CHANDIGARH - The Punjab and India news that matters to Surrey’s Punjabi community, in short, drawn only from official releases issued on November 9, 2026.
Cancer medicine prices cut across India
Revised prices for 1,364 anti-cancer formulations took effect in pharmacies and hospitals across India on November 9, after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority capped the trade margin on 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs at 30 per cent. Eighty-five companies have reported new maximum prices covering 121 drugs; 679 brands were cut by more than half and the largest reduction was 96.45 per cent. The Department of Pharmaceuticals estimates consumers will save about ₹3,540 crore a year, a direct relief for diaspora families funding treatment for relatives in Punjab. (Source: Press Information Bureau, Delhi, November 9, 2026)
Punjab prepares Census 2027 count in restricted areas
Punjab’s census officials have reviewed preparations for the population enumeration of Census 2027 in restricted-access areas such as defence areas, paramilitary camps and research establishments, where civilian enumerators cannot go. The count in those special charges runs from December 1, 2026 to January 4, 2027, and training for Special Charge Officers is set for November 12 at NITTTR in Chandigarh. (Source: Press Information Bureau, Chandigarh, November 9, 2026)
Punjab Police bring gangster “Afridi” back from Ethiopia
Punjab Police say their Anti-Gangster Task Force, working with central agencies under Operation SHAHID, secured the deportation of Gurwinder, known as Afridi, from Ethiopia after a 10-month international manhunt, and arrested him when he landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav announced the deportation on November 8. Police describe Afridi as a key figure in the Doni Bal-Prabh Dassuwal gang, wanted in more than 30 cases, and allege he directed targeted killings and extortion firings in Punjab from abroad. (Source: Punjab Police / Chief Minister’s Office, Punjab, November 8-9, 2026)
Air-quality commission reviews Punjab stubble plan
The Commission for Air Quality Management met Punjab and Haryana officials in Chandigarh to review Punjab’s action plan for preventing paddy stubble burning, covering enforcement, district preparedness, crop-residue machinery, and drone and satellite monitoring of farm fires. The Commission cautioned districts that any laxity leading to more farm fires would be viewed seriously, as the paddy harvest winds down. (Source: Press Information Bureau, Chandigarh, November 8, 2026)
Punjab joins first Army-led Civil Defence trainer program
Punjab is among 12 states and union territories in a first-of-its-kind program in which the Indian Army will help train 600 Civil Defence Master Trainers, 50 from each state, by the second week of November. Each master trainer is then to train 100 volunteers, a cascade the Home Affairs release says can reach 60,000 volunteers, covering threat awareness, emergency response and coordination. (Source: Press Information Bureau, Chandigarh, November 2026)
Punjab Briefs is Apna News’s daily roundup of official Punjab and India releases. A Punjabi edition of this roundup is published alongside it. Today was a thin day on Punjab’s official channels: five verified items, no padding.
