Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today reiterated the firm commitment of the SAD-BJP alliance government to ensure the overall development of state in general and that of the border and waterlogged districts in particular. Talking to the media persons here today, the Chief Minister said that the sole aim of state government was provide impetus to the ongoing developmental works in the state so that it could emerge as number one state in the country. He said that for this noble cause, they were not even hesitating to take the help of the Union government because being the food bowl of the nation; Punjab certainly has a claim over the grants from the Centre. Badal further said that all the political leaders of the state should sink their parochial differences and cutting across the party lines they should impressed upon the Union government to pour in more funds for the state so that unprecedented development could be ensured. When asked to comment about the visit of the Union Rural Development Minister Jai Ram Ramesh in the state, the Chief Minister said that it was a good step aimed towards having a deep understanding of the problems faced by the people residing in the border and waterlogged districts of the state. He said that this visit of Union Minister would acquaint him with the harsh realities of these areas which would further help in better formulation of policies to find some viable solution for the welfare of the people. Lauding the Union Minister, Badal said that earlier during his stint as the Union Environment Minister, Jai Ram Ramesh was very generous in allotting liberal funds for ambitious program of cleaning of the rivers in the state. He also expressed hope that this time also the visit of Ramesh would prove very beneficial for the people of the state. The Chief Minister also said that the visit of Union Minister was also significant as in a conference on Rural Development to be held at Chandigarh on Saturday, Ramesh would interact with all the MLAs of the state and apprise them about the various centrally sponsored schemes and programs run by the Government of India (GoI) under the Ministry of Rural Development. Later on the Chief Minister accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Member of Parliament from Bathinda Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal along with the Union Rural Development Minister Jai Ram visited two villages Maana and Channu which were facing the problem of water logging. During the visit the Chief Minster, Deputy Chief Minister and Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal apprised the Union Minister about the problems faced by the residents of these villages. Later on talking to the media persons Ramesh said that it was a serious problem and the Union Government in consultation with the state government, would certainly find some solution for it.