Gurdaspur (Punjab), Dec 16 (IANS) 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.
He said the problem of graveyards would be resolved in the districts where the community has a presence.
"The land for graveyards would be provided where it is not available but the community has a sizeable presence," said Channi, adding a community hall would be constructed in each district in order to enable the community to hold functions there.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on the occasion extended warm greetings to the community and advocated following the teachings of Lord Jesus Christ.
On the occasion, Cabinet Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa extending his good wishes said that every religion and their spiritual leaders emphasize upon the principles of mutual coexistence and universal brotherhood.
Lauding the Christian community, he said it has contributed a lot in the health and education sectors and the religion has spread throughout the globe due to its selfless nature.
The letter was written by 49 personalities, including filmmakers Mani Ratnam, Anurag Kashyap, Shyam Benegal, veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee and vocalist Shubha Mudgal in July this year.
The plan includes induction of more Tejas and Sukhoi aircraft, integrating of indigenous ASTRA beyond visual range missile across platforms and upgrading the Jaguar jet fleet among others, Air Marshal Bhadauria said.
