Ferozepur, Feb 20 (PTI) Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday said the party is committed to hiking the ‘Shagun’ benefit given at a daughter’s marriage to Rs 1 lakh, increasing old-age pension to Rs 3,100 month, and restarting the ‘Atta-Daal’ scheme with more commodities if voted to power in Punjab, where elections are due next year.
The Punjab Ashirwad Scheme, formerly the Shagun Scheme, provides financial assistance of Rs 51,000 to BPL families, SC/BC/Christian communities, and widows for the marriage of their daughters.
Addressing a rally at Zira in Ferozepur district, Badal claimed he has a vision for Punjab unlike Delhi-based parties, which are only interested in “looting” the state.
“At our core is the welfare of the poor, farmers, and labourers,” Badal said.
He added that his father and former chief minister, the late Parkash Singh Badal, showed the way by introducing many social welfare benefits for the weaker sections, including the ‘Shagun’ scheme, old-age pension and ‘Atta Daal’ scheme.
“We are committed to expanding these schemes by raising the ‘Shagun’ benefit to Rs 1 lakh, old-age pension to Rs 3,100 per month, and distributing ‘atta’ and ‘daal’ at Rs 4 and Rs 20 per kg, respectively,” the Akali leader said.
Stating that he would always uphold the pride and prestige of Punjab and the ‘Panth’, Badal said, “The SAD stands for the rights and aspirations of Punjabis, unlike the Delhi-based parties, including the Congress, AAP and BJP, which only come to rule.” He also claimed that the successive Akali governments in Punjab improved key infrastructure and facilities in the state, be it free tubewell connection, mandis, irrigation channels, thermal plants or expressways.
The Akali Dal did not just introduce social welfare schemes, but also brought administrative reforms by establishing ‘Sewa Kendras’ and ‘Saanjh Kendras’, he claimed.
“Tell me one thing the previous Congress or the present AAP government has done for the state. The only achievement of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is to paste his pictures across the length and breadth of the country at a cost of Rs 1,100 crore per annum,” Badal alleged.
The Akali leader also claimed that while the SAD stopped the acquisition of more than 35,000 acres of land in Ludhiana for peanuts for the cronies of the government, now a move has been initiated to hand over prime real estate in Mohali to builders from Delhi.
“I want to make it clear that once the SAD comes to power, we will cancel these auctions. I am also warning government officials against taking any step that compromises the interests of the state,” he said.
Speaking about farmers, Badal said tubewell connections would be provided to all who do not have one within one week of the formation of the next SAD government in Punjab.
He also promised to build concrete embankments on rivers to deal with floods, assured the grant of land rights to those denied till now, and free partition of joint ownership of land.
“All new industries coming up in Punjab will have to hire 75 per cent local youth, and government jobs would be available for Punjabis only,” he said.
Addressing the rally, senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia claimed that Punjabis have given a clear signal that they stand with the SAD and its chief, Sukhbir Badal.
Describing the AAP rule as “Khooni Raj”, Majithia claimed that people are being gunned down with AK-47 rifles outside courts and offices of DCs and SSPs. PTI COR CHS ARI
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