Today, Punjab saw a historic moment in its annals when the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) project here. In his address to the vast sea of people on the occasion, the PM said the AIIMS would set the tone for changing the future of both the Punjab and neighboring states. He said the healthcare system in the state would witness a major upsurge in terms of providing overall top notch medical solutions to the people of the state from all walks of life. The PM announced that the river waters of India’s share in the Indus Water Treaty that goes to Pakistan untapped would be utilized effectively to irrigate the fields of Punjab farmers and the other states which would yield gold if given proper facilities. He also appealed to the people of Pakistan to question their government on the confrontationist attitude towards India and the Pakistan would not get anything by fighting against India whereas actually it needs to fight poverty, corruption and black money besides aiming its resources towards development rather than harbouring animosity towards India.
Advising farmers to stop practice of stubble burning, he said that the stubble needs to be re-cycled and used in increasing the fertility of the soil. The PM also said thanked the people for making de-monetization drive a success and emphasized to use mobile banking so as to curb the usage of black money.
Pleading the cause of beleaguered peasantry across the country, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today urged the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi to extend a helping hand to the ‘food growers’ in this hour of agrarian crisis.Addressing the mammoth gathering during the foundation stone laying ceremony of the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), to come up at a cost of Rs 932 crore over an area of 200 acres, here today, the Chief Minister lauded Mr. Modi for always taking special initiatives for the welfare of farmers and in spree of that he impressed upon the Prime Minister to allow production of Ethanol from Maize to enhance their profitability as wheat and paddy alone were no longer suffice to make agrarian economy sustainable and financially viable. Likewise, Mr. Badal also urged the Prime Minister to encourage setting of industrial units for the processing of paddy straw to enhance the income of the farmers manifold.
Describing the Prime Minister as one of the towering personalities across the globe, the Chief Minister said that it was historic day for the state as the Prime Minister has laid the foundation stone of this prestigious project in the healthcare sector. He urged Mr. Modi to set the date for its inauguration so as to ensure its timely completion and percolation of benefits to the people of Punjab and adjoining states. Mr. Badal envisioned that people would be immensely benefitted from this project as they would get the world class treatment besides imparting Medical and nursing education to the students by its constituent Medical and Nursing colleges.Profusely thanking the Prime Minister for sparing his valuable time for this project, the Chief Minister further said that in a short span of BJP led NDA government’s rule at centre under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Mr. Modi, Punjab has been immensely benefitted from his benevolence. He said that the Union government has given several key projects to the state, which would be instrumental in putting the state further on high growth trajectory. Mr. Badal said that this has been possible just because NDA government was at helms of affairs both at the centre and state adding that the previous Congress governments have deliberately denied Punjab of its legitimate share in such projects.
Envisioning the state as a hub of quality healthcare, diagnostic, treatment and research facilities for the patients, the Chief Minister said that path breaking initiatives have been taken in the field of Health, Medical Education and Research. He said that these unprecedented steps would reverse the trend of patients going to other states for treatment of fatal diseases like Cancer adding that now patients from across the world would visit the state for availing quality treatment for cancer and other fatal diseases. Mr. Badal said that the state government was already providing free treatment to the patients suffering from life threatening diseases like cancer and Hepatitis C.Listing the major initiatives taken by the state government to check the menace of cancer, the Chief Minister said that an Advanced Cancer Treatment and Research Centre had been set up at Bathinda to provide quality cancer treatment to people at par with Tata Memorial Cancer (TMC) Institute, Mumbai. He said that state government has made already concerted efforts to provide quality cancer treatment facilities at the Government Medical Colleges of Amritsar, Patiala and Faridkot. Likewise, Mr. Badal said that best cancer treatment was being provided to patients in empanelled hospitals across the state.
