With an eye on ensuing Lok Sabha polls, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Friday listed out the ruling BJP’s victories in panchayats polls, direct mayoral elections in five cities, municipal corporation elections to Gurugram-Faridabad, students union and Jind bye-election while asserting that people of the state have extended their support to his government in the last four-and-a half year.
“Now, Lok Sabha elections will be held and later, Haryana Vidhan Sabha elections will be held on time,” the Chief Minister said during his reply on the debate on Governor’s address on the third day of ongoing budget session.
In an election year, the Chief Minister said, “Legislators in the opposition have appreciated various schemes of the present State Government. We can learn the good things from people sitting in opposition, and by learning from their shortcomings, we can improve.”
On the issue of construction of Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, Manohar Lal said that the SYL canal has become more of political issue now, the matter is with the Supreme Court to decide. If the water share of India, which is flowing into Pakistan, is flowed into India, this would provide big relief to farmers, he said.
While taking a dig at the former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Manohar Lal said that for Hooda, it is easy to dream but it is difficult to fulfill the dream.
Referring to the Kundli Manesar Palwal Expressway and National Cancer Institute, he said that these are projects which have been completed by the present State Government but not the previous one.
Responding to the queries of opposition regarding farmers’ woes, the Chief Minister said that his government has been making concerted efforts towards doubling the income of farmers by 2022.
Under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana’ (PMKSN), the Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department has uploaded data of eight lakh farmers to whom the first instalment of payment would be released by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 24. Haryana could be first state to work effectively on the ‘PMKSN’ Scheme, he said.
He added that in case of damage caused to crops due to natural calamities, the Central Government gives compensation at the rate of Rs 5,400 per acre whereas the State Government gives compensation at the rate of Rs 12,000 per acre.
Speaking on drug abuse, Manohar Lal said, “We all will find a solution to this and it is our duty to bring youth on right track”.
He said that there are about 25,000 persons registered in 61 Anti-Addiction Centres in the State.
About the ongoing strike by NHM employees, the Chief Minister said that there is no provision to regularize the contractual employees working under Central Government’s project.
He added that if the employees would not agree to resume their duties, they would be terminated.