News Analysis India

Tag: Punjab Polls 2022

  • Rahul asks people not to ‘experiment’ in Punjab polls, to choose Congress

    By PTI

    HOSHIARPUR/GURDASPUR: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday cautioned people against going for any “experiment” in the Punjab assembly polls, saying that maintaining peace was most important for the state and only his party was capable of it.

    Addressing poll rallies in Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur, Gandhi asserted that his party understands Punjab very well and can take the state forward.

    The Congress leader also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over unemployment, saying he does not talk about it and black money in his election speeches.

    Gandhi also attacked Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his statement on the drug menace in Punjab, and asked him why he did not speak on the subject when his party’s previous alliance partner Shiromani Akali Dal was in power in the state.

    Gandhi also promised that the drug problem would be wiped out from Punjab if his party returns to power in the state.

    He said Punjab is a “sensitive” state and it is only the Congress which knows how to protect peace in the state.

    “Punjab’s peace is the most important thing. Remember, this is not a laboratory, not a chemistry lab to carry out an experiment, because if peace goes and if hatred starts to spread here, it will not only be Punjab’s, but nation’s loss.”

    “You understand the Congress party. It can take everyone along and maintain peace. We have experience in doing so. This is not the time to experiment,” said Gandhi, while seeking a clear mandate to bring his party to power in the state again.

    Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who was scheduled to attend the Hoshiarpur rally, was unable to do so.

    He later said that his chopper was not allowed to fly because of the no-fly zone declared in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Punjab visit.

    Taking on the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, Gandhi said it does not understand Punjab and cannot take care of the state.

    “They cannot take care of Punjab and they do not know how to do it. Only the Congress can take care of Punjab. The Congress can maintain peace in Punjab. We deeply understand Punjab. We know that the most important thing for Punjab is peace, brotherhood and unity and for this, the Congress party can do anything,” he said.

    Attacking Congress’ rivals, he said the state cannot be run with false promises.

    Deriding the AAP over its claims of setting up mohalla clinics, Gandhi said everyone saw the state of affairs during the second wave of COVID-19 in Delhi.

    “If they (AAP) changed Delhi’s picture, why Congress workers had to provide oxygen cylinders to people during the second wave of Covid. The AAP government in Delhi completely failed during Covid,” he said.

    Targeting AAP over its promise of giving Rs 1,000 to every woman in Punjab aged 18 years each month if it comes to power, Gandhi said as Navjot Singh Sidhu pointed out in the rally the age bracket over 18 was chosen with an eye to garner votes.

    “They (Kejriwal-AAP) can do anything for vote, they can seek apology (referring to Kejriwal) from (SAD leader) Bikram Majithia,” he said.

    “But Congress party does not do vote bank politics. Punjab for us is not just a state, it is India’s soul, it safeguards our nation, this state should never become weak and if all sections stand together, no power can touch Punjab,” he said.

    The Congress leader targeted the Centre over demonetisation and goods and services tax, alleging that only two-three billionaires benefited from it.

    Stating that Channi understands poverty well, Gandhi said Channi will lead a government of poor people, farmers, small traders and small and medium businesses, not of ‘arabpatis’ (billionaires).

    “We have Punjab elections before us. This is not an ordinary election. You have to elect a new government,” said Gandhi.

    Hitting out at the Centre, he said, “In the country today, unemployment is rising in every state.”

    The Congress leader recalled how the SAD and the BJP had made fun of him when he had raised the drug problem issue in Punjab.

    Gandhi also recalled how the BJP had mocked him when he had cautioned how adversely Covid would impact India.

    He said the people have been told a “lie” on Covid deaths and the actually number of fatalities is five to seven times more than what has been officially announced.

    Apparently referring to the registration of NDPS case against Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia, Gandhi said, “We will continue to take action and wipe out drugs from Punjab.”

    He further said, “Our government is not of two or three billionaires. If our government was of two to three billionaires, then in Punjab, the Congress party would not have stood against farm laws. Our government is pro-farmer which is why we stood with farmers and tried to stop these agri laws in Parliament.”

    He lauded Punjab farmers for agitating against the farm laws and said, “Had you not forced the repeal of these laws, then not only Punjab but farmers across India would have suffered losses.”

    He also said the Congress government even gave compensation to the families of farmers who died during the agitation.

    “I had earlier said that Narendra Modi will have to withdraw these farm laws because I know the strength of farmers. What I say is with careful thought,” said Gandhi.

