Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that the SAD-BJP alliance government would completely dedicate itself to fulfill the aspirations of the people in the coming two and a half years.Interacting with the media persons on the sidelines of the inauguration of Ranbaj multispecialty hospital here at sector 82, the Chief Minister said that the state government had left no stone unturned for the overall development of Punjab in the last two and a half years and this trend would be replicated in the remaining term of the alliance government by giving major push to the growth of the state and prosperity of its people. He said that the entire focus of the alliance government was to emerge Punjab as a front runner state in the country for which all out efforts were being made by them. Mr. Badal said that the people of Punjab have time and again given a clear verdict in the pro-people and progressive policies of the state government due to which it was the bounden duty of the alliance government to cherish their hopes.
Replying to another query, the Chief Minister reiterated that the media has misinterpreted the letters written by Union Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley whereas the reality was that the Union Minister had just referred the issues pertaining to the state to the concerned quarters. Terming the reports regarding strain in the relationship of SAD- BJP as ‘completely baseless’, he said that alliance has always stood the test of time adding that the relations between the SAD and BJP were very cordial because they have been time and again cemented with mutual affection and understanding and with the passage of time the relationship has been far more strengthened.The Chief Minister further said that the sole motive of Shiromani Akali Dal’s tie up with Indian National Lok Dal in ensuing Haryana assembly polls was to defeat the Congress party. He said that this would not have any bearing on age old ties of SAD-BJP as both the alliance partners were committed for routing the Congress party out of power from Haryana.
Earlier addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that due to the concerted efforts of the state government Punjab has today emerged as a world class health tourist destination in the country. He said that gone were the days when Punjabis had to visit other places for getting quality health services and now the people across the globe were visiting the state to avail best treatment and diagnostic facilities.Listing the initiatives taken by the state government to emerge Punjab as a major hub of Super Specialty treatment across the globe, the Chief Minister said that setting up of the Homi Bhabha Cancer Treatment and Research Center at Mullanpur (New Chandigarh) was a right step towards this direction.
Badal said that the state government has already made elaborate arrangements to provide state of the art treatment to the patients afflicted with the cancer in the Government Medical Colleges at Amritsar, Patiala and Faridkot besides the upcoming ultra modern Cancer treatment centers in Bathinda and Sangrur. He further said that the state government had also initiated a cashless treatment scheme for the cancer patients besides making strenuous efforts to provide subsidized medicines to them.On the occasion, the Chief Minister congratulated eminent dentist Dr. Randeep Singh Mann and his family for setting up this Multispecialty Center in a record time period. Prominent amongst those present on the occasion include Consulate General of Canada Ms Rajani Alexander, Mission Head British High Commission Mr. Charanjiv Bachhar, Vice Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences Dr. SS Gill, senior Akali leader Mr. Kulwant Singh and Deputy Commissioner Mr. TPS Sidhu.