Amritsar, Jan. 21 : Sukhbir Singh Badal, the son of of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab on Wednesday.

Punjab Governor General (retired) S F Rodrigues administered the oath of office and secrecy to Singh at a ceremony here.

Several senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were present on the occassion.

They included BJP president Rajnath Singh and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundra Raje Scindia.

This is probably the first instance when a father-son duo will be sharing the top two posts of a state India.

Amritsar, Jan. 21 : Sukhbir Singh Badal, the son of of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab on Wednesday.

Punjab Governor General (retired) S F Rodrigues administered the oath of office and secrecy to Singh at a ceremony here.

Several senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were present on the occassion.

They included BJP president Rajnath Singh and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundra Raje Scindia.

This is probably the first instance when a father-son duo will be sharing the top two posts of a state India.

Amritsar, Jan. 12 : Vice President M. Hamid Ansari on Monday said that Indians live in a plural society and should cherish their cultural heritage and diversity.

In a speech delivered after inaugurating the 14th National Youth Festival here, Ansari said this diversity presents itself in terms of regions, languages, religions, food habits and in a multitude of other ways.

"Yet each of these is Indian and is equally authentic. The challenge, then, is to think Indian and act Indian within the framework of this unity and diversity," he added.

Amritsar, Jan. 12 : Indian and Pakistani social and peace activists besides religious leaders attended a special seminar on Sunday, intended to defuse the growing tensions between countries since the Mumbai terror attacks of 26/11.

The seminar titled "Atankwad Ki Chunauti aur Dharam ki Bhumika" (the challenge of terrorism and the role of religion) held here at the S. R. Government College here.

Amritisar, Jan 12: Vice President Hamid Ansari will inaugurate the fourteenth National Youth Festival here today.

It is the first time that National Youth Festival would be held in Punjab till January 16.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will preside over the function. Dr. M. S. Gill, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports and Gulzar Singh Ranike, Sports Minister, Punjab , will be the ''Guests of Honour'' at the function.

Abohar/Ludhiana, Jan. 7 : Punjab, which has produced many national and international sportspersons, holds a big pool of talent in its rural areas. With proper training it could be harnessed to represent the country.

Badal Village in the southwest Punjab is a one such place, which has one of the best and ultra-modern sports infrastructure. Its shooting range today acts as a nursery for all budding female shooters, as it prepares them for national as well as international championships.