Khemkaran:- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann today laid the foundation stone of the Rs 137 crore Rural Link Road project in the border constituency of Khemkaran and said that the AAP government is focusing on strengthening infrastructure, creating employment opportunities and providing better public services in the border areas. He also highlighted the progress made in canal irrigation, employment generation and education reforms.
Addressing a large gathering after laying the foundation stone, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that from roads to schools, playgrounds and industry, I assure you that my government is committed to ensuring all-round development of every sector. He said that the previous governments neglected the development of border areas, but the AAP government is making dedicated efforts for the progress of these areas. He said that we are committed to the welfare of the residents of these areas who are true patriots of the country.
The Chief Minister said that for the first time in the history of Punjab, an industrial policy is offering incentives to industrialists willing to set up units in the border areas. He said that under the new industrial policy, nine priority sectors and border and coastal areas are being given additional incentives of 25 percent. He said that from a geographical point of view, border districts like Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ferozepur and Fazilka have historically seen less investment due to various risks.
Talking about the steps being taken by the government towards employment generation, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann further said that we want to provide employment to our youth and give tiffins instead of syringes and drugs in their hands. He said that an idle mind is the home of the devil, hence we are making every possible effort to ensure that the youth get maximum jobs so that they do not fall prey to social evils. He said that the AAP government has already provided more than 63,000 government jobs to the youth.
Shedding light on the steps taken for irrigation reforms, he further said that when I took office, only 21 percent canal water was being used for irrigation and today this figure has increased to 68 percent and by the coming paddy season it will reach 85 percent. He said that 6,900 km of canals and 18,349 waterways have been revived to ensure that water reaches every farmer living on the tails.
The Punjab Chief Minister also said that the state government has spent Rs 6,500 crore to revive the canal system, due to which canal water has reached 1,365 villages for the first time. He said that construction of over 49,000 km of roads is underway at a cost of Rs 16,209 crore to improve rural connectivity.
Speaking about the progress made in the education sector, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that Schools of Eminence equipped with smart classrooms, modern laboratories and playgrounds have been set up across the state to provide quality education to the students. Teachers and principals are being sent abroad for specialized training so that the students can be competitive at the global level. He said that it is a matter of great pride that Punjab has surpassed Kerala to secure the first position in the National Achievement Survey conducted by the Government of India.
He further said that apart from preparing the students for the Armed Forces Examination, they are also being given special coaching for competitive examinations like NEET, JEE, CLAT and NIFT and said that students of School of Eminence and other government schools have already cleared examinations like JEE Mains, JEE Advanced and NEET.
The Punjab Chief Minister, while highlighting the welfare initiatives of the state government, said that the Chief Minister Health Scheme has been launched to provide cashless treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh to all 65 lakh families of the state. He said that Punjab has become the first state to provide free healthcare services to all citizens, while 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics are providing free treatment to the people on a daily basis. He further said that about 90 percent of the families of Punjab are getting free electricity.
He further announced that the state government’s plan to provide Rs 1000 per month to every woman will be implemented soon. He said that necessary provisions will be made in the upcoming budget and every promise made to the people will be fulfilled.
Taking a dig at the Congress party, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the Congress is a divided house, which will soon collapse completely due to internal divisions and strife. The Congress leaders are dreaming of returning to power, but they have neither any vision nor any unity among them. They forget that 60 seats are required to form the government in Punjab, which is a distant dream for them. Even their leaders do not know basic arithmetic.
Taking a dig at the Shiromani Akali Dal leadership, the Chief Minister further said that the Akali leaders have nothing but a roadmap to loot and harass the common man. During their rule, they have patronized gangsters and protected drug smugglers. They have not hesitated to put religion at stake time and again for their personal political interests, but the people of Punjab will not listen to them again.
The Punjab Chief Minister said that under a project covering a distance of 275 km in Khemkaran constituency at a cost of Rs 137 crore 22 lakh, the work of repairing 209 rural link roads has been started. He said that Rs 127 crore 84 lakh will be spent on the renovation of the roads and Rs 9 crore 38 lakh will be used for their maintenance during the next five years. He said that along with this, work on more than 249 km of link roads is also underway in Khemkaran constituency at a cost of Rs 35 crore 23 lakh.
Reiterating the commitment of the AAP government, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that our government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the welfare of every section of the society and the all-round development of Punjab.