Punjab CM seeks special financial package of Rs 1 lakh crore
Darpan News Desk IANS, 24 Mar, 2022 01:22 PM
New Delhi, March 24 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday sought a special financial package of Rs 1 lakh crore from the Centre for the revival of state's economy, besides ensuring holistic development and welfare of its people.
Mann called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here in his office.
Apprising the Prime Minister about pathetic fiscal position of the state, he said the previous governments have left a whopping burden of Rs 3 lakh crore on the state and demanded immediate financial package of Rs 50,000 crore each for two years to put the derailed economy on the rails.
Mann hoped with this financial help, the state's economy would become self-sustainable and economically viable during the third year.
Pointing out further, he said his government on its own would also strive hard to fill the empty coffers by completely wiping out the mafia from the state.
He also mentioned that Punjabis have made enormous sacrifices for country's Independence and even now valiant Punjabi soldiers are protecting the borders from internal and external aggression to safeguard nation's integrity and sovereignty.
Raising another sensitive issue of national security in the context of Punjab being a border state, the Chief Minister also solicited wholehearted support from the government of India to foil the attempts of inimical forces across the border, which is well equipped with the latest techniques.
He, however, assured the Prime Minister that Punjab would also provide all necessary assistance to the Centre in this regard and also requested it to furnish the latest and hi-tech infrastructure to the state forces for anti-insurgency operations.
Terming the outcome of his maiden meeting with Prime Minister after assuming the charge as Chief Minister as positive, Mann said the former promised all possible support and complete cooperation to make Punjab a vibrant state.
"If Punjab makes rapid strides of development then India would also eventually prosper," Mann said.
Quoting few lines from the poem of legendary poet Mohan Singh, Mann said Punjab was like a stone studded in the ring of India.
He lamented that this stone (Punjab) had gradually lost its sheen with the passage of time due to people's ill-conceived decisions to elect certain governments which ruled the state.
Reiterating his firm commitment, the Chief Minister said that his government would leave no stone unturned to make Punjab as number one state in the country which would also brought laurels for the country at the global level.
Responding to the issues raised by Mann, the Prime Minister said he would soon take up this matter with the Ministries of Finance and Home to provide adequate support to the state.
Talking to the media here after paying obeisance at Sri Darbar Sahib, Channi, who accompanied by Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, described it as the most heinous act, which has not only hurt religious sentiments but also tormented all, and should be condemned with the harshest possible words by one and all.
"When the officials examined a consignment declared as plastic hot fix with a value of Rs 5,000, they got suspicious. The said consignment was then opened. On examination, a packet containing pouches of cut and polished diamonds was found inside it. These diamonds were concealed very ingeniously in the packets of 'plastic hot fix'," said an official.
Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) chief Amarinder Singh on Friday announced his party's alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the 2022 Assembly polls in Punjab.
In a bizarre incident, a man married his own sister at a mass marriage event to obtain money from the Mukhyamantri Samuhik Vivaah Yojana scheme, under which weddings are conducted by the social welfare department.
It is simply not news – although it might be if it were banned in the West, not just in India. For Canada, Britain and the US, freedom of speech is the rule and there's been no effort to silence SFJ. Although this irritates Indian authorities, Western politicians do not pay any price for tolerating speech which voters hardly notice, Milewski said.
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday made a slew of historical announcements for the Christian community, including setting up of a Chair at university level for the study of the Bible. In his address here, the Chief Minister said that Christians would be given due representation in the state government boards.
