Independence Day was celebrated with patriotic fervor and gaiety in the district on August 15 here at local grain market where Food & Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs minister Punjab, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, unfurled the national flag. Various contingents of Punjab Police, Scout Guides and NCC participated in the march past in the function. After the Independence Day function, the Cabinet minister also inaugurated the newly constructed building of Sakhi: One Stop Centre inside civil hospital Barnala and a smart school in village Sekha.Mr. Bharat Bhushan Ashu acclaimed the sacrifice of martyrs of freedom struggle and said that the peace and prosperity of the country was achieved only due to the sacrifices of the freedom fighters. He added that the contribution of people of Punjab was the highest among all other states across the nation in the freedom struggle.Mr. Ashu said that as the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji is to be held in November 2019, the Punjab government has decided to carry out year long celebrations starting from November 2018. He added that Jagatguru Guru Nanak Dev Open University will be established at Patiala along with a college at Sultanpur Lodhi.Food & Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs minister that the Captain Amarinder Singh led Punjab government has been continuously working for the development of the state and welfare of its residents. He said that to provide financial assistance to debt ridden Punjabi farmers, their government has waived the loan of Rupees 4700 of as many as 5.62 lakh farmers.
He added that as many as 1.5 lakh farmers would also be benefitted in the next phase under Debt Relief scheme.“We have also enhanced the compensation to 12,000 from the previous amount of Rs. 8,000 for the crop damage of farmers,” Mr. Ashu said.During the inauguration of Sakhi: One Stop Centre (OSC), the cabinet minister said that the Captain Amarinder Singh led Punjab government has also been committed to provide better health and education facilities to common residents. He said that OSC is intended to support women affected by violence, in private and public spaces, within the family, community or at the workplace. He added that aggrieved women facing any kind of violence due to attempted sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, trafficking, honor related crimes, acid attacks or witch-hunting who have reached out or been referred to the OSC will be provided with specialized medical, legal, psychological aid.Mr. Bharat Bhushan Ashu said to impart interactive and quality learning and to improve the level of education in the government schools, Punjab government has decided to develop smart schools across the state. The minister has also announced a grant of Rs. 5 lakh each for Smart school and panchayat of village Sekha.On this occasion, former MLA Kewal Singh Dhillon, District Sessions Judge Virender Aggarwal, DC Tej Partap Singh Phoolka, SSP Harjit Singh, ADC (g) Ruhee Dugg, ADC (d) Parveen Kumar, SDM Sandeep Kumar, DPO Kulwinder Singh, DEO secondary Gurpreet Singh Toor, former MLA Harchand Kaur Ghanauri, former MLA Nirmal Singh Nimma among several other dignitaries were also present.