    In his address, Punjab Congress president Sidhu said, “There were two cancers in Punjab, one Capt Amarinder Singh who was thrown out (as CM by Congress). And second cancer, I will assure you that Punjab’s mafia will be eliminated from Punjab’s map when the party returns to power.”

  • Punjab polls: Channi, PM throw allegations at each other as election battle heats up

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Monday claimed that his chopper was not allowed to fly to Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar because areas were declared as no-fly zones amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state.

    Channi was to attend a poll rally along with former Congress president Rahul Gandhi at Hoshiarpur.

    Gandhi was to attend a second rally alone in Gurdaspur which he attended.

    PM Modi came to Jalandhar to address his first physical rally for the February 20 Punjab polls.

    Channi claimed that the permission given to his chopper to fly to Hoshiarpur from Chandigarh was cancelled.

    Channi was to fly to Hoshiarpur in a chopper shortly after addressing a press conference in Chandigarh to attend a poll rally there with Rahul Gandhi.

    “I had to fly at 11 am and I sat in the chopper. Suddenly I was told that the permission (for flying) has been cancelled and I could not go there,” the chief minister told reporters here.

    “My four hours got wasted. I could not attend Rahul Gandhi’s rally because the clearance was not given,” he said.

    He added that he was denied permission to fly as the area was made no flying zone because of the PM’s visit.

    Replying to a question, Channi claimed he had permission for flying and landing at Hoshiarpur which was later withdrawn.

    “People know everything about what politics they are playing with me,” he said.

    The CM later went to Sujanpur in Pathankot for an election-related programme.

    Channi, however, later complained that he was again denied permission to fly from Sujanpur to Jalandhar where he was to attend another poll-related programme.

    Then he travelled by road from Sujanpur to reach Jalandhar for attending a programme.

    He told a TV channel separately that he was the state’s chief minister and not a terrorist.

    “Why was I being stopped in such a way? What conspiracy is this? What politics is this?” he asked.

    He alleged that the reason for stopping him from flying was “purely political.”

    He said he had to travel through the road to reach Jalandhar.

    Notably, a month after he cut short his Punjab visit due to a security breach in Ferozepur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said in Jalandhar that he was unable to pay a visit to a temple there as local authorities could not make necessary arrangements.

    “Such is the situation of the government in Punjab,” the prime minister said addressing a poll rally in Jalandhar while attacking the Congress party.

    The Prime Minister said he would come to Jalandhar again and pay his obeisance at the Devi Talab Mandir.

    Modi was addressing a poll rally in person in Jalandhar, his first in Punjab after January 5 when he had to return from the state without attending any event, including a public meeting, after his convoy got stuck on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur.

    Recalling his 2014 Lok Sabha poll campaign as the BJP’s PM candidate, he said his plane was not allowed to fly as “the Congress’ namdar and its yuvraj (prince), who was just an MP,” had a programme near Amritsar.

    “I got delayed by more than an hour in reaching Pathankot. When I reached Pathankot, my helicopter was not allowed to fly. Why? Because their yuvraj was visiting some other place in Punjab,” Modi said in an apparent reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

    “Such misuse of power used to happen for one family. In 2014, my helicopter could not fly after sunset. My two programmes in Himachal Pradesh at that time had to be cancelled. It has been the deeds of the Congress to stop its opponents. For the last 50 years, it has been doing this against its rivals,” he said as he took a dig at the Gandhis.

    A month after he cut short his Punjab visit due to a security breach in Ferozepur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he was unable to pay a visit to a temple here as local authorities could not make necessary arrangements.

    Such is the situation of the government in Punjab, the prime minister said while hitting out at the Congress, and asserted that he will come to Jalandhar again and pay obeisance at the Devi Talab Mandir.

    Modi was addressing a physical poll rally in Jalandhar, his first in Punjab since January 5 when he returned from the state without attending any event, including a public meeting, after his convoy got stuck on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur.

    The prime minister said it was his desire to pay obeisance at the Devi Talab Mandir, but the police and the administration here said they will not be able to make arrangements”.

    “They said you leave by helicopter, such is the situation of the government here. But I will come here again and pay obeisance at the temple,” said Modi as he addressed the gathering ahead of the February 20 polls to the 117-member state assembly.

    Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi claimed that his helicopter was not allowed to fly for Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar because of the no-fly zone declared in the wake of Modi’s visit.

    Channi was to attend a poll rally by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Hoshiarpur.

