BJP-led alliance promises to waive debt of Punjab farmers
Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 Feb, 2022 12:56 PM
Chandigarh, Feb 4 (IANS) Eyeing to woo the farmers, who constitute an influential electoral cohort, the BJP-Punjab Lok Congress-Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) alliance on Friday released 11 resolutions for Punjab Assembly polls with a promise to waive the debt of farmers having less than five acres of land.
It promised a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to families hit by terrorism, if the alliance comes to power in the February 20 poll.
Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma said the alliance government will set up a special task force to probe the sacrilege incidents and fast-track courts to try such cases.
The alliance promised to provide quality education, a government college in every tehsil and introducing the right to skill education.
Two-time Chief Minister and Punjab Lok Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh said the NDA government in Punjab would increase an ex-gratia grant given to soldiers who lay down their lives fighting for the nation to Rs 1 crore from Rs 50 lakh.
The alliance promised to introduce new technologies to curb the mining and liquor mafia and the Lokayukta to take on corruption cases, besides a task force to tackle the drug problem at the district level and a dope test for candidates contesting any elections.
About 2 crore voters of Punjab had voted the Congress, then led by Amarinder Singh, to a landslide victory in the 2017 Assembly election giving the party 77 seats in the 117-member Vidhan Sabha.
It later won three more seats in the bypolls held in October 2019, taking its strength to 80.
Assembly elections in Punjab will be held on February 20 and the counting of ballots on March 10.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on Friday to repeal the three farm laws has brought cheers to the agitating farmers' organisations.However, Anil Ghanwat, a farm leader from Maharashtra who was one of the three members of the Supreme Court appointed committee on farm laws earlier this year, has termed the decision as "unfortunate".
Coinciding with the auspicious occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, Modi also announced that the constitutional process to repeal the laws would be taken up in the winter session of Parliament that begins on November 29 and appealed to the agitating farmers to withdraw their agitation and go back to their homes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the global trust earned by the Indian healthcare sector has led to the nation being called the "pharmacy of the world", in recent times.
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday urged the national governments of India and Pakistan to simplify the procedure for obtaining permission to pay obeisance at Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib.
The Chief Minister said in line with the scheme, eye camps would be organised throughout the state where the eye sight of the people would be thoroughly checked and those found suffering from the cataract problem would be operated upon after a period of 15 days.
A Delhi court on Thursday directed Delhi Police to file an Action Taken Report (ATR) on a petition seeking an FIR against Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for his alleged controversial remarks against the protesting farmers.
