Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday expressed the confidence that Punjab would soon emerge as the country’s front runner state, with his government’s efforts leading it towards revenue surplus from fiscal deficit.In a TV interview, Captain Amarinder Singh lambasted the Akalis for ruining the state’s economy through their ill-conceived policies and mismanagement. The Akalis were more interested in their own welfare than in ensuring the state’s growth, he added, blaming them for destroying both agriculture and industry. He said his Government was making sincere efforts to promote industry in a big way and had taken several path breaking initiatives, including the new industrial policy. These initiatives have secured industrial investment worth Rs. 20,000 crore in a short span, he added.Terming the real estate sector as a driver of economic growth, Captain Amarinder Singh said the sector had got a major boost under his government, with Mohali alone having transacted more than 27,000 units. He hoped the trend would be manifest in other cities too.
On debt waiver, the Chief Minister said relief amounting to Rs. 1765 crore had already been disbursed through direct benefit transfer to loan accounts of marginal farmers of cooperative banks, and was now being extended to marginal farmers of commercial banks. Debt relief worth Rs. 350 crore would be given in the next three weeks, he said, adding that the entire process would be completed by the end of this year.Reiterating his firm commitment to stamp out the menace of drugs from the state, the Chief Minister said that the major drug mafias had already been destroyed and the big fish would also be caught soon and brought to book. He charged the previous government with gross negligence and complacency in dealing with the problem. The state, he said, has a strong and efficient police force comprising nearly 81,000 police personnel, who just need motivation to eventually get rid of the menaces like drugs, gangsters and other anti-social elements.The Chief Minister said the back to back victories of the Congress after assembly polls were a reflection of the people’s faith in the development oriented policies of his government. His government would fulfill all the promises made in the manifesto, he said, pointing out that the fiscal situation in the state was showing positive signs of recovery.On the issue of SIT formed to probe the various incidents of sacrilege, the Chief Minister assured that the justice would prevail and the guilty would be punished. The SIT was an independent agency and would submitted the report in a reasonable time after thorough investigation, he added.Expressing confidence in the leadership of AICC president Rahul Gandhi, Captain Amarinder described him as a youth icon, capable of steering the nation. He was confident the Congress would emerge victorious in the forthcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and the parliamentary elections 2019, as a result of the people’s angst and frustration against the non-performance of the BJP. The Chief Minister was accompanied by Sports Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, his Media Advisor Raveen Thukral, besides MLAs Dr. Raj Kumar Verka, Navtej Singh Cheema and Raj Kumar Chabbewal.