Shimla, August 17, Asserting that the time for change has come in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today urged people of the hill state to follow the example of Punjab and elect a pro-people and result oriented government in the coming Vidhan Sabha polls.
Addressing a huge gathering here the Chief Minister, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia, said that the time has come when the people of Himachal should make a choice between the ‘performance’ of AAP which is working tirelessly and lip service of traditional parties who have ruined the country. Bhagwant Mann said that the situation in Himachal Pradesh is not different from that of Punjab, prior to March 2022, as there had been a bi-polar contest between traditional parties.
But as these parties always duped the people by plundering tax payer’s money, the people of Punjab threw them out.
The winds of change brought transformation in Punjab as people voted for the AAP overwhelmingly and 92 MLAs won in the state. He asserted that stalwarts of traditional parties like former Chief Minister’s Parkash Singh Badal, Captain Amarinder Singh and Charanjit Singh Channi, along with former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, Bikram Singh Majithia and Navjot Singh Sidhu lost from their strongholds very badly. Bhagwant Mann predicted that the same scenario is likely to emerge in Himachal after the polls and AAP will form government in state.
Training his guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister, slammed him for condemning the welfare schemes of government by terming them as freebies. But the PM had extended largesse worth several lakh crores to his friends, said Mann. He reminded the people that Rs 15 lakh promised by Modi in every account has not yet come but people have suffered a lot due to unplanned demonetization. Bhagwant Mann also hit out at the Prime Minister for failing to check rise in prices of essential goods.
Listing the initiatives taken by the Aam Aadmi government in Punjab, the Chief Minister said that several path breaking initiatives have been taken by the state government for progress of state and prosperity of people. He said that it is on record that 50,000 acres of prime government land has been encroached by influential people in state. Bhagwant Mann said that out of this 9000 acres have been already reclaimed and rest will be freed from illegal encroachment soon.
The Chief Minister further said that the Aam Aadmi government has opened 100 Aam Aadmi clinics in the state. Bhagwant Mann said that 41 packages with around 100 clinical tests are being offered to the people free of cost in these Clinics. He envisioned that these clinics will be a cornerstone in revamping the healthcare system in Punjab adding that 90% of patients will get treated from these clinics only thereby reducing the burden in hospitals.
The Chief Minister further asserted that Corruption free governance is at the core of the ethos of the state government, which has been duly proved in its actions in the last five months. He said that Anti-corruption helpline was launched within the first few days of forming the government. Bhagwant Mann said that the state government has exhibited a zero-tolerance policy against corruption by initiating an action against its own Cabinet minister.
The Chief Minister further said that the state government will construct 16 new Medical colleges in the state during coming five years. He asserted that this will enhance total tally of medical colleges in state to 25 thus transforming Punjab into a hub of medical education. He envisioned that the students aspiring to pursue medical education will no longer have to go to countries like Ukraine adding that on the contrary such students will be provided quality medical education in these medical colleges.
The Chief Minister further asserted that in a path breaking initiative his government has provided 600 units of free power per billing cycle to every section of society. He said that as a result of this, 51 lakh households out of total 74 lakh will get zero electricity bill in the month of September. Likewise, Bhagwant Mann said that 68 lakh household will get zero power bill in January, which will be roughly 90% of the total households of the state.
The Chief Minister further said that his government has introduced One MLA, One Pension scheme thereby ending the open loot of public wealth in form of multiple pensions to the MLAs. He bemoaned that in last 75 years these elected representatives had drawn huge salaries and pensions from the state exchequer. Bhagwant Mann said that the entire burden of this facility to these leaders was on the taxpayers as their money was wasted on ensuring multiple pensions to these leaders instead of being used for the public welfare.