The Chief Minister said that the country was fortunate to have Mr. Modi as Prime Minister, who has a vast experience and expertise of working as the Chief Minister of a progressive state due to which he was well versed with the hardships faced by the states. Mr. Badal also recalled the long association of the Prime Minister with the state during his days as incharge of the BJP affairs in the state. He said that Punjab was very near to the heart of the Prime Minister and hoped that Mr. Modi would shower special affection towards the state. The Chief Minister also hailed Mr. Modi for launching several schemes like Swachh Bharat, which were helpful for transforming the destiny of the country. He said that the demonetization move of NDA Government led by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi would prove very beneficial for the countrymen as this step has been taken in larger interest of the country. Mr. Badal said that after initial hiccups this scheme, which was the brain child of Prime Minister, would act as a catalyst to wipe out several social maladies besides wiping out the parallel economy propelled by Black money and corruption from country.The Chief Minister assailed the Congress leaders for misleading the people on the issue of Waiver of Bank loans adding that this step was practically not feasible. Mr. Badal said that Congress leaders were issuing such frivolous statements just to attain power in the state. On the contrary, he said that the alliance government has delivered whatever promise was made to the people be it the pro-poor Atta Sal scheme or free power to the farmers.
Addressing a huge gathering, the Punjab Deputy Chief Minister, S. Sukhbir Singh Badal said the NDA government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a precious gift to the state in the form of AIIMS which would prove beneficial for not only for Punjab but also neighbouring states of Haryana and Rajasthan.He said the AIIMS would prove to be a game changer in providing best healthcare facilities to the people with the aid of state of the art modern equipments. He said that this prestigious institution was the need of the hour for which the NDA government has earned the gratitude of all Punjabis.
Calling NDA government a great partner in the overall development of Punjab, the Deputy CM said the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had provided every help in modernizing of road infrastructure in Punjab as a consequence of which every city in the state would be linked with 4 and 6 laned roads with in 1 year. He also profusely thanked the Union government for including 3 cities of the state in the Smart Cities Project and 15 cities under AMRUT scheme which would lead to further up-gradation and beautification of urban infrastructure besides bestowing IIM to Amritsar.
Coming to the development centric issues, S. Badal disclosed that poor families without the gas connections would be given the same very soon. He also informed that the Bathinda airport would be made operational on December 11.
Taking on Congress, he said this party’s hands are soaked with the blood of innocent Sikhs when it attacked Sri Harmandir Sahib and indulged in massacre of Sikhs in 1984. He also targeted AAP and said that this party is responsible for sacrilege of holy scripture Koran Sharif, backstabbing the farmers of Punjab on SYL issue as a result of which it would be out for a duck in the assembly polls in 2017.The Deputy Chief Minister also re-iterated his commitment to install solar street lights, concretized streets and 100% sewerage and water supply amenities to all the 12400 villages of Punjab in next 5 years at a cost of Rs. 35000 crore. He said keeping in view the inclusive development people of Punjab have decided to repeat this coalition for next five years.He wished that NDA government at the center would rule for 25 years similarly as SAD-BJP coalition has set its mission to serve the people. In her address Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal thanked the PM for bestowing this major boon to Punjab and said more infrastructural and development centric sops for the state are in the offing which would make Punjab no. 1 in terms of all developmental parameters.
She also re-iterated that not a single drop of water would be allowed to go outside the state. She also said that it is only under the NDA government that Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar has been questioned by the law enforcement agencies which brings a ray of hope to the victims of 1984 massacre after 32 years. She listed out various big ticket development projects allotted to the Punjab by center and said captain Amarinder Singh had earlier opposed to setup Refinery and now AIIMS at Bathinda. Mrs Badal asked Captain that Modi government would sanction more such projects to the state and he should shun his arrogance to oppose the development of Punjab ushered in by the SAD-BJP coalition government. On the occasion Union Health Minister, Mr. J.P. Nadda divulged that in Fazilka, a tertiary cancer center would come up at a cost of Rs 45 crore and many new specialties would be added at the Amritsar, Faridkot and Patiala Government Medical Colleges at a cost of Rs. 190 crore. He also promised to setup one more medical college in the state by upgrading a distinct level civil hospital.Union minister Vijay Sampla said the NDA government led by PM Narendra Modi has launched various welfare schemes for the downtrodden and fulfilled its promises to curb the usage of black money. He said that Modi has sanctioned important projects to the state. Among others present on the occasion included rural development minister Sikandar Singh Maluka, PWD minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, CPS Sarup Chand Singla.