The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday termed "unfortunate" Punjab's failure to use the Niti Aayog meeting presided over by the Prime Minister make a claim for special funds for the State as well as an action plan to take its farm economy out of the red.
MP and SAD secretary general Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said all except three chief ministers, including Capt Amarinder Singh, attended the meeting of the Niti Aayog which was held on Sunday to set goals for 2022.
In a statement, he said it was unfortunate that at a time when a vision document for the next 15 years was being discussed the Punjab CM was absent due to unspecified reasons. "We must jettison this casual approach and engage actively with the centre to continue the development narrative initiated by the SAD-BJP government", he advised.
Dhindsa said other chief ministers had used the occasion to highlight the problems being faced by the State as well as focus on their future demands before the members of the Niti Aayog as well as the PM.
He said Mehbooba Mufti even used the occasion to highlight the problems being faced by Kashmiri students in various educational institutions outside Jammu and Kashmir and the PM immediately asked all CMs to look into the issue.
"Punjab could have also used this occasion to find an immediate solution to the farm crisis in the State with suicides increasing manifold. Issues concerning the youth and industry could also have been taken up for immediate redressal but Capt Amarinder's inability to attend the meeting robbed the State of this opportunity," Dhindsa added
Stating that the people wanted results and expected the new Congress government to deliver, Dhindsa said the government should put its act together and start delivering instead of submitting memorandums.
"For starters the government should announce a complete loan waiver as promised to farmers. It should also increase all social welfare pensions to Rs 2,000 per month as promised and give an unemployment dole of Rs 2,500 per month to youth. If the government takes these prelimary steps Punjabis will have reason to believe that it will fulfil all its promises. But if the new government continues to delay implemenation of these promises by submitting memorandums to the centre and making committees it will become clear that it does not have any intention to deliver on them ", he added.