BAHAWALPUR: As many as 338 farmers, selected through balloting, were handed over the keys of subsidised tractors under chief minister’s Green Tractor scheme in Vehari on Wednesday.

According to an official handout, these farmers would be given Rs1 million subsidy each on the tractor’s price under the scheme.

The farmers were handed over tractors’ keys at a function held at the Vehari district council hall by parliamentarians, including Ms Tehmina Daultana, Mian Saqib Khursheed and Chaudhry Muhammad Yousaf Kasela.

Vehari Deputy Commissioner Ms Imrana Tauqeer and other officials of district administration and agriculture department were also present.

The DC said that a total 42,272 farmers had submitted applications for subsidised tractors under the scheme.

ARRESTED: Basti Malook police in Lodhran district claimed to have arrested four suspects on the charge of selling unregistered mobile phone SIMs to the villagers and extorting money from them.

According to the police, the suspects --Shahid, Sadar Hussain, Azam Ali and Fayyaz -- would got to different villages and escape after selling fake SIMs to locals.

Police arersted the suspect and recovered 79 unregistered SIMs from their possession.

DENGUE DEATH: A local trader succumbed to dengue fever in Burewala city in Vehari district on Wednesday.

Trader Maqsoodul Hassan Siddiqui, owner of a book shop in Burewala, was diagnosed with dengue virus and was under treatment at Vehari, where he expired on Wednesday.

The area residents say that dengue cases are surging but the local health officials failed to take preventive measures to curb the disease.

SENTENCED: Multan additional district and sessions judge handed down five-year jail term, along with Rs50,000 fine to a man in a dacoity case registered by Muzzafarabad police.

The judge ordered that in case of default of fine payment, the convict, Kashif, will have to under go an additional imprisonment for six months.

DRUG RAIDS: Lodhran Saddar and Dunapur police teams claimed to have arrested two drug traffickers -- Salim Jatt and Ghulam Farid Dogar -- recovered over ten kilogram charas from each of them, in separate raids on Wednesday.

Besides, Lodhran police arrested a suspect, Abbas Bashir, on the charge of impersonating a police official and extorting Rs3,000 from a butcher, Saeed, to discharge him in a fabricated case.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2024