Punjab Assembly: Governor Purohit vows to restore pristine glory of state

Chandigarh, March 21: Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Monday asserted that Punjab government will work hard to restore the pristine glory of the state and make Punjab a front-ranking state in the country. “This will be a revolutionary model of inclusive governance in partnership with citizens,” he added. In his address during the first session of the 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the Governor said the state government firmly believed that in a democratic set-up, people are the real king (Janta Raj Mein Janta Hi Raja) and the entire focus of government will be on ensuring the well-being of people. He said the government will adopt a Zero Tolerance policy towards corruption, adding that a transparent and corruption-free administration governance would be ensured to people. Purohit said the government was committed to end all sorts of illegal syndicates in transport,

liquor and sand mining in the state. Purohit said that these anti-social elements have looted Punjab during the previous regimes and deprived the state exchequer of funds to the tune of thousands of crores, which could have been used for the welfare of the common people. Health and education are the bedrock of human and social development and empowerment; therefore, the state government stands committed to all-round improvement in these two vital sectors, assured the Governor. He said that policies will be evolved and implemented to strengthen and expand educational and health infrastructure. Every citizen of the state will be issued a health card with complete digital information regarding healthcare. Further, he said that 16000 pind (villages) and ward clinics will be established all over the state on the lines of ‘Mohalla Clinics’ in Delhi. He further said the state government will also launch a scheme on the pattern of ‘Farishtey’ scheme in Delhi, under which anyone can take a road accident victim to a hospital, where they will be given free treatment. Expressing the government’s firm commitment for the empowerment of women in the state, Purohit said the government will formulate an exclusive scheme for women, under which Rs 1000 per month will be provided to every woman above 18 years age, while older women will get Rs 1000, in addition to senior citizen pension. He further said the government will work towards complete transformation of education sector, adding that it will be ensured that education imparted at government schools is better than private schools. He said the government will also ensure that the fees of schools are regulated, to ease the burden on common people.

“My government is committed to giving 300 units free electricity to each household in Punjab, with which about 80 per cent households will get zero power bill. Domestic electricity connections, which were disconnected due to non-payment of power bill/arrears, will be restored,” he added. The Governor said the state government was committed to address the issues of farmers as a top priority. He said the ryots, who had suffered losses due to fury of nature this year, would be duly compensated by enhancing the compensation amount in proportion to the production cost. The crop loss compensation will be credited to the account of each affected farmer and labourer by April 30, he added. He said the government was committed to provide relief/honorarium of Rs one crore to the families of the martyred jawans of Punjab. “A safe environment for business will be created by completely eliminating Inspector Raj, Raid Raj and Illegitimate tax. All previous fake FIRS against the traders will be scrapped,” he said. The state government is committed to the upliftment of the Scheduled Caste community in the state. The government will provide free education to the students, free foreign (education for college students, free medical service and free coaching for competitive exams to the persons of the Scheduled Caste community of the state. Purohit further said the government will make the country’s biggest Sports University at Jalandhar to promote sports in the state. In order to promote industrial revival, utilized lands in underdeveloped Industrial Estates and focal points shall be made available to the industry at competitive rates. The Governor said that all cases of the bomb blast and sacrileges, including Bargari sacrilege, operations of gangsters in the state and others will be investigated thoroughly, so that the perpetrators of these crimes, including their masterminds, are brought to book. He further said that the borders of the State will be protected meticulously so that no terrorist may enter in the State and there is no smuggling of drugs from across the border. The entire State will be covered with CCTV network which will help to tackle the crime rate in the state. Purohit said the financial situation of the state has been under stress for the past few years, mainly on account of mis-match between receipts and expenditure. The persistence of large fiscal deficit over the years has led to accumulation of staggering debt which is reaching Rs 3.5 lakh crore now. The State is classified as debt-stressed State as per Central Government norms. As per the Reserve Bank of India’s State Finances Report 2021-22, Punjab’s debt-Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) ratio is 42.5% – the highest after Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. This clearly puts Punjab as the most indebted big State in India. The mounting debt burden is a cause of great worry and the government will make all out efforts to remedy the situation. The government will take suggestions from the common people, traders, businessmen, farmers, women, youth and employees to find out the best solutions for the problems being faced by them and the State budget will be prepared after taking into account their suggestions. Opinions of the neglected and deprived sections of the State will be reflected in budget and government schemes, he added. (UNI)