Punjab jails and cooperation minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Thursday announced that Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will take over the internal security of high-security jails into its own hands within a week in Punjab.Randhawa was speaking to media persons after presiding over a state level function organized by Punjab government to pay tributes to Baba Maharaj Singh on his 162nd Martyrdom Day in Rabbon Uchhi village of the district.Randhawa said that he has received the information from the union home ministry about sending of CISF to guard jails which have lodged dreaded criminals and gangsters, within a week.He added that for drug addict inmates, more psychiatrists will be deputed in jail hospitals and yoga classes will also be started so that when they come out from prisons as refined persons.On being quizzed, Randhawa informed that cooperative department is also preparing a proposal to include 2.5 lakh landless members of Agricultural societies who belong to SC, BC, and OBC categories and had taken the loans below Rs 25000, in the debt-waiver scheme of Punjab government. He said that proposal will be sent to the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for his approval.Exhorting the people especially the women to come forward and join the fight with the government to completely wipe out the drugs from Punjab, he asked them to give information about the persons involved in drug peddling in their villages.
“There is need of a revolution to make Punjab a drug-free state for which government needs your support”, Minister added and said we should follow the footsteps of Baba Maharaj Singh who was a first martyr of the freedom struggle of the country so that we can fulfill his dreams.However addressing the gathering in the function, he said it was unfortunate for the country and Sikh community that British government got the information about the anti-British movement of Baba Maharaj Singh and it put him into Jail and later shifted to Singapore where he got martyred on July 5, 1856.Randhawa announced a grant of Rs 5 lakh by Punjab government for Gurdwara Damdama Sahib Parbandhak committee. He also claimed to give a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh grant from his discretionary funds for the construction of toilets for Girls separately in Government High School in Rabbon Uchi village.Moreover, he said that the sewage network will also be laid down as demanded by people. He also claimed to talk with PWD minister to take up the matter of widening the road.Payal MLA Lakhbir Singh Lakha, Samrala MLA Amrik Singh Dhillon, former cabinet ministers Tej Parkash Singh, Malkeet Singh Dakha, Rural Congress Chief Gurdev Singh Lapran, DIG Ranbir Singh Khatra, Khanna SSP Navjot Singh Mahal, ADC Khanna Ajay Sood, SDM Payal Swati Tiwana and others were present.