Assailing the Congress led UPA government for its apathetic attitude towards the state, Punjab Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal today said that the Union government was deliberately denying the requisite infra structure for ensuring the smooth procurement of food grains from the state. Talking to the media persons on the sidelines of the second day of Sangat Darshan program here today, the Chief Minister categorically said that the Center was once again doing injustice with state by denying the facilities needed for the smooth procurement of the food grains. He said that the Union government was duty bound to ensure proper storage, movement and lifting of the food grains produced by the farmers but the UPA government had totally failed in fulfilling this duty, which has increased the agonies of the farmers. Mr Badal said that the Center was not paying heed towards the demands made by the state government regularly for providing the necessary infra structure to ensure smooth procurement.
Training his guns against the Center government, the Chief Minister said that despite of the fact that he had personally taken up the matter of paucity of storing facilities in the state with the top brass of the UPA government no concrete step has been taken to sort out this problem. He said that matter of giving the permission for the constructing of new silos on scientific lines in the state was also hanging in fire as the Union government was not granting the permission for it on one pretext or other. Mr Badal said that not only this but the Union government has not even bothered to ensure the timely supply of Gunny bags for the procurement of wheat despite of the fact that the state government had made requisition for its supply and deposited the requisite payment too well in advance.
The Chief Minister pointed out that this was the worst form of discrimination being meted out by the Union government with the states ruled by the opposition parties in the country. He said that the only solution for this problem was that the states must be given more powers so that such issues could be solved at their own level only. “The implementation of the genuine federal structure in the country was the only viable solution for it” he added.
Replying to a query regarding the ensuing Panchayati Raj elections in the state, the Chief Minister said that Punjab government was committed for ensuring free and fair elections to strengthen the democracy at grass root level. He said that like all the previous elections these polls would also be ensured in a transparent manner so that the people were able to exercise their franchise freely and fearlessly.
Earlier addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister reiterated the commitment of the SAD-BJP government to ensure all round development of the state. He said that the state government was laying thrust to provide best Health care and educational facilities to the people adding that due to the concerted efforts of the state government Punjab which earlier ranked 14th in the country as far as field of Education was concerned today leads the country in this field. Likewise Mr Badal said that the state has been adjudged best in the Health care infra structure by an agency of the Government of India (GoI).
The Chief Minister further said that now the state government was making all out efforts to ensure the provision of basic civic amenities to the residents of all the urban and rural areas of the state for which the work has already begun on war footing. He said that in another path breaking initiative the state government has decided to spend Rs1700 crore for upgrading and strengthening the network of rural road infrastructure in the state.
In his address the Revenue and Information & Public Relations Minister of Punjab, Mr Bikram Singh Majithia, who was accompanying the Chief Minister, thanked the voters for reposing the faith in the pro-people and development oriented policies of the SAD-BJP alliance government. He said that the crushing defeat of the Congress candidate in Moga by-election was a clear cut indication of the growing resentment amongst the people against the Congress party for its anti-poor policies. Mr Majithia said that fed up by the growing inflation and corruption in the country the countrymen would trounce the Congress in the coming Lok Sabha polls thereby paving way for the formation of NDA government at the center.
Later on the Chief Minister also laid down the foundation stone of new bye pass to be constructed in Moga at a cost of Rs 5.91 crore. This road would facilitate the commuters aspiring to go to Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ferozepur and others by reducing the distance by about seven kilometres besides removing the traffic congestion from the city. During the Sangat Darshan program at village Duneke, Bukkanwala, Mothanwali, Saasuwala, Ghal Kalan, Rattian, Saleena, Kot Bhau and Khosa Pando, the Chief Minister disbursed a grant of Rs 2.05 crores for carrying out developmental works in them.
Prominent amongst these present Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mr Inderbeer Singh Bularia, Lok Sabha MP Mrs Paramjeet Kaur Gulshan, MLAs Jathedar Tota Singh, Mr Joginder Pal Jain, Mr Darshan Singh Shivalik and Mr Manpreet Singh Iyaali, senior Akali leader and former DGP Mr PS Gill, Chairman of District Planning Board Mr Tarsem Singh Rattian, Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Mr KJS Cheema and Deputy Commissioner Arshdeep Singh Thind.