In a major reprieve to the distressed families of the Punjabis stuck up in strife torn Iraq, the state government has decided to reimburse the entire expenses incurred by them on making phone calls to enquire about their well being in this hour of crisis.Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that knowing well that frequent international calls being made by the panic stricken family members of trapped persons was a costly affair, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal has decided that the state government would repay this entire expenditure incurred by them on making these calls. Mr. Badal has directed the state government officers/ officials to take the necessary steps to ensure that every single penny spent on this must be repaid to the distressed families immediately after they submit their valid claims regarding it to the concerned authorities.
The Chief Minister has also decided that the state government would bear the entire expenditure of bringing the trapped persons back to their homely safely. He had also conveyed this matter to the Union External Affairs Ministry for ensuring the safe and prompt return of the Punjabis from Iraq to their motherland. Mr. Badal who was in constant touch with the Union External Affairs Ministry over this issue has also impressed upon the Government of India (GoI) to ensure that every Indian in general and Punjabi in particular must be safely evacuated from Iraq, regardless of possessing valid travel documents/ immigration papers.Expressing satisfaction over the initiatives taken by the GoI on its part to ensure the return of Punjabis from Iraq, the Chief Minister hoped that these efforts would help in saving their precious lives. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also directed all the Deputy Commissioners to extend all possible help and cooperation to the tormented families in this moment of severe crisis so as to assuage their bruised feelings. Mr. Badal and the entire state government machinery was keeping a close tab over the entire matter to bail out to the Punjabis stuck up in Iraqi civil war, added the spokesperson.