Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has appealed to the centre government for finding a suitable solution to the agrarian crisis and said that immediate steps need to be taken in this regard. He said this would help in checking the farmer suicides and agriculture would become a profitable venture. He said this while speaking to media persons after laying the foundation stone of Shaheed Baba Maharaj Singh ITI, here today.While replying to a question related to the Punjab government's role in finding a solution to the agrarian crisis, Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal said that agriculture used to be a state subject but due to wrong policies of successive Congress government's in centre, it has now become a centre subject. He said that right from fixing the MSP, to prices of diesel, pesticides, insecticides, and other such agriculture inputs, their prices are now fixed by the centre government. He said that the state only controls electricity supply for tubewells, for which Punjab government is already paying more than Rs 6,000 crore in subsidy.To a question asked about using the Swaminathan formula for fixing price of agricultural produce, the Chief Minister said that he has been demanding the same for a long time and has always advocated this formula, but its the centre government which has to take the final call in this regard.
While addressing a massive gathering at Grain Market, Malaud, Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal said that Technical Education is very important for the overall development of a country. He said that sadly, the previous UPA government did not work in this field and after Mr Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister, he formed a 10-member sub group on technical education. He said that he is the convenor of the sub group, which has been formed with a sole motive of giving much needed boost to technical education in the country.The Chief Minister further said that in India, only around 12 percent people are technically educated, whereas in South Korea its 96 percent, in Japan 80 percent and in Germany, its 75 percent. He said that for making India most developed country of the world, technical education is the most important. He said that this would not only lead to development, but would also help in keeping a check on the problem of unemployment.
Parkash Singh Badal said that the Punjab government has taken several steps for promoting technical education in the state. He said that with an investment of Rs 50 crore, five new ITI's are being set up in the state, which would be located in Malaud, Manakpur Sharif (Mohali), Adampur (Jalandhar), Niari (Pathankot) and Singhpura (Ropar). Besides this, the Punjab government has set up several Skill Development Centres in different parts of the state.For lifting the standard of education, the CM said that six schools for Meritorious students have been started in the state, where quality education is provided to students scoring more than 80 percent marks in class tenth. He said that the students in these schools are provided education totally free of cost, along with free hostel facility. He also announced to open four more such schools in the state.
Taking an aim at the Congress party, Mr Parkash Singh Badal said that it has always used the divide and rule policy. He said that on the other hand, the Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janta Party has always worked for maintaining communal harmony in the state.He said that successive Congress governments at centre have always meted step motherly treatment towards Punjab, but after the formation of NDA government at Centre now, Punjab has now got AIIMS, IIM, Horticulture Institute, besides other such projects. Besides this, Sri Amritsar Sahib has been given the status of a heritage city due to which it would now be developed with grants worth crores of rupees.While paying tribute to Shaheed Baba Maharaj Singh, Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal said that he was the first shaheed of Jang-E-Azaadi. He said that although Punjabi's are just 2 percent in India, but still 80 percent martyrs of our country are from our state.
While speaking on the occasion, Punjab Vidhan Sabha speaker Dr Charanjit Singh Atwal stressed on strengthening Primary Education. He said that good quality primary education acts as a strong and stable foundation for a child. He also thanked the Chief Minister for allotting an ITI, a judicial complex and several other development projects for Malaud area.Prominent among those present on the occasion included SAD District (Rural) president Mr Santa Singh Umedpuri, former MLA Mr Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, SGPC members Mr Raghbir Singh Saharan Majra, Mr Davinder Singh Khattra, Mr Charan Singh Alamgir, former ministers Mr Ishar Singh Meharban, Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha, former MLA's Mr Ranjit Singh Talwandi, Mr Jagjiwan Singh Khirnia, Director Technical Education and Industrial Training Mr B Purushartha, Chief Minister's Principal Secretary Mr Ajoy Sharma, Deputy Commissioner Mr Rajat Agarwal, Mr Ravinder Singh Cheema, besides several others.