    At his rally, the prime minister mocked the Congress over the infighting in its Punjab unit and said the party is “disintegrating” and its leaders are exposing it.

    Referring to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, he said the Congress instead of punishing the culprits, had rewarded them with ministerial positions, and it was the BJP government that put them in jail.

    The Congress has deep animosity with Punjab and Punjabis, and creates thousands of obstacles for those who want to work, he said, adding history is witness that the Congress can never work for Punjab.

    Asserting that the BJP-led alliance will form the next government in the state, he said a new chapter of development will start and it will make all efforts to give the people a brighter future.

    “In Punjab, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will form government. In Punjab, a new chapter of development will start. I want to assure people, especially the youth, that for their brighter future, we will not leave any stone unturned,” said Modi, who had on February 8 addressed a virtual rally for the polls.

    The country is moving ahead with the pledge of a new India and it can be realised when there will be a “Nawa Punjab”, he said.

    It will be that “Nawa Punjab in which traditions and development will go together, one which will be free from debt and full of opportunities, where every Dalit will get respect and honour and at every step there will be equal opportunity, that Nawa Punjab where there will be no scope for corruption and mafia, and rule of law will prevail,” he said.

    On the Congress infighting, Modi asked the gathering if those who fight among themselves can give a stable government.

    The Congress policies have destroyed industries and affected employment in Punjab, he said.

    He also attacked the AAP, saying some people have come here to play a game of lies and they talk about making Punjab drugs free but are experts in opening liquor vends on streets.

    Recalling his 2014 Lok Sabha poll campaign as the BJP’s PM candidate, he said his plane was not allowed to fly as “the Congress’ namdar and its yuvraj (prince), who was just an MP,” had a programme near Amritsar.

    “I got delayed by more than an hour in reaching Pathankot. When I reached Pathankot, my helicopter was not allowed to fly. Why? Because their yuvraj was visiting some other place in Punjab,” Modi said in an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi.

    “Such misuse of power used to happen for one family. In 2014, my helicopter could not fly after sunset. My two programmes in Himachal Pradesh at that time had to be cancelled. It has been the deeds of the Congress to stop its opponents. For the last 50 years, it has been doing this against its rivals,” he said as he took a dig at the Gandhis.

    The BJP is contesting the elections in alliance with Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa’s Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt).

    Dhindsa and Singh were also present at the rally.

    Punjab is a border state and its security and peace is necessary for India’s unity and integrity.

    Hence, Punjab needs a strong government that can take serious steps for its and India’s security, he said.

    Referring to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Modi, without naming her, said she recently said Singh did not listen to the party and instead worked with the Centre.

    She had on Sunday at a rally said the Singh-led Punjab government had to be replaced as it was being run by the BJP and the BJP government from Delhi.

    “This is a clear admission of trying to remote control the state government,” Modi said, adding Singh worked with the Centre in true spirit of federalism, but when he refused to take the “family’s diktats”, it removed him.

    Singh was removed by the Congress as CM last year, and later after quitting the party, he formed the PLC.

    He was replaced by Channi.

    “There may be any (party’s) government in states, but we believe in the federal structure and it is the duty of the Centre to work for a state’s welfare. But if any family tries to run governments by remote control and not care about the Constitution, then it will create tension in the country. This family is doing just that,” he said.

    Modi said the Congress is getting punishment for its deeds.

    The BJP has kept Punjab’s interest above its coalition rights, he said and pointed out that in 2007, the SAD fell short of majority and the government would not have been possible without the BJP’s support.

    He said the coalition norms demanded that the deputy CM be from the BJP.

    “But Badal Sahab (Parkash Singh Badal) instead made his son (Sukhbir Badal) the deputy CM and the BJP accepted it in the interest of Punjab,” Modi said.

  • BJP takes serious note of attack on party’s Punjab candidate; Shekhawat says violence is unacceptable

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Claiming that the BJP’s popularity graph in Punjab is rising and the opponents are feeling threatened, Union minister and party’s in-charge for Punjab, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday strongly condemned the attack on party candidate in Ludhiana district, Sucha Ram Ladhar.

    BJP candidate from Ludhiana’s Gill constituency Ladhar was injured and hospitalised after unidentified persons allegedly attacked his car Sunday evening, police had said.

    Ladhar was returning from a village in his constituency after campaigning.

    63-year-old Ladhar, a retired IAS officer, was later hospitalised in Ludhiana.

    Shekhawat said, violence in a civilized society is unacceptable.

