In a healing touch to the two worst affected villages of water logged areas of the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today embarked a major scheme for development of infra structure and promotion of skill training and allied farming sectors in Ratta Khera and Ratta Khera (Chota) villages by developing them as ‘Model villages’ at a cost of Rs 23 crore.Addressing gathering after initiating this project here today, the Chief Minister said that this scheme has been launched on pilot basis in these two villages and it would be replicated in other parts of the state after getting the desired results. He said that in last two decades these two villages have been adversely affected due to the water logging as a result of which people were confronting a lot of economic and social problems.
Lauding the villagers for facing these problems bravely, Mr. Badal said that dedicated efforts must be made to optimally harness the opportunities in skill training and allied farming sector for supplementing the income of villagers adding that concerted efforts were afoot by the state government for the tackling the menace of water logging in these areas. The Chief Minister further said that it was the firm commitment of the state government to develop these villages into ‘Model Villages’ but the villagers and the officials should also dedicate themselves for the success of this ambitious scheme so that every household was benefitted from it. He said that comprehensive planning of this scheme has been made by the Planning Department of the state in consultation with the various other departments of the state government, so that people could be duly benefitted from it.
Badal said that under this project Rs 23 crore would be spent on various development works in these villages which include construction of Toilets, schools, community sheds, anganwari centers, new houses and repair of old houses besides various others public centric projects. Exhorting the people to personally monitor the work under this scheme, the Chief Minister said that this herculean task could not be completed without their active support and cooperation. Mr. Badal said that he was very well conversant with the problems faced by residents of these villages and no stone would be left unturned to find their solution under this scheme.
Earlier, the women in the Knitting center of village Ratta Khera during their interaction with the Chief Minister apprised him about the problems faced by them after which Mr. Badal asked the representative of Knitwear to make every effort for solving their problems.
He also interacted with the progressive fish farmers of the village, who had recently undergone training at Bhubneshvar (Orissa). These fish farmers apprised the Chief Minister about their experiences, after which Mr. Badal assured them of fulsome support and cooperation from the state government in pursuing fish farming.
On the occasion, the officers of Fisheries Department informed the Chief Minister that vigorous efforts were being made to promote fish farming in the water logged areas of the state. They apprised Mr. Badal that till now 21 beneficiaries have been extended monetary assistance worth Rs 88 lakh for pursuing fish farming over an area of 99.67 acres whereas the project of 31 more beneficiaries over a land of 113 acre at a cost of Rs 1.30 crore has also been approved. The Chief Minister assured the farmers that the state government would give all sort of assistance for installing solar pumps in Fish farms.
Earlier interacting with the media persons, the Chief Minister, while replying to a query regarding the demand made by some BJP leaders for resignation of Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mr. Avinash Chander, said that if name of any person crops up in any case that does not make him a culprit adding that action could only be taken against anybody if there were adequate proof against him. The Chief Minister was accompanied by Chairman District Planning Board Mr. Hardeep Singh Dimpi Dhillon, Chairman Mr. Tejinder Singh Middukhera and his Special Principal Secretary Mr. KJS Cheema.