SAS Nagar, January 26, 2025: Punjab Mines and Geology, Soil and Water Conservation and Water Resources Minister Advocate Barinder Kumar Goyal hoisted the National Flag at SAS Nagar Thit Shaheed Major Harminderpal Singh (Shaurya Chakra) Government College, Mohali. He also took salute from the march past and enjoyed the cultural performances presented by the students.
Saluting the freedom fighters and the builders of the constitution of the country, Mr. Goyal asserted that the government led by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is committed to transforming the state according to the true spirit of the constitution. He said that the dreams of the freedom fighters and the builders of the constitution are being realized in Punjab through good governance.
He said that Punjab is the first state to have put up pictures of Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh and Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar in government offices instead of political leaders. He said that the Bhagwant Mann government has played a key role in resolving the issue of naming the Mohali International Airport after Shaheed Bhagat Singh and has also installed a 30-foot tall statue of Sardar Bhagat outside the airport.
He said that the Punjab government is focusing on quality education and health services in the state by setting up Schools of Eminence and Aam Aadmi Clinics. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s government has given 50,000 jobs in the government sector since its inception in Punjab and the only criterion for jobs is merit.
He said that the Bhagwant Mann government is digging 150 km canals at a cost of Rs 2300 crore for irrigation of two lakh acres of land in Bathinda, Faridkot, Fazilka, Ferozepur and Sri Muktsar Sahib districts and for the first time, work on three canals for irrigation is going on in the Pathankot area.
Apart from this, projects worth Rs 2100 crore are already underway for repair, re-lining and work on canals of water sources. Minister Goyal said that the state has successfully implemented the Punjab Mineral Policy 2023 by auctioning 74 public sites. Auction of another 100 sites will be secured soon to generate more revenue. Talking to reporters, the Mining and Geology Minister said that there is a possibility of potash deposits in the southern parts of Punjab which, when extracted from the ground, will further increase the revenue of the state.
He said that soon in Mohali, the sports infrastructure will be upgraded by installing an 8 lane 400 meter synthetic track at the multipurpose stadium in Sector 78 at a cost of Rs 9.19 crore, replacement of global standard astroturf at Senior Balbir Singh International Hockey Stadium, Sector 63 at a cost of Rs 3.13 crore. Apart from this, the work of laying PU flooring of the sports indoor halls of the stadiums in Sector 63 and 78 will also be done. He also announced that the government will upgrade the ESI dispensaries of Kharar and Derabassi to 30 and 100 bed hospitals respectively in the coming days.
Earlier, he inspected the parade led by the Parade Commander of the 2022 batch, Preet Kanwar Singh DSP, along with DC Ashika Jain and SSP Deepak Pareek. Five Veer Naris (widows of army martyrs) were also felicitated to commemorate the services rendered by the soldiers to protect the country's borders. Around 1500 students were part of the Republic Day celebrations held at Government College Mohali today and they enthralled the audience with their patriotic performances.
They also gave away 12 sewing machines to needy women on behalf of the District Red Cross Society. Around 48 persons who have excelled in various fields and have an exceptional service record were also felicitated by the chief guest. To make people aware of the importance of yoga in daily life, trainers working in the district under the CM's Yogashala presented a yoga show in an impressive manner.
On this occasion, MLA Kulwant Singh, Chairperson District Planning Committee Prabhjot Kaur, Chairman Milkfed Narinder Singh Shergill, Member Punjab State Traders Commission Vineet Verma, Vice Chairman Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board Subhash Sharma and AAP spokesperson Harsukhinder Singh Babbi Badal were among the prominent personalities present during the function. Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla also attended the Republic Day celebrations.