    “Those responsible for the incident will be identified and strictly dealt with according to the law”, he said in a statement here, while adding, “we will not let our leaders and workers be threatened and intimidated by violence”.

    Shekhawat dared the Bharatiya Janata Party’s opponents to fight the battle with votes and not with violence.

    “These incidents are only an indication that the BJP candidates are leading everywhere and the opponents in sheer frustration are now trying to use violence to intimidate them”, he alleged.

    With Punjab going to polls on February 20 and Model Code coming into effect last month with announcement of polls, the union minister warned, “it is not the Congress rule in the state anymore where you will disrupt the Prime Minister’s programme”.

    “Everything is being noted and monitored to the minutest detail and everything will be taken to the logical conclusion”, he said, while warning, BJP will not take the attack on its candidates lying down.

    Shekhawat also asked the officials in the administration and police to perform their duty according to the law and not feel intimidated by anyone.

    “You are there to protect people and during current times, you have the added responsibility”, he asked the officials, while making it clear that they must not let themselves be influenced by anyone.

  • BJP candidate Sucha Ram Ladhar injured after attack on his car in Punjab

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: BJP candidate from Punjab’s Gill constituency Sucha Ram Ladhar was injured and hospitalised after unidentified persons allegedly attacked his car Sunday evening, police said.

    The attack took place when he was returning from a village in his constituency in Ludhiana after campaigning.

    Some people hurled bricks at Ladhar’s car and he sustained injuries in the attack, a police official from the area where the incident took place said over the phone.

    Ladhar was taken to Ludhiana civil hospital, he said, adding his condition is stable.

    “Further investigations are on,” the police official said.

    Ladhar, a 63-year-old retired bureaucrat, is contesting from Ludhiana’s reserved Gill assembly constituency for the 2022 Punjab assembly polls.

    Earlier in the day, he was present in a poll rally in Ludhiana which was addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

    Punjab will go to the polls on February 20 and the counting will take place on March 10.

  • Congress MP Preneet Kaur attends BJP poll meet, seeks votes for husband Amarinder Singh in Punjab

    By PTI

    PATIALA: Congress MP Preneet Kaur on Saturday attending a meeting of the BJP here and sought votes for her husband Amarinder Singh in the Punjab assembly polls.

    Amarinder Singh had floated his own party Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) after he was unceremoniously removed as the chief minister by the Congress high command last year following a bitter tussle with party’s state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

    Kaur, the MP from Patiala, attended the BJP’s meeting, which had been organised for the saffron party’s ally Amarinder Singh.

    Amarinder Singh-led PLC, the BJP and the SAD (Sanyukt) are fighting the state polls in alliance.

    The former chief minister is contesting the elections as Punjab Lok Congress nominee from his traditional seat Patiala (Urban).

    Saturday’s meeting was organised at Sirhindi Gate here.

    “I have come to you to appeal for Amarinder Singh as your family member,” Kaur said, seeking votes for her husband.

    The move of Preneet, who has been staying away from campaigning for the Congress, has raised speculations about her next political step.

    A few days ago, Congress nominee from Patiala (Urban) Vishnu Sharma had asked Kaur to either campaign for the party or resign.

    “I am with my family. The family is above everything,” Kaur had said on Thursday when reporters asked her why she was “silent” during the elections.

    The Congress had in November last year issued her a show-cause notice seeking an explanation from her for alleged “anti-party activities”.

    When asked about it, Kaur had told reporters on Thursday that she did not receive any such notice and had only read about it in newspapers and on social media.

    The notice should otherwise have come from the party general secretary, she had said.

  • Punjab CM Charanjit Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey sent to 14-day judicial custody

    By ANI

    JALANDHAR: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey was produced before a court on Friday in connection with an alleged illegal sand mining case where he was sent to 14-day judicial custody.

    Honey was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged illegal sand mining case on February 3 from Jalandhar after a day-long questioning. He was remanded to the ED custody till February 4 after which his custody was extended till February 11.

    ED’s action had come around 20 days after it seized more than Rs 10 crore, gold worth above 21 lakh and a Rolex watch worth Rs 12 lakh from the residential premises of Honey, and others in connection with an alleged illegal sand mining case.

    The ED had declared the recoveries after it concluded its two-day raid conducted at the business and residential premises of the accused persons and their associates in over a dozen places in Mohali, Ludhiana, Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Pathankot.

