The benefit of welfare schemes started by the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janta Party led Punjab government should must reach all people from weaker sections of the society. The Scheduled Castes wing of Shiromani Akali Dal would play an important role for the formation of government in the state for the third time in a row. This was stated by Mr Gulzar Singh Ranike, Animal Husbandry Minister Punjab and State President of SAD (SC Wing) while attending a meeting of workers and office bearers of SAD (SC Wing) of Ludhiana district at Alamgir, here today.While addressing the workers, Mr Ranike said that a series of district-level meetings have been started in the state and soon, more such meetings for office bearers of Doaba, Majha and Malwa Zones would be held. He said a state-level seminar would be organised at Sri Anandpur Sahib shortly, where the SAD (SC Wing) members would be educated about the welfare schemes started for the scheduled castes by the Punjab government.
He said that in the second phase, village and ward level office bearers of SAD (SC Wing) would be appointed after holding village-level and district-level meetings. He said that Punjab is the only state where the SAD-BJP government has started welfare schemes, which has improved the standard of living of people and for the scheduled castes, Shagan scheme, Atta-Dal, old age and widow pension, 200 units free electricity, Post Matric Scholarship and several other welfare schemes have been started. He said that Punjab is the only state where the farmers get 8-hour uninterrupted electricity supply and people living in urban areas get 24-hour electricity supply. He said that Punjab has scaled new heights during last nine years. Mr Gulzar Singh Ranike said that SAD (SC Wing) is working hard keeping in mind the 2017 Vidhan Sabha elections and the SAD-BJP would certainly form government for the record third time in a row.He also appealed to the workers that they should take all welfare schemes amongst the masses so that maximum number of people can benefit from them. He said that the Punjab government has decided to give benefit of Shagan Scheme to all eligible people from the year 2009 onwards, who were not able to apply for it for one reason or the other.Prominent among those present on the occasion included SC Wing Malwa Zone-3 incharge and Zila Parishad Ludhiana Chairman Mr Bhag Singh Maangarh, SGPC member Bhai Gurcharan Singh Grewal, Punjab Dalit Vikas Board chairman Mr Vijay Danav, besides several others.