Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today sought technical support from the experts of World Bank (WB) to save the people from the furry of floods besides permanently solving the problem of water logging in the area on the top priority.Talking to the media persons on the first day of his 3-day Sangat Darshan program, Mr. Badal said that the 6-member WB delegation led the task team leader Mr. Srinivasa Rao Podi P Reddy met him yesterday at Patiala to apprise him about the progress of the ongoing WB project on potable drinking water and sanitation in the state. The Chief Minister asked the WB mission to help the state in suggesting a time tested technology to bail out the people of this belt, who had suffered extensive damage to their crops and house property due to heavy rains during last monsoon. Mr. Badal pointed out that the state government had already submitted a comprehensive proposal of Rs.3327.57 crore to the Planning Commission of India for effective eradication of the problem of water logging besides resolving the major problem of swiftly depleting water table in the southern districts of the state.
Slamming the former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Smt. Rajinder Kaur Bhattal for poor financial condition of the state, Mr. Badal said that Congress leadership was left with no other option except indulging in either mudslinging or finding faults with the state government. He said that how a state with poor finances could manage to provide subsidized Atta-Dal to 15.40 lakh families which had now been doubled. Likewise, Punjab would soon become a power surplus state in the near future which could only be feasible due to the visionary approach of the state government and thus he advised these leaders to desist from making irresponsible statements without verifying the facts and moreover such callous attitude does not behoove of a leader having stature of Mrs. Bhattal. Reiterating his firm commitment to make Punjab free from the slur of drugs and narcotics, Mr. Badal further said that the unscrupulous and anti-social elements indulging in such unlawful activities would not be spared at any cost. Squarely blaming the Congress led UPA government at Centre which had blatantly failed to check the cross border smuggling of drugs and warranted far more stringent steps to be initiated by it in terms of intensifying the patrolling at the international border so that this malpractice must be brought to an end for the larger public interest.The Chief Minister further said that the land which was not fit for normal cultivation due to water logging would be utilized for fish farms and the state government would offer 30% as subsidy to encourage fish farming in the region.Likewise, the forest department would bear the entire cost of nurturing the poplar and eucalyptus plants for one year to encourage the farmers for opting agro forestry as a step towards the promotion persification of agriculture. He blamed the Centre for the anti-farmer policies which had rendered agriculture as non-remunerative profession because Centre was exercising entire control over all the policy decisions related to farming sector like fixation of prices, determination of agriculture costs and inputs thus putting the beleaguered peasantry in a tight spot.
Calling upon the farmers to adopt allied farming like honey-bee, fisheries and other related agriculture practices, Mr. Badal said that the state government would provide all possible assistance in this regard. Patting the students of village Phulo Khera, Bhai Ka Kera and Dabwali Malko Ki who secured 80% or above marks in 10th class, Mr. Badal gave away cash prize of Rs.5000 each to them. He informed such bright students would now be entitled for scholarship of Rs.2500 per month or Rs.30000 per year under the recently launched Hargobind Khurana Scholarship Scheme. He said that the arrears of scholarship to the tune of Rs.7500 for the first quarter had been credited to the bank accounts of the students. Mr. Badal also mentioned that six new model schools at Bathinda, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Jalandhar and Mohali would be opened where the students would be provided with the facilities of education and boarding free of cost.The Chief Minister listened to the grievances of the panchayats of village Fatehpur Manian, Phulo Khera, Arniwala Wazira, Bhai Ka kera, Baloch Khera, Mahani Khera, Kangan Khera and Dabwali Malko during the Sangat Darshan and asked the concerned officer to immediately initiate action for the quick redressal of their complaints.The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Special Principal Secretary Mr. KJS Cheema, Chief Engineer Canals Mr. AS Dulat, Director Agriculture Dr. Mangal Singh Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner Muktsar Mr. Paramjit Singh and SSP Mr. Surjit Singh.