
Districts targeted for zero burning:
Six
Why it matters for exams: The paddy area and stubble tonnage give the scale behind Punjab's farm fires, and CAQM's role over NCR and adjoining areas is a standing UPSC question.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
CAQM Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas — The statutory body that directs air quality measures in the National Capital Region and the states around it.
Bio Decomposer Bio Decomposer — A microbial preparation sprayed on crop residue to rot it in the field instead of burning it.
Background
The Bathinda district administration states that the district's population is 1,388,525.
That is 19.98 per cent of the state's population, and ranks ninth in Punjab.
The sex ratio is 868 females per 1,000 males.
The population density is 414 persons per square kilometre, against 353 at the previous census.
The literacy rate is 68.30 per cent overall, 73.80 per cent for males and 61.90 per cent for females.
Bathinda ranks fifteenth within Punjab on literacy.
Population:
1,388,525
Share of state population:
19.98 per cent
Sex ratio:
868
Population density:
414 persons per square kilometre
Literacy rate:
68.30 per cent
Why it matters for exams: District-level sex ratio, density and literacy figures for Punjab districts are asked directly, and Bathinda is one of the districts in the news over paddy and farm fires.
UPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Sex ratio Sex ratio — The number of females per one thousand males in a population.
Population density Population density — The number of people living in each square kilometre.