Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar- During the district level function celebrated on the occasion of 79th Independence Day at the local ITI Ground, Punjab's Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur hoisted the national flag and said that the Punjab government is making historic efforts on a large scale to create a Punjab of the dreams of the great freedom fighters, patriots and martyrs.
The Cabinet Minister first reached Khatkar Kalan and offered floral tributes to Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh and said that due to the unparalleled sacrifice of the great martyrs of the country, the entire country is enjoying the warmth of independence today. He said that today we are the residents of a free country only because of the struggles started from time to time by Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, Sardar Kartar Singh Sarabha, Shaheed Udham Singh, Madan Lal Dhingra, Lala Lajpat Rai, Diwan Singh Kalepani and other freedom fighters.
Upon reaching ITI, Cabinet Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur hoisted the national flag, inspected the parade and took salute from the march past. In her address, she said that the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has implemented revolutionary decisions to raise the standard of living of the people of Punjab and to provide maximum benefit of government schemes to the people, which are benefiting them immensely. She said that the Punjab government is going to fill the vacant posts of 5000 workers and helpers to strengthen Anganwadi centers, the process of which will be started in the month of September. He said that new buildings of 1000 Anganwadi centers are being constructed in Punjab for which a budget of Rs. 100 crore has been kept and out of these 1000 buildings, the work of 300 centers has been completed.
Talking about the initiatives being taken by the Punjab government in the field of sports, Dr. Baljit Kaur said that as per the announcement made by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, a total of 3073 model playgrounds will be developed in the financial year 2025-26, which will further strengthen the sports culture in the state. He said that the recruitment process for 405 more new veterinary officers is going on in the state and recruitment will be done soon. He said that to make Punjab green, a pilot project is being started for planting flowering plants on highways in 5 districts, which in the initial phase includes Sri Anandpur Sahib, the area around Shaheed Bhagat Singh's native village Khatkar Kalan, Sangrur, Pathankot and Amritsar.
Regarding the Punjab government’s ‘Jeevanjot Project’ to enroll street begging children in schools, he said that a comprehensive campaign has been launched to provide high-quality education and punish child traffickers. He said that so far, more than 600 children have been diverted from begging and handed over to their parents and most of the children are being enrolled in schools and are being given the benefit of the scholarship scheme. He said that for the convenience of the residents of the villages, the Punjab government is establishing and running libraries in 196 villages and the work of 135 more libraries is in progress.
Giving information about the development works being carried out by the Punjab government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Cabinet Minister said that the expansion of Aam Aadmi Clinics, free electricity, easy registry, cleaning of ponds and tanks of all villages of Punjab for the first time after independence, providing water to the tails, war against drugs, construction of rural playgrounds, besides health insurance of 10 lakhs to Punjabis are such decisions with which Punjab is moving towards writing new signs of progress. He said that after many years, Punjab has come first in education for the first time. Regarding the establishment of a special 'Road Safety Force' of its kind across the country, the Cabinet Minister said that this has resulted in a major reduction in road accidents. Regarding the Punjab government's celebration of the 350th martyrdom day of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji on a large scale, Dr. Baljit Kaur said that the Forest Department will plant 3.50 lakh saplings in each district during 2025-26 under the 'Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji Haryaval Sankalp'. He said that as part of the third phase of the "War on Drugs" campaign, a unique anti-drug curriculum has been started for students of classes IX to XII in all government schools, under which about 8 lakh students are being informed about the ill effects of drugs and how to avoid them. He said that in view of the demand for vocational training by the government, the number of seats in ITIs has been increased to 52,000, which was earlier 35,000. He said that the Punjab government is running 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics in the state to provide first-class health services to the people, in which 107 types of medicines and 47 types of lab tests are done absolutely free.
In view of the upcoming paddy procurement season, the Cabinet Minister said that adequate arrangements will be ensured till September 15. He said that this is the first time in the state that canal water has reached every farm due to the meaningful efforts of the government. He said that the Punjab government is fully committed for the development of the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes. He said that under the Ashirwad scheme, an amount of more than Rs 80 crore has been released to 15,777 beneficiaries of the Scheduled Castes so far this year. Similarly, Rs 25.90 crore has been released for the Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections.
Regarding the Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Heritage Complex to be built at a cost of Rs 51 crore 70 lakh in Khatkar Kalan, the native village of Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh, he said that this project will be ready in the next 9 months, which will not only carry forward the legacy of the great martyrs of the country, but will also prove to be a source of inspiration for the new generations. He said that the Punjab government is constructing a critical care block at the Civil Hospital in Nawanshahr at a cost of Rs 12.55 crore. This ultra-modern block with a capacity of 50 beds will be ready soon. Similarly, an integrated laboratory is being set up at the Civil Hospital at a cost of Rs 1.06 crore and the blood bank built at a cost of Rs 42 lakh will also become functional soon. On this occasion, MLA Dr. Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, MLA Santosh Kataria, MLA Nachhatar Pal, Nawanshahr Halka Incharge Lalit Mohan Pathak, Vice Chairman of Water Resources Management and Development Board Kuljit Sarhal, Chairman of District Planning Committee Satnam Jalalpur, Coordinator of Halka Banga Harjot Kaur Lotia, Chairman of Market Committee Gagan Agnihotri, IG S. Bhupathi, Deputy Commissioner Ankurjit Singh, SSP Dr. Mehtab Singh, besides officers of various departments, a large number of students etc. were present.