Punjab Cabinet Minister and MLA from the Khanna Assembly constituency, Mr. Tarunpreet Singh Sond, visited Civil Hospital Khanna late last night to inquire about the condition of injured MGNREGA employee Saudagar Singh and DSP Khanna Vinod Kumar. He directed the Senior Medical Officer, Dr. Maninder Singh Bhasin, to ensure that both receive the best possible treatment free of cost. Senior officials from the civil and police administration, MGNREGA Employees' Union Patron Varinder Singh, President Gursewak Singh, and other union representatives were also present on the occasion.
Speaking to the media, the Cabinet Minister said that continuous discussions and meetings with MGNREGA employees were being held for nearly the past 20 days. He stated that the current situation faced by the employees is primarily due to the Central Government's decision to discontinue the MGNREGA scheme and introduce a new scheme.
He said these employees have devoted many years of their lives to the MGNREGA programme and should be given appropriate opportunities under the new system. He added that the employees have expressed their willingness to work under the new scheme, provided that their genuine demands are accepted.
Mr. Sond said there is no disagreement between the Punjab Government and the MGNREGA employees on this issue, and that the state government wants to resolve every concern through dialogue. The Cabinet Minister further said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has issued clear directions that the concerns of MGNREGA employees should be heard with full sympathy and that their genuine demands should be addressed.
He said that after completing his meetings in Chandigarh, he immediately travelled to Khanna and held discussions with the MGNREGA employees for more than an hour. He also spoke with senior officials over the phone and directed them to provide a written assurance regarding the employees' legitimate demands.
He assured that the Punjab Government is fully committed to safeguarding the interests of the employees and that all their genuine demands will be addressed in a constitutional and compassionate manner. On the occasion, Mr. Varinder Singh, Patron of the MGNREGA Employees' Union, Punjab, told the media that MGNREGA employees have been serving under the scheme for the past 18 years and that their primary demand is for the government to ensure continued employment.
He said that Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond personally visited Civil Hospital Khanna along with civil and police administration officials and directed doctors to provide free and quality treatment to the injured employees. Varinder Singh added that earlier, a detailed meeting lasting nearly an hour was held at the residence of Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond regarding the employees' demands.
During the meeting, the Minister instructed departmental officials to submit the genuine demands in writing and to initiate the process for resolving them, while assuring a positive outcome. He said that all legitimate demands would be resolved through mutual dialogue and that the MGNREGA Employees' Union is fully satisfied with the assurances given by Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Khanna Dr. Darpan Ahluwalia, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Khanna Ms. Swati Tiwana, Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Dr. Maninder Singh Bhasin, other senior civil and police officials, and representatives of the MGNREGA Employees' Union were also present.