    The federal agency had also raided the premises of the accused persons and their associates including Kudratdeep Singh, the owner of Pinjore Royalty Company, and his partners and shareholders Kanwarmahip Singh, Manpreet Singh, Sunil Kumar Joshi, Jagveer Inder Singh on January 18 and 19.

  • Family above everything: Congress MP Preneet Kaur says in support of husband Amarinder Singh

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Even as the Assembly elections in Punjab are around the corner, Congress MP Preneet Kaur, who is also former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s wife, continues to stay away from poll campaigning in Patiala.

    “Family is above everything,” she says.

    Amarinder Singh, who quit the Congress last year after being forced to resign as the chief minister, is fighting the upcoming polls from Patiala Urban seat after floating his own political outfit, the Punjab Lok Congress.

    A few days ago, Congress nominee from Patiala Urban seat Vishnu Sharma had asked Kaur, the MP from Patiala, to either campaign for the party or resign.

    “I am with my family. The family is above everything,” Kaur said when reporters asked why she was “silent” during the elections.

    The Congress had in November last year issued her a show-cause notice seeking an explanation for her alleged “anti-party activities”.

    When nudged about it, Kaur told reporters on Thursday that she did not receive any such notice, but had only read about it in newspapers and on social media.

    The notice should otherwise come from the general secretary, she said.

  • Punjab polls: Government announces paid holiday on February 20

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Thursday said it has declared a paid holiday in the state on February 20 on account of polling.

    “The date of polling shall be a paid holiday in respect of all persons employed in any business, trade, industrial undertaking or any other establishment situated in the state of Punjab and entitled to vote in the election to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha-2022 on this day,” an official statement read.

    Voting in the state’s 117 Assembly seats will be held in a single phase and the counting will take place on March 10.

  • Kejriwal has no right to ask for votes in Punjab: Sukhbir Badal lashes out at AAP chief

    By PTI

    SUJANPUR: SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday said AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal has no right to ask for votes in Punjab as he did not visit the state for a major period of the past five years.

    He even did not come during the Covid pandemic, Badal said addressing a public gathering in favour of his party’s Sujanpur candidate Raj Kumar Gupta.

    Asserting that Kejriwal was trying to “deceive Punjabis yet again”, Badal said, “You have already suffered by trusting the false oaths taken by former chief minister Amarinder Singh. Now, a party of outsiders is trying to sway you by asking you to give it one chance.”

    “I ask AAP why Punjabis should trust AAP. Its convener came to Punjab five years back and his party even won 20 seats to emerge as the principal opposition party in the state. However, instead of raising the voice of people, 11 of its 20 legislators joined the Congress,” he said.

    Badal said Kejriwal “ditched” Punjabis like Amarinder Singh, according to a party statement.

    “The AAP leader did not even come to Punjab more than once a year before the start of the election process. He did not care to send any medicines to Punjab as chief minister of Delhi. He did not even visit the state during the Covid pandemic. How can you trust him to stand by you in case you give him a chance and elect AAP to power,” Badal asked.

    Urging Punjabis to reject outsiders, the SAD president said the SAD-BSP alliance alone represented the regional aspirations of people.

    He said Punjabis across the country and even the world looked up to the SAD to resolve their grievances.

    “We have successfully resolved problems being faced by Punjabis across the world,” he said.

    Badal said erstwhile SAD-led governments had a time-tested track record.

    “We made Punjab power surplus. We are also responsible for bringing in world-class road and air connectivity to Punjab. We introduced unique initiatives like free power to farmers which is not being offered to farmers anywhere else in the country,” he said.

    “We also brought in social welfare schemes like old-age pension, ‘atta-daal’ and Shagun Schemes, which have helped weaker sections of society to stand up on their feet,” he said.

  • Punjab elections: BJP manifesto promises to waive debt of farmers, grant aid for landless

    By ANI

    CHANDIGARH: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its manifesto for the Punjab Assembly polls on Tuesday, promising to entirely waive off the debt of all farmers with less than five acres of land-holdings in the state.

    Besides, the party also promised ‘Mehnat Da Pakka Mull’ under which the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers growing fruits, vegetables, pulses, and oilseeds will be guaranteed as part of the Central Governments MSP extension programme.

    For sustaining crop diversification and making it more rewarding, the alliance promised a dedicated annual budget of Rs 5,000 crore for agriculture.

    As per an official statement from the BJP, Union Minister and BJP in-charge for Punjab Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, along with Shiromani Akali Dal-Sanyukt leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and BJP state general secretary Subash Sharma, said that this was a futuristic manifesto that is set to revolutionise the rural and agricultural economy in Punjab.

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    The BJP is fighting the Assembly polls in alliance with former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt).

    The alliance promised that one lakh acres of ‘Shamlat Land’ in the state will be allocated to rural landless farmers for cultivation. Besides, every landless farmer in the state would be given an annual financial assistance of Rs 6,000 under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sanman Yojana.

    For ‘Sustainable Green Revolution’, the manifesto promised an annual budget of Rs 5,000 crore to support Sustainable Agriculture and Organic Farming in the state.

    For special emphasis to protect Punjab’s depleting water table, free of cost rainwater harvesting units will be installed. Subsidy will be given for alternative automated and smart irrigation systems, which will help in water conservation. The irrigation department will be investigated for corruption and the corrupt officials will be brought to justice.

    To promote dairy farming, an organised milk marketing system shall be developed by establishing milk chilling centres in every village and milk processing units in a cluster of every 30 villages. Veterinary aid centres, artificial insemination and breeding centres will be established in every tehsil.

    It promised that subsidies and loans will be provided to women and those belonging to Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Economically Weaker Sections to start businesses in Dairy Farming, Poultry Farming and Beekeeping.

    The manifesto promised subsidies to agro-based industries under the Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme. Tax Exempted agro-based Industrial Clusters comprising small and medium enterprises shall be formed to attract investment in rural areas. Mega Food Processing Parks will be established also.

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    To promote rural entrepreneurship, the ‘Samriddh-Pind’ scheme will be launched and funds will be allocated annually to promote rural startups. To promote MSMEs, interest and collateral-free loans will be given to the rural youth with an easy payback mechanism.

    To improve the healthcare system in villages, under the ‘Healthy Villages’ scheme, each village will have Aarogya Kendras (clinics) with 24×7 doctor facility and laboratory, in which all kinds of tests can be done.

    Availability of ‘108 ambulance’ service will be ensured in all rural areas within 15 minutes. Permanent drivers will be recruited to achieve this endeavour.

    Under the ‘Pakki Chhatt – Har Ik Da Haqq’ (Housing for All) scheme permanent houses will be provided to all economically weaker sections of the society. Under ‘Har Ghar Jal’, clean and safe piped drinking water facilities will be provided to every household.

    All villages will have a 24×7 power supply. The government will provide free electricity up to 300 units to each household and above it, the electricity tariff will be Rs 3 per unit for domestic purposes.

    High-quality smart schools will be set up in the villages with modern classrooms, computer labs and playgrounds. Annual stipend will be given to EWS and handicapped students and all girls belonging to Scheduled Caste till 10th class.

    To promote sports in rural areas, playgrounds will be developed at the village level to encourage youngsters to participate in sports. To promote sportsmanship from the school level, sports kits will be given free of cost to all the registered sports clubs and government schools.

    The BJP said that world-class facilities will be provided for grooming international level hockey players. Kabaddi will be encouraged through rural tournaments. The amount of cash rewards given to medal winners in the important International and National Games will be revised on the lines of Haryana.

    Gold Medal winners in Olympics/Paralympics will get Rs 6 crores each, silver medalists Rs 4 crores each, bronze medalists Rs 2.5 crores each and those participating in these events will get Rs 15 lakhs each. Anyone qualifying for these games will get at least Rs 15 lakhs.

    For the Asian/ Para Asian Games, it will be Rs 3 crores, Rs 1.5 crores, Rs 75 lakhs and 7.5 lakhs for gold, silver, bronze medal and participation respectively. For Commonwealth Games/ Para Commonwealth, it will be Rs 1.5 crores, Rs 75 Lakhs, Rs 50 Lakhs and Rs 7.5 Lakhs for gold, silver, bronze medals and participation respectively.

    For World Cup/Para World Cup events held once in 4 years, the prize money will be Rs 1.5 Crores, Rs 75 Lakhs, Rs 50 Lakhs and Rs 7.5 Lakhs for gold, silver, bronze medals and participation respectively.

    For National Games/ Para National Games the prize money for gold, silver and bronze medals will be 5 Lakhs 3 Lakhs 2 Lakhs respectively, while for the State Level Games it will be Rs 21,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively for the gold, silver and bronze medals.

    Punjab will go to the polls on February 14 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10. In the 2017 Assembly polls in the state, Congress won an absolute majority by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government which had been in power for 10 years.