Memes on the shortage of fuel and LPG have set the social media on fire. One of the memes shows a woman dancing after cooking gas exhausted, indicating her excitement that she no longer could be asked to cook food. Another reads, “Attention husbands, do not quarrel with your wives. Hotels getting shut. No outside food available.” Even food vloggers are eyeing this as an opportunity to introduce a new series – ‘cooking without fire’.Anand Sharma left ‘sulking’The recently concluded Rajya Sabha election in Himachal Pradesh turned out to be a battle of wits where one Sharma outperformed another. While Kangra Congress district president Anurag Sharma bagged the coveted post quite unassumingly, former Union Minister Anand Sharma was left sulking as he had optimistically arrived at Kasauli hours before the nomination. Let down by the choice of a younger leader, Anand Sharma then used the social media to vent his disillusionment.Halqa incharge politicsWith the Assembly elections due next year, political parties in Punjab have begun appointing halqa chiefs across constituencies to strengthen their organisational grip. These leaders are tasked with expanding outreach and consolidating support at the grassroots. Traditionally, halqa chiefs are often given party ticket during elections, giving parties time to manage dissent and prevent rebellion. Among those making such appointments are the SAD, BJP, SAD (Waris Punjab De) and SAD (Punar Surjit). The ruling AAP recently named Karamjit Singh Rintu as Amritsar North halqa incharge after suspending MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh.‘Jugaad’ takes spotlightAt the inaugural session of the Progressive Punjab Investors Summit, the word most often used to describe the entrepreneurial spirit of Punjabis was “jugaad”. While JSW chairman Sajjan Jindal said how “jugaad lagana” in repairing imported goods had helped build Punjab’s industry and reflected the state’s spirit of innovation, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had the gathering of industrialists in splits as he described how Punjabis even use “jugaad” to repair high-end cars imported from Germany.Punjab MCs feel poll pressureWith an eye on the Punjab Assembly elections, MLAs have started asking their respective municipal corporations that their constituencies shine brighter than the rest. Meetings are multiplying faster than potholes, and officials are left juggling proposals like circus performers with too many balls in the air. One weary officer said, “Passing so many projects at once isn’t easy.” The irony? Development has become a race against the clock, not a carefully planned exercise.Affordability test for robotic surgeryThe Himachal Pradesh Government plans to start robotic surgery in all medical colleges and then extend it to district hospitals with high football. While the robotic machine, costing around Rs 28 crore, could aid faster recovery, many are sceptical whether the move will pass the cost-benefit test in a fund-starved state if made available at many institutions. Another factor is affordability as robotic surgery is expensive–at IGMC-Shimla, patients will have to pay a minimum of Rs 30,000 for the procedure.Ravan’ attack on Chandra ShekharAzad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief Chandra Shekhar Azad, MP from Nagina in UP’s Bijnor who uses suffix “Ravan”, was playfully admonished by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha. Replying to a discussion, she took a jibe at the MP, asking him not use such a suffix. Instead, she suggested he replace it with Vidura, a minister in the mythological kingdom of Hastinapur in Mahabharata who, according to legend, lived in Bijnor. “Now, you should call yourself Chandra Shekhar Vidura!” she quipped.(Contributed by Deepkamal Kaur, Ambika Sharma, Neeraj Bagga, Ruchika M Khanna, Manav Mander, Subhash Rajta & Animesh Singh)