Emphasizing the need for checking brain drain, weaning away youth from menace of drugs and safeguarding the interests of farmers, the Cooperation and Jails Minister Punjab Mr. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa today gave clarion call to people to join hands for saving the "Fasal (crop) and Nasal (progeny)" of the state.Addressing the gathering today after unfurling the national flag in Guru Gobind Singh Stadium during a function to mark the Republic Day celebrations , the Minister called upon all social organizations, government officials, NGOs and especially the youth to work in unison to restore the pristine glory of the state. He said that it was bounden duty of all of us to make concerted efforts for fulfilling the aspirations of our great freedom fighters. “It is our bounden duty to make strenuous efforts in this direction as a humble but befitting tribute to the great freedom fighters, who laid down their lives at the altar of the motherland” added Mr. Randhawa.Striking an emotional chord with the people of Jalandhar, the Minister said that it was a matter of pride for him to preside over the Republic Day function at Jalandhar, as it was the part of Doaba region which has produced maximum freedom in the country as iconic hero Shaheed Bhagat singh and heroes of the Gadar movement and Babar Akali movement hailed from this soil. He also said that Jalandhar was also the land of legendary freedom fighter S. Darbara Singh, who later served as the Chief Minister of the state. Mr. Randhawa also recalled that his father and former Punjab Minister late S. Santokh Singh Randhawa had also unfurled the flag during such function in 1980s.
Listing the achievements of the Punjab government led by the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, the Minister said that the state government has been making concerted efforts to ensure holistic development of the state. He said that the state has been put on high growth trajectory by the Punjab government by pumping in massive investments and resources. Mr. Randhawa said that till now the state government has provided jobs to more than 11 lakh unemployed youth under Ghar Ghar Rozgar Yojna besides waiving off debt worth Rs 4736 crore of more than five lakh farmers. Reiterating the firm commitment of state government to give fillip to the development of the district, the Minister said that the state government has formulated a comprehensive plan for the development of the city. Mr. Randhawa said that he had laid the foundation of stone of projects worth more than Rs 100 crore for development of the city on Saturday. He said that more such projects were in offering for holistic development of the urban and rural areas of the district. The Minister said that Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had gifted multi-crore development projects to the district during 2019. He said that Chief Minster Captain Amarinder Singh laid the foundation stone of Degree College for Girls at the local Boota Mandi to be named after chief architect of Indian Constitution Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
Similarly, Mr. Randhawa said that on the eve of the country’s 73rd Independence Day, the Chief Minister dedicated the third phase of the Jung-E-Azadi memorial here to the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and the unsung heroes who were incarcerated in the Andaman Cellular Jail during the freedom struggle adding that to give further impetus to the overall development in and around Jalandhar City, Captain Amarinder Singh also inaugurated and laid foundation stone of development projects worth Rs 133 crore in the district.Asserting that the state government was firmly committed for wiping out the menace of drugs from the state, the Minister said that the Punjab government had already snapped the supply line of drugs in the state and the drug peddlers were being put behind the bars. He said that awareness campaigns like DAPO and Buddy have been started to make people a part of the anti-drug campaign. Mr. Randhawa also said that the state government was leaving no stone unturned to make Punjab the most progressive and front runner state in the country.Recalling the stellar role of Punjabis in India's national freedom struggle, The Minister said that Punjabis have always led from the front against the tyranny, oppression and injustice unleashed by the invaders from time to time. He said that the lives and message of the great Sikh Gurus would ever act as a lighthouse to motivate the people against the tyrannical and oppressive forces. Mr. Randhawa also paid homage to great national leaders like Lala Lajpat Rai, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Udham Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Diwan Singh Kalepani, Baba Ram Singh, Madan Lal Dhingra, Lala Hardiyal, Sohan Singh Bhakna and several others who sacrificed their lives at the altar of freedom of their motherland.
On the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar Mr. Varinder Kumar Sharma and Commissioner of Police Mr. Gurpreet Singh Bhullar felicitated the Minister with a momento.Earlier, the Minister also honoured freedom fighters Mr. Dev Vrat Sharma and Mr. Jawahar Lal. The Chief guest also took a salute during an impressive march past by 15 contingents of Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibet Border Police, Punjab Police, Home Guards, NCC, Bharat Scouts and Guides led by the parade Commander Mr. Ankur Gupta IPS. Mr. Randhawa also honoured around 100 prominent officers or employees and persons from various walks of life for their remarkable contribution towards society. He also distributed sewing machines and wheelchairs among needy people.Prominent amongst others present on the occasion included MLAs Mr. Pargat Singh, Mr. Sushil Kumar Rinku, Mr. Rajinder Beri, Mr. Hardev Singh Laddi , Mr. Avtar Singh Bawa Henry and Chaudhary Surinder Singh, Mayor Jalandhar Mr. Jagdish Raj Raja, MILKFED Chairman Captain Harminder Singh, Chairman Improvement Trust Jalandhar Mr. Daljeet Singh Ahluwalia, Chairperson Zila Parishad Mrs. Surjit Kaur, Chairman Improvement Trust Kartarpur Mr. Rajinder Pal Singh Rana Randhawa and others.On the occasion Deputy Commissioner Mr. Varinder Kumar Sharma, Police Commissioner Mr. Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Commissioner Municipal Corporation Jalandhar Mr. Diperva Lakra, Additional Deputy Commissioners Mr. Kulwant Singh and Mr. Jasbir Singh, Deputy Commissioners of Police Mr. Arun Saini, Mr. Balkar Singh and Mr. Amrik Singh Pawar, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Ms. D Sudarvizhi, Sub Divisional Magistrate Mr. Rahul Sindhu and Dr. Jai Inder Singh, Assistant Commissioner Mr. Hardeep Singh, District Revenue Officer Mr. Jashanjeet Singh